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“5 Ninth”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	MeatPacking	Moderate	Great

I know many of you may be scratching your head at this review, thinking, “What’s she doing writing about 5 Ninth? Doesn’t she know that this restaurant opened three years ago? Is she getting soft in the head?” Well, I can appreciate your confusion. (And I may be going soft in the head.) 5 Ninth did open three years ago. But it opened with a chef who recently departed. That chef was a young guy who’d developed a cult following for his locally foraged, Brooklyn Global menu at the Chickenbone Café in Williamsburg. Zak Pelaccio was (and remains) a culinary wunderkind, an outside the lines talent, a redheaded renegade with an untamed passion for pig, and a lust for the Far East and the lands of Malaysia and Thailand. 5 Ninth was his stage for three years, enough time for him to have a son, open Fatty Crab, and to strike a deal with Jeffery Chodorow to open a place called Borough Food & Drink.

When Zak resigned about a month ago, 5 Ninth’s owners Vincent Seufert, Joel Michel and Rick Camac considered the restaurant. They loved the space they’d created—an 1848 brownstone with three floors, six fireplaces, and a spare, organic design, but they wanted to make some changes. They’d remain true to the spirit of the place and continue to support locally farmed foods, offer a menu alive with big bright flavors. But perhaps they could do this with a bit more accessibility. Zak’s full-on nose to tail eating was great and all, but some customers were craving something other than the snout.

To take things down a notch, they brought in a chef who’d worked for many years with Zak, a guy named Chino. Yes, like Cher and Madonna, Chino goes by one name and one name alone (though his given name is Daniel Parilla). Before working with Zak, he worked at Sumile, Union Pacific, Bouley, Café Boulud, and at The Tasting Room. Not too shabby.

He’s retooled the menu at 5 Ninth and worked it into an impressive document that makes me want to eat at 5 Ninth several times a week. At brunch, I’d probably have the skillet eggs with panzanella, proscuitto, and Pecorino ($11) and a one of their secret recipe Bloody Marys ($10). For lunch, maybe the fried oyster Po Boy with spicy remoulade, romaine lettuce, and tomato ($16). And for dinner, well, that’s wha ... [more, click below]

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Posted: July 16, 2007

Other restaurants in MeatPacking :
+ Paradou   + Florent   + One   + Bivio   + Spice Market   + Ono   + 5 Ninth   + Fatty Crab   + Del Posto   + Morimoto   + Los Dados   + 5 Ninth   + Merkato 55   + Scarpetta   + The John Dory   + The Standard Grill   + Bill's Bar & Burger   

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