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“Back Forty”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	East Village	Moderate	Good

d. “This is great,” he said, taking a sip of his Back Forty cocktail. “I’m having the left-hand side of the menu, what are you having?” “Dave, that’s like ten items,” I offered, trying to gently suggest that maybe he might be over-ordering. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll leave off the mixed greens ($8), and I guess I have to leave out the fingerling potatoes ‘cause I see they’re cooked in lard ($7).”

“Okay,” I said, slightly afraid of what the waitress might say when he ordered seven items for dinner. “But will you share with me?” I asked, knowing that while he doesn’t eat animals, he does have an impressive appetite for plants. “Yeah, I guess so,” he said. And so we proceeded to shock the waitress and our neighbors at nearby tables, and eat practically the entire left-hand side of the menu along with one entrée for me—the grilled whole Catskills trout ($16).

The tempura battered delicata squash ($6), listed under snacks, was terrific. Served with a mini-squeeze bottle of smoked paprika mayo, the rings of squash arrive in a wax paper lined basket looking like crispy onion rings, but instead of slippery onion secreted under an airy batter you’ll find hefty ringlets of sweet pumpkiny squash. The shaved fennel and pumpkin salad ($9) was also a winner—hunks of roasted pumpkin tossed with ribbons of fennel glossed in a bright, punchy, lemony vinaigrette seasoned with turmeric. Hello! Yum. The roasted brussel sprouts were treated to a surprise. Instead of the usual maple and bacon combo (always a good one), Hoffman substitutes dried cherries and shallot butter ($6) to wonderful effect. Roasted mushrooms got a dose of thyme and shallots, and they too were excellent, though a bit more ho-hum ($8) than the other more dramatic garden players.

My personal favorite was the green wheat with yogurt and mint ($6). Better known as Frick in Middle Eastern circles, it is the germ of the wheat just before it bursts into a grain. It’s extremely nutty and chewy and is cooked like tabouleh with fragrant mint, and a dollop of cool tangy yogurt. I treated this as my own personal side fish for my grilled Catskills Trout—a glossy, meaty, slightly smoky and super sweet fish perfumed with lemon and herbs that was so large I had half for dinner and half the next day for lunch, fashioned into a tro ... [more, click below]

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Posted: November 26, 2007

Other restaurants in East Village :
+ Yujin-- Closed   + Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar   + Mermaid Inn   + Five Points   + Lavagna   + Five Points   + Bond Street   + Jewel Bako   + Alphabet Kitchen   + In Vino   + Bao 111   + Chikalicious   + Il Buco   + Hearth   + Lima's Taste   + Mercadito   + Hedeh   + Momofuku   + Una Pizza Napoletana   + Winebar   + Uovo-- CLOSED   + Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction   + Gotham Bar & Grill   + Colors   + Chinatown Brasserie   + Knife and Fork   + European Union-- NEW CHEF; SEE APRIL 2007 Review   + Aroma Kitchen and Winebar   + Stand   + European Union   + Mercat   + Gemma   + Back Forty   + The Smith   + Seymour Burton   + Belcourt   + Graffiti   + The Redhead   + Double Crown    + Apiary   + Joe Doe   + Apiary by guest reviewer Kiri Tannenbaum   + DBGB   + Northern Spy   + Goat Town   + Saxon + Parole   + Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria   + Acme   + Calliope   + Nicoletta   + JEPPNEY by Claire Jaffe   + Feast   

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