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“Macao Trading Company”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Asian	Tribeca	Moderate	Great

nd sous chefs Keith Harry and Lisa Leonard-Lee. Their vision tracks two separate dynasties of Macao: the Portuguese and the Chinese. These two strands are kept separate, so this is not a fusion restaurant (wise), but one that explores and expresses the dynamic cuisine of these two cultures. Both paths of the menu work equally well, and while you may be overwhelmed by choice, don’t worry. You can always come back for more another night. My guess is you’ll want to return fairly soon.

All dishes are served family style in beautiful royal blue and white ceramic bowls and platters. On the Chinese side, we started with a plate of scallop and snow pea leaf potstickers ($13), which were terrific—hot and crisp on the outside, fat with succulent scallops with a hefty dose of vibrant green pea leaves inside. From Portugal, we went with a steamy bowl of chorizo and clams swimming in a rich red broth that was wildly and wonderfully smoky. Smartly, the kitchen sends every dish with some sauce or broth that you might want to mop up, with rolls for that very purpose. We dunked away, shooing away bussers who wanted to clear what they thought were empty bowls. Not so fast!

Back to China, the fried oysters with curry aioli and cucumber salsa ($14) were so crunchy the noise from eating them threatened to drown out conversation, and from the Portuguese side, lamb meatballs ($8) were plump and tender, brightly seasoned, resting on a thick and sweet tomato sauce (bread was served with this dish, too), with a gob of melting cheese secreted in their core. But another classic from Portugal, the shrimp in green sauce ($9) was not as interesting. While the shrimp were quite juicy, the sauce was anemic and paled in comparison to the muscle of the other dishes. But the quail stuffed with sticky rice ($14) was really fun. This humble little bird rarely gets enough love and this preparation- stuffed with sticky rice, lacquered in barbecue sauce and set up with a vibrant pickled slaw- let it shine in a way I’ve never seen before.

Larger plates are, well, extra large, and most probably you’ll end up too full to finish what’s in front of you and end up travelling home with a care package for lunch the next day. But don’t let that deter you. Prices are gentle for the generous portion size and for three people (especially if you’ve loaded up on small plates as we did) you really only need one or two large plates ... [more, click below]

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Posted: January 23, 2009

Other restaurants in Tribeca :
+ Lunchbox Food Company--Closed   + 66: THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED   + Ola-- Closed   + Bouley   + Dominic   + Landmarc   + Pace-- Closed   + EN Japanese Brasserie   + Centrico   + Cercle Rouge   + The Harrison   + Turks & Frogs Tribeca   + Devin Tavern   + Dani-- Closed Now   + Bacaro/Smith & Mills   + The Harrison   + Matsugen, By Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Forge   + Macao Trading Company   + Harbour   + Review text tbd...   + Mehtaphor   + Brushstroke   + Jung Sik   

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