It’s great to be at the top. But, as the saying goes, with good fortune comes great responsibility. Sidney Street Cafe has been around for 27 years, and this year it celebrated its 10-year anniversary under the ownership of much-heralded chef Kevin Nashan.
All that history and attention creates high expectations, and when you add entree prices in the $30 range, those expectations are even higher. There is no doubt this place can deliver, but there also can be disappointments, albeit small ones. For one thing, portions seem like they might have shrunk. An appetizer of Cauliflower and Pistachio ($12) was a narrow smear of white cauliflower puree and thick green pistachio puree on the bottom, sprinkled with a few dried cauliflower florets and pistachios on top. There might have been a few pickled florets in there too. As a foodie, I can admire the attention to detail and flavor in each element; as a diner, I expect more food for the price.
The next appetizer, Jonah Crab ($13), worked out a little better as the tasty Atlantic crab came with an assortment of goodies more original than vegetable puree: tarragon marshmallows, sunchoke puree and some glistening gelees.
Entrees include choice of soup or salad. The special salad, apple-arugula, was a beautiful array of spicy arugula and frisee greens with candied walnuts, dried and fresh apples, and cider vinegar that was a sweet and satisfying starter. There was a slight upcharge, $2, donated to charity. By contrast, the house salad was a disappointment, its pitiful pile of mixed greens, with nothing else, barely filling a small plate.
An entree of Monkfish ($30) illustrated what can make a meal here totally memorable. The poor man’s lobster came smoked and in two chunks, sitting in a broth made of dried kelp and flavored with the slightest tinge of coffee (from Sump coffee on Jefferson Avenue). Also on the plate were house-made ‘tortellini,’ horn-shaped shells filled with the liver of the monkfish, a salty pâté tasting of the sea.
Another stellar entree, Caramelized Scallops ($29), reinforced that positive impression. Not only were the scallops gigantic, perfectly seared and sweet, but the other elements on the plate delight the diner with their originality. You don’t expect hamhock broth here, or noodles made of pigskin, yet they’re not random choices. The pork elements added rich fat that made this dish more filling and satisfying; baby bok choy, braised turnips and caramelized apples were the accessories.
Filet Bearnaise ($35) was less impressive. The cut was butterflied and stuffed with a chunk of lobster, but the meat’s texture was on the mealy side. The béarnaise sauce on top was rich and creamy, but barely released its tarragon flavor; the pureed potatoes underneath— bright green from an infusion of herbs—were excellent.
Desserts were of the ‘deconstructed’ variety: the trend of taking a dish apart and serving it as its various elements. Snicker Bar ($9) came as three peanut halves, dabs of chocolate mousse and chocolate sorbet. Carrot Cake ($9) became ginger meringue, dabs of lemon curd and butternut squash sorbet.
[ chef chat ] >> Kevin Nashan
PEDIGREE : CIA in Hyde Park, New York
FAVORITE INGREDIENT | Salt
FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT |That’s hard, I love them all.
FAVORITE COOKBOOK | Cooking By Hand by Paul Bertolli
MOST MEMORABLE MEAL | Eating at el Bulli after I staged there
by Jonathan Carli
photos by Bill Barrett