Dave Bailey has done it again, this time with a whiskey house/restaurant located in a magnificently refurbished urban building. The space is very ‘architectural,’ done in black and grey, with an overall Art Nouveau ambience. The floor has original black-and-white mini-tiles, and floor-to-ceiling speckled mirror panels add drama behind the bar.
After the menu’s many pages of whiskeys and wines, the short lists of ‘fare’ and ‘small fare’ are dominated by pasta, cheese dishes and pickled items—all of them vegetarian or vegan. But I prefer to call Small Batch ‘meat-free’ than vegetarian. That’s because the offerings aren’t old-style granola concoctions like cheese-y beans and rice or tofu burgers. The place makes an attempt to create gourmet dishes without meat, poultry or fish—a fairly ambitious goal. But like Bailey’s other enterprises, it’s bustling with business.
‘Light Fare’ lists dishes like egg rolls, pickles, cheeses, salads and soups. Spotlight Eggs ($4) consisted of three halves, the whites of each pickled with different spices and vegetables (kale, mustard and red pepper) lined up to resemble the colors of a street light. Their flavors varied, but all had a strong vinegary pungency. The deviled yolks sat underneath the tinted whites, and they too were mouth-puckeringly pickled.
A starter of Gratin ($8) wasn’t quite as playful, but just as focused in its flavoring. Basically a ramekin of caramelized green grapes, it was very sweet, with only a bit of goat cheese, shallots and rosemary leaves (and crostini) to cut the sugar. I found it cloyingly sweet and odd as a starter, especially in cold weather.
The soups here were good. A cup of Sweet Potato ($3) was pureed and dotted with some chunks of sweet potato, coarse black pepper and a bit too much salt. The Bean and Vegetable was excellent, very hearty and laced with cumin and a touch of peppery heat. The don’t-miss starter is the Pommes Frites ($5), a generous tub of hand-cut sweet potatoes liberally dosed with salt, pepper and sugar.
Very flavorful and satisfying was the Green Curry entrée ($11), a huge bowl of tofu, snap peas, carrots, fried sweet potato cubes and other veggies over rice. The sauce had some bite and was creamy, with a coconut milk flavor. Also quite good was the Falafel dinner ($12), an odd mix of ingredients that worked surprisingly well together: flat garbanzo patties with pureed centers and crisped exteriors, sweet green grapes, crunchy raw celery, bits of tangy radish, halved cherry tomatoes (these were the least successful element), and sauces of red harissa and creamy tahini yogurt. It was complex, tasty and filling (but needed salt and pepper).
Vegan Ice Cream had a coconut milk base, and was very good, if a little sweeter than traditional ice cream. The topping of warm berry compote was excellent, a combination of blueberries and raspberries.
[ amuse bouche ]
THE SCENE | Ultra-hip refurbished space with Art Nouveau ambience
THE CHEF | Peter Clark
THE PRICES | $3 to $10 starters, $9 to $14 entrees
THE FAVORITES | Green Curry, Vegan Ice Cream with Berry Compote, Bean and Vegetable Soup, Pommes Frites
[ chef chat ] with Peter Clark
PEDIGREE| LeCordon Bleu in Pittsburgh
FAVORITE INGREDIENT| Salt
FAVORITE RESTAURANT| Stellina or Quincy Street Bistro
FAVORITE COOKBOOK| Nature by Alain Ducasse
MOST MEMORABLE DINING EXPERIENCE| The first time I took my wife to dinner 13 years ago; it was a hole-in-the-wall diner in Alton
GUILTY PLEASURE FOOD| Cracklins
by Jonathan Carli
Photos by Bill Barrett