The ceilings soar, the service impresses and the food enchants. The architects of this trifecta are Executive Chef Bryce Shuman, former Executive Sous Chef of Eleven Madison Park, and General Manager Eamon Rockey, formerly of Eleven Madison Avenue as well. Located just off Fifth Avenue on 57th Street, the food is billed as Modern American and it is sublime.
Of particular note are the Ricotta Gnudi with a delicious Moroccan Olive glaze, Sauteed Skate Wing with shaved Cauliflower I mistook for thinly sliced parmesan, and a wonderfully juicy chicken breast with the most lovely assortment of tiny, garden vegetables. But, as humble as it might be, the dish that am still longing for is the Grain Salad with labna and sprouts..OMG..I could live on it.
Metta, Norberto Piattoni's Fort Green neighborhood restaurant[/caption]
Francis Mallmann, the revered Argentinian chef made famous by his many restaurants around the world, a couple of books on his cooking style and a hit television series, Chef's Table, has ensured his legacy with a diaspora of chef proteges, two of whom have rolled up in New York. Norberto, better known to his friends as Negro, recently opened Metta, a neighborhood restaurant located on a quiet corner two blocks from the Fort Greene farmers market in Brooklyn. It offers sustainably sourced, vegetable-forward dishes all cooked in a custom designed, open-fire kitchen, using South American asado techniques, utilizing all aspects of the fire (smoke, flame, ash and embers) to create layers of flavor in dishes. Packed with happy diners the night I went, it is relaxed, delicious, interesting and fun.
[caption id="attachment_8248" align="alignnone" width="500"]
Flora Bar, Ignacio Mattos' third opening in New York[/caption]
Ignacio Mattos was born in Uruguay and learned to cook in the kitchens of Mallman and Slow Food legend, Alice Waters. His two other restaurants in New York, Estela, with its bold, Mediterranean-inspired cooking, and Altro Paradiso, with its Italian cuisine, are favorites of mine. Now, Ignacio has come with his team to the Met Brauer on 76th and Madison, offering small bites as well as main dishes in a comfortable setting either indoors or on the open terrace. Service is superb, wines delicious and the food captivating. The space, in my opinion, could do with some tlc - easily accomplished. If you can serve food like that, a bit of flower planting and decorating should come easy.
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