Porsena

A little more than a year ago, Sara Jenkins added lasagna to her miniature menu at Porchetta on East 7th Street.  It was an odd addition to the protein-filled 'restaurant', but was fabulously flavorful and foreshadowed things to come.  Since, she has opened her Roman-inspired pasta ristorante down the same street and wins not only with the innovative pasta dishes, but also takes reservations.  In case you haven't heard, reservations are coveted these days in the "No Reservation Generation" (Adam Platt).

Olive oil poached baby octopus with celery, chickpeas, lemon and olives.  Light oil and fresh ingredients as well as a fair amount of tentacle-y octopus.  Very Roman and superb! 

Savory whipped bacalau spread with toasted, oiled bread and actually more appealing to stateside diners due to the fact it was not salty to the extreme.

Anelloni with salsiccia e rape.  This is exactly what makes Jenkins a creative chef in a city of thousands of Italian chefs.. She chooses the ring-shaped pasta which has a ridge on the outsides that seals the sauce in the pasta alongside spicy lamb sausage, mustard greens and breadcrumbs.  An incredible textural contrast.

The Eggplant Parmesan I didn't care for.  The tasteless eggplant was swimming in a soupy bechamel sauce, although it was hidden under a thin layer of piping hot cheese.

Hence, why Porsena is regarded as the 'pasta restaurant' and rustic cooking at its finest.

Bahari Estiatorio

Crossing the bridge to Astoria provides you with a plethora of Greek restaurants, but does not guarantee them to all be fantastic dining experiences.  Bahari is an exception AND it is half a block from the subway.  The restaurant has the typical 'Greek feel' with its white-washed walls, wooden chairs and fishing nets/rope/gear, but nothing unique in terms of decor.

Krya Pikilia platter of traditional spreads:
Taramosalata (roe mixed with mashed potatoes) usually has a distinctive roe taste, but this one had none.
Tzatziki (yogurt and cucumbers) used a high quality yogurt that was a bit firmer and held the cucumber well.
Skordalia (garlic) was another spread that should have a very strong jolt garlic taste and aftertaste.  This was lost in the puree.
Melintzanosalata (eggplant) was a whipped eggplant spread with nice proportions of lemon and garlic.
Tyrokafteri (peppers) was far-and-away the best dip.  The combination of red peppers, yogurt, lemon and garlic was well-balanced by feta.

Here's the deal with the 'appetizer' of moussaka.  The ingredients were all fresh, but there was a noticeable separation in each layer of potato, eggplant, ground beef and bechamel sauce.  The sauce shouldn't just fall off the top.... Baby lamb chops cooked well, but far from perfection and underseasoned. Whole dorade was simply grilled with oil, lemon, salt and served with okra that was stewed.  I'm not sure it was supposed to have that texture, but was cooked in a light tomato sauce. These peas were cooked down with oil, spinach, carrots and potatoes.  The real zinger of the dish was how well the vegetables were complimented by the dill and lemon.  This is such a simple dish to make at home!

SHUTTERED Catalan (Fork in the Road: Houston, TX)

Roasted Berkshire Pork belly with Steen's pure cane syrup - the perfect fat-to-meat ratio and enough for an entire meal

Arborio-dusted calamari with jalapeno lime dressing - calamari was oily and the dipping sauce, too acidic

Baby arugula, roasted hazelnuts, can vinaigrette, spicy fried oysters - these plump oysters were lightly breaded & deep fried

Spice roasted Grouper, local sweet carrot, crabmeat

Seafood Stew: Local fish, clams, shrimp and calamari - extremely bland flavors

Blackened snapper over a 'crawfish boil' - the flavors worked well together, although the pepper overwhelmed the dish a touch

Lamb chops over white beans cooked down with lamb shoulder and Morcilla

Berkshire pork chop, sweet potato and Texas apple hash demi

Bacon & goat cheese grits

Redneck Mac & Cheese

Every main course's meat was tough, particularly the chops. While Catalan falls short in the entree category, it succeeds with small plates and sides; and honestly, most of the small plates have portions big enough to be considered entree-size.

Kudos to the team for their use of farmers that supply the menu!

Catalan 5555 Washington Avenue