I am a HUGE Top Chef fan! It’s also a show that Adam and I enjoy watching together…and since he’s not a Gossip Girl fan, having another show we can watch together is a definite plus! So, when Dale Talde of Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars fame opened Talde, a new Asian-fusion restaurant in Park Slope, to rave reviews, I knew I had to check it out. Caitlin, a fellow top chef fan and Brooklyn blogger and I met there one weeknight, and after hearing stories of hour-long waits, I was very happy to be seated right away. Everything on the menu sounded incredible and we had a very hard time deciding. This may have also been due to the fact that Dale was standing in the kitchen window, so close we could almost touch him! But don’t worry…we held it together and with help from our waitress, ordered a most delicious assortment of their family style dishes.
Hawaiian bread buns: crispy long island fluke and market vegetables topped with garlic vinegar mayo and pickled shallots
Octopus a la plancha with a delicious spicy mayo based sauce
Whole market fish: banana leaf roasted topped with tumeric-tomato chutney
The fish was served with some sort of rice paper/crepe like wrapper to make your own wraps filled with succulent fish. Such a fun main course!
Sugar snap peas stir-fried with green sambal sauce
Halo Halo (or a cereal bowl on gone crazy!) Shaved ice topped with coconut, coconut milk, mango, banana, captain crunch, tapioca balls
I think the fact that Caitlin and I are STILL thinking about that fish should tell you just how good, how moist, and how flavorful it was. The Hawaiian bread buns with perfectly squishy bread sandwiching some delicious fillings were just fantastic. And all the sauces Dale does…from the spicy sauce on the octopus to the green and vibrant sauce on the simple snap peas…they are all perfectly balanced and compliment the dishes so well. And just look at that beautiful, very weird but oddly tasty dessert. All the different textures and flavors made us keep dipping our spoons in for more, despite being stuffed to the brim!
From a Top Chef competitor to a Top Chef head judge, Tom Collicio’s Craftbar was the spot of my and Adam’s latest date night. Having wanted to try one of his restaurants for a long time, I was very much looking forward to sampling what Craftbar had to offer. Let me tell you…this restaurant is a like a perfectly oiled, well run machine. I guess I should expect no less from Mr. Collicio. Our water glasses were never empty, the servers were knowledgable, the food arrived perfectly cooked and perfectly timed, and cutlery was replaced before we realized it was gone.
Pecorino arancini with spicy tomato sauce
Lamb tortelloni with Greek yogurt and fennel and eggplant ragout
Sheeps milk ricotta ravioli with spring vegetables, meyer lemon, and aged pecorino
Broccoli rabe with garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon confit
Banana tart topped with meringue and pecan praline ice cream
All of our food was perfectly cooked and seasoned and well, just very good. Nothing was outstanding or mind-blowing but just very good solid food with great service in a great atmosphere. The lamb in my tortelloni was so tender and every single plate was well-balanced. I guess those Top Cheffers really do know how to cook!
[...] The Best Asian Food: Talde (review) [...]