AfterTaste (by Sherry)

Atlantic Grill
1341 Third Avenue (between 76th and 77th Streets)
(212) 988-9200

I’ve decided to add mini-reviews to my repertoire of posts since I tend to agonize over my regular restaurant reviews so much that it takes forever to publish them. Sometimes I go to a restaurant that for whatever reason I feel doesn’t warrant an extensive review. Either I don’t bring my camera or I don’t have time to write a 3000 word review, but I want to post about it, dammit! So, to alleviate my guilt and increase my average number of posts per week, I’m going to write some shorter posts from time to time where I won’t go into detail about decor or service unless something really stands out. This begins now.

Friday evening was so beautiful Matt and I were hell-bent on dining outdoors, but being the lazy bums we are, we didn’t feel like leaving my neighborhood. We also had intense cravings for fresh seafood. The only place I knew of around here that fit the bill (outdoor seating, raw bar, fresh seafood, delicious) was Atlantic Grill. Now, for my tax bracket, Atlantic Grill is not a place I would go to for a regular dinner on a regular Friday night, but as luck would have it, my birthday gift from Pri, a certificate for $50 off any meal at any of the BR Guest Restaurants, had arrived a few weeks ago. So even though it would still be more than we’d typically spend, Matt and I thought, in the spirit of a warm, carefree mid-spring eve, why not.

We each began with six oysters (a combo of East and West coasts) with a thyme mignonette, reminding me once more, as if I need to be reminded, how absolutely gonzo I am about oysters. Fresh, salty, smooth, supple, they were exactly what I had imagined myself eating on a night where the thermometer reached 75 degrees.

For our main courses, I had the porcini crusted scallops and jumbo shrimp and Matt had the crab crusted golden snapper over mushroom gnocchi. The scallops and shrimp were then rolled in granules of pulverized dried porcini and pan seared making for a flavor packed, smoky coating. These sat on a lump of mashed potatoes dotted with halved red grapes and some asparagus spears. Each bite was salty from the porcini, sweet from the shellfish and grapes, creamy from the potatoes, and crunchy from the asparagus, perfectly balanced contrasts. And you know how much I love perfectly balanced contrasts.

Matt’s snapper had a disappointingly small number of gnocchi and the crab played a much smaller role than I had expected, but the truffle oil lifted the snapper to a respectable flavor level worthy of praise.

Despite a potentially catastrophic incident involving a giant heating lamp and a retractable awning, Matt and I had found the exact dining experience we had been desperately looking for.

Dinner for Two:

• Platter of 3 East Coast and 3 West Coast Oysters ($12 x 2) - $24
• Porcini Crusted Scallops and Jumbo Shrimp - $26
• Crab Crusted Golden Snapper - $26
• Bottle of Riesling - $49
• Total (excluding tax and tip) = $125 - $50 (gift) = $75

Community Food and Juice
2893 Broadway (between 112th and 113th Streets)
(212) 665-2800 (Reservations not accepted)

My humblest apologies for having disappeared for two weeks. My job search has begun in earnest and it’s been a little distracting. There really are no good excuses though. I also forgot to charge my camera on the night I dined at Community Food and Juice so there are no pictures from that dinner. I fail at life. Anyway, back to business.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of dining at Community Food and Juice with two good friends of mine, Tara and Kyle. They recently moved into a new neighborhood (Morningside Heights/Columbia University area) and a visit to their new apartment was long overdue. After I ooh-ed and ahh-ed at their 12 foot ceilings and large kitchen and they ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the Levain cookies I brought them as a housewarming gift, we went to dinner. Community Food and Juice is just one of many examples of the latest restaurant trends in NYC today, the trend of earth and farm conscious, organically minded, and locally oriented menus enhanced by wooden communal tables and menus made of recycled paper, a little pricey and a little self righteous. But churning out delicious, fresh, seasonal dishes generally excuses them of those flaws.

Community Food and Juice is no exception, although it takes this concept a step further being one of a few restaurants certified by the Green Restaurant Association (along with others such as Fiamma Osteria and all branches of Le Pain Quotidien).

On this evening (a Thursday, I believe it was), the three of us arrived at approximately 8:15pm and were seated right away toward the end of a long rough-hewn communal table (one problem with such an au natural table: when the waitress sloshed my overflowing cocktail it dripped through the porous slab and onto my lap).

To start Kyle and I shared the zucchini scallion pancakes. Tara the resident nutrition/health nut had the farmer’s chopped salad. If you’re expecting/wanting your corner Chinese restaurant’s scallion pancakes, you may be disappointed in Community’s. I, on the other hand, was thoroughly delighted by them. Unfortunately, the zucchini gets a bit lost in a sea of onion-y scallions and the vinegary sweet dipping sauce. The dough binding the cake together is crisp on the outside, similar to a classic scallion pancake, and sticky on the inside. The cakes were satisfyingly savory, tart, crisp, and gooey.

The chopped salad was hearty and crunchy with sunflower seeds and radishes among many other ingredients, all chopped and sprinkled finely over the greens, so while it sounds like there’s a lot of junk in/on it, the flavors are well balanced.

Tara also had the rice bowl, which had that Ahab-and-the-whale elusive quality of tasting both healthy and incredibly delicious. Carrots and bean sprouts provide crunch. The brown rice provides filling, fiber-y warmth and the vinaigrette provides a necessary tang.

Kyle and I both had the cheeseburger. Community does a fabulously precise job of melting the traditionally difficult to melt Cabot Vermont white cheddar. The caramelized onions can be had on the side. I love onions so I smothered my burger in them. The fries were of the typical crispy, brown, skin on variety that some are fanatical about, but I am merely tolerant of. The meat was juicy and the bun was a buttery brioche. A burger worthy of praise and attention in a town full of burgers worthy of praise and attention.

All in all a healthy (except maybe for the burgers), well priced, organic meal that was delicious enough to drag me up to 112th street again sometime in the future. As for those who live around there? Well, Kyle’s already been there two other times since then. Does that answer your question?

Dinner (for Three):

• Zucchini Scallion Pancakes - $5
• Farmer’s Chop Salad - $10
• Rice Bowl - $9
• Cheeseburger ($13 x 2)- $26
• Total (excluding tax and tip) = $50