The buzz about Little Bistro – a tiny,
four-month-old eatery on Court Street – was "very good food,
cool place and a menu that needs to be more descriptive."
I checked it out, and I agree.
The food is inventive and mostly excellent. The ambience on a
recent Friday night reminded me of an open house party attended
by the entire neighborhood; and in some instances, the menu needs
a more extensive compiling of a dish’s ingredients, so the diner
won’t be surprised.
Little Bistro seats just 45 indoors with a few cafe tables in
front of the restaurant. Although it’s below street-level, it’s
not dismal thanks to big windows in the front that open onto
a small area for outdoor seating when the weather is warm.
There are a few lighthearted touches: a mirror that runs the
length of the room, edged with sepia-toned photos of Court Street,
and order tickets that become a decorative overhang above the
counter in the rear of the space. The dining room is awash in
tones of chocolate and white, with wooden tables and banquettes
covered in earth-toned, striped cloth ringing the room.
The warmth and playfulness of the decor makes a fitting backdrop
for chef Chris Cheung’s mix of down-home American and international
fusion dishes.
Cheung, who owns the restaurant with Sam Wong and Steven Ng,
opened the eatery in July. Before striking out with his partners,
he worked in the kitchens of Thai Grille in Brooklyn Heights
and Long Tan in Park Slope.
Cheung describes his cuisine as "new American with a twist."
By "American" he refers to all the ethnic groups in
this country, with an emphasis on Asian flavors. His menu lists
familiar dishes like a grilled hanger steak with roasted potatoes,
a juicy hamburger served with a towering pile of shoestring fries,
and sweet-and-sour baby back ribs with macaroni and cheese, as
well as more inventive fare.
The surprises stem from our idea of what a familiar dish should
or shouldn’t include. Take the appetizer, which is simply listed
on the menu simply as "Maine lobster bisque." I imagined
it arriving in a deep bowl with a nice chunk of lobster meat
on top and a sprinkling of herbs. Few of us would order the soup
expecting it to sport a crown of diced tomatoes, cucumbers and
avocados, and a large dollop of salmon roe. I like the unexpected,
especially if it’s something as delightful as the bisque, but
others might wish for a heads up when it comes to unforeseen
ingredients.
The appetizer "crispy calamari with cardamom salt"
came with a couple of surprises, too: tiny whole squid bodies
and a sweet-and-sourish sauce. The big platter of long squid
pieces and crunchy tentacles are delicately fried so they resemble
lacy ruffles. The fish is salty, but just enough so that its
mild flavor is enhanced. And that cardamom-laced sauce is lick-the-plate
delicious.
Less successful was an appetizer of duck confit (duck cooked
and stored in its own fat), topped with frizzled leeks and laced
with a peppery sauce. Each ingredient is tasty, but all together,
the dish isn’t something to get worked up over.
Unlike the duck, every ingredient in the "forbidden rice
crusted salmon with Japanese spiced cream sauce and Swiss chard"
acts to enhance the other. The fine grains of "forbidden
rice" (black, sticky rice from Thailand) turn the skin crisp
and nutty and play beautifully against the moist fish. On the
plate was a puddle of lemony sauce that lightened the richness
of the dish, and a mound of simply sauteed Swiss chard that added
color and a pleasantly bitter note to the flavors.
Our waiter warned us that the "bordelaise braised short
ribs with pappardelle pasta" was more noodle than meat,
but I wasn’t prepared for what arrived. I imagined a home-style
plate of slow-cooked beef in a winy, red sauce over tender noodles.
Set before me was a deep bowl of pasta, a few perfectly tender
chunks of meat off the bone, a creamy sauce and about 10 different
vegetables.
It wasn’t what I expected, but I enjoyed the dish tremendously.
I’d order it again, too.
The meal took a nosedive with the desserts. The two I tried –
the lichee tart and the pumpkin cheesecake – were clunkers. The
tart is an Asian take on creme brulee studded with lichee. The
fruit is too subtle to make much of an impact, too rich for more
than a couple of bites, and too large for one person’s dessert;
it may be overwhelming for two. It’s served with vanilla ice
cream and squiggles of caramel that do nothing at all for the
dish. Crustless cheesecake is a no-no in my book, especially
one that tasted like sour cream, not pumpkin, and sat amidst
fussy dribs and drabs of chocolate and caramel sauces that made
the plate look like a Halloween massacre.
On the dessert roundup is something called a "Hostess cupcake."
Don’t be fooled. It’s a molten chocolate cake in disguise, the
ubiquitous kind served warm with a runny center.
It’s best to approach Little Bistro with only one expectation:
that you’ll enjoy something new. Accept the idea that if you
order something familiar, you’ll receive Cheung’s experimental
take on the dish.
Chances are you’ll end up like the man sitting near me who told
his companion, "I’ve ordered the calamari 100 times. It’s
not what I expected at first, but now I won’t eat it anywhere
else."
Little Bistro (158 Court St. between
Amity and Pacific streets in Cobble Hill) accepts American Express,
MasterCard and Visa. Entrees: $10-$17. The restaurant serves
lunch Monday through Friday, and dinner every day. For reservations,
call (718) 797-5655.
