If I were to name a cafe I wouldn’t choose
the word "surreal." The title conjures up unappetizing
images of dripping eggs and melting clocks. And, as it turns
out, it is not a fitting name for the Surreal Cafe, a down-to-earth
eatery that opened in August in Park Slope.
Owner Ron Katz, a 20-year Park Slope resident, wanted to open
a cafe that served breakfast, lunch and dinner to the neighborhood.
He finds hormone- and antibiotic-free meat and mostly organic
produce, ingredients that are not always a staple in other Fifth
Avenue cafes; and he has developed a menu that will please burger
lovers as well as vegetarians.
While the name he’s chosen suggests Haight-Ashbury-style coffeehouses,
the reality is a clean, brick-walled space with a small bar,
wooden tables, and a few small pieces of art (surreal, of course)
that hang on the cream-colored walls.
Katz, who developed the fine kosher fare at Fischer Brothers
& Leslie, a take-out and butcher shop on the Upper West Side,
created the cafe’s menu, a mix of American bistro style with
Middle Eastern cuisine, with his first chef, Nir Feller, formerly
of Diner in Williamsburg, and his present chef, Gabriel Thompson,
formerly of Le Bernardin in Manhattan.
Usually when I read a menu, there are a few items that pop out
as winners and the rest I skip with little regret. Not so with
Surreal Cafe’s cohesive, seasonal dishes. Deciding between the
shrimp bisque or the prosciutto with fresh figs and ricotta was
a dilemma. The "sabich" sandwich, made with layers
of fried eggplant, potatoes, preserved lemon and tahini (a paste
made from ground sesame seeds) on homemade pita bread sounded
fabulous, but so did fettuccini with olive-and-dried-chili tapenade.
Much of what I finally selected lived up to their descriptions.
Warm, chewy, dense and buttery, the house-made pita bread is
in a class of its own. That big bowl of rose-colored, complexly
layered, pepper-tinged shrimp bisque held my attention to the
last spoonful.
And such enjoyable, beautifully executed food throws the kitchen’s
blunders into high relief.
My friend and I shared the meze plate entree, containing two
salads and two spreads, as an appetizer. The baba ghanoush (eggplant
spread) was chunky, smoky and garlicky, and it was delicious
when scooped up with a triangle of that pita bread. Chickpeas
were crisp and peppery, but wedges of earthy-tasting beets sprinkled
with fennel seeds would have benefited from a little olive oil
or lemon to moisten them. More moisture was also needed for slightly
underdone roasted carrots sprinkled with sumac. For this dish
to satisfy diners, the kitchen has to do better than two out
of four.
And, if you’re going to include a dish on the menu that sounds
as enticing as "meatballs with walnuts and cherries seasoned
with ’ras al-hanout’ [a Moroccan blend of cinnamon, cloves and
black pepper] with Yukon gold mashed potatoes and wild mushrooms"
make sure what you serve matches the narrative. Four small hamburgers,
even rare, grilled ones with a nutty flavor, aren’t meatballs
– they don’t have the soft texture breadcrumbs add. The mashed
potatoes were just OK, and the mushrooms were dry. Like the meze
plate, this dish needed a splash of sauce to link its elements.
It’s obvious that Thompson has learned a trick or two about cooking
fish at Le Bernadin. The skin of his perfect black sea bass entree,
served over thick slices of oven-baked tomatoes, was crisp and
its flesh moist and sweet.
Even a cafe with a humble, just-feeding-the-neighborhood vibe,
must pay attention to plating. The generous servings, with no
garnishes, are in keeping with the cafe’s casual atmosphere,
but they aren’t special enough for a meal outside the home. A
little less food on the smallish plates with a sprig of basil
or swirl of sauce would satisfy clients aesthetically.
Both dessert specials were disappointing. The fruit used to top
a fresh peach tart was hard and flavorless and the pastry cream
left only the impression of flour. Moist pear pound cake with
pear chutney suggested a lovely welcome to fall, but the cake
had little fruit flavor and the chutney screamed for warm, sweet
spices like ginger or cinnamon.
Most of the food at the Surreal Cafe is so close to being just
right that when it isn’t, a meal can be disappointing. Once the
kinks are worked out, the kitchen will deliver as much as the
menu promises.
The Surreal Cafe (79 Fifth Ave. at Prospect
Place in Park Slope) accepts American Express, Discover, MasterCard
and Visa. Entrees: $8-$18. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch
and dinner daily. Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays, from
9 am to 4 pm. For reservations, call (718) 857-5252.