In every artist’s life a little rain must
fall. For artists living in DUMBO that rain takes the form of
many-pillared condominiums with million-dollar price tags and
artist lofts that few artists can afford. It’s happened before;
remember Wiliamsburg? Or SoHo before the galleries moved out
and the makeup meccas moved in?
While artists contemplate the next neighborhood to renovate,
they have to eat, and that’s where Superfine comes in. Tucked
under the Manhattan Bridge, Superfine – named for the Webster’s
Dictionary definition, "su.per.fine 3: of high quality or
grade" – opened in October 2001, joining a slowly emerging
dining scene. (Among the area’s newer arrivals is Rice, a multicultural
rice-with-toppings eatery; and, for artists craving a sugar buzz,
there’s Jacques Torres Chocolate, a factory and cafe that produces
decadent chocolates and chocolate croissants.)
Partners Tanya Rynd, who manages the restaurant and purchases
its provisions; Laura Taylor, the chef; and Cara Lee Sparry,
who designed the space and manages the bar, pooled their talent
and spent 18 months operating Superfine out of the kitchen and
dining room annexed to the DUMBO mainstay Between the Bridges
bar. There they found a following of locals happy to abandon
a diet of burgers, nachos and dip for Taylor’s seasonal Mediterranean
cuisine.
After their successful trial run, the three spent a year renovating
a century-old horse stable turned vacuum and auto parts warehouse
into a soaring, multi-level restaurant with all the accoutrements
an artists’ community demands: a Day-Glo orange pool table, a
long wall reserved for monthly art exhibits and a well-stocked
bar that takes center stage.
The decor features a high-tech kitchen open to the dining room
– where Taylor can be seen flipping tuna on the grill – and a
one-of-a-kind collection of enamel-and-wood dining tables with
mismatched chairs and tableware that make the expansive space
feel a little more country than rock ’n’ roll. On Sunday mornings,
families pack the place for a Southwestern-style brunch. A bluegrass
band keeps the kids away from the tables and on the floor dancing.
Each evening Taylor presents a menu of three appetizers and seven
entrees incorporating ingredients from nearby organic farmers’
markets, prime butchers and fish markets. Every dish is made
to order, which means that it can take a few extra minutes to
get your entree.
Be grateful for the wait.
When your meal arrives, all the flavors will taste clean, not
muddled, and the textures will be firm and crisp. The menu du
jour, brought to the table on a blackboard, includes a hearty
salad with enough ingredients to double as an entree; two fish
dishes, one pasta and pork chops that have become a Superfine
mainstay.
Taylor respects the flavors of prime ingredients by fussing as
little as possible at the stove and grill (where she excels),
and leaving off superfluous garnishes.
According to Rynd, "[Taylor] elevates the flavors of the
freshest ingredients coming directly from the earth that day."
Amping flavor to the max is more like it. What appears on the
plate is rustic, boldly colored and flavored dishes that are
gorgeous in their simplicity.
An appetizer of tomatoes – just perfect red slices of beefsteak
tomatoes, a few slices of ripe, yellow tomatoes and tiny, sweet
cherry tomatoes – was dressed with nothing more than good fruity
olive oil, a few dabs of chunky, garlicky pesto, and paired with
freshly made mozzarella. So simple: more of an assembly of ingredients
than a prepared dish, yet I’d have a difficult time finding a
better example of summer at its peak.
Playing cheerleader to her grill, Taylor stands back and lets
it quickly work its magic on her fish and vegetable dishes. An
appetizer of tender grilled calamari, sliced into rings, lacked
the usual jaw-grinding chewiness. Aioli, a garlic mayonnaise,
worked as a delightful dip for the lemony squid, and halves of
grilled new potatoes made a novel partner.
Fresh, pink cranberry beans sauteed with sweet shallots served
as a delicious mattress for sushi-grade tuna that was crisply
seared on the outside, and just warm inside. That fish, scattered
with slices of grilled zucchini and velvety grilled eggplant,
could make a believer of tuna-jaded New Yorkers.
If pure comfort is in order, the big bowl of delicate spaghettini,
tossed with Taylor’s robustly flavored house-made lamb sausage
will do nicely. With its earthy mix of chunked sausage studded
with garlic and fennel seeds, a few wilted leaves of spinach
and sweet roasted tomato sauce – the dish is a humble delight.
Jessica Powers, Superfine’s pastry chef, shares Taylor’s "less
is more" aesthetic. Each evening she offers five desserts:
something chocolate, maybe a torte or layer cake; a custard or
creme brulee (try the cardamom); a homey confection like her
buttermilk cake with berries and creme fraiche; and the rest
are inspired by whatever fruit is freshest in the market that
day.
Powers’ lemon pot de creme, served in a little white ramekin,
was all creamy, mouth-puckering tartness. Sweet, ripe cherries,
blackberries and blueberries that topped the creme added just
the right note of sweetness. Another little ramekin, this time
filled with a blueberry-and-peach cobbler, was sweetened with
just a hint of sugar, allowing the flavors of that natural fruit
pairing to shine. A crumbly, cookie-like biscuit sat like a mini-fez
on the fruit, and unsweetened, softly whipped cream added a bit
of luxury to the unassuming dessert. A cup of stand-your-spoon-in-it-strong
coffee is all that’s needed to complete the meal.
Sunday brunch is influenced by Taylor’s stint behind the stove
at Cafe Pasqual’s in Santa Fe, famous for its innovative spin
on traditional New Mexican dishes. You’ll find imported New Mexican
hatch, green chilies giving the salsa a fiery bang; fried eggs
on tortillas with tomato sauce, called huevos rancheros, leave
scrambled eggs in the dust; and soft corn tortillas wrap spicy
chicken or steak in classic enchiladas. Served with a heaping
dollop of sour cream, those enchiladas are breakfast dining at
its spicy best.
For anyone who has been served a meal long on frou-frou and short
on flavor, I suggest you try Superfine. Everything at Superfine
is at its just-picked prime, which makes a plate of tomatoes
and cheese taste like a bit of summer magic.
Superfine (126 Front St. between Jay
and Pearl streets) accepts Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
Entrees: $9-$20. Superfine serves lunch from noon-3 pm Wednesday
through Friday. Dinner is served Tuesday-Saturday, 6 pm-11 pm.
Brunch is served Sunday, 11 am-4 pm. The restaurant will be closed
from Aug. 26 through Sept. 3. For reservations, call (718) 243-9005.