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| Gannett
Newspapers DINING OUT Cozy American-Style Bistro Excites The Palate By Judith Hausman What is American food? Can we claim burgers or pizza now that they’ve traveled so far from their countries of origin? Are regional favorites like cheesecake or fried chicken the closest answer we can give? Maybe only corn, wild turkey, venison or pemmican are truly American, as Native Americans point out.Where would the melting pot be if we followed the lead of an elegant restaurant I recently read about in the Northwest that used rhubarb juice instead of lemon juice because of its commitment to using only what is locally produced? When I have foreign visitors to cook for or take out to dine, I consider this question. It’s hard to explain that Chinese food is somehow so American, especially here in New York’s world of food.However, the Watercolor Café in Larchmont may provide a contemporary clue. This intimate restaurant on the Boston Post Road is a kind of modern archetype for American bistro cuisine.Atmosphere and décor are simple and low-key. A long bar fills one side of the space and true to its name, small watercolors grace the walls above the tables. Be advised that Watercolor Café has only two tables for parties of five, so call ahead to be sure you can be accommodated. Well before eight on Saturday night the dining room was full and lively, though not particularly noisy. Several diners greeted the bow-tied maitre d’ like regulars or stopped to chat with acquaintances. That’s the overall, pleasant feeling here: a place where local people often return because they can count on a good meal. So what’s American about this menu? Well, it’s familiar yet fashionable, trendy but comforting with dishes grilled steak, shrimp cocktail, and pecan-crusted salmon. Regional and international standards, crab cakes, angel-hair pasta with grilled shrimp and veal dijonnaise with wild mushrooms, are available. The combination of elements in a given dish do not become a tongue-twister. And I applaud any restaurant with the courage to offer calves’ liver among the evenings’ specials, the kind of dish that harks back to a true bistro’s roots. The menu is not especially child-friendly although there is a big burger at $7.50 and several pasta dishes.Showing it’s American stripes, Watercolor Café offers only American wines and beers. There are five wines by the glass, four beers on tap and a lengthy wine list of California, Northwest and even New York wines. We tried glasses of Stone Creek merlot, Woodbridge sauvignon blanc, and Bandiera chardonnay, none of which was impressive. We would have been wiser to order a good bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle.We began with three diverse appetizers. As is often the case, an ample meal could be made of two appetizers, as many of the choices were tempting for a warm spring evening, such as bruschetta or chicken and beef sate. The rosy, cool passion fruit and strawberry soup I tried was perfectly soothing and delicate, spooned out of a balloon wine glass.Some say that crab cakes are the standard by which a restaurant should be judged; the less binder and the more shellfish the better. Although somewhat over-salty, our blackened shrimp and crab cakes, with a touch of horseradish measured up and was festively presented with mango, kiwi, blueberry and avocado garnish.Our last appetizer was the wonderful Prince Edward Island mussels. These small sweet morsels were perfectly prepared with plenty of garlic and white wine, diced tomatoes, a little saffron, and not a grain of grit. The obligatory bread to soak up more of the broth was satisfactorily crusty, but not top quality. I was reminded that a restauranteur once shared with me that the bread can’t be too good, or people eat too much of it, running up the overhead and filling up bellies too fast. As we had to ask for a refill for our meager bread supply, I must being up an area that need improvement at the Watercolor Café. Service was very well-meaning but rough around the edges. Our young waitress wasn’t familiar with the wine selections yet, and I saw one glassful sent back with a floating cork Empty glasses stayed on the table too long, getting in the way and causing a spill when coffee was served.We moved on to a kind of salad intermezzo, which was delicious. Buttery soft lettuce was well-coated with credible vinaigrette and sprinkled with rich Gorgonzola cheese. An attractive spinach salad with warm goat cheese and a no-egg Caesar are available as well.For our entrees we balanced surf and turf, the specials and the regular menu. The loser was grilled lamb sausage which tasted dry and old, not an attractive dish. Head and shoulders above was our runner-up, sesame seed and pink-peppercorn coated tuna, deliciously rare and juicy.Interestingly the clear winner was the relatively simple grilled free-range chicken. The fruity hoisin sauce brought on the superior quality of the chicken itself. This dish embodies the strength of bistro cooking where the flavor of fresh foods can shine though. The bed of creamy garlic mashed potatoes, circle of grilled vegetables and frizzy crown of thin, fried onions served with it were also satisfying.Grilled swordfish in the same style was a special that night, but this fish is a no-no to those of us that have joined the boycott that is trying to prevent the swordfish from going the sad way of the cod.It is notable that Watercolor Café makes frequent use of the current plating trends such as oversized plates, confetti of chives or the like decorating a plate rim and the plume de rosemary that adds panache. Athough these are pretty, New York-y touches that update the food, they risk creating a suspicion that we’re going to get looks without substance. Many entrees used piled-up mashed potatoes as a plinth for meat, fish or poultry and slices of lightly roasted vegetables surrounding it. This practice makes life easier for the kitchen and luckily here they are skillfully prepared and tasty. Although I admit that our desserts were individually scrumptious, as a whole the dessert menu at Watercolor Café needs more variety. There is a competent crème caramel doused with Grand Marnier and some berries with sorbet, but a spring/summer menu needs more fruity offering and fewer chocolate-cream-nut combos. The flourless chocolate torte we samples was indeed deep and rich. Happily, the cheesecake of the day (plain, this time) was ricotta-based instead of the heavier cream-cheese style. Desserts are also fussily plated with drizzled chocolate sauce, a few berries and powdered sugar. For diner with no sweet tooth, frothy cappuccino is served in a fancy, footed mug like Irish coffee.Westchester diners are sophisticated and influenced by many a fine meal in Manhattan. They don’t expect bistros to be inexpensive. The bill here was more than $40 a person. Watercolor Café reads its clientele well, offering cozy, relaxed dining with reliable quality and exciting taste. They do a very good job of graciously combining old and new and of defining American bistro style, at least around here. |
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