ha, i did the same thing while trying to figure out where to eat. saw the peaches and burrata and uni and lardo crostini on the menu and immediately got in the car.
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I know… I was excited when he praised the Uni, then it was followed by bad news.
I’m still trying to get a handle on how great Uni should taste and feel. It is such a delicate and temperamental thing, which makes Uni talk on FTC all over the road. When someone like you or @PorkyBelly praises it I perk up… especially when it’s 5 minutes from my home!
All those pastas look so much better than the two I had last time. I need to go back pronto.
Here’s a pic of the carabineros I had in Valencia a few weeks ago.
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Which pastas did you order?
The ragu tagliatelle and egg raviolo. Don’t get the wrong, they were both good (not exceptional), but your pastas look way tastier.
(new) santa barbara sea urchin & lardo crostini, shaved spring onion
i was hoping this would be like the awesome uni and lardo at marea, unfortunately it fell short. the slice of lardo wasn’t melted enough and slid off after taking a bite. There was also too much toast (too thick) and not enough uni so the uni got kind of lost. and i have no clue what the shaved onions are for.
ricci - uni and lardo @ marea
https://www.foodtalkcentral.com/uploads/short-url/hne78n1LWQEZL7cF4XmLJKGJH7X.jpg
bufala mozzarella & sungold tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, basil
highlight of the night 1. diy margarita pizza, so fresh and tasted brighter than lil wayne’s grillz. Gotta luv cali tomats seas amirite @thecookie.
agnolotti with burro e salvia
these were pretty much stuffed with a menagerie of meats - chicken, veal, salami, pancetta - pasta was good, filling was okay.
(new) potato ravioli with dungeness crab brodo
highlight of the night 2. fresh crab meat, creamy potato raviolis and a clean, pure crab broth, this was delicious. reminded me of the blue crab simplissime at tesse.
honey baked peach, brown butter cake, poached blueberries, sweet corn gelato
must. eat. all. things. peaches. before season ends
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Just wanted to chime in and say Marea is magnificent.
Potato ravioli en brodo with crab brodo? That sounds fabulous. How does one say crab in Italian?
Granchio.
It really is, especially the crudo.
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The uni and lardo toast reminded me of Providence’s version on a toasted focaccia. YUM!
uni canapé | focaccia topped with uni, black truffle, and bruleed lardo
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i need that right now. when did they start serving that?
That picture was taken 5+ years ago. It was part of a “uni duo” course that you can request.
Here’s the other half of the duo:
santa barbara sea urchin | served in a farm fresh egg, champagne beurre blanc, fines herbes
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I would imagine that this is still something you can request! It’s their “signature” dish like the ugly bunch.
the ugly bunch | abalone, geoduck, uni, razor clam, smoked creme fraiche panna cotta
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Uni toasts (and other “simple” crostinis and sandwiches - for lack of a better term - like burgers and lobster rolls) really depend on proportions and how they stay composed when it’s being eaten. Many places do an uni toast or something similar but few do it very well.
The lobster roll at Connie & Ted’s is an example of a well-proportioned sandwich that “eats well.” Also, I had a good “hamburger sandwich” at Dad’s Luncheonette yesterday, and the proportions were excellent and I liked how the melted cheese was on the underside of the burger patty, just above the fried egg and not on top the party where others often place it (resulting in a weird interaction with the lettuce). I’m not a burger connnoissuer but I noted this yesterday - maybe I haven’t paid attention to others’ but this burger struck me as being thought out quite well.
I really like the idea of a crab broth. I had an awesome crab bouillon (from the shells of many tiny crabs that were like sawagani) that accompanied another type of crab at Hedone in London. So much pure and deep flavor!
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If I remember correctly (it’s been a while since I’ve been to Providence), it was nori focaccia. Pretty smart way to integrate flavors from the gunkanmaki form in which we’re used to seeing uni presented.
However, part of what makes gunkanmaki so nice are the texture and temperature contrasts between crisp nori, appropriately sticky and just-above-room-temp rice, and cold, velvety uni.
Saison for example masters the texture and temperature contrast well in their “liquid toast” - given chef Josh’s tenure with Jean Georges, it’s an appropriate signature dish that pays homage well to SF (the tartine bread, the “soy” sauce made of homemade grains toasted by their live fire).
Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare does the uni, brioche, and truffle toast really well - I really do think that if one is using truffle here, that bafun uni as CTBF uses works much better than Santa Barabaea murasaki uni, at least for the kind we get in the states
While I liked Providence’s version, I thought that Saison’s and CTBF’s were just a level or two higher in concept and execution.
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I already secured a reservation there so I’m looking forward to it!