There's always at least one delicious dish in a tasting that you would never have chosen to order on your own. For me, it's usually a vegetable or soup dish that my eyes naturally gloss over on the menu. At Barbuto, it was the burrata, a fresh Italian cheese similar to mozzarella. As the amuse, it was served on a crostini and dressed simply with extra virgin olive oil and grated black pepper. In a bite, the burrata was slightly warm, chewy on the outside and creamy on the inside, while the crostini was perfectly toasted and crunchy. It was so well balanced and portioned - the perfect introduction to our meal.
The appetizer course came with four options the best of which, in my opinion, were the most seasonal dishes - the heirloom tomato salad and the melon salad. The tomatoes were topped with a balsamic vinaigrette, basil, and shaved ricotta. While the tomatoes, both yellow and green, were clearly the stars of this dish, the balsamic brought out the sweetness of each juicy tomato wedge, and the ricotta and basil were the perfect garnishes. It was a twist on the traditional caprese salad, with the quality of the ingredients elevating this simple dish to another level.
The melon salad was a more complicated dish - shaved raw fennel, celery, summer melons, and slices of speck tossed together in an herb vinaigrette. At first, the licorice flavor of the fennel was a bit harsh for me, but gradually it matched well with the sweet melons and herb dressing. The melons were delicious. Other than yellow watermelon, I couldn't tell exactly what types were included, but their sweet juices mixed with the vinaigrette to create a fresh and perfectly acidic salad. The incorporation of speck now and then added a textural contrast and the delicious rich smokiness of cured meat. The colors in both dishes were beautiful and vibrant. By the end of the appetizer course, both salad plates were clean - very impressive for a table full of meat-eaters.
The pasta came next. Although there were only two options for this course, they were enough to prove that Waxman is simply genius when it comes to pasta. The first could loosely be called spaghetti with tomato sauce, but it was the best spaghetti and tomato sauce I remember having in a long time. The flavor profile is difficult to describe - sweet and clean at first, which gave way to a more complex finish and a hint of heat. To be honest, I couldn't tell what type of meat was ground in the sauce, but it didn't matter. This all coated a perfectly al dente spaghetti. The bowl was barely enough to serve everyone in our group. The other pasta was gnocchi with sweet corn and cherry tomatoes. The gnocchi were perfect pillows of course, and the corn and tomatoes made the dish light and summery. Again these seasonal components seemed to be the highlights of the dish, while the gnocchi acted as the perfect complement in each bite.
The meat course consisted of seared flounder, skirt steak where cherry tomatoes again made an appearance, and his famous roasted JW chicken. All of the entrees were tasty, although I found the appetizer and pasta courses more interesting. The chicken was certainly memorable. It had a nice, slightly crisped skin covered in herbs, and the meat was moist and flavorful. It was simple but delicious, a theme throughout the meal. The only low point of the dinner was the dessert - an almond tart topped with raspberries. The tart was so mundane and out of sync with the rest of the meal, I was shocked. A fresh fruit salad would have made more sense.
All in all, this was a great meal. The family style service was fun, and we were all able to try several dishes for each course. The food was marked by bold, seasonal flavors that were light and refreshing. And while the presentations of the ingredients were simple, all of the plates were visually stunning with natural reds, yellows, and greens. The combined effect of effortless taste and beauty was truly impressive.
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