MysteriousFaith

40 Sardines Restaurant

Debbie Gold, former wife and partner of Michael Smith, has received numerous awards for her restaurant 40 Sardines. This week I was able to have dinner at the restaurant, while Debbie was in the kitchen cooking (i.e. the “chef was in”). My first impression was that the restaurant was larger than I was expecting; consequently, it was a little less intimate than I prefer when dining in what is considered a fine dining establishment. The décor is very post-modern, with eclectic choices in art lining the walls.

Electing to start with one of Gold’s signature dishes, the Crispy Potato Wrapped Portuguese Sardines stuffed w/ chorizo, black olive & onion, pickled carrots & salsa verde, was not the best way to begin. The sardines overpowered everything else on the plate – no hint of the chorizo (a spicy Portuguese sausage) which should have complimented the salty sardines – came through. Even when the pickled carrots or salsa verde was piled onto one bite, all the palate could pick out was sardine – quite literally nothing else. The thinly sliced wrap of potatoes was limp and did not provide the outside crisp from a proper pan fry that would have added a nice textural contrast to the flaky sardine and the ground stuffing within the fish. The dish was very disappointing. It was a very generous portion (3 large sardines) which made one think that the sous chef plating the dish thought quantity would make up for quality.

Fortunately, the other appetizer ordered, the Pan-Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras w/ pickled peaches and spiced pumpernickel, was phenomenal. The spiced pumpernickel and peaches cut through the richness of the foie gras and had a flavor that was very original, a veritable explosion of fall in the mouth. A very successful dish. It would be interesting to know who plated each of the appetizers: the foie gras dish was a small portion (as foie should be – its richness a poor experience when overdone), delicately balanced and in perfect portions gracing the plate, unlike the sardines where the quantity distracted from the lack of balance and flavor.

My salad choice was a Loose Leaf Spinach, House Made Raisins & Tarragon Salad w/ house cured sweet coppa, ricotta salata & champagne-green grape vinaigrette. In an age of ubiquitous bagged salad mixes, this was original, light and tasty – the coppa, salata and raisins coming together in a delightful blend of savory, sweet and salty. My dinner companion’s salad, the Baby Spinach, Yellow Beet and Fresh Horseradish Salad w/ fresh oranges, sweet basil, red onion & orange champagne vinaigrette, looked good but elicited no comments.

For the main course, I ordered the Orange Coriander Crusted Florida Red Snapper w/ zucchini soubise & zucchini sauce. This was good, but not great. The crust on the snapper was done perfectly, and it blended wonderfully with the soubise (a sauce usually coupled with meat), but the flavor of the crust itself was too understated. I did not get any hint of orange coriander, which was a disappointment as it should have heightened a fish like snapper.

My friend’s dinner selection, the Tamarind Guajillo Braised Beef Short Ribs w/ French green lentils and oven roasted plantain banana mash was good. The braised beef was perfectly tender, with the lentils tender and equally well done. I must say that on an early fall evening, a braised dish warms the soul, and this dish successful did just that. My companion (a man whose palate and culinary experience, not to mention personality, makes dinner a genuine delight) selected a 2006 Patz & Hall, Pinot Noir, from California’s Sonoma Coast. This proved to be a wonderful bridge between the fish and braised short ribs; the wine had a wonderful nose and a very interesting taste of butterscotch.

Inevitably, the two comparisons I made when dining at 40 Sardines is that of my favorite restaurant in the world Elements, here in my hometown of Indianapolis, and Gold’s ex-husband’s new venture Michael Smith (my review here). Smith’s restaurant was newly opened, and had the anticipated service issues one expects from a new restaurant, with one dish really falling on its face. Comparing Elements to 40 Sardines is perhaps not fair, but between Smith & Gold it is; I still remember Smith’s braised rabbit and gnocchi dish. I would be hard pressed to recall anything other than how bad the sardines at 40 Sardines were, which is unfortunate, but a testament to how a bad dish can distract from an overall above average dining experience. I badly wanted to love 40 Sardines, but just did not.

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• October 13, 2007

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