Club Noma
Having grown up in the South Bend area, when I now return to the area I am always curious to see how the area has changed. The ubiquitous growth of suburbia and the surrounding new shopping areas aside, watching how my hometown’s downtown area has changed over the last several years has been an interesting commentary on how many smaller cities are working to revitalize their downtowns. What makes most downtown renovations interesting is that the changes typically made when the area is renovated occur at a level which allows for creative ideas and entrepreneurs to open interesting restaurants, clubs, stores and shopping. South Bend has always had a blend of the college town feel due to its playing host of Notre Dame and St. Mary’s, while at the same time being a large enough traditional Midwestern manufacturing town that the collegiate “feel” of the city was always somewhat sedate.
When Mark McDonnell opened LaSalle Grill and the attached Club LaSalle (with its yummy chocolate colored leather cigar bar), South Bend was graced with a genuinely first rate restaurant worthy of making a special trip to visit. But even with the promised influx of Notre Dame game-day traffic, the downtown area’s restaurant scene has stayed pretty much the same since that time. Until, that is, the construction of Nat Buraprateep’s new restaurant, Club Noma. The over $1 million restaurant would stand out in any city: the décor is first rate, original and inspired, and every aspect of the service (from the WiFi computerized order entry systems used by the wait staff to the graceful plating of each dish on plates that have a 3-D effect) shows thought.
This restaurant takes the concept of fusion seriously – blending traditional Asian preparations and ingredients (as just one example, soba noodles, both chilled and hot, are a common theme throughout the menu) with nouveau American cuisine. When this works, it really works; but when it does not, the resulting dish is not particularly memorable. That is not to say the food is bad, only that it fades from memory too quickly. We enjoyed dinner, but in leaving both had the same thought: take more chances!
Perhaps this is because we both have fairly experienced palates with respect to Asian flavors, but we both wanted Noma to take more risks with its seasoning. Interestingly enough, this was not the case with the drink menu which featured some really unique derivations and fusions of Asian flavors (the plum mojito was very, very good). Each dish was perfectly prepared – the proteins cooked exquisitely – but the dishes disappeared from memory too quickly. Possibly this is because the chances Buraprateep feels he can take given his particular neighborhood make safer choices wise for him, but given the genuinely unique insights his restaurant’s footprint, design, and service illustrate, we both wanted him to take some extra chances. For any city, aspects of Club Noma would be a great restaurant; making a couple more dramatic flourishes with Asian seasoning and tilting the scale a bit more in this direction would set Noma up as a genuine destination restaurant for Golden Domer’s looking to celebrate (which admittedly this football season is a rare occurrence).
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“If anyone can show me, and prove to me, that I am wrong in thought or deed, I will gladly change. I seek the truth, which never yet hurt anybody. It is only persistence in self-delusion and ignorance which does harm.”
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October 18th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
I vow to use my entire allotment of vacation in 2008 to follow you to all of the places you are now eating.
You’re welcome to do the same with me…although “taco bell tuesdays” might do you in.