DIFFERENT and similar: Bäco Mercat

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Shadows from the candle danced on the menu at Bäco Mercat, while they scratched their heads. The music was almost jarring, and the place was almost too hip, and they were most definitely too hungry.

Choosing dishes for their meal was like choosing blindly. Different categories, different flavors, different influences, all led to a different experience, but in some ways more of the same.

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Squash blossoms were set ablaze by their little candle, warming the table and overhearing all of their conversation. Each organic package was bursting with eggplant, fresh, crunchy and creamy, fried and delicious.

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But the “original” bäco held their attention. Soft and buttery flatbread folded over to conceal stringy beef carnitas and tender pork, alive with salbitxada sauce and textures. Beautiful greens, sparkles of vegetation, and two meats to tide them over until the next bite.  

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Like slippery blistered green okra, warm with tomato and fenugreek. Herbs and heat.

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Or crusty, flaky pastry, crisp around decadent duck, crowned with a glossy pretty fried egg. A heavy mix of luxury and familiarity, with the spice of honey mustard and pebbles of pistachio interwoven.

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Or the silky and sumptuous slow roasted pork shoulder, drowned in tangy sweet pale kumquat tang. Hearty and homey, meaty and fatty, a balance completed by the fruits and the greens.

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But the decadence of the pistachio cheesecake, deep, salty and green, clashed with the warm and cold syrupy sweetness of the rustic baked semolina, even though they were both studded with the meaty gems of pistachios.

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Their dinner felt like an odd mix of heat and invention, tradition twisted to make something new yet familiar.

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winter at WHITMAN & BLOOM

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I found myself at Whitman & BloomLiquor Company again (here and here) last week for the launch of their all new-winter menu. It felt just the same as I stepped in; a cozy, warm, “literary retreat.” Whitman & Bloom still feels like a hideaway, holding onto its own secret. However, last Tuesday night it was buzzing with music, the clink of glasses and familiar chatter. The long bar at the front was lined with patrons, smiling and taking in the retro farmhouse decor, while sipping on drinks of stunning colors. 

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All the while, the back room, dimly lit and decorated with flourishes of old school charm, bookish accents and holiday regalia, was busy. Crisp white plates danced around the room, featuring winter menu items and as did boards dotted with meats and cheeses. The bartender was mixing up the specialty drinks like the 1929, Red Root and the Whitman Spritzer with incredible speed, as guests grazed on small servings and tastes of the latest menu items. Chalkboards high up on the walls of the room displayed quotes from Ulysses, which has inspired the literary theme and name of the eatery.

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Whitman & Bloom inaugurated new items to their rustic American menu, which includes sharable small plates, tasty flatbreads, colorful salads and hearty big plates. The intense focus on seasonal creates a compelling shift as the seasons change and fall bleeds into winter. A hearty kale salad, mixed with plump mushrooms, tart tomatoes and tangy feta brings in an enthusiasm for fresh dark leafy winter greens, while the pulled lamb sliders with spicy horseradish yogurt and crisp red onion, heat from within as winter sets in. The comforting macaroni in cheese, set in a beautiful shallow casserole, wraps the pasta shells in a blanket of cheeses like Cheddar and Gruyere with fat flakes of Parmesan for an adult twist. Pumpkin, mushrooms and sunchokes parade in several of the dishes, speaking to cooler temperatures and a longing for warmth and heartiness. The rotation of the seasons and availability of local ingredients forces opportunities for creativity and innovation by executive chef Eldad Shem-Tov. The seasonal aesthetic and palate allows for the use of a wide variety of produce while maintaining the vision of the bar eatery, making every season something new and exciting.

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On top of the new menu with all the seasonal flavors that come with the darker and colder months, Whitman & Bloom is introducing brunch. Starting this Saturday, December 14, a delectable brunch menu will be available, including twists on favorite brunch items, ranging from sweet things like pancakes and French toast, to eggs like benedicts and omelets. Flavorful salads, flatbreads topped with seasonal ingredients and burgers will be available for those who crave satisfying savory. Brunch will even include an interpretation of the ever-popular Cronut. Now Whitman & Bloom will be bringing yet another dimension to the “new kind of local” in Kip’s Bay.

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Whitman & Bloom Liquor Company

384 3rd Avenue

New York, NY 10016

Ph. 212-725-4110

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