Newspaper Article

Dining With Moira Hodgson

Hodgson, Moira

2004

Overview

  When I did return and ordered the roast breast of duck, I got pink, tender slices, cooked perfectly, but they were lost in a maelstrom of ingredients that included soba noodles, wild mushrooms, Chinese celery, chayote squash and curry sauce. It was as if the dish been made by someone clearing out the refrigerator who had thrown together everything he could find in one dish, just for the hell of it. The flavor of the lamb \"chump,\" a cut from the rear loin, was overwhelmed by a mint- yogurt sauce that tasted as though raw anchovies had been mixed into it. It came with grilled leeks and an oversalted polenta and goat cheese pancake topped with baby vegetables flavored with sumac. However, the venison, served with ginger-glazed carrots, rainbow chard and fig and walnut chutney, was very good, a study in simplicity by comparison. Public turns out some very good fish dishes, too. Plump sauteed sea scallops with creme fraiche and crisp green plantains are wonderful. Also first-rate was a special of the evening: a sashimi of pristine, fresh Spanish mackerel with sesame oil. A mixed- seafood ceviche is a pleasant Thai-accented concoction, made with young coconut, Thai herbs, crispy shallots and spicy coconut water. Glazed eel, alas, was not so good. Where was the eel? It was cut in bits lurking under a murky pile of salad greens, all tossed in a soy dressing. By candlelight, it was impossible to distinguish what you were eating. The huge, juicy Maya prawns were a better choice, with wok-fried black beans, asparagus, lump crab and a spicy tomato- chili jam. And there's a very good wine list of interesting New Zealand and Australian vintages to go with the food.

• Publisher: New York Observer, LP
• Subject: Hodgson, Moira