This past May (2011), after 10 years, 500 meals, 240 reviews, and 200,000 words, David Corcoran, New York Times’ New Jersey restaurant critic, decided to call it quits and push away from the table (if only, Karla Cook, the other half of this delectable dynamic duo, had seen fit to do the same). According to his exit visa, Mr. Corcoran wanted to concentrate on other forms of writing. And he promptly jumpstarted his new literary career by churning out an appetizing article/interview on… bedbugs. But, just when you thought it was safe to venture back into the culinary waters, he decided to return to a scene of his crimes, so to speak.
On Sunday, November 20th, Mr. Corcoran picked up his fork once again to pay a call at Adara, a new eatery located at 77 Walnut Street, Montclair, NJ. An experience he describes as a kind of three-ring circus, as Tre Ghoshal, the restaurant’s chef/proprietor, is an avid devotee of that peculiar discipline known as molecular gastronomy, an avant-garde regime that combines culinary techniques and chemistry lab technology into a sometimes uneasy marriage.
The results of molecular gastronomy – like aerated clam juice, a mozzarella “balloon” shot full of carbon dioxide, and smoking guacamole – can be rather bizarre; and, because of the extensive preparations involved, also rather expensive. Three courses at Adara, for example, go for $59.00; five courses, $79.00; seven courses, $105; and 12 courses, $165.00. Entrees on the à la carte menu range between $28.00 and $38.00. And, beware… the high caloric content will undoubtedly prompt you to exit, stage right, to the gym, as well as succeed in sending the results of your next cholesterol test into the stratosphere.
According to Mr. Corcoran, “the early returns (at Adara) have been mixed.” Certainly not a good sign at these prices. So, let’s do a bit of comparison shopping… You could order a three-course menu, or the four-course garden (vegetarian) menu, at restaurant Nicholas in Middletown, undoubtedly the Garden State’s finest dining establishment, for $65.00 per person. The tasting menu would set you back $85.00 per person; $135.00 with wine pairings (Adara is BYOB).
As Mr. Corcoran points out, molecular gastronomy began appearing on the culinary radar screen a decade ago… but it has been slow to catch on, for a variety reasons; not the least of which is the fact that even sophisticated diners tend to prefer familiar presentations to the often kooky and outlandish departures of the avant-garde.
The only other Garden State restaurant to attempt this kind of gastronomic hocus-pocus, Venue in Hoboken, lasted barely a year. Given the somewhat negative overtones of Mr. Corcoran’s article and the uncertainties of the current economic situation, I can only speculate that the chances of Adara’s survival – especially in Montclair’s restaurant-saturated environment – are slim and none.
So the question remains, why did Mr. Corcoran choose to bring this particular eatery to the attention of New Jersey diners? He makes it clear that he simply dropped in to sample Adara’s fare “not to undertake an all-out review.” My point: Why even bother to mention this “three-ring circus,” as he refers to it, in the first place?
One could say, of course, that since Mr. Corcoran is also the Times’ Deputy (whatever that means) Science Editor, the cuisine/chemistry combo peaked his interest. I doubt, though, that the matter is quite so simple – it never is. But I’ll leave you, the reader, to ruminate on that score. What I will say, however, is that Mr. Corcoran’s article is, once again, symptomatic of how the Times’ New Jersey restaurant reviewers continue to major in minors.
Karla Cook, for example, seems to have a fetish for reviewing cheap, out-of-the-way ethnic joints… and her current culinary cohorts, Scott Veale and David Halbfinger, have apparently gone right along for the ride. We’ve been treated to a rapid succession of Vietnamese, Greek, Indian, Kosher Indian, Turkish-Persian, Middle Eastern, No-Frills Barbecue, Kebabs, Szechuan behind a shopping mall, Argentinean and back again. And the list goes on and on, ad infinitum, ad nauseam.
Don’t misunderstand, there’s nothing wrong with reviewing these types of restaurants… occasionally; after all, variety is the spice, etc., etc. But this group has given us a steady diet of same ol’, same ol’. These are basically neighborhood eateries that, unless you happen to live right around the corner, aren’t going to set off any bells or whistles. There needs to be a balance between inexpensive local ethnic restaurants and those that would appeal to a broader spectrum of Garden State diners, those types of establishments that would prompt knowledgeable foodies to hop in their cars and drive 30 – 45 minutes just for the privilege of settling in at table… And it is precisely here that the Times’ New Jersey restaurant critics have fallen short. Every once in a while, they do break their constipated reviewing pattern… but these occasions are few and far between.
And my concern is not only with the restaurants Karla Cook and company choose to review, but also with those they choose not to review. While they’re out chasing culinary anomalies and three-ring circuses, there are a host of excellent, far more deserving restaurants that, for whatever the reasons, these critics have elected to studiously ignore, effectively shortchanging sophisticated New Jersey diners.
From what I’ve been reading of late, unfortunately, when it comes to the New York Times’ New Jersey restaurant reviewers, it appears that Garden State diners will continue to be treated to far less than they expect or deserve.
Bon Appétit!
TAD
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