Critics rarely get to return to their favorite restaurants. Almost
without exception, the only experience I have with a place is during
the lead-up to a review. Once the story is filed, it’s off to the next
place, and then the next, leaving little time for purely pleasurable
dining.
A prime example of this is my experience with Three Birds. Since
favorably reviewing the restaurant in 2003, shortly after it opened, I
had not returned for a single meal. The good news is that after finally
making it back there, I still feel comfortable recommending the place.
The bad news is that the recommendation now comes with a caveat.
Three Birds is still one of the sharpest bistros in town. Built into
the crook of three adjacent buildings on the Bonne Bell campus, the
restaurant utilizes those exterior brick walls as its interior walls.
Peeling paint and faded wooden signs pair with contemporary lighting
and exposed HVAC systems to create a sort of industrial/shabby chic
environment. An elevated lounge fills the nearby dining room with a
welcome shot of energy. Tables and booths are positioned so that most
have stunning views of the courtyard through floor-to-ceiling windows.
That magical patio, one of the sweetest in town, stays packed from
Memorial Day through Labor Day, weather willing.
To say the deck was stacked in the restaurant’s favor in its early
days is a bit of an understatement. The opening chef was John Kolar, a
gifted cook fresh off the lines of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s New York
restaurant, Vong. (Kolar now operates Thyme in Medina.) Kolar’s sous
chef, for God’s sake, was Shawn Monday, owner of the ridiculously
successful Hudson hotspot Downtown 140. That talent did not go
unnoticed; John Mariani selected Three Birds for inclusion in
Esquire magazine’s annual “20 Best New Restaurants in
America.”
Much of the spirit of those heady days remains. The menu is still
crammed with tantalizing modern American dishes, many utilizing the
season’s freshest ingredients. Some items, like the fabulous Maine
lobster pizza with manchego and cipollini onions ($15), have been on
the menu since Day One.
What appears to have changed is the execution of those dishes. Like
Kolar before her, executive chef Rachel Spieth isn’t afraid to go
global. She dips tender asparagus ($8) stalks into tempura batter and
serves the crisp golden spears with rosemary goat cheese fondue.
Unfortunately, the tempura retains oil like a sponge, and the fondue
arrives at room temp. The problem with the jerk chicken pot stickers
($8) lies not in the conception — the smoky-spicy chicken set
against a tropical mango coulis is a winner — but the
implementation. Apparently steamed but not sautéed, the flabby
dumplings lack crisp bottoms and discharge a torrent of water when
pierced.
We have much better luck with a springy salad ($7) of romaine, mint,
fennel and orange vinaigrette. Though even here, the advertised “shaved
fennel” is sliced too thickly, leaving the raw veggie a tad tough and
fibrous.
You couldn’t ask for a more delicious scallop ($25) treatment.
Nestled in a pool of dreamy lemon beurre blanc, the trio of deeply
caramelized scallops does not last long. The seafood shares the plate
with cheesy grits and delightfully woodsy fiddlehead ferns, which are
simply sautéed, leaving them crisp-tender. My lamb loin chops
($24), on the other hand, arrive so undercooked that our server offers
dessert upon noticing the slip-up. I had eaten my way around the
blood-rare centers because the chops tasted great, especially when
paired with firm spiced lentils and cucumber-mint salsa.
If the exchange with our waitress proved anything, it’s that service
here is as good as I recall. Bread is delivered immediately without
appeal; wines are discussed with legitimate knowledge; tableware is
whisked away and replaced with new; and fruity desserts are offered as
conciliatory gestures.
But in a climate where diners are watching every dollar, and
swapping fancy feasts with down-market dinners, it takes more than
great service to woo back customers. What it requires is perfection,
from start to finish. It took me six years to return to a restaurant
that I loved. Think how long a customer might wait to return to a
restaurant they merely like.
This article appears in May 6-12, 2009.
