Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Also Mourning Our Favorite Restaurant

I feel like I’ve lost a good friend. Last week, Mal and I went to the newly reinvented 2941 to see whether our favorite restaurant could remain so after its transformation. Alas, the answer is no.

Until this January, 2941 features high-end French-influenced cuisine that was creative, innovative, beautiful, and just incredibly delicious. The dinner menu, apt to change any given day, consisted of an a la carte menu and a daily pre-fixe tasting menu. Every meal, every dish we had there was a revelation. In spite of our thrifty natures, we became regulars because it was simply worth every penny.

Come 2012, however, the restaurant closed temporarily for remodeling, not just of the physical restaurant but of the menu and overall mission. In place of our special occasion indulgence spot is now a high-end casual dining restaurant. And it’s fine. But no longer fine dining. And last week for the first time, we left disappointed.

The food was fine. For this restaurant where before, every dish rated WOW, that’s a huge demotion. Our “nosh” of deep-fried truffled mac n cheese was perfectly fried, but oddly bland, actually needing a taste of salt. On the plate, the bites appeared like nothing less than a gathering of tater tots, unadorned. Nothing to recommend itself visually.

Appetizers were also… fine. Mal was surprised to find his composed chicken salad appetizer was closer to a pub-sized portion than to the restaurant’s more traditional small appetizer size (we were inventing our own tasting menu by ordering and sharing from each menu category). The salad itself was more reminiscent of pub food, with large deep-friend chicken overwhelming the sprinkling of frisee and practically obscuring the poached egg (perfectly cooked) buried beneath the chicken. The chicken hunks were so dominant, in fact, that we initially thought the wrong plate had been delivered—a far cry from the delicate, balanced constructions we’d become used to here. My appetizer, a lobster and foie gras risotto, was also fine… but while the lobster pieces and (admittedly) generous chunks of foie gras were lovely, the rice itself had no special appeal, no outstanding flavor.

Mal and I shared an appetizer portion of “The Forest Delicacy,” an open-faced ravioli of chanterelle with a sauce of mascarpone and parsnip, and this one disk recaptured the flavor of The 2941 That Was: pasta parchment-thin, with the sweetness of the sauce perfectly balancing the deep earthy flavor of the mushrooms, and a lovely presentation. It was the only moment where I had to close my eyes to slowly savor each bite.

Entrees, however, were back to fine, and even a bit off. Mal 's veal was cooked perfectly to order, but was plated awkwardly and extremely oversauced. My bay scallops came in a pasta plate, several dozen sweet morsels swimming in a citrusy sauce with a scattering of diced Buddha’s hand confit, and a few microgreens on top as a garnish. It was tasty, but felt oddly unfinished.

We chose to skip dessert, but were brought one anyway (unexpected gratis treats appearing to carry over to the new 2941 from the old). It was… fine: the pistacio “milkshake” with granita was quite tasty, as was the yoghurt panna cotta, but the accompaning dry baklava was begging for honey. The sweets that came with the bill—formerly rich homemade chocolates, delicate one-bite tarts, and the like—were two warm glaze beignets that looked like nothing less than two honey-dipped doughnut holes. I found them tasty, but far from exciting, and Mal declared he’d just as soon get his Munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts.

The bar, at least, gave us no cause for complaint. 2941 has instituted a new happy hour and added a TV tuned to sports television, and the bar has become noisy and crowded, making it harder to find a seat. But the bartenders are as friendly and attentive as ever, and still inventing new cocktails that tempt even this mostly teetotaling customer to drink.

For that matter, the entire staff remains attentive, friendly, and knowledgable, and we at least were glad to greet the faces we have become familiar with.

In general, the new 2941 is not bad, nor is it fine dining. It’s… fine. The restaurant clearly has a different diner in mind with its new menu. They will hopefully be very successful with the new direction. However, this old regular hopes that they don’t completely give up on their loyal old fans, and that after the awkwardness of the first few months of NEW, that they find a way to accommodate both old and new fans on their menu.

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