After two years of trying to get the hottest table in Brooklyn, it finally happened. Snatched two Chef Counter spots the day prior. Did I try very hard? Not really. If you look at Theodora reservations at any given time, you wont see any. I cant even commit to what I’ll watch on Netflix tonight, not alone where I’ll eat with how many people a month from now. Not to mention its NYC. Plenty of exciting options, old and new, that require much less effort.
Chef Counter seats are always a gamble as you never quite know what you going to get. A relaxed environment with a chatty chef, or “The Bear” like chaos. Here its somewhere in the middle. Organized chaos, led by the screamer, a fellow, with opera experience no doubt, that yells the orders standing right next to me. After the initial shock to the system of “FIRE.. CABBAGE… ALL DAY!!!!”, we quickly got used to it. Though when you start yelling fire near an actual fire, other thoughts come to mind.
And since I’m ranting, is it time perhaps to retire the long awkward, “Have you been here before? Well, our dishes are meant for sharing. Its best to order 4-10 dishes because our margins are very thin and the opera singer didnt come cheap“. Oh! Good to know. I was about to order the cabbage dish all for myself. In this day and age its like asking if we have been out in the past 15 years. Its as useful as a hotel booking site listing a Flat Screen TV in the hotel room. When was the last time you saw a TV that wasnt flat.
Theodora is the latest from the team behind Mis Ada nearby. The focus is on fish, aged fish, but we were drooling inches away from the chicken dishes that they kept dishing out. It’s one of those menus that I want to try every single item, given the chance. Even though it wasnt exactly a slam dunk meal, and kinda pricy, I recommend trying at least once.
The food breakdown:
Hiramasa – The most hyped Crudo on the menu was surprisingly just ok for us. They age all or almost all their fish, but here the 4 delicate cuts get lost in the shuffle of sauces and avocado (hiding underneath). Good flavors but mostly not from the fish. Perhaps in other places, this would have been more of a highlight.
Wood-Fired Cabbage – Ugly delicious. Smoky, but could have used more. Elevate by the Calabrian Chili Butter. Happy I was allowed to share this with her since it was her favorite dish.
Sourdough – With Whipped Ricotta, Brown Butter, Honey, Sage. Another hyped dish but this time for good reason. Light and absolutely delicious. Seems easy to make, but would be hard to find quality Sourdough and Ricotta such as this. Though you can buy the bread two doors down at their bakery Thea.
Striped Sea Bass – Another great dish. Perfectly cooked bass in a superb broth with saffron, with mussels and charred sunchokes adding much needed texture.
Whole Butterflied Trout – Mexico City style, Harissa on one side, and Chermoula (The North African Chimichurri) on the other. The sauces were very mild which was a good thing. Much of the richness came from the Pil Pil sauce at the base. Very good overall, but a very large dish without any sides. Maybe some rice, or even pita bread would be nice. Or at least serve the cabbage dish with it if ordered.
Baklava Sundae – Regrettable choice. I should really start bringing my own Lebanese Halva and Silan to these outings. Should have gone with the cheesecake as originally planned.
The drinks were good. They use spices including pepper in many of them. I liked the smoky Mayahuel martini.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Eating With Ziggy 