restaurant reviews

A Taste of Europe on Belden Place

By Judy Kwak

Dinner date in an alleyway? It doesn't sound so appealing to most people. Before Eric Klein and Oliver Azancot ambitiously began their restaurant, Cafe Bastille, in 1990, Belden Place was your typical alleyway, complete with dumpsters and dingy gray walls. They have since transformed it into a sea of white tablecloths lined with swanky French, Italian and Spanish cuisine. Nestled between Kearny and Montgomery, Belden Place is a hidden hot spot in the city, a magnet for tourists and white-collar workers that emerge from the high-rises of the Financial District. There's also a bar that serves over 100 different types of Vodka, appropriately called Voda, that gets packed during the afternoon rush hour. The street definitely has a vibrant vibe to it, with masses of people crammed into tiny restaurants and dozens of hosts asking, "Would you like to see our menu?" On fair-weather days, the outdoor seats, complete with outdoor heat lamps, is the place to be. Sometimes it's hard to decide on a restaurant because they all look so good: Among other offerings, there's skewered lamb, wild salmon with rice pilaf, stew with garbanzo beans and shrimp. After being solicited by about four hosts, I came to the end of the alley

and spotted Brindisi Cucina di Mare, an Italian restaurant specializing in tapas and seafood. Brindisi is named after a southeast port city in Italy. It is also known as the "Eastern Door" because it was a major center of trade in the Mediterranean and also served as a critical port during the Crusades. This rocky peninsula that faces the Adriatic is famous for its olives and vineyards, as is reflected in Brindisi's extensive, two page wine list. Be prepared to spend a good $60 for entrees and wine for two. The inside is cozy with high ceilings and a romantic, Euro-style ambiance. The furniture is plush and the walls are covered with brick to create a rustic feel; long, red drapes careen down the ceiling to create an urban, chic look. The outside seats have more of a chill, people-watching feel to them. Brindisi specializes in rustic seafood. The calamari is superb, fried to a golden perfection with soft, white flesh in the inside and parsley and a lemon wedge to accent the outside. The manila clams served with a thin orange colored broth were perfect. The broth itself was a little on the salty side but the complementary 'bread offset the saltiness. Polio with gnocchi and asparagus is a definite "must order" dish.

The softy, chewy gnocchi had a hint of garlic, one of the best gnocchi I've had in a long time. The grilled chicken was pretty good but a tad on the bland side as you got towards the thicker sections of the meat. However, the actual creme sauce was very good. Overall, the quality of the food was quite good. However, one huge downside to Brindisi was the service. Perhaps the staff wanted us to soak in the Belden vibe or to appreciate the decor, but my companion and I weren't too amused. From start to finish, our meal took about two hours. We got seated instantly but it took about 30 minutes

for the waiter to receive our order and 45 minutes for the actual food to arrive. The ironic part of this whole situation was that when we got our check, it said, "RUSH!!" Another drawback would be the portion size. For most people, one entree would not suffice so you want to order about 1.5-two dishes per person. At about $15-20 a dish, prices can add up so be wary. Judy Kwak is a first-year Pharmacy student.