TALAY - W. Harlem gets new hot spot

TALAY | Crain's New York Business.com

TALAY

W. Harlem gets new hot spot

Talay is the latest building block in the restaurant renaissance of West Harlem. A Thai-Latin eatery with fire-breathing stone dragons flanking its entrance, the newcomer offers global flair from two talented chefs.

This is one way to win attention in a neighborhood where takeout from Fairway and barbecue at Dinosaur were the whole enchilada until a year ago. Then came Chef Ricardo Cardona's duplex Hudson River Cafe one block north, at West 133rd Street.

Now the culinary compass swings further north, and for the first time in memory, parking becomes an issue at the tip of 12th Avenue.

Talay joins its block mate Covo Trattoria/Pizzeria. Both have long, rectangular street-level dining rooms with open kitchens on one end, plus comfy cocktail lounges upstairs. Both offer al fresco dining with viaduct views.

Talay's owner, Pedro Veras, is banking on his unpronounceable top toque tandem of King Phojanakong and Soulayphet (“Phet”) Schwader. Both men blend ethnic smarts with experience under some of New York's finest French chefs.

The result uptown is a short but highly appealing menu, replete with Southeast Asian ideas and ingredients, and a few delicious Latin licks.

Friendly Talay wait staffers, in red shirts and black slacks, point out that this is sharing food, and dishes may arrive in any order. Regardless of the order, the dishes share clean, attractive visuals and fresh, zesty flavor profiles. Prices are right, too.

Some of the small plates ($7 to $12) demonstrating Talay's dining duality are Thai beef salad on the one hand, and ropa vieja on the other.

Slices of tender marinated beef, charred crisp around the edges, recline on succulent chunks of green papaya and slivers of Granny Smith apples to add crunch. Rather than the usual shredded beef approach to the “old clothes” recipe of the Caribbean, this ropa vieja is several small squares of brisket simmered with Asian root vegetables and tomatoes, and sprinkled with white and black sesame seeds. Each square yields easily to the pressure of a fork to deliver moist and memorable taste.

Pickled bamboo shoots, cilantro, apples, papaya and sweet chiles are the backdrop for first-rate grilled octopus. Kaffir lime curry and coconut milk intensify the broth for steaming Prince Edward Island mussels.

“Wok-roasted Asian market greens” is the only flat-out flop among small dishes. It somehow translates as steamed baby bok choy.

But you'll flip for the lemongrass and garlic-marinated baby back ribs—five to an order for $15—lean and finger-licking good in the extreme. Another meat of merit is charred bistek churrasco, grilled to order, sliced and served with three dipping sauces—sweet, sour and salty. Sweet chile mango sauce is the foil with whole crispy snapper, and aromatic ginger sauce sets off exceptionally fine seared, sliced ahi tuna, crusted in Szechuan peppers.

Two items from the noodles and rice category are crowd-pleasers. Pad Thai contains enough stir-fried rice noodles, tofu, chicken and peanuts to provide a next-day lunch. Arroz valenciana, offered in a half portion or as a full-size entree, is a wealthy welter of saffron rice, sausage, chicken, shrimp and mussels.The stew's seasonings are nicely balanced, as they are throughout Talay's fare.

Tarted-up desserts such as lime-basil infused flan and spring roll-wrapped fried plantains in caramel-mango coulis are of no consequence. So, too, is the minuscule wine list, but there are Thai and Latin beers of interest.

Service is uncommonly sensitive. One captain, Andres, a Bard graduate from Ecuador, can talk opera with the best of them—another unexpected treat in a new spot with many of them.

Restaurant Info

Rating:

Address: 701 W. 135th St. (at 12th Avenue)


City: New York

State: NY

Phone: (212) 491-8300

Dress: No Code



website: www.talayrestaurant.com

Price: $15-$25

Credit Cards: All major



Noise: Loud

Reservations: Recommended

Wine: 25 Choices, Eight By The Glass

Wine Markup: 175%-280%



Hours: Dinner daily, 5 p.m.-midnight; Lunch, Sat.-Sun., 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.