I had been hearing from the marvelous Chef Seadon Shouse that he and the team of Halifax in Hoboken were planning a new small restaurant and bar with light bites on 14th Street, and I knew it would be wonderful so I kept watching to see when it was opening so I could go for a visit. When I heard from Chef Shouse that if I was available on a Wednesday night I could stop in, I enthusiastically said yes. It was such a wonderful invitation to receive, and because I know how wonderful everything is that Chef Shouse and the team at Halifax does I was so excited to go to this newest place they'd created.
Chef Shouse had told me where it was and described that it was on the corner of 14th and Shipyard, but I hadn't been by yet so I didn't know anything about it. When I first arrived at the door I felt immediately that I'd found something so wonderful, and as I walked in through the deep blue violet drapes the world outside seemed to be far away as I entered a very special and beautiful space. Everything inside was lovely, with an elegance and comfort and every attention to gorgeous detail creating an immersion of lovely and special hospitality where even the names of offerings on the menu bring a smile of delight, with history and local culture and lore updated in beautiful serveware and glasses.
I'm a lover of the waterfront and of sailing, and in some ways I felt as if I was on board a very beautiful ship, or perhaps in the private dining room or lounge of an ocean-front or seaside hideaway. Memories of lovely places I'd been in Europe and in my favorite seafaring coastal places kept rising up and being added to by the wonderful experience I was having in this very new and uniquely special place that has its own very special vision.
To say that I could have ordered everything on the menu is a testament to the excellent curating of flavors by the marvelous Chef Shouse and the marvelous team at Halifax Hoboken who have created a place that is a lovely combination of charming, elegant, comfortable, welcoming, inviting and somehow both inclusive and exclusive. Anyone who knows me knows that those qualities are what I strive for at YES Gallery, and when I discovered them when I first met Chef Shouse a few years ago at Halifax, those qualities along with his marvelous culinary art made it a favorite destination. At Little Bar I took his advice and instead of ordering everything I chose a smaller selection of the delightful choices, knowing I can visit this very special jewel box of a place again and again.
I began with the selection of Serrano ham, salami and duck rillettes from the cures section on the boards menu and tried a marvelous "Did The New York Yacht Club Serve Grog?" that not only has a wonderfully and creatively fun name rooted in its seafaring history that was shared with me, but was also so lovely and enjoyable as a crafted Mixologist's dream creation could be. That was followed by a selection of artisan made salted anchovies, squid in ink, cockles in brine and eggplant caponata served with sesame thyme lavash crackers and house made hot sauce which hit every lovely layered flavor filled note, and the "I Think Tom Collins Lives On 14th Street" that was as refreshing as its name is joyfully fun.
As I finished the evening's selections with a chocolate pot du creme with ganache and a topping of chocolatey espresso cookie crumble that was honestly one of the most delicious desserts I have had anywhere, I was so grateful to have had this opportunity to visit this very wonderful oasis of culinary delight. The Mixologist's selection I chose to accompany it appeared with a cacao fish stenciled on top, such an inventive, fun and lovely touch in a creation that was as flavorful as it was beautiful. This is the place to be! It's such a dream of a space, and so beautiful to visit, and the food, service, and everything about it are wonderful and excellent in every way. The two small and simple words in the name Little Bar mean a very, very big success.
No comments:
Post a Comment