p*ong (nyc)

my SO, a table tennis player, is always complaining about how ping pong is an under-appreciated sport, partly as the result (he is convinced) of the woeful dearth of beautiful cheerleaders. while i am obliged to remain publicly neutral on that subject, i can emphatically say that p*ong is one of the more under-appreciated restaurants in manhattan, today. and i suppose i am here to be its cheerleader (not terribly beautiful, but heck, i'm a volunteer, right? ;).

i am going to try to avoid invoking those trite and annoying analogies comparing the adorable west village restaurant to its owner, pichet ong. the unassuming mr. ong would probably be embarrassed and appalled by such comparisons. and in any case, he seems to be at his restaurant quite a lot, so you'll likely be able to make your own comparisons -- or not -- when you go. (i say "when" because really, all of you must!)

the food is deeply likable, full of quirk and fun, but not so far removed from the ordinary that you will walk away scratching your head wondering whether there was some hidden concept you missed. flavor combinations are interesting and usually quite successful. in food style, p*ong actually reminds me a bit surprisingly of dovetail, the much-lauded UWS restaurant that opened last year. food leans towards comfort... with a twist or two.

my dining companion and i chose the smallest, three-course pre-fixe option, since i knew i'd have to go for a run not long after dinner. i've heard complaints about portion size, but our plates were well calibrated to leave us pleasantly filled, but not full.

we started with (1) the blood orange, avocado, and beets with black garlic cream, pomegranate, almonds and mache; and (2) warm mushroom & goat cheese tart with portabella, pickled chanterelle, picholine olive and chevre. my salad was composed of high quality ingredients, it was quite large, and it was attractively presented, with a thin ribbon of slightly creamy reddish pink sauce (beet?) down the center of the plate. the mache was wonderful -- tender and nutty / buttery -- the avocado ripe. the black garlic cream saved the salad from being too light, but wasn't in my book the best choice of dressing for these ingredients, esp. since the greens had already been dressed with a light layer of (olive?) oil. perhaps i'm a bit hidebound, but i do appreciate a touch of acidity in similar salads. the goat tart was an interesting composition, with only a thin layer of pastry underlying the mushrooms and cheese. a classic combination of flavors presented in a novel, delicious way.

our second courses were (1) lightly cooked scottish salmon with cucumber tart, fennel-vidalia jam, arugula, and maple mustard emulsion; and (2) wagyu beef shortrib with black truffle sauce, parsnip, and brussel sprouts. my salmon was really, really well flavored and tasted as though it'd been prepared sous vide. flavors were very vivid and the combination with cucumber and vidalia jam very nice. setting aside my bigotries against sous vide preparations and judging on the merits, the salmon was well prepared. (that said... isn't it nice to have a nice flake to your fish rather than the mushy sous vide stuff, no matter how moist the latter?) my dining companion's wagyu beef left me wiping drool from my chin and i tried not to watch him put bite after delicious bite in his mouth after i'd finished with my salmon. it was tender, it was flavorful, it was perfectly matched and enhanced with the sweet bitter parsnip and sprouts. i was kicking myself for not ordering that dish, instead. damn those evening runs.

our third courses were (1) simple chocolate mousse with grape foam and bittersweet fleur de lis cheese (a cow's milk cheese from louisiana) and (2) chevre cheesecake and walnut croquette with yuzu curd, mint, maldon salt. both were phenomenal -- unsurprising given mr. ong's pedigree as a jean-georges pastry chef. the chocolate mousse was, indeed, simple, but also perfect in its simplicity and it paired shockingly well with the salty/sweet/nutty/crumbly cheese. the foam (i don't think i was imagining the citrus hints in it... perhaps a departure from the grape or an addition?) went very well with the chocolate, both in texture and taste. the chevre cheesecake, covered by a thick layer of walnuts, was wonderful: rich and satisfying. few desserts stimulate your tastebuds so thoroughly without overwhelming, as this did -- quite a trick, given that it was cheesecake!

we had one glass of wine (reisling that was served too cold and that had been open in the bottle for about two days too long) and two very good cocktails with our food. one of these cocktails, an avocado concoction only one day old and too young to have a name, really merits special mention. our waiter (a cheerful fellow by the impressively z-filled name of tomasz chrzaszcz) had, in fact, invented it the day before. it was a slightly creamy, lovely green drink with infused basil, agave, sake, vanilla reduction, and a few other ingredients, slightly spicy and a wee bit salty. i really thought it was deliciousness incarnate and one of the highlights of the meal. our second cocktail was the also well-conceived bangkok margarita made with tequila reposado, domaine de canton, pineapple, ginger, agave, sea salt, and aleppo pepper. the slight heat in both drinks really did it for me and i would say that based on these two drinks, the cocktails are quite as well made at p*ong as at little branch or pegu. (little branch favors clear drinks with simpler flavors; p*ong does well with complex and multilayered combinations that hit all the tastebuds known to man.)

i know that p*ong is primarily known for dessert and drinks -- and certainly those offerings are fantastic, there. but i urge serious diners not to pass over the savory dishes. plates like the wagyu short ribs really deserve more attention than they've been given.

the space is attractive and potentially romantic, filled with the soft, ambient glow of tastefully low-key recessed lighting. service was, despite earlier chowhound reports, impeccable: gracious, friendly, timely, always-present, but never hovery. oh -- i should mention that we received the avocado cocktail on the house after i waivered between it and the bangkok margarita.

i hope that the place stays open despite the terrible economy. (tables were only half filled at 7:30 on wednesday night, when we went.) i would not rank it as the most delicious restaurant in nyc (i'm a little biased towards sushi places), but it is certainly among the two or three most charming, especially now that grayz, my previous underdog favorite, has closed. there are enough dishes on the menu that really made me sit up and pay attention that i know i will be back many more times. please, chowhounds, help me keep this place open!