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“Barfry”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Asian	West Village	Moderate	Good

boxes (combo meals), sides and daily specials that reflect Josh’s skill as a chef with a reach that exceeds the grip of his triple fryer.

Alison and I got there a bit early and found two seats at the bar where we were started off with some (free) Nori-dusted popcorn, slightly sweet and delicately salty, and quite addictive. It’s the sort of snack that will have you reaching for your beverage with some amount of regularity. It took all of five minutes until I was slurping the last drops of my Rosemary Julep ($12)—a refreshing hi-ball made from gin, fresh pear, lime juice and ginger beer. Alison had ordered an Asahi ($13), which arrived in a one-liter mini keg. The beer was practically as big as her. She looked alarmed, and I assured her that I’d help her with it, which I did. By the time Debbie walked in around 8:45, we’d finished half of it. A table had just opened up so we carted our little keg over our table against the subway tiled wall lined with black leather banquettes and got to work on some more beer and some dinner.

A fine way to start a meal at Barfry is to get right to the tempuras. But before I get to what I thought, let me explain the factors that I use to judge tempura (The Tempura Factors—TFs). I like a crispy batter, with an airy flake, low grease content and finally, the product inside the batter should be cooked correctly—vegetables should not be overcooked or mealy, meats and fish should not be raw.

We ordered a selection of three—pumpkin ($4), shrimp (3 for $6) and string beans ($4). All tempuras come with a quartet of sauces—jalapeno-soy, sweet miso, wasabi mayo, and red hot chili citrus. While I had heard mixed reviews of the tempura, I was impressed. After one bite of the pumpkin, which went nicely with the sweet miso, Alison turned to me and said: “He could fry (sh*t) in this batter and I’d eat it.” While excrement is not on the menu at the moment, I can see where she’s coming from. To get his tempura this correct, Josh worked through about 100 recipes before he found one that he was pleased with and then took a few weeks of time before he perfected the recipe with the right blend of oil—rice bran and canola. (He switches the oil twice a night and at the end of each shift, recycles it for bio-diesel fuel.) He’s also worked hard at th ... [more, click below]

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Posted: October 22, 2007

Other restaurants in West Village :
+ Jefferson-- Closed   + La Palapa Rockola   + Sumile   + Babbo   + Tasca   + AOC Bedford   + Home   + The Spotted Pig   + Barbuto   + Numero 26   + Mas   + August   + Alta   + Cru   + Blue Mill Tavern-- Closed   + Employees Only   + Lassi   + Metropol--Closed   + Turks and Frogs   + Bellavitae   + Yumcha-- CLOSED   + Gusto: SEE EARLIER REVIEW; THIS CHEF HAS LEFT GUSTO   + Perry Street   + Home   + Ditch Plains   + The Little Owl   + Cafe Condesa   + Cafe Cluny   + Gusto   + The Waverly Inn   + Morandi   + P*ONG   + Perilla   + Soto   + Market Table   + Centro Vinoteca   + Barfry   + Dell'Anima   + Bar Blanc   + Smith's   + Commerce   + Elettaria   + Bar Q   + Cabrito   + 10 Downing   + Minetta Tavern   + Braeburn   + Scuderia, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Bar Blanc Bistro by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Joseph Leonard   + Bar Henry, by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Kin Shop   + Monument Lane   + Wong   + Bin on Bleecker, by Dara Pollak   + Ristorante Rafele   + Cole's Greenwich Village by Guest Reviewer Claire Jaffe   

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