Gjelina's greens read a little beige in NYC - Review - New York - The Infatuation
"When LA’s Gjelina opened in 2008, it was a trailblazer. It did unthinkably delicious things to vegetables, introduced a leafy green-curious world to kale, and brought Neapolitan pies to a city that lacked them, all while being the hottest reservation in town. Over 15 years later, it’s still one of the best restaurants in LA. 2,500 miles away in NYC, the arrival of Gjelina hasn’t made the same splash—and not just because we already know about kale. The Noho restaurant serves dainty breakfasts in the morning, plus pleasant vegetables, pizzas, and meaty options at night. But in a too-quiet, beige-toned space on Bond Street, totally fine food is about all Gjelina is good for. photo credit: Willa Moore photo credit: Willa Moore photo credit: Gabe Bergado In the morning, the sprawling dining room is peaceful and pleasant for a meeting or a moment of solitude. There aren't many car horns on the cobblestone streets outside. But in the evening, the empty tables and extra-soft music are unsettling, low-energy, and severely lacking in vibes. The only benefit to the quiet is the eavesdropping—if you’re lucky enough to be seated next to a table worth eavesdropping on. That's likely to include at least one group of women who have come to bear witness to the East Coast’s best attempt at straight-from-the-farm vegetables, handled with care and lots of olive oil. But because this is New York, those same women retreat every once in a while to smoke real cigarettes, which is not very LA of them. Our city's iteration of the escarole and sunchoke salad is a bit of a letdown. But if you live for LA’s "Gj" restaurants (Gjelina, Gjusta), it might, at the very least, remind you of better times at the original temples of vegetables. photo credit: Camelia De Jesus The vegetables are, after all, the highlight on the long menu. They're sourced from the Tri-state area (we'll be the loudest to defend New Jersey produce), and there’s no denying the deliciousness of a grilled blue oyster mushroom from Hillsdale: singed on the edge, meaty in the middle, and drowning in tarragon butter. The pizzas are a different story. It was never going to be easy to sell West Coast pizza to New York City, but a floppy pie topped with tasteless knobs of chorizo makes it a tough buy. Still, if you’re in the area and a sunlit breakfast sounds nice, or you just want something to eat after a failed walk-in attempt at Fish Cheeks down the street, you can have a crispy fried egg, or a chicory salad, or a duck confit here. If you have trouble finding it, it’s the unmarked door with all that beige looming behind it. Food Rundown photo credit: Willa Moore Sprouted Purple Barley, Poached Egg, Kimchi, Togarashi Eating an egg here in the morning is our favorite version of Gjelina. The sun streams into the large floor-to-ceiling windows towards the back of the restaurant, and the chewy barley and mild kimchi make this dish taste like you’re doing something really fantastic for your gut health. photo credit: Willa Moore Lemon Buckwheat Ricotta Pancakes, Crème Fraîche, Blueberry Compote A good pairing with an egg dish, if you stumble in here for a quiet breakfast after a dentist appointment, or a day-off errand. The tart blueberries and tangy crème fraîche keep it from tasting like a full-on dessert. Escarole, Sunchoke, Almond, Parmesan, Candied Lemon Vinaigrette Thinly sliced almonds and sunchokes, plus a healthy shower of parmesan top this heap of greens—but for all that bounty, we wish the candied lemon dressing slapped us in the face a little more. photo credit: Camelia De Jesus Grilled Blue Oyster Mushrooms, Tarragon Butter The best thing to eat at Gjelina. Heirloom Carrot, Mint Labneh, Pistachio Dukkah The mint labneh is clean-the-plate tasty, but the carrots are undercooked and hard to eat. Berkshire Pork Chop, Apple and Tamarind Glaze, Fermented Cabbage Slaw We like the tamarind glaze and the sauerkraut-esque purple cabbage on this pork chop, but the meat itself is so fatty it’s inedible in some parts. photo credit: Camelia De Jesus Saffron Spaghetti, Bottarga, Confit Tomato, Garlic Calabrian Chili, Breadcrumb Another carryover from LA. We like the suggestion of pungent saffron and funky bottarga, but mostly this just tastes like a bowl of spaghetti with red sauce. Lamb Sausage, Asiago, Confit Tomato, Rapini, Pecorino Romano, Mint The pizza menu is long and mostly pointless. But this one is pretty good. There’s a lot going on—and some of it, like the mint, gets lost—but the grease from the lamb sausage melds with the olive oil-slicked crust in a beautiful way." - Willa Moore
