It always struck us as odd that Ma Peche (15 West 56th Street) opened in the former Town space, a subterranean dining room underneath the Chambers Hotel. Years ago, Town was a favorite of ours since it was home to Albert Trummer and his then groundbreaking cocktails. Eventually, the restaurant dropped off the radar and then closed, leaving an empty basement we thought for sure would never matter again. Instead, David Chang and Tien Ho at the height of their powers came calling. However, the opening never really intrigued us - were we going to hike up to Midtown for stuff we got at Ssam Bar? Not really. So time passed and we never went.Recently, we found ourselves nearby so, as much lured by the promise of Crack Pie as by cocktails, we headed to the bar. We found ourselves mostly alone except for some tourists looking for a Gin & Tonic as well as the occasional deuce that didn't seem to linger. Seemed to confirm our fears that Chang was far from home with this outpost, especially given the decor, which is borderline depressing. Sitting at the bar, you literally have a view of a blank, brown wall.
Undaunted, we tried a few cocktails - the Jim Joe with 12 year old Yamazaki whiskey & elderflower and the Seven Spice Sour with togarashi infused Honjozo sake, yuzu and lime. Both were well made but neither really had much of a spark. The Yamazaki mellowed over ice but never went anywhere, while the spice mix courtesy of the togarashi was pretty muted and only somewhat evident on the finish.
The real draw turned out to be the extraordinarily geeky winelist, which features an entire page devoted to Jura - are they trying to send the tourists into shock? No matter, we dug right in. The Andre et Mireille Tissot Vin Jaune was terrific and the perfect match for the cuisine. Also good was a "Selection" blend of Chardonnay and Savagnin from the same producer. In the red department, we enjoyed the Red Hook '08 Cabernet Franc blend, though the bottle had just been opened and it needed time to breathe. Other off-kilter wines available by the bottle include Kalin and Scholium Project, both from CA, and Paolo Bea from Italy. Long Island is represented by several bottles from one of its best wineries, Paumanok.
Oh, and the food? Let's just say the Crispy Pig's Head, which in no way resembles a porcine noggin but rather a hockey puck, was one of the best things we've eaten this year. The meat inside the crispy puck was deliciously juicy and nicely set off with a tangy mustard. Underneath was a tasty pile of nicely stewed lentils. Other solid choices were the very fresh fluke and an excellent beef tartare made with Niman ranch beef.
Have our Midtown skepticisms been allayed? Well, we still think it's not a great location for a Chang joint but considering the terrific execution of the food and stellar winelist, we will be back.
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