Dining Review: Pomaire

How to celebrate the longest and sometimes hottest day of the year? Five years ago, we were shivering in the freezing rain of beautiful Santiago, Chile, and thought we might celebrate this anniversary by visiting New York's most authentic Chilean restaurant, located in the heart of Midtown's Restaurant Row. The charming owner-host, Denic Catalan, came over to suggest a number of fine Chilean wines to match our food selections, and we decided on a tasting of three reds and three whites to sample a few of his excellent bottles on offer. If you are unfamiliar with the famous Enoteca on the Cerro San Cristóbal high above Santiago, then Pomaire is the place to begin. For the uninitiated, Chilean wines represent not just great values, but also a diverse range of splendid varietals ranging from Pinor Noir to Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

You might start your meal with seafood, for a number of offerings nicely evoke this Pacific nation: piquant ceviche, fried spicy shrimp, broiled sea scallops, Chilean salmon tartar, and steamed Chilean mussels with raw clams. Or perhaps enjoy seafood, cheese or beef empanades, all delicately flavored and baked to the proper golden brown. Avocado stuffed with chicken salad as well as celery with avocado salad are popular items, as are the seasonal vegetable salads that Señor Catalan reminds you are selected from daily trips to the Greenmarket. While our northern hemisphere pre-solstice dinner felt a bit warm for Pomaire's excellent caldillo de congrio (fish soup), we noticed it remains a warm-weather favorite in addition to a number of organic chicken dishes.

But repeat trips to South America remind us that big meat dishes are what we crave, and the bistec a lo pobre—which we found throughout Chile—satisfies even the biggest hunger, a huge hangar steak with fried onions, fried eggs and potatoes. Just seeing this steak at Pomaire transports us back to Valparaiso, the historic maritime city with its many funiculares that haul passengers up and down the steep hillsides with winding streets. With a commanding view of the Pacific from our table, we watched an elegant woman of a certain age devour a huge bistec a lo pobre with great gusto. However, we instead opted for the mar y cordillera, the roasted marinated pork tenderloin and mushroom crab cake, an enormous portion with attractively-served chunks of pork cooked to perfection, along with potatoes Provençal, callampas mushrooms in a Port wine sauce. The potatoes were crisp and buttery, the mushrooms utterly divine. In addition, the traditional Pulmay, known otherwise as the feast from Chiloé (the archipelago in southern Chile), was a most festive dish of mussels, clams, potatoes, smoked pork and chicken stewed in broth and white wine. Señor Catalan of course features a number of other hearty traditional plates, including a divine seafood au gratin, the highly-regarded pastel de choclo (meat and corn pie), and a half-dozen other seafood dishes. Or you might opt for the Maipo valley roast beef, nicely seared with a fine Cabernet demi-glaze. Perhaps a lomo al champinon, grilled sirloin with potatoes Provençal and that wonderful Callampas mushroom sauce? And do not overlook the costillar, pork ribs in Chilean spice rub with mixed mashed vegetables charquican with lard and paprika reduction.

Little wonder that Pomaire's Prix Fixe menu is consistently ranked one of the top ten deals in the Theater District, which we can easily understand given the high quality of ingredients and generous portion sizes. Moreover, the 60-seat dining room also features a full bar, which offers great cocktails including the ever-popular variations on Pisco, a national drink beloved in both Chile and Peru. Several pasta, vegetarian and side dishes round out the menu, as do a number of typical desserts such as thousand-layer cake and crepes with manjar sauce. But most importantly, it is the compelling charm and irresistible tranquility that make dining at Pomaire such a rewarding experience. With little of the hustle and none of the tourist-trap atmosphere you find at other Restaurant Row venues, Pomaire remains one of Midtown's best-kept secrets. And where else would you find Pablo Neruda's dessert on the menu?

Tags:   denic catalan, pomaire, restaurant row, theater district

© All rights reserved.

Posted on 6/21/2007 ( Permanent Link )
 Send to Friend