With the installation of the new oven at Bar Tartine in early August, a menu showcasing the new breads by baker-owner Chad Robertson accompanies the Eastern European comfort food created by chef Nicolaus Balla.
The bread service delivered sesame bread with butter that is very different than the country style pan levain that made Tartine Bakery so famous:
We started off with the spicy house pickled sauerkraut made with jalapeño paste. The fermented cabbage tasted like a cross between traditional European sauerkraut and a spicy Korean kimchee:
Bargain hunting from their wine list was a challenge, but we found an aged 2006 Gigondas from their winelist to go with our meal:
The beef tartare with fried onion, garlic toast, “torched” egg yolk, house pickles and batter fried green onion was topped with shredded fresh horseradish. Although the elements of the tartare are classic, there was a “newness” to the dish that made it excitingly different:
The smoked and fried potatoes was accompanied by a ramp aioli. Smoked over wood for 3 hours, the potatoes were pleasingly different than the typical roasted or baked potato:
A farmer’s cheese dumpling called Nokedli was more like a ricotta gnocchi than spaetzle. It was served with thinly sliced trumpet mushrooms and some kale. We opted for the bottarga (Sardinian preserved fish roe) to add some salty complexity to the overall dish:
The Eastern European comfort food can be found on print in the menus at Bar Tartine; however, the food delivered to the table includes many refined modern updates that bring a new twist to old world classics.
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