#14 – TAGLIATELLE at BRUCIE

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

SADLY, BRUCIE IS NOW CLOSED.

The name Brucie makes me think of a picked-on prepubescent. Perhaps there’s something in my history that makes me associate that name with the wimpy misbegotten. Aside from Uncle Brucie, I wouldn’t think anybody with the name Bruce would want this nickname. It certainly doesn’t evoke old school, nostalgic Italian food to me. But that’s what I assume the owners of the relatively new restaurant in Cobble Hill are hoping for.

I can’t find any answer on the internet as to why graffiti-artist turned chef Zahra Tangorra chose that name, but somehow it’s stuck. And the rustic Italian menu that changes daily even found one of its items on Time Out’s list. The restaurant is down a few steps on the restaurant heavy Court Street and seems like it could be an Italian market, a family friendly soda fountain, or a a grown-up restaurant. In fact, it’s all three of these things.

I really like the ambiance and the vibe inside, although the service was a little awkward. The menu changes daily and seemed reasonably priced with some sandwiches, small plates, and entrees. The one thing that doesn’t seem to change on the menu is the tagliatelle, which just so happens to be Time Out’s list item. Lucky for us.

The tagliatelle is homemade and cooked to a perfect al dente texture. It’s topped with burrata cheese and surrounded by deep brown fried brussels sprouts. The pasta has been tossed with a rich tomato butter sauce. This seems to be the dish’s crowning acheivement, but it didn’t impress me too much. Maybe it’s because my neighborhood pizzeria has been making this kind of sauce with their baked ziti for years. It’s not too dissimilar to a light marinara sauce mixed with butter, herbs, and cheese. Certainly not bad, just not as original as it sounds.

The brussels sprouts were great, giving the decadent pasta a smoky, charred flavor. It could have used a little bit of brightness or acidity to counteract the richness.

The other dishes were also fine, but nothing to write home about. So, mom, don’t hold your breath for any emails on this one. The tempura battered duck egg with polenta and duck ragu was a little overly rich for my tastes. I liked the homemade mozzarella (how can you go wrong?), but found the caesar salad just bizzare. We ordered it because it came with the unlikely combo of pickled beets and butternut squash. Neither are ingredients I’d put on a caesar and now I know why – everything fought for attention and it tasted nothing like a caesar.

Brucie gets a lot of positive press and perhaps rightly so. I may not have been in the mood for any of these dishes on this particular night, but I also found them all a few notches away from memorable. But the potential is there and I certainly don’t want to be the bully that picks on poor little Brucie.

Would Brucie’s Tagliatelle make my Top 100 of the year? While the pasta is perfectly cooked and the charred brussels are delicious, I give it a 7 out of 10 because I thought the dish was missing just a little something special.