Caliu Revisited -- CLOSED (New York, NY)

557 Hudson Street
Between W. 11th. & Perry St.
New York, NY 10014
(212) 206–6444

http://caliutapas.com/

Mural defining "CaLiu" as "what's left
from a feeling passion or affection" (sic)

So, I went back. It was an accident of fate. We were actually aiming for a new Italian restaurant, Spasso, which opened up on Hudson Street in late December 2010. At the door, Justin oh so hilariously noted that they'd named the restaurant after me and scampered out of the way before I could punch him in the gut.

But, sadly, Spasso was full, so we redirected to Caliu, a few doors north on Hudson. There, the hostess reluctantly told us we could sit down (in what appeared to be a mostly empty restaurant), but only if we left within an hour and a half, when she said all the tables would be fully reserved. She wouldn't let us sit in the back because there was allegedly a party sitting there at 8 p.m. (which incidentally hadn't materialized by the time we left at 8:20). She tried to seat us at a table wedged tightly next to another couple, who were clearly trying to have a romantic date, though there were plenty of other tables open. After some pouting and grimacing, she finally allowed us to sit one table away from the other couple.

Thankfully, the food took away a bit of the bad taste this unpleasant initial encounter left in our mouths.

Tortilla Espanola

There were a few slight differences from my last visit. First of all, the Tortilla Española (classic egg and potato Spanish omelette with garlic "ali o li") is now served in smaller vessel than before and cut into two stacked wedges, so it looks much more substantial. Where alioli (a.k.a. aïoli) was served on the side in the first iteration, this time, it was drizzled over top (thankfully with a relatively moderate hand) and therefore unavoidable. The tortilla was also thicker than it was before. By nature, tortilla española is a simple, rustic dish and this version is no different. It includes only the very basics: potato, egg, onions, salt and pepper. But the execution is nearly perfect, with soft potatoes and tender, airy eggs. Eating this cheered me up considerably. (4.25/5)

Ensaladita Caliu

The Ensaladita Caliu, a well-conceived salad of mesclun, baby golden beets, fingerling potatoes, sunchoke and pomegranate seeds, was unfortunately heavily overdressed with a bland, cooking-grade olive oil. But the roasted golden beets were sweet and delightful, as were the sliced, roasted sunchokes. The mesclun was reasonably fresh and tender for this time of year. Flavor-wise, pomegranate seeds didn't really tie in with the other components, but they looked very beautiful on the plate. In general, I'm glad to see this lighter, greens-based salad replace the mayonnaise-drenched Ensaladita Rusa that was the sole salad offering on the menu last time. (3.5/5)

Papas Bravas (crispy potatoes with caramelized onions and guindilla pepper; not pictured) were almost as nicely executed as the tortilla and also drizzled with alioli, this time an overly generous amount. The potatoes weren't actually crispy, anymore, but flavors in the dish were rich, bold and balanced. The dish was sweet from honest-to-goodness caramelized onions (so many places say they have caramelized onions, when really, they only have browned ones). It was smokey. And it was pleasantly, mildly hot from the dried, powdered, guindilla peppers. I can't imagine what perfection this would be if the demands of restaurant cooking allowed each dish to be fully made to order so that the potatoes were served perfectly crispy. (4/5)

Calamares en Tinta Negra

I liked, but did not love, the Calamares en Tinta Negra (baby squid with squid ink vinaigrette). It was beautifully presented and the squid ink vinaigrette was delightful. I kept swiping the plate with the tip of my finger to get another taste when I thought no one was looking. The baby squid, however, was tougher than I've enjoyed it, elsewhere, and a little bit bland on its own. It could have used a bit more salt and perhaps even a bit of time spent in a marinade, though I can understand why, for aesthetic reasons, the chef may not have wanted to go that route. The pristine white of the squid against the black of the vinaigrette and the few scattered leaves of green garnishing the plate was very attractive. I think part of the toughness might have been the cut, very large hunks that I had trouble cutting down into more manageable pieces with the dull table knives. (4/5)

Bocata de Beicon

Another dish I tried my first visit, the Bocata de Beicon (house-made lamb bacon with "salsa verde", pickled scallions) was one of the stand-outs of this meal. I actually don't remember it being this good last time, but then, my dining companion and I probably waited a while before we ate it. This time around, Justin and I attacked it as soon as it hit the table. The very thin, crispy bread (fried?) -- a hybrid of flatbread, focaccia and chip -- was still warm and filled with a rich, fatty cut of lamb (belly, I assume, because the menu calls it "bacon"), a thick, yogurt-based dressing similar to tzatziki, and topped with the very lightly pickled "white" of a stalk of scallion. It was a fantastic contrast of crispy, soft and creamy textures. Acidic elements in the yogurt sauce and pickled scallion helped keep the richness of the lamb and its gamey flavors in check. (5/5)

Paella Caldosa

We probably over ordered, since we were already pretty stuffed by this point. But we had one more dish to tackle: the Paella Caldosa (traditional paella with chickpeas, house–made chorizo, cockles, prawns). This is a wintery version of paella, made like a caldo or soup, not the dry, warmer-weather version with a crust. Rice was a fat, short-grained variety and soft all the way through, without being mushy. (I think this is softer than what many paella aficionados like, but I enjoyed the texture.) It was intensely flavored, smokey, salty and a tad sweet from the red peppers. In addition to the cockles (which I didn't taste on their own, since the small bits of meat inside the shell had migrated into the dish during cooking), there were good, fresh mussels and chickpeas -- reconstituted ones, not from a can, with a good bite. Prawns were reasonably fresh, as well, and shelled except for the head and tail -- a job that must've taken a prep cook a lot of time and effort. Really a very nice dish. The dish was served with alioli already spooned over top, but not mixed in. (4.75/5) 

The biggest difference between this meal and my last one (other than table-turning, unnecessarily obstructionist hostess) was that the restaurant now has a license to serve beer and wine. Our wines by the glass were fair and served in what appeared to be tiny juice glasses / double shot glasses. The 2006 Marques de Gelida, Brut Exclusive we tried had been open a while, I think, since the wine was flat and tasted much more simplistic than its vintage would suggest. A 2008 Juan Gil was pleasantly spicy, chewy and tough, with a bit of red fruit on the nose, to mellow the wine. I enjoyed it, though the $13 / glass price tag (for a correctly small pour) was a bit exorbitant, considering that a full bottle costs less in a store. The Juan Gil did go well with a lot of what we had. Whenever there were any acidic components present in the food, however, no matter how slight, the wine tasted bitter and off-putting. Justin also had a glass of 2006 Finca Nueva Crianza that I only had a distracted taste of, and don't remember. 

Evidently, Caliu's new claim to fame is that Lady Gaga included the restaurant on her "Ultimate Lady Gaga Dining Guide to NYC". This is something the restaurant advertises prominently on its website. As much as I like the Lady as a person, this seems like a bit of a dubious distinction, considering that the trendy, but thoroughly mediocre, Asia de Cuba and Vince and Eddie's are also on the list. Vince and Eddie's clientele draws heavily from octogenarian opera goers, who go there for safe, 1950s-style diner specials. (For the record, they do a pretty good version of liver with grilled onions, but it's hardly a culinary standout.) My guess is that Franco Barrio has higher culinary aspirations for Caliu, though.

Ambiance and decor: 2.5/5
Service: 2.5/5
Food: 4.25/5
Value: 3.5/5

Other notes: When the restaurant is more than half full, the noise level is extreme, and tables are set extremely close together. It's not a good place for a first date.