Graffiti is a Tight Squeeze

Jehangir Mehta, Jean Georges former pastry chef, can make a mean dessert.  But we’ll get to that later.

Graffiti, his East Village jewel box of a restaurant, focused on the details.  In fact, with a space so small it’s almost a parody of a New York apartment, Mehta does more with less.

First, there’s the décor, which Chef Mehta designed himself.  The restaurant is narrow, the tables communal, the vibe loud but intimate.  An exposed brick wall features scrawls of what’s featured (including the fact that water comes in both sparkling and still).  The opposing wall is decked out in prints, lush fabrics, statues, and mirrors, foreshadowing the eclectic and tenderly juxtaposed flavors to come.

All plates are meant to be shared—tapas style—but are helpfully grouped into categories by price.  Scallops with candied red chilies seemed on the paltry side, but the slender discs melted to the tongue, punctuated by a spicy kick.  Braised pork buns with apricot chutney cannot match David Chang’s and the apricot chutney frustratingly came with pits included, but the combination of juicy flavors still worked.  A shredded duck topped Portobello mushroom with mustard onion confit combined too many textures—meaty mushrooms, fatty duck, crunchy confit.  But the desserts, and rightly so, are the star of the show.  A hazelnut chocolate “caviar” cupcake with chocolate chip ice cream was wonderfully decadent, a deconstructed cupcake of sorts with a crunchy pop of chocolate-dipped Rice Krispies on top.

Food Network fans will flock to Graffiti if only because Mehta is the star of “The Next Iron Chef,” and Martha Stewart viewers will recognize him from her show.  The staff are hip to this brewing buzz, and are amazingly friendly and warm as a result.  They’ll even put your oversized bags downtowns to be picked up post-meal.  Perhaps the greatest show of hospitality at Graffiti are the line cooks you must push past on your way to the restroom.  When you’re this close together, everyone’s family.

Graffiti, 224 E. 10th St., New York, NY 10003 (near First Ave)

[Photo by avlxyz]

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2 Responses to “Graffiti is a Tight Squeeze”

1. Weekend Eating and Drinking Roundup « Melissa Posts says:

   April 12, 2010 at 1:31 pm

   [...] Weekend Eating and Drinking Roundup Posted in Manhattan Style by melfel on April 12, 2010 This post originally appeared on Manhattan Style on April 9, 2010. You can view the original post here. [...]
2. 88 Cent Burgers at Pop Burger Today « Melissa Posts says:

   April 12, 2010 at 1:32 pm

   [...] 88 Cent Burgers at Pop Burger Today Posted in Manhattan Style by melfel on April 12, 2010 This post originally appeared on Manhattan Style on April 8, 2010. You can view the original post here. [...]