Not So Bad in SoHa
Amsterdam
Until recently, my neighborhood was a culinary wasteland. The stretch of Amsterdam Ave. from 116th to 123rd Sts.-part of what some have dubbed, only half-jokingly, Soha, "South of Harlem"-offered just two Ethiopian restaurants, one diner cloaked in grease and a ramshackle Indian place with over-fried pakura. It felt as if we were consigned to the backside of everything on Broadway (Columbia, Barnard, the Jewish and Episcopal seminaries) and that the good times (and food) were passing us by.
Then a few years back, Max Soha (an uptown branch of the popular Ave. B Italian eatery) appeared on the southwest corner of 123rd, and it was like the floodgates had been thrown open. Students, faculty and residents flocked to the restaurant as if they had been starving; the wait to get in sometimes eclipsed 45 minutes on a weeknight. Suddenly, other restaurateurs caught on to the neighborhood's unexploited potential and opened, in relatively quick succession, Kitchenette (with a Sunday "comfort food" brunch that attracts diners from as far as Brooklyn), Sezz Medi, Panino Sportivo Roma and Radio Perfecto. That's not even counting Max's auxiliary cafe (serving wine and light salads) or Pisticci, a cozy Italian place on nearby La Salle St. Overnight, it seemed, the area was thriving, with plenty of room for more.
Amsterdam is the latest addition to the bunch, a large and enthusiastic New American restaurant with a tapas lounge in back. Although the restaurant is still finding its feet, it could easily give its competitors a run for their money if word of its well-prepared and appealing food spreads.
It's odd that Amsterdam is almost never crowded, even though it boasts the most diverse and satisfying menu in the neighborhood. I can't think of any other uptown establishment, for example, that serves both sangria and sake. My theory is that Columbia students and faculty (one of Amsterdam's prime demographic targets) instinctively shy away from anything that looks like it might be too upscale; they'll pay $50 for a meal, but only if the surroundings are appropriately rustic. From a design perspective, the restaurant certainly has more in common with the sleek and elegant bistros of downtown, with dominant earth tones (mustards, dark greens) interrupted by the occasional wall of exposed brick. This atmosphere of cool elegance is offset, a bit confusingly, by pulsing house music and multiple flat-screen tv's perched at various spots throughout the two main rooms-attempts, I suppose, to reach the young neighborhood populace.
Like many new restaurants, Amsterdam overcompensates in some areas and underachieves in others. On two occasions, the staff was solicitous but the food pokey to arrive, as if the kitchen had to be restoked with each order. This problem was largely rectified by the time of my most recent visit, a good sign that the restaurant is falling into its groove.
I can't recall which critic observed that bread is a good predictor of the overall quality of a meal, but I've found the maxim to be generally true. Amsterdam's bread certainly augurs well for what follows: Moist and chewy, it's served with high-quality olive oil in a white, flute-like vase. The list of wines available by the glass is small, but the Syrah is perfectly decent (if a tad overpriced at $8), while those looking for a whole bottle will find a nice variety of choices, from a Côte du Rhone for $21 to a 1999 Brunello di Montalcino that tops the list at $78. For the cognoscenti, the bar offers specialty drinks such as a low-carb "Cherry Bomb Vodka" (vodka and Diet Pepsi) and a Key Lime Pie martini. Twenty-five selections are featured on the beer menu alone, and I for one am looking forward to summer and ordering Red Stripe.
The extensive appetizer and salad menu has something for everyone, from saganaki (the famous Greek "flaming cheese") to Maine crab cakes with a mango lime chutney. The Prince Edward Island mussels ($9) are so plentiful that they almost constitute an entrée. Piled high in a bowl and topped with a vegetable-based compote, they're served with crisp baguette toasts that soak up the smoky, intense flavor. The rich broth left over at the bottom of the bowl is as good as the mussels themselves, a perfect elixir for cold winter nights. This is food that hits you right in the solar plexus; those searching for the type of flavor that reveals itself in subtle stages should probably look elsewhere.
One of the nice things about Amsterdam is the range of options it offers for every budget. In this sense, the high-end appearance is largely a ruse-I've paid more for two glasses of wine and an entrée at Max. At $12, the grilled marinated skirt steak sandwich is a great bargain, piled with tender, lean slices of beef and crisp french fries (it's also available in an entrée version for $16). Those looking to spend even less will find satisfaction in the curried chicken salad sandwich, served in a pita with fries for just $9. The rosemary and garlic roasted chicken entrée ($16) might seem overly plain to some, but it's refreshing to discover restaurant food that doesn't rely on an excess of salt for its robust flavor (a meal at Sezz Medi sometimes feels like the equivalent of 50 Applebee's mozzarella sticks). Despite the menu's playfulness, sincerity is the name of the game here.
Another interesting entrée is the braised pork osso buco ($19), tender enough to slide right off the bone. The meat is thoughtfully prepared, although it lacks the kind of bold flavor that would really set it afloat. Far more resonant is the bed of cheese polenta that surrounds the pork, overpowering it with tangy verve (a little balancing and fine-tuning would be welcome). The list of remaining entrées conveys the breadth of Amsterdam's offerings, with standouts including pan-roasted Atlantic salmon with Moroccan spices ($19), St. Louis cut spare ribs ($16) and cracked peppercorn crusted tuna steak ($22).
Desserts are one area where many restaurants fall short (another nearby establishment, Toast, serves mostly just cheesecake); fortunately, that's not the case here. The apple crisp ($7) is one of my favorite dishes, and it's always a pleasure to see it done well, with ripe, juicy apples and lots of cinnamon-although I'm getting a bit tired of the powdered sugar that adorns even the simplest desserts these days. Chocolate lovers, meanwhile, can rejoice in the de rigeur molten cake ($6) and mochaccino brownie sundae ($7). The hot java bar offers such indulgences as caffe mocha and caramel lattes.
Amsterdam still has a way to go before it can be considered a truly great restaurant. Chiefly, it needs to resolve its identity crisis: Does it want to offer a sophisticated dining experience for locals or a boisterous gathering spot for students? It's difficult, for example, to relax amidst the combined din of dance rhythms and a basketball game (courtesy of the speakers and tv screens). But for the most part, this newcomer scores with its inventive menu, attentive service and warm-hearted cooking. The college kids can take Max and its overcrowded brethren; it's time Soha had a restaurant for grown-ups.