First Look: 5 & Diamond

Arthur Bovino — April 19, 2010

Duo of Lamb: Loin, Belly, Carrot Puree, Ramps, and Morels.

Ryan Skeen’s new glass-fronted restaurant in Harlem had only been open about a week and there were rumors of trouble. Then last week another headline speculated that the chef was already on his way out.

Basta.

Culinary crystal ball set aside, there’s a little detail to be discussed: the food. We recently visited 5 & Diamond on the night of its inaugural tasting menu to check out a restaurant that should be getting more attention for the plates coming out of the kitchen.

 

From left: Upper Manhattan (“Smooth Version of the Classic”), and Palmyra (Vodka, Lime, and Mint).

Sipping an Upper Manhattan, in an upper Manhattan that’s different from the one in your mind of years ago. Yes, the corner window is cracked near the entrance to the door, but there are few rough edges to this part of Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

 

Japanese Sea Urchin with Hamachi Belly on Pork Rind with Grapefruit.

Sea urchin is everywhere these days. No complaints here (when it’s good uni). Love it with pasta. But, it’s nice to see uni in the spotlight beyond being mixed with starch for a creamy effect. Smooth fish, citrus, crunch— and on pork rinds!

 

Seafood Tagliatelle with Mussels, Cockles, and Shrimp.

Light, closely-layered strips of pasta sitting in a brothy sauce with fresh-tasting seafood. Plump mussels, a scattering of cockles, a grilled shrimp head worth eating. It’s very well-executed seafood pasta.

 

Rabbit and Ratatouille Sausage Spaetzle with Pea Shoots and Parmesan Brodo.

Rabbit as sausage— salty, meaty nubs, interspersed with spaetzle wet with the Parmesan broth.

 

Grilled Salmon and Wild Sorrel with Easter Radish and English Peas.

“Wait, Salmon and Sorrel, as in the Troisgros salmon and sorrel?” you ask the server. Interest is piqued. Word from the kitchen confirmed that the Grilled Salmon and Wild Sorrel was an homage to the Troisgros brothers’ 1965 original recipe. A tall cube of moist salmon with grill-marked skin atop a light, gentle sauce, surrounded by fresh, uncooked wild sorrel, salmon roe, and English peas. Delicious.

Then a Duo of Lamb: Loin, Belly, Carrot Purée, Ramps, and Morels (top). Crispy lamb belly, tender red lamb loin. Crackle. Juicy bite. Smooth carrot purée that could double as a delightful soup, the requisite, welcomed ramps. Disappeared quickly.

 

5 and Diamond Doughnuts: Glazed, Sugar, and Spice.

Donuts, light, glazed, sugared, spiced. Do you like donuts? These squash hyperbole. They’re very good. Lightly sweetened. A fine, though not inventive way to finish a meal.

Does the food blow your mind? No, but it’s very solid, and it’s at the forefront of bringing this kind of food to a neighborhood that’s looking for more of it. Is Skeen there too early? Will he stay long enough to find out? The condos will continue to fill with new residents, people will need their requisite chef burgers, and well-executed tasting menus. It remains to be seen. But he’s there providing those things now, ahead of the curve.