Star Ledger - Zagat - New York Times

Another Smash Hit in New Brunswick
By CODY KENDALL
FOR THE STAR-LEDGER
*** ½

New Brunswick, one of New Jersey's hottest restaurant towns, has yet another star-quality establishment to keep things sizzling near the theater district.

Verdigré offers amazing food in a stylish transformation of the old Northstar Cafe, which becomes a lounge at 11 p.m. each evening after the tables are cleared. "Small plates" are served after dinner hours end at 10:30 p.m.

The central bar is a focal point of the large room, where light fixtures that are balls of tangled metal ribbon provide eye appeal. A cute little "private" dining area off to the side is a cozy nook for a very small group, but the nicely spaced tables insure diners can have private conversations, though voices must be raised as the noise level increases during the evening.

There's a lot to talk about here, from the zucchini flowers ($14) stuffed with crabmeat and herbed goat cheese in a tingling mango chile sauce, to the hand-cut ricotta gnocchi ($24), elevated by Bolognese-braised rabbit with notes of sweet basil and Pecorino. Every presentation is beautiful in the brilliant play of colors and the way the food is set out on the plates.

The only problem with the menu is that you'll likely want everything on it. Chef James Corona, formerly of Sogno in Red Bank, puts a twist on his creations to make them captivating, but is never so blatant as to obscure the inherent qualities of the ingredients.

The flavor of sliced cured salmon ($13) is heightened by an array of tastes — green apple, fennel, radish sprouts and horseradish crema to make this appetizer about so much more than the fish at the same time these elements act to amplify it. Chestnut-porcini "cappuccino" ($8) looks like the coffee drink, but there's no mistaking the truffle "cloud" atop it for whipped cream, and the mushroom broth has a unique sotto voce influence from the sweetness of the chestnuts.

Salads tend to be more along the usual lines, such as Caesar ($12) and market greens ($10), but the art here is in the salt-roasted organic beets ($14) with ruby grapefruit, watercress, pistachios and aged goat cheese for the gilding touches.

The kitchen works well with a variety of influences from around the Mediterranean. While Italian is first and foremost, the fire-roasted pork chop ($30) with piquillo peppers in a tomato and bell pepper sauce is Portugese-inspired, and the Middle East is represented by the head-on Maya shrimp ($18), wrapped in delicate crackling katafi pastry with chick peas and feta cheese in a tahini basil dressing. Travel to Spain via the red snapper/shellfish zarzuela ($30), that flavorful Catalonian stew, rich in a tomato broth with just the right hint of saffron. Asia is also heard from, with the halibut ($29) complemented by a mixed metaphor of curried baby bok choy, as well as oyster mushrooms and the sweetness of a carrot emulsion.

Pomegranate barbequed Australian rack of lamb ($35) is a symphony of colors and contrasts, from the green of the broccoli rabe to the cool, pale harissa cucumber yogurt and the lustiness of merguez sausage, all happily playing off each other. Tamarind-painted Long Island duck breast ($28) is just fruity enough with its black currant Port glaze, but the rice noodle flan was too bland to be appealing, even contrasted with the fruit and richness of the duck. The only heavy-handed dish we had was the plate of spice-braised short ribs ($26), an almost too-hearty hunk of meat that seemed out of place with the rest of the entrees.

The appropriate and appealing wine list catalogues lots of choices and does not neglect the low end, with selections available for as little as $6 a glass or $24 a bottle.

Desserts include a cheesecake ($9), but this one is different, a milk chocolate creation made lofty by hazelnut praline and milk chocolate ganache. Panna cotta ($8) also gets dressed up, with passion fruit sorbetto and a blueberry compote. A pistachio/cardamom cake ($10) recalls the Middle East against the backdrop of roasted pear and a mascarpone crema. Perhaps the most dramatic sweet is the sour cream apple crostata ($10), spiked with rum-soaked raisins and served with cinnamon streusel and a vanilla gelato. If you want something lighter, a cheese platter is also available for $12.

The whole evening rolled along quite smoothly, especially for a place that just opened at the end of January. We received refined, intelligent and helpful service, though at a restaurant this expensive, we would like to know the prices for specials before we're asked to pay for them. There also was too long a list for us to remember while the waiter recited them. As always, I believe a printed line-up is the best approach. Servers then can elaborate all they want, but at least patrons have something in writing to which they can refer.

The restaurant's unusual name refers to both the process and the green color copper takes on when they start to weather. The word actually is spelled verdigris, but so many people mispronounced it that the management decided to go with an alternate phonetic spelling.

However you say it, Verdigré presents yet another happy choice for an evening out in eternally evolving New Brunswick, whether you're making a night of it at the theater or just want to devote a few pleasant hours to celebratory fine dining.