Graze
Rating: Good
The “Local Food” movement is the latest dining trend in many of the hottest big city restaurants, but it seems more likely to better succeed in smaller cities with close proximity to nearby farms, dairies, and fishermen. So where better to do this than right here in our own Garden State?
A strong proponent of this style food is chef/owner Laercia “Junior” Chamon, who has married his Brazilian roots with this mode of contemporary cooking and reinvented the former Zoe, in Little Silver, as Graze, just two weeks ago. Not only is the menu new, to reflect his philosophy, but the room itself has been made over in modern farmhouse style. A large glass window-wall still shows off the kitchen; a chef’s table for special tasting dinners still sits near it, but new lighting and décor make for a fresh, gently hip feel, without trying too hard. The Friday night of our visit, an excellent three-piece jazz combo was holding forth in one corner of the dining room, enhancing the ambience.
Stuffed Local Squid ($14), pleasantly chewy, filled with house-smoked pork belly and panko crumbs, indeed had a mild smoky flavor; and came with preserved lime aoli for dipping. We loved the texture of the juicy, tender Octopus ($16), which had been pan-seared and plated with red pepper puree, disks of fingerling potatoes, and crème fraiche. Unfortunately, this was marred by excessive salting, a tendency which we noticed in some of the other dishes as well. We would hope that as the kitchen works through the new menu, and hits its stride, the addition of salt will be moderated.
Ironically, Quinoa Salad ($16), a large mound of red quinoa in the center of the plate, surrounded by organic kale, roasted fennel, caramelized shallots, fig halves, and a preserved lemon yogurt dressing, was pretty enough, but fell short in the seasoning department, rendering it bland. It was somewhat improved by mixing all the elements together on the plate, but even this do-it-yourself approach did not create enough oomph.
We really enjoyed the Graze Burger Blend ($16), an oversized patty of chicken and mushrooms ground together, sitting on a light and airy grilled bun, gently coated with melted Swiss cheese, sliced tomato, crisp fries and homemade ketchup completed the plate.
Duck Tacos ($25), confit of local duck, homemade corn tortillas, pickled fennel slices, and house-made jalapeno jam shared the plate, allowing us to build our own tacos. Normally, confit, which is preserved and cooked in its own fat, is rich and moist, but this rendition served as shredded duck, sitting forlornly in a dish, was overcooked and dry. The rather thick tortillas were grilled and also lacked moisture, making for a disappointing experience. Once the kitchen tweaks this dish, it should be excellent.
On the plus side, we would return in heartbeat for the Organic Salmon ($26); a crispy slab of medium rare fish, sitting atop a sweet parsnip mash, meaty gray oyster mushrooms, and a disk of cabernet compound butter, was flat out delicious. A few of the mushrooms were over-salted, but the dish was quite successful nonetheless.
We studied the dessert menu, but were far too full to order anything, even in the interest of more complete reportage. Next time!
Graze is a BYO, but they also sell full and half bottles of Gloria J. wines, a California winery owned by New Jersey’s Domenico wines, presumably for those diners who forget or don’t want to bother with toting their own wines. We brought a 2012 Laura Aschero Vermentino, which sadly, was oxidized. Not so the 2013 Michel Bregeon Muscadet which had good acidity, surprising fullness, and a mineral quality that married well with many of the dishes.
Considering that Graze had only been open two weeks at the time of our visit, the service was spot-on from our charming, witty server, and the timing of dishes was good. Some of the dishes need less salt, others need more seasoning; some cook times need adjustment, but it seems reasonable that the kitchen will sort these things out shortly. All of the elements for excellence are here.
The appeal of fresh, locally sourced food, is undeniable, so we are pleased that Graze has been created to move in that direction, and is using those ingredients to make contemporary cuisine as well as some interesting Brazilian dishes too.
The Two Bobs rate Graze: Good
Graze
151 Markham Place
Little Silver
732-747-9988
graze.restaurant
Bob Sacks, wine aficionado, and Bob Sickles, owner and operator of Sickles Market, review restaurants in this bimonthly column. Read their reviews here.
