Traif Menu 6.15.10

Traif

June 15, 2010

red plums, cherry tomatoes, bacon, hazelnuts, blue cheese, sherry

roasted carrots, oranges, feta, baby spinach, grapes, sunflower seeds

housemade ‘ciccioli,’ pickled watermelon, red onions

bacon-wrapped blue cheese–stuffed dates, spinach a la catalana

sautéed broccoli rabe, roasted portobella-truffle toast, fried egg

spicy, bigeye tuna tartare, tempura eggplant, kecap manis

duck confit lettuce wraps, banana-tamarind prik

smoked pork belly, lentils, artichokes, tomato marmalade

stuffed corn cake, marinated rock shrimp, champagne mango

thai spicy-sweet chili-glazed calamari

confit, crispy chicken wings, five-spice glaze

strawberry-cinnamon glazed baby back ribs

lamb & chorizo meatballs, chipotle cream, manchego

bbq, braised short rib sliders, sweet potato fries

miso-glazed king salmon skewers, pickled cucumber salad

new zealand cockles, shell pasta, pancetta, tomato, chilies, mint

seared scallops, snap & english pea risotto, caper brown butter

fresh alaskan spot prawns, garlic, olive oil, pimento

whole-roasted long island porgy, turkish spices, wilted greens

sautéed sweetbreads, artichokes, asparagus, roast maitake’s

seared foie, fingerlings, ham chips, sunny egg, maple, hot sauce   

braised berkshire pork cheeks a l’ancienne,  polenta, prune jus

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cheese plate: 3 cheeses, meyer lemon & tomato marmalades, salted hazelnuts

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bacon doughnuts, dulche de leche, coffee ice cream

strawberry cobbler, passion fruit cream

brown sugar budino, auntie h’s chocolate bark

2 Months

Hello Traifies, this is Jason here.  Amazingly, we just hit the 2 month mark, which may not seem like a lot. Actually, it isn’t a lot. However, these 2 months do represent a lot of work, emotions, mostly happy customers,… and bacon. I wanted to write more, I have contemplated writing more, I haven’t written  all that much. I’ve got to say that this is actually kind of an enjoyable outlet. So, maybe I will write more. What I do know for sure is that I am excited that the spring into summer thing is happening, which means all the vegetables aren’t green… and stone fruit…. and sweet shellfish… and happy, grazing animals… i.e. good eating! As a side note, England’s soccer goalie, named Green, let in perhaps the softest goal in world cup history to the US last Saturday. So, I guess I still am a bit soft on some-things-’green…’ In any case, if you’re reading this today, you really should come in for dinner soon. We have fresh alaskan spot prawns, local whole-roasted long island porgies, spicy cockles with pancetta (the other bacon), pork belly, foie gras, sweetbreads and yes fruits and vegetables–to keep us honest here. Well, those pork cheeks aren’t going to braise themselves, so….. talk to you soon and hopefully cooking for you even sooner!

Here We Go….Live at 6pm

Opening night…6pm to 2am! If you are around, come down and have some pork cheeks and a glass of wine.

Who’s Hungry for Pork Cheeks?

candy beets, pancetta, cabra, hazelnuts, blood orange

We’re officially opening this Tuesday, April 13th. Of course, 13 is a sacred number in Judaism, as is bacon, (haha to both), so we figured it the most appropriate day to unveil Traif. In actuality, we just finished up  week of training, neighbrohood parties, and  friends and family dinners. We think that they went pretty well. So, we are going to take the next few days, address some details, fix a few things, and gear up for Grand Opening. Pork cheeks will be a braising, mussels a steaming, and bacon a crisping. we hope to you see you soon, we hope to make you happy, and we are using every minute until Tuesday at 6pm to make sure we are ‘covered.’ Thanks for all you support, comments, and interest in our humble, little project. Again, I wish that I had more time to spend writing, but your involvement has been inspiring to Heather and I. And, we look forward to interacting more with you, the blog, and bacon!

strawberry-cinnamon glazed pork ribs

 

A splash of Artwork…

OkMitch, a local artist team of Dmitry Pankov and Angel Saemai help give Traif some edge…

We are really excited with the way the mural came out on the soffit; a nice balance of delicate and unrefined.  We can’t wait to see how the one-of-a-kind communal table is going to look…these guys are great! Check them out at www.Okmitch.com

stir the pot…?

Hello, Traifies. I have been consumed with the exciting world of health inspections, construction, and cleaning since the last post. I am glad to see that this humble, little blog seems to be taking a life of one’s own. As someone holding a degree in philosophy, I am happy to be around a little debate and appreciate comments from both sides of the aisle… In any case, we’re getting closer, I mean real close. I’ll be trying to keep this a bit more updated for exact dates. BTW, if anyone is interested in sheetrock dust, I’m, pretty sure we have a couple kilos of the stuff– hiding, lurking, just waiting to come out as soon as we mop, polish, or wipe…. Ah, the glorious side of opening a restaurant…..

fortnight/openingarestaurantnight

It’s been about two weeks since I last wrote. It seems like only a couple days ago. Opening a restaurant in NYC warps one’s sense if time. One minute, you’re consumed with 2 weeks from now, another minute you’re consumed with 2 days ago, and then the next minute you can’t see 2 seconds ahead of you. Don’t get the wrong idea that any of this is hard. This process could probably be summed up in a 5 page pamphlet… triple-spaced, 24 font.  The problem is that you have to deal with a lot of people. And most of them either: a. are trying to rip you off, b. don’t share your enthusiasm when it comes to trying to open your restaurant asap, or c. a&b. Is there really a need to contemplate chairs or paint colors  or stone slabs for this many hours? Did I fill that application out just right? Did the granite guy pick the right slab? How can I get this government employee to care a little more or pick up the phone? This mental “hazing process” is designed to really make you want to open or really want to disappear to Bali. We’re hopefully about 1 week from being done with renovations and then another two weeks for cleaning, training, tasting, pre-opening, etc. For your dining pleasure, I am going to attach some pictures of the progression of Traif…

Mmmm, Bacon….

Three large columns and a green polished bar gave the original design a very apartment kind of feel. We removed the columns to open up the space, so people can enjoy an interactive experience with the kitchen and watch as their plates come to life.

I am Jason Marcus, the chef and co-owner of Traif– a restaurant coming soon to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. What is ‘traif?’ What kind of name is ‘traif’ for a restaurant? These are two good questions, and here is one answer. Traif is a hebrew word that essentially refers to un-kosher foods. I am Jewish, although obviously not great at it. So, Traif is a restaurant that celebrates the foods that I love most, which just so happens to be the foods that I am not supposed to eat. At Traif, we will feature pork and shellfish. Do you like bacon in everything, wish that your bowl of moules-frites would never end? Then, you might be very excited for Traif. We are about 6 weeks from opening, so I’ve decided to enter the world of blogging. I’m not sure if there’s anyone out there, but if there is… drop me a line, stay tuned for more updates, get excited for suckling pig confit and king crab bearnaise. We’re coming as soon as we can open, and we’ve got bacon, a lot of bacon!