On Sunday afternoon I got to have a
new experience thanks to Annie's research and determination. I went
to my first brunch using chopsticks. We went to former Top Chef
contestant Dale Talde's eponymous restaurant in Park Slope. And they
gave us the most unique brunch I've had.
If you're going to have brunch in Park
Slope on an early Sunday afternoon prepare for a bit of a wait no
matter where you go. If you don't expect a wait, you're clearly
suffering greatly from Saturday night's debauchery and should
probably go back to bed. That being said, the hostess told us there
would be a 20 minute wait and it was probably almost dead-on at 20
minutes. That's refreshing. So often a hostess will tell you 20
minutes knowing full well you'll be standing around for 45. The 20
minute wait gave Annie and I a chance to look around the place. The
décor is very very Asian. The plates look like the ones in the
pictures above the counter in old school Chinese restaurants. It was
all very retro and cool as hell. We also had a chance to enjoy the
first of a few very tasty bloody marys. The pickled ginger gives it
some pop to go along with the heat. The bar area is a bit of a tight
squeeze though once there are more than a few people waiting. And
given the popularity of Talde, there will generally be a wait.
We noticed as soon as we sat down how
loud the dining room was. But it was a good kind of loud. You can
tell that it's the noise of everyone enjoying their food and
conversations. You don't have to raise your voice to be heard.
Immediately after we were seated out waiter was right there. He
asked if we'd been there before. When we replied “no”, he
explained that they serve brunch dim sum style. That means when you
read about all the food we ate at this meal, don't jump to the
conclusion that we're disgusting gluttons with drool hanging from our
jowls. They were smallish plates meant to be shared. Which isn't to
say we didn't gorge ourselves, we totally did, just not as badly as
it would seem initially.
 |
| Pretzel Pork and Chive Dumplings |
Annie and I started with Pretzel Pork
and Chive Dumplings with a Chinese Hot Mustard Dipping Sauce. I
loved these. Crispy and flavorful and I love hot mustard. I could
easily eat a dozen of these while watching the game. Lobster Bao, an
Asian version of a lobster roll. Only instead of a potato roll it's
served on a steamed bun. Very fresh and tasty. They didn't last 10
seconds. Char Sui Smoked Pork Shoulder, these are boneless spare
ribs in disguise. Wonderful wonderful boneless spare ribs. The
Wilbur that gave his hooves and snout for these fantastic pieces of
charred flesh was a hero. The Breakfast Ramen soup was a strange
thing. It was sausage, a 6-minute egg and ramen noodles in a
buttered toast broth. The broth was actually too buttery, it was
pretty overwhelming. Then we added some sriracha and all was good
with the world. I'm excited that someone heeded my earlier call for
a breakfast soup.
 |
| Char Siu Pork Shoulder AKA Boneless Spare Ribs |
After finishing all of that up we
ordered some more. Why not, it's only dim sum. We tried Shrimp
Toast with Chinese Sausage Gravy. The toast was OK, not great but
OK. Much shrimpier than normal shrimp toast from a take-out place
is. Which I liked, but the dish really wasn't anything special. The
gravy was really good. Shiitake Mushroom and Scallion Chang Fun,
which were basically veggie stuffed crepe wraps. These had good,
bright flavors. I liked them a lot. I had to get Tater Tots just
because they came with sriracha ketchup and I can't get enough
sriracha. As it turned out I added more sriracha to the ketchup and
the tater tots were hot and crispy and good. They were good in the
sausage gravy too. As we finished up, Annie switched to a Bellini
which was very fruity and loaded. At Talde they do not skimp on the
booze.
On a separate note; at the table
behind me was a couple sitting on the same side of the table. I
really can't stand same-side sitters. You look like tools. You
really don't need to cuddle through a meal. If you really can't
stand to not be touching each other, order in and then you can eat,
fuck, then eat some more. And you don't even have to get out of bed.
After a couple of hours of eating and
drinking, Talde had beaten Annie and I into submission. That was
definitely an excellent meal. Great service, excellent food and the
price wasn't too bad at all. I'd say if you want a different
experience for your next Sunday brunch adventure, hit this place up.
Talde
369 7th Avenue
347-916-0031
www.taldebrooklyn.com
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