Best of the Nest

South Jersey's Blackbird scores points for mood and food.

by Trey Popp

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Published: Jul 31, 2007

QUAIL ORDER: Blackbird chef/owner Alex Capasso's diver scallop appetizer, with quail egg, fregola sarda and lobster sauce. Photo By: michael m. koehler (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

"What's your favorite thing on the menu?" I asked our server at Blackbird, a new BYO in Collingswood, N.J. "Does the restaurant have any sort of signature dish?"

"Everything's very good," he replied.

I hate when waiters evade that question, but this one seemed like a friendly guy, so I tried again. "Is there anything that people tend to rave about?"

"The service," the man smiled.

Everyone laughed. I myself haven't gone around raving about Blackbird's service since that midsummer meal, but the punch line held a measure of truth. For those who can do without excessive tableside chattiness or overbearing solicitousness, the homey, hands-off vibe in Blackbird's dining room is ideal for a meal untainted by hurry.

Besides, chef Alex Capasso's kitchen speaks well enough for itself. Tucked inside a bright orange building whose front window is emblazoned with a font that resembles a graffiti tag, Blackbird serves food that's considerably more subtle than you might expect. The methods are mainly French, with a few Italian notes thrown in, along with a few wholly American flourishes (succotash and macaroni and cheese, for two). There are also a couple of Asian-inspired dishes, but they don't gel with the rest of the menu enough to prompt a fusion cuisine label.

Nevertheless, at its best the food marries several of these elements seamlessly. My favorite dish was the first one I tried, a single diver scallop perched atop a mound of fregola sarda (very similar to Israeli couscous). The little dots of semolina, no bigger than ball bearings, had been perfectly toasted to amplify the caramelized sear marks on either side of the scallop. On top, a tiny, barely cooked quail egg; and underneath, a lobster sauce whose uncommon depth of flavor echoed the richness of the delicate yolk.

Rich sauces turned out to be a general rule at Blackbird. Mussels were steamed in their own juices, which were then fortified by cream. The densely flavored result, however, felt remarkably light in the mouth, not unlike the oyster stew that can be found at Christmastime in some Southern homes. I was less enamored, though, with a similar sauce accompanying a homemade seafood ravioli. It might have worked if the stuffing had been doled out more generously, but the dish became too one-dimensional when mainly carried by pasta dough.

Much better was a bowl of paper-thin, housemade love-letter pasta noodles topped with a rabbit ragout. No creaminess this time, but no lack of flavor from the slow-cooked rabbit, either. And although this is really a dish best enjoyed when the weather isn't topping the 90-degree mark, the presence of a few raw grape tomatoes lent it a welcome aspect of refreshment.

Among the appetizers, a chilled terrine of thinly shaved octopus and tiny artichoke hearts seemed to emerge from its own unique universe. Even wrapped in a thin film of prosciutto, it was impeccably light and had a remarkably clean flavor profile. It was a tad out of step with the rest of the things on our table, but not at all in a bad way. I wonder if its tastiness would have had more staying power if it hadn't been the oddball of the lot.

The entrees were a solid, fairly straightforward bunch. A beef tenderloin was as superb a cut of meat as I've had in long time, its edges perfectly seared, with a rose-colored hue all the way through. Paired with a pinot noir reduction and parmesan mashed potatoes, it hit the bull's-eye. A thick filet of halibut came in a light polenta crust. I found the fish itself a little underwhelming — halibut is pretty mild and the polenta didn't add much — but it was hard to quibble with the homemade pappardelle underneath it. Or with the accompanying tomato-fennel sauce, which was pungent with chives.

These main courses were joined by another oddball: strips of yellowtail sandwiched between a cake of compressed udon noodles and leaves of succulent bok choy. A mellow miso sauce rounded out this very flavorful fish preparation. Once again, you got the feeling that this had been airlifted in from the outside. Capasso clearly has the chops to pull this stuff off; it might be nice to see one or two more dishes in that vein.

This was a lot of food, and Blackbird turned out to be a congenial place to savor it at a slow pace. We probably took 15 minutes between finishing our entrees and placing a dessert order, and the extra digestion time served us well. A generous serving of banana bread pudding was a moist, rich treat. And although my wife had to remind me that it's pretty hard to screw up a crème brülée, I contend that it would be even harder to make one better than Blackbird's version. With a bright taste of candied lemon peel that registered at the perfect level of intensity, it was truly something to rave about.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Blackbird

619 Collings Ave. Collingswood, N.J.
856-854-3444, www.blackbirdnj.com
BYOB.
Reservations recommended.
Wheelchair accessible.
Tue.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun., 4 -9 p.m.; closed Monday.
Appetizers, $7-$12; Entrees, $19-$29

 

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