13 Dec AVOCADO TOAST HOAX?!

So what if they look like some sort of prehistoric animal’s testicles?

HOLY HAAS!

Super healthy and great tasting, you’re crazy not to love Haas avocados.  Whether slivered out of their reptilian skin-like shells (cut the avocado in half length wise, use a gentle twist to separate from the pit and then spoon out) for a toss in a salad, a mash into guacamole (use a knife rather than a fork to prevent avocado “mush”) or a slather on toast, there’s a wonderful nutty richness to the avocado’s silken smooth flesh (which is a fruit often, if incorrectly, labeled as a vegetable).

That is, of course if you get it ripe – open an avocado too early and it’s hard as a rock and if too late it’s a blackish-brown bomb of mushy fetidness.

Trend of late has been the avocado toast. At one time JEFFREY’S GROCERY in Greenwich Village overjoyed palates with their toast combination creation. As featured in  The EATORIALIST’S  post in February 2012 these “toasts” came in two variations: deviled egg salad that had a kick from spicy mayo and arugula and, our favorite, an avocado mash with a deep freshness tinged of lime and cilantro that was topped with an earthy yet sweet roasted tomato confit.

What a difference ten months can make……

A TOAST HOAX AT JEFFREY’S GROCERY

Now the toast at Jeffrey’s is, for the most part, just that, toast. As I sat at the bar I was amazed at the revision to that oh so delicious dish. Yes, we’re a fan of simple food but when restauranteur Gabe Stuhlman plates one half an avocado sprinkled with red-pepper flakes this is no feat of culinary brilliance nor Slow Food excellence. It is clear that as he so expertly expands his stable of theme-park-minded restaurants he is weighed down by the bottom line (most evident in the blatant “pour lines” on his stemware) and a bevy of investors rather than going all out in giving diners an action-packed culinary ride.

With avocado in mind, it was better to switch venues – with a short trip around the corner to WHITEHALL the weekend brunch gives you a toast to remember. With a layer of avocado topped with poached eggs and arugula it was a power palate play that was all yum and very much the  memorable meal.  Sadly, add WHITEHALL to the in-memoriam, yet another great neighborhood restaurant bites the dust in NYC….

PLEASANTLY TOASTED AT WHITEHALL