EVERY aspect of the appetizer — plump grilled shrimp layered over wilted greens and basmati rice pilaf — was a pleasure. It looked lovely. It was expertly prepared. And the surprise kicker? The shrimp were skewered with slices of sugar cane, which, combined with a red-pepper wasabi sauce, lent a hot sweetness to the dish.
The Arts and Crafts movement was all about details, and Bungalow Restaurant and Lounge in Croton Falls, which borrows its name and look from the design style, is similarly focused on the particulars. When Bungalow hits its mark, the results can be like the appetizer described above. For example, several outdoor fireplaces greeted our arrival. Wine was served in small carafes with a stemless snifter that allowed one’s nose to really take in the bouquet. Wonderful baguettes arrived warm, the butter cool.
You’re most likely to enjoy Bungalow’s attention to detail at the start and end of the meal. The appetizers are especially well conceived and really bring home the chef’s interest in fresh ingredients, inventively prepared. Two tartare, rare tuna and salmon in ponzu-sesame oil with scallions and lemon zest, was served on won-ton crisps — a perfect contrast of textures and tastes. Pan-seared scallops over soybean succotash polenta and corn coulis, and baked brie and berries in puff pastry, were both exciting ways to begin a meal.
Even the more familiar appetizers were winners. Fried calamari were some of the freshest squid I’ve had in months, lightly dusted with semolina and served with tasty marinara and aioli dips. A radicchio and endive salad prepared with chunks of pear, walnuts and blue cheese was a refreshing pleasure.
But Bungalow, which opened in late October, is going through some growing pains. There is a long list of intriguing specials each night, but it is nearly impossible to remember them without some kind of written version to ponder. Despite asking the waiters to repeat themselves, we ended up feeling we had missed something each time we went to the restaurant. On a busy night, it’s hard to figure out what the hostess is up to, turning away diners while tables sit empty for long spells or not allowing folks with reservations their choice when there are several tables available.
Unfortunately, the kitchen’s pacing is also off when the dining room gets too crowded. There can be long waits between courses, food can arrive lukewarm, and one night our duck was underdone, requiring a return to the kitchen.
Entrees are uneven. The wasabi-pea-crusted Chilean sea bass was magnificent and the seared ahi tuna was cooked well and served with delicious wasabi whipped potatoes. For both, the accompanying stir-fried vegetables (prepared on different nights) were almost as good as the fish. But the mushroom napoleon was oddly tasteless, despite the promised truffle oil, usually a powerful ingredient. The grilled flatiron steak was pedestrian, and its accompanying bacon-Gorgonzola mashed potatoes tasted as if they had little of either pork or cheese.
Still, Bungalow’s successes make this first restaurant from John Reynolds, formerly a chef at Willy Nicks Cafe in Katonah and the Hudson House of Nyack, and his wife, Banu Reynolds, worth keeping an eye on. Desserts are uniformly interesting, and several — including the complex English figgy pudding with caramel sauce (redolent with ginger), the bananas Foster over challah French toast, and the apple crisp — are good enough on their own to inspire a visit. Like the best of the Arts and Crafts movement, Bungalow is capable of surprise, beauty and strong craftsmanship.
Bungalow Restaurant And Lounge
166 Stoneleigh Avenue
Croton Falls
(845) 669-8533
www.bungalow166.com
GOOD
THE SPACE A former house, with Arts and Crafts-style details. Intimate but comfortable dining area, which can get noisy if too crowded. In warmer weather there will be seating on an outside patio. Wheelchair accessible.
THE CROWD Mostly adults, although there is a children’s menu and the owners’ young son can occasionally be seen around the place.
THE BAR Small but attractive, and a comfortable spot to have a meal. The wine selection is still in development; right now it includes mainly California, Washington and Oregon offerings, at an average of $8 a glass or $35 a bottle. Nice, succinct specialty drink selection. Try the espresso martini.
THE BILL Entrees run $24 to $28. Major credit cards accepted.
WHAT WE LIKE Baked brie and berries, grilled shrimp, fried calamari, two tartare (tuna and salmon), pan-seared scallops, radicchio and endive salad; seared ahi tuna, wasabi-pea-crusted Chilean sea bass; English figgy pudding, bananas Foster over challah French toast, apple crisp.
IF YOU GO Lunch/brunch: Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 3 p.m. Dinner: Tuesday to Thursday, and Sunday, 5:30 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. (bar menu until 11 p.m.). Reservations recommended on Saturdays.
Reviewed March 30, 2008
