Talde, the restaurant from former “Top Chef” contestant Dale Talde, opened a few months ago here in Park Slope. It was immediately swamped; people packed into the beautiful space every night waiting for hours. And the restaurant was getting very good reviews. We stopped by for my birthday dinner in May, and ordered about 3/4 of the menu. The vegetarian sides and starters were really, really good — my favorite dish of the night was the Hawaiian Bread Buns with a “market vegetable.” In the case the market vegetable was chunks of portabello mushroom, topped with a spicy garlic mayo and pickled shallots. The Hawaiian bread was soft and sweet, and the combination of all of those flavors and textures was wonderful.
Also great was the #369 (named after the address of the restaurant); market vegetables (in this case sugar snap peas) in a green sambal (a chile garlic sauce). The snap peas were barely cooked, so they were still crunchy and sweet, and when tossed with the spicy, acidic sambal it made a great mix. Usually when a menu lists “market vegetables” it means whatever was on sale at the grocery store; at Talde it actually seems to mean what is in season. I was very happy with my birthday meal, and impressed with the restaurant in general. Note: if you’re in the mood for a cocktail, I highly recommend the Tuk Tuk: ginger-infused Mekhong rum with coke.
Talde — 369 7th Ave
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