Bank34 with Old Friends

Last night we had a great time and a fabulous meal at Bank34 on Division Street in Somerville. Life now is more often than not a point to point race, the points being work, school, sports, the kids' friends' homes, doctors' offices, etc. We parents cross paths briefly at the dinner table and at parent-teacher conferences and are subconsciously aware that someone else is asleep in the bed, our limited, hurried conversations dominated by the schedule ahead. Too often important things fall aside, things like old friends.

Somehow we were able to break the cycle and almost spontaneously met up with Larry and Martha after far too much time had passed. We caught up on families and friends and laughed. A lot. Bank34 is housed in an old bank building that has been transformed with color, light, flowing fabrics and large tropical fish into the perfect temple of Pan Asian cuisine.

I started out with an "oyster shot" which arrived in a tall, narrow glass garnished with a tiny lemon wedge. It looked a little like something out of a laboratory -swirling, cloudy and mysteriously tinted - but it smelled heavenly. I took a tentative sip before tossing it back. My mouth rejoiced in an incredible combination of flavor, scent, texture and temperature that brought together cold, spicy, fruity, smooth, and crunchy sensations with ponzu sauce, wasabi, oyster and roe -an auspicious start to the evening! I would go back to Bank34 even if the rest had been mediocre, just for more oyster shots. But the rest was just as good.

For an appetizer I ordered scallop and shrimp dumplings. They were so delicate-sweet-tender that they melted in my mouth. Their lightness was balanced by a dark and pungent, spicy dipping sauce. Yum. Martha had a delicious mountain of mango salad, clearly a riff on the traditional Thai Green Papaya Salad, something I always order when it is on the menu because I love it so much.

For dinner I chose the Baked Branzini which Larry recommended. I am afraid that something may be lost in translation with the menu descriptions because none sounded as good as they were on the plate or on the tongue. Everyone was pleased with their choices and the presentations were beautiful. My dish consisted of two fillets of branzini slathered with a spicy red coconut curry, baked in a banana leaf, and accompanied by sticky rice in its own small leaf packet and some grilled veggies.

I was too full to make a push for dessert and ordered a matcha green tea latte instead. It arrived frothy and sweet in a small ceramic cup. For me it was the perfect, dreamy end to my meal. The others savored desserts of green tea gelato, banana fritters, and mango and sticky rice with coconut milk.

Probably as a symptom of the times we live in, Bank34 was sadly empty for a Friday night. Check it out - it's a keeper!

http://www.bank34.com/

Bank34

34 Division Street

Somerville, NJ

(908) 722-9995

Da Filippo with my Figlio

Yesterday Sylvain and Nora disappeared into the March blizzard, he for France and she for New York, leaving me and Thibault with a night of our own. Where to go and what to eat were the pressing questions. Because of the bitter cold we ruled out sushi in favor of comfort food. I reccomended Da Filippo (Autentica Cucina Italiana) in Somerville as the only good, authentic Italian restaurant in New Jersey. Like many New Jersey Italians, Filippo is Sicilian, but his food reflects several regions of Italy.

For me it was a great treat to return to Filippo after several years, and for Thibault it was an initiation into true Italian cuisine. He has a wonderful love of food (his favorite sandwich as a two-year old was black olive tapenade and chevre on focaccia) and enjoys sushi, Indian, Thai and of course French cuisine, but his experience of Italian has been limited to what is available locally. Can you say, "standard Italian American?"

To get into the mood, we started with the bruscetta de la casa - simple toasted Italian bread with sliced tomatoes, garlic, basil and fresh parmesan - and a big bottle of sparkling Abruzza water.

For appetizers, Thibault ordered the braised artichoke special and I had the fritelle di rughetta - pan-fried arrugula with a creamy sauce of anchovies, garlic and parmesano-reggiano. Mine was unbelievably good as I knew it would be. Crispy but creamy, pungent but sweet. A heady and auspicious start to our meal! Thibault dispatched with his artichoke without complaint and with an audible groan of pleasure.

The appetizers tempted me more than the main courses, or maybe I had had one bruscetta too many. For dinner I ordered a double portion of the Sarde Fritte a Linguata, delicate, lightly battered and fried fresh sardines with a squeeze of lemon, and a side of meltingly tender but still bitter escarole with garlic and olive oil, and rosemary roasted potatoes. So good! Thibault has been on a gnocchi mission lately and ordered the hand-made ricotta Gnocchi con Sugo Bolognese which he happily devoured.

No dessert for La Signora but Thibault managed to find room for a plate of Profiteroles. He said liked the contrast of the cold cream filling with the warm chocolate sauce. I had a taste and he was right on.

In all, it was a great meal, good conversation and a lot of welcome laughter in the company of my son. As a parent, it is so satisfying to arrive at this place in time where my child and I are nearly peers and can enjoy each other's company as equals. And we listened to The Clash, nice and loud, all the way home.

http://www.dafilippos.com/