There is a particular frustration in watching a kitchen do good work while the dining room falls…read moreapart around it. That was the story of a recent Friday night at Johnny Bechamel, which, despite not being especially crowded, somehow managed to make its guests feel like an afterthought.
The evening began well enough. Our waiter was pleasant as he delivered the first round of drinks. But as the tables around us filled in, his attention drifted elsewhere and never quite returned. When I asked about a striking-looking cocktail at a neighboring table, he promised to find out and then vanished for the rest of the night. He did not resurface to check on our food or ask if we wanted anything else. His next appearance was with the check and to pack our leftovers.
It's a shame because the kitchen deserves better advocates. The meal opened on its highest note: house-made sourdough focaccia, chewy and full of tang, paired with a cacio e pepe spread loosened with good olive oil. It set expectations the rest of the meal would chase but never quite catch.
The fried squash blossoms were a clear success. They were crisp-shelled and stuffed with zucchini, ricotta, and herbs, then set in a bright tomato passata brightened further by sweet-and-sour onions.
Not every seasonal dish landed as well on this visit. The tomato and peach salad, arriving at the very peak of Palisade peach season, felt like a missed opportunity. A single slice of peach, thinly spread over the plate, was no match for the cherry tomatoes' sweet-tart punch or the tang of buttermilk and herbs beneath them. The sunflower seeds offered welcome crunch, but the dish needed more of its namesake fruit to earn its name.
The pappardelle with smoked pork shoulder was a study in contrasts. The pork itself, deeply smoked and full of flavor, was good enough to eat on its own. The pasta let it down, however, arriving undercooked and tough enough to work against the fork.
The lasagnetta (little lasagna), cut into a neat square that looked more like a square pizza than a classic lasagna, redeemed itself in flavor if not in form.
The tomato sauce was rich and well-balanced against a beef-and-pork bolognese, béchamel, ricotta, olive-oil-cured tomatoes, basil, and a drizzle of 12-year balsamic. The chef built this dish with real care.
The masa tagliatelle, made with sweet corn, Hatch green chile, cream, sesame seeds, and pecorino, was the dish I was most eager to try--and it delivered some very good bites. The pasta was cooked well, and I loved the combination of corn and Hatch green chile.
Taken as a whole, it's a meal of real highs undercut by inconsistency, both on the plate and at the table. Johnny Bechamel's sister restaurant, Dio Mio, remains the sharper expression of this kitchen's ambitions.
Whether Johnny Bechamel gets there will depend in part on whether the front of house learns to match the care already evident in the back of the house. I do want to compliment the hostess and the runners, who were attentive and helpful throughout the meal. Their service made the contrast with our waiter's absence all the more noticeable.