Wow. I'm blown away by this place. First, this place epitomizes the "don't judge a book by its cover" lesson, or more aptly, "don't judge a restaurant by its surroundings." When my friend and I pulled up to the mediocre strip mall in which this establishment is located, we looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Still, we went in and braced ourselves.
The service was lovely. Our server was so polite, kind and accommodating. We came on a Sunday night, so the restaurant was very empty. We were promptly seated and had the menu explained to us. We decided to go with the $38 prix fixe menu, which included an appetizer, a main entree, and a dessert (one of the best bargains I've ever found in my life).
For the appetizer, I went with the Surf and Turf, which consists of cured filet mignon, crabmeat salad, and horseradish cream. The cured filet mignon was so tender and flavorful. Quite astounding. It's really hard to perfect cured filet mignon, and this place exceeded my expectations. The crabmeat salad was so delicate and lovely - the horseradish cream complimented it so well without masking the true taste of fresh crab. And also, the presentation was fantastic, which I appreciated.
Onto the main entree - the pan seared dry sea scallops, which was described on the menu as a mix of "scallops, fresh fettucine, artichokes, asparagus, shiitake mushrooms and truffle oil." I don't recall the artichokes and I think there was another sort of yam thrown in the mix as well as sugar snap peas, but regardless of the ingredient swaps, this dish was delightful. I can say with confidence that these were the freshest, most tender, and best prepared scallops I've ever had. They were so juicy and flavored. Wow. The fettucine was excellent too - not that gross, heavy fettucine one often encounters at more mediocre restaurants. This fettucine was flavored lightly and smoothly and it did not detract from the scallops, which I appreciated. Finally, the presentation of this dish was also just fantastic - balanced and plated in a way that it was very easy to eat balanced bites of all the elements.
Last but not least, the dessert - caramelized peaches. The peaches came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, strawberry coulis, and a stack of phyllo pastry. The ice cream was delectable - not too cloy and perfectly creamy. The strawberry coulis was a lovely compliment to the peaches, which were grilled very nicely. But my favorite part was the phyllo pastry. It was amazing. So light and flaky and it almost seemed to melt in your mouth. It was truly a treat. The juxtaposition of all the different textures and temperatures and flavors made this dessert dish unforgettably delicious. Officially my second favorite dessert of all time (after Aquavit's Arctic Birds Nest) - which is quite an accomplishment, considering the exorbitant amount of desserts I've consumed in my lifetime.
Chachama is definitely a special restaurant. I only hope that it can find another home in Manhattan/Brooklyn, where I feel like it would do very well. The strip mall that it is located in definitely serves as a misguiding facade for the amazing food behind the door. Furthermore, I'm not sure just how many people in the city of Patchogue are interested in fine dining of this level (and price - as this place is considerably more expensive than surrounding restaurants). When my friend and I went, it was basically completely empty. The host said it was an "off night" and that a lot of their customers were Manhattan residents returning back to the city from a weekend in the Hamptons. I want to see this restaurant do well, and I feel like just relying on Hampton-goers and the few affluent citizens in Patchogue might just not cut it. On behalf of Manhattan, please bring Chachama to the city! read more