| August 29, 2003 |
| A melting pot of flavors awaits at New World Home Cooking |
| Lively cuisine tempts the palate |
| By Lori Pierce Abendschein - For the Poughkeepsie Journal |
| NEW WORLD HOME COOKING- Overall **** |
| When you go to New World Home Cooking in Saugerties, you know you're in for a sensory adventure. Chef/owner Ric Orlando and co-owner Liz Corrado make sure of it. |
| Since 1993, they have remained true to their commitment of serving ''healthful and assertive cuisine'' of America's melting pot. A member of The Slow Food Movement and The Chef's Collaborative, chef Orlando's focus is on high quality foods, family farms, small producers and local cooking traditions. Cooking isn't rushed, using microwaves or what Orlando calls ''zappers.'' Sauces aren't thickened unnaturally or flavored with MSG. You'll even find a growing number of organic ingredients throughout the menu. Guided by the restaurant's mission that demands clean food, Orlando leads diners through an energizing dining experience that demands attention. Taste buds prepare! |
| Like the menu, the decor is lively and fun, and reflects the flavors of America's cultures. Rooms washed in colors of tangerine and spicy red serve as the backdrop for decorative oil-clothed tables, and the eclectic works of artists Lori Goodheart and Justin Love. Once I have taken in much of the surroundings, I dip another wedge of bread into the dish of tasty white bean dip, and then turn to the menu. Like a kid in the proverbial candy store, I vicariously sample each as my eyes glance from item to item. |
| We slow down and decide to start with a beverage. New World's wine list is as diversified as the menu -- great wines by the glass, bottle or served in tasting flights; common and uncommon brews; specialty sodas; creative martinis ''New World style'' and margaritas. |
| There isn't one dish that doesn't sound appealing or at least peak our curiosity. Chef Ric's spiciness scale, aka the RIC-ter Scale, provides a user-friendly reference to guide decision making and helps patrons manage their experience. If you prefer a mild dish, then look for zero through three placed next to your item of choice. Ratings of four or five are considered to be more assertive. Six to eight is characterized as authentic Caribbean, South East Asian or Central American, and if you're feeling brave, look for foods with a rating of nine or 10. |
| Blackening spices cling to a plate of string beans ($4.50); and we find ourselves dipping these crisp bites into a side of Creole remoulade, at a rate that seems to accelerate with each bite. They rate a respectable seven on the RIC-ter scale, and immediately we feel that we have passed an initiation. Crispy lemon grass chicken wings are a bit of a departure from the spicy beans but delicious none the less, with an organic cucumber salad and chile-garlic paste ($6.95). We cool our mouths with an immediately gratifying salad of vine-ripened tomatoes, organic mango and fresh mozzarella, and pools of Thai basil coulis. |
| Appetizer plates now cleared, our attentive server reminds us that entrees will arrive shortly. We're caught up now in the casual atmosphere, enjoying conversation and the lively ambience. The open kitchen across the room affords a view of the cooks, inexhaustible against a long line of dupe slips, and a bustling staff that seems impervious to the demands of the jam-packed dining room. |
| My entree is one of New World's specialties. It's a lovely center-cut pork chop ($13.95) prepared Jamaican Jerk-style with a seductively dark concoction of allspice, thyme, scotch bonnet peppers, molasses and onions that hangs on the meat. When I can no longer neatly trim the tender pork away from the bone using a knife, I lift the chop to uncover a side of island yams that are sweet with orange flavor. What I really enjoy are the tenderly braised greens (collard and beet), organic brown rice and Cuban-style black beans. Just as terrific, are the jumbo white American shrimp ($19.95) slathered in a dangerously spicy Dirty Blonde barbecue sauce. Honey, tropical juices and mustard help to tame the habanero in this nine-rated sauce. |
| A chocolate mole pot of figs and ancho chile ($5) sounds curious enough, but the texture and flavor is reminiscent of a home-style pudding -- still warm, intensely rich and velvety smooth -- and all beneath a billowy layer of whipped cream. My dining partner's strawberry shortcake ($6) is equally wonderful -- a fluffy biscuit with an abundance of fresh berries. Even a kebab of honeydew melon and pineapple ($4) provides for a worthy finish with a lime yogurt dip. |
| There's a lot going on at New World Home Cooking. Lively decor, exciting fresh foods of America's cultural melting pot, delivered with a no-bones, purist zeal that deserves attention. Orlando's mission is accomplished. We leave feeling thoroughly satisfied, surprisingly not overstuffed, and with inspired taste buds. |
All content copyright © 1993-2005 New World Catering, Inc.
Site Design by Bear Systems