Rush’s Orecchiette

  • Rush’s Orecchiette

The reincarnated 1620, now known as 1620 Savoy, attempts to cater to both patrons who prefer to get dolled up and fancified for dinner as well as those generally slouchy folks, like myself, who like to avoid stuffiness and the need to remember which spoon to use first. I’m only halfway joking, of course. If an elegant, high-end establishment can convince me that their chef’s level of expertise, ingenuity, and use of fine ingredients is worth the extra cost, I’d even be willing to squeeze into my wedding-day tuxedo and prance around like a penguin to get a taste of their culinary creations. 1620 Savoy has essentially divided their dining space in half, with one side considered the more formal, classier half and the other a supposedly more informal, come-as-you-are outfit, where one should theoretically feel comfortable in more casual attire. Currently, at 1620 Savoy , this may not be entirely relevant…at least this was the case during our recent visit. We called on a Friday night to make reservations in the “classy” side…booked solid. We asked about availabilities in the “casual” half…one table left. No problem, I was able to wear a T-shirt. Upon arrival, however, it appeared there were a good number of people aiming for the upscale half and got bumped over to the casual side, as the majority of the folks in our vicinity were dressed to the nines…suits, ties, sparkle and lace. At least I wore a clean T-shirt.

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On to the food. Our table started out with a diverse course of appetizers, but unfortunately it was a rather uninspiring beginning. We began with the ricotta gnocchi in brown butter sauce, with sage, diced pancetta, and parmigiano-reggiano. Sadly, this dish was wrought with problems. The gnocci were terribly overcooked, dense, chewy, and slightly burned. The pancetta, as well, was cubed and cooked to hardened, tough bits of pork…a true shame, as pancetta has such incredible potential. The two salads that hit our table were met with little enthusiasm. The first of these included a smoked duck Caesar with roasted almonds, spinach, romaine, parmigiano-reggiano, and mushroom. There were no major issues here, the flavors were balanced but felt a little muted. The smoked duck, especially, failed to ruffle anyone’s feathers, lacking the lush, rich, fatty flavor inherent with properly prepared duck. Next came a beet and goat cheese salad with spiced pistachios…also not terrible but there was nothing enlightening. Of the appetizers ordered by our table, the black truffle risotto was clearly the favorite. The soft, creamy risotto was rich and tender, flecked with bits of grated truffle, which rarely (if ever) is a bad thing.

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