Isa
348 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg, NY
map & more
Neighborhood
Williamsburg
Cuisine
Mediterranean
Nearby
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Williamsburg Waterfront
347-689-3594
We are often torn about how many chances to give a restaurant. Do we make three different visits, on different days, at different times, to ensure that the place gets a fair shot to impress us? That might be the way the pros do it, but that’s not typically how we roll. Why? Because this isn’t the f*cking Michelin Guide, and because you don’t do that. The whole point of this site is that we are regular people eating like regular people eat. And I’m gonna bet that when you have a disappointing dinner at a restaurant, you don’t go running back to try lunch the next day. Especially when that restaurant is probably best reached via ferry.
When we showed up at the brand new (and quite remote) Williamsburg restaurant Isa the other night, we knew that we were heading to an establishment that had only very recently opened its doors. But we picked up a bottle of wine on the way, ready to see what all the buzz was about, and willing to be forgiving. Typically in this situation, we might go once early on, and then again a while later to see if the place has found it’s stride. But when we sat down for our meal at Isa, we were handed a piece of paper that said “test menu” at the top. Ok then. If this is a test, then they must want a grade. Here goes nothin’.
Our “test” menu was a $50 prixe fixe made up of all kinds of ingredients of the season. Pork rilletes with apple, roasted quail, mushrooms and so on. There was also a healthy dose of sh*t I’ve barely even heard of on these plates, like nasturtium leaf, sablet, lovage, and salsify. Alright cool, this exam is gonna be verbal. I can handle that. But if you’re going to test my vocabulary, at least make it taste good. I can’t say that anything that arrived at our table – aside from maybe the pork rillettes – impressed us. Most everything was either really boring, or went right over our heads. And that’s a shame, because we could see ourselves liking this place a lot. The service was good, and we’re usually down with any restaurant running things from a wood-burning oven. But unfortunately this particular “test” menu gets a big fat D. We’d love to say we’ll come back soon to see if Isa gets better, but let’s be honest. We probably won’t.
Food Rundown:
Sardine, Olive, Skeleton
This guy is photogenic for sure. It’s a decent plate of sardines – salty and fishy like they should be. The skeleton on is also served, deep-fried and completely edible. We’re not exactly sure why you should eat that, other than just ’cause you can. Have at it, you animal.
Rye Toast, Ricotta, Pickled Chanterelle
Basically a rustic rye toast crostini. This was certainly mushroomy, which I am sure is the point, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it.
Tartare on Fried Fingerlings
Probably our favorite dish on this test menu. The tartare gets an A. It’s a typical composition, with crème fraiche and dill, but the presentation is quite a bit different. Here, the chopped beef sits in the middle of a split fingerling potato – perfect for picking up and stuffing into your mouth.
All The Fall Leaves, Nut Cheese, Granola, Dry Shrimp
Isn’t that just a perfect fairy tale name for a salad. Also note that it reads “nut cheese” as opposed to “nut comma cheese.” That’s a little unsettling, especially considering we were instructed to eat these leafy greens with our hands. Thanks but I will stick to my post-toddler dining techniques.
Pork Rillette, Apple, Nasturtium
Another good one from the menu. It’s a one bite of pork rillette wrapped up in an edible leaf that reminded us a bit of Japanese shiso. We’d happily eat a bunch more, but only two arrived on the plate.
Cod Pilpil, Brandade, Onion, Cabbage, Capers
A classic Spanish preparation of cod in a white sauce. I wanted to love this, because I love anything Spanish. Unfortunately, it just made me tired.
Roasted Quail, Pork Belly, Parsnip, Salsify, Chestnut
About as autumn as a plate of food can get. We found the quail on the plate to be a bit overwhelmed by the char from the wood-burning oven. All I could taste after a few bites was smoke. But the pork belly on the plate was awesome, so there’s that.
Concorde Grapes, Lovage, Walnut, Wood Sorrell
This dessert gets points for being interesting, but we liked the strawberries a whole lot more.
Strawberries, Nepitella Ice Cream
A really nice bowl of tiny strawberries and ice cream made with nepitella – an herb from the mint family. I could eat this all day.
