Highpoint Bistro & Bar

I was invited by The Feisty Foodie herself to attend a tasting offered by Highpoint Bistro & Bar, which opened its doors a few months ago on the edge of Chelsea.

Chef Phil Deffina’s menu consists of comfort foods and classics made special or unusual by pairing them maybe a little differently than the average menu. Plus, while there’s a full bar and a list of specialty cocktails, there are inexpensive wines by the glass and a wine list broken up into $25, $35 and $45 segments, with a range of choices in each. Highpoint wants you to enjoy a nice wine with your meal and not feel cheated!

We were greeted by a rather ambitious tasting menu. Caramel experiment, you say?

First to arrive, however, was the naan, made in their own tandoori. Cute presentation, and yep, that’s naan all right.

The Kobe beef corn dog tree was brought to the table next, laden with little hot dog bites done up in the finest cornmeal breading and… okay, at the end of the day it’s a corn dog, no matter what beef was used. But then, I like corn dogs.

Next up, the Blue Point oyster, served simply on an ice ball atop a pilt of fragrant salt. While I passed on this, those around me, including the recipient of mine, were quite happy to slurp this down. Caramel popcorn kernel and all.

My favorite dish of the evening, the steak tartar(e), came with one of the more whimsical presentations of an evening full of them.An adorable quail egg topped the raw steak, covered by a potatoey-cheesey chip trellis, with a “petite salad” — a little greens bunch — tied up by itself into a little bouquet, which of course tipped over in this picture. Dots of sweet sauce and a flavored mayo complete the scene.

Everything good about a high quality, raw steak in one forkful. It didn’t need extra flavoring, though the egg did help bind it. I like my tartare without toast, but I dutifully tried it both ways. Just a really good mix of meat and seasoning.

Next up on the protein parade: seared salmon on Moroccan couscous with chorizo. The salmon turned out flaky and quite flavorful, and the chorizo gave the couscous a little heft. Presentation, again, was key here.

I have to admit, when I saw “stuffed suckling pig” on the menu I was hoping for a whole pig on the table. Not to be. Still, at first I was intrigued by the small slab of fatty pork plated with a baby turnip and a small caramelized whole onion.

The pork was salted enough, but it seemed every other bite was dry. The fatty parts were delicious, and the spaetzle was welcome, too. A lot of care seemed to be put into every one of the courses, which did not go unappreciated.

Our final meat of the evening, the petite filet mignon, arrived atop a river of sweet potato puree (much like the previous course), and accompanied by a shrimp ravioli. There was nothing wrong with this: the beef was cooked to perfection, I just prefer other cuts that have more flavor on their own. The ravioli kept the seawater shrimp flavor, and was tender and chewy, so it certainly succeeded on that front. It would not have occurred to me to pair up a filet with shrimp, pasta, and sweet potato, but then I’m not a chef. The sum of the parts wasn’t less than the individual items, but I didn’t get the impression that the pieces elevated the entire dish.

Caramel Experiment Time! Basically this consisted of quality caramel drizzled from a great height onto a solid slab of salt.we were encouraged to scrape the salt off with our spoons when retrieving caramel from the expanding puddle, and otherwise dipping various fruits, bread and so forth in the caramel or provided liquid chocolate — or both. Since each dish was shared among four or five people, we learned the art of sharing, and I contented myself mainly with scraping salt and enjoying that with the caramel. Delicious, and once again presented in an eye-catching way.

A chocolate-covered moon pie came out alongside a creme brulee, poured into an eggshell and sat in a mini flowerpot. Adorable, no? Tasty, too, but of course there wasn’t nearly enough of this, and like most everything else, presented with an eye toward being photographed. Not that Highpoint doesn’t do this every day, but photogenic was the word of the day.

A look into the homemade moon pie reveals the thick sweet chocolate layers surrounding a very interesting marshmallow center. This was almost too rich to finish, even as a mini moon pie.

I could see myself coming back and enjoying a “real” meal here in the near future. The prices were quite reasonable, and if the presentation is anything like we were shown, that’s a nice elevating point to consider. Chef Deffina has worked in restaurants around the country even at his young age, and he has an idea of what he wants with his baby here. You want the good guys to succeed, and he’s well on his way. I wouldn’t say there were any missteps — granted, maybe a wine by the glass should be decanted first, to eliminate sediment, but that’s minor — but I do hope that preparing the food is more effortless than the work that went into each course. I don’t need the meal to seem fussy; though it makes for pretty pictures, I’d rather feel more comfortable ruining the setpiece with my fork.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated Highpoint going all out. I felt they really do value my opinion and are eager to please. The space filled with regular paying customers, including the outside on this beautiful evening, by the time our meal was completed, so clearly the restaurant is getting it right. I’m glad I could partake as well and get an idea of the place, so when I recommend it to others now, I can let them know they’re going to get a beautiful meal at a reasonable price.

Please note that this meal was courtesy of Highpoint Bistro & Bar. I received no monetary compensation for this review, nor was I obliged in any way to post about this meal, positively or otherwise. This is my own opinion and I feel it was unbiased; you are free to take from this what you will.