Blanca
“I was so confused as we walked through Roberta's at first, but it was pure joy as we entered the airy space at Blanca.”
“Over 20 courses – and some of the most clever, whimsical, yet sophisticated pairings I've ever seen.”
“A few courses were spectacular enough to write home about, including the duck, the king crab, and freshly baked pizza dough with house-made butter.”
Blanca
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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Obviously, this is an experience. Just like the chef table's of..Chef's Table, Atera, etc. I guess the food's more inventive because this is Brooklyn, and this is Roberta's, but each dish is really excellent and top notch. They change the menu frequently, and you don't know what you're getting (they just ask if you have allergies) but that's part of the show. Though, I should say it's not much of a "show" because the kitchen is surprisingly quiet.. the chef are hard at work. The minimalist white decor though, is gorgeous. And the servers are very fun, do a good job of explaining your meal/wine…but overall..are more zen and quiet. The whole atmosphere is really..cerebral. The tableware/plates are very modern and cool. My fiance took me for my birthday, and they sat us on the end. Be SURE you are not late for your seating. We arrived like legit a minute before, and everyone was already there, and they were about to start. Also, what can be a hold up is that Blanca is hidden inside Roberta's, so be sure you bypass the people waiting in line for pizza and walk up right to the host so you're not held up.
We had 19 courses. We did the wine pairing, which was a steal because of the amazing wines you try with each meal. The meal was overall.. a bit imbalanced, being it was very veggie heavy, and white wine heavy. They didn't showcase the meat as much nor the reds. But regardless, everything was excellent – these folks are master of flavor. We had:
– A micro brewed beer made in house, refreshing in a cold cold glass, they call it Evil Twin, kind of had a saison taste
– glass shrimp with kohlrabi and poppy seed- crunchy fun
– pancetta- cured in house, nice and fatty
– garbanzo bean – fried beans with a garbanzo green puree, deliciously smokey and yummy
-upstate apples with macademia nuts, very smoky, nutty, flavorful. This dish was great when eaten all together
-sweet potato – fried, with greens and buttermilk, VERY tasty
-peas with ramps, of course it's spring. This was a bit similar to the above, for me
– Carbonara with lamb sausage or bacon- WOW to have a bite of this is a really a tease. The perfect al dente pasta and cheesy carbonara meets salty meat, my favorite of the night, YUM YUM YUM
-Agnlotti – delicate pasta bites that were equal parts oolong tea (legit) and cheese, delicious
-Nduja Ravioli- just one but spiced with cajun seasoning and andouille sausage, very spicy and flavors spot on
-Straacciatella – everyone's favorite cheese, with beef lardo bites- great texture
-King Crab with lemon butter- VERY yummy.
– Fresh bread aka Roberta's pizza dough, with house butter and more lemon butter from the crab. Dough is amazeeeee (naan like, chewy, charred, yummy) and the butter was perfectly salted. Might have been my second fave.
-Beef – rare waygu with greens, delish
– House brewed kombucha, very big on tea flavor
-Yummy pork with grapefruit and turnip, flavorful, well done, fatty.. we got a second piece
Dessert:
-Sourdough gelato- kind of that a dry, bready flavor- definitely got sourdough
-Sunchoke cake – a crispy cake with spices like cardamom; didn't taste the sunchoke much but it was crispy and well done
-Cashew – spot on nutty ice cream, with good coconut flavor
-Chocolate brittle with peanut butter, yum.
The wine pairing (and by the way, you can potentially get more than one glass- depends on what you drink; your glass is always full)
– Huges Godme Champagne, yum
-Venica & Vernice Sauv Blanc, my favorite grape
-Colosia – Amontiallado- a type of sherry, which was dry at first but finished sweet
-Clos de Trias- a Rose that I actually liked; not too dry
-Montegioco- a wheaty beer, yum
-Francois Chidaine – a crisp, perfect white
-Huia – Pinot Noir, didn't love it but I don't know anything about pinot noir
-Cieck- a full bodied Piedmont
-Hermann Wiemer Riseling- sweet… don't love Riesling
Also, I celebrated my birthday here and they kindly gave me a nice birthday card and put a candle in our last course (the brittle). We also got a Smore's sandwich as a to-go present.
5 Stars for the masterful food, flavors, complexity of each dish, yes. 5 Stars for beautiful decor and zen restaurant, and the friendly service. 5 stars for the WINE, and for them not judging me because I got drunkizzle.
Now here's the thing. Minus one star because for a $300 per head dinner, we left hungry. Yes there were 20 courses but each was legit.. a bit. A tease. A taste, i guess it is a tasty dinner but for $300 a head my philosophy is that you should not leave hungry. Being that I have never been to Roberta's proper, I decided to take out a Famous Original pizza which was a delicious ,eat-at-home present.
The comparisons to Chef's Table (at Brooklyn Fare) are unavoidable. It is, after all, a chef's table in Brooklyn (I know that Brookyln is a big borough and the two arent particularly close, but its all the same to a city dweller like myself). Having said that, I think Blanca takes a much welcome step in the direction of comfort. Bigger, more comfortable chairs, a generally more spacious vibe, friendly wait staff and a fun music selection all went along way towards making our experience more "living room" than "stuffy".
Most importantly, the food. It was good – very good. Not quite in the same way as Chef's Table. I didnt get to eat every fancy ingredient i can think of. But what it lacked in fancy ingredients, it made up for in some really solid flavors. It was a lot more creative (and not every attempt landed), which created a varied, exciting and enjoyable culinary adventure. I very much appreciated that the meat wasnt saved for the end (i'm always way too full at that point in the meal to enjoy a fatty piece of meat!), and perhaps unexpectedly, my favorite dishes were some of the more adventurous pasta dishes put forth. We ended our meal, sated but not stuffed – which is perfectly OK by me.
Overall, worth the trek to Brookyln (perhaps combined with a quick stop by Roberta's if you're the big appetite kind)
stick to the pizza… interesting space and unique, original tasting menu, but didn't blow me away by any means at the price. best part was the pizza bread haha
There is nothing wrong w Blanca… Until you get your check and you realize that there is a price to living well in NYC.
1. Get the drink pairing. We had wines, cider, beer, sake, etc. and each noticeably made the dish taste better. It was incredible and tasty
2. Don't sit at the ends. You'll freeze in the winter
3. Everything is made w care. The guy took a good 15 min to make our tea at the end of dinner
4. Your favorite course will be the pizza bread. And you'll have wished you asked for more Bc likelihood of another $600 meal here in the next month(s) will be rare. It will also be the shaved foie gras. Or the wagyu or the pasta. But quite clearly could be the game pie.
5. I ate plankton dumplings and it was good.
I've been to Roberta's in the past, but for my birthday, my wife decided to take me to Blanca next door. We weren't quite sure how to get in at first, so we went in the entrance for Roberta's, where someone was waiting to take us through the dining area, outside, and then to the sparsely decorated room where there are about a dozen seats facing a similarly sparse kitchen (e.g. you don't have loads of copper pots hanging as you do at Chef's Table). The hostesses were great, getting out dishes in front of us like clockwork, with the chef taking a break to serve us one dish (the fresh bread). Despite sitting at a bar with everyone, it is a very relaxing experience, although the folks to our right were a bit of a nuisance in speaking loudly and breaking up the atmosphere a bit. That said, when you have Metallica and punk rock blaring from the record player (the hostesses and even some of the cooks would come out and switch up the music from time to time), it already has a more casual, definitively 'Brooklyn' feel to it than most restaurants of this caliber.
As for dinner itself – what a treat. I count 19 courses (which are really more like bites for the most part) on the menu that was provided, with a general inspiration from Italian cuisine but a meal that was uniquely American. The beginning was very interesting, as we wavered back and forth between mellow dishes with subtle flavors and dishes with bright, distinctive flavors and notes. The glass shrimp with kohlrabi and poppy seeds had a very smooth texture and clean taste to it, with a slight sweetness from the shrimp. That was followed, though, by a slice of very fatty pancetta, along with a nicely-aged and textured slice of prosciutto. The squid was also a very clean flavor, with almond broth giving it a nutty undertone that contrasted nicely to small slices of citrus. The Romanesco soup was excellent and drizzled with a little spice, giving it a nice, bold flavor without being overly hot. The apple with foie gras shavings, while very interesting to watch being prepared (I thought it was a good helping of cheese being added to the dish from further away), was actually my least favorite dish of the night – a little too mellow, with the meal just making it a very plain dish. The foie gras added some creaminess but not too much else in terms of flavoring. The lightly crisped purple potato was great, though – another broth infused with nuts (this time macadamia) made it a nice, homey dish with a flavor profile that stood out a bit more from a regular potato.
From here, we took a diversion towards the more overtly Italian parts of the meal, starting with the lamb carbonara – one of my favorite courses of the night. Along with the caramelle and ravioli, you can tell the pasta here is made with great care and cooked to perfection from a texture standpoint – each bite of pasta was done probably slightly more than al dente, with a very nice firmness to it. The lamb tasted excellent in the carbonara, with a heavy dosing of salt and freshly ground pepper to give it a bit of heat. The caramelle, served in a tea broth, was a bit more on the mellow side but still had great texture. The ravioli, filled with a smooth andouille sausage spread, went back to the more flavorful side again. The last dish in this section of the meal, before the 'main courses', was the stracciatella – very fresh and delicious, especially when paired with a small piece of beef lard, infusing it with a different strain of fatty goodness.
The mains were all phenomenally done, with the king crab first up. You have to scrape out all the meat yourself, but when dipping it in a thick sauce made from a puree of salted fish roe, it is an intensely delicious seafood course. Next up – surprise! – is a large hunk of pizza dough bread! It's by far the largest course of the dinner, and serving it with the rest of the mains is an interesting choice – but it is so amazingly delicious, especially with the butter on it, that I scarfed it down in minutes. We then went back to the wagyu-style beef, which had great flavor and a crispy piece of fat that adds more succulence to each bite. Then it was time for a palate cleanser – a grapefruit puff that was quite smooth and paired with wheatgrass juice – before enjoying a game pie, served with slice of duck breast. It was the least distinct part of the mains but still had great, hearty flavors without being overly heavy (although the horseradish shavings were a bit of an odd note). Desserts finished up the meal, with it having a more savory take than one would anticipate. The sourdough gelato with yuzu was a very nice, mellow first bite. Next up was sunchoke(!) – also quite delicious, along with being a bit on the heavier side. Cashew and coconut gelato was next, served over candied walnuts – a nutty, tasty finish.
Definitely a great meal, and one that I would recommend others to come enjoy – a delicious fine dining experience with a much more casual feel to it!
Oh my goodness absolutely the best.
My boyfriend booked this place on Valentine's weekend and we had the greatest time. It's a two star Michelin restaurant tucked behind Roberta's Pizza in Bushwick (owned by the same owner) so you feel like you are discovering a new world when you enter the restaurant.
You're seated at the bar facing an open kitchen. The server walks around to each person with their food or wine course and explanations. I love sitting at bars and counters by default as it contributes to a more casual atmosphere and I love open kitchens so this arrangement was perfect for me. The one thing I will say is because the servers went systematically from person to person and we were all seated relatively close to one another, you almost felt like you were listening to a record over and over again. The servers did try to change up their explanations for variety's sake to mitigate this though. Another plus is you have the opportunity to put on what the music you want to listen to by choosing from their collection of records. They have a pretty large and decent collection.
The meal itself is a 19 course meal. My favorites were the pizza dough (the popular option I think) and the duck which they start preparing during the first course but was one of the last courses we had.
Lastly, I would definitely recommend getting the drink pairings. Most of the drinks they served us were from breweries or wineries that they had preexisting relationships with and were very creative.
KenScale: 9.0/10
If there is such thing as "Brooklyn fine dining," I think no other restaurant epitomizes it more so than Blanca. First of all, it's hidden inside Roberta's, a perennial Brooklyn hipster institution known for its pizzas and crowds. Once I was led by the host to step into the dining room, I saw that nothing in the space that would suggest the kitchen is serving an ambitious (and expensive, with $195 per person tasting menu and optional $85 per person drink pairings) tasting menu of chef Carlo Mirarchi that is not really subject to any culinary boundaries. Calling the dining space "minimalistic," with only one counter and open kitchen and barely any decorations would be a huge understatement. All of the diners at the counter seating were young and stylishly dressed, and I can tell that they were more interested in the overall culinary experience than eating at somewhere fancy with white tablecloths and fully dressed staffs. And I actually like it that way these days. In lieu of more fancy settings and all the showmanship and formalities, I would much prefer a magical place that just shows everything in food. Blanca is exactly the type of place that fits the bill more or less perfectly. By no means was the tasting menu perfect as further noted below, but the versatility of flavor and texture that the kitchen displayed on my recent visit is enough to give this place another 9.0 KenScale blessing.
There is no dish that is predictable at Blanca, starting with successive bite-sized snacks such as glass shrimp with kohlrabi, ever-thin sheet of pancetta and the delicate squid with almond. It wasn't until the apple with foie gras powder that I really started to notice the beauty of each dish. It was sensational in flavor without being overly rich from foie gras. Purple potato that followed came with macadamia nut, and was another dish that had excellent balance of flavor. I had the highest expectations for mini-pasta dishes that the restaurant was well-known for, and to my surprise, they weren't really the highlight of my night. Carbonara with lamb was delicious, especially with the juicy, tender texture of fine lamb meat on top of the carbonara, but the flavor could've been toned down to make it even more excellent. Agnolotti and nduja ravioli that followed were solid, but not enough to call them pioneers of pasta department. Things started to get better with excellent king crab that I could dip on bottarga sauce; definitely an awesome leg that would make any diner satisfied. Then came my favorite dish of the night. Beef loin dish had impeccable texture that I will savor for a long time. I don't even know how they came up with this texture! There was a ton of moist, juicy sensation without overpowering seasoning! After cleansing my palate with grapefruit sorbet, I got to enjoy game pie dish consisting of different types of poultries, all of which displayed excellent texture while working harmoniously with each other in flavor as well. A lot of restaurants with tasting menus tend to decline in the level of impressiveness toward the main meal, but I was very glad that Blanca is able to gradually step things up until the climax at the main course stage. The desserts were no push-overs either. I've never had a sourdough ice cream before, but the kitchen served one along with yuzu to create a unique flavor that made me smile. Sunchoke with cardamom combination and cashew and coconut combination of desserts were also delightful.
I typically don't talk much about drinks when I review a restaurant, but I have to drop more than one sentence for drink pairings at Blanca. My suggestion: you're already burning $195 for food; spend extra $85 to get the drink pairings as well. The pairings that I had consisted mostly of wines, but these are no ordinary wines. I didn't even know that wine exists in the Canary Islands far off mainland Spain. Some of these wines had the most unique grapes, and if you're looking for good wines based on the conventional taste, you might walk away disappointed. I initially wasn't sold until I realized that these wines actually work wonders to further enhance your experience with food. I was very impressed with the careful and thoughtful process that the sommelier probably went through to make this work. Getting a reservation at Blanca will be a challenge; I had to settle for a late dinner on Friday. I would just check the website all the time to see if there are any openings. Blanca is a unique tasting experience that every New Yorker who is serious about food should explore at least once in his or her lifetime. I would definitely come back if given another opportunity.
The best meal that I've had so far this trip to NYC. I've been wanting to go since my cousin mentioned it about 4 years ago. It was hard to get a reservation, but the wait is totally worth it. Many little bites that you think won't fill you up, but you end up full and happy you came. The food is creative and the staff is super attentive. Very comfortable environment, the staff makes you very much at home. Leslie loves her job and you can definitely see it in the way she answers questions, explains each dish and the warmth that exudes. Thanks to the staff for making my birthday trip to NYC so special. Each dish was a pleasant surprise on the palette.
My favorites:
King crab with bottarga butter
Agnolotti with Lapsang Souchong tea
Nduja ravioli
Apple macadamia