May 10, 2010
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Baru – The Second Coming
In the late 1950’s the Colby family offered Ann Tancredi free rent to move her restaurant to the northeast corner of 66th & University. She came from Modena, the epicenter of Italian culinary style where her mother had been considered one of the best chefs in all Emila-Romagna. Tancredi’s Anjo’s introduced Central Iowa to a more refined dining style including coffee cups of wine, before wine was legal here. Customers could be thrown out for objecting to her pace, which considered three hour dinners normal. After Tancredi closed Anjo’s, Sage moved in and raised the bar for fresh and local cuisine. Great expectations come with the address.
Baru, Sarah Hill and David Baruthio’s new café, is audaciously designed to increase expectations. Walls are covered with large landscape paintings, by Jamie Navarro, of Strasbourg and Alsatian countryside – Baruthio’s stomping grounds and the most celebrated culinary region of the world now, producing Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Thomas Keller, Hubert Keller and Jean Joho, all regarded among the best French chefs in the world.
“Alsatian soccer teams suck. We’re too obsessed with perfecting our food and wine,” observed Baruthio.
Perfection seems an obsession here too. Almost every aspect of dinner was as I would have it in my dreams. Linen covered tables were set with cobalt blue vases and single yellow tulips (among designers that’s a French signature employed by above mentioned chefs). Flatware was Laguiole and wine was served in half a dozen different shapes of crystal, appropriate to their grapes. Every plate, seemingly ripped off the pages of the JB Prince catalogue, was a different shape and design. Bread had the texture of angel food cake and butter had been whipped with French sea salt.
A sensible menu included eight first courses, seven main courses and seven desserts, with evening specials.
An escargot cassoulet, served in a shiny copper crock, presented lentils in duck stock with juicy snails.
A foie gras terrine was wrapped in prosciutto and presented with bacon, a poached egg, raisin chutney and a reduction of balsamic vinegar. Terrines are Des Moines’ new rage, Bistro Montage and Alba have been inventive with them, as was the wind-grieved Phat Chefs. Vietnamese cafés like La Paris have been making them for their bánh mì. Baruthio’s was the best I’ve tasted.
One night, he served large seared scallops with a light and deeply flavored mousseline of celery root, fresh arugula tossed with fried gizzard chips, plus fresh chives, fresh dill and a cherry sauce. The gizzards, something I don’t usually like, added a new salty-umami dynamic to the dish.
My roast sea bass was served on fresh pea risotto with a foamy pea emulsion and a garnish of crisply fried basil.
Venison loin was served with forestiere sauce of mushrooms and demiglace. It was plated with a bed of salted cabbage, bacon, peppercorns and clove, plus a puree of parsnips and a beet mousse, the textures of which amazed me.
My cheese course included edgy (aged Camenbert and a crème do Epoisee) and mellow choices (Petite Basque, Chaource) with walnuts, green apples, mulberry jam and spinach leaves. Dessert textures were as amazing as the mousses and purees.
A pineapple sorbet, served with a pineapple salad, and a vanilla bean ice cream served with mint leaves and raspberries were Paco-Jet creations. That is the state of the art in European food technology. Fondant de chocolat was served with an utterly intense caramel sauce. Suspended between liquid and solid, vanilla bean “panna cotta” resembled pot de crème, .
Bottom line – Like Anjo’s sixty years ago, Baru significantly raises the bar for fine dining here.
Baru
6587 University Ave., Windsor Heights, 277-6627
Mon. – Thurs. 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.; Fri. – Sat. 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
