Burgers and Beignets

It’s not in the nature of a chef to be self-deprecating; sending food out night after night into a hungry room requires a healthy confidence. But as the spotlight du moment turns toward fresh, local, wonderful ingredients, there’s sometimes an implication that creativity and execution can take a backseat. Lost in the spell of a magnificent tomato or piece of fish, it’s easy to imagine that these elements alone could carry a restaurant. But, for better or worse, that’s not necessarily the case — a truth that’s illustrated neatly at Back Forty, a new East Village restaurant.From the name to the music to the agricultural implements decorating the walls, the restaurant takes its focus on farm-to-table cuisine almost to the point of self-parody. It’s run by chef Peter Hoffman, whose SoHo restaurant Savoy set the standard for this kind of source-conscious food; and while Mr. Hoffman can frequently be seen at the Greenmarket, it’s his skill at cooking, not shopping, that makes Savoy a lasting delight.Despite what some culinary empire-builders would have their clientele believe, even famous chefs can’t be in two places at once — and Back Forty, a decidedly more downscale venture than Savoy, feels at times like a second-class effort, with nothing particularly special afoot in the kitchen. At a good restaurant, we order fresh doughnuts, biscuits, and beignets with the trust and anticipation that they’ll be served hot, when they’re dramatically at their best. Maybe it was my bad timing, but at Back Forty I tried all three, and none was at its piping hot peak. The beignets ($7) are filled with both shrimp and bacon, but their dough is gummy and a little greasy, as though they were cooked at too low a temperature. A sweet cider reduction accompanies shapely little doughnuts ($7), but they too are too long out of the fryer to be special; they’re a serviceable dessert.These may seem like small quibbles, but Mr. Hoffman has carved a reputation for unstinting quality, and the expectation of it follows him even to such a deliberately unambitious restaurant as this one, a friendly, paper-placemat-adorned outpost where a burger costs $10 and table water is poured from scrubbed-out liquor bottles. The burger is a good, compact one made of grass-fed beef, with the pleasing tang that imparts; it’s packed in a puffy bun with a squeeze bottle of thick house-made ketchup. It’s a sign of a restaurant that values its ingredients that French fries aren’t tossed on the side; they’re an optional $5 extra, lovingly sliced from the finest potatoes and dusted with coarse, rosemary-scented sea salt. Other main courses are as humble, with minimal craft, succeeding or failing on the strength and proportions of their ingredients. A heavily buttered and toasted challah roll topped with blue-crab salad ($18) offers a whiff of summer in New England, but just a whiff: It could do with twice as much of the excellently meaty crab. In a hard roll nestle a few slices of braised pork belly ($14), which, sad to say, do little for the sandwich. It’d be better as just top-notch bread and keen, delicious shallot pickles, minus the flavor-poor fatty pork.A grilled trout ($16) has magnificent flavor, singingly fresh flesh, and crisp skin under a mild cilantro-oil dressing, but one misses that Savoy precision: Whoever’s job it was to scale and debone my whole fish evidently lost interest partway through.The menu section titled “From the Garden” is reliably mouthwatering, with small dishes such as a gratin of miniature cauliflower florets ($8) crusted with just enough Gruyère to allow the vegetable to luxuriate without overwhelming it. A Mediterranean-style salad of “green” young wheat kernels tinged with mint ($6) likewise keeps the strong flavor of its leading grain foremost, augmented by a smoky, fruity olive oil. These small treats can make a fine meal in themselves — alongside a starter scoop of fluffy, winy chicken-liver pâté ($6) smeared thickly on toasted black bread.Staying simple works well for desserts too: Skip the doughnuts and opt for a slice of seasonal pie ($7) or an ice cream float made with strong root beer ($7) or fiercely bitter Irish stout ($8) tempered by bits of stewed pear. Drinks are a strong suit: not so much the Long Island wines by the glass, but a small selection of under-$40 organic bottles to suit a variety of tastes; and cocktails (all $10) such as the Back Forty, made of bourbon, lemon juice, and dark maple syrup, and the Loisaida Sling, a smoky, spicy refresher in which chipotle supplements ginger beer’s kick.Back Forty is a hybrid with growth potential. Those who expect the precision and care of Savoy will be disappointed; but anyone who comes expecting just another trendy burger grill will be duly enlightened and impressed.Back Forty (190 Avenue B, between 11th and 12th streets, 212-388-1990).

Burgers and Beignets

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