WaHI Magazine
Where France Meets Morocco in Inwood 
26 July 2004
Park Terrace Bistro
4959 Broadway
(between 207th and Isham streets)
Tel: 212-567-2828
There had been quite a buzz about the new place opening where La Marche International came and went, and not all of it was good. That piqued my curiosity. When I encountered Chef Joseph Baba shopping at the Greenmarket on Isham during its first weekend, I knew I needed to try it out.
My friends, Shervyn and Amanda, always adventurous in traveling the world through food, joined me for a culinary expedition.
Unimposing on the outside with the windows covered to give the diners privacy on the inside, you enter and do a doubletake. Yes, I was still in Inwood, and yes, this was, well, quite nice.
Warm, rich colors and muted lighting tastefully done. Cast iron chairs with comfy cushions surround cherry-finished wood tables for two or four. A long dining table with matching chairs in faux marble would look quite at home in Tony Soprano’s home — ever notice the TV stand in his bedroom? A beaten copper ceiling shades the bar, which has a tagine pot sitting at the end. A long, cushioned banquette against the wall and metal lamps in shapes such as the Moravian star throughout. It all gives Park Terrace Bistro a fanciful feeling of having stepped into Ali Baba’s parlor (no pun intended). Welcome to pseudo-Parisian Marrakech in New York.
Natalie Weiss, co-owner with her husband Karim Bouskou, stood sentinel at the door and greeted us with a friendly smile, promptly showing us to the table by the window. Soon, our waitress arrived with menus. Friendly, eager to please and obliging, we realized this was Inwood, where there was no pretension as in points further south and, like Inwood, the restaurant emanated that touch of warmth.
Looking over the menu, we were pleased to see the fusion of French and Moroccan cuisines with a touch of America — the way it should be. The wine list was limited in both selection and description. Shervyn, a wine enthusiast, was not quite impressed with the selection and chose a beer. I have hopes that as the menu expands, so will the wine list.
My friends and I held a mini-conference. We decided that to sample the most of the Bistro’s menu and the talented Chef Baba’s repertoire, we would ensure we did not order the same thing twice. Many things may be accomplished amongst friends.
On this hot, humid and wet day, Amanda started with the soup of the day — a chilled cucumber soup ($5). Sweet, cool, cucumbery, smooth, with black pepper to add a touch of zip, it was tasty but lacked that full bodiedness, or “third dimension” as Amanda put it, one may find in an excellent consommé. Despite its shortcoming, it was pronounced that it would be an excellent starter for a good summer afternoon’s meal. Shervyn’s Portobello mushroom served over crispy phyllo dough with balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil and stuffed with creamy babaganouj ($7) offered a good contrast in textures and a good blending of flavors — Chef Bouskou had managed to control the strong flavor of the Portobello so that it did not overpower the entire dish. My Maryland crab cakes with citrus aioli and small green salad ($8.95) was generous in its portions (3 decent-sized cakes) and wonderfully “crabby.” The salad was a good match to offset the richness of the crab cakes, and the dressing added a little heat, too.
While awaiting the arrival of our entrees, listening to a blend of different types of music — Enya, 1930s jazz and blues, and unidentified tunes — we noticed the restaurant beginning to fill up. Through the windows we would see people passing by on the street, stopping and perusing the menu. (Note: while you can’t see in, you can see out.) What they saw must have pleased them, as many came in. Pretty soon, every table would be filled, including the long dining table and all the seats at the bar.
The avocado salad with shrimp and crab ($8.95) served with mango in a fruity, creamy dressing was generous in the amount of lump crab meat and shrimp. Amanda was quite pleased as the crab and the shrimp were done to perfection — not hard or rubbery but firm and yet delicate. The only disappointment was that the avocado was under-ripe. This salad, as well as all the dishes served, was of a good-sized portion. Listed as an appetizer but ordered by Amanda for her main course, overall it did not disappoint.
For the carnivores out there, the rack of lamb with silky mashed potatoes and roasted peppers and squash ($19.95) was simply done — nothing pretentious about it. Ordered rare and done very well was Shervyn’s decided opinion. Four ribs, full of flavor, red but not bloody, a definite “will order again.”
The dish to win our approval hands down was the fifteenth-century couscous served with shrimp, scallops in a light saffron cream sauce and raisins topped with slivered almonds ($16.95). The edge of the wide-rimmed dish was sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon — a nod and acknowledgement to Moroccan cuisine and its combining of the sweet and the savory. The scallops were tender and firm, done perfectly, and cast the shrimp into the background. The couscous was rich and creamy, infused with the flavor of saffron and just a hint of sweetness. The slivered almonds added both texture and just the right touch of nuttiness.
The menus are still being formulated. New items are being added. Nowhere is this more evident than in the dessert menu. Four items were listed, but only three were available.
The fresh berries with crème anglaise ($5) was disappointing. The strawberries and blueberries were under-ripe and tasteless. The crème anglaise was thin and lacking in flavor. Amanda comforted herself with a glass of decent Muscat ($6).
Shervyn’s chocolate mousse ($5) was well made. Not overbeaten, creamy and light, chocolatey, topped with shavings of dark chocolate and a rosette of whipped cream, a definite complement to his cappuccino ($2.25). I am a coffee drinker and my attitude toward the quality of well-made coffee is based on how much cream and sugar I need to add to make it drinkable — the more I add, the worst the coffee. This cappuccino required no sugar or cream to be added. Shervyn’s sweet tooth, however, demanded one packet of sugar. As to the mousse, my friend defended it with a well brandished spoon and a hand wrapped protectively around the glass against further possible incursions by his dining companions.
My dessert began badly but ended well. I ordered a dish of vanilla ice cream ($1.75) and a cup of espresso ($3.50). Unfortunately, the dish had to be returned due to pieces of the ice cream container found in my dish. Our waitress was quite apologetic and Ms. Weiss apologized profusely for this mishap and comped our drinks. I requested that a new dish of ice cream and a fresh cup of espresso be brought. You may wonder what my espresso had to do with my ice cream. I will tell you that I periodically get creative. I decided to “create” my own dessert. I poured my espresso over my ice cream and voila! Afrogato — a piece of manna on earth.
Park Terrace Bistro is a welcome addition to Inwood and to fine dining. An excellent setting for a nice romantic dinner (say my affiancéd dining companions) or where an entire family may come to celebrate an important event — its atmosphere is muted and intimate. There are some kinks that need to be overcome. Service, both wait staff and kitchen staff, were a little slow due to understaffing, but the smile on our waitress never waivered nor did her pleasant disposition. The food was not rushed in its preparation, and the menu is still finding its footing. We expect further good things to come from Ms. Weiss and Monsieur Bouskou’s first restaurant.
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Readers’ Comments
It’s about time something with a “downtown” feel came uptown!! This neighborhood is so lacking in so many areas, Park Terrace Bistro is the only ray of hope that I have seen in three years!!! Good luck, may it only expand onto the sidewalk… P.S. The food and desserts are excellent!!! (Posted by Jennifer Ragin on August 7, 2004 05:41 PM.)
How pleasant it is to know that within walking distance from my house I can now enjoy fine healthy dining in a friendly and professional atmosphere. Thanks to Park Terrace Bistro we no longer have to make those tedious trips downtown. It is what we needed in this neighborhood and it is what we all need to support, spread the word, wouldn’t like to have to travel so far again to have a good time. If you have not tried it I strongly recommend it. (Posted by Victor Bulnes on January 15, 2005 03:09 PM.)
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