April 29-May 5, 2004

food

Tall Tale

Boss of the Bass: Alfred Portale (right) with chef du cuisine Christopher Lee. Portale says Striped Bass "was and is an important restaurant in Philadelphia and America." Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Alfred Portale, once vertical-cuisine king, adds a new chapter to Striped Bass' history.

by A.D. Amorosi

With the clang and slam of glass and fresh fish sounding around Alfred Portale, you’d think it was May Day. Not the noisy pagan ritual. Rather, the highly anticipated opening day of Striped Bass -- the legendary Philadelphian restaurant Stephen Starr bought from troubled owner Neil Stein in December 2003.

"You'll have to excuse me," says Alfred Portale, executive-consulting chef, who along with full-time chef du cuisine Christopher Lee was brought in to "rejuvenate" Striped Bass' well-regarded culinary operation. "I'm just putting out a fire."

On the day we chat, Portale has just returned from his Manhattan restaurant home base, Gotham Bar and Grille, and from the two-day extravaganza that was its 20th anniversary.

"Operationally, it was quite a big production; 25 cooks in the kitchen producing a menu of 20 different dishes, that all went fabulously well by its finale."

"Fabulously well" describes how Portale's career has been going, as an avatar of New American Cuisine as well as the reluctant architect of what's tagged "tall" (or vertical) cuisine. His achievements include having been first in his class from the Culinary Institute of America two years in a row; his co-ownership of Gotham; four three-star reviews from The New York Times; receiving the award of Best Chef in New York by the James Beard Foundation; and a couple of books.

The "tall" cooking thing, downplayed now, was a modern revolution in culinary design; one that made as big a splash at Gotham as his seared yellowfin tuna with rosemary, savory pappardelle and caponata. "It was simply a stylistic signature born out of practical concerns about designing food that was beautiful, could be cooked quickly and reproduced with great speed for a large amount of people," said Portale of the need for highly structured consistency for Gotham's 175 seats.

Those expecting Portale to rehash Gotham's haute hype for Bass, think again. "I'll certainly use my signatures. But we're looking to make a newer modern seafood restaurant and different presentations for Bass."

After sampling Gotham's fare (secretly) a dozen times, the restaurateur Starr called Portale.

"He's highly respected in Manhattan; not just for the quality of nine restaurants but for changing Philly's landscape," Portale says, refering to locales such as Morimoto and Alma de Cuba, notable for their partnerships with NYC celebrity chefs. Their psychic meeting ground was their high energy and passion for the quality, consistency and value -- not to be confused with inexpensiveness -- of Gotham's good food. Plus, they happen to have similar interests. "He owned a standup comedy club [Starz]," enthused Portale. "I loved that. We really hit it off." Asked to tell a joke, Portale declines. "I said I liked good comedy."

Portale says he already knew full well about the Bass. He says he believes "it was and is an important restaurant in Philadelphia and America." The columns, the high ceilings, the old parachute lighting: The mass of the old Striped looked and felt a lot like Gotham.

Not any more.

On the day the Starr Restaurant Organization hired Howard Wein (food and beverage boss at New York's W Hotel) as chief operating officer, Stephen Starr is quizzing this reporter. "Did you realize there were no lights on either the 120 tables or the bronze bass itself?" asked an incredulous Starr of designer Bob Phillips' room centerpiece. "It was dim, poorly lit. It had virtually no lights. So we added a lot of atmosphere."

Along with a row of eight crystal-drum-shaped chandeliers, Starr has sired a sleek modernism to go with the classic architecture. He hired designer India Mahdavi, stylist of Miami's Townhouse Hotel and New York's APT, to bring a linear but warm look to the proceedings: gray velvet drapery across its wide windows; cushiony but mod gray-and-brown symmetrical furnishings comparable to the Mercer Hotel. "It's very elegant but sexy," says Starr.

But beyond the looks, Starr is overjoyed with having Portale on board. "It's been a joy. Despite how crazy everything is" -- as he's working on opening Continental Midtown and restaurants on Washington Square and in the Barclay simultaneously -- "it couldn't have worked out better."

As he hangs up, he tells me to try the miso cod and the tuna tartare.

Though Portale is still toying with Striped's menu, the seasonality of springtime will drive items like the simplistic roasted halibut with wild ramps, English peas and morel mushrooms or spring garlic and frog-leg soup with a toasted parsley oil ("very pretty; very pale whites and greens"). Currently tweaking a menu of 10 other entrees and 12 appetizers, Portale promises to unveil everything from soft-shell crabs (in season) and Australian sea creatures to a caviar- and raw-fish program, executed tableside. As for his choice of Christopher Lee, whose resume includes Oceana, Jean Georges, Fifth Floor, Restaurant Daniel and the Waterfront Restaurant and Cafe; all in either NYC and San Francisco -- Portale couldn't be happier. "Chris is as passionate as I or Stephen."

Though their passions are strong, what runs higher is audience anticipation and expectation; not just of another Starr restaurant but of the return of Philly's finest, going for newfound glory or folly. Like Portale, my guess is to expect the former. "Is there added pressure, what with Bass' reputation?" says Portale. Damn right. We know we're touching on an institution. I'm modest in what we've accomplished in New York. We're going to do our best to meet and raise those expectations."