Elevate your Dining Experience

When was the last time you got really excited about your dining experience?

So much so you can’t wait to get back and try it again? Well, that’s how I feel about Chef Anthony Goncalves creation Bellota, his restaurant within Restaurant 42 atop the Ritz Carleton Hotel in White Plains NY. 

Bellota is all about Tapas (small plates meant for sharing). The pricing is moderate and if you choose your wine carefully you are set for an amazing value driven, taste buds smiling dining experience. 

I sampled 4 dishes, Pulpo a la Planca, House-Cured Salt Cod Fritters with Garlic Aioli, Bitoque (Skirt Steak, Organic Egg, Toasted Country Bread) and my favorite of the evening the Brasied Pork Belly (Espresso-Honey Glaze,Spicy Pepper Puree, Sunny Quail Egg).

All the plates were amazing in there own way. To fully enjoy the completeness and thought fullness that goes into each of these dishes one only has to make sure to have all the components of what ever particular dish your experiencing,  on the fork at the same time.   In my opinion, Chef Anthony Goncalves, hit it out of the park, with his Pork Belly and I feel it deserves close inspection.

  

Given its square shape one is most inclined to cut in from the corner. The first bite starts with a delicately thin crunch from a caramelized top micro layer. Beneath, a plush soft underbelly with a balanced savory saltiness melts in your mouth, followed by an every so slight sweetness of the chocolate caviar (dont ask me how he makes it, because I haven’t the slightest idea) and finishes with the bright and tangy spicy pepper sauce. As though that wasn’t enough with the second bite, the addition of the fried quail egg and  it’s runny yolk creates a whole new dimenision of texture and flavors. 

Frankly, I cant wait to go back to try some other Tapas dishes as well as some of the in house made Charcuterie. 

Story and photos: Simon Feldman