Zach Kremer with one of Bantam’s pizzas, which are still the core of Benjamin Sims’ expanded menu.
Much more than pizza is now on the menu at the vibrant, popular dining room at the corner of Ingalls and Fair. Joining my friends Dee and Lin, I was looking forward to sampling some of the “beyond pizza” offerings at chef Benjamin Sims’ Bantam.
Still lean and spare in decor, the room provided a prime people-watching table for us next to the exhibition kitchen countertop. From the short, but excellent wine list we selected a Languedoc blend ($36) that proved immediately drinkable. A small plate of too-sweet pickles was the only imperfect partner for our luscious red wine. A terrific pork belly and lentil appetizer arrived, and within moments—all the rest of our dishes arrived at once! The pizza, the spaghetti and meatballs, the albacore with winter squash and shelling beans, the farineta with sausage, and the romanesco with avocado puree. We weren't asked how we wanted our dishes to be served, and the kitchen opted to serve food abruptly. All at once there was so much culinary information that we weren't able to take our time and enjoy really tasting each dish for its own merits. We barely had a chance to appreciate the individual resentations—we didn't want everything to suddenly get cold. Were we being rushed?
I could understand the “bring everything at once” concept if Bantam really was simply a pizzeria, offering a few salads on the side. But the menu lists full-on entree dishes, as well as a wide range of small plates, salads, and soups. Binging out everything in one course simply disrespects the food. And it robbed us of the enjoyment we had been anticipating.
A beautiful entree of local albacore was surrounded with winter squash, shelling beans and topped with preserved lemon and olives. The fish was dry and overcooked, but the concept was fine. The excellent pork belly with lentils, reduction of grape vinegar and roasted grapes for $11 was the hit of the entire meal. Other dishes we sampled included the straightforward meatballs and spaghetti ($15), and a side of romanesco on avocado puree, with preserved lemon and hazelnuts ($7) Large pizzas at Bantam range from the simple marinara ($10), to the housemade sausage, tomato, and pecorino model for $17.
You can add Calabrian chile, rocket, farm egg, housemade sausage or anchovy for $3 more.
And Lin did just that. She found a gluten-free goodie—the chickpea farinata (described apropriately as “pancake like”)—topped with creamy fresh ricotta and rocket. She requested added sausage. The dish was really wonderful, especially once you simply decided that it was not a pizza, but something different and more exotic. The abundant and delicious farinata was a big hit, second only to the pork belly and lentils creation.
Unfortunately the pizza was soggy—probaby because the kitchen hadn't removed some of the moisture from the fresh Early Girl tomatoes. Perhaps a bit of roasting prior to placement on the pizza dough would help this issue. Green olives, in addition to the basil and stracciatella, accompanied the tomatoes. The flavor of the green olives fought against the bright spice of the basil. Alas a full two inches of pizza dough remained uncovered along the edge of the pie. This appears ungenerous.
The green theme struck again in the side dish of romanesco. Little chartreuse heads of this cauliflower relative sat on whipped avocado—the two flavors, again, failing to make any sense together. The preserved lemon and hazelnut gremolata helped out a bit.
Great wine and a few tasty discoveries saved the evening. But having a sea of full plates in front of us through out the meal detracted from both the flavor experience and the entire ambience of our Bantam dinner. Timing is everything.
