And that's okay when you're tinkering with a classic like Pepin, which has been producing Spanish cuisine in St. Petersburg for decades. But, for the most part, the changes are welcomed.
By CHRIS SHERMAN
Published September 16, 2004
[Times photo: Jamie Francis]
The Salmon Tartar Martini at Pepin features cucumber, citrus vinaigrette, sour cream and caviar.
Matt Ellis, the new chef at Pepin in St. Petersburg, is slowly adding contemporary dishes to the restaurant’s menu.
ST. PETERSBURG - "The older changeth, yielding . . ."
Who are we kidding? On both sides of the bay, today's special is likely to be the same as 20 years ago, maybe 40: Inertia over easy with a side of boredom.
But one can hope. And this one must.
That's why I was hopeful when Pepin returned to its former owners Jose and Delia Cortes last year. Many longtime patrons hoped it would return to its old ways. I rooted for the opposite, that the home of grandee Spanish dining in St. Petersburg might catch a whiff of the new breeze blowing through cooking around the world, including Spain's mustiest traditions.
Here in a community weaned on black bean soup and nourished on steam-table chicken and yellow rice, there has been little appetite for fresher cooking that is authentic, seasonal and contemporary.
Now we're getting a small taste of it at Pepin, in addition to the standing menu and nightly specials, such as luscious thick slices of duck breast or dangerously rich eggs Argentina. That's the product of adding a modern chef, Roy's-trained Matt Ellis, to the kitchen run by Gloria and Javier Santos.
Not that many customers care. A big crowd packs the place twice daily for stuffed shrimp, grouper a la rusa and that gordo pork chop (22 ounces), but the chop now gets a pineapple salsa, the filet gets a Spanish bleu cheese and pompano can be cooked in a rustic crust of rock hard salt. On occasion, it's dry; always it's stunning.
Appetizers were rechristened tapas some time ago and do include newer and more distinct tastes - a creamy goat cheese tart and savory, seaworthy sardines - as well as the familiar. One classic tapas, serrano ham (dry cured, as is prosciutto) and manchego cheese, unfortunately still eludes proper presentation here. As it comes straight from the fridge, the cheese might as well be provolone and the ham is dry and dull; fine simple flavors deserve better.
Similarly I'd rather see olives plain - keep the pimiento-stuffed for martinis.
One high end addition is a salmon martini, like a ceviche or a tuna poke with olive oil, capers and peppers, surprisingly piquant. The salad is the one we love in Spanish restaurants, romaine with oil, vinegar and grated romano, and the mushy tomatoes we hate anywhere.
My best entrees were the eggs Argentina, a wicked casserole of eggs, ham, chicken and bechamel (no carbs to get in the way) at lunch and the duck at dinner.
I must admit to something I rarely do: I called for a changeup on the duck. That's often jerky behavior, but I wanted to see if the kitchen would adjust, and I just didn't care for the proposed sweet and sour pepper sauce. The chef came through with caramelized onion demi glace with rosemary, a terrific match with the gratin of sweet potato and the moulard; lean meat with a touch of wildness in the flavor and a necklace of seared fat.
Mine went fine with a rich Rioja that the waiter recognized as the best of the reds by the glass. Pepin could promote Spanish wines more, but at most of the tables around me the beverage of choice was vodka and soda or Manhattans.
As always in Spanish restaurants I'd like to see more beans, more cod and other traditional flavors as well as fresh, proud presentation.
A much slower pace of change may suit Pepin better. It has lasted for decades and will survive still more, leaving plenty of time for the regulars to see old friends. And from time to time, try something nuevo.
Pepin
4125 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg
(727) 821-3773
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; dinner: 4 to 10 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Reservations: Accepted.
Details: Full bar, credit cards, no smoking, piano bar.
Prices: Lunch, $5.95 to $18.95; dinner, $14.95 to $28.
