"With 18 courses, at least six chefs, and a three-hour runtime, the tasting menu at Blanca in Bushwick plays out like a culinary thesis show. We've had a few unforgettable dishes here, but can recommend this $275 marathon only to those who get excited at the prospect of three separate seaweed courses, and who are willing to forgive failed experiments. Blanca's 12-seat counter—behind an unmarked door in the back of Roberta's pizza—first opened in 2012. Back then, it had a whopping 27 courses. Now the menu is relatively tighter, skews towards seafood, and incorporates some Chilean influences from its latest executive chef. An industrial open kitchen that lacks ventilation is the stage. As you wait for each course, you’ll watch cooks solemnly grill crabs, scrape out oyster conches, and prepare sea-flavored foams. Their stamina is impressive, but you'll need even more. Even in its trimmed form, the menu lacks a clear through-line and the space is unpleasantly smoky. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte There are a few flashes of brilliance, like a brown rice porridge made with three-week aged pheasant. But with so many courses, the misses—like a pasta with snails, lavender, and celery foam that’s too bitter and conceptual to be tasty—make the meal feel three times longer than it already is. By the end of the meal, we found ourselves longing for a sliver of Roberta's famed Bee Sting to cap off the night. But no, that would be too pleasurable. Instead, the meal ends with a generous but cumbersome cheese plate before you're sent off with a paper bag party favor that contains the evening's menu or a small jar of seaweed salsa. Visit Blanca only if you're the sort of person who uses the word gastronomic in everyday conversation. Food Rundown photo credit: Kate Previte Belon Oyster We watched chefs prepare these ceramic bowls for a good half hour, carefully placing oyster shells on top of elaborate piles of kelp at exactly the right angle. It’s a lot of prep for a few bites of oyster, but wild belon oysters—known for being particularly plump and creamy, with a metallic taste—are worth fussing over. In this case, they’re covered in a super tart, super milky calamansi-flavored foam that brings out their briny flavor. photo credit: Kate Previte Sopresine Pasta For a place so tied to Roberta’s, Blanca falls short when it comes to pasta. This one came with meaty snails, french lavender, and celery foam. It looks pretty, but the earthy ingredients don't come together. photo credit: Kate Previte Crab Empanada Filled with sweet crab and fermented black bean, the empanada holds everything together while still being light and flaky enough to venture into croissant territory. The pastry is a pretty big portion for a tasting menu, and every bite is meant to be eaten with a spoonful of cochayuyo salsa, which is actually the more interesting part of the dish: a mix of chewy bull kelp from the Chilean coast, chiles, and acid. Surf Clam Surf clam and yuzu sauerkraut is a good start, but the citrus doesn't pair well with the mashed sweet potato beneath it. photo credit: Kate Previte Tortilla al Rescoldo Tortilla de rescoldo is a traditional Chilean bread cooked under hot sand and ash, giving it a distinct smoke and char flavor. This version has an uber thick crust and chunks of chicharron. It's different, but the bread is a little raw in the middle. Hobnob Cookie And Cheese We love a good hobnob, but this isn't the British oat biscuit you're used to. It's better. The cookies are crispy, with a buttery finish that leaves a sheen on your fingers, and almost entirely savory, except for a slightly sweet aftertaste. Paired with three cheeses and quince jelly, this tastes good, but it's out of place—a lot to work through at the very end. We'd rather have it on the couch tomorrow." - Neha Talreja
