3 days ago
Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway In New Rochelle, Dubrovnik Flies The Flag For the Cuisine Of Croatia
Immigrants from those Mediterranean countries carved out of the former Yugoslavia have added measurably to New York's food culture, not least in the last decade when a plethora of Italian restaurants and steakhouses have been opened by Albanians, Slovenians and Montenegrins.
Croatian restaurants, however, are still rare––about 24,000 Croatians live in the five boroughs––but none that I know has the deserved longevity of Dubrovnik, which has been a success in the boom town suburb of New Rochelle for the past twelve years.
Founded by Jerry Tomic, the two-level, 85-seat establishment with an outdoor patio and fountain draws a very faithful crowd, many with families in tow, that lends it an Eastern European conviviality within its motif of brown and beige stone and wood, a ship's steering wheel and black-and-white photos of Tomic's own town (he also did much of the décor out of his own next-door interiors business). Tables are nicely separated and tablecloths and settings of good quality.
There is, too, an outdoor wood fired rotisserie and BBQ used to give meats, poultry and seafood a smoky patina.
General Manager Matija Zarak is the epitome of cordial Croatian hospitality, and he also oversees a wine cellar whose bottles are kept at the right temperature and that holds several bottles from Croatian wineries, including wines from Tomic's family vineyards on the island of Korcula, like the varietals Pošip Ivan Tomic and Cabernet Sauvignon Tomic.
Everything served at Dubrovnik is made in executive Chef Antonio Selendic's kitchen, including the warm puffy pita rounds and sourdough bread that goes well with a pool of olive oil from Tomic's own farm.
As I found on my recent trip to Croatia, a large platter of the day's fish is brought to the table for you to choose from, which might include some of the more exotic Mediterranean species. They are priced by the pound and can serve two, filleted tableside.
You might begin with a platter of Croatian cheese, smoked and cured meats, or an equally ample platter of grilled octopus, fried calamari and shrimp.
Croatian cooks are famous for their seafood risottos and Selendic's version of slowly cooked rice with cuttlefish is one of the best I've had this far from the Aegean, dependent on absolute freshness and careful incorporation of broth, the cuttlefish ink and seasonings.
We also enjoyed two of the grilled fish, orata with Swiss chard and New Zealand snapper with grilled vegetables (though I can't imagine why that snapper had to be brought in from the South Pacific rather than the Mediterranean).
There are a few pastas, including with gnocchi with a veal ragù, and one; with lobster tail, mussels and clams over fettuccine and tomato.
If you opt for meat, the easiest way to appreciate an array of them is to order the combination 'Miješano Meso' for two or more people that includes a large, rosy filet mignon, succulent lamb chops and cavapi sausages. Only the addition of chicken breast misfired: It was under-seasoned and the meat cooked too long, becoming chewy. Had its skin been left on it might have been more savory.
The desserts at Dubrovnik, all made on premises, shouldn't be missed, especially the thin palačinke with ice cream and Nutella ; the peach cobbler just right for summer; the espresso crème brûlée ; and the kremšnita of delicate phyllo pastry with vanilla custard crème .
A century ago local resident George M. Cohan wrote of New Rochelle as 'Forty-five minutes from Broadway,' a town of 'rubens' (rubes):
Not a café in the town;
Oh! The place is a bird
No one here ever heard
Of Delmonico, Rector or Browne
With a ten-dollar bill you're a spendthrift;
If you open a bottle of beer
You're a sport, so they say
And imagine Broadway
Only forty-five minutes from here.
These days the city is in the throes of a major building boom, and what it needs are more good restaurants. For now Dubrovnik, near the train station, serves as a long-time anchor of what's
721 Main Street, New Rochelle
914-637-3777
Dinner appetizers $12 to $22; main courses $25 to $50.
Open for lunch and dinner daily.
