This great restaurant has closed.
Tempo obviously was too good for the neighborhood; several times we heard comments like: "It is too pretentious" (it was not), or: "It tries to be aManhattan restaurant" (no, it did not), or other complaints, that totally missed the point of what was Tempo (it was a true labor of love by two seasoned restaurant professionals, who wanted to bring more than a hole-in-a-wall experience for the residents in the neighborhood. They truly believed that there would be enough residents in Park Slope to fill this a bit more adult establishment. They were sorely wrong).
We will keep this review on line for a while.
Some examples of compelling wines are the 2001 Fratelli Alessandro Barolo, remarkable because it does not need 5 hours to breathe; or the very food friendly Cordero di Montezemolo, a 2003 Barbera D'Alba that manages to convey some Burgundian characteristics in an easy drinking, fun wine; or the reasonably priced 2002 Bressan Schioppettino, an Italian red that works with fish, or a fabulous 1997 Ghemme, fruity without a trace of typical Italian austerity. It would be a sad mistake not to try the amazing Marion Amarone from 2001 (if they have any left), a glorious wine (but only if you like the combined taste of amarene cherries, dried prunes, woodland fruits, blackberries and blueberries in a well structured, integrated package that finishes with spices like cinnamon and licorice).
And how about the Eguren Brothers’ Spanish wines, like the Sierra Cantabria Colleccion Privada 2003, a veritable fruit bomb, or the 2002 San Vicente, a joyous liquid chocolate cherry food friendly delight. All the exciting styles of Spain are represented, including Priorat, Toro, Rioja, Ribera del Duero and others, displaying the hip side of Tempo's list - no getting trapped in the dusty cellars of ancient Europe. And if you need familiar names like Emilio Moro or Candado de Haza, they are there too.
And though we "complain" about their paucity of Bordeaux, we had a truly enjoyable Grand Puy Lacoste (2001), rated 89-92 by Steve Tanzer, that was rich with deep cherry and cassis and had a fabulous mouth feel. You will only be disappointed if you must have California reds. There are none.
Tempo has a respectable white wine cellar (although a lack of white Burgundy is a bit troubling). They are also quite creative and refuse to be bound by convention. We once had a surprisingly good Greek, yes Greek, red that lesser cellars would have been too afraid to present. Tempo has wines from a range of countries.
In sum, the list at Tempo is deep, variegated, lovingly chosen for quality across all price ranges and suffers only from the limits of space and the expectations of its customers. Robert will be only too happy to make an excellent, dead-on recommendation within your budget. Just ask.
Delicious wine at Tempo.
Ravenna Rosso Arcolaio 2004, a glorious Centesimino, sometimes called Sauvignon
Rosso, from the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy.
This was just one of many fantastic picks that wine enthusiast Robert Amato, one of Tempo's owners, has selected for us. We feel fortunate to have a knowledgeable wine lover broadening our wine horizons in a great Brooklyn restaurant.
Tempo's Shepherds Salad. Tasty, fresh.
WILD KING SALMON, sauteed with Spring Ramps, Fiddleheads and Morel Mushrooms, Vin Santo.
Late night atmosphere at Tempo.
been coming to Tempo often lately (the past year), because, in our opinion, it is just getting better and better.
The food has been consistently good.
We had:
Amuse bouche surprise from the kitchen:
Scallops
-Beet puree, Micro Greens
Perfectly cooked, very tasty scallops.
A shared appetizer:
Winter salad
Fresh and good.
Main courses:
Rack of New Zealand Lamb
-tunisian harissa crust, fenugreek jùs, yellow and black chickpea ragù with piquillo peppers
The lamb was cooked to medium rare, like I had asked. The meat deliciously flavorful and juicy. The Harissa crust gave it a really nice flavor.
I am not a fan of beans, this bean-pepper ragu was very good. I enjoyed the tasty spicing and the bite of the peppers.
Sautéed Atlantic Salmon
-charred eggplant purée with sesame tahini, chickpea falafel, radish and watercress saladuce
Perfectly cooked and seasoned: The skin was crispy and tasty, the meat was done perfectly to ordered tenderness (medium). This is one of our favorite dishes.
Dessert:
Molten Chocolate cake with Hazelnut ice cream.
Dessert drink: Armagnac (ooh, great on its own and
great with the cake).
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TEMPO NEW YEARS EVE DINNER, December 31, 2008
We had an absolutely delightful New Years Dinner at Tempo. Several times during this dinner we looked at each other in disbelief, thinking: "Are we really in a Brooklyn restaurant?" Not that we did not know very well already that Tempo delivers seriously good food, but this evening was just magical. Unlike so many restaurants (both in Manhattan and in Brooklyn) that just put together some, any "event menu" (read = over priced food, not worth its inflated "event" price), Tempo once again delivered. It almost felt as if Tempo wanted to be even better than ever on this last night of 2008. And it was.
Here is what we had that night:
Wild Mushroom Cappuccino
-Parmigiano foam
The soup was served from espersso cups, which was the
perfect portion size for this rather intense dish. What a fun dish, and perfectly executed.
During later dinners I tasted it from a larger cup, but it felt like too much of the good thing.
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Sautéed Veal Sweetbreads
-Celeryroot purée , fried celery leaves ,
toasted celery seeds, cherries in vin cotto
I have always been of the opinion that Tempo's sweetbreads are some of the best I have tasted, in any restaurant, anywhere in the world. This night was no exception.
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Baccalao Croquettas
-Garlic and saffron aioli
My husband has never thought much of this old peasant food, but Tempo's version was fun and tasty, and accepted even by the non-fan of Baccalao.
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Risotto al Tartufo Nero
-Black truffles, reggiano parmigiano
Seriously delicious risotto: we just gobbled it up. Very well balanced black truffle flavors. Again; my husband often does not like risotto, because it is and feels way too rich for his taste. This one he loved.
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Pan-Roasted Maine Lobster
-artichoke hearts, roasted garlic cloves,
parisienne potatoes, lemon and hazelnut beurre
This dish became one of our favorites at Tempo and we kept eating it as long as it was on the menu. Vongerichten has nothing on Tempo vis-a-vis a delicious lobster dish.
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Dessert Trio
-warm valrhona chocolate cake with caramel crunch gelato
-sticky date and toffee pudding with warm rum toffee sauce and ice cream
-vanilla bean panna cotta with mixed berries
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French Press Cof fee, Whole Leaf Teas
-Home made cookies
On top of the terrific food, the staff took great care of us: it almost felt like a happy, large family celebration.
All in all, quite a perfect New Year Eve's Dinner.