I want to hate the place solely because of the name, but I can't. Tommy Ortiz's new acquisition in his ongoing campaign to own all of SoHo's bars and restaurants is called Cheap, which, it turns out, doesn't say a damn thing about the food, prices or vibe. The name's difficult to search for on the Web, and it doesn't give anyone a clue as to what happens in the shuttered interior of this small SoHo restaurant.
But the food is appealing and, at least in part, innovative for the Tampa dining scene. The décor is a mish-mash of roadhouse, tattoo-parlor and hipster honky-tonk themes, tasteful but with subtle touches of whimsy, like booths made from old automobile bench seats and light fixtures cut from gin and wine bottles. The service combines the stereotypical beautiful people of SoHo with practiced experience drawn from Ortiz's other operations.
Poorly named or not, Cheap is a surprisingly good restaurant.
The place poached the former chef of Sangria just two doors down, and he seems to be the guiding creative force. He visits tables and sends out free apps or desserts to any new faces that look like they've come in strictly for the food.
Gladhander, sure, but his biggest contribution is the crudo. Essentially Italian sashimi, crudo has been a huge hit in New York City dining for years now. I can see why. Beautiful slices of pearlescent raw salmon ($7) are drizzled with cardamom- and almond-infused oil, the sweet spices and savory nuts bringing out the natural richness of the fish. Same with tuna ($8) dressed with herb oil and scallops ($12) doused in sweet vanilla oil and toasted pine nuts. All three are simple and stunning, with a small sprinkle of coarse sea salt adding a burst of flavor with almost every bite.
If that same sea salt played a part in Cheap's tartare selections, they could be almost as tasty. As it is, the pile of ruby-red raw tuna tossed with fresh thyme, red onions and capers, and topped with an herb and olive tapenade ($12), tastes like everything but tuna. Salmon ($7) suffers the same fate, overwhelmed by olives and tomatoes. These fishes are too subtle for this onslaught of veg and herb without the flavor-boosting characteristics of a handful of salt.
The other half of the menu is a standard riff on international tapas-style dining, unsurprising but largely well accomplished. A crisp cornmeal crust covers crab cakes ($13) that are loaded with big hunks of bluefin and a serious burst of fresh herbs. Even with the toasty corn and strong seasonings, the crab is paramount. An accompanying chipotle sauce tastes like spiced-up supermarket bacon-ranch dressing, but I have no serious complaints. It works with the cakes.
Italian dressing masquerading as "chimichurri" profoundly fails when paired with a gorgeous piece of grilled steak ($15). With a dark, seared crust and perfect med-rare rosy red throughout the 3-inch thick piece of beef, the sauce is almost superfluous. Either leave the faux "chimichurri" off or call it something else.
Sliced medallions of roast pork loin ($9) are dry and overcooked, with a too-subtle sprinkle of Chinese five-spice providing the only flavor, especially when paired with a mound of cloyingly sweet and overcooked apples.
The only abject failure on Cheap's menu is chicken lollipops ($7). The little bone-in nuggets cling to a thick blanket of chicken skin that is not cooked nearly enough to render the fat. The results are chewy, gamey bites that can't be saved by a tomato sauce trumped by a heavy-handed application of honey.
I suspect that if you stick with fish at Cheap, either raw or cooked, you'll be a very happy diner. Cod ($17) comes to the table painted by caramelization, the edges almost black, the center a deep golden brown. The flesh is exceptionally moist, perfectly cooked and imbued with the salt and sugar of sweet miso, with a simple pile of sautéed spinach to provide a contrasting blast of bitter green. I'd have a tough time choosing between this cod and the fantastic crudo.
Even with the often satisfactory and occasionally exceptional food, Cheap essentially devolves into a bar on the weekends. That's SoHo for you — drink beats eat every time. But the rest of the week, and in the earlier hours on Friday and Saturday, Cheap's a hidden gem. Despite the name.
This article appears in Oct 3-9, 2007.