Paloma CLOSED

What makes Paloma a truly different neighborhood spot is the dream that owners Camille Becerra and Darius Rivera desire to share with the rest of the community. Inspired by the 80’s café/club culture forever exiled from rent-mad Manhattan, Becerra & Rivera offer New York a gracious space with soaring ceilings and a pleasing mix of urban elements: polished concrete, warm hardwood and gallery-white walls sporting revolving art exhibits.

The Food: Defined as “New Urban American,” the regularly-changing menu is based on simple, fresh ingredients borrowing elements from the multitude of cultures that glitter across the New York cityscape. Rather than aiming at the usual fusion, Paloma takes a stab at deconstructionism; for example, a traditional dish like bouillabaisse might be broken down to its basic elements and then served as a filet of monkfish, a single perfect shrimp and a flower of potatoes decorated with a bouillabaisse sauce. On the other hand, one can find a fresh brook trout simply grilled and served with a side dish of the diner’s choosing. Simple and thoughtful is the rule. Nothing on the menu exceeds fifteen dollars, and there are plenty of offerings for under ten. You will not have to deconstruct your wallet.

Popular menu fixtures include the brook trout, hangar steak and the much-admired burgers. The specials can be a gamble, but sometimes the best gamble is a vegetarian one. There is clearly a love for and sensibility to the preparation of all things vegetal, due largely to Camille’s post-culinary school odyssey among vegetarian and macrobiotic master chefs. Sometimes the vegetarian specials are the best thing on the menu.

Our only concern is consistency in the kitchen. As is often true with new ventures, it is best to go when the owner/chef is on hand. But as Paloma finds her wings and gets into the groove, the minor missed notes will dissipate.

The Scene: While the kitchen remains the epicenter, Paloma exists to be more than a restaurant. In many ways, Paloma is part Craft, part Nuyorican Poets Café, part Galapagos, and part pure Camille. It is an art space and a haunt for the creative. Local visual artists, filmmakers, DJ’s, bands and poets are welcome here, and often have exhibits. It is not unusual to find something going on after dinner, anything from a film screening to a five-piece band to a tasting of infused vodkas designed by Camille (these can be exceptional).

The Dream: Paloma seeks to be a space that celebrates urban life, to be a venue that exalts art and artists, to be a luminous gem in a sometimes jaded world. Everything about Paloma springs from free expression and a desire to welcome and to share. If New Urban American means opening up ones arms to embrace all that the cityscape has to offer, then Paloma is the vanguard of that new order.

Still evolving, Paloma is a place to watch.