Five Front, and Dinner for Four in the Back

Before a St. Ann’s Warehouse play last week, I went to the charming Five Front Restaurant. The garden in the back was lively, as it seemed that several other people had my same idea for a pre-play meal. And, although this put quite a strain on the waitress—there was one for the ten or so tables back there—she was nothing but gracious and apologetic as she tried to keep our dinner moving at the pace we needed to go.

The group dining outside was eclectic to say the least, and seemed to very much reflect DUMBO’s current population. There were a few young couples, a few couples with strollers wheeled up to their tables, several tables of artistic types, and one table of seven—mom, dad, and a whopping five children.

The crowd was not the only feast. To start, we had the fried calamari and shrimp, which came with a fantastic, cooling herbed tartar sauce. The crab cake appetizer also came with a wonderful sauce. A thick, all crab pattyperched on a smear of chipotle aioli. I also had gazpacho, a summertime favorite of mine ever since my mother and I attempted to make some and ended up with what seemed like ten gallons (we kept adding things to get it juuust right!). The Five Front gazpacho was billed as a cucumber gazpacho, but came out a typical tomato-based chilled soup—not that I minded.

Everyone opted for the same entrée, the trout. A long, thin piece encrusted in cornmeal was served over a summer succotash of vegetables. A mound of shoestring cut fried potatoes rounded out the dish. It was bliss to get a little fish, a few veggies, and some toothpick-sized fries on each forkful before taking a bite. Even my grandmother finished her plate—an accomplishment for a woman who stands under five feet and who is known for only being interested in dessert these days.

Speaking of dessert; we did order and finish dessert, despite our small rush. A tiramisu, assembled specifically on our plate, was perfection—one of my favorite desserts. Layers of espresso-stained mascarpone cream divided soft chocolate sponge cake instead of ladyfingers. My hurry-up anxiety instantly left me when the delicacy arrived. It disappeared in one minute, and we didn’t skip a beat getting to the play on time.