Marcus B&P

56 Halsey St., Newark

(973) 645-0004

marcusbp.com

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THE VIBE: Warm, urban, convivial, with signature cocktails, craft beer and a global wine list.

STANDOUT DISHES: Cornbread with Five Acres butter, Tassot honey and salt; Dorthann's doughnuts.

The buzz in Newark is that this time, finally, the renaissance is real. That it is no longer an "almost" proposition or on the cusp of happening. That it is actually happening. In real time. What with Whole Foods and Starbucks. What with the expansion at Audible. What with Mars moving in. What with luxury apartments in the Hahne's building. What with AeroFarms. What with the makeover of Military Park and BURG.

And now, of course, Marcus Samuelsson.

It's certainly a statement that a New York celebrity chef has chosen to do some empire building in Newark. Not just a statement about Newark, but about Samuelsson, as well.

The buzz surrounding last November's opening of Marcus B&P in the renovated Hahne & Co. department store was intense. Everyone in the city seemed to be talking about it - even those who insist that such a place will not lure them for a minute from the lines at their favorite deli (Hobby's) or from their favorite chicken spot (Ambassador). And, during those first weeks, everyone in the city seemed most impressed that Samuelsson himself was there, in the kitchen, despite now having numerous other establishments to run, including Uptown Brasserie at JFK Airport, in Terminal 4, home to South African Airways.

Samuelsson is a winner of the coveted James Beard rising star chef award, and is the youngest chef to receive three stars from The New York Times. His numerous television appearances ("Top Chef Masters," "Iron Chef, "Chopped All-Stars") introduced him to a national audience. His book, "Yes, Chef" is a bestseller.

In Newark, the restaurant is small (55 seats) and has an open kitchen. So, when Samuelsson is in the house, each guest will notice.

And this chef has an incredible story. He was born in Ethiopia and after his mother died of tuberculosis, Samuelsson and his sister were adopted and raised in Sweden.

He grew up on lingonberries, smoked mackerel, Bob Marley and ABBA, and as a chef, traveled extensively. "Yes, Chef" is a candid search for identity, but it is also about racial discrimination in the industry, detailing the struggles of a dark-skinned Ethiopian chef in restaurants across Europe and America.

Samuelsson's most famous restaurant - Red Rooster in Harlem - is a celebration of place and history, with food that is traditional and non-traditional African-American cuisine. He likes to mix things up, push the boundaries, especially with spices.

Here in Newark, the approach is similar, a global take on local favorites. Ribs, cacio e pepe (explained as "our mac 'n' cheese") chicken and waffles. Plus a Jersey pizza, with Taylor ham, provolone and egg yolk.

The cornbread ($6) was perfect, and a perfect beginning, just warm enough, just sweet enough, just enough of a crust on the edge, served with Five Acres butter, Tassot honey and MV black salt. Lovely.

Dorthann's homemade doughnuts ($9) also were a delight, and a perfect ending, with squares of dough, just sweet enough, just enough of a crust on the edge, just enough warm chocolate inside. But in-between, not so perfect.

Seafood pancake ($14) is a Samuelsson signature. Here, it is served with Kewpie mayo, soy and caviar. But this pancake was just thick and dull, and even the caviar, a Swedish staple, was more about decoration than about umami. Cod fritters ($7) were doughy, and not evocative of cod.

Festival fried chicken ($35 per person) is on fire - literally - arriving at the table with a sparkler, what fun! The chicken is served family-style, with seafood waffles, plus a garden salad with AeroFarms greens, and the cornbread. The salad suffered from a generosity of its pickled egg dressing, the seafood waffles, like the pancake, were tepid and bland, and the chicken was a surprise, thanks to the chef's choice of spices. I'm guessing it was berbere, an Ethiopian spice blend with paprika, cardamom and ginger, which is one of Samuelsson's favorites. But here it seemed too fragrant and fussy for what was anticipated as a lusty, crisp-fried chicken dinner.

Roasted Chatham cod ($27) was dangerously salty, but the kitchen corrected that with grace, and the second attempt, though slightly overdone, proved the best dish of the night. The cod is served with cannellini beans and a piquant salsa verde.

The issue at this new restaurant seemed collectively to be an issue of seasoning and timing; generally our food lacked balance, with a propensity from the kitchen to overdo it (Samuelsson was not in the kitchen during our visit).

The restaurant also suffers from a lack of place, but that's to be expected. A progressive global approach can be engaging, but there's no "there" there. This debate, the identity politics of food, has been a central theme surrounding Samuelsson's career.

Yet, effort is made to connect to Newark. The exposed brick interior is warm, urban, convivial. Along one wall, AeroFarms greens grow in a vertical greenhouse. The bar menu includes Portuguese wine and Ironbound cider. In the bathroom, records decorate the wall, Whitney Houston, Queen Latifah, Jon Bon Jovi.

Plus the restaurant's public relations team boasts often about B&P's use of local ingredients. As if we are unaware, here in Jersey, of the superiority of the produce grown in the Garden State.

What they're telling you now in Newark has been so all along, but people are finally noticing how great this city is.

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