Charcoal shines in the Golden Triangle

Over the past decade, the dining scene on Broadway has gone from rinky-dink to one of the hottest restaurant districts in town. Now, just a block off that main drag, Charcoal is trying to make a similar splash in the increasingly crowded Golden Triangle.

Executive Chef Jens Patrik Landberg—of Satchel's Market in Park Hill—created a contemporary European menu with a shot of the flavors of his native Sweden. The former Apple Spice Junction spot on West 9th is now covered sveltely in rich wood, soft light, and funky tile. The dining room is breached by the clean and open kitchen and the intimate chef's table right in front of it. A statement is being made with this setup: Here's our line, here's our food, you're going to love it.

Perhaps best of all for hungry students, Charcoal wants to be affordable fine dining, with $5 small plates and larger entrees mostly under $20. But all the cheap food, nice booths, and antique chandeliers in the world don't mean a thing if the regulars Charcoal is hoping to attract are turned off by a lousy dish or snooty service. So it speaks well of Landberg's men that even on a slow, snowy Monday, they can turn out thoughtful and delicious meals.

A selection of small bites impresses more with execution than imagination, but $5 each is tough to beat. Bacon-wrapped dates with a smear of grape jelly were typical but succulent. However, the tower of sourdough onion rings were certainly the best I've ever had. With crisp, perfectly salted breading, and fat, fresh onion slices, the accompanying Dijon-horseradish aioli couldn't be anything but overshadowed.

Charcoal's prices make it easy to go right for the main dish or cobble together a meal from appetizers and small plates. If you do tackle the appetizers, try a taste of Sweden with the akvavit brushed gravlax ($11) or the stunning braised oxtail ($11). One of the more eclectic dishes, the gnocchi and the toasted brussels leaves bolstered the flavor of the oxtail, tender without being fatty.

Next, I took a leap and ordered Landberg's take on farroto, a sort of European risotto with al dente wheat Farro grains instead of rice ($15). With the dollop of herbed chevre, the farroto was perfectly spiced and immensely satisfying. Fresh, lemony artichokes were grilled to perfection on the high-heat Bincho charcoal grill that gives the restaurant its name.

Dessert strikes the perfect balance between classic and creative, such as crème brulee with star anise ($8) and a knockout elderflower semifreddo ($6). Semifreddo is a semi-frozen ice cream/mousse mutant, and Landberg's version is flavored with the elderflower cordial common in northern Europe.

The only thing off about dinner was the lack of people in the dining room. Can Charcoal last long enough to become a Golden Triangle fixture? Let's hope so. Unpretentious and delicious, Charcoal is already a diamond.