Some of us still regard The Chocolate Maven as a top-notch spot. The fact is, the Midtown eatery has remained a consistent and often innovative member of the local food-o-sphere with baked goods, enticing breakfast and lunch options, next-level cakes and some of the best desserts in town (we love you, chocolate petit four!). As for owner Dharm Skotting-Segal’s new restaurant and performance space, Unit B? Well, let’s just say it’s still finding its footing.
The Experience
The truth is, one expects a little more from the people behind the restaurant that brought us some of the best focaccia in all the land, a long and rotating list of vegan soups and the kind of muffins you just plain want to scarf (we love you, pumpkin spice muffin!). Unit B, however, has a run-of-the-mill menu with steak and salmon and a burger and fish & chips and…y’know, all those things you’ll find in any old mid-tier restaurant or, like, most hotel bars that also serve food. Perhaps this is disappointing because The Maven has often dabbled with experimental excellence when it comes to specials—or maybe it’s because the vibe of the space feels upscale while the menu feels decidedly less so.
But one can at least work with that. A killer burger is still a killer burger, right? Where Unit B mainly falters is in its service. Take a recent dinner during which, to put it bluntly, it seemed like the server had never waited tables before the very moment my companion and I arrived. In fact, much of the experience felt like a bizarre bit of theater wherein a novice waiter shakily carries a tray full of glasses poised to fall at any moment. Some dishes arrived at our table immediately, others took forever and we had to ask after a second glass of malbec when it began to appear it would never come. Granted, every server has bad nights, and the restaurant was packed. Even so, more than once, a worker swallowed hard at simple requests and scampered off into the space, visibly terrified.
The Meal
We began with the eggplant bruschetta starter ($9), which set a sort of sad tone for the meal. The Chocolate Maven obviously has incredibly delicious bread, but the included marinara sauce dominated the barely noticeable eggplant, which only revealed itself in its sliminess. Afterwards, having heard great things about the fish & chips from SFR readers, I decided to check for myself. While the chips were borderline perfect in their crispiness and just the right amount of salty, the breaded, fried cod was really only OK. The fish itself was plenty fresh, but the breading proved unseasoned and soggy. Still, it was a fairly generous amount for the price ($18). My companion chose the tempura-battered tofu ($22), which represented one of the few surprising menu items. Unfortunately, the tofu had clearly not been pressed and proved far too wet, while the beets and zucchini served alongside it were barely seasoned and added nothing to the dish.
We closed the meal with an order of tres leches cake ($11), which was easily the most disappointing part of the experience. I have long touted the quality of Chocolate Maven desserts, but this cake had obviously been frozen at some point and not thawed properly. When you have one of the best bakeries around and you’re known for cakes…? Well, it stung, and we could not finish the dessert.
Skotting-Segal tells SFR he’s aware that some menu items are working, while others aren’t. It’s a process, he says—though one could easily say that of any restaurant.
The Tacky Moment
When we first arrived, a hostess asked if we were there for the music (the night we visited touted a performance from The Bob Fox Trio with John Trentacoasta and Cyrus Campbell). According to the Unit B website, diners can grab a bite without tickets before 7 pm music events, and I told the hostess we’d planned to leave before the band played. As the service took so long, however, the music began before we could wrap up our dinner. And then the hostess arrived to ask if we wanted to purchase tickets to stay. This was not mandatory by any means, and we were allowed to stay and finish our food. Unit B’s workers clearly have a tough system going, but having already dealt with shaky service and lacking food, the moment felt insulting.
The Space Itself
Unit B is drop-dead gorgeous, from the space itself and the actual stage (there are so few music stages in this town for some reason) to the massive Hector Jara textile pieces representing a macaw and hummingbird respectively. Unit B boasts a number of what we might call old-timey nightclub tables, and would-be diners will also find a number of other seating options away from the entertainment. Unit B is also lit with a romantically dim ambiance, and the spotlights on the Jara pieces cast beautiful shadows on the wall. My companion put it best: Unit B feels almost like an upscale cruise ship.
The Stage and The Sound
Assuming all goes well, it’s fantastic to have another nice stage in Santa Fe—and a full bar complete with mocktails—even if Unit B is primarily meant for jazz. I know people love the stuff, but it feels like yet another space for those of a certain age who like non-threatening music. Having said that, the sound at Unit B is phenomenally good, and the band sounded damn fine, even if piano jazz ranks pretty low on my personal list. Skotting-Segal says he envisions comedy shows and folk music and other non-jazz offerings, which I certainly hope does come to pass.
Still, I’m a little more interested in how and when Unit B will bring its foodservice up to snuff. I can practically hear the excuses now—it’s new! They’re working on it! It’s really about the music—but the Maven kind of painted itself into this corner by having such a dependable main business. Unit B opens on Friday and Saturday nights only, btw.
