Raclette

Traditionally, the Swiss dish raclette was made by melting cheese over a roaring wood fire, ideally one located within some cozy mountain chalet. The logistics involved with melting cheeses over wood fires inside modest-sized East Village restaurants being prohibitively complex, Edgar Villongco, the chef-owner of this terrific establishment, opted for an alternative. His electric countertop cheese-melters may look like something you’d lock a two-by-four into to facilitate sawing, but they get the job done. How does it work? A half-wheel of raclette (the Swiss cheese after which both the dish and the restaurant are named) is propped on its side and strapped into the device, its surface exposed to a heating rod that melts and bubbles the cut end from above like a Corner Bistro cheeseburger. When the tanning-booth session is complete, and the top layer of fromage is lightly browned and suitably gooey, it’s scraped off with a wide knife over a plate of roast potatoes accompanied by bresaola, pickled onions, cornichons, and a sprightly arugula salad. The result is superb — rich and hearty and fairly transporting, like an alpine getaway on East 12th Street.