Scoops du Jour: Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Adam Miller is back with another review of a really great restaurant. This time he reviews Blue Hill at Stone Barns while also chipping in a little about Blue Hill here in New York City. Before we get to the review I'd like to mention that Blue Hill is one of my favorite NYC restaurants and is more affordable than other restaurants in its ilk. I also appreciate the restaurant as a true embodiment of the farm to table ideal, serving meat and produce coming from its farm in upstate New York (where Blue Hill at Stone Barns is located.)

Now I challenge Adam to write a review of a restaurant that he doesn't like at all.



Simple Fare Warrants Extraordinary Praise

By

Adam Miller

New Yorker v. B&T. Questions arise when a faux New Yorker claims to be from New York. Where do you live in the City? What high school did you go to? What are your favorite restaurants? Where do you go out to bars? If any of these are met with a glimmer of hesitation or the answer “Meatpacking and Chelsea,” chances are you’re not a New Yorker. Usually, said people are from Westchester or Long Island. However, these suburban areas do win in some regards…. Long Island has beautiful beaches. Westchester has… ummm… well, Westchester seemed to have nothing until this last weekend.

This past weekend, I ventured up to Tarrytown for Sarah’s birthday (for those of you that don’t know me, Sarah is my girlfriend). Since we both love food, I thought it would be best to take her to a restaurant where you can have a truly “foodie” experience. I went to Blue Hill at Stone Barns with very high expectations although I had been told that Blue Hill in the City is the more highly regarded restaurant. I came away with a truly incredible experience and the acknowledgement that Westchester had one-upped NYC in at least one aspect.

Blue Hill in the City is a simple restaurant in the vein of Gotham, JoJo, or Gramercy Tavern. It serves very strong food (at somewhat reasonable prices for NYC) and accentuates its strong suits (vegetables, fruit, game, etc.). Stone Barns, on the other hand, takes it further; it bends your mind (and taste buds), offering new and exciting fare in an original manner.

During the Summer months, Stone Barns shies away from a traditional menu and offers two tasting menus. This is the first thing that gets noticed when seated at the table. On the right side of the menu, Chef/Owner Dan Barber has listed all the main ingredients which could be featured in a given dish (asparagus, scallops, lobster, oysters, Berkshire pork, duck, lamb, etc.). On the left side there are four rows:

- Five course tasting menu $95
- Farmer’s feast $125
- Charcuterie plate $28
- Cheese $17

That’s it. That’s your choice. The charcuterie plate is designed for two people and is meant to start your meal while the cheese course (for one) is intended to conclude your meal. We avoided both while electing the Farmer’s feast over the smaller meal, deciding this was the true way to dine at Stone Barns.

While our choice ended there, the interaction with our waiter did not. He (along with the chef) was looking to design a meal which would flow easily but still meet all our gastronomical desires. He asked me if there was anything I did not want to see as well as anything I definitely wanted to see. “No oysters or Spanish mackerel. Definitely a pork dish. Otherwise, I’ll eat anything you serve me.” Sarah obviously told the waiter that she didn’t want any seafood.

The waiter also strongly recommended an excellent white burgundy to accompany the meal instead of a wine pairing. The 2005 Meursault recommended by the sommelier was an incredible bottle and half the price of a wine pairing for two. The thought process was that I could get a much better bottle for $100-150 than I would ever try during a wine pairing, and a great white burgundy would really develop throughout the meal. This recommendation was a huge success and really hit home.

The food was no slouch either. In fact, several courses were some of the best dishes I’ve ever had. The amuse bouches woke up my palate in a startling way. The lemongrass spritzer with mint and a cherry ice cube was followed by fresh snap peas sprinkled with yuzu. The face bacon (paper thin slices of bacon taken from the jowl of a pig) was followed by pancetta wrapped asparagus with sesame seeds. We also had pea burgers (surprisingly good) and “bread and butter” – little squares of bread served with ricotta (a la A Voce) and butter as well as arugula and carrot flavored salts, which were good but not necessary.

The first course was a green tomato gazpacho with yogurt cream. I am not a fan of cold soups, but this dish was an incredible way to start the meal. The slight texture of the cream was a great counter to the refreshingly light gazpacho. This dish was followed by crispino lettuce with spring vegetables and Barber’s patented lettuce broth. Although it may sound (and look) like rodent food, it was a surprisingly deep and meaty dish. I am not one to order salads or vegetarian dishes and I am generally disappointed when an expensive tasting menu is littered with vegetables rather than foie gras or lobster, but these starters were phenomenal.

I followed the vegetarian plates with a a perfectly cooked scallop with minty peas and pistachios while Sarah had saltouse, a leafy green vegetable from Southeast Asia with some flavors resembling sesame or peanut butter, accompanied by shitakes and morels. We also had the renowned soft poached egg over crushed zucchini and morels. However, this time the soft poached egg was flash fried to give it a crispy, slightly “breaded” coating.

Finally, the meat courses arrived. First, we had a braised pork belly dish (as requested) with spaetzle. If not for the sauce which was drizzled next to the pork, I thought this dish lacked a bit of flavor. But the spaetzle and the sauce really brought out the strong flavors in the fatty pork. This dish was followed by a neck and loin of lamb with fava beans; the lamb was perfectly cooked and delicious, but at this point, I was really rather full.

This concluded our savory portion of the meal and was followed by two desserts: steamed strawberries with sour cream sorbet and honey gelee, and rhubarb meringue with farmer’s cheese ice cream. Both were outstanding.

After finishing the meal, I was truly blown away by the experience and the flavors. Having followed the methodology of Alice Waters and other fine California chefs, Dan Barber has outdone himself (and his NYC restaurant). This was an unforgettable meal that will change the way you view food.

Scoops du Jour: L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

Today Adam Miller reviews another restaurant at the top of my to-go list. Seems like he enjoyed it…



Dining with a Deity

by

Adam Miller

Normally, counters, bars, and the like are reserved for an influx of booze and inebriation. However, at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York, a certain counter which seats 20 people is reserved for the lucky few who are able to secure reservations and dine at the hands of a deity. Joel Robuchon opened his New York L’Atelier branch nearly two years ago. He has other branches in Paris, Tokyo, and Las Vegas; it was only a matter of time before he tested the waters of New York.

After navigating your way through the immense lobby of the I.M. Pei hotel and ascending the staircase to heaven, you are presented with two options. On the left is the Four Season bar, a raucous locale for the richest of the rich ($30 for a glass of champagne); on the right, is L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, standing out in its red and black palette; the bar/counter adorned with beautiful flowers. As you walk in, you know this place is entirely about the food. The kitchen front and center, the chickens roasting on a rotisserie highlighted in the background, the artwork of each dish visible from all counter seats.

If you are not well-versed in the new wave of dining in Manhattan, here is an update: Tapas is in! Now, this is not so much a traditional tapas restaurant as it is a restaurant which allows you to sample a lot of smaller dishes… and ethereal dishes they are. The crispy langoustine en papillote with basil pesto is most likely the best crustacean I have ever eaten. The soft, plump juiciness of the langoustine contrasts perfectly with the delicate crispiness of the phyllo-like crust; in the middle sits an immaculate basil leaf undamaged in the cooking and preparation. The caramelized eel with smoked foie gras is layered like a rich mille-feuille – this dish hit home especially since I’m generally not an eel lover (I know it’s a sin, especially since I love Sushi Yasuda so much).

Other original dishes include the Alsatian pastrami served with chilled shaved foie gras and fingerling potatoes (strikingly and surprisingly good) and the pan-sauteed amadai in a yuzu citrus broth with lily bulbs. The amadai (a Japanese yellowtail of sorts) was cooked perfectly as the skin was just barely crispy and not at all fishy. There is also the beef and foie gras burgers, taking a lesson from DB Bistro Moderne by serving a “classy” burger. However, my favorite dish is unquestionably the caramelized quail stuffed with foie gras and served with potato puree and black truffles. The breast is stuffed with foie gras and the drumsticks are served on the side. The potato puree is reminiscent of David Bouley’s creamy mashed potatoes; however, the slices of black truffle put this puree over the top. There is nothing else I can say to describe it…. Just go try it!

By the time I get to dessert, I am usually too stuffed to want something substantial. However, at Robuchon, dessert is a must (as it should be at any top tier restaurant). My favorite, which has since been removed from the menu, is Robuchon’s staple: Le Sucre. It is a golden sugar sphere filled with vanilla ice cream, saffron mousse, and macerated berries. The sphere is fragile and bold, crafted from a blow torch to surround the sweet and sour fruits. It is the most original dessert I have ever tried (and one of the best). I also really enjoyed the Pamplemousse – large grapefruit segments served with a wine gelee and mint sorbet. Both were extremely refreshing and perfectly executed.

There are also several touches which do not go unnoticed. Given the style of dining (small tasting portions which are supposed to be shared), it is sometimes hard to coordinate the meal. However, the waiters do a very good job; most noticeably, they will give complimentary dishes so that every diner has a course in front of him at all times. This was especially true when it came time for desserts, and more often than not, several diners are too full to order $17 desserts.

Not enough can be said about this new establishment. While it would be better served in a different locale, it is a welcome addition to New York’s top tier.

Guest Review: Per Se

To finish off the week, I would like to post my friend Josh's review of Per Se. if you have been reading this blog for a while you might recognize his name from posts about Blue Hill, WD-50, Tailor, L'Impero, Sushi Yasuda, and Gordon Ramsay at the London. Basically, he's a really good friend of mine and really knows his food. He has been eating at Michelin starred restaurants all over Europe during his grad school stint and is fully qualified to write about any fine dining experience. Per Se is pribably one of two restaurants in New York that I can't talk myself into paying for yet(Masa being the other) so I leave you with my friend's review.




Per Se Overall Food Ranking: 9/10

Time Warner Center Ambience: 9/10

10 Columbus Circle Service: 9/10

New York, NY 10019 Food Type: French

Phone: 212-823-9335 Price: $550 per person

Hours:

Monday to Thursday, 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM; Friday to Sunday, 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM

Date of initial visit: April 14, 2008

Neither skepticism nor pessimism comes naturally to me. But when it came to Per Se, I approached with a healthy dollop of each. Could a restaurant really be worth all this gushing and fussing – a restaurant in a shopping mall?

The mall quickly fades out of sight and out of mind as one enters the tranquility of a temple where ingredients are deified and dishes – many, perhaps even most – reach apotheosis. Unlike the ill fated V Steakhouse, Per Se cleverly has an entrance with enough physical space in twists and turns to wipe away any thoughts of the Time Warner Center and focus one’s mind on the view of Columbus Circle – and on the food. The mood is neither somber nor energetic, neither romantic nor business-like: it is simply hushed and respectful, a proper setting for worshipping tastes and textures.

And how taste and texture combined in that simplest of an amuse bouche: a puff pastry filled with gruyere. Gruyere that gushes, that oozes, that delights – that lets the diner know that palettes are not to be shocked here but respected, not tricked but tantalized. A canapé of salmon tartare nestled in a black sesame cone and filled with crème fraiche was slightly less dazzling (I always find slightly frustrating canapés in which the first bite swallows up all of the main taste), but completed an overture that awakened the taste buds with gentle, soothing flavors (9/10).

Next came the only constant on Per Se’s changing tasting menu, the famous tapioca sabayon of oysters and caviar. It is the texture that overwhelms you first – a creamy, thick sabayon smoothly punctuated by caviar and tapioca. And then the taste kicks in – luscious, heavy, a bold and daring way to draw the curtain, and an unforgettable one (10/10).

After a surprisingly heavy oyster dish, what would come next but a deftly light foie gras course. The duck itself sang of richness; its accompaniments of pistachio and rhubarb, along with just a touch of balsamic glaze, provided the slight spiced tang essential to bringing out, as well as filling out, true foie gras flavor. Here was the altar of subtlety and proportion, demonstrating after the oysters that Per Se can coax as well as wow. Only an accompanying brioche that was too thick and crusty for so light and delicate a dish was out of place in a triumphant harmony (9/10). And with a Domaine de Montbourgeau, a precedent of utterly successful, just adventurous enough wine pairings was set.

And then it was back to the sea for bigeye tuna grilled ever so slightly, glistening in luminescent softness yet still very much a meaty piece of tuna. Radishes, almonds, and apples were nothing short of perfect complements – indeed, reminders that accompaniments can provide life of their own not by usurping flavors but by gently tugging on just the right ones (10/10).

Indeed, sometimes – just sometimes – more than a gentle tug is in order; and when carrot butter – carrot butter! – can emerge with such depth and richness, it would be a shame not to permit it an almost starring role – even beside a gloriously poached lobster. While ever so slightly chewy, the lobster was sweet and juicy – and the carrot butter did the rest (10/10).

A bit too aggressive was the Peking duck that followed. After so many courses that gently lulled, a heavily peppered duck served with spiced turnips and sharp onion shoots jarred a bit more than one would want five courses in. But as a dish in itself, it was hard to fault the impeccably rendered duck, even if its flavoring and sides came on rather strong (8/10).

Tranquility was restored with a lamb complemented by a mint-infused lamb jus of ideal strength: not so much as to overwhelm, but just enough to accentuate the fullness of the lamb’s natural flavor. Even more heavenly was the side of fatty meat – lamb belly? lamb fat? – that was simply glorious (9/10).

Savories complete, it was time for cheese – and a rather odd cheese course it was. A delicate but unusually textured goat cheese was served with beets and wood sorrel as well as rosemary oil. Simplicity, certainly, but perhaps a bit disappointing amidst so many other standouts (7/10).

And then came the cornbread. To be fair, the dish portended to be a buttermilk sherbet with candied pecan crumble – and indeed all those elements were well and good, if short of masterful. But the cornbread on which it all sat – the tiny piece of cornbread, prepared in the kitchen Per Se shares with Bouchon Bakery – was perhaps the single greatest bite of the meal. And “bite” it would have been, had the staff not been so kind as to bring more of the cornbread – just the cornbread – upon request. And what sweet, crumbly, extraordinary cornbread it was (9/10).

Chocolate made its way onstage, adventurously laid out as mousse, caramel cream, and devil’s food cake, all accompanied by a swirl of braised pineapple and cashew ice cream. This was chocolate that made the palette work a bit – mousse that was richer than normal, cake that was a bit drier than normal – and the whole seemed to lack a certain coherence, even if the elements, when given whatever attention remained nine courses in, shined (7/10). Similarly, an ambitious reach for a dessert course was a milk biscuit served with poached pear and English breakfast ice cream. Yet again, the individual aspects shined, but such nuance and complexity asks a bit much so late in the game (7/10).

More aligned with the focused execution of previous courses were “coffee and doughnuts,” the former a thick, cold, multi-layered mousse, and the latter – well, doughnuts. Sugary, dough-laden, delightful donuts (9/10). Bourbon chocolates and chocolate-covered almonds were rich and sweet (8/10).

I am a skeptic and pessimist no more. In the midst of the Time Warner Center, Per Se serves what is, quite simply, New York City’s best food – indeed, this was the best meal I have ever had in New York. And it is no exaggeration to say that I dreamt – for the first time in my life – in shades of carrot butte

Scoops du Jour: Le Bernardin

Some friends of mine have dined at some pretty amazing restaurants lately (ones that I drema of going to) and have had the generoosity to write reviews for this site. Today I'm posting Adam Miller's review of one of his favorite restaurants, Le Bernardin.

Fish Lover’s Heaven

By

Adam Miller

My parents introduced me to fine dining at a very young age. I went to Bouley for the first time in 1991 when I was eight years old. It was the best restaurant in the City (if not the country). Everything from the beautiful, understated décor to the perfect service and immaculate food was incredible. However, with the announcement of its closing, I went on a search for my soon-to-be new favorite restaurant. If there’s one thing Bouley opened my eyes to, it was seafood. And ever since the original Bouley on Duane Street closed in 1996, I have been the biggest advocate for Le Bernardin, the top (seafood) restaurant in New York.

Le Bernardin is one of the few (if not the only) restaurants in New York City to have always received four stars from The New York Times. As it is written every time the review comes out: It is harder to maintain four stars than to earn four stars a single time. If there is one restaurant that everyone should visit in New York, it is Le Bernardin. It is the single finest dining experience around.

As one may deduce, I have been going to Le Bernardin for at least twelve years. What makes the restaurant so incredible is not just the incredible food, the unwavering service, or the beautiful, wood-paneled room; it is also the variety of food and the warmth of the experience. For such a big restaurant with such a great variety of seafood, it is an extremely intimate restaurant. The beautiful bouquets of flowers dominate the interior of the room as the soft palette of the paintings line the walls. It truly is an unrivaled dining room.

Eric Ripert, the executive chef and part owner, however dominates from the inside. At one time, the restaurant had a window which allowed the diners to look into the perfectly pristine kitchen and watch the chefs paint the ginger lime mayonnaise onto the thinly pounded tuna carpaccio. That window no longer exists, but the quality of the food does. I have dined at Le Bernardin more times than I can remember over the last thirteen years and there several dishes which I will never forget (and continue to populate the menu). The thinly pounded raw tuna over a crispy baguette and foie gras covered in chives and olive oil is a great way to start the meal – the dish is refreshing and the crispiness of the baguette with the foie gras is an excellent complement to the tenderness of the tuna. Other great starters include the tasting of fluke, served four different ways as well as the kanpachi tartare (a Japanese yellowtail) served with wasabi tobiko and crisp toast. Other signature dishes include the baby barbecued eels, the spiny lobster carpaccio, the sea urchin risotto with toasted nori, and the Pizza Bernardin – a crispy phylo dough topped with a spicy tomato sauce, perfectly cooked tender shrimp, and some basil. While the pizza is no longer served, it (like old staples) can be specially ordered when the reservation is booked.

Several entrees also stand out. The “surf and turf” comprised of Hawaiian escolar and 4 ounces of kobe beef, accompanied by a brown butter emulsion, a piece of kimchee flavored lettuce, asian pear, and butternut squash is one of my favorite dishes at any restaurant ever. I also have taken a strong liking to the monkfish served “Gaudi” style as Chef Ripert dons up the fish with some spicy chorizo and patatas bravas.

The desserts have also changed over the years. Sometimes the simplicity of the fruit cup accompanied by champagne and mixed berry sorbet strikes my fancy. Other times, I get sucked up in the passion fruit tart enrobed in white chocolate and served with mandarin sorbet. There is also the mainstay – a chocolate tarte oozing with fudge and topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. There are also lighter desserts: a citrus/rhubarb tart, a yuzu millefeuille, or an always stellar selection of sorbets.

There is very little to dislike about Le Bernardin and a whole lot to love. Although the menu may be somewhat limiting due to the lack of meat options (there are only 3 non-fish dishes on the menu), it never disappoints. It has always received four stars from The Times, and it continues to seem justified.

Dining Brief: Degustation

If everyone loves Spanish food, and everyone loves small plates, and diners are trending towards more casual, relaxed meals, why then is it so easy to get a reservation at Degustation?

I called three or four days ahead of time and was able to get any time I wanted on a Friday night. Then I got the flu and rescheduled for the next Saturday. Again, I could get almost any time I wanted. That Saturday didn’t work so I rescheduled yet again for a Wednesday night that was convenient for everyone—except for the extremely kind people answering the restaurant’s phones.

Easy reservations don’t trouble me if the restaurant in question is really large, or if the food is said to be average, or uneven, but Degustation, Grace and Jack Lamb’s (owners of Jewel Bako which is next door and actually connected to Degustation by a narrow hallway) 16 seat quasi Tapas/French restaurant is too small and too good to be this easy to eat at.

Chef Wesley Genovart who is 28 but looks like he could be 19 runs a small but well paced and relaxed open kitchen that is surrounded by the 16 seat wooden bar. This narrow space, dimly lit and accented by dark stone walls makes up the entire restaurant. What could arguably be a very large bathroom or closet space in a city with more space, is actually a restaurant that incites joy in those lucky enough to cram themselves in.

Watching a chef in an open kitchen is a fun experience but can also affect the way you eat your food—its not as much fun to eat a dish cooked by a stressed out and sweaty guy cursing under his breath 6 feet away from you. What impressed me most about Degustation was the way that the food and the service all seemed so refined yet effortless.

Degustation does simple dishes very well--slightly smoky and deliciously fresh shrimp prawns and langoustines grilled on the plancha and dusted with sea salt were a pleasure to eat. They also seem to make complex dishes very simply. A crudo of Tasmanian sea trouth was adorned with basil seeds, resempling caviar, little green orbs of encapsulated basil and a sherry reduction, leaving the diner with the striking mix of the bright pink fish surrounded by greens on the plate. The fish was delicious too it sweetness accentuated by the sherry and then held back by the herbal notes in the basil. Chef Genovart is clearly man who understands his fish and knows how to get the most out of them.

The one bite Spanish tortilla topped with Piquillo pepper and stuffed with shallot confit and quail egg was a nice little burst of flavor to start the meal. However, the slowly poached egg sitting in a bath of cheese foam with Serrano ham and rice cracker crusted asparagus fell a little short. The foam was too salty and the asparagus too stringy. I blame myself for this one, ordering asparagus in February was a really poor idea.

The disappointment experienced by the egg is quickly forgotten however, as you move on with the menu. Pork cheeks were extremely tender and came with a light sweet potato gnocchi, denser Brussels sprouts and salty blood sausage, a medley of tastes and textures that go really well together if you can fit them into the same bite. Our dessert of sweet caramelized bread pudding with frozen grapefruit and grapefruit foam was solid (with the foam actually working well here) but the highlight of the meal was the rabbit. Confited until tender and very juicy and served in little circles, accompanied by crispy fried artichoke and white beer sauce, it was simple yet packed with flavor with ingredients that were seemingly made for each other. A perfect example of how a well run humble little restaurant can cook up some very big food.

(Photo credit to NYMAG)

Restaurant Review: Blue Hill

For the past year or so a couple of friends and I have been getting together for quarterly blowout dinners. Whenever my friend Josh is in from London, we get together with my friend Lee and attempt to find a really nice restaurant that we haven’t yet been to (between the three of us, these places are getting harder and harder to find) and we try to sample as much of the restaurant’s food as we can. Because this is an infrequent and celebratory venture, cost isn’t nearly as important as it would normally be and we are able to really let loose (in a civilized adult sort of way)and have a good time.

Our most recent destination restaurant was Blue Hill, Dan Barber’s haute farm-to-table restaurant that has been a trend setter in the greenmarket movement that is currently overtaking the New York Culinary scene and a recent recipient of three stars from the New York Times. Along with restaurants such as Gramercy Tavern, Telepan, Craft, Cookshop and Tasting Room, Blue Hill is one of the spots to go if you prize fresh ingredients prepared in an expert way. The restaurant is actually able to source a large share of its ingredients from The Rockefeller Farms in upstate New York. Despite the fact that Blue Hill has been around since 2000, it is a restaurant that the three of us hadn’t been to and one we were all eagerly anticipating.

The restaurant asserts itself as a champion of seasonal ingredients with it’s amuse bouche, a skewer piercing two perfect little pieces of…you guessed it—cauliflower. I was a little put off by a piece of cauliflower as an amuse but I suppose if the kitchen really wanted to drive home the simple ingredient aspect, caulilflower with a little lemon was certainly the way to do it. Despite having second thoughts about choice at this point we drank some wine and forged ahead.

Appetizers started with sweet shreds of Maine crabmeat atop thin slices of green apple, fennel, and earthy panther soybeans soaking in a sweet and tangy apple mustard broth, a light and refreshing start to a meal. We then split an enormously satisfying sweet potato tortelloni which was hearty, meaty and resonant of the winter season.

While good, none of the previous two appetizers lived up to what I thought was the best dish of the night, and what appears to be a constant on the Blue Hill menu—a 45 minute slow poached egg with pan roasted oyster mushrooms swimming in an herb broth. Upon piercing with the fork, the egg melted into the broth creating a rich, creamy and delightfully green tasting coating to the earthy oyster mushrooms. I liked the egg infused broth so much I even broke my self imposed ban on bread (so as not to fill up) to soak up every last bit.

Our entrées proved to be satisfying as well and just as much of a testament to local producers and seasonal ingredients as the appetizers. We sampled some Hudson Valley Venison, Stone Barns pork loin and belly and Veal grown by none other than the man they call Rabbi Bob. When we asked if he was an actual rabbi, our waitress who was incredibly knowledgeable and immensely helpful in every way, told us that he was rabbiesque in appearance and was great with veal.

I found the venison, cooked sous vide and accompanied by a stew of carrots to be incredibly competent and tender, but not quite as good as the venison (prepared much the same way) at Gramercy Tavern. My veal, expertly raised by Rabbi Bob was incredibly tender and well complemented and contrasted by the creamy texture and toothy texture of the cracked wheat resting underneath. The rack of pork was flavorful but not nearly as satisfying as the belly that accompanied it. Our best single bite of the night included a forkful of the meltingly fatty belly with red cabbage simmered in red and port wine- a perfect combination of savory, sweet, tart, soft, and crunchy.

The two desserts we tried were slightly uneven, brought down by the cheesecake in a jar (not on the regular menu but on the tasting menu) lacking texture. While the chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream was simple and delicious, it was a perfect ending to a meal that was centered around carefully chosen ingredients, and simple yet elegant preparation.

For all the hype about the nuances of the food I would expect the dining room to be rather hushed and peaceful but I found that on a cold Friday night the exact opposite was true. The bar which is situated in the front third of the restaurant was packed and the energy in the room was palpable making the dining experience a lot more like a night out than I would have originally imagined.

Overall, the service food and general feel of the restaurant were all outstanding, and for the value, five appetizers three entrees, two desserts, one cheese plate, two cockatils, two bottles of wine and three glasses if dessert wine for less than a tasting menu meal at numerous other high end restaurants) I even found the value to be really strong. I can’t wait to go back in the spring or summer to see what Dan Barber can cook up with a bounty of new ingredients.

Gramercy Tavern

I love family birthdays. My dad is having a birthday next week, which means that I am able to talk my parents into coming to a restaurant of my choice that I normally wouldn’t be able to/want to pay to go to. My choice for Dad’s birthday was a restaurant that has been around since 1994 that I know is good yet have never been able to eat at: Gramercy Tavern.

Up until this point I had actually been to every one of Danny Meyer’s restaurants except for Gramercy Tavern. Given the hype generated by the food of new Chef Michael Anthony, and the general comfort I associate with Danny Meyer restaurants, I thought dinner at Gramercy Tavern would be a logical choice for a birthday celebration.

Despite much anticipation (which in my case usually leads to a letdown when dining out) the restaurant lived up to my expectations. Although pricey, I found that the food came as advertised—refined and perfectly executed while being rustic and fiercely seasonal at the same time. Chef Anthony comes from Blue Hill and the Dan Barber way of thinking where if something isn’t growing, it.s not on the menu. With this mantra, winter menus might seem sort of dull, but I found chef Anthony’s menu extremely satisfying. My smoked trout appetizer was warm and tender, full flavored and smoky and had just enough of a kick provided by a pickled red onion vinaigrette to bring all the flavors together, It was about as good as smoked fish can get. My mom’s Pappardelle with beef ragu and scallions was juicy and satisfying with the scallions again keeping the appetizer from being too heavy.

For the entrees, I really enjoyed my venison cooked sous vide served in a bowl over cannelloni beans, garlic spiked venison kielbasa, sunchokes and swiss chard. The venison was melt in your mouth tender and was accented by the awesomely flavorful house made kielbasa. Mom had a perfectly cooked striped bass and dad have the smoked lobster over pasta with a saffron broth which I enjoyed but thought could have been a bit less chewy. In addition to the beautifully presented dishes, I really enjoyed the fact that several of them were served in bowls with broths or sauces that ensured no loss of flavor and provided a nice spot for dipping a crusty piece of bread.

How does Gramercy Tavern stack up to other Danny Meyer restaurants? Without having died in the main dining room at The Modern (I’ve been to the bar room several times) I would say that the quality of the food is above that of Tabla and Union Square Café and most equivalent in quality to Eleven Madison Park. However, while Daniel Humm’s food at Eleven MP might be readily described as flashy or daring, chef Anthony’s food is much more comforting. Its grounded in good flavors and good ingredients prepared exquisitely well. I’m not sure if one is better but they’re definitely different. The grandiose décor large windows and high ceilings of Eleven Madison Park scream once in a lifetime experience while the wood beam ceilings, wood paneled floors and freshly cut flowers make Gramercy Tavern feel like a comfortable place to escape to. If I was trying to impress someone I would take them to Eleven Madison Park while Gramercy Tavern is the kind of place I’d take someone who I’ve already impressed several times and want to keep satisfied.

I’m actually intrigued to see how Gramercy Tavern stacks up to Blue Hill, Chef Anthony’s former restaurant and the place where I will be eating Friday night. Both restaurants, along with Telepan uptown, appear to be leading the way in the farm to plate movement and are serving the best seasonal produce dished up by some of New York’s top chefs. I’m interested to see how they all compare.

Dining Brief: Bar Jamon

Last night I decided to pay an impromptu visit to Bar Jamon, the smaller tapas bar /drinking bar hybrid right next to Casa Mono. This little place on 17th and Irving is a nice low key spot for meeting for a nice glass of Spanish wine or sherry (including several 250 ml cuarto selections) and a couple of small bites. The wine list is impressive and although the food selection is fairly limited, Bar Jamon doesn’t pretend to be a restaurant that will serve you a huge meal.

Instead, indulge in one of the 12 Spanish cheeses they offer with accompaniments from honey coated Marcona Almonds to Membrillo, to fennel or tomato. Then enjoy some thinly sliced Serrano ham, better and less salty than at most other Spanish restaurants. The pan con tomate, a deliciously garlicky warm piece of bread rubbed with tomato is also supremely satisfying. What’s even better is that if you like the Serrano ham and the pan con tomate, you can combine them into a sandwich. The Bocadillo de Bar Jamon combines the two and mixes in some manchego cheese for what might be a perfectly sized and incredibly delicious bar snack. The tapas selection also includes chorizo and pickled peppers, quail, duck liver, tuna and even a soft egg with somewhat rare and seasonal cardoons—everything is $12 and under.

Although the place is tiny and you will most likely be standing the room is comfortable and I never felt crowded. The next time you have a hunger for some Spanish nibbles and a glass of Rioja and don’t want to break the bank, head over to Bar Jamon. Your wallet and your belly with thank you.

Scoops du Jour: Fiamma

This week Adam Miller reviews Fiamma, a BR Guest restaurant that has recently hired new chef Fabio Trabocchi and has generated much buzz in the food world. Although I haven't had a chance to pay a visit yet, Fiamma certainly ranks near the top of my list.

Italian, French, Who cares? A Cornerstone Is Added To SoHo

by Adam Miller

I recently moved to SoHo, a foreign land for most people who grew up in Manhattan. Many people are well versed in the numbered grid system where the private schools, most notably on the Upper West Side and Upper East Side. One of the main reasons I moved downtown (from my previous apartment on East 63rd Street) was the growing number of great restaurants. Luckily for me, one of the best new Italian restaurants in the City resides 2 blocks from my new apartment.

Fiamma is located in a beautiful brownstone on Spring Street, just west of Sixth Avenue. It occupies three floors and was recently remodeled to reflect its new direction. This direction is headed by the brilliant Fabio Trabocchi, who most recently presided over Maestro, the restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton outside Washington, D.C. Accompanying him at the “new” Fiammar (formerly known as Fiamma Osteria) is the sommelier, Ania Zawieja, who previously worked at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in the Four Season Hotel in New York.

Having read incredible reviews about Trabocchi and his restaurant in the Ritz, I put Fiamma at the top of my list. I went to the restaurant with my family, expecting a delicious, laid back meal – something comparable to our experiences at L’Impero or Alto (where the prior chef from Fiamma, Michael White, now works). Instead, we sat down to a 3 course prix fixe at $75 (not including dessert).

What ensued was a meal overflowing with mind-numbing taste. To start, I had what is simply known as “Il Carpaccio.” It is wagyu kobe beef served two ways: first, the raw kobe beef is wrapped around a root vegetable and topped with a poached quail egg; second, the kobe beef is chopped into a tartare and served with chopped mushrooms and sprinkled with parmesan. It may not be Italian; it could be French. Either way, none of us cared. Each bite exploded with flavor as my eyes began to bulge. No one in my family was prepared for such a delicious meal.

Following the appetizer was the pasta dish. I had an agnolotti of spiced lamb which was bundled with Moroccan spices and a clear Mediterranean influence. The moist lamb was well complemented by the kick from the spices and the perfectly cooked pasta. Other diners had the ravioli of duck and foie gras, which were nearly perfect.

At this point, many people would expect the quality to come down. More often than not, I have found that entrees are boring and do not live up to the excitement, flavor, or quality of the appetizers. However, Trabocchi did not disappoint. The veal, lamb, and turbot all impressed and stood on their own merit. By the time dessert came, I had fully gorged myself and could only stomach some sorbet, although it was perfectly icy and filled with fruit.

It is understandably difficult to spend so much money on Italian food, especially when there is a plethora of good Italian restaurants in New York. However, this stands above the rest, on the pedestal with Babbo, L’Impero, and Alto. The service is top-notch; the décor is very nice, but not stuffy and certainly not overly trendy (like the previous Fiamma). What am I trying to say? I like my neighborhood even more now.

Dining Brief: WD-50

I recently had the pleasure of experiencing a meal at WD-50. I use the word experience because at Wylie Dufresne’s Lower East Side restaurant, ‘experiencing’ your food is just as much a part of the dining experience as eating it.

Carrot coconut 'sunny side up.' I believe this dish epitomizes the experience at WD-50. It looks like a beautiful fried egg and even feels and acts like a fried egg yet it tastes like something completely different. Lots of fun.

This was my second visit to Wd-50 but my first time ordering A La Carte. The first visit was about a year ago when my friend Josh and I splurged and each ordered a tasting menu with wine pairings. We enjoyed the meal so much we even ordered extra desserts. Although not every dish on the tasting menu was a complete hit, I think we both agreed that the dining experience was one of the most interesting and fun that we’ve ever had.

On this recent visit we ordered A La Carte and bought five appetizers for the four of us. Since we all shared to an extent, I was able to sample almost as many dishes as the tasting menu, but I came away from the experience a little disappointed. It wasn’t that the food was bad, I really enjoyed most of the things I ate, it’s just that unlike the tasting menu, there was nothing that really made me say “wow.” The a la carte choices didn’t dip as low as some of the things that we had on the tasting menu, but they didn’t fly as high either.

I was trying to figure out why this might be and I decided that restaurant economics dictate that a regular menu be much safer. If someone like me goes into a restaurant like WD-50 and orders a tasting menu, it’s ok if three of the very innovative dishes aren’t that good. I’ll still eave happy if the other seven blow me away. However, if someone is only having an appetizer and an entrée and one fails, there is a good chance that diner isn’t coming back. The regular menu has to have safer choices to cater to a les adventurous, possibly skeptical crowd.

I still think WD-50 is an incredible restaurant and one that I would highly recommend to anyone that loves to eat but also likes to be challenged and think about their food. However, I think the true genius behind WD-50 really only comes out when Chef

Dufresne gets to play around as he often does on the tasting menu. It serves as a platform for him to offer you some of his most fun dishes and new creations. They might not all be great but when I taste a dish that hits, it brings an involuntary smile to my face, something that doesn’t happen often at restaurants.

In conclusion, if you go to WD-50 looking to really think about your food and to eat something delicious, you need to go all the way. If you dip your foot in the pond and try the regular menu you’ll probably be disappointed. Jump in for the full experience however, and you will leave happy.

Dining Brief: Spotted Pig

The weather has been getting colder and colder and I have been getting busier and busier. This confluence of trends has led me to become more and more lazy when it comes to doing fun things that 24 year olds do. I don’t relive my college days anymore and I get angry when I feel obligated to go out partying on weekends. My general fatigue and lack of desire to go outside has me seeking comfort via food more often than normal. I suppose that’s what the winter months are really about though.

This past Saturday, after teaching 5 hours of chess I decided that I wanted to get a good nights sleep so I met up with a friend tog et a good dinner at one of the restaurants on my ‘to go’ list. We chose the Spotted Pig. Since we had nothing better to do on Saturday night, the wait wasn’t too much of an obstacle and I had heard very god things about the food. In fact, the pricing and the layout of the menu (mostly bar food intended for sharing) seemed to be right up my alley.

All I have to say is that I was very disappointed. There was nothing wrong with out meal, but from a place that gets so much hype from Beard Nominations to Michelin Stars, to the general notion that the food is awesome, I just wasn’t feeling it.

The bar has a warm atmosphere and a cool, laid back vibe that seems to draw yuppie chic late 20’s to mid 30’s types, something I decidedly am not. That being said, the spotted Pig still feels like a very comfortable place, there was a palatable warmth on what was a very cold night that made the hour wait for our tale feel very comfortable.

After we were seated, we were probably in and out of the restaurant in about an hour. Our several bar snacks, appetizer and two smaller mains seemed to come out in fairly rapid succession, discouraging lingerers, but hardly leaving enough time to truly savor the food. Out of the bar snacks, the pickles herring (roll mops)were ok but a little too vinegary and not better than those you might find at a Jewish deli. The Devils on Horseback (bacon wrapped prunes), an proven recipe that is actually really difficult to screw up, were fairly tasty but not extraordinary, and our chicken liver toasts were creamy, savory and all around delicious. The ricotta gnudi that I had read so much about were light and airy as advertised, but otherwise weren’t that memorable. They were ok, but I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.

The same needs to be said about the cheeseburger. I have heard numerous rave reviews about the Spotted Pig cheeseburger with some even claiming that it was the best in the city. These reviews are flat out wrong. I really enjoy cheeseburgers but I felt that this one was completely overwhelmed by bleu cheese. The burger was perfectly cooked but with the strong cheese flavors swarming all over my taste buds I couldn’t taste a thing. Why go through the effort of cooking a burger so perfectly if you’re not going to let anyone taste it? The burger and the chewy somewhat unappealing calf’s liver entrée seemed to complement each other in that they both had their good points but didn’t really have enough going on to make them enjoyable dishes.

I rarely dislike a restaurant that I have researched and chose to go to, but the Spotted Pig wasn’t for me. Is it a nice place to grab a drink? Yes. Is it a fun place to go if you want to be seen and feel ‘in’? Sure. Would I ever go and wait an hour to eat the food there? Never again.

Momofuku Ssam Status Update

I go to Momofuku Ssam bar all the time so I tend not to write about it. However, some recent changes in the place have prompted me to put together this brief Momofuku update. Don't worry, nothing bad has happened and Momofuku still remains my favorite place to eat in all of New York, but I thought it would be dutiful to report some actual news for a change.

Ssam Bar now has a tasting menu. Although I appreciate the idea, I went and compared the tasting menu items and looked at how much they would cost on the regular menu (assuming two people ordered every item and split them) and found out that ordering a la carte would be about two thirds the price. Since the tasting menu only really offers one or two off the menu items (for which we made educated guesses about the price to make the math work) its not really worth ordering. I am confident however, that the ever creative Momofuku people will find a way to make the tasting menu worthwhile

The other big new is that they’ve hired a pastry chef! They’ve eschewed the Mocchi Ice Cream Sampler and started creating their own in house desserts. I’ve tried the cheddar shortcake with ham cream and really enjoyed it. Don’t worry, ham cream isn’t as completely far fetched as it sounds. I also tried the PB & J which is comprised of concord grape jelly, a sort of peanut butter cookie, saltine ice cream and crushed saltines. It was fantastic and instantly brought a smile to my face—I love it when food can do that.

I’m also starting to think that the Banh Mi might be my favorite menu item. I love the pork buns but perhaps I’ve been eating too many. Every time I order the banh mi it really hits the spot with the perfect elements of spice, freshness (the cilantro) crunch, creaminess and savoryness. It might be the perfect sandwich.

Finally…if you go to Momofuku and are thinking of ordering the chicken Ballotine...Don’t! It’s probably the only thing I’ve had there that I have actively disliked. Instead, do yourself a favor and muster up enough courage to order the pigs head torchon. Its face meat rolled up, poached, coated in bread crumbs and then deep fried (it doesn’t look like a head but more like a little disk.) It is crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside and tastes like some sort of ethereal little corn dog. Definitely a must have if you go to Ssam bar and fancy yourself an open minded eater.

Dining Brief: Telepan

Every once in a while I take a peek at the menu of a restaurant I will be visiting and I feel comforted. I know the food will be good. However, sometimes the flashy descriptions on the menu overstate the food and I end up being disappointed. The halibut accompanied by six different obscure and precious ingredients might be dry and not that flavorful.

The menu at Telepan is very comforting to me, and after my first visit the food pulled through as well. Executive chef Bill Telepan is one of a number of chefs whose menu reflects the seasons. He is an avid greenmarketeer and even has a cookbook Inspired by Ingredients, that can help the home chef along with cooking as determined by the market’s produce. The menu wasn’t comforting to me because of fancy descriptions or tales of Wagyu and Kobe beef. There were simply a lot of things that I liked to eat. It’s filled with eggs, potatoes, pork, pierogis and blinis and even (gasp) foie gras donuts! What was even more comforting however, was that as someone who frequents the Greenmarkets, all the ingredients were recognizable and accessible.
Although I only had brunch at Telepan, the food definitely warrants a dinner

trip in the near future. The smoked brook trout on celery root blini with green apple sour cream was too good not to taste again at some point. And everything I ate involving eggs, from the coddled eggs with scrapple (yes scrapple and its delicious) to the biscuits and gravy, a combination that reminds me of some sort of heavenly breakfast sandwich, everything I tasted was a winner. The four course $64 dollar prix fixe dinner even seems like a bargain. Even though the food does look very nice on the plate, it’s really the distinct and vibrant flavors on each plate that make the restaurant so much fun. You really get to taste your food. So, if you find yourself on the upper west side, a neighborhood relatively devoid of good restaurants, you should give Telepan a try, I promise you’ll like it.

Smoked trout, celery root blini, green apple sour cream

3 Part Post

Part 1

Dinner Party pictures are up! I don’t have them yet but if you want to see a series of pictures chronicling the entire party and don’t mind looking at good looking people eating good looking food then click here.

Part 2

I had the opportunity to eat at Hill Country tonight for a friend’s birthday. Hill country is one of the new set of restaurant serving what they claim to be authentic Texas BBQ. I use the word to claim because I don’t know that I’ve ever had authentic Texas BBQ. While the layout of Hill Country is a little confusing, the food is really pretty good. In order to obtain your meal at Hill Country you carry a tray around the restaurant cafeteria style, stopping at stations that serve meat, sides, drinks and desserts. You then get your card punched and pay as you check out. I suppose the system is based on the premise of southern hospitality, but if you manage to get a hold of an extra card it would be possible to sneak out of the restaurant without actually having to pay.

As for the food, the meat we tried was really good. The pork ribs were piggy, smoky and peppery and were not drowned in a pool of bbq sauce, that might otherwise obscure their s delicious meaty flavor. The moist (read fatty) brisket was indeed moist and mouth meltingly good and the Kreuz sausage was one of the best sausages I’ve ever had in a restaurant. The sides were a little disappointing and were not good enough to finish off once we had eaten our fill of meat. In the end, Hill Country is a great place to go if you like meat, a poor choice if you like veggies and an above average place to watch football (there’s a huge flat screen downstairs) if you find yourself craving meat and football.

Part 3

Unfortunately, I had to leave the party at Hill Country a little early. Not only is Monday night a work night, but I also had some late night cooking to do. I’ve decided to donate two tarts to be raffled off at the school bake sale this year and wanted to get a head start on the pate sucree.

As me and my friend left the party we ran into another friend just arriving (law students don’t have the same work curfew us normal people have) with two girls. The conversation went something (more or less) like this:

Unnamed friend: Hey you guys are headed home?
Me: Yeah we have work tomorrow.
Unnamed friend (a little perplexed and needing more of an explanation): Oh.
Me: Actually I have to go home and do some cooking
Girl #1: Oh, you’re the cook.
Me: I guess that’s me
Girl # 2: What are you making?
Me: I’m donating a couple of tarts to my school to be raffled off
Girl # 1: Will you marry me?
Me: Look I even have this in my pocket right now

I pull something out for the girl to look at

Girl #1: I love guys that carry those around

It was a vanilla bean. The funny thing is I have conversations like this all the time. I admit, I’m a little strange.

Dining Brief (or not so brief): Insieme

I love family birthdays. Even when the person whose birthday we are celebrating isn’t me, I still love to plan a good birthday celebration. Why do I love birthdays so much? They are a wonderful excuse to go out and have a good meal. This past weekend my dad and I got together to take my mother out for her birthday (she is still young and beautiful) and had to pick a restaurant. After consulting my list, I decided that we would take my mother to Insieme in the theater district.

I picked Insieme for several reasons: cold weather makes me crave Italian food, I wanted to go to a restaurant that we hadn’t been to yet, I wanted to support the theater district dining scene that has been hit hard in recent weeks, and I had read really nice
things about the restaurant.

Without going into too much detail, I’d like to add Insieme to my list of restaurants that I would recommend to friends. The food was very good, out of the 10 + dishes I tasted, every single one was good at worst and some were really good. The pumpkin risotto was a brilliant bright orange and was creamy, light and slightly sweet with the crumbled amaretti adding a nice crunch. I also really enjoyed my delicious fritto misto which were delightfully light and extremely savory at the same time. I also thought the pasta e fagioli was impeccably prepared and delicious for what is really a simple dish.

The concept behind Insieme is a blend of modern and traditional takes on Italian cuisine. It is this approach that makes the restaurant so interesting to me. On one side of the menu there are very innovative dishes and interesting combinations and flavor profiles that are part of what make dining out so much fun—you get to eat food that you presumably wouldn’t normally be making yourself. The other half of the menu is rooted in traditional Italian food, simple, but impeccably prepared. While some might think that the restaurant has an identity crisis, I firmly disagree. This might be true if you couldn’t create a seamless dining experience by combining options from both sides of the menu, but I thought my meal had a nice flow with dishes, that despite varying levels of complexity, went very well together.

In addition to the meal, I also thought the service almost entirely spot on. Not only did we walk in the door to a warm greeting from Chef Marco Canora (it’s always nice to see the chef in the house) but our meal was well paced and we were treated to several complementary dishes. The one very noticeable lack in service was the lack of explanation when the dishes were served. Our waiters brought our plates to the tables but didn’t really explain what was on them. At times it wasn’t hard to remember all the details of the menu, but I think it’s a bit too much to expect diners to remember every detail of the lamb or guinea hen in four preparations that they had ordered more than an hour before.

In the end however, our meal at Insieme was really an excellent one. We all left full and happy and I think my mom really enjoyed her birthday.

Restaurant Review: The Bar Room at The Modern

This is the first formal review I have written in some time. Before I start, let me explain why. First, I tend to only review places that I really like to go to. Why is this? Since I am not a professional, I have to eat on my own dime, thus the only places that I go often enough to warrant a credible, well thought out review tend to be places I like. At this point in my life I wouldn’t want to spend money at a place that I didn’t like to go to enough times to write a credible review.

I was first drawn to the Bar Room at The Modern as I was browsing through restaurants that offered summer Restaurant Week Dinner. The Bar Room, a Danny Meyer Restaurant, headed by Alsatian born Chef Gabriel Kreuther (Jean-Georges and Atelier) immediately caught my eye. I remembered reading the New York Times review several months ago and found it fascinating that the Modern Bar Room garnered one more star than The Modern Dining Room, the much fussier, more formal restaurant that shares a location and kitchen with The Bar Room.

The menu which has three sections of about 10 choices each, offers courses served hot or cold in appetizer portions and what the restaurant calls half sized entrée portions. The most expensive item is $28 dollars, but most of the menu items range from about $12 to $19 dollars. Not only does the Alsatian themed menu offer a plethora of interesting choices, like the deliciously creamy and rich ‘poached egg in a jar’ with lobster and asparagus and the perfectly cooked charred octopus with complimenting salsa verde and crispy capers, but it also offers several ‘safer’ more traditional choices. The tomato and almond gazpacho appetizer was about as good as I believe gazpacho can be, with the almonds adding sweetness, and taking enough acidity away from the tomato to let the rouget stand out and add a little more heartiness and texture to the soup. A duck confit I had on one visit was also more substantial than the title ‘half size entrée’ would indicate and was perfectly crispy on the outside with a soft center and frisee to help the palate enjoy the richness of the duck without letting it get overwhelming.


The pricing and portion size of the dishes also offer the diner some versatility and help make planning a meal a little more fun. Most restaurants with food of this caliber have appetizers in the same range but offer entrees in full portions for higher prices. I can definitely eat a lot if I need to but I felt perfectly sated with one appetizer, one half size entrée, one dessert and a little extra money in my wallet. I even think that one could compose a meal by choosing three of the twenty appetizers, or if there is something too good to be passed up (and there are several on this menu), splitting an appetizer, ordering another and having an entrée. I did this on a recent visit and was able to split the seared foie gras, perfectly salted and crisply crust with the texture and taste of savory clouds on the inside. The accompanying candied walnuts and fruit chutney helped, in various proportions, make the foie gras add sweetness and crunchiness to the foie.

The décor and location of the Bar Room also make it a place where an eclectic mix of people can commingle and feel comfortable whether it be for a date, a business meeting, or a simple dinner with the parents. I have a friend who goes just to hang out at the bar and sip on a cloying and complex champagne and rosewater cocktail, one of a nice selection including a spicy twist on a margarita with kiwi and jalapeno and a drink that seems to be a mix of all the good parts of a dark and stormy and white Russian minus any milk. The long hallway and interior of the Bar Room are what one would expect of a Danny Meyer/museum collaboration, chic yet thoughtful. The black surfaces of the room are highlighted by a glassy bar and the green back wall with silhouetted trees keep the room from feeling too sedate. The frosted glass windows separating the Bar Room from the Dining Room help lighten up the room and the columns tiled with distorted mirrors help add space without forcing you to watch yourself eat as you sit comfortably in one of the leather office type dining chairs.

I chose to go Back to the Bar room and take friends because not only is the restaurant affordable (especially when entrees at regular restaurants are rising over $30 dollars) but that there is also an eclectic and delicious array of food. The menu truly has something for everyone. Fish lovers can be satisfied by two plump scallops served in a cinnamon scented lobster broth or an upside down tuna tart covered in a crispy tuile, adding much needed crunch to a dish that can be overly mushy. For pig lovers, there is a beer braised pork belly, soft and rich accompanied by a pleasantly acidic and necessary sauerkraut. And red meat lovers can have the perfectly cooked rib eye with a surprisingly light bleu cheese flan or the spice crusted, meltingly good rack of lamb. Those with a sweet tooth also can't miss here. Beignets come fluffy and warm and in a portion large enough to split and taste like a perfectly indulgent breakfast when dipped in caramel and maple ice cream. I also applaud pastry chef Marc Aumont for his use of nuts in his desserts. Pistachios are both elegant, creamy and sweet when stuffed inside a chocolate dome and served alongside as an ice cream. They also make an appearance as a foil for strawberries as part of a lavishly composed macaroon. The hazelnut daquoise is also something I would order again although I like almost anything with hazelnuts inside.

The Bar Room at the Modern is an enjoyable restaurant because it can be so many things to so many different people. The affordable wine list makes the restaurant a great place for a date or to sit at the bar and have a drink with a small plate. The location makes The Bar Room a destination for pre or post theater meals as well as a nice place to enjoy some food after a day at the museum. If that’s not enough, the numerous menu choices all affordably priced provide a place where young people like me can go and sample first rate adventurous cooking or simply enjoy a simple meal at a price that makes you want to come back.