Restaurant Week is often derided, and I get it. Most of the meals are scams. However, I’ve read that a couple places do it well, particularly Gramercy Tavern (which I’m going to try to hit up soon) and The Bar Room at The Modern. The vibes were great, and they sat me at a table rather than the bar! Very comfy chair.
Summer Restaurant Week
Cured Arctic Char (peaches): they didn’t rely on just the flavor of the cured fish which is often the failing for this kind of dish for me since it tends to be very subtle. Instead, it’s boosted by a ton of flavor from the peaches and its juices along with whatever seasoning they had going on. I probably only needed about half of this course, though.
Artichoke and Lobster Ravioli (sweet corn and sorrel): it’s lobster sauce, not lobster, so they kind of got me there. Also, where was the artichoke? Bit of a confusing dish, but it was tasty. Probably in the decent b-tier of pastas I’ve had in NYC. This was my safe boring pick of the prixe fix.
Lemon Pain Perdu (wild blueberries and granola): can’t stop thinking about how bad the dessert at Foxface was. This puts it to absolute shame.
Bread: I saw the people around me getting bread, and I was very jealous. I didn’t say anything, and it eventually came between my first and second courses. A bit odd. Everybody else had the bread while they were eating their first course. If fine dining is insistent on cold bread, then this is how you do it. Excellent. Came with some spread, not butter, that I can’t remember.
Ko-Pilot (non-alcoholic, Duché de Longueville sparkling cider, yuzu, maple, sea salt): as I’ve said, I’m a whore for non-alcoholic drinks. It’s a serious problem. This was fantastic, potent. Can’t help but wonder if I can make any of this at home.
Verbena (non-alcoholic, bax botanics, bay leaf, sparkling Sicilian lemonade): given the savings of the restaurant week menu, I went for a second glass of liquid. Not as good as the other one. Pretty watered down.