Father's Day Feasts

Father's Day means one thing these days:  food.  Dads around the globe take to the grill outside for an unofficial start of summer, but here are some options for Dads that won't involve a potential house fire.

Skip the kerosene tanks and take your father out for a meal he'll remember.  Here are some options:

Zero Otto Nove on W 21st knows pasta.  For a Dad who is craving carbs, this is "the real deal" according to Zagat when it comes to pasta.

Spice Market New York in the Meatpacking is actually giving out free rubs...grilling rubs, that is.  Their chef, Anthony Ricco, is an overachiever and changes up their lunch prix-fixe weekly, and when you order up one of those, you get a perfectly measured spicy grilling rub to take home.  

Andanda is serving up a menu just for Dads including Portobello Carpaccio with Taglionlini and Spanish Ham and Chicken Lollipops, for instance.  The specialized menu includes a choice of appetizer and entree, for just $18 ALL day.  I'll take that.

Cheers to Dad!

Mythbusters

Which is better - gas or electric? Do lobsters scream when boiled? Does searing meat seal in the juices? Find out here:

http://www.pgacon.com/KitchenMyths.htm

Kurve

The new East Village brainchild of Sasha Petraske, the ideaman behind undercover cocktail haunts Milk and Honey and Little Branch, is one of the most exciting ideas in dining in New York right now. The kitchy, neon modern vibe isn’t exactly romantic or intimate, but the exceptionally diligent service shows they’re serious about the important stuff.

The menu is split into traditional (and fairly cheap) Thai cuisine where you’ll find the old standbys like pad thai and green curry alongside a bunch of other stuff you usually order from takeout. The other half of the menu is comprised of inventive takes on Thai flavors using nontraditional ingredients like the BBQ quail with a lemongrass marinade and the basil-rubbed Wagyu beef burger.

The steamed pork buns were average compared to the glut of offerings in the neighborhood, my biggest complaint being that they were understuffed and skimpy on the cilantro, which really packed a boatload of flavor.

The glazed black cod was cooked PERFECTLY with impeccably tender and sweet fish underneath a nice crusty char on the outside. I know a lot of haute cuisine restaurants are doing a black cod these days, but few are doing it as well as the folks at Kurve.

The tuna tartlets weren’t really delivered as expected, being more like a passed hors d’ouvre at a wedding reception than something you’d expect to see at a fine dining establishment, but I’ll give it a pass since the flavor and texture were there and the dish actually worked.

The piece de resistance at Kurve, though, is the beverage offering. The seriously smooth selections use a whole forest of fresh ingredients with interesting twists on the classics as well as new concoctions display a certain grown up refinement without letting go of the fun. My blackberry smash was served under a mountain of crushed ice that looked so pretty I barely wanted to drink it (until I tried it, anyway.) Another note on the drinks is that they’re fantastically expensive compared to the relatively cheap menu. My bill was comprised of 75% drink cost and 25% food cost, but if you think of it as going out for really nice cocktails with the bonus feature of also having pretty good (and pretty cheap) food, it’s a little easier to stomach

Get in while you can still get a reservation. This place is about to really blow up.

COST: ~$50 food + $15 per cocktail

LOCATION: 87 2nd Ave at 5th St. East Village

I Sodi

There are some restaurants you visit because they get a lot of hype in the Times. Others you visit because it’s the trend du jour and you figure for two hundred bucks you have a decent chance of seeing a celebrity. Don’t go to I Sodi for either of those reasons. What you get at I Sodi are generous portions of traditional Italian recipes in an unpretentious atmosphere where the emphasis is on simple, good food and exceptional service without a lot of pretense.

I Sodi lies on a well-traveled stretch of Christopher Street in the West Village, but it’s tucked away so well in an intimate little space, you’d barely know it was there. The sliding wood-framed doors and opaque window coverings give the restaurant a romantic and private ambiance.

The bar menu offers several takes on the classic negroni, a traditional Italian cocktail comprised of gin, vermouth, and bitters (usually Campari.) The bar was remarkable not only for the interesting cocktails but also because the professional service set the tone for the rest of the meal. Show me a waiter who shows up when you need him and leaves you alone when you don’t and has the wherewithal to know the difference and I’ll show you a happy customer every single time.

The wild boar tagliatelle was perfectly rich and meaty, although the half portion intended as a primi dish, was probably more than I could have eaten as a main course. Ditto for the spinach risotto, which was creamy and salty from the parmesan and just al dente enough. The contorni of fava bean fagoli was deliciously creamy and sweet. It’s not a regular on the menu, but should be. The highlight of the pig three way main course (as I like to call it) is the spiced-up sausage with just a touch of sage and nutmeg. The pork chop and rib were decent, but I was so stuffed by this point that I couldn’t really give them a fair shake on my palate.

I Sodi is a perfect date place that delivers solid service and earnest food without the pomp and circumstance you’ve come to expect in Manhattan.


LOCATION: 105 Christopher St. near Bleecker St.

COST: $60 per person

WINNERS: white bean fagoli side dish, cinghiale tagliatelle, service, seasonal menu

LOSERS: The place only seats about 35, so make a reservation

BLT Market

BLT Market, the latest outpost in a string of restaurants bearing his namesake, chef Laurent Tourondel has again succeeded in bringing snob-worthy food to the masses in this casual bistro on Central Park South. Diners are greeted by a blackboard touting weekly specials like the kumquat mojito, which sets the tone for Tourondel’s heavy emphasis on seasonal and locally-grown produce. Strangely, down the left side of the menu is a listing of fish, meats, and vegetables currently in season, none of which was actually being served.

The pigs-in-a-blanket amuse boche was a playful greeting with a queer juxtaposition. Was it weird to be eating pigs-in-a-blanket at a meal costing a buck fifty? Yes. Was I going to not eat tender salty pork wrapped in flaky buttery puff pastry topped with briny sauerkraut? No. The bread was also especially noteworthy, served hot and crispy and cut with fresh pesto.

An interesting note about the menu at BLT Market is that all dishes are served a la carte. I chose the trumpet mushrooms with the black cod and it turned out to be a perfect pairing. The butteriness of the flaky fish went well with the, well, butteriness of the mushrooms, which literally were drowning in their own private pool of oil. Trumpet mushrooms are extremely dense and meaty, and this chewiness was an odd but interesting pairing with the delicate fish.

The fruity glazed duck paired with perfectly sautéed foie gras was like winning the fat jackpot. This dish was so flavorful and over-the-top with richness that it was hard to stomach more than a few bites. The accompanying garlic mashed potatoes were also a flavor explosion of super creamy goodness. I wouldn’t swear under oath that they were laden with a stick of butter, but to be able to taste them after the rest of the fatty dishes, they must have been.

The dessert list is also particularly interesting because of the focus on seasonal ingredients. I was so stuffed after the fat-laden meal that I had to decline dessert, but a late-night surprise was offered by the kitchen, and who am I to offend? So, I politely scarfed down the chocolate feuilletine rocky road, which boasted layers of chocolate and marshmallow so delightfully rich and decadent.

The casual atmosphere and easy sharing of a la carte dishes makes BLT Market a great date spot as well as a solid weeknight neighborhood choice. Just remind me how good it was when I have a heart attack at age 29.

LOCATION: 1430 6th Ave. at 59th St. in the Ritz Carlton

WINNERS: seasonal cocktails and entrees, casual bistro atmosphere

LOSERS: nonsensical menu, flavorless hamachi

COST: ~ $75 per person

Tia Pol

This tiny Chelsea tapas joint is smaller than a lot of suburban closets, but an absolutely fantastic value. With intimate two-tops packed into a narrow hallway with a few booths cut out into the walls, the scene can be a bit claustrophobic and noisy, but the upside is that that if things get a little too raucous, no one may notice.

The patatas bravas, a staple tapas dish, and, for me, a control test making for easy comparisons from one tapas haunt to another lived up to crispy expectations. The selection of croquettes changes daily and who doesn’t like fried balls of potatoes and meat? I can’t even begin to describe the sherry chorizo. The closest thing I can think of is having sex with Pamela Anderson. Your bottomside may burn for a few days afterward, but it was still worth the few ephemeral moments of pleasure.

The wine list draws heavily from Spanish and South American varietals and is uniquely affordable in the city of sky’s the limit bottle prices.

Tia Pol is worth a flier for a first date and could easily become a weeknight staple for locals who want a solid Spanish meal without spending a lot of pesetas.

LOCATION: 10th Ave. bet. 22/23

COST: $30 per person

WINNERS: patatas bravas, wine list

LOSERS: small space, noisy

Gilt

This gilded Midtown mecca tucked away inside the Palace Hotel has managed to pull off a rare feat in the New York dining scene: they’ve provided a perfectly understated and sophisticated dining experience in the most pretentious of settings.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that my meal at Gilt was one of the top three meals I’ve eaten in New York City. The food was serious without being too fussy, the service was seamless without pageantry, and at the expansive wine list offered the flexibility to go for broke or to pinch pennies.

The seared duck breast was probably the most perfectly executed classic preparation of the dish I’ve ever eaten. The “caviar and eggs” first course was a perfectly balanced concoction consisting of a poached duck egg accompanied by briny caviar and rounded out by the earthiness of Matsutake mushrooms. The red wine braised short ribs were another winner served as three well-marbled distinct cubes of extremely tender rib meat paired with horseradish-spiked potatoes and Hen of the Woods mushrooms. The desserts were predictably rich and photogenic, and the après dinner assorted truffles were particularly noteworthy, delivered in flavors like salted caramel, mint, and almond.

The most remarkable part about the service was that it was perfectly unremarkable; I never wanted for anything until I realized I already had it. I wondered if my server was commenting on my hygiene when he appeared from nowhere with a neatly rolled napkin served between polished silver tongs. My napkin had fallen off my lap. I didn’t notice. He did.

It’s hard to put a value sticker on a meal that has a prix fixe price tag of $88, but I’ve paid more for meals that were nowhere as satisfying.

LOCATION: New York Palace Hotel, 455 Madison Ave, Midtown East

COST: $85 prix fixe, $110 tasting per person

WINNERS: real gold desserts during dinner, Gossip Girl being filmed in the hotel during dinner

LOSERS: real gold plated desserts the next day