David Burke Kitchen delights... until dessert

Last week marked my parents' 38th wedding anniversary (!!!), so to celebrate, we all went out to dinner at David Burke Kitchen in Soho. I'd heard good things about the new outpost of David Burke's empire, particularly about the desserts, so I was excited.

Despite the fact that it was empty when we arrived (literally-- we were the first group to be seated that evening, which is always awkward), the space is quite nice. It's subterranean but still full of light, bright and whimsically decorated.

We started off with a bottle of prosecco to toast the parents' achievements (the wine list skews quite pricy, so budget accordingly). This went well with the bread course, which offered a choice of sourdough, multigrain, or olive walnut bread-- as much as you could eat throughout the meal, courtesy of an obliging bread man. The olive bread was luxuriously studded with enormous olives and was delicious with the soft, spreadable butter. My only gripe was that they only provided one tiny dish of butter for the table of five (maybe two tablespoons total)-- upon request more arrived, of course, but still.

LOVE olive bread!

Then came the appetizers. Mom and Dad both ordered the market salad, which we'll get to later. The bro went for the lobster soup, which came first as a bowl of just the included lobster dumplings and associated garnishes. As the maitre d' placed the bowl on the table, he asked the bro if he'd like more soup; "Sure, a little more," D responded in slight confusion. Of course, then the soup was poured tableside from a teapot-looking contraption, the plan all along. Mad props to DBKitchen for punking my brother. Culinarily punking.

Ashton, is that you?

While the appetizers were appreciated, the entrees were even more successful. Mom went for a soft-shell crab special, which the waiter offered to prepare in an entree portion (it was designed as an appetizer). As a lover of soft-shell crabs, she loved this preparation, which is visually bizarre yet kind of cool.

Tentacles everywhere

Dad and LM went for the pork chop, a huge Flintstones chop crowned with a couple of gargantuan onion rings. I took a bite of LM's onion ring, and it was exemplary-- fluffily battered yet still sweet and toothsome. They both really enjoyed the pork chop, though they noted it was a bit on the fatty side. LM also ordered a well-received and visually quite pretty side order of basil whipped potatoes.

Crowning onion rings

Purty potatoes

The bro went for the short rib, which got crowned with a dollop of truffle cream tableside (guess he was all about the tableside preparations that night, eh?). Along with the accompanying cavatelli and wild mushrooms, the bro pronounced the shortribs perhaps "the best plate of food he's ever had." Cheers to that!

Best?

My choice was the same market salad Mom and Dad had had as an app. I got mine sans bacon, but it was still plenty interesting. It was a huge tangle of lightly dressed greens crowned with some translucently-thin shavings of what seemed to be pear; in the mix were roasted walnuts, caramelized dices of some sort of root vegetable (could easily have been potato or turnip), and a few large hunks of aged goat cheese. This was one of the more interestingly composed salads I've encountered-- a fine and satisfying balance of textures and flavors, and quite filling to boot.

Highly recommended

So the meal seemed to be on an upward trajectory, and given the raves I've heard about the desserts, I couldn't wait for the final showdown: dessert. We were all quite full at this point, so only Mom and LM got a real dessert (the chocolate caramel fudge cake), while I got an assortment of three of their ice creams.

The fudge cake went over well; it was pretty much just as you'd expect from the photo: chocolatey, cakey, pretty to look at. It got the job done.

Chocolate cake

But my ice creams-- for shame! This was, without a doubt, the worst ice cream I've ever had. And if you read this blog regularly, you'll know how much ice cream I eat and how much I love ice creams and frozen treats of all kinds. All three flavors here-- vanilla, cajeta (goat's milk caramel), and chocolate-- were atrocious. Icy, thin, flavorless, not rich at all: it tasted like eating ice with a bit of skim milk poured over it. The texture was all wrong. The flavor was all wrong. I took a couple bites, and once I realized what was going on, I did the unthinkable: I stopped. Not sure if this is sad or not, but this is the first and only time I've ever stopped eating a dessert a few bites in because it was terrible and simply not worth the calories (even at Scarpetta, when I should have stopped, I didn't.) It's just such a puzzler, because it's not difficult to make delicious ice cream, and if you can't, just order it from any of the many fantastic companies that deliver to restaurants (Il Laboratorio del Gelato, anyone?). Also, on a completely separate note, it's a little disappointing for an ice cream dessert preparation at an upscale restaurant to come with no garnishes or fun add-ons (whipped cream, cookie garnishes, anything); given that the ice cream was so vile it didn't matter, but had it been delicious the three small shot glasses of plain ice cream still would have been somewhat disappointing.

Worst?

Anyway, dessert screed over. Aside from that, the rest of the evening was pitch-perfect-- food was delicious, space enjoyable, and service prompt and friendly and everything you could ask for. In the right context and with a much improved ice cream service, DBKitchen could be pushing five spatulas. As it was, it landed at a low four, providing a memorably delicious evening to most of the party and unfortunately only truly disappointing the reviewer.

David Burke Kitchen
23 Grand Street at 6th Avenue
212-201-9119

A vicarious crepe intermission

Last week, KS and I were wandering around Chelsea Market, and she was looking for a light lunch. Light lunch, you say? Straight off we went to Bar Suzette, a newish creperie offering both savory and sweet options.

The nutella option was tempting (as were the rest of the sweet selections), but KS decided to go for the ham and cheese. There was rosemary in the thin crepe batter that got poured on the hot stone; the crepemaster flipped the half-cooked crepe onto a cooler stone and layered in the fillings-- swiss cheese, pepper, fatty ham. Folded in quarters and tucked in a sleeve, it was the perfect to-go food. KS approved!

Steamy

First the cheese...

Wait till it melts; add some pepper

Layer in the ham

And enjoy!

Bar Suzette
Chelsea Market
425 W. 15th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues

Back in the (Thai) saddle

I haven't had Thai food for quite a while now, so when it was time for BL and me to have a catch-up dinner, I skipped the usual Italian or American choices and went straight to the Thai. This thaime -- excuse me, time-- we tried a place I've never been before, despite it being marginally in the neighborhood: Thai Basil, on 9th Ave between 55th and 56th Streets.

The dining room itself is typical Thai: sparse, somewhat depressing, nothing to write home about at all. The prices are also relatively standard, in the $8-12 range for an entree depending on your protein, perhaps a dollar or two more expensive than some of the other comparable options. They had a papaya salad, and that's all that mattered to me.

So a papaya salad is what I got. This one was actually a relatively small portion, although there was lots of sauce swimming at the bottom of the curiously oblong rectangular plate. But it was pretty good; just as I remembered it, crunchy and savory, with lots of peanuts on top. I requested mild spice, and I don't think they put any spice in it at all, because come to think of it I don't remember any lingering burn whatsoever.

The plate extends for about another 6 inches to the left

BL chose to start with a Thai iced tea, which was the most alarmingly orange beverage I've ever seen. I'm talking more orange than orange soda, which is probably about 50% orange dye. This is not something I'd drink (and again, I drink orange soda). But BL consumed it, enjoyed it, and called it refreshing.

It got even more orange once he mixed it up

For his entree, BL got the "Thai basil" with pork. This comes with basil, onion, and bell pepper in a brownish/orangeish sauce, with the obligatory plate of white rice on the side. Though he had just had lunch a few hours before, BL did enjoy this dish. From my perspective, it looked pretty standard.

Big chunks of veggies there

So where does Thai Basil fall in the spectrum of Hell's Kitchen thai joints? Pretty much right smack in the middle. It's hovering between two and three Offset Spatulas in my book... not bad at all, but there's no reason to go there over any of the other Thai places on Ninth Ave, unless this happens to be the closest one to you at the time of your Thai craving. For the slightly less-appealing-than-average dining room and the slightly smaller-than-average portions, I'll give Thai Basil two OSes and a tip of the hat for curing my Thai craving admirably.

Thai Basil
860 Ninth Avenue, between 55th and 56th Streets
212-397-2036

Just go straight to the bomboloni at A Voce

I've been wanting to go to A Voce Columbus ever since it opened. Why? It got good reviews, it was Italian food, it wasn't prix fixe, it was in the neighborhood (kind of)... it was the quadruple threat. It's been a long time in coming, but when Mom and Dad were in town, I finally made it over there. And I wasn't disappointed.

Mom, Dad, LM, and the bro and I were led to a five-person table in the middle of the modern, classy dining room. We all had a little bit of trouble with the chairs, which are bizarre swivel-y office-style chairs (whaa?). But we settled in, and after about a million menu-related questions for our waiter, we finally placed our order.

First, the wine: for the sake of the Wine Century Club, each of us got a glass of a different kind, with Mom and Dad splitting one. For them, it was a glass of grenache and syrah rose blend; for LM, a pinot grigio rose; for the bro, a moscato d'asti; and for me, a garganega-soave blend. This was tangy and a bit tropical-tasting, good with food and refreshing. And for those counting, I'm now up to NINE varietals for the WCC!

So-ahhh-vay

But really, how was the food? First, phenomenal homemade focaccia with whipped ricotta flecked with red chili flakes. The bread was soft and oily in all the good ways; the only thing it was missing was a shower of coarse salt on the crust. The ricotta was some of the most addictive stuff I've ever had. I couldn't stop eating it, first with bread, then with just the tip of my knife. Nom nom nom.

Acre of delicious, delicious bread

For appetizers, Mom and Dad split the "Condiggion" salad, with gem lettuce, friselle, cucumber, and bottarga. Despite avowing to not liking 50% of the ingredients between the two of them, they both really enjoyed the salad, and it's worth noting the kitchen split it onto two plates without even being asked.

Half a salad

The bro went for a starter of one of the verdure options, cauliflower with almonds and golden raisins. It was surprisingly zesty and bright, and the bro really liked it, especially once he got to the juicy bits at the bottom of the bowl. His words, not mine.

Cruciferous veggies

There was a significant wait before the entrees came, during which I mainlined a bunch more ricotta. But the wait was worth it. For his entree, the bro went for the Maiale, pork chops with roasted abalone mushrooms, arugula, and grilled lemons. He loved it, and it was a huge portion.

Double chop

Mom went for the Pesce Spada, swordfish with marinated eggplant, basil, capers and chilies. She also gave two thumbs up, noting that it's often difficult to cook swordfish well, but the kitchen nailed it.

LM got the Pollo al Mattone, fennel and chili marinated grilled chicken, tuscan greens, and gigante white beans. Once again, this was an enormous portion, and she enjoyed it while noting that the chicken got almost a bit chalky by the end. Again, her words, not mine.

Chalky chicken?

Dad chose the ravioli di caprino, which was prosciutto and goat cheese-filled pasta with leeks, pistachios, and parmesan. He said it was over-salted and looked sort of disgruntled.

Salty pasta

My choice was the funghi al forno, an appetizer of roasted trumpet royal mushrooms, fonduta, mache, and hazelnuts. This wasn't at all what I was expecting-- it was much lighter, which on balance was good. But it also wasn't as hearty or decadent. The mushrooms were lightly cooked, which meant they didn't quite get to the point where mushrooms get deliciously caramelized and lose their woodsy funk. The fonduta was tasty but also a bit mild. There were only three hazelnut halves on the plate, so that didn't add too much. Overall, given my high hopes for this dish, I was a bit disappointed, but I think I also just ordered wrong.

Very pretty, at least!

No matter, that left room for dessert. Mom and I both chose the chocolate chip semifreddo, which was chocolate chip mousse, light and pure-flavored with little specks of crunchy chocolate, already melting around the edges and gently frozen at the interior. There was a cocoa pizzelle topping things off, not too sugary with some good crunchy texture. And as a sweet surprise, there was a shallow moat of bitter orange sauce for flavor contrast—just tart enough to wake up the taste buds.

Simple but spot-on

LM and the bro shared the bomboloni, A Voce's signature dessert. Oh MAN were these phenomenal. The texture of these yeast-raised donuts, each between the size of a golfball and a softball, was so fantastically light, it was like sinking into a soft pillow every time the fork hit the confection. Add a dollop of custard in the center of each, a healthy sprinkling of sugar around each freshly-fried exterior, and some bittersweet chocolate sauce for dipping, and you've got yourself some of the best donuts I've ever come across.

Droooooool

As a final freebie, there were confectioner's-sugar-dusted strips of fried dough brought to the table with the check. These tasted exactly how you'd expect they'd taste: like fried egg roll skins. A nice thought, but a little down-market from the rest of the meal, no?

Fried dough.

While the meal overall had its ups and downs, A Voce Columbus deserves four Offset Spatulas. The cooking is thoughtful and interesting, a nice twist on the old favorites you find around town. The atmosphere is sleek and upscale yet still really welcoming. It's a place I'd certainly recommend to others, and I hope I get to return at some point to sample some of the other delightful-looking options on the menu.

A Voce Columbus
10 Columbus Circle, Third Floor
212-823-2523

Meats 'n' sweets at The Red Cat

On Saturday night, AV and I headed to The Red Cat in far West Chelsea to meet up for our second "date" with SW and BC, a long time in the making. AV and I got there a little early, which made for an unfortunate amount of time spent with us trying to make ourselves inconspicuous in the entryway/bar area, which was packed with revelers (leaving pretty much no room to stand. Scratch that, literally no room to stand). Finally we were led to a table, and SW and BC joined soon afterward. Get the party STARTED!

Red Cat was busy. Crazy busy. Servers was running around, chatter was high, people in various states of hipster dress and fluorescent-colored hair milled about, all creating what I think is technically called "buzz." It took a while to get our orders in, but once we did, we were treated to thick slabs of bread, portioned out one per person, with a tiny dish of olive oil in the middle to share. The bread was addictive, incredibly stretchy and chewy in the middle with an assertive thick crust. But we could have used more olive oil, as our well had run dry by the time the four of us had finished our pieces.

You can't tell from this perspective, but this was a huge piece

SW and BC had ordered the fontina macaroni to share as a starter. First off, the macaroni was covered with an arresting green crust-- an inquiry of our server confirmed those were "herbed bread crumbs," but geez, covering anything with what looks like a moldy substance can't be a great PR move for a dish. Nonetheless, SW and BC enjoyed the macaroni, which had pieces of pepperoni tucked inside a loose cheese sauce. I abstained due to the meat content, but I must say I like my macaroni more on the thick-and-rich side, like the craziness at Brown Cafe. But fortunately nobody asked me.

Green mac & cheese, Sam I Am

It took a while after the mac and cheese was gone, but our entrees did arrive eventually, and I will say up front they were winners all around. I went with the arugula and parmesan salad, which is technically a side; it was fresh and much more interesting than I had anticipated, since it came with some onions and halved grape tomatoes. Plus there was ample parmesan, which I appreciated. AV went with the short rib with "garlic escarole, apple-parsnip puree, and pink pepper gremolata"-- he was impressed. SW and BC raved about their sauteed cod ("lamb polpette, cockles, tomato white wine broth") and grilled pork tenderloin ("blue cheese-tomato gratin, wilted spinach, caramelized onions"), respectively. All portions were pretty ample and were beautifully presented.

Short ribs

Cod

Pork

...and salad

And then there was dessert. The Red Cat dessert menu had a number of good-looking options, so we indulged. AV went for the carrot cake (SW and BC also elected to share an order), which consisted of a cupcake-stump-style round individual cake, accompanied by a scoop of cream cheese ice cream atop a carrot and carrot ginger salad. The whole shebang was anchored to the plate by a smear of what tasted like thinned cream cheese frosting. AV and I traded bites of dessert, and I'll attest that the carrot cake was quite good-- the cake part was moist and packed with raisins, and it tasted almost like the Billy's version (which I ADORE). The cream cheese ice cream was a dead ringer for cream cheese frosting, only in ice cream form. Got that?

Like a molten chocolate cake, but carrot. And not molten.

My choice was an order of apple profiteroles. These came three small pastries to a plate, each one an eggy puff (really eggy-- I know it's an egg-based pate a choux but you could really taste the egg in this, even smothered in caramel) filled with apple-butterscotch ice cream, all topped with caramel and perched in a soup of cinnamon-chocolate sauce and swirls of caramel. Sounds like a mouthful, huh? It definitely was. This was a very sweet dessert, but given my insatiable sweet tooth (apologies to my dentist) I really enjoyed it. For texture there were tiny bits of apples in the ice cream and a bit of chew in the pastry. For pure decadence, there was the pool of sauce, which I lapped up long after the rest of the dessert was gone.

Well plated puffs

So, as you can tell, our experience at the Red Cat was quite positive. The place itself is fun to be in, with unusual touches like decorative fork-and-spoon coat hooks on the walls; my only gripe aside from the fact that there's no room to stand while waiting for a table is that the space is loud (the four of us were shouting for much of the night). But the food was quite, quite tasty, thoughtful, and high quality, especially the desserts. I would certainly recommend it and would be happy to return myself, making TRC a solid four Offset Spatula destination.

The Red Cat
227 Tenth Avenue, between 23rd and 24th Streets
212-242-1122