Esca (Hell's Kitchen NYC)

On my last night in New York, I finally made it to the one restaurant I had marked as a must visit when I read about it in one of those seat pocket airplane magazines. I was immediately impressed by Dave Pasternack’s ability to find the right fish guy for every fish, bypassing the middleman. I remember that review describing a remote Eskimo who supplies the chef with some niche fish and wondering what fish I’d choose and where in the world it would come from.

As a southern coastal Italian restaurant, I had high expectations for the seafood, as that was my favorite food on my Amalfi Coast visit. Everything was so fresh and real in Italy. Esca did not disappoint.

My friend David and I decided to make an event of it given my last night instead of just going for food, so we started off with a bottle of wine and a half dozen oysters. Given the wine list was all Italian, we consulted the sommelier who recommended the dry Moscato del Veneto “Sirio” Vignalta 2007 Veneto from the Northeast. The oysters were Widow’s Hole and Peter’s point, all large and succulent.

It was a tough decision to forgo a crudo dish of raw seafood, but the Altro dish (cooked appetizer) of clams with prosciutto was too enticing to pass up and really, how many dishes can we do?

From there, we went to our primi dish of spaghetti neri, which was squid ink spaghetti with tiny cuttlefish, green chilies, and scallion. The chilies gave it a surprising kick and the squid ink gave it a fantastic and beautiful texture.

Our Secondi dish, we went for the Branzino per Tre, which was a whole Mediterranean sea bass cooked in sea salt. Teased by the display of this fish to our neighboring table... The waiter brought it out caked in the salt for our inspection prior to serving it up on our individual plates. While it was meant for 3 people, it was perfect for two even with all the other food. I normally don’t care for fish that may have bones in it, but the server deboned it expertly, leaving no inedible remains and a magnificently flavored fish. Clearly the chef understands fish better than any other chef’s seafood concoctions I’ve ever tasted before, knowing just what it needed, and didn't. Our complex dishes in this meal combined wonderful flavors, while our main dish was so simple and perfect.

To finish, we couldn’t fathom any more food, so we both ended with a digestivo instead of dessert. I can’t remember the name of mine, but it was a carmel flavored liquor and a wonderful end to a fantastic meal.

The restaurant itself appeared small, with only a handful of tables inside and a large al fresca dining space on a neighboring patio, but this added to the intimacy of the place. There was a more formal side of the restaurant, but I was happy with our bright, open, yet intimate table. The space was overwhelmed with branches of a flowering live pink rhododendron to add personality.

Our service was attentive. I appreciated that the wait staff seemed less like starving actors and more like professional service people, unlike other restaurants in this Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.

Overall, Esca tops my restaurant experience in New York, Coming in a close second only to Nobu. Thank you David for a wonderful meal!

Flavor of Midtown (New York)

I had the pleasure of experiencing the Grand Gourmet Flavor of Midtown on its tenth anniversary this year, hosted by the Grand Central Partnership in Grand Central Station. The event was created ten years ago to showcase the rejuvenation of a new culinary scene in midtown New York and serves as a benefit to the Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corporation helping the homeless.

As I’m not able to review each restaurant past their tasters here, I’ll simply give a list of the highlights from the event, whose restaurants have added themselves to my must visit list on my next trip to New York.

Ranking first on my list, Pera Mediterranean Brasserie. There, Chef Jason Avery sampled his smoked lamb “Turkish Tacos,” which completely blew all other tasters out of the water at this event. The meat was incredibly flavorful and the feta sprinkled over the top added a nice contrast.

Ranking second was the Wheeltapper Pub serving a petite canapé of irish curried chicken on fresh baked brown bread and topped with old time Irish marmalade by Chef James Donahue. The curry was mild and chicken shredded. This was the first thing I sampled and it wasn’t until the very last thing sampled at Pera that I was uber impressed by another dish… it was a very close second.

Ranking third on my list is the Benjamin Steakhouse at the Dylan hotel. There, Chef Arturo McLeod sampled his porterhouse bites with creamy mashed potatoes and Benjamin steak sauce. Incredibly tender steak.

And fourth was Pershing Square, sampling their lobster sliders with pickles and chips by Chef Aaron Bashy… quite unique, but still just a slider with too much bread.

Honorable mentions include:

Aretsky’s Patron, At Vermillion, Bice Ristorante, and Triomphe,

There was only one to completely avoid, where my notes simply said “gross:” Kellari Taverna.

All others were simply mundane. An enjoyable, star-studded event though… very well produced and worth every dime of my comped ticket! Thank you Stella for sponsoring.