Restaurant Week NYC

Twice a year (Summer and Winter), Manhattan restaurants participate in an event called Restaurant Week. It's a span of anywhere between 2-6 weeks where some of the upscale places in town offer a 3 course lunch or dinner for a reduced price of $24 or $35, respectively. This is a monster bargain, as many of these places would normally cost 2-3 times that price for a 3 course meal. However, you have to be careful what you wish for, as some restaurants will offer you a great meal, whereas others will throw scraps onto the menu and pretend it's fine dining.

Due to my moving up here recently and being occupied with more important things (such as finding an apartment!), I didn't have the time to explore as many places as I wanted. Fortunately though, I was able to check out two places: David Burke Townhouse and Le Cirque. 

David Burke Townhouse came first. It was off a friend's recommendation on a Sunday evening. It's a very modern, chic looking place in the Upper East Side and received a 2-Star NY Times rating several years ago. The chef/owner, David Burke, is a bit cooky. Many of his plates have eccentric names and presentations. But whereas many other chefs with an air for the flair fail with the execution of the food, he makes it work pretty well. Service was pretty good, but what surprised me was the food and the immense portions we got considering it was restaurant week. Sure, a few details were missed (unpolished fork, Riedel etching on the wine glass pointing the other way), but these are details only a perfectionist would look for, especially when you work in an environment where perfection is demanded every day. They were easy to overlook considering the great meal we had.

Albert, who first made an appearance in a previous pizza episode, and I sat down in the lounge and were treated to a great meal. For starters, he enjoyed a Pretzel Crusted Crab Cake with a Sweet Chili Prawn, Confit Orange and Poppyseed Honey. Due to my shellfish allergy, I didn't want to risk anything so I didn't try it, though he enjoyed it immensely. I opted for something simpler--a Wedge Salad with Bacon Lardoons and Russian Dressing (it also had crawfish which I had removed). It was very well presented and tasted great. 

Pretzel Crusted Crab Cake with Sweet Chili Prawn

Our entrees took it up a whole notch, as Emeril would say. Albert enjoyed a "Bronx Style" Filet Mignon of Veal and Veal Cheeks with Pea Puree, Pea Shoots, and Pistachio "Candy." This was one of the most flavorful and tenderest steaks I've ever tried. The veal cheeks served on the side literally melted in my mouth. I've never seen meat so soft. The "Bronx Style" is a new cut of meat that supposedly Burke himself invented. There's a great write up of the cut on this website. I'm not sure if filet is the proper term, but it's close enough. The little crispy white things are typically referred to as "beggar's purses," and are small fried concoctions with a filling inside.

My Handmade Cavatelli and Braised Short Ribs, with Wild Mushrooms, Mushroom Chips, and Truffle Mousse was heavenly. It was definitely one of the best short ribs I've had. The cavatelli are the white cylinders in the picture; they are a small rolled pasta. The mushroom chips--the brown things on the right--added a nice textural contrast to the dish. However, the stars of the show were the beef and the truffle mousse. The white truffle mousse was quenelled tableside and really lifted the flavor of everything on the plate. After several bites, everything got a bit mushed up together and it became a bit difficult to pick out individual flavors, but who am I kidding, this dish was just ridiculously good.

Dessert was good, but after the home runs we had as entrees, it was a difficult act to follow. I had a Caramelized Apple Tart with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream, whereas Albert had a moist Chocolate Cake with Mint Chip Ice Cream and Morello Cherry Sorbet. Each was delicious and light, which was nice because we didn't need a heavy and rich dessert. 

I would recommend this place for restaurant week without a doubt--you get a great value for your money.


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Le Cirque Then

Le Cirque Now

The second place I visited a few weeks later. Called Le Cirque, it is one of the most famous restaurants of the past 40 years. It's history is old and rich (much like the clientele!). Opened in 1974 at the Mayfair Hotel (where Daniel now resides) in the Upper East Side by famed restaurateur Sirio Maccioni, it was a mandatory stomping ground for any celebrity passing through New York. Daniel Boulud was its most famous executive chef and took it to its highest glory of 4 stars from 1986-1992. Getting a table was so difficult, that the Pope at the time even joked with Sirio once "If he could get him a table," to which Sirio replied "Yes, but could the Pope reserve him a table in Heaven." Since then, the moniker stuck, and getting a table at Le Cirque was referred to by some as getting a table in heaven. Over the years, Le Cirque has twice moved locations, with it's newest reopening occurring in 2006. 

Le Cirque at the Bloomberg Tower

Unfortunately, I feel, as some critics do, it has lost much of the luster and shine it once had. However, I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt for two reasons: 1) I had the restaurant week menu, which is cheap compared to the real menu, and 2) I dined in the lounge since I was a party of one. I could imagine their real menu in the main dining room being a better experience.

For an appetizer, I had a Salad of Peach and Smoked Mackerel with Basil and Pane Fritto. I'll admit I did not enjoy this dish, as I found the fish to be overly salty and have a bit of an off fishy flavor. The pane fritto added some crunch to the plate, but it seemed like it had been fried a while ago and had become slightly soggy. The basil came both as a coulis and as seeds.

My entree was a Pistachio Crusted Lamb Filet with Peas, Mint, and Goat Cheese. The presentation was very simple. I felt more could have been done to excite the eyes other than simply placing a filet of lamb atop a pea and mint puree. It was cooked a bit more than the medium rare I asked for. The flavors were great and the goat cheese matched well, but there was nothing truly exciting about the dish. I found the monkeys on the plate to be kind of childish, personally.

Lastly, for dessert I had a Rice Pudding with Apricot Marmalade and Almond Crunch. I was really looking forward to this because being Cuban, I've been searching for ways to spice up traditional rice pudding for years. I liked the concept of this dish, but the rice pudding was nothing compared to what you can get in Miami, which are rich and full of intense milk flavors.

Lastly, the service was pretty poor. My waiter made no attempts to recommend anything other than their high-priced tasting menu, did not communicate much at all throughout the meal, brought wines out after the dishes were served (it should be poured before the dish arrives), and even forgot to charge me for the meal itself! The check only included the two glasses of wine I ordered (one of which they did not even have, although it was listed on the menu). If you are out of a wine, you should not list it. If you offer me a substitute, show me the bottle, don't just bring the glass filled with the wine.

Lounge Area where I dined

Getting a dinner reservation at Le Cirque may have been a table in heaven thirty years ago. Today, however, I think it is living more on its reputation than anything else. I'm not sure why they have a Le Grande Tables du Monde designation, or what former NYTimes critic Frank Bruni was thinking about when he gave it 3 out of 4 stars in 2008. Perhaps he got the high end treatment because they knew it was him coming in. If none other than for these two respected opinions, I give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt that they are still good. I will have to visit again in the future and not skimp on a wimpy restaurant week menu in the lounge. I hope they can sway my vote.

Les Grande Tables du Monde--not sure who deemed them worthy