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| Week
of May 27, 2002 |
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object of desire
Mo' Better Blues
Just as certain gastronomes like to debate
the origin of the dish lobster à l'américaine — is it the result
of a mix-up at the menu printer's involving the word Armoricaine,
meaning Breton, or simply a lucky mistake by a Yankee chef? — others
like to get right to the meat of the matter: Which is the
tastier lobster, the European blue variety or the American
(or Maine lobster)? According to Le Périgord chef Jacques
Qualin, it's the "sweeter, firmer, more flavorful" (and thus
superior) European species. To prove it, he's offering a special
four-course $85 menu through mid-June, featuring the not-often-imported
Brittany blue and including a lovely lobster consommé; slices
of poached lobster with tomato concassé, foie gras mousse,
and sweet cicely; and roasted lobster in a ravigote sauce
and nestled in a springy mix of wild asparagus, favas, and
fresh peas with a side of fresh linguine made with the lobster's
roe. For dessert, you may continue with the theme by choosing
a mysterious azure-colored floating island from the dessert
trolley.
Le Périgord
405 East 52nd Street
212-755-6244
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event
Back
by Popular Demand
Summer Restaurant Week runs from
June 24 through June 28. The complete list of restaurants
offering a $20.02 lunch will be available on May 28 at www.nycvisit.com.
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best of the week
Taste
of Tribeca
The eighth annual Taste of Tribeca
overtakes the cul-de-sac of Duane Street to supply tastings
from the likes of Chanterelle
and the Odeon. The whole
thing benefits the art programs of P.S. 234 and 150 (both of
which spent five months in temporary quarters after September
11). Tickets are only $35. (June 1; call Ticketmaster at 212-307-7171.)
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prix fixe
 It's
a Deal
When he failed to land a backer in the
fiscal drought, restaurateur Frank Valenza decided to test
his new Italian-steakhouse concept and its $20 prix fixe lunch
at wife Marlies Jung's fiercely romantic Restaurant 222.
Far from the rutted lunch-hour circuit, the jewel-box spot
is a discreet hideaway, perfect for inside traders or trysting
lovers. I've got doubts though. I fear the sauces — mushroom,
pizzaiola, nutted garlic — will swamp the fillet, a normally
bland cut designed for sissies. So what a pleasant shock to
bite into richly flavored beef-tender, juicy, meaty, and rare.
"It's my own butchering secret," Valenza boasts. Caramelized
onions in a savory jus are not cloying at all, and Parmesan
whipped potatoes alongside are impossible to resist. Char-grilled
sea scallops with penne in a vibrant puttanesca sauce please
my cholesterol-wary guest. It's a stunning deal. Olives and
grape tomatoes in spicy green oil, a toss of baby greens,
sorbet, and coffee are all gifts with purchase. — GAEL
GREENE
Restaurant 222
222 West 79th Street
212-799-0400
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happening
Citymeals-on-Wheels
Salute
Every spring, just after the Rockefeller
Center skating rink morphs into a lush sunken garden, the
nation's top culinary talent congregates below the statue
of Prometheus to meet their adoring public, swap industry
gossip, and raise money for Citymeals-on-Wheels, the organization
that prepares and delivers food to homebound elderly New Yorkers.
The theme of the fifteenth annual America's Greatest Chefs
Salute Citymeals-on-Wheels, to be held on Monday, June
3, is "From Sea to Shining Sea," a motif reflected in a series
of nautical flags designed by David Rockwell to identify each
participating restaurant. Iconic American chefs like Larry
Forgione, Jonathan Waxman, and Alice Waters, along with immigrant
peers like Nobu Matsuhisa and Daniel Boulud, will show their
allegiance in the way they know best: with their interpretations
of regional American fare, from Hudson Valley duck breast
to itty-bitty foie gras knishes. To purchase the $375 tickets,
call 212-687-1290.
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Ask
Gael
Will Butter make me phat?
It's
not easy being plump in the vast yawning space of Butter.
Imagine a woodsy sauna with half-moon booths in an airplane
hangar. But it just happens to be the hottest perch in
town (or at least it was fifteen minutes ago). That means
lots of whisper-thin beauties with shoulders bared, and
the odd mix of urban louts and aging Lotharios who swim
in their wake. I actually like the look, with the 3-D
photo of a forest at one end, the soaring arches above,
and witty little illuminated nooks. Chef Keith Harry (ex-Chanterelle)
has more than enough ideas, some quite good to eat. I
don't taste bottarga in the dressing of his baby romaine,
but I like the raw hamachi, his crisp and spicy black
sea bass, and a slightly stingy ration of rare ostrich.
And you can be too thin if you're tasteless swordfish.
Drown any regrets in a rich and mysterious ooze of chocolate
gratin or the black-tea tapioca with vanilla poached pears.
Butter
415 Lafayette Street
212-253-2828
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Bites & Buzz Archive
Week of May 20
Ice ice baby; Jimmy Rodriguez heads downtown; the new Zagat of the wine world?;Gael finds Greeks bearing gifts
Week of May 13
Coda Café becomes Café 66; Beacon revives a nineteenth-century tradition;
The Palm gets back to its red-sauce roots.
Week of May 6
Mother's Day Dining; the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory; Pico's tribute to
the Tribeca Film Festival; Arezzo's tempesta; happy meals; the latest
place for Chinese in midtown
and
more ...
Photos: From top to bottom- Kenneth Chen (first and
third); Carina Salvi (second).
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