Restaurant Week: The Good Part 2

Apart from Ai Fiori and Dovetail, there was this other restaurant I've tried during restaurant week that satisfied my hungry stomach (and soul)

The name is Gotham Bar and Grill. A restaurant on 12th street ran by Chef Alfred Portale. It also has a with a very well deserved Michelin Star. The restaurant itself is a lot bigger than what you would have expected from the entrance with a long bar and a very lively atmosphere. Very well lit and it seemed like the perfect venue for power lunches.We got there around 2pm and there was a line to get a table even with reservations! It's been a while that I've walked into a restaurant that late into lunch service and see it jam packed.

Now onto the food.

For the first course, I had their smoked trout with fennel salad. This for me was one of the best appetizers I've had by far. Cold, salty, sweet and satisfying! The cured trout tasted almost like smoked salmon but without a powerful smokey and fishy taste. The crunchy salad paired perfectly and balanced off the rich softness of cured fish. The garlic chips added a nice crunch and the small dollops of creme fraiche added a nice tang.

I also added another course to the meal and got their Quail and Foie Gras Terrine served with a Beet Salad and boy did they nail the dish. The terrine itself looked weird, not knowing which layers were what but everything just melted in your mouth. The quail was cooked so perfect that it was almost as soft and moist as the creamy foie gras. And the beet salad added a nice fresh and sweet taste to the dish. This was also served with toasted brioche that was to flaky that it was impossible to eat without making a huge mess. It was almost as sweet and buttery as a croissant but with more "bread" to it. This was definitely one of the best foie gras terrines I've had. I still dream about this dish.

For my main course, I decided to get the fish to contrast the sinful terrine. Some white fish served with a warm potato salad and mustard vinaigrette. And again, this dish was good. The sweet and meaty flavor of the fish went really well with the tart mustard and potatoes. Not too heavy on the stomach too!

And for dessert, I got their signature Gotham Chocolate Cake and let me tell you that words cannot begin to describe how decadent this cake was. It was heaven in my mouth. A simple, super moist chocolate cake with cocoa ice cream. The texture of the cake was almost like a dark chocolate mousse with a hint of flour to give it that light "cakey" body. If I would guess, I think this is a cross between a light chocolate mousse and an almost flourless chocolate cake. The only complaint I have is that the serving was too small. A bigger slice would have made me gone to heaven and back a happy and full man.

Gotham Bar and Grill was definitely home to one of the best meals I've had in NY. A very well deserved Michelin Star for food, ambiance and service. But there was just this one detail that annoyed me the entire time I was in the restaurant. The servers all wore a tie bar but had worn it too low, somewhere around the lower 3rd of the necktie. It looked very unprofessional and sloppy. A minor detail that bugs me even until today.