133 East 61st Street
New York, NY 10065-8101
(212) 813-2121
New York, NY 10065-8101
(212) 813-2121
Everything about the David Burke Townhouse adds up. The decor is beautiful. The food is tasty. The food presentation is special. And yet, somehow it falls short. It's a classy joint - but the atmosphere is lacking something.
The place is perfectly summed up by my starter - Sea Scallops "Benedict" - which is a great original idea, superbly executed, but bizarrely less than satisfying. The pan-fried scallops are placed on a bed of crispy potato cake and a thin slice of chorizo, and topped with lobster foam and a poached quail's egg. It's a genius combination - and works a treat. You can taste the "Benedict", and the ingredients complement each other very well. So what's the problem? Well, maybe just that I don't want eggs benedict as appetizer. And when I order scallops I expect that to be the dominant taste from the dish, not the quail's egg. The dish is executed well, so maybe I'm just being fussy.
My dining companions started with a Pretzel Crusted Crab Cake and Sweet Chilli Prawn, served with an orange confit and poppy seed honey.
For my entree, I opted for the Roasted and Crispy Seawater Soaked Organic Chicken, which came with roasted corn-whipped potatoes, watercress and barbecue jus. The mash was delicious, but I found the barbecue flavoured corn, slightly off-putting. The chicken was cooked perfectly, but not as crispy as I was expecting.
My dining companions both opted for the Mustard Crusted Tuna, which was served with compressed watermelon, avocado mousse and a red beet-lime emulsion. It certainly looked terrific on the plate - but by all accounts it was good without being spectacular on the palate.
For dessert, I chose the Chocolate mousse layer cake, which had a mix of bittersweet and mint chocolate mousse, and was served with a cherry sorbet, and raisins. It was a pleasant way to finish the meal, but I did have dessert envy watching the choices of neighbouring tables.
Both the Drunken Donuts (chocolate baileys, strawberry daiquiri, and cafe au lait) and the restaurant's signature dessert Cheesecake Lollipop Tree (bubblegum whipped cream and raspberries) looked spectacular.
My fellow diner chose the Caramelized Warm Apple Tart, which came with dulce de leche ice cream, and covered in cider caramel. It tasted good, but was more an Apple Danish than a Tart.
The wine list was extensive and expensive - the cheapest bottles were around $42, but I spotted a red wine that will set you back €5000! Call me cheap, but there is something plain wrong about spending five thousand dollars on a bottle of wine. We settled for a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, which was frankly, mediocre, for €50. It wasn't helped by the fact that, at first, they brought us a red - Cabernet Sauvignon.
Overall, I may be over-critical here. There were some lovely touches - a very tasty hors dourves of White Truffle and Parmesan Quiche promised great things. And sitting in the restaurant, you definitely "feel" like you are being treated.
So how much did all of this cost? Well, because it was Restaurant Week, the three courses were included in the $35 special price, with a $5 supplement for choosing the scallops to start. But for the record, here are the prices that would normally apply to our meal:
Sea Scallops "Benedict" 16
Pretzel Crusted Crabcake and Sweet Chili Prawn 17
Roasted and Crispy Seawater Soaked Organic Chicken 29
Mustard Crusted Tuna 33
Caramelized Warm Apple Tart 12
Chocolate Layer Cake 12
Rating: 3.5/5
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