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“Dona-- CLOSED”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Italian	Midtown	Moderate	Great

like a place that would beckon quorums of men closing deals. It is an elegant room dressed in a palate of white and black, a stylishly modern space with leather chairs, contemporary art, and clean lines. But there is a distinct womanly air to the design: a white trestle separates the dining room from the bar, and warm yellow accents in the business cards, in flowers, in the tile work and trim that peek out to add sunshine to the space. It is a space that feels as strong as it is gentle.

Psalakis’ menu also displays that sort of yin-yang, blending strong flavors in unexpected sexy combinations, guiding diners into new territory with every dish on the menu. There are wildly bold combinations on almost every plate, creating a dining experience that is riveting.

Take the uncooked appetizers ($12-$16) to start. A briny lump of sea urchin shows up with burrata (a creamy mozzarella cheese from Puglia), caviar and fava bean puree. Urchin and cheese? Yes, it works. Cheese is actually a supporting character in many of the raw fish dishes. Diced mozzarella tops a tartare of orange marlin (no tuna here) with bits of basil and plenty of sea salt, and crumbled feta is sprinkled over delicate botan shrimp freshened with dill. It’s a remarkable departure from any crudo I have ever tried, but I loved the combination. If the idea of cheese with fish is too freaky for you, cheese-free favorites include the kumamoto oysters with pink grapefruit, salty ginger, and pink shallot vinaigrette and the sea scallop ceviche, sliced thin, and topped with salt cured olives and preserved lemon. But I could have done without the razor clams with fennel green apple and mint; somehow the flavors were muddy and a bit too oily.

Of the cooked appetizers, the signature is rapidly becoming the octopus and peaches ($13), a tentacled beast braised for so long in red wine that it becomes almost meaty in texture, teasing out the sweetness of the peaches, countering the smoky guanciale, and playing up the caramelized onions. It’s a wild slam dunk. Another impressive twist is a sort of updated salad niçoise, this one fashioned from skate, pulled apart and tossed with capers, potatoes, and string beans ($14). Crispy slices of baccala (salt cod) top triangles of crunchy fried ricotta cheese, garnished with a tomato and basil salad ($14). Have a couple of these at the bar with a glass of the Sigalas Santorini, a beautiful white with bright notes ... [more, click below]

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Posted: May 20, 2006

Other restaurants in Midtown :
+ Lever House   + Aquavit   + RM   + Joseph's (formerly Citarella The Restaurant)   + Town   + Artisanal   + The Oyster Bar   + Geisha   + David Burke and Donatella Restaurant   + Riingo   + Amma   + Cafe Sabarsky   + The Stone Rose Lounge   + BLT Steak   + V, The Steakhouse-- Closed   + Bar Masa   + Cafe Gray   + The Bar Room at The Modern   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + Bistro du Vent-- Closed   + Shaburi   + Xing   + The Modern   + Bar Americain   + Alto   + Park Blue   + Mainland-- Closed   + Nobu 57   + Quality Meats   + Dona-- CLOSED   + Daisy May's   + 7Square-- CLOSED   + Amalia   + Fireside   + Anthos   + Patroon   + BLT Market   + Toloache   + Mia Dona   + Park Avenue Summer   + Convivio   + The Oak Room by guest reviewer Julie Besonen   + At Vermilion by guest reviewer Elaine Weiner   + Lunching at Inakaya, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Marea, by Guest Reviewer Susan Kane Walkush   + Le Bernardin   + New York Central -- A Reason To Eat at the Grand Hyatt Again   + Pampano Botaneria by Dara Pollak   

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