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“Knife and Fork”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	East Village	Moderate	Great

n house) in an open kitchen the size of an office cubicle.

Brassel is a handsome chap from Ireland who is all of 30 and has been cooking since he was 15. He has a confident hand with seasoning and a steady grasp of classic French technique that he uses to turn out an haute menu of modern European fare.

But more than the sophisticated nature of the food on the menu, the restaurant has garnered a reputation for something quite unusual: its value. The chef’s a la carte menu includes appetizers like curried mussels with potato salad and curry oil ($11) and herb-crusted tuna with apple semolina, white asparagus and red pepper reduction ($12) and mains like hake with mussels lemongrass and coconut sauce ($22) and whole quail with chicken and garlic mousse and foie gras mash ($22). But what makes Knife and Fork so unique is the chef’s unheard of 6-course tasting menu (five savory courses, then cheese and dessert) for all of $45. Yes, six courses for forty-five bucks. Needless to say, we opted for that happy meal.

Since we were on a reviewing lesson, I started with some basics. A review should always hit several elements of the experience: food, décor, crowd, service, and for me, an overall evaluation of certain intangibles like the energy and the soul of the restaurant. I also mentioned I liked to take note of small details—how clean are the bathrooms, how long it takes for a waiter to approach the table and say hello and offer a cocktail (ditto a bartender). And other little touches like, for instance, bread service.

When our bread was served (the man bakes a nice loaf) I pointed it out to Allie. “Bread service is something I always notice,” I said, trying to sound quite like someone who knows what they are talking about. “It shows a great deal about a restaurant and how much attention they pay to detail and to the concept. If I am at high end a French restaurant and I am served a cold hard roll (as I was last week at Perry Street), that says something to me about how much attention the operators are paying.” (For the record, that bread last week at Perry Street could have been used as in batting practice. The restaurant is still gorgeous but the food has lost some of its luster.)

I nodded to the bread display at Knife and Fork, which looked like a still life from a Times T Style photo shoot. “This bread plate shows someone in here cares, a lot.&rdq ... [more, click below]

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Posted: July 23, 2006

Other restaurants in East Village :
+ Yujin-- Closed   + Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar   + Mermaid Inn   + Five Points   + Lavagna   + Five Points   + Bond Street   + Jewel Bako   + Alphabet Kitchen   + In Vino   + Bao 111   + Chikalicious   + Il Buco   + Hearth   + Lima's Taste   + Mercadito   + Hedeh   + Momofuku   + Una Pizza Napoletana   + Winebar   + Uovo-- CLOSED   + Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction   + Gotham Bar & Grill   + Colors   + Chinatown Brasserie   + Knife and Fork   + European Union-- NEW CHEF; SEE APRIL 2007 Review   + Aroma Kitchen and Winebar   + Stand   + European Union   + Mercat   + Gemma   + Back Forty   + The Smith   + Seymour Burton   + Belcourt   + Graffiti   + The Redhead   + Double Crown    + Apiary   + Joe Doe   + Apiary by guest reviewer Kiri Tannenbaum   + DBGB   + Northern Spy   + Goat Town   + Saxon + Parole   + Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria   + Acme   + Calliope   + Nicoletta   + JEPPNEY by Claire Jaffe   + Feast   

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