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“BLT Market”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Midtown	Break the Bank	Great

can be ordered. Laurent has a knack for creating food that evokes intense reactions—like those giant cheesy popovers, the blue cheese tater tots, the doughnut-sized onion rings that grace the menus at BLT Prime and Steak. You gotta have ‘em. He’s a chef who’s quite serious about his food (you don’t open restaurants at this rate if you aren’t), but also likes to have a good time with it. When he cooks, even if he doesn’t have a smile on his face, he has one in his heart. (Sorry, I know that was cheesy, but it’s true.) If you’ve ever hung out with LT (and in full disclosure, I have), you know that as successful as he is, he’s also just a big kid. And I feel like his food is a reflection of his personality. Yes, it’s crafted from beautiful ingredients and cooked by a team of chefs under his tutelage who are young masters of the craft, but it’s also just fun to eat.

Try not to smile when you eat his rigatoni ($14/$23)—perfectly al dente, tossed in a simple sauté of summer squash peppered with hunks of spicy sausages from Espisito’s. You won’t be able to frown. I was practically giddy while eating the Chatham cod, a thick silky fillet, pan-seared until brown and buttery and then served in a deep enamel pot in a green coconut curry with eggplant, with a side of lightly crisped basmati rice cakes ($30). It made Jen suggest that Laurent’s next concept be BLThai. (He’s got pizza on the brain lately. So I’d say it will have to wait until after BLT Pizza.) While the curry was killer, I was particularly impressed with those rice cakes, silky rice on the inside, and gently crunchy on the outside, that reminded of the crispy bits of rice I scrape from the pots of Persian rice my Bibi makes. (Those of you who have Spanish family will liken this to the bits that come off the paella pan.)

Laurent’s meatballs, browned to give them a slight crust, were also amazing. Made from ricotta cheese, pork and veal and served in a pulp sweet tomato concasse, they quite frankly rival those delicious orbs made by John LaFemina down at Apizz. And that’s impressive work from a French chef.

The only lackluster dish was the roasted Jamison Farm’s lamb with a minted fava bean puree, artichoke hearts, and tiny little pan-seared gnocchi ($43). While the meat was executed perfectly—pink and juicy—I found the dish to ... [more, click below]

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Posted: September 17, 2007

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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