<< previous review   next review >>

reviews

“Dovetail”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Upper West Side	Break the Bank	Great

mb. While I’ve always loved my Muffalattas, I’m more of a po’ boy girl myself (I dream of Salvo’s), so I think I’d also have enjoyed a fully dressed crispy lambs tongue po’ boy. Just a thought.

Our Muffaletta was followed by a pork belly ($16)—fatty, but heavenly, braised so it was practically pulling itself apart, topped with a glossy poached hen egg, set in a stunning broth deeply flavored with pork, swimming with ribbons of kale and meaty forest mushrooms. “This is great hangover food,” Di said, mopping up the last bits. She’s right. Indeed, I’d toss this dish on a warm biscuit for brunch and call it a fine morning.

There’s a great salmon too, an appetizer that we shared as a mid-course which was glistening from being cooked a la plancha and topped with a dollop of creamy horseradish gribiche and American caviar ($17). It’s a nice dish, but I thought a bit expensive, at $17 for an appetizer that offers a piece of salmon the size of a domino.

The portion on the Idaho potato gnocchi was far more generous and appropriate for its $17 price tag. The gnocchi are served pan-fried and they’re much more substantial than your average potato dumpling. Diana likened them to tater tots, and I’d have to agree somewhat. They’re not light and airy, they’re pretty potatoey (in a good way) and they’re crunchy on the outside, which gives the right amount of weight and texture to balance their accompaniments—a gorgeous foie gras butter that’s more like a jam, braised veal short ribs and prunes. Something too ethereal might not stand up to those ingredients, but these do beautifully. For those who love the prune-stuffed gnocchi with foie gras butter at No. 9 Park in Boston (like my friend Susie), this is a very nice New York City alternative.

There are plenty of places in the city to get a great steak, and I’d like to add Dovetail to the list for their roasted sirloin. This manly hunk ‘a beef is seared so it sports a smoky charred crust that caps off moist pink beef. I’d put this puppy up against the best of the best with confidence. But it’s what this beautifully marbled beef is served with that really makes this dish memorable. It comes with a beef cheek lasagna that’s quite refined, so it’s really more of a Napoleon. It’s similar to the lasagna at Bar Blanc in that it&rsqu ... [more, click below]

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  

 Make a reservation

<< previous review   next review >>

Posted: March 27, 2008

Other restaurants in Upper West Side :
+ 'Cesca   + Asiate   + Blue Hill Stone Barns   + Per Se   + The Neptune Room   + Spigolo   + Telepan   + Aix Brasserie   + 'Cesca   + Bar Boulud   + Dovetail   + BarBao   + Dinosaur Bar-be-Que   + Kefi   + Bar Luna   + Ed's Chowder House   + Red Rooster, by Rachel Barbarotta   + Loi by Dara Pollak   

Share ! Post a comment