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“Parlor Steakhouse”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Upper East Side	Moderate	Good

seats are wildly comfortable (I’ve rarely been seated in such a soft cushioned chair before; I’d like my therapist to get these, please), the room is quite narrow—it’s essentially a wide hallway—and it gives the distinct feeling of being in the cheap seats.

While we weren’t that thrilled with our table, we really wouldn’t have minded eating in the coat check closet as long as the bus boys kept on lobbing the contents of the Parlor breadbasket our way. It is stocked with soft warm and fluffy onion rolls from Tom Cat that are the each the size of a Rubik’s cube, and come adorned with a tangle of sweet and sticky caramelized onions, along with slices of housemade olive oil and herb foccacia, and accompanied by a dollop of homemade chickpea puree, a rather nice peppery take on hummus.

The breadbasket set the night off right, and so did my butternut squash and Gala apple bisque ($12), a rich and velvety smooth soup that tastes as though a butternut squash and an apple were mated and then touched by some magical wand and turned from solid to a silken liquid. The flavor and texture of this soup were exquisite, and I loved the addition of plump and sweet rock shrimp to the bisque itself, and fat battered shrimp and tarragon fritters, which are served on the side, that can and should be dipped into the soup with regularity.

The “grilled romaine salad” in truffled Caesar dressing ($11) is slightly gimmicky, and I would’ve preferred if it had been allowed to be what it essentially is: a Caesar salad. Instead, it’s manipulated and pushed and prodded into something that’s over-thought and not as good. First of all, romaine does not, in my estimation, need to be grilled. Why bother? It’s not tough or in need of softening, especially in the salad context. Second, the long ribs of romaine are not tossed in the dressing. They’re just soaking in a puddle of it, which makes for uneven delivery of flavor. Sometimes it’s best to let a Caesar salad just be a Caesar salad, especially when the dressing is that good. (Yes, the dressing was terrific.)

While I was confused by the romaine salad, I liked my dad’s appetizer portion of potato gnocchi—dense circular dumplings served with wild mushrooms that are anchored in brown butter. While the gnocchi could have been lighter, the dish was simple and hearty, and a nice reflection of the ... [more, click below]

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Posted: October 11, 2008

Other restaurants in Upper East Side :
+ Sfoglia   + Zoe Townhouse   + Accademia di Vino   + T-Bar Steak and Lounge   + Parlor Steakhouse   + Le Caprice   

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