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“The John Dory”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Seafood	MeatPacking	Break the Bank	Great

de with the enthusiasm of finding a long lost friend. “How are you this evening?” she asked, and seemed genuinely eager to hear (and listen to) our responses. Her’s was not a rhetorical question. Whether you have a reservation or just want to take a look around, she’s there to let you know you should come right in. Make yourself at home. How lovely.

Coats taken, we were escorted down a narrow walkway, through the long food bar that on one end faces a massive saltwater fish tank (it’s really more of an aquarium) swimming with a striking collection of tropical fish in neon yellows and bright blues, and on the other end faces the open kitchen where April and her chef de cuisine Sara Ochs, are doing wonderful things to all manner of sea creatures: oysters and clams, sardines and squid, sea bass and tuna, and the restaurant’s namesake catch, John Dory.
While the room’s narrow build is a bit trying to navigate, the restaurant has an infectious energy and that Spotted Pig in-the-right-place at-the-right-time vibe. What’s even better: the food is top notch, but it don’t come cheap.

Then again, if I’m going to spend $50 on a whole fish (it feeds two if not more), I’m going to do it here. The philosophy in this kitchen is clear: bring it! Acid, heat, salt, and smoke are all employed with subtlety. While the flavors may be big—anchovy being a prominent choice of this kitchen—nothing is heavy handed. As is the case at The Spotted Pig, April is a poster girl for beautiful ingredients treated to a supporting cast of bold yet graceful textures and flavors. You’re in for a treat.

The menu changes often depending on the daily catch and starts off with selections from the raw bar—there are littlenecks ($2.50 each), oysters ($3 each), and lobster with aioli ($14) —but there’s also a selection of fresh and simple sashimi-styled crudo like a yellowtail with ginger that tastes as though the fish was sliced up straight off the boat and topped with fresh ginger by a clever fisherman lying in wait. Appetizers include a fish soup with rouille ($16), an oyster pan roast with sea urchin butter crostini ($20) and a daring plate of cod milt (those would be, well, sperm, explained by the waiter as the male equivalent of roe) with lemon caper and parsley ($16). I’m a fairly adventurous eater, but I draw the line at cod sperm.

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Posted: December 11, 2008

Other restaurants in MeatPacking :
+ Paradou   + Florent   + One   + Bivio   + Spice Market   + Ono   + 5 Ninth   + Fatty Crab   + Del Posto   + Morimoto   + Los Dados   + 5 Ninth   + Merkato 55   + Scarpetta   + The John Dory   + The Standard Grill   + Bill's Bar & Burger   

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