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“The Standard Grill”

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

o;s also doing great things with halibut—grilling a hefty steak so it’s moist and succulent and adding a zippy paprika-tinged hollandaise. It’s all set up over rows of beautifully blanched asparagus. It’s an easy crowd pleaser. So, apparently, is the Million Dollar chicken, which we did not order, but wished we had. First of all, it’s only thirty-two dollars, not a million (and it serves two). Secondly, it’s served in a cast iron pan with thick cut slices of country bread and when it arrived at the table next to us, I almost reached over and yanked off a drumstick. Would they have really missed it? Maybe a wing? In any case, next time, for sure.

I should also mention that even before the real food arrives the kitchen sets every table up with a basket of warm bread, a bowl of breakfast radishes, and three little bowls each filled with butter, sea salt, and hunks of salty aged pecorino. It’s like a little picnic before dinner. Just add rosé. And while you’re at it, add the chicken liver mousse. I have a daughter now, and that should be reason enough not to clog my arteries with the likes of chicken liver, but it was impossible to stop spooning Silverman’s Chicken Liver “Royale” ($10) onto the golden toast points on my plate. It’s the equivalent of a bag of potato chips. You can’t stop at one. Ditto the Foie Gras Torchon ($16), which I used to smother a brioche crostini over and over again. Eating these foods with abandon cannot become a habit without imminent hospitalization, but once in a while they sure are wonderful. Unfortunately, the steak tartare “a Go-Go” ($14) was not as good as the patés. While it was a nice portion of diced ruby red beef, it was as though the seasoning was left behind in the kitchen. It needed more mustard and Worcestershire. It didn’t impress.

But all other dishes did. A delicious expression of the season came in the form of a gorgeous salad of julienned snow peas tossed with radishes in a cider vinaigrette ($9) given a little bite with a spot of mustard. It’s light and refreshing, but its got punch, too. Nice. Other appetizers are more substantial than the snow pea salad, like a charred Spanish octopus—tender and meaty—over diced sweet potatoes warmed with chiles ($13). There’s also a great squid dish stuffed with Merguez and plated with grapefruit and fennel ($11).
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Posted: August 30, 2009

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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