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“The Standard Grill”

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

the restaurant doesn’t do many pastas, there’s one on the menu and it’s lovely for summer: plump little hand-made sweet pea ravioli are tossed with mint and pistachios ($15). While I’d have liked a little more acidity in the sauce (just a bit of lemon), it’s a dish that would make for a nice light dinner, or you might order it as a starter or side dish for the table to share.

One of our favorite dishes of the evening was from the “Grill” section: a simple Rainbow Trout from Sunburst Farms ($16) served butterflied with a little currant and pine nut relish. The relish was completely unnecessary and in fact was almost a distraction from the main event. Really, all that was needed was that glorious fish and the wedge of lemon it was spritzed with. We all marveled at how a simple Rainbow trout could be so tasty, but it was: moist, flavorful, and lovely.

The fish is not served with any accompaniments (other than the relish), but every night the kitchen sends out a side dish on the house. While this is unusual—I’ve never before seen a section of a menu called “ON THE HOUSE”— it’s a generous and remarkable touch, especially in these tough economic times. The night we were in the “ON THE HOUSE” selection was a bowl of crispy fried potatoes drizzled with smoked paprika aioli (think patatas bravas) and they worked well as the trout’s complement. But so would the Greenmarket sugar snap peas with brown butter and sage ($8), the roasted Satur Farms gold and candy striped beets ($7), the potato and corn pancakes with Béarnaise, or the French fries ($6). Indeed, Dan’s sides are all so good and so different that you might just stop by one day and make a meal of all of them (there are nine to choose from).

Dan shares his kitchen with pastry chef Frederick Aquino, formerly of Spice Market, who’s having a lot of fun. In particular, he serves a light and fluffy sour cream cheese cake topped with blueberries and anchored by a graham cracker crust, and something called “The Deal Closer”—a massive glass bowl of chocolate mousse layered with moist slices of chocolate cake, topped off with a monster sized cloud of freshly whipped cream and a shower of dark chocolate shavings. To consume your chocolate heaven you are presented not with forks, not with spoons, but with, well, spatulas. Get ready to shovel. Jamie, Su ... [more, click below]

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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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