While in the search of great eats around New York City, near the top of the cutlery list to try is always great BBQ. This search led Fork & Spoon to RUB BBQ (Righteous Urban Barbeque) in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. Seriously casual, super busy, lousy acoustics, mostly good BBQ, great staff, and……BURNT ENDS.
There a couple of problems with RUB, the first of which is having to time your visit perfectly to have the items on the menu that you like best actually available. Fork understands the concept and reasoning as it was explained, but when you set your tines on something and you cannot order it, that sort of ruins the entire meal.
For a change, Fork arrived at RUB BBQ before Spoon. First thing Fork noticed inside the door was a blackboard announcing NO BURNT ENDS! WHAT!? Quite frankly, burnt ends were what drew us to RUB in the first place! As Fork waited for Spoon, Fork was trying to think of another place we could go close by for barbeque. No burnt ends, what’s the point.
Spoon, being the voice of reason – and starving – said we should try it anyway, we were here, but Fork wasn’t going to like it, wasn’t no way, wasn’t no how.
The iced tea is fresh and bottomless. Our waiter was very nice and very knowledgable about the menu. We asked in the sweetest way possible if there was any possibility of burnt ends – even though the chalk board said no. He went to the kitchen and returned with a sad no. Now what could we possibly order that could possibly remove that disappointment!?
As an aside, after we ordered, our waiter back over to our table with a sly smile and whispered the words, ‘Burnt Ends, would you still like to try some?’ Oh, yes, please. Meat there is ordered by the ’special’ plate or by the pound, and we greedily ordered a pound of burnt ends.
After looking over the menu and ordering, we learned that BBQ Bacon Chunks can soothe the restlessness of any piece of cutlery! Pork, the cure-all. This is house cured, triple smoked Berkshire black pork belly, cut into one inch pieces, cooked crisp and served in one of those paper boats with pickles on the side. The downside of this starter consists of, perhaps – and my estimate is generous – 2 slices of bacon at a whopping price of $7.95. The bacon is really good and really rich so you probably couldn’t eat more than that (yeah, right!), but that’s a whole lot of coin for very little bacon. Should you still order it? Oh, yes!
Also as a starter we ordered Hush Puppies. These are seriously good. Moist, light, fluffy. The outsides are crispy, the inside tender and moist. Often times hush puppies can be so terribly dry inside that they need something to dip them in to choke them down – not these. The hush puppies are served in a paper boat with butter and honey on the side, but because of the consistency of these little golden beauties, they need nothing more than to be bitten. The hush puppies definitely have more of a flavor than just corn meal, they have Old Bay seasoning inside. The seasoning gives a little extra oomph of flavor to the corn meal. These are another must have.
Our third starter was BBQ Chili Cheese Fries, served in a paper boat (getting a thread here?). This Chili is amazing. Smokey. Tangy. Rich. Great hand-cut fries underneath, and – as if it is really necessary – melted cheese all over the top. The chili is made from brisket and burnt ends that are slow smoked at RUB. As an aside, when you look into the kitchen at RUB, you see a bright red metal wall. At first you wonder what that could possibly be and then you realize those are the SMOKERS! Everything is done on site, and for a tiny place, it is truly amazing. Seriously good chili. Very filling. At this point we could have stopped and called it a night, but we forged ahead.
For those of you not in the BBQ know, burnt ends are the point, or fatty part, of the brisket. First slow cooked on the brisket, and when the brisket is done, cut off and cooked even longer! Our waiter explained that the burnt ends came from the brisket after it was slow cooked for about 8 hours, and that it took approximately 1o pounds of brisket to get 1 pound of burnt ends. Now we know why they are very hit or miss. Although how you cannot be prepared for a busy Friday nite with the popular items on the menu is beyond Fork. THe burnt ends are served in – you guessed it – a paper boat, with pickles on the side.
But the taste! The tenderness! The range of flavors and textures! This dish alone made the entire trip palatable and worthwhile. The outsides of these tender tidbits are charred – not burnt at all – and smokey. The meat falls apart as you try yo pick it up. You just want to keep eating it. It is really hard to explain the delight these chunks of brisket bring to your mouth! You really just need to experience them for yourself!
We continued the gorging with an entree – what nerve. There are a few named entrees, but for the most part it’s 1 meat, 2 meats, 3 meats. So in the spirit of the the film, ‘My Cousin Vinnie’ when Vinnie and Lisa were deciding what to have in a diner, we ordered, meat. We ordered 2 meats and a quarter rack of ribs. HOLY COW. To make matters worse, it came with 2 sides – AND served in a paper boat! We decided to try the Barbequed Beef Brisket, Pulled Pork, we asked for Short End Ribs, and for sides Baked Beans and Onion Strings. This next part is rather easy…
Brisket? As dry as the Sahara desert and not much flavor. It could have been the cut up soul of a shoe.
The pulled pork was terrific. Whatever BBQ sauce the pork is cooked in, or perhaps it’s the flavor the pork puts into the BBQ sauce, was very good. Much better than the BBQ sauces brought to the table. The pork was tender and juicy.
The ribs were not the Short End as requested – which are the last 7 ribs of the slab and more tender - but the Long End – which are the first 6 ribs of the slab and are supposed to be meatier. While this may be true of the Long End, they are also drier and devoid of flavor.
The Barbequed Baked Beans were nothing to speak about. They weren’t good. They weren’t bad. They were just there – and were left there.
The Onion Strings on the other hand were great. They’re like a deconstructed onion loaf. Little strings of onion dipped in batter and deep fried. Unlike an onion loaf that gets soggy and oily as you get to the center, because these are individual pieces of onion everything stays crispy.
Am I glad we trekked here? Yes. Would I go back again? Maybe not. But I would call first to make sure the burnt ends are there. Heck they do take-out and delivery! All that BBQ goodness and in your pjs!
Now, about the paper boats … ok, they are cute and kitsch and fall into the theme of the restaurant, but every boat has a GIGANTIC piece of parchment paper inside of it. If you order multiple items, all there is in front of you is an overwhleming amount of parchment paper. And, to make matters worse, the paper boats, the bouquets of parchment paper are piled onto a round tray. So if you are sitting at a table for two, two trays, filled with boats and paper is enough to confuse you out of appetite.
Now those of you who follow our little drawer of cutlery – or have read our main page – know that we have some restaurant pet peeves. Here’s another – when did restaurants decide diners should pack up their own left overs? ‘I’d like to take this home.’ Next thing you know they are handing you a styrofoam box and a plastic bag. Really? Tips don’t include the occasionally left over pack up?
Rub BBQ ~ 208 W. 23rd Street ~ New York, NY ~ 212.524.4300
Before we start, anyone going to BBP and expecting Bobby Flay fine dining will be seriously disappointed. This ain’t that kinda place! Never was meant to be. This isn’t what you would call a burger restaurant, it’s more of what you would call a burger joint, in less seedy surroundings. No linens. Slightly self-service. This is fast and this is good – let me rephrase, not good, GREAT! The burgers are $7.50, a diner price really, so if you are expecting Flay quality (which is what you get) and Micky D prices, sidle over to the Golden Arches for some fake beef on a bun. This is angus beef, baby, and a bargain at that price! Hard to imagine that there are some folk out there complaining about the cost of these burgers!
Fork and Tea Strainer visited the BBP at the Smith Haven Mall. The interior is funky. Warm, retro tones, soft shapes, comfy chairs. There are tables with high chairs, counter space with stools and regular tables with chairs. The place is immaculate, the staff very friendly. When you walk in there is a huge menu hanging on the wall. Once you work your way through the menu, salivating, and figure out what to order – well, the choices are all so good, it’s more a matter of eliminating than choosing! – you order, pay, take a number, a large plastic tumbler, and find a seat. The most difficult part may be finding a seat! There is plenty of counter room, and every seat is the same, so they are all comfortable. If you’re having a fountain soda, which is bottomless, you help yourself. Iced tea, beer and margaritas are brought to you. Nay sayers, try getting a margarita at the Golden Arches!
This was Fork’s first time at BBP, so the choice was absolutely simple – CRUNCH BURGER!! It really doesn’t get better than that! Perfect angus burger, perfectly cooked, (oh, yes, they ask how you want it cooked when you order) crunchy on the outside, double American cheese, lightly toasted bun, and covered in potato chips. Now, back when I was just a salad fork, I loved to put chips or Doritos on my sandwiches, so potato chips on a burger seemed like a natural progression. The burger is big. No interference from lettuce and tomato. It comes served with a pickle. 
Tea Strainer, on the other hand, has been here a few times! Without Fork! Can you imagine!? Well, now I have been here without Spoon and this fact will, of course, necessitate another trip to BBP. It’s a tough job, but I am sure this Fork is up to the challenge. Fork will just have to keep a stiff tine and eat here again. Such a hardship! NOT!!! But, back to Tea Strainer and that burger. Tea Strainer stood there, I have had this, and I have had that, and actually shocked that I wanted a crunch burger!! Tea Strainer finally settled on a Bobby’s Blue Burger. The burger is beautifully plated. Big burger, lettuce and tomato, covered in crumbled blue cheese, and what looked like a blue cheese sauce. Next to the burger were two huge pieces of perfectly cooked bacon. Fork was having serious food envy.
While staring at the menu Tea Strainer asked if Fork wanted regular fries or sweet potato fries. Fork answered with a simple YES, which left Tea Strainer a little confused. You mean you want to order both? Huh? You mean we can’t have both fries AND the onion rings? See now why Spoon needs to take a secondary adventure to this fine burger joint? Fork acquiesced and said yes, both fries, didn’t even mention the onion rings. So glad we did order both fries.
Now the sweet potato fries. These are seriously decadent. Thin, crispy, sweet, caramelized, perfect. Another generous portion. And that little ramekin next to the fries? That’s a honey mustard sauce with horseradish. Totally amazing. You can taste the mustard and the honey clearly, and then there’s another taste that just catches you at the end, hard to pinpoint, not overwhelming at all, but really adds a nice depth to the sauce.
Also on each table and scattered along the counter were bottles of different condiments. There was the usual salt and pepper, ketchup and mustard. There was also burger sauce, chipolte ketchup and jalapeno ketchup. Naturally the first thing Fork and Tea Strainer did was make little blobs of sauce on the plates to try each sauce. The burger sauce was great. You definitely can taste BBQ sauce, worcestershire, molasses, mustard and something else I can’t quite touch on. The chipolte sauce was good, a little strong, but nice to dip the fries in. The jalapeno didn’t match up so well for Fork. But the nice thing about variety is there is always something for everyone! And if you have become a Flay sauce addict, toy can now purchase them online at 
great. There are mustard jars and spice jars adorning the walls and scattered on the shelves throughout the restaurant.
The entire meal was saved by dessert. Apple Tarte Tatin! Yummy! It was sweet and tart at the same time. The crust on the bottom was buttery and crispy. The apples were sweet and slightly tart, perfect foil for the apple-y caramel drizzled all over the plate and the cool scoop of vanilla ice cream. The only down side of this dessert was that the tart itself was not gooey enough. It was slightly dry, and the delicious caramel is drizzled everywhere EXCEPT on the tart itself! And this Fork is not quite sure what that feather of mint is doing on this dessert. It kept making Fork think of the children’s song ‘Yankee Doodle’…stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni! It transformed this lovely dessert into a Fez.
Our waitress started off a little rough and a bit aloof, but as time went on she seemed to soften a bit and was actually quite friendly.
They also bring a bottle of water to the table. All of the bottles are emblazoned with the Co. logo. You can not beat New York City tap water. If anyone ever tries to convince you otherwise, and tries to sell you bottled water in a restaurant in New York City, unless you want fizzy water, always go for the tap. The bottle was always full, and fresh glasses with ice constantly brought to the table.
There is a really nice selection of salads. Although difficult to pick just one to try, we finally decided on the Artichoke Salad. Baby artichoke hearts delicately poached in olive oil lay nestled in arugula, and you could have stopped right there, but no – sprinkle on some capers, a wonderful lemon dressing and top with shavings of parmesan. Incredible combination, hitting so many taste buds at the same time. It was a simple way to get our palates awake and ready for the feast to come. The saltiness of the capers was nice against the mildness of the poached artichokes and the tang of the lemony dressing. Fork kept thinking it was just missing something else, though not quite sure what. To be honest though, the missing thing wasn’t enough to keep this salad form being completely devoured by starving cutlery! The salads are a little pricey, but definitely worth it.
There are 10 pizzas to try and make a decision between. Not an easy task, believe you me!
Pizza No. 2. Equally as difficult to choose. We opted for the Stracciatella. For those of you that might be confused by the meaning of stracciatella, which is (A) an Italian soup, (B) a gelato (like chocolate chip in the USA), and (C), in this instance, a soft mozzarella. Stracciatella is made from mixing torn mozzarella and cream. It is very delicate and creamy.
Our third choice was a relatively new addition to the Co. menu. Cauliflower. What kind of adventurous cutlery would we be if we didn’t try this new pizza.
For a starter, we ordered the Pork Taquitos. Six tiny little tacos sitting on a bed of shredded lettuce. Across the top was sprinkled queso fresco, sour cream and a fresh tomato salsa. The tacos were crisp, maybe just a bit too crisp. As you bite into the tacquito, it crushes. The tacquito is slightly bigger than simply popping it into your mouth. First bite great, second bite a mess – but a delicious mess! The pork filling was slow cooked and very tender. The queso fresco added the perfect salty addition to this appetizer, with the tomato salsa bringing in a sweet freshness. While these were very good, Fork and Spoon both agree that these needed lime and a little hot sauce. Once we added a squeeze and a shake, they were perfect. Definitely a ‘must’ order item!
Spoon asked if we could swap out one of the fries for the Tuscan Fries (a must!) and they were happy to do so. Tuscan fries! MY OH MY!! Let’s start with the fact the fries at 5 Napkin are perfect – thin cuts of potato, crisply fried, lightly salted. The Tuscan fry is a slightly thicker cut, crispy fried, and then covered in rosemary, garlic and parmesan cheese. All that goodness on a crispy fry!
Burger No.1 is whisked away. Burger No.2 arrives. Spoon waits a few moments to let the burger rest. The burger is cut in half and it is so rare it practically cries when cut. Burger No.2 is whisked away. So now Burger No. 3 arrives – which really is just a re-fire of Burger No.2 – and you are really not going to believe what you read next – moo-ing Burger No.2 is now way over cooked Burger No. 3. Burger No. 3 is now whisked away. The waiter is mortified – mainly because he has looked at each burger and realizes we aren’t being difficult diners but somehow this has become a burger debacle. The manager comes over, explaining that they make a lot of burgers there (really? The name gave us no clue!) and he can’t imagine what is wrong. We explained this unbelievable chain of events and our sweet waiter looked at the manager and said sadly, Spoon is right, that’s what’s been going on. The manager, who isn’t quite sure whether he is going to be angry at the cutlery sitting before him or the chefs in the kitchen whoa re obviously having a difficult burger day! He assures us he is going to personally watch the chef cook Spoon’s burger to an absolute medium rare perfection. Burger No. 4 arrives. Spoon waits. Spoon cuts. It is again totally rare in the center, but instead of having Burger No. 4 whisked away, Spoon eats around the edges. By now, this is seriously ridiculous. Fork’s burger is a distant memory, the fries are gone and Spoon’s burger is still not right. Perhaps the confusion lays in the words medium-rare. It’s almost like two instructions. Every burger came out either medium OR rare. Maybe the combo of medium AND rare throws the kitchen into a tailspin.
Additionally, they sent over a WOW of a dessert! We must have looked like the type of cutlery that could be wooed with dessert. Okay, we are, but don’t let that get around! We were staring at the plate with Spoon’s Burger No.4, shaking our heads sadly that our experience at one of our favorite haunts was so ridiculously bad. Really, does any of what happened even seem possible? Anyway, back to dessert! The manager sent over an Espresso Brownie Sundae. This description doesn’t even come close to what was delivered to the table. Tall sundae glass, fudgey espresso flavored brownies, caramel poured over, vanilla ice cream and salted peanuts. Oh, what a devilish way to make us lose our angry!
When you walk in and you are istantly trasported to a dining room on a cattle ranch somewhere in the midwest – perhaps a 21st Century Bonanza set. There are only 6 tables (3 sets of 4, and 3 sets of 2), but I am sure that the configuration can be moved around a bit to accomodate more people. The tables are wood. The chairs are tufted leather with leather buttons. Some are wing, some are straight backed. Against the windows in the front 
are small square, cowhide covered pillows for those sitting on the leather tufted bunch by the window. The tables are simply, but elegantly set. A cow hide hanging on one wall, great chandelier in the center of the room. The room is just warm and inviting, from the tin ceiling down to the hardwood floors, all browns and chocolates.
Fortunately for us, there was the standard Legendary Wedge Salad. Knowing we were sharing everything, the chef was kind enough to split the wedge for us. It’s wonderful when a restaurant takes the extra step to make their customers happy and comfortable – and without asking. Bacon and a three peppercorn gorgonzola dressing make this simple dish fantastic. The candied pecans knock it out of the park. The one downside, the iceberg was not as fresh as it good have – or should have - been. There were leaves on the bottom starting to brown, and it didn’t taste all that fresh, and that made it a little unappetizing. None the less, we forced (ha ha) ourselves to eat the bacon, dressing and pecans! This was a great salad even with the wilty lettuce.
Our other appetizer was the Beefsteak and Buffalo Mozzarella. The tomatoes were so flavorful, noting better than end of summer tomatoes! The slices of buffalo mozzarella on top of each tomato slice were room temperature and perfectly buttery and soft. Coupled with with basil leaves and aged balsamic, life is beautiful. This is one of my favorite appetizers always and this one did not disappoint. There could have been a bit more balsamic on the plate, but it was really good. I don’t remember any Himalayan sea salt on this, I do remember it needing salt. WARNING – the salt grinder shoots a ridiculous amount of salt onto your food – and all in one spot! Grind it onto the side of your plate and sprinkle it on yourself.
Now for the STEAK – the reason we came to this hidden gem! The steak was amazing. Prime cut, 28 day dry aged, 24 oz., bone-in rib eye. Perfectly grilled. Perfectly seasoned. Tender. Flavorful. Rare in the center for Spoon and more done on the edges for Fork. Just enough fat for flavor. Salt and pepper and rosemary was all this needed. Butter added on top at the end for a perfect finish. The steak was sliced in the kitchen and brought to the table for serving.
Along with the steak was the chef’s homemade steak sauce. Very good steak sauce, just the right amount of sweet and heat. If steak sauce isn’t your thing, they also have red wine, au poivre, and bernaise sauces.
In what seems to be the trend in restaurants these days, no sides are served with the entrees, BUT at Lucas there are plenty to choose from! You can have potatoes five different ways, the usual steakhouse-type creamed spinach, asparagus or sauteed wild mushrooms. Spoon and Fork could not resist the Sweet Potato Fries. The chef’s special seasoning is really good. Spicy. Perfectly matched for the carmelized sweet potato fries.
After that very heavy meal, can there really be room for dessert? Knowing Spoon and Fork, does anyone even have to wonder? Profiterol with Caramel Whipped Cream? Cheesecake? Let’s ask our waiter, his suggestions so far have been spot on. Cheesecake, says he, Lucas’ cheesecake is outstanding. I think every restaurant thinks their cheesecake is outstanding, but in this instance he was right. This cheesecake IS outstanding. It’s worth ordering it for the crust alone. The crust is very thick and buttery, slighty salty and sweet – imagine all that at the same time. The filling was delicate and creamy, not overpowering as some cheesecakes can be. This was served with a berry coulis and a dollop of the caramel whipped cream. Folks, it don’t get much better than that!
Knowing we can’t really have everything, we settled on sharing the Pear Salad from the specials menu. Thin slices of pear, parmigiano cheese, mesculn salad, light tangy, slightly sweet dressing – and plenty of it. What a great, refreshing way to start a meal.
Oh, wait! I forgot about the bread basket! The very thin, crispy focaccia baked in a brick oven, lightly seasoned with olive oil, fresh herbs and pepper. Sitting on each table was a small can of olive oil – really good olive oil as a matter of fact – to did the bread into. You know more than one basket was consumed during this giggle-fest dinner.
For entrees, Serving Spoon and Fork both ordered from the specials menu. Serving Spoon order the Lasagna. Before I start with the lasagna, let me say, their sauce is AMAZING!! Very light. Very fresh. Well seasoned. Not too thick or heavy. Certainly not over cooked. Right amount of garlic and basil and pepper! Now, back to the lasagna. This was a large portion of Lasagna. It wasn’t the usual cake like lasagna that some restaurants like to serve it was light and delicate, and still a large portion. The pasta was fresh, the mozzarella just right and the bechamel was fantastic, not heavy or too much of it, there was a slight spicy bite in there too. Everything in this dish was proportioned perfectly to make one of the best lasagnas Fork has had outside of home!
Fork, on the other tine, had the Risotto with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. More. May I please have some more! It is rare to have risotto served to you in a restaurant that is not sticky or mushy or just downright disappointing. Well, this was none of those things! Again, a very generous serving. The sausage was sauteed and then crumbled, the Broccoli rabe chopped up, the risotto creamy and al dente. When the dish was first placed in front of me, I couldn’t imagine that I could finish the entire thing! I was already thinking what could I do with the leftovers the next day! Before I knew it the plate was empty, by stomach was full, and I had a satisfied grin on my face that only something yummy could place there.
Would you like dessert? Oh, no, we couldn’t possibly. Serving Spoon wanted cappuccino. Fork’s replay? Well, just in case, what do you have for dessert? We have cheesecake, tartufo, two things that aren’t here yet, and we have Nutella Paradise. Nutella and Paradise naturally belong together, so I was intrigued. Two pieces of thin focaccia with Nutella slathered between, set on a grill, drizzled with chocolate, sprinkled with powdered sugar – and just to be healthy a strawberry in the center. I may not be able to finish typing this. I may need to run out 
and just sit and have this dessert and a cappuccino!
On both nights – as well as every time I have this wonderful adventure – we had the Insanely Good Crispy Corn Bread with Honey Butter. This is probably the best cornbread I have ever had outside Fork or Spoon’s own kitchens. First, the cornbread has a nice tooth. It is slightly sweet. The cornbread is then cut into triangles and grilled. Really, is there anything better than grilled cornbread? In this case, yes, grilled cornbread with honey butter. Night 1 was in a basket with a tiny ramekin of honey butter. Night 2 was on a plate with honey drizzled all around and the tiny ramekin of honey butter.
Spoon and Butter Pick ordered the Crispy Crab Filled WonTons. They looked beautiful. Golden brown. Perfectly crunchy. And from all the oooohing and aahhhing I imagine they were quite tasty.
Demitasse Spoon also ordered the Thai Spicy Shrimp Salad with Avocado. What a beautiful presentation. Very small portion. Very small shrimp. But there wasn’t a t hing left on the plate, so I imagine it was quite good!
Simply due to intrigue, Fork had to order the Deep Fried Hamburger Bits with Spicy Ketchup. I mean, anything with the words deep fried in it has to be good. Doesn’t it? I asked the server how this was prepared and she looked at me as though I were dim….’little burgers, fried’ was the reply. Fork knew this couldn’t possibly be right, so this had to be ordered, if for no other reason than to satisfy curiosity! Okay, so they are little burgers – BUT they are dipped in batter and then fried! I had thought fried oreos or twinkies were the ultimate, but fried little hamburgers! The spicy ketchup was the perfect complement to the burgers and fried dough. Fork’s only suggestion is to spice up the little burgers a little. They could have had a little more flavor, but these were really good.
Now, on the other hand, on Night 2, Fork had the Duck Tostada. I had seen this on the menu the night before and talked myself out of ordering it. I wish I hadn’t. I would have had it twice. If it’s still ont he menu the next time I go I will order it again! It was AMAZING! Very tender duck nestled between crisp tostadas, mole sauce, jack cheese, salsa, all stacked into one amazing dish. What a party to the taste buds. Even while writing this Fork is smiling and wishing I could have this dish right NOW! The tostada was served with a generous portion of rice and refried beans (which were also very tasty), but this large entree could have stood alone. Kudos on this dish!
Demitasse Spoon ordered the Grilled 14 oz. Rib Eye Steak. This came served with fries and corn pudding. Fries AND corn pudding. I know someplace in the deep recesses of someone’s mind one of the sides is considered a vegetable, but not by anyone this piece of cutlery knows! Demitasse Spoon had asked our server to sub the fries for onion rings – by the way, the onion rings at Bluestone are fantastic! They seem to really know their way around a fryer! They didn’t make the sub AND charged for the onion rings AND there were only 4 or 5 onion rings in the $4 basket.
Butter Pick ordered the Seared Sea Scallops with Corn Cake, Warm Pancetta Vinaigrette over Arugula. The muscle wasn’t removed from the scallop and the scallops were gritty. The corncake was fabulous, so was the salad and pancetta dressing. And actually, if you get around the muscle and the grit, the scallops were well seared and seasoned and were a perfect pairing with the corncake and salad. The corncakes are made from fresh corn and cooked the same way a thick pancake or hocake is – on the griddle. Crispy on the outside and creamy and delicate on the inside.
Fortunately, while we waited, we were served the most wonderful, airy popovers. Crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside and still warm! At the top is a bit of cheese baked on the top. At the side of this wonderful popover is fresh butter served on top of a chunk of pink salt. Oh, by the way, in the fire place in dining room are large chunks of the same pink sea salt, lit from underneath to resemble a fire. Atop the mantel are ostrich eggs in egg holders painted with playing card suits.
But, within minutes of this conversation, our starters arrived. Fork had an endive and beet salad with frisee, baby mache, blue cheese, marcona almonds, apples, and a blackberry reduction. The presentation on the plate was lovely. No, No, Fork is too angry to enjoy it. I refuse. Really…..oh, yum, hmmmm, okay, so I am not so angry any longer. Wonderful dressing, just splashed on the salad, the reduction was nice and tangy, and the salad was just wonderful.
Spoon had the gazpacho with a dollop of creme fraiche and a robiola cheese stick. The robiola cheese stick was totally amazing. Really crisp, cigar like, with salty, melty cheese inside. It was the best part of this dish. The gazpacho was a little dull. It needed zip, heat, depth, something. It was totally flat. Now Absinthe Spoon had this dish and had the opposite experience. We are hoping this was just because it was the first day back from vacation. Certainly something to be ordered just for the cheese stick!
And very quickly after our starters were cleared away came our entrees. Spoon ordered a burger. While you never think you can say anything about a burger that hasn’t already been said, this was a great burger. The beef was so tasty, perfectly seasoned. Cooked just the way we asked – which is unusual. The burger was just a little too small for the delicious, lightly toasted bun. Lettuce? Too much and the rib really was annoying. Speared through the top was an olive, cherry tomato and cornichon. Served along with the burger were fries – truffle fries! Wonderfully crisp fries, salted and sprinkled with bits of truffles. Can you say more, more, more!? Everyone seems to be serving fries in the most wonderful and unique containers lately, Townhouse is no exception and no expense spared. They were served in small, white, classic lion’s head tureens by the French company Pillivuyt.
Fork ordered Curried Chicken Salad served on brioche. Fork didn’t have much hope for this dish, but there wasn’t much else on the menu that piqued Fork’s interest. But what came to the table was a beautifully presented dish. The look of it alone changed Fork’s mind about this dish. Sliced chicken breast, avocado, bacon (which we think was pancetta), underneath a slice of toasted brioche, on top a curry sauce and an avocado cream. All of these components separately might not seem very exciting (well, except the pancetta!) But all together, it was magical. The only thing about this dish that I found difficult was eating it! It is piled very high and a little clunky to cut, but if you stick with it and get a little of everything on your fork, it is well worth it!
Ah, dessert! We are finally at dessert! We ordered the cheesecake lollipop tree. How can we possibly be at David Burke’s Townhouse and NOT have the lollipop tree!! We were very nervous watching tree after tree after tree leave the kitchen. Wouldn’t it be funny if they came and told us they ran out of lollipop trees? NOT! Or perhaps they stop serving it after 3:00? NOT!
The other dessert we ordered was the Crisp Apple Tart with Cider Caramel and a scoop if vanilla ice cream. The tart was amazing. The puff pastry crust was so crisp and flakey. Normally when you order something like this the crust doesn’t always stay crisp and flakey – the tart is made in advance and sits and the crust doesn’t like to sit. This was made to order and wonderful. The cider caramel was salty and buttery and was the perfect foil to the sweet tartness of the apples.
While we were enjoying our dessert, we saw David Burke walk into the dining room, as he worked the room, and walked around the room, we were hoping he would stop by our table. Not only did he stop by our table, he sat down at our table, laughed and joked for a few minutes or so. He asked how our lunch was. We were honest. The food was fantastic, the service was not so good. He took a pen out of his pocket, drew a rectangle on the white linen tablecloth, labeled it table 37, and instructed us to write in our grievances and bring him the tablecloth. We had a great conversation, laughed so hard we could hardly breathe, and the difficulties during lunch seemed to dissolve.
For this adventure we started with Scordalia. There are variation on Scordalia, whether you use bread and potatoes or just potatoes but never a question about garlic! And Meze’s Scordalia is wonderfully garlicky, light and fluffy, and served with a plateful of buttery lightly toasted pita bread. Really I could have eaten just that and been happy. But could we stop there? NO WAY!
Our second starter was Grilled Haloumi Cheese. Fork is always leery of haloumi cheese. If it isn’t grilled right, or it’s sliced to thickly, it’s like chewing on a styrofoamcoffee cup. Not so with this dish. It was perfectly grilled, crisp around the edges and actually melty. The top was sprinkled with lemon juice and oliveoil, which added a nice depth of flavor.
And our third starter was Spanakopita. This is a traditional Greek spinach pie. The light, flaky phyllois stuffed with spinach, feta cheese, and onions. This was the first time Fork had this dish that there wasn’t a tiny bit of filling in a phyllodough folded into a triangle. It is much nicer this way with a lot of the yummy filling not being overwhelmed by the phyllo, which gets very soggy, very quickly. Perhaps this way is better. The phyllo was really tender and flaky.
The Pepper Shaker had Youvetski. It was a special for the evening and it was a good thing we ordered it when we did! There was only one left! I wish I had the room to have tried it, but I was just too full and it was just too hot out that night! But, considering the very empty bowl at the end of the meal, and the very limited conversation from that side of the table – really nothing more than hhmmmmm and yummmm. That is always a very good sign!
Dessert? Really? Oh, no, we are really too full! What’s that you say? Oh, you have Loukoumades as a special dessert tonight? Well, maybe we aren’t so full after all! Yes, I am sure we have room! Please let them be as good as we remember! And they were! Light and fluffy, sort of like a zeppole. Crispy on the outside and airy on the inside. Drenched in honey and sprinkled in cinnamon. Fork could absolutely could have eaten every single one of them – and then some! But I shared and they were wonderful.
