Eating Out – 3 more in NYC

Reviews of SPICE MARKET, CRU and THE MODERN in NYC.

Ya, we did spend a lot of time eating during our recent stay in NYC but we made sure to walk it off shopping. I won’t bore you with full reviews of the next 3 restaurants but they definitely deserve some ink.
Spice Market, one of Jean Georges Vongerichten’s 17 restaurants (Yes, 17!!) is a must if you’re into Asian fusion. Situated on West 13th St. in the meatpacker district, Spice Market is another of those very informal but oh so very cool places to see and be seen. The restaurant is decorated in a style that could make you believe you’re in Mumbai. Dishes are served family style so that everyone at the table can share the different courses. A sampling of what we had: Shrimp Tod Man Pea in cucumber peanut relish; Mussles steamed with lemon grass, Thai basil, dried chili and coconut juice; Crisp salt and pepper skate, Thai basil and lime; Pork Vindaloo. The tastes are so varied that I recommend wine by the glass.
Overall, well worth a visit. Moderately priced.
Cru on 5th Ave. south is the place for you if your thing is fine wine. Cru has one of the very best wine lists in North America. The maitre d’ has to make 2 trips to your table to deliver the hefty leather-bound tomes, one for reds and the other for whites. The list is by far the most extensive I have ever seen. I recommend you go to the website (above) and browse through the PDF versions to get a better idea of the depth and breadth of this restaurant’s remarkable collection. If you have problems choosing your wine, there are 3 sommeliers at your service. The choice is so extensive that the best thing to do is decide on a price range you’re comfortable with and then just have a chat with the sommelier after you’ve chosen the food. If I had wanted to be nice to Josée, I could have ordered the Romanée-Cont Grand Cru 1957, her birth year, priced at $5,500. Not.
The service is impeccable, the décor staid and the stemware Riedel (of course). The food was very good with minor deficiencies I won’t even mention. Here’s what we had: Sweet potato gnocchi with in a wild boar reduction; Tagliatelle in a white truffle cream sauce ($50. supplement for the fresh white truffle); Duck breast: Venison; Valrhona chocolate tart and pumpkin sorbet. After several glasses of white from their vast choice of wine by then glass, we had a bottle of Guigal ‘Brune & Blonde’ 1985 from Côte Rôtie followed by Taylor Fladgate 1985 vintage port with the desert.
Good place to go when someone else is paying the bill. Total for two with tip: $638.
Finally, my very favorite restaurant in NYC these days is The Modern at MoMA. This restaurant is the brainchild of Danny Meyer of Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Café fame. The chef is Alsatian born Gabriel Kreuther. The décor is, well, me. I’ve been a member of MoMA for nearly 20 years and as many of you know, it’s my very favorite museum in the world. The restaurant incorporates modern design icons from MoMA and has a very Bauhaus feel.
The space is divided into the Bar Room and the Dining Room. The Bar Room is a great place for lunch either at the long marble bar or at one of the small tables. The Dining Room is more suitable for dinner and looks out onto MoMA’s magnificent Sculpture Garden.
We’ve eaten at The Modern quite a few times now and we’ve never been disappointed. Our recent lunch there included: Charred Octopus with chickpea-radish salad, salsa verde and crispy capers; Upside Down Tuna Tarte with fennel, Japanese cucumber and aioli; Herb Crusted Loin of Lamb on a young garlic noodle cake with pea shoots and light herb and saffron sauce; Wild Salmon with horseradish crust, cabbage and Riesling.
Have a look at the restaurant’s website (above) for the complete menus and pricing. Two hours in MoMA followed by a great lunch at The Modern…time well spent!

Joseph Froncioni