23 Grand Street
Soho New York City
There’s just something about Burke that keeps us craving
more! We trekked from his townhouse on
the upper east side down to his kitchen in Soho because
he can not disappoint our taste buds!
I’d happily travel from one part of the city to try all of his
restaurants. That of course is what led
us to David Burke Kitchen at the James Hotel. While the day was rainy, we were depending on
Burke to give us the food energy we needed to keep up with our busy New
York City
Upon our
arrival, I immediately fell in love.
Deep breath, the restaurant is EVERYTHING that I want my kitchen to look
like and more. From a large bar, wooden
benches, and picnic napkins to a stationery bread bar in the middle of the room,
I was in a trance. Could it possibly get
better? Would it also be love at first
bite? Let’s see....
Our smiley and persuasive waiter greeted us with cold water and giant homemade popovers!!
We love popovers!
Before he even asked, I needed
to put in our “jar” order to start our meal because I was quite intrigued. Due to the fact that this was the first
Friday of lent, we had to alter our plans and go meat free for the day. As a result, it was no to the chicken
liver/pistachio jar, and yes please to the tomato/eggplant/ricotta jar. Just as described this little jar arrived
layered evenly with each ingredient.
O.M.J (oh my jar) the crostini combined with a spoonful of each layer
sent my palate into shock. It was
charming in its presentation and plentiful in its flavor. 
We scraped that jar clean just as we were deciding on our three courses.
F.Y.I - Dino and I usually have strict rules:
#1 NO SALMON- it’s easy to cook and hardly ever tastes spectacular
#2 never order the same entrees
We broke two of our rules during this lunch, primarily due to our limited options being surrounded by beef and chicken. This and the cavatelli were our only choices. For dessert, we put our heads together and chose the ten layer red velvet cake and the warm apple tart. I know that this is a lot of food for
Dino’s
guess as to what was on this flaming burner in a glass pot in the bread station
being apple cider was incorrect, in fact it was his first course! As his lovely lobster dumplings arrives, the
waiter made a pit stop at the bread station to get the lobster soup. My tiny tuna tacos were visually adorable and I enjoyed very small bites to make them last as long as I could. The freshness of the tuna with the fresh lime juice really elevated the flavor of this simple taco and polished the dish for me.
It’s entree time, the light crowd keep the food flying out a little too fast, leaving little time to breathe and digest, but the service was tip top. Our salmon looked delicious and was perfectly cooked, but the stars of the plate were the parsnip puree and believe it or not the brussel sprouts! I actually found myself searching for more, when does that happen? I don’t know what he did to make brussels edible but holy delicious. I felt like I was a judge on the show Chopped, you know the contestants always seem to create a puree and a parsnip puree seemed like something they would immediately present. As tasty as the dish was, I couldn’t help but think how much more amazing it would be with bacon! There are no points deducted as it was Burke’s intention to include that fantastic ingredient however we did question our religion for a moment/ wonder why we foolishly went to his restaurant knowing we would have to play vegetarians for the day.
Our finale concluded with a disappointing duo of desserts. My warm apple tart was more like a burnt, deflated pillsbury biscuit with a few thinly sliced apples. As far as the red velvet 10 layer cake was concerned, I think they may be more successful trying to stick to one layer. Perhaps a new dessert concept wouldn’t hurt. The color of this red velvet was extremely dark and the cheesy plate scribble did not work for us.
While Dino used the restroom, I took a moment to be sly and get the check before he got back. I’m a lucky lady whose fella always pays, but I wanted to treat him for a change! The waiter on the other hand seemed a pinch confused as he stated, “really?” YES a girl can treat her boy to a meal too, hmfph!
Burke,
we’ll be back for certain, probably for brunch and definitely not on a Friday
during lent. We are making plans for a possible Burke in the Box visit soon, so watch out for a review in a next few weeks. Keep up the beauty and amazing decor because it certainly works
for us and tons of other mouths.
DnA Approved!
