This winter has been brutal. Snowing every week, record freezing cold, even Niagara Falls is frozen. However, the winter on Park Ave is wonderful. We have tried their brunch before, and we love it. Knowing that they are participating in NYRW; I know i have to tried their dinner. And who can turn down a good deal?!
We were greeted by a mini iron tray of monkey bread with rosemary and sea salt and several pops of Black truffle croquette with the menu. I cannot stress enough how important that a piece of warm bread is. Not only were they warm, they were heartwarming. The Black truffle croquette was a very nice surprise. They were not much of a looker, just tiny little dots laying a clear bowl of uncooked rice. It was a very interesting presentation. I get the contrast of color, but I hope they are not throwing away every single bowl of those uncooked rice. That aside, the croquette was delicious. Crispy outside, warm and moist inside and it screams truffle. Not only can i smell the fragrant, I can taste the aroma. And the amount of the truffle was just right, not overwhelmed. Monkey bread has rosemary in it and top with sea salt. Tasty as is, no need for Butter or olive oil.
Listed as one of the recommended cocktail, I had a blood orange Bellini to start. While I love the blood orange, most of its juice was down at the bottom. The sparkling wine obviously has lost its bubbles. Still delicious, but could have been better.
Appetizers were fantastic. The scallop sandwich is more like seared scallop on a thin piece of bread. Golden brown hash, finely chopped chives, and perfectly seared scallop all goes very well together. Slices of jalapenos added a kick and make it all better. I love crab cake. Most crab cake out there, no matter how much crab it is stuffed with, can’t escape the fact that they are a little doughy and firm. This crab cake at park Ave Winter takes crab cake to a new level. It is a fantastic crab slaw sandwiched between two thin crepes. It is crunchy, airy with plenty of sweet crab meat. We also got the steak tartare with foie gras and truffle for an extra $5, and it was well worth it. The portion of the steak tartare is very generous. Steak tartare and foie gras are perfect combination. And drops of truffle oil made the flavors even more rich. I think the bread underneath could be cut thinner, because it was difficult to cut for its thickness. And we could hold back the parmesan shaves.
Pear Mustard, Anchovy Brown Butter
I have to say, the potions are huge. Large slap of pork chop lightly battered, just enough to make it crispy outside, and still juicy inside. Perfectly seasoned, pieces of cabbage and apple on top balanced out the oiliness and saltiness.
We have had Winter White Sundae and Sticky Toffee Pudding before when we had brunch here. But this time, they had a different presentation for the sundae, which is far less appealing or eye pleasing. Instead of a sundae glass, both ice-creams were served in a rice bowl. It was awkward and left me wondering what they would normally use that bowl for.
We were very satisfied with our dinner. There were a couple things could be better. But for $38, it is well worth it. Unlike many other places where they treated you as second class customers when you order restaurant week menu, staffs at Park Ave were attentive and warm. Dishes did came out from the kitchen petty quickly, made us suspicious that they were precooked, especially with the overcooked halibut. All of the RW menu items are from the regular menu. There are plenty of choices. And in my opinion, it truly fulfills the purpose of RW, to showcase a restaurant at an affordable price. My friend claimed that this was the best restaurant week experience we have had. (Feb, NYRW’15)
