Metadish, Fresh from NYC

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I didn’t get to see Swimster at all this week because he had a big exam Friday. We just planned on seeing each other when it was over. I was in the middle of our show last night and the phone rang. It’s kind of forbidden to talk in the control room while we’re live but I let Swimster stay on long enough to hear him yell, "Hurry up! Get over here! We’re going out for dinner!" I had about 20 minutes left and was on the edge of my seat ready to burst out of the building. That’s what happens on Fridays. The home stretch of work seems to last a century.

So I high-tailed it to his apartment, though only after a slight detour. I moronically thought the N line stopped at 23rd. Turns out the N is express and I should have hopped on the R. Luckily Swimster’s street wasn’t too far away. One good thing that came out of it was being able to see the Christmas fair at Union Square Park. I hadn’t even heard of it until a friend at work told me about it. I hope to return before the season’s over to pick up some unique and original Christmas gifts. If you’re up for it, here’s a link of other holiday craft fairs in the city.

When I got to Swimster’s pad we looked at some of my trusty dining guides: NY Metro, the Strong Buzz, NYC Nosh, Big Apple Dining Guide, and even my own lil’ blog. Nothing really popped out at us. We wanted local because it was kinda late and didn’t feel like cabbing it. We wanted affordable but good. In the end, we walked up Park and turned on 22nd Street heading west. We came across two restaurants that looked appealing Beppe and Kitchen 22. I’d been meaning to try K22 for quite some time now and when they said there was no wait it was a no brainer.

K22 is in a long rectangular space (think of it as a very widened hallway). The front half is the bar. We were surprised to see the bar as crowded as it was and there being no wait for a table. I guess people go to K22 to hang out. The left wall is almost like the bottom of an old wooden schooner with 2′ x 4’s unevenly tiered on top of each other making for a warm cozy entranceway. The bar has these huge globe "centerpieces" that Swimster disliked, but I didn’t even notice them. Past the bar is the dining room. There were tables along a banquette on the right side with mirrors just above and larger-than-life canvas lanterns (I could have fit in one) that hung from the ceiling. On the left side there was a handful of larger tables.

We were seated right away in the middle of the banquette at the only free table. How’s that for timing? And unlike our experience at Land, there was plenty of room to eat and carry on our own conversation. K22 had me at their breadsticks. After we ordered a nice bottle of Langmeil Barossa, in came the breadsticks. They were simple, thick, warm and not too buttery. To accompany the breadsticks, the busboy left us a small dish of 3 sections holding olives, roasted red pepper hummus to lather on the breadsticks, and some lightly mesquite-roasted garbonzo beans. I was already very impressed.

As we looked over the menu, I decided to get an appetizer and an entree and not the prix fixe of $25. With that, Swimster snapped, "What?" I said I didn’t need dessert. When he looked at the prices: appetizer $8 and entree $16.50 he said, "I think for an extra .50 cents you could try the dessert." I turned red. I’ve never been one for mathematics. But what was I thinking? And how come I did not know about Charlie Palmer’s great steal of a restaurant?

Charlie Palmer has four impressive restaurants in the city: Aureole opened in 1988, Metrazur in Grand Central, and two Kitchens, one on 22nd (opened in 2002) and one on 82nd. He plans on opening a 3rd "Kitchen" next year. This is the first Palmer restaurant I’ve eaten in (funny I almost worked at C.P. Steak in DC) and I can’t wait to try others.

Following the snack and some sips of wine, Swimster ordered the Wild Mushroom Napoleon with frisee, red onions, phyllo, and goat cheese mousse. I bit into a forkful and my mushroom heart was whole again. Biting into wild mushrooms with goat cheese is like biting into a salty and bitter fruit. And Swimster was feeling generous-I got two bites! My appetizer was Margarita Salmon Gravlax with fresh citrus and avocado in a lime vinaigrette. I asked the waitress what gravlax was and for the reader in the dark it’s salt-cured salmon (actual recipe calls for sea salt, sugar, and fresh dill). If fish could be dessert this was it. The salmon was sliced paper thin and each bite was like a chilled salmon sorbet. What made this gravlax unique was the citrus zing and the waitress told me a little bit of tequila. No wonder I liked it.

As an entree I chose the Roasted Chicken with brussels sprouts, porcini mushrooms, and chive and potato gnocchi. Let me get right to the point. This chicken was one of the best chicken dishes I have ever eaten in a restaurant. They serve two generous pieces of roasted chicken and I didn’t have to fight with the bones to get at the meat (something that turns me off to roasted chicken). The top layer of chicken had a salty kickin’ layer of fried skin that knocked my socks (and boots) off. Swimster laughed when I cut the final piece in two so I could get two more bites of the crispy fried layer with the two pieces of chicken that were left. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. The mushrooms were soft and tender and the gnocchi were like little clouds of heaven. Swimster went with the Hanger Steak with herbed grits and cipolini onions in a whole grain mustard sauce. The steak was tender and smothered in its mustard marinade. I tasted the white glob thinking it was potatoes and I smiled as soon as I tasted the grits. I think this is the first time I’ve eaten grits outside a Southern brunch. And I liked it with the steak. The onions were like mini circular pillows and sadly I wasn’t lucky enough to taste one.

The finale was a duet of Spiced Pumpkin Bread Pudding and Chocolate Pecan Tart. I’m not a pecan pie person so I had a taste of mine and handed the rest to Swimster, who ate it sans probleme. The bread pudding was the highlight. It looked like a small rubix cube, packed neat and tight and it oozed a black cherry sauce. It was sweet and spicy-the perfect fall dessert. As we were eating our desserts our waitress brought over a cookie dish and asked if we wanted an oatmeal, peanut butter or chocolate chip cookie. This was special and we noticed the tables next to us were not offered the same. (And the girl next to us made a point of saying, "Um, excuse me, may I have one of those as well?") We must have done something nice. They weren’t fresh and chewy right-out-of-the-oven cookies but it was a very nice gesture.

On top of our amazing dinners, the service was top notch. There was a relay of busboys pouring fresh water, bringing our dishes, and clearing the empty plates with exceptional punctuality. I felt we were being waited on by the restaurant elves. I barely saw them before our glasses were full or our plates were cleaned. One more reason for you to go, and for me to get back.

*closed Sundays*
36 E. 22nd Street, between Park and Madison 212.228.4399

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