Eighty One - Reviewed
With Dovetail, Bar Boulud, Madeleine Mae
and the latest arrival of Eighty One, the upper West Side is having an
impressive run of new restaurants. If I lived in the neighborhood, I
would certainly make a habit out of the scallop and foie gras ravioli
at Eighty One. It's a splendid appetizer conceived by chef-owner Ed Brown,
who served as executive chef at the Sea Grill for 14 years. If you're
not familiar with his cooking, these sophisticated nibbles make a great
first impression. The crowning touch is a straw wine sauce that
sharpens the sweetness of the scallop while cutting the richness of the
foie gras.
Eighty One puts a high premium on luxury ingredients with downright lofty prices; the contemporary American menu is peppered with foie gras, sweetbreads and truffles. The foie gras hails from the Hudson Valley and the black truffles - which diners can have shaved over any dish for $42 - are shipped from Provence. The space is nearly as elegant as the menu, cloaked entirely in red velvet: plush banquettes, upholstered walls and drapery. The bustle of the 120-seat dining room is proof that fine dining and white tablecloth affairs are still thriving on New York City's notoriously casual dining front.
Eighty One strives toward upscale pleasures instead of bold invention. There is a lovely arrangement of roasted root vegetables that gets drizzled in a full-bodied salsify and apple vinegar, as well as a fine pumpkin risotto, crowned with braised chicken wings and a nutty dash of pumpkin oil. While neither dish is revelatory, these perfectly civilized gestures cater to a conservative upper West Side clientele. Both are listed among six selections labeled "tasting collection," which encourages guests to construct their own tasting menu. This route may foster freedom, but it also puts these offerings on a pedestal; suddenly, the appetizers and entrees seem like second-class citizens that don't always live up to their charmed billing.
Though Brown earned a reputation for his finesse with seafood at the Sea Grill, these dishes oddly proved a weaker point of the menu. A cautiously flavored entree of Japanese hamachi, cooked à la plancha, was dominated by a briny scattering of baby clams seasoned with parsley, chili and garlic. Main characters were constantly being upstaged by their supporting cast...
A lackluster fillet of black bass went neglected in the more interesting company of lobster-stuffed endive, sea beans and a frothy lobster emulsion. Baby calamari was wildly overshadowed by its accompaniments, which included a lush potato sauce, smoked paprika and chorizo.
Brown has much better success with meats, delivering an exemplary sirloin sided by a tender short rib folded with an olive oil marmalade, as well as a perfectly cooked pork belly plated over al dente Beluga lentils.
Pastry chef John Miele (Aureole) constructs an equally strong roster of desserts. There is a deconstructed bittersweet chocolate and hazelnut mille-feuille as well as a luscious pear tart coupled with spiced cranberries and frozen sour cream.
Perhaps the best finds at Eighty One are a dazzling wine list, overseen by sommelier Heather Branch, and a quaint upfront lounge. Here, diners can cozy up on a couch with a glass of wine and those dynamite ravioli until this whole recession blows over.
Comments