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PASSPORT TO NEW YORK RESTAURANTS
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PASSPORT TO NEW YORK RESTAURANTS, Manhattan's only professionally written pocket-size restaurant guide, is available in both a print version and in an eBOOK format for your PC, Mac, Palm Pilot or PDA.
With over 500 entries, the current edition contains detailed menu and interior descriptions, service assessments and wine list evaluations (plus six pages of maps). It's the perfect little black book. [ISBN: 0-937413-13-5] 210 Pages $11.95
Peter Meltzer was AOL's original dining provider on Digital City New York. Passport's publisher, he is also a contributing authority to Food Arts magazine, and writes a bi-weekly column for Wine Spectator on wine auctions and wine collectibles. He has appeared on television and in a variety of national publications on the subject of food, wine and restaurants.
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PASSPORT'S PICKS
***½ TELEPAN – 72 West 69th Street (between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue) 212-580-4300. Seasoned chef Bill Telepan (ex-JUdson Grill) has brought new life to a space that formerly housed the Tex-Mex restaurant Santa Fe. He inherited an awkward interior, broken up by long corridors and brick retaining walls, yet Telepan achieves a cohesive look with blow-ups of fruit, comfy green banquettes, and creative table-top design elements. Telepan exhibits a fearless approach to cooking tempered with great finesse. A stickler for market-fresh ingredients, he coaxes full flavors onto each plate. The resulting dishes are highly imaginative yet some, such as the “egg in a hole,” (smoked salmon in a herb caper sauce), can be quite rich. The American menu is divided into four sections, including mid-courses that can be shared or sampled individually. The wine list is well structured with the occasional bargain such as Morellino di Scansanso Morris Farms 2003 priced under $30. Service is very attentive. WWW $$$$
Firsts–Marinated quail with apple-duck sausage, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms with poached egg and frisée salad.
Mains–Monkfish paprikas with kielbasa and barley-stuffed cabbage, parsley-breaded scallops.
Finales–Crunchy peanut butter milk-chocolate gianduja, quince granita parfait.
***½ LO SCALCO —313 Church St. (between Walker and Lispenard Streets)—212-343-2900)—Chef/owner Mauro Manfrici (who drew raves at I Trulli and Felidia) and his architect wife, Kimberly, have created a sprightly trattoria with a refreshing approach to menu and décor alike. Kimberly has fashioned a high ceilinged room, with curving white beams and ceramic chandeliers, which is a welcome departure from ubiquitous trattoria design schemes. Mauro’s menu is predicated on eight categories of ingredients which are offered as an appetizer, pasta or main. You could settle on roasted artichoke and quail salad, artichoke-stuffed cannelloni and roasted guinea hen with artichokes, or opt instead to mix and match with scampi, veal, or duck-based dishes. There is also a four, five and six-course tasting menu. While the concept sounds like a variation on the small plates/large plates or build-your-own meal approach to menu presentation, the idea is fundamentally sound and imaginative. The wine list is well-structured with a number of well chosen selections at different price points. Service is attentive. WWW $$$$
Firsts—Salad of langoustines and roasted vegetables, cannelloni filled with artichoke and sheep ricotta.
Mains—Braised veal shank with saffron, lemon and sage, roasted filet of Dover sole and mixed seafood.
Finales—Walnut and pear tart with bread pudding ice cream, frollino with mascarpone zabayone, nectarine and blueberry sorbet.
***½ BLT FISH -- 21 West 17th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) -- 212-691-8888 -- Anyone who has followed Laurent Tourondel’s stellar career from his debut at Cello (the meticulous Upper East Side seafood haunt that sadly closed in 2002) to BLT Steak, where he brilliantly redefined the steakhouse genre, should not be surprised by his latest creation: BLT Fish, a winning reinterpretation of the New England fish shack motif. New England never had it so good. Wainscotting, two gigantic mounted swordfish, nautical maps and photos of fisherman adorn the first-floor space, giving it an authentic, cozy feel. Private dining rooms and a more formal dining area (with a more sophisticated menu) will shortly occupy two upper floors. Downstairs, the mood is casual and relaxed, though the noise level can soar as crowds pack the bar and decibels zing from wide planked floors through paper-topped tables and beyond. Although the letters BLT actually stand for Bistro Laurent Tourondel, an instant signature dish is his upgrade on the basic BLT: a compelling sandwich made with tuna, bacon, tapenade, egg, arugula and tomato. Totally addicting French fries accompany the dish. A massive seafood platter containing oysters, clams, crab claws, shrimp, bay scallops, periwinkles and lobster is a meal unto itself. Service is laid back, but attentive. Wines can be had by the glass, the carafe and bottle, though for now, the list is limited to about 28 selections. No reservations are taken downstairs. WW $$$½
Firsts—Seafood platter, peel ‘n eat shrimp.
Mains—Lobster roll, organic salmon with a selection of three sauces.
Finales—Apple pie, key lime pie.
SYMBOLS
FOOD WINE LIST
***** Incomparable WWWWW
**** Remarkable WWWW
*** Impressive WWW
** Noteworthy WW
* Ordinary W
COST (without wine, tip or tax)
$$$$ 40-50 dollars
$$$ 30-40 dollars
$$ 20-30 dollars
$ 10-20 dollars
½ 5 dollars
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