Happy Halloween! New York City goes all out for Halloween, including a big nighttime parade up Sixth Avenue in the Village. Our Halloween lunch was at Jean-Georges' Spice Market in the Meatpacking District. When we last visited Spice Market in late June, the large doors on the two outside walls had been raised to let in the street ambience and beautiful weather. But on this chilly Halloween afternoon, the doors were closed.
Spice Market's menu is Asian street-vendor food. We started with a crisp white Burgundy, ordered four small plates to share, and tried not to eat too much of the addictive papadum, with its sweet and spicy chili dipping sauce.
Papadum, with chili dipping sauce The first dishes out were the crispy sushi and the boneless baby back ribs. The sushi was excellent quality, served uniquely over crispy fried rice, with spicy chipotle mayonnaise. We could have ordered another round. The boneless rib meat was tender and tasy, sweetened by the yummy plum glaze.
Crispy Sushi with Chipotle Mayonnaise - Salmon, Hamachi, Tuna, Snapper
Boneless Baby Back Ribs - Yuzu Plum Glaze, Spiced Peanut Brittle Next came tempura bass steamed buns and chili-garlic egg noodles. The perfectly breaded bass was accompanied by mild red peppers, greens and a sweet peanut sauce, all encased in a light, airy bun. We'd had them before and we'll order them again; they're wonderful. We'd also had the spicy egg noodles before, with their perfectly cooked, anise spiced shrimp. Delicious.
Tempura Bass Steamed Buns, with Crispy Herbs and Peanuts
Chili-Garlic Egg Noodles, with Seared Shrimp and Star Anise We like adding Spice Market to our New York eating repertoire. It's a change of pace and it's consistently good. Our Halloween dinner reservation was at Gotham Bar and Grill in the Village, in the midst of the Halloween craziness. We began dining at this elegant fixture of the New York restaurant scene shortly after it opened in 1984. While it had been awhile since we'd eaten there, it hadn't missed a beat. We arrived early, fearful of the Halloween traffic, and sipped Caipirinhas at the large bar that parallels the dining area.
Once seated at our table, our sommelier helped us select a nice Cab Franc/Bordeaux blend, and then we selected our dinner. Chef Alfred Portale, who came to the restaurant the year after it opened, presents a classic American menu that hasn't changed much over the years.
We started with the seafood salad and the sweetbreads. The seafood salad, one of Mr. Portale's signature dishes, is a tangle of scallops, squid, octopus, sweet lobster and avocado, dressed in a lemon vinaigrette. When he first came to the restaurant, Mr. Portale's presentations were all constructed upward, including the seafood salad. But even flattened, the salad still tasted fresh and delicious. The sweetbreads were a bit of a disappointment. They were not nearly as good as the sweetbreads at Lupa. The breading both looked and tasted commercial. The sweet apple purée helped.
Seafood Salad - scallops, squid, spanish octopus, lobster, sweet shrimp, avocado, lemon vinaigrette
Crispy Sweetbreads - Applewood smoked
bacon, thumbelina carrots, If the sweetbreads disappointed, our entrées made up for it; we ordered the duck and the veal loin. The Muscovy duck was the best duck we'd ever had. Each rare meaty slice was surrounded by a strip of crisp, fatty skin. It was incredibly delicious. And the seared foie gras was equally wonderful. The roast loin of veal was not far behind. The veal was tender and tasty, bathed in its Marsala wine reduction. And the veggies to the side were more than mere garnish; they were excellent.
Muscovy Duck - seared foie gras, roasted fuyu persimmon, quinoa, almonds, mustard greens, ruby port sauce
Roast Loin of Veal - Chanterelle mushrooms, sunchoke, squash, broccoli rabe, Marsala wine reduction We're not sure why it had taken us so long to return to the venerable Gotham Bar and Grill. On this Halloween night, it was definitely a treat.
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