Restaurant Roadtrip: Two new trendy New York restaurants
Make the trek to New York City to sit on a wooden stool and chow down a bowl of noodles, pick up a burger at Danny Meyer’s new Shake Shack, or dine on some of the most creative, full flavored food anywhere. We hadn’t been in New York in about four years and felt that amazing feeling of seeing and tasting New York for the first time.
Two new favorite spots are the two-month old reincarnated San Domenico, SD26, and Daniel Boulud’s casual creation, DBGB. These names were our first clue that initials and numbers are in.
Top notch restaurateur Tony May and his beautiful daughter, Marisa, closed their Grand Dame restaurant, San Domenico, over a year ago to plan trendy SD26, a restaurant and wine bar, overlooking Madison Square Park.
Long-time customers are greeted by many of the same staff by name or in our case, “Don’t I recognize you?” (We went to San Domenico three times in their 20 years.) New hip millennials are attracted to the ‘see and be seen’ scene as well as to the divine Italian food which can be ordered in large and small plates. As you walk through the cavernous bar space, rows of colorful, contemporary wall decoration lead you to the reservations desk.
We asked to be seated in one of the quieter nooks of four or five tables that look into the central dining room where twinkle lights sparkle from the extremely high ceiling. The open kitchen houses a chef’s table with contemporary red bar stools on black and white checked flooring. This along with a salumi and cheese bar enforce the relaxed, fun, but also elegant atmosphere.
A clever 9-inch by 5-inch electronic wine list, similar to an oversized iPhone, facilitates choosing wine without knocking over a glass with a big leather-bound wine list. Punch in the category such as red or white, choose from 24 varietals, and then from the country of choice. A sommelier is there to guide you to the best wine for the classic soft egg yolk filled raviolo with truffle butter, halibut with bok choy in a broth, veal and sweetbreads, or wild boar ragout on wide noodles. Save room for new twists on zabaglione, tiramisu, and chocolate bombaloni that assure your leaving exhilarated.
SD26 Restaurant and Wine Bar
19 East 26th Street
New York, NY 10010
212 265-5959
www.sd26ny.com
DBGB Kitchen and Bar is definitely a destination, way down on the Bowery. Go early and explore this renovated neighborhood full of restaurant supply stores and tony boutiques.
It’s unusual to stand outside a restaurant for a few minutes before you walk in, but DBGB warrants that. Etched into the bistro glass windows and doors panes are quotes from chefs around the world such as “Without butter, without eggs, there is no reason to come to France,” by Paul Bocuse. Owner and chef of many establishments such as Daniel, Café Boulud, and now DBGB Kitchen and Bar, French native Daniel Boulud is one of a group of famous chefs in a world-wide enclave.
These chef friends gave Boulud their used copper pots and pans that fill the top shelf of cupboards that line the walls of the dining room. Tableware, supplies, and bottles of wine fill remaining shelves for a cozy, jumbled feel of a restaurant supply.
DBGB has a list of lagers and ales that exceeds their wine list. Of the cocktails. DBGB’s best seller is an Aztec Uplifter made of tequila, muddled cucumber, jalapeno-infused agave syrup, and fresh lime with a splash of mezcal (the single-malt scotch of tequilas), served in a short glass on the rocks.
Amidst the bustling activity, there is a beautiful mix of races, faces, and socio economic levels of customers and staff that is balanced, professional, and, in themselves, full of ambience.
Definitely a French brasserie with the booths down the center of the room, the menu items are recognizable even if veal tongue or crispy pigs feet aren’t your thing. Soups, salads, crab cakes lead into oysters, terrines, and pate. But wait, there is an entire menu page of sausages — sweet, spicy, smoky, and cheesy. Try the Beaujolaise, a sausage so coarse and flavorful that it balances in your mouth like a good wine. There are mussels, striped bass, and a lamb duo offered before your eyes land on the popular burger section.
Dessert was a surprise. Similar to baked Alaska, the omelette Norvegienne is flambeed before your eyes with chartreuse, while the coffee mocha ice cream sundae reminds you of sitting on the drugstore stool eating the cherry and whipped cream off the top.
DBGB Kitchen and Bar
299 Bowery at 1st and Houston
New York, NY 10003
212-933-5300
www.danielnyc.com
