GOTHAM BAR & GRILL 35th ANNIVERSARY DINNER SERIES

I love holidays.  I love National Whatever Days, celebrations and theme parties.  So what Gotham Bar & Grill is doing to celebrate their monumental 35th anniversary appeals to me immensely.  They
 are holding a series of dinners, with special menus dedicated and inspired by each New York Times critic that has reviewed them throughout the course of their operations.  Each critic helped design a four course menu (which will cost $84) inspired by the dishes included in their reviews, beginning with Gael Greene, followed by Bryan Miller, Ruth Reichl and Sam Sifton.  (Apparently Bruni didn't cover them, or else he wasn't into it.). But the idea is so cool, and regardless it's an institution that deserves support and traffic.







The held a kick-off brunch last Sunday, a meal for which they normally do not open, so it was particularly special to attend.  The menu was broad but sophisticated, as one would expect.  There were sweeter offerings like Belgian waffles and a granola parfait, but more savory courses that one could easily see on its lunch or dinner menu.  A frisee salad
 with chewy, meaty lardons and equally chewy and meaty shiitakes came topped with a op-art caliber egg, gently cooked to just solidify its white and retain the golden vibrance of its yolk.  A kicky sherry vinaigrette moistened those bristly greens and tied the whole things together.  A vegetable risotto was gratifyingly veg-heavy, but it was also really salt- and cream- heavy, making it a little gloppier than the ideal, but still really tasty.
  Branzino came skin-on, crisp-skinned and pristinely fresh, caching a braise of softened fennel bulb and strips of sweet peppers.  A blood orange puree added a bright nudge of acidity and a little sweetness, but the dish was still surprisingly decadent.  And while I normally save dessert as an after-
dinner treat only, the semifreddo was sublime, the custard itself cool and frothy.  But the real highlight was the tangy rhubarb compote and equally zippy strawberry sorbet, tricking one into forgetting the weather man has still been reporting wintery forecasts.  A signature chocolate cake was dense and fudgy, topped
 with a quenelle of marvelous salted almond ice cream.  Their coffee is a specialty roast as well, created for Gotham by For Five Roasters out of Queens, but I found the blend a little over-roasted.  You can get burnt at Starbucks; at such an elegant restaurant I wished they'd've
designed a more subtle rendition.   It fared better in the cappuccino, whose foam was exquisitely swirled into a mesmerizing spiral.  Beautiful little touches like that will arise throughout.

And this post isn't so much about the brunch anyways (although they are offering a beautiful Easter Brunch which may feature some of those same dishes.  It's about the Times critics dinner series, which looks extraordinary.  The menus can be found on their website as they unfold (Green's and Miller's are currently visible).  Congratulations to Chef Portale and such a fine organization to have persisted so long and with such elegance and quality.

12 East 12th Street between 5th and University
tel.  1(212)620-4020