Meat Me In West Chelsea

Sometimes decadence is called for. At those times it is good to be in Manhattan's West Chelsea. Very good.

The district is home to some of New York's "uber" restaurants, including Buddakan and Morimoto. However, with an aching desire for decadence of a more hearty kind, I bypassed these Asian treats for something more rarified -- mammoth slabs of bloody steak.

Yum!

My ultimate destination was Craftsteak, but with an hour to spare before my reservation, I decided to take a pit stop. And I picked quite a "pit" for the occasion - Del Posto.

Sidling up to bar in the upper-crusty Italian palace, I was immediately put off by the tinkling strains of "Somewhere" coming from the pianist. Was I in a fine restaurant or had I made a wrong turn and walked into a suburban Nordstrom's? The amiable bartender assured me it was indeed the former and then put his money where his mouth was by shaking me up a Carpano Cocktail, a heady concoction of Carpano Antica, bourbon and freshly squeezed lemon, lime and orange juices.

After a few sips, the musical theater melodies started to fade off into the distance. And, they disappeared completely after one bite into the kitchen's delicate Lobster Tremezzi (pictured above), bite-sized sandwiches that took the classic Maine Lobster Roll on a trip to the Italian Riviera - and straight into my mouth.

Reservation time at Craftsteak was fast approaching, so I sashayed down the block and got ready to be wowed.

"Wowed" I was, as was my dining pal Jenn. From our melt-in-your-mouth appetizer of Wagyu Tartare served with an oozing egg yolk atop, accompanied by crisp Waffle Potato Chips, to our side of moan-inducing Fava Bean Agnolotti with Pickled Mushrooms and Piavé Cheese (pictured below), we were in heaven.

Then there was the steak...

It was a glorious hunk of bovine. A 14 ounce Ribeye from Painted Hills Farm, Oregon, seared to medium-rare perfection. God, were we glad we weren't vegetarians!

Our deep ruby glasses of Hendry Zinfandel only gilded the lily.

Speaking of gilding the lily: What was for dessert?

After the steak, did it really matter?

Uh, yeah!

To that end, let's just say that the pastry chef's Passion Fruit Souffle with Milk Chocolate Sauce was masterful, but it wasn't the Ribeye.

The Ribeye is what I'll truly remember. It's seared in my memory. And, it's that Ribeye that I'll be going back for -- as soon as possible -- and most definitely the next time I'm due for some decadence.

Comments

[Jenn]

I agree, the meal was divine. And the company wasn't bad either.