Remember I said I would compensate all those bad deli food I had with one last BIG dinner at NY before I left? We finished our project on the very last day and we were ready to celebrate at night. Initially we booked a fine dinning place at Brooklyn but then we found out it’s ‘jacket required’ (+ piano playing + mink coat old rich people + anniversary couples arrived in limo, etc). Hell no! To avoid all the ‘business casual’ places at midtown, we found this trendy experimental restaurant WD-50 at Lower East side. I’ve read about this place often, famous for its celeb chef and the $105 nine course tasting menu, and won awards like Best Inventive Dish, Best Weird Food That Actually Tastes Good…etc. ^^;;
I was so ready to go all out to do the $105 tasting menu, but turns out they have a strict rule that everyone at the table has to do tasting menu as well. Some people in our table just absolutely cannot eat beef tongue and foie gras..etc…so just have to give up ;__;. I wish I knew that beforehand.
I never figure out what this flaky thin slice chips are, it is like a modern sculpture. Very good. The appertizer is not mine: Corned duck with rye crisp, purple mustard, horseradish cream
Foie gras, candied olives, green peas, beet juice $17 and Rack of Lamb with cranberry beans, parsley root, tamarind-cashew $30. The foie gras comes in a cylinder, you cut it open and the beet juice (very sweet) are inside. Almost butter-like smooth. It is this constant unexpected shift from salty and sweet, and I never manage to feel settle down with the taste before it’s over. ^^;; The lamb is absolutely amazing!
Other people’s mains: Short rib, hedgehog mushrooms, chestnut, whiskey caramel (really really good!) and the fish (on the right). Here’s where we’re stumpled: the fish stinks! It is very fishy…ouch~~ my friend complain to the waitress and had another plate came out but it’s still the same. It is their fish supplies problem, it is just not fresh! It’s quite a shock considering the fame of this place and the price. Eventually they didn’t charged us for it.
The fish ruined our mood a little bit and hoping the accalimed dessert can redeem the night. We had ‘French Toast’ and with a side of mustard ice cream (not in picture) :D. Those are bacon bites at the bottom that we eat with the icecream. Very nice! The mustard ice cream does taste like mustard, hoho…more milky and creamy tasting compare to wasabi icecream. The picture on the right are after meal treats, they’re curry (?) spice covered chocolate nuts. Very yum.
In the end, I find that ‘inventive weird taste’ boils down to constant sweet vs salty. I think I’d want to come back for the nine course tasting menu but other than that…I don’t think I was blown way (plus the unfortunate stinky fish). It is definitely an interesting place to experience at least once when you’re at New York.
Tags: Dessert, fashionable, Foie Gras, Gastronomy, Haute Cuisine, Lamb, Rib
