Fishtail, UES - She says...

I've been curious about David Burke's restaurants, known for his creative, bold flavors and whimsical restaurant decor, but we haven't really made an effort to try them. When I saw a three-course tasting menu at Fishtail featured by Gilt City, I thought it would be a good way to see what his food was all about. Shortly after I purchased the certificate, we were surprised with an impromptu trip to Townhouse. After experiencing his "mad hatter" style, I was even more curious about how it would translate in seafood. We made a reservation for Sunday night. We'd already done some pretty serious eating on Saturday, so I was looking forward to a good meal to finish off the weekend.

The tasting started with a glass of champagne, followed by the amuse - a spicy tuna tartare topped with horseradish creme fraiche and a dollop of American sturgeon caviar. It came in an egg-shaped glass jar and was served with several pieces of salted toast. Aside from the toast being slightly cold and under-toasted, it was a really tasty bite. The pepper in the tartare (he thinks they were red peppers, I say jalapenos), provided a good amount of heat and crunch to the tuna, which was fresh and well-seasoned. There were also sea salt crystals toasted into the bread, a nice touch that accented the flavors of the tartare, horseradish, and caviar and also added more crunch. I was surprised by how clean and simple this dish was, and appreciated the little note that came with it.


The second dish, technically our first course, was the Angry Lobster Cocktail. I tried the Angry Lobster appetizer at Townhouse and was overwhelmed by the presentation and spices. But the Angry Lobster Cocktail at Fishtail had a balance that I really enjoyed. It was a half lobster served on a bed of mashed potatoes and a lemon basil chili oil. The spices were bold and had caramelized nicely to the lobster shell, yet I could still taste the sweetness of the lobster meat. The lemon and basil in the oil added freshness to the plate, while the mashed potatoes provided a textural and flavor contrast. I managed to clean out the shells using only the small lobster fork provided, although I was definitely tempted to eat with just my hands (the way lobster is meant to be eaten, of course). It was a fun dish, and paired nicely with a Chablis that stood up to its angry flavors.

The next dish was a dover sole meuniere in a pineapple brown butter sauce that smelled amazing. It was a large filet that was cooked perfectly and topped with pineapple, brioche croutons, and occasional wedges of a citrus, possibly grapefruit? Regardless, I didn't quite understand them - the acidity and sourness were overwhelming. Overall, the sole was a nice, mild finish to our savory courses.

Before the dessert course came, we were served these egg beaters dipped in chocolate:

I was expecting them to be a component of our dessert, but our server told us that they were simply there for us to enjoy - as is! Awesome and so fun. The actual dessert course was equally as whimsical - a canister of chocolate cake that was topped, tableside, with caramel, rice krispies, and heath bar. Served with vanilla ice cream and fresh whipped cream, it was a fun, decadent way to end a great meal. And we even got to take home the leftovers in the original canister.

This tasting was such a pleasant surprise. In addition to the delicious meal, the Gilt certificate included a signed cookbook and a box of David Burke's cheesecake lollipops - all in all a great deal! It was the perfect ending to a truly memorable eating weekend. Special thanks to our server for patiently waiting as he took pictures of every step of the chocolate cake plating, and for making our experience at Fishtail a lot of fun. We'll be back!