right after our 2010 wedding, we took a mini-honeymoon trip to NYC for a few days. aside from shopping and enjoying the holidays in the city, we were most excited for our food adventures. we had been closely following season 3 of “the next iron chef” and decided to book a table at Marc Forgione after falling in love with his cooking style on the show. We were really excited that he WON, and even more excited that we were able to get reservations for this TriBeCa gem.
one of the dishes he cooked on the show was his half-chicken under a brick. and yes, it’s cooked under a brick. (here’s where i would have linked to the show, but youtube wants $1.99 for it, and ain’t nobody got time for that). chicken, broccoli rabe, potatoes, pan drippings. simple? not really. each of the four times we’ve had it, it has been perfectly cooked and full of flavor. it takes comfort food to a totally different level of sophistication.
each year we enjoy one of forgione’s seasonal cocktails (this year, however, i stuck with a delicious white wine from Greece). this is also the first year we saw the cocktail list with this cover:
it’s also important to note that the music here is fantastic. one second you could hear michael jackson, and the next, van morrison.
the first year we went, brian got the chili lobster as an appetizer (which he enjoyed; my shellfish allergy prevented me from sampling). over the years we’ve enjoyed different appetizers, and this year, we had the kaboch squash ravioli with white rabbit bolognese and pumpkin seed gremolata. i fell in love with his rabbit bolognese when i attended a private dinner for work there in october (the theme was “where the wild things are” and our entire meal had been foraged. it was unreal!), so i knew i had to have it again (and i knew Brian would enjoy it).
our entree is where things got tricky. three words turned dinner upside down: braised short ribs.
our server, charles, saw the look on my face that said “what the hell are we going to do” because i cannot stray when short ribs are offered. he instead created our chicken under a brick for two into “for one” and we shared short ribs and chicken. the short ribs were a special that evening, served with brown butter and pureed parsnips. and since it’s truffle season, he asked if we wanted shaved white truffle on our chicken. how could we not? this was quickly competing for most expensive dinner we have ever had. despite the fact i’m allergic to mushrooms, i am NOT allergic to truffles, thank god. the truffles were delicious – very aromatic, earthy flavor. very well worth the splurge.
the photos aren’t the best, as they were taken with my iphone, without the flash. i didn’t want to be “that person” (even though I usually am). forgione’s atmosphere is cozy, yet upscale, and sometimes the constant taking photos of food is a distraction.
charles knew it was our anniversary, so this is how my s’mores dessert arrived. brian had the pumpkin creme brulee.
this was our fourth dinner to forgione’s – our fifth visit together, and my sixth. in january, we came for sunday brunch before visiting pop’s stone at the 9/11 memorial. the $15 bottomless mimosas are fantastic, as are the bloody marys. however, being that this is TriBeCa, be prepared to have dozens of downtown children running around and being…well…children of TriBeCa parents. get the latest possible reservation for brunch, and hopefully the children crowd would thin out by then.
while the term ‘foodie’ is starting to wear thin on me, food is our passion. not only do we enjoy cooking (and baking), but seeking out restaurants to explore new cuisine, different cooking techniques, and innovative cocktails is our hobby.
we haven’t decided where our next adventure in NYC is going to be yet, so we are very open to suggestions.
and if anyone is ever interested in going to forgione with us, PLEASE let us know!
CHEERS!
-e
eat well. travel far. 