abc kitchen

[image via ABC Kitchen]

I went to ABC Kitchen for lunch today. At last a chance to try Jean-Georges Vongerichten's organic farm-to-table restaurant at ABC Carpet & Home. Yes, definitely a pretty room -- all white with a mix of matte and lacquer-like finishes. And bleached branches. I definitely liked what I ordered. I decided to go with three small plates, which worked out to be a lot of food. I tried the Roast Carrot And Avocado Salad crunchy seeds, micro greens, sour cream and citrus (sans sour cream). Super delicious. A strange salad, yes. But ingredients I love. Then, Line Caught Tuna Sashimi marinated with ginger and mint. Delicate yet substantial. Then, a Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza of Jersey Tomatoes buffalo mozzarella and basil. The buffalo mozzarella was pillowy and perfect. I ate one slice, and took the rest home.

So all in all, the ingredients were very nice. I left feeling good, not overly full. But were the ingredients, each excellent, combined in transformative, mind-altering ways? Well, no. Everything was great, and nothing was less than good. But it didn't rock my culinary world. That sounds so mock-snobby. And I don't mean to come off like that. It's just this: I look to award-winning restaurants for flavor combinations that are clever, masterful, delicious, exciting and new in a catch-you-off-guard sort of way. I felt that for its reputation, ABC Kitchen would deliver more solidly on the artistry. As I said, everything was great, and nothing was less than good. I'll just leave it at that.