A Great Dinner All Sewn Up
UPPER EAST SIDE, NYC | Most of the food places I visit I usually visit alone. It is a matter of the greater convenience of being able to go to these places on a whim, and with a flexible schedule. I also need not worry about the culinary preferences of another party, especially with less adventurous palates than my own.
The downside is, of course, that the number of items I can order to eat—and photograph—is limited to my still shrinking appetite (still maintaining the eating habits that helped my over 100 pounds since 18 months ago).
So it was an extra special occasion to have a visiting dear friend of mine visit New York City from Texas to treat me to dinner the excellent, popular, new-ish Seamstress, and to have another dear friend accompany us.
And with the menu at Seamstress belonging to the great culinary minds behind revered Ducks Eatery and new favorite pastrami spot Harry & Ida's Meat Supply Co., I was very much excited to explore the creatively realized and expertly executed treasures I expected to enjoy.
And explore we did, starting off with a promising fried cauliflower dish, and with a peekytoe crab salad, decoratively arranged with avocado, citrus, tarragon, chile, sea salt, and olive oil.
Having of course checked out the menu before arriving, I new what would be my main. The ladies (my dinner companions) decided on trying the hot griddlecake with chile cardamom honey and the sautéed squid with potatoes and squid ink vinaigrette, both wild successes—the squid so much so that we ordered another plate of it.
Neither of my dinner dates seemed interested in even remotely trying the mutton burger I ordered.
I love all things sheep/lamb, and love not just a good burger, but a good burger experience—this is a great one. Mutton offering a comforting gamey flavor, accentuated in its own just rendering fat (I of course ordered it medium rare), countered pleasantly by the sweetness of carrots, complimented by briny pickles served by the "in-mouth" aromatics of a hint of curry, and balanced by verdant yet earthy fennel fronds with their own aromatic hints of anise.
It was a great meal with great friends each of whom I've known for over 30 years. It was a reason to celebrate, and having again too many great options to choose from off the dessert menu, we collectively decided to try all three: a crispy and moist chocolate brownie (with bruléed banana, rum cream, salted caramel), an apple pie (with Grafton cheese) a la mode, and a completely un-ironic preparation of a baked alaska, its familiarly traditional presentation again adding an experience of enjoyment beyond the lusciously yummy (figurative and literal) hot and cold layers of orange chiffon cake and strawberry ice cream that hid beneath the near ornately torched meringue.
Dining at Seamstress is definitely a worthy endeavor to experience, even beyond the already excellent food. I'm glad that I not only chose the right restaurant at which to have this great experience, but that I also chose the right people with which to share this great experience.
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SEAMSTRESS | 339 E 75th St, New York, NY 10021 | (212) 288-8033 | seamstressny.com
