L'Ecole

As promised...this is one of my favorite finds in NYC. I first stumbled on this place with Dani while she was visiting. 

I mentioned this dinner in a previous post when I was having a soup memory. 

After a long day of shopping on Canal, Dani and I were hungry and had a few hours before seeing a show uptown. 

Tired and hungry we looked up and saw the French Culinary Institute banner hanging on Broadway. Delighted that they have a restaurant and it looked as if it was begging for us to enter. 

Nice decor. It was early dinner so the lighting was more natural light. A few older guests were sitting in pairs scattered throughout the dining room. 

We sat next to a front window. Always fun when you get a prime spot. The window seating seems to be reserved for inviting guests. When people walk by they see attractive people in the window appearing to have a great time. laughing. eating. looking fabulous. This is what i like to think when I'm seated in one of those prime spots. 

Like the hot slot machine in the front of the casino...lots of bells and whistles. Fun fabulous people attract fun fabulous people. 

It's always a prix fix menu. Changes constantly since it is a school.  The students work to serve. 

Makes you think of Boces...the vocational school in your neighborhood where you can get a $10 hair cut or $5 manicure. 

Always scary, I never have gotten my hair done by a Boces graduate. 

I'm thinking FCI is in a bit of a different category. 

I mean...Bobby Flay went here. 

Dani and I had an amazing meal...butternut squash soup I can still taste and the best shrimps I have ever eaten. We had to rush to see our show. I may admit later who we saw. or maybe not. 

This week it was David's birthday. David is planning on going to FCI in a few weeks so this was a great way to celebrate and kick start his inspiration. 

I ordered Hamachi, then scallops for my fish dish, tenderloin for my meat and the chocolate porcini cake with cardamon caeme and chocolate olive oil sorbet.

The first brought out a muse Busch...or how ever you spell it. Shrimp in a corn chowder. I love corn chowder. So delicious we all took bread to wipe up the soup stuck in the smallest little cups ever. 

Hamachi on a bed of granny smith apple. very refreshing. David had the goat cheese walnut salad. I had appetizer envy. 

the goat cheese was piled upon a cup of walnut sauce and melted perfectly still keeping a consistency that was appealing to the eye and mouth. 

Scallops...delicious. A little big for my taste. Compliments of the chef, the sea bass. That was the winner. 

David had the Salmon, which was cooked perfectly. 

next course. meat. I had the tenderloin in a Burgoyne reduction. So good. they serve it with small bits of Brussels sprouts and tater tots. The best tater tots I've ever had. 

David's choice, the pork chop with a broccoli cream. Broccoli was yummy. Pork was very very under cooked. 

Chef's choice again, they give us the pheasant. The chef is making amazing choices. I now am a huge fan of the Pheasant. 

cleansing break. 

a lovely plate of ricotta cheese sorbet, drops of balsamic to dip the cheese and a few other cute things on the plate that I can't remember. 

desert course. My chocolate porcini cake with cardamon caeme and chocolate olive oil sorbet was interesting. Plating was nice. A little obvious. A fork shaped chocolate imprint, cute...but not really creative. The gingerbread cake was perfection. Light, lovely and a perfect end to a most enjoyable evening. 

Siobhan was our server and a delight. She made suggestions and was right on. 

Mind you we called in for reservations a few hours earlier under the name Samson Simpson. When we arrived the hostess laughed harder than us. Yet we still were seated at a lovely table. 

The entire staff, we assume students and working as homework. Were all quite nice. Very welcoming and seemed to love life. 

Siobhan asked if we had any dietary restrictions. She also remembered even though she made a face when one of us discussed his dislike to cheese. I must agree with Siobhan...how can anyone not like cheese. But she was accepting of this and when the cleansing plate came it was minus goat cheese sorbet. A nice consideration from L'Ecole. 

This is a must.  It's NY at its finest. It could be one of those fine restaurants anywhere. But it's not. It's in a tough city with some of the best restaurants in the world. The instruction at FCI is prided on it's excellence and integrity. 

I'm so excited for David...this could be the start of our next great chef.  At least a nice boy that cooks well.