Review of Colicchio & Sons - New York - May 2010

Where: Colicchio and Sons, Meatpacking District, New York
With whom: The Vole
How much?: $110 per person for three courses, wine and aperitifs

We'd thought long and hard about where we were going to go for our Friday night in NYC and after much deliberation and research among foodies based there I strongly suggested begged that we go to Colicchio and Sons. The back story is a restaurant PR's wet dream. Tom Colicchio, of Top Chef fame (think US Masterchef with a proper budget and no Gregg) became jaded with the demands of running his restaurant empire and rather than follow the likes of Ducasse and Ramsay out of the kitchen and into the boardroom he decided to get back in to the kitchen full time. He took out the successful branch of his national chain Craftsteak and installed Colicchio and Sons in its place, vowing to spend a significant amount of time behind the stove.  

The aim appears to be rustic, a folksy farm to table ethic as evidenced by the dark wood design, Danish farmhouse furniture, artfully arranged pots of herbs and the piles of timber aesthetically stacked by the wood-burning stove visible from the bar. Evidently however, the homely vibe doesn't extend to the rather bling floor to ceiling wine tower used as a room divider between the formal main restaurant and the more casual Tap Room at the front, a throwback to Craftsteak in the MGM Grand in Vegas. We got there early and took a seat at the bar. It's a beer lovers dream, with over 40 ales from around the world, over half on draft, including a vintage Harvest Ale from J.W. Lees in Manchester, aged in Lagavulin casks and priced at $33 a bottle. This punchy pricing extended through to the dictionary sized wine list, a probable hangover from the expense account days of Craftsteak.

Seated in the main dining room, we surveyed the menu. It's a long, detailed love letter to flesh with no more than 2 or 3 dishes in either the a la carte or the $125 a head tasting menu meat or fish free. Bread came served in the oven tray it baked in, buttery enough to eat dry. An amuse of lobster, spiced apple and broad bean on a thin crisp biscuit was encouraging, less so the fact that they didn't clock that the Vole's allergy to shellfish might extend to lobster. It provided an appropriate opener to my sea urchin and peekytoe crab 'fondue'. I asked if this was served to be shared (as any other fondue) which thoroughly confused the waiter, "no sir, it's the special... it's a starter", not quite what I meant, but I assumed my error and moved on. It was an exceptional dish. Sea fresh, with complementary textures from the crab and the chilled slippery slivers of urchin. 

Vole took a call to have starter sizes at both courses, wise considering the size of portions we were seeing. She started with a poached farm egg in a fava bean and pea shoot broth, served with a parmesan crisp. An excellent idea, though sadly too oily in execution. This was followed by a faultless ricotta ravioli with tasty meaty morels.

Amazingly, in the home of one of the masters of meat, I couldn't take my eyes off the piscine portion of the menu. My main was a monkfish in pancetta, to be honest, a bit of a letdown. Slightly dry as it arrived, it came sat atop a fava bean and pea broth that, other than the inclusion of a shave of fennel, comprised Voles starter. 

Minor grumbles aside, the place has the looks and the pulling power that makes it perfect whether you're sealing the deal with a business associate or a date. It wasn't everything I was hoping for, but then expectation was running ridiculously high. As we walked out we were presented with a brace of lovely lemon and poppyseed muffins, "from the chef, for the morning". A lovely final touch.