Dovetail

[ewindels]

John Fraser, of whose recent tenure at Compass restaurant I was a major fan, has launched his own place, Dovetail, on 77th Street just west of Columbus. The new joint is a serious kick in the stylistic tuchus of the neighborhood, which remains obstinately and proudly devoid of what the rest of Manhattan would term “stylish eateries.” Located in what I think was formerly an Ethiopian restaurant, the space has been gutted down to the brick walls and then minimally and coolly accented to produce a sleek, masculine space, with panels of maple veneer and slate-grey upholstery and low, slightly flat lighting. Clubby lounge music murmurs in the background, but never obtrusively. The soft-spoken staff is uniformed in ties and crisp cream jackets, the linen and table dressings are all pretty high end, and the whole presents a level of sophisticated dining above almost any other offering I can think of north of 72nd street. This sort of high style ambience seemed to abash many of the patrons as they walked in.

I suspect that both the menu and the pricing had the same effect. At least two parties came in, eyed the place warily, allowed themselves to be seated, shared one or two dishes, and then hightailed it before the bill got any higher.

Dovetail only opened a few weeks ago, and the menu and operation is still undergoing a little polishing. (The much publicized wine and sherry list is still under construction, and limited options were available). One of the glories of Compass used to be their list of extensive, excellent and affordable wines by the glass, and I very much hope Dovetail will repeat that. The options last night were not extensive and the pricing was noticeably higher (e.g. a single glass of Pol Roger for $21, for which price I have bought an entire bottle). The sherry list currently consists of a fino and an amontillado, and there are few bottles on the wine list for under $50.

As the menu is still being tweaked, and since I can’t remember all of it anyway, I’ll confine myself to our own choices. (The much bruited starter of Brussels-sprout salad with serrano ham, manchego, and cauliflower purée was not offered last night). Portions overall are small and elegantly plated.

The amuse was caviar, fried capers, and a vodka gelée with a tiny swirl of some sort of mayo. I didn’t get it. Our starters were blue point oysters with arugula and tissue thin little potato crisps, and pork belly with a poached egg and spinach. Not being a huge oyster fan, this dish didn’t do much for me, though I felt that the oysters got lost under the other ingredients. My pork belly is a dish of which you can find many variations these days, and this one was perfectly fine if not particularly outstanding or memorable. We both had the sirloin steak with a lasagna consisting of braised oxtail between sheets of crisp celeriac. As good as it sounds. Desserts were a chocolate fondant financier number, and a banana caramel bread pudding, in both of which fleur de sel played a leading, and IMO slightly overpowering, role.

The above, with a bottle of Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($42) and two glasses of the amontillado, tax and tip, came to $112 a person, which struck me as on the high side for what most locals prefer to pay (which, given their druthers, would be nothing). Overall, I found the food a bit precious and wan, and missed the more straight forward and steady handlings at Compass. That, combined with the high-style ambiance and ambitions of the place, might make it a bit of a long shot for the neighborhood, and explain the reaction of some of our fellow diners mentioned above. I’d like to go back in the spring when fresh local ingredient will give Chef Fraser more of a chance to show his talent.

[Bliss]

Not sure what to say since I'm not sure who was being reviewed here, the chef or his potential clientele. Won't argue about where the "scene" in food is, we all know its not the UWS. Nevertheless, I don't think we are DEVOID of stylish eateries. A neighborhood that has Ouest and Telepan is not devoid of stylish eateries. Even Compass can be quite good on its best days and has a certain amount of style. And there are a couple of others.

However, ewindels doesn't make Dovetail sound very compelling either. So perhaps those who were reluctant to pay the prices were not so off-base after all.

John Fraser, of whose recent tenure at Compass restaurant I was a major fan, has launched his own place, Dovetail, on 77th Street just west of Columbus.  The new joint is a serious kick in the stylistic tuchus of the neighborhood, which remains obstinately and proudly devoid of what the rest of Manhattan would term “stylish eateries.”  Located in what I think was formerly an Ethiopian restaurant, the space has been gutted down to the brick walls and then minimally and coolly accented to produce a sleek, masculine space, with panels of maple veneer and slate-grey upholstery and low, slightly flat lighting.  Clubby lounge music murmurs in the background, but never obtrusively.  The soft-spoken staff is uniformed in ties and crisp cream jackets, the linen and table dressings are all pretty high end, and the whole presents a level of sophisticated dining above almost any other offering I can think of north of 72nd street.  This sort of high style ambience seemed to abash many of the patrons as they walked in.

I suspect that both the menu and the pricing had the same effect.  At least two parties came in, eyed the place warily, allowed themselves to be seated, shared one or two dishes, and then hightailed it before the bill got any higher.

Dovetail only opened a few weeks ago, and the menu and operation is still undergoing a little polishing.  (The much publicized wine and sherry list is still under construction, and limited options were available).  One of the glories of Compass used to be their list of extensive, excellent and affordable wines by the glass, and I very much hope Dovetail will repeat that.  The options last night were not extensive and the pricing was noticeably higher (e.g. a single glass of Pol Roger for $21, for which price I have bought an entire bottle).  The sherry list currently consists of a fino and an amontillado, and there are few bottles on the wine list for under $50.

As the menu is still being tweaked, and since I can’t remember all of it anyway, I’ll confine myself to our own choices.  (The much bruited starter of Brussels-sprout salad with serrano ham, manchego, and cauliflower purée was not offered last night).  Portions overall are small and elegantly plated.

The amuse was caviar, fried capers, and a vodka gelée with a tiny swirl of some sort of mayo.  I didn’t get it.  Our starters were blue point oysters with arugula and tissue thin little potato crisps, and pork belly with a poached egg and spinach.  Not being a huge oyster fan, this dish didn’t do much for me, though I felt that the oysters got lost under the other ingredients.  My pork belly is a dish of which you can find many variations these days, and this one was perfectly fine if not particularly outstanding or memorable.  We both had the sirloin steak with a lasagna consisting of braised oxtail between sheets of crisp celeriac.  As good as it sounds.  Desserts were a chocolate fondant financier number, and a banana caramel bread pudding, in both of which fleur de sel played a leading, and IMO slightly overpowering, role.

The above, with a bottle of Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($42) and two glasses of the amontillado, tax and tip, came to $112 a person, which struck me as on the high side for what most locals prefer to pay (which, given their druthers, would be nothing).  Overall, I found the food a bit precious and wan, and missed the more straight forward and steady handlings at Compass.  That, combined with the high-style ambiance and ambitions of the place, might make it a bit of a long shot for the neighborhood, and explain the reaction of some of our fellow diners mentioned above.  I’d like to go back in the spring when fresh local ingredient will give Chef Fraser more of a chance to show his talent.

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[ewindels]

By way of clarification, Dovetail seems to me to be aiming for the level of Perry Street or Alto in both sophistication of menu and ambiance. Since neither Telepan nor Compass are above 72nd Street, they wouldn't fall in to the criteria I outlined in my original post, and while I've enjoyed the few meals I've had at Ouest, it's boisterous atmosphere and hearty offerings, for all their accomplishment, put it into a different category.

[oakapple]

Today, Adam Platt awards three stars in New York. Just to put that in perspective, since Platt started giving out stars two years ago, he has given 3* to just two places: Del Posto and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

Among restaurants that both Platt and Bruni reviewed over the last two years, there are three that got 3* from Bruni, yet only 2* from Platt: A Voce, Country, and Fiamma. Hence, Platt is arguably the tougher grader (despite having a 5* scale to work with), so 3* for Dovetail is rather remarkable.

Edited February 4, 2008 by oakapple (log)

[docsconz]

I came down to the City yesterday to take care of some business today and staying in the UWS, my friend Joseph B and I decided to stay in the neighborhood and check out the Sunday Suppa at Dovetail for $38 each.

We tried to get a reservation this past week for Sunday evening, but were unable to either on OT or by calling the restaurant directly. The restaurant did encourage us to try our luck by walking in, which we did. We were seated around 8PM in a busy (for a Sunday night) dining room.

The room itself was decorated with a minimalist modern perspective, the colors being primarily earth tones. Lighting was too dark for me to bother with photos, a shame as the plates were all nicely presented. Tables were small and close together.

As with ewindels, we were given the same amuse of vodka gelee, salmon roe, etc. While pretty, this was not a good introduction to the restaurant as it had an overwhelming fishy finish from the roe. The corn bread, billed as cheddar corn bread, was fine for what it was, though I could discern no cheddar flavor.

The menu had a nice variety of choices with any one of them attractive enough to order on any given day. This day, however, as with many others, I was in the mood for sweetbreads, while Joe went for the pork belly. The sweetbreads, poached then sauteed, were well executed with a nice external crunch, but the dish was undermined by overly sweet accompaniment of fennel and citrus, though it read fennel and mustard on the menu. I couldn't discern any mustard, which was too bad as that might have cut the sweetness some. There was some acid to the dish, in a J-G sort of way, but it was totally insufficient to salvage this disappointment. Joe's pork belly, OTOH, was much better conceived, although it too was perhaps a little sweet for my taste, though not to the point of ruining the dish.

I was beginning to think that this was just another overhyped restaurant... until redemption arrived with the next course, a perfectly executed panko encrusted skate over gigante beans, spinach and a garlic, ginger and cilantro fish broth. The textural contrasts between the crispy panko crust and the soft, hot interior worked beautifully, while the flavors stood in perfect balance. This was a dish that would have been worthy of J-G and good enough to make me want to return.

Dessert was a lovely baked chocolate mousse with coffee mascarpone.

Service was friendly, knowledgeable and reasonably efficient, though they twice forgot to bring more cornbread to the table.

In short, the meal presented a good value with a flash of brilliance amongst some disappointments. If I lived in the UWS, I could see returning frequently to explore the various menu options.

[weinoo]

Service was friendly, knowledgeable and reasonably efficient, though they twice forgot to bring more cornbread to the table.

In short, the meal presented a good value with a flash of brilliance amongst some disappointments. If I lived in the UWS, I could see returning frequently to explore the various menu options.

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But would you return frequently at the normal (e.g. non-Sunday night special) price point, Doc? From what I gathered from your review, amuses were not good, bread service was meh, the sweetbread dish was too sweet and the pork belly was too sweet to your taste.

Our meal, back in March, while okay, didn't entice me to want to return. We had lousy cocktails while waiting for our table, the room (as well as the crowd) was fairly boring, and it was pretty expensive. I suppose if I lived in the neighborhood the Sunday night special would work, but otherwise once was enough.

[docsconz]

Service was friendly, knowledgeable and reasonably efficient, though they twice forgot to bring more cornbread to the table.

In short, the meal presented a good value with a flash of brilliance amongst some disappointments. If I lived in the UWS, I could see returning frequently to explore the various menu options.

←

But would you return frequently at the normal (e.g. non-Sunday night special) price point, Doc? From what I gathered from your review, amuses were not good, bread service was meh, the sweetbread dish was too sweet and the pork belly was too sweet to your taste.

Our meal, back in March, while okay, didn't entice me to want to return. We had lousy cocktails while waiting for our table, the room (as well as the crowd) was fairly boring, and it was pretty expensive. I suppose if I lived in the neighborhood the Sunday night special would work, but otherwise once was enough.

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I would return to try it during a regular night. Depending on the overall direction of that meal would determine whether I would return for that again. The Sunday Suppa was a very good value, with the skate (possibly the best skate dish I have ever had) worth the price of admission by itself. That dish was a demonstration of the chef's potential, even though my experience overall was uneven. For the $38 Sunday Suppa (sic), it was easy to tolerate.

[Robin Meredith]

Has anyone else tried the weekend brunch here? It's an unusual format - for $28 prix fixe you get a good bread basket (focaccia, muffins, cheddar biscuits), a canape tray that includes a somewhat mundane cold parsnip soup, overly sweet tiny meatballs, a surprising good cucumber finger sandwich, and a very good parfait with housemade granola, honey, and a delightfully tangy greek yogurt. Followed by a selection from one of several entrees including an excellent lamb meatloaf, very good soft scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, and a patty melt "madame" and duck goulash that both should be better. Followed by a dessert tray with some nice tidbits (butterscotch pudding, apple crumble, walnut brownie).

In short, a simply amazing amount of food with several high points at a very reasonable price point. You won't need to eat again that day. Biggest drawbacks - the drab room looks even worse with mid-day lighting, and since it's a family meal you may run into some misbehaving children (if that sort of thing bothers you). In any case, yet another interesting example of restaurants coming up with creative ways to generate incremental revenue in off hours.