Relish Restaurant

[menton1]

David Corcoran, the New Jersey reviewer for the NJ Section of the Sunday NY Times, has given a rare "excellent" to this restaurant in a most unlikely blue-collar town, Sparkill. Corcoran says the hamlet looks like a mill town from upstate NY, but that the restaurant sparkles. (Sparkler in Sparkill? )

The description of the food sounds like it's worth a journey, though.... "Excellent" is rare for Corcoran. Also, the place will probably be jammed for the next month because of the rave review.

Has anybody been there? Please let us know!!

[albie]

Where is Sparkill? There's one in New York, I know; It never ceases to amaze me that, although I'm a native New Jerseyan and our state is one of the smallest, I always come across names of small hamlets I've never heard of before!

[rozrapp]

Albie, The restaurant is in Sparkill, New York. This is one of those occasions when the Times is reviewing a restaurant just across the border. So, in this case, you are not ignorant of some "small hamlet" in NJ.

[beachcove]

Jerry went there for lunch Monday, after reading the review - the place was almost empty. But, I'm sure it won't stay that way. I'm a little sketchy here on the details, but here goes:

He started with duck and morel ravioli in a wild mushroom consomme. The wrapping was thin and delicate, the duck meaty and tender, and I suspect the bowl was drained clean!

I've been racking my brains to remember what the main course was, but I'm coming up empty. I'll post more tomorrow.

But the coup de grace was dessert - mango wrapped in sweetened risotto, served in a blood orange puree.

He wanted to go back today, to try a short rib dish mentioned in the review, but they were closed.

More info coming tomorrow!

[menton1]

Wanted to share our wonderful experience at this restaurant last night (July 4). We were anxious to try it as I do trust David Corcoran of the NJ New York Times Dining section, and he gave it a rare "Excellent". (Place was about 80% full on a night when many people are at barbecues)

The place is a re-done luncheonette in a small hamlet, with plenty of parking in the town square. The decor is quite attractive, some art deco touches, and a bit of bamboo lighting, and artwork on the walls from local artists. (The proprietor, Michael, says that it will change on a regular basis).

The menu is small, which I personally like. Many times chefs overextend themselves on too many items. For starters, we got: A wonderful wilted escarold salad, cheese slivers and walnuts, a great blend of dressings; the spring salad was standard mesclun, but the dressing was quite unusual and memorable; a hot, clear clam chowder that was terrific, and a cold heirloom tomato soup that was extremely delicious.

The main courses we had were: Sliced grilled lamb sirloin, done rare to our specifications, on a bed of mashed potatoes and julienned veggies; and the special, a wasabi-crusted large filet of halibut with broccoli rabe and white beans in a magnificent sauce that blended and melded many flavors. The meal was accompanied by Balthazar breads and they have about 10 wines available by the glass.

The only tiny flaw was the peculiar, cold, unfriendly attitude of the waitress we had. This was compensated for by the super-attentiveness of Michael himself, and a lovely young assistant. Michael started with a bagel store in Brooklyn 20 years ago, and it seems he has come a long way.

All in all, this restaurant is truly deserving of their "excellent" rating. I highly recommend it.

Relish

4 Depot Square

Sparkill

845-398-2747

[janbee]

Thanks for your review, menton. I have heard equally good reviews from others. Looks like I'll have to add Relish to the top of the list!

Janbee

[steve2]

based on the times review we went to relish two weeks ago.the food was very good and some selections were fantatic.in the last category were astonding lightly battered squash flowers filled with ricotta and mozzerla drissled with a basil based oil.the sqash tasted as if it was picked off the vine minutes before it was served. the grlled octupus rubbed with latin spices was imaginative and beautifully presented.our server was very helpful and attentive and with patience deconstucted every item on the menu for my very undecided wife .the vibe in the place is very warm and personal, we will definatly go back.

[Rosie]

Welcome to eGullet steve2. Be sure to give us reports of other restaurants you like to dine at.

[janbee]

Last week, I called Relish to make a reservation for a 7:30 p.m. dinner on Friday night. I called Thursday around 1 p.m. The gentleman who answered the phone told me he "couldn't read the notations in the book" and would have someone call me back within the hour.

Well, no one ever called back. When I called later that evening, I was told that "no, they did not have any 7:30 reservations available, but they could seat us at 8:30 p.m." When I asked why no one ever called me back they said it was because 7:30 p.m. was not available. Huh???? I think I deserved a courtesy call back anyway. Obviously, this place is having some growing pains since receiving such excellent reviews. Not unexpected, I guess.

I still want to try Relish, but we'll wait for a week night when things are less hectic!

Janbee

[JeffWilson]

Just to add another opinion to the Relish thread...

We went on Friday night and it was very good, but certainly not "NYT excellent". I started with shrimp tempura, which was nore like small pieces of shrimp fried in tempura batter. It was nice, but very light. Although it came with 2 dipping sauces, I felt that the dish lacked some flavor. My wife started with a mesculun salad that was good but very plain. Just greens, lot of them, and nothing else. While the dressing was good, the salad needed something else to it. One of our guests had the lamb ribs. These were the clear standout and were fantastic. I would go back just to try them, as one bite wasnt nearly enough for me.

Entrees were very good. The corn-encrusted salmon was delicious, but the asparagus tempura that came with it was bland and almost tasteless. The red snapper special was very good, but I was unable to get a good description of what was in it (did I mention that it was very noisy?). The chocolate bread pussing dessert was outstanding. I am a chocolate nut, and it was a wonderfully intense chocolate experiene without being so rich that it was difficult to eat.

The wine list had a very large number of wines under $50 and there was something for everyone (except higher end items).

Overall, it is worth trying again, but my expectations will be a bit lower than after I read the NYT review of it.

[beachcove]

Relish now has a website:

http://relishsparkill.com