Django

[cabrales]

Below is yet another example of a newly-opened restaurant that I knew would be sub-par and that I was nonetheless tempted to visit. In Django's case, I could at least indicate that it was financed/created (?) by the same group that brought us Union Pacific, one of my favorite restaurants in NY.

Django is accessed from East 46th St., very close to Lexington (and across the street from a Bolton's branch).  The restaurant's name does not appear to be marked anywhere, but there is a set of swinging doors (much like those of any other office building) that leads into the restaurant.  The large, two-level restaurant with so-so modern dedsign was full the night of visit. I ventured to the bar area, where men in their 50s were chatting up young women. Fortunately, I secured one of the two four-person individual tables that are viewed by the restaurant as being part of the bar (where food can be served).

The meal was below average, although I did not take in meaningful items that would have enabled sampling of the restaurant's cuisine. An assessment is uncalled for at this time, but Django appears to be more currently hip than offering substantive cuisine.

Tuna Tartare with Wasabi Crisp ($12)

Vidala Onion Soup Gratinee (9)

         2 glasses Paul Goerg Blanc de Blancs (11/glass)

The Ahi tartare was so-so. It was fresh-tasting, but the wasabi and Asian oil flavors were nothing special. The vidala onion soup was unduly sweet (even recognizing the intrinsic qualities of vidala onion), and lacked "depth".  The cheese on top of the soaked pieces of bread in the soup was appropriate. Overall, neither here nor there, in terms of a meal. My ordering of dishes contributed in large part to this. However, Django does not appear to be a partcilarly gastrononomic restaurant. Apart from the wild boar daily special one day of the week (see below; not yet available, just like the charcuterie  platters), there were no menu items that I found particularly interesting.

-- Menu Items

Appetizers:

Vichysoisse (8)

Arugula salad with chevre, orange, toasted almonds and citrus zest vinaigrette (9)

Frisee, roquefort and lardon salad with garlic croutons (10)

Lobster salad with avocado, pear tomatoes, watercress and rhubard vinaigrette (18)

Coquilles Saint-Jacques [scallops] with shipped potatoes and double smokeed bacon (11)

Foie gras terrine with fig compote and truffle mache (16)

Escargot with garlic herb butter and sweet potato chips (9)

Ostrich carpaccio with mustard, harissa oil and quail egg (14)

Charcuterie: Rillettes, Pate, Saucisson, Chorizo, Jambon, Proscuitto, served with cornichons and Dijon mustard (Small plate for 12, large for 23; not currently available; unclear whether house-made)

Seafood plate (small 40, large 80)

Moules Frites (Mussels and fries) (15, with two alternativef preparations)

Daily Specials (in 20+ range), including Rabbit Casserole on Tuesday, Leg of Lamb on Wednesday, *Wild Boar Cassoulet on Thursday ($24) and Duck a l'Orange on Saturday.

Entrees (names not complete, but with principal ingredients):

Lobster bouillabaisse (26)

Roasted monkfish with white wine shallot sauce (18)

Sauteed black bass with ginger lemongrass broth (20)

Parpadelle with wild mushrooms, asparagus and truffle oil (17)

Crispy roast chicken (19)

Steak au poivre (27)

Roasted rack of lamb with rosemary (29)

Grilled hangar steak with bone marrow (22)

Braised lamb shank with mushrooms risotto (24)

As reported in TimeOut, food prices are reduced by 20% through Sunday (please verify before reliance).  Due to service mishaps, my food bill was further reduced by 10%and I was given another glass of champagne. The service was competent, although the dining room staff member who was assiting me was unduly stretched by the number of tables he was covering.

-- Wine List

The wine list was lean in depth. Selections included: Corton Charlemagne Bonneau de Martray 1992 ($135); Pascal Jolivet "Chateau de Nozay" Sancerre (45); Blanc de Chateau Lynch-Bagues 1999 (82); Domaine Anne & Francoise Gros Clos Vougeot 1990 (380); Opus One 1989-1992 ($250-280); Lynch-Bagues 1996 (140).

[anil]

I passed  by the place yesterday, and lo and behold, I have a very cogent overview from you    I'll postpone my visit by a few months. Like new red wine, let it breathe a bit  

[Jinmyo]

cabrales, it doesn't sound too bad. Bone marrow with the hanger steak, at least.

What are "shipped potatoes"?

[Steve Plotnicki]

Havne't been, and I know one of the owners of the restaurant so I wish him luck, and further I had friends who ate there last Sunday and thought it pretty good, but what do you expect in that neighborhood which is filled with places for tourists? I can't think of a single serious restaurant on that strip. It's a wasteland. One has to cross Third Avenue to find anything good and there still ain't much. I haven't seen the place but I heard it is Balthazarish, although that might speak to the menu more than the decor. But if that's the case, it sounds like they are looking for overflow from the W Hotel etc.

[cabrales]

Jinmyo -- Apologies for the typo. It was, of course, "whipped" potatoes. Note my posts may contain more typos for restaurants I do not care about. As I am attempting to document the maximum amount of information for members, I will not check posts for restaurants that do not interest me after the visit and may not check other posts as carefully as I would like.  I will be careful with the typing of prices.

Steve -- Yes, the decor is not Baltazar-like at all. It's more modern, with greater ambition on that dimension.  There were certain nice-looking burgundy suede chairs and comfortable looking white (leather?) sofas with geometric lines. A bit distracting were little crystal-like beads used in long strands to adorn the glass portion of the restaurant. But a restaurant intended to be attractive to those who think they are hip (obviously, not necessarily with respect to food). I believe a fairly good interior designer had been employed, although I forget whom.

[Jinmyo]

cabrales, oh "whipped". Of course. Somehow the only thing I could come up with was "chipped", so I thought I'd ask.

You certainly are infusing this board with information.

[stefanyb]

Cabby,

I remember reading about a new resraurant called Chango.  I know this sounds somewhat ridiculous but they couldn't be the same place, could they?  Two new restaurants with names that are homophones strikes me as odd.

Stefany

[cabrales]

Stefany -- I'm not 100% sure how Django is pronounced, as I'm uncertain how the last name of the musician after whom it is named (as described by TimeOut) is pronounced. I would assume Django would be pronounced "Ch-ang-go" as well (instead of D the letter+jango)?

[stefanyb]

Stefany -- I'm not 100% sure how Django is pronounced, as I'm uncertain how the last name of the musician after whom it is named (as described by TimeOut) is pronounced. I would assume Django would be pronounced "Ch-ang-go" as well (instead of D the letter+jango)?

Django Reinhardt is pronounced Chang-go in my experience.  Maybe we should ask Woody Allen, his biggest fan, but he's busy in court.  

Actually, I just asked my husband who knows about such things and he said its pronounced Jango.  So....never mind.  Thanks anyway.

[Wilfrid]

Two important points:

Django Rheinhart had at least three fingers of his right (strumming) hand missing.

I like bone marrow.

[cabrales]

Before members rely on the bone marrow reference on the menu, note that certain dishes are currently not available (the restaurant is in its "start" phase) and the availability of the hangar steak should be verified if relevant to a visit.  

For bone marrow to be yummy, there should be a decent amount (for bone marrow) of it. I find it frustrating if bone marrow is promised, I anticipate it, and the quantity turns out to be very limited.  

[thebaker]

OK but How was the desserts??

Did you try any...

[cabrales]

thebaker -- Apologies I did not see your question until just now. I did not take in dessert at Django.  I ate very lightly that night (in part because nothing on the menu was of particular interest to me except for the vidala onions in the soup).  

[Mike Pardus]

The owners of Django on Lexington Ave. and Cedric Tovar, exec. chef of Django, get a lot of good press for their food an decor. Now I want to make a plug for their big hearted generosity and commitment to the future.

Since October Cedric has been involved with Michael Huynh, Pichet Ong and me in composing a series of East/West fusion diners to benefit a travel scholarship for Culinary Institute Students to travel to Vietnam on a "chef's tour" in April.

With the CIA so far from town our fund raising failed to meet our goals. Rather than scrap the project and leave the students behind Cedric and the owners of Django offered to let us bring the series to Manhattan. This past Sunday - Feb 27 - Django became an extension of the CIA and Cedric, his sous Jason, and Front manager Suzanna "adjunct faculty". I don't know of any other high profile New York restaurants that would turn their space over to a bunch of students (in some respect putting their reputation on the line) for an extra-curricular activity, nor very many restaurant pros who would give up their Sunday off to shepard a bunch of green kids for 17 hours.

As a result of the Django group's largesse, we are with-in striking distance of our goal to bring 10 CIA students with us on the tour - all expenses paid. And Django has offered to push us over the top by allowing us to "do it again" on April 10th.

If you haven't been to Django recently I recommend checking it out if only to demonstrate your support for generosity of this kind.

If you are interested in this project/tour/dinner you can check out the details at www.cheftourvietnam.com or e-mail me directly at m_pardus@culinary.edu.

Thanks alot - MP

[oakapple]

A friend and I had dinner at Django on Saturday night. There were tons of empty tables, both downstairs in the bar/lounge and upstairs in the dining room. I'm assuming the restaurant caters primarily to a weekday business crowd, and its location at 46th & Lex is ideal for this.

Django is a very comfortable place. The downstairs lounge has huge armchairs, and there is a band playing light jazz in the background. The chairs in the upstairs dining room are equally comfy. This is a place where one can easily relax.

I started with a simple grilled asparagus appetizer, and my friend with a risotto, both of which were out-of-this-world. Neither one is listed on the currently posted online menu, and I'm afraid I can't report on the other ingredients.

My friend pronounced herself highly pleased with a bouillabase entrée ($29), which includes (per the website) "Yellowtail Snapper, Clams and Lobster Stew, Salsify and Baby Leeks, Spicy Rouille Croutons."

I decided to try the Ribeye ($35), which is actually a double-entrée of ribeye slices and braised shortribs. Of the two, the shortribs were a bit more successful. The ribeye was fine, but didn't erase the memory of the better steakhouse ribeyes I've tasted.

Our server earned plenty of brownie points early on. My friend likes sweet white wines. I had initially selected a $52 riesling. The server suggested that another bottle costing $2 less would be a lot better, and indeed it was. The $2 is obviously insignificant, but one grows so accustomed to "upselling" that it's almost a shock when it doesn't happen.

The setting at Django is romantic, comfortable, and highly recommended.

[jeanki]

I read that Cedric Tovar was going to be the new executive chef for the reopened Peacock Alley. I am not sure if this means he will be leaving Django. I had the good fortune of meeting him once before a food event through friends of friends. He is a very sweet, charming man.