Get your Tail to Dovetail

It was an UWS kind of day on Saturday with a stop at the New York Historical Society to check out the Grateful Dead Exhibit, a walk through Strawberry Fields, lunch at Isabellas, cookies at Levain (they deserve a whole post to themselves), some pool time at the Empire Hotel finished off with a true fine dining experience at Dovetail. I didn't leave a 10 block radius except for a quick shower and change and fell in love with a whole new area of the city.

Dovetail, a recent creation of John Fraser, has been gaining quick notoriety and even received 3 stars from the New York Times. The ambiance resembled my grandma's living room for some reason, it was very 50's/60's inspired.

The menu was far from a steakhouse, with very thought out dishes that were presented beautifully. My sister elected to do the 5 course tasting menu which allowed to her get a great sense of the menu for a great price. Her tasting consisted of a chilled onion soup, a soft poached egg, the trout, pistachio crusted duck and a dessert. Even though she was the only one who got the tasting, we all tried all of her dishes and they were amazing. Poached and fried eggs are definitely a new trend in the dining scene and this dish did not disappoint. Out of her 5 courses, I liked the duck the best. It was cooked to the rare side and even though it said it came with a curry sauce, no one at the table could taste it.

My brother and I splurged and got the lobster and it was amazing. Already cracked of course, it came with a tail and two claws with a side of ratatouille and was lightly drizzled with an olive vinaigrette. My dad got the trout which was light and summery and my step mom got the halibut (her fav) which came with a side of potato gnocchi that were crispy and delicious.

We finished it off with a chocolate souffle that I could only take a few bites of because I was so full.

It was an amazing meal with impeccable service. If you don't think you can afford the real menu, Dovetail also has a great Sunday Suppa dinner. Two courses for $42.00 and most of the items on the menu are on the original dinner menu as well. Also, if you're a vegetarian like my friend Meghan, make sure you check out their Monday night Veg Special that is 3 courses plus dessert for only $38.00!! They even have some vegan dishes as well.

It's great to see such a high scale restaurant like Dovetail broadening their horizons and trying to find ways to expand their clientele. Not everyone can afford the best of the best but with their Sunday and Monday night specials now you can!