Dinner at Degustation tonight.
Chef Wesley Genovart, formerly of Jean Georges Vongerichten’s latest, Perry St., holds court at this East Village restaurant featuring inspired, dazzling creations with a distinct European flair.
Click here for a review by the NYTimes’ critic, Frank Bruni.
Slow poached egg, smoked cheese foam, serrano ham, chorizo, rice cracker-encrusted asparagus
2005 Txakoli Txomin Etxaniz, Txakoli de Guetaria, Basque, Spain
Cigalas la plancha
Seared scallops, jamon broth, carrots, artichokes
Squid, stuffed with braised short rib and served with lentils, morcilla sausage and chorizo
2004 Juan Gil, Jumilla, Spain
Crispy pork belly, with grilled scallions, pickled jalapeno, shimeji mushrooms, and sherry gastrique
Out of 10? A low to moderate 7. Service issues threaten to downgrade it to an upper range 6. The waitstaff needs to learn restraint as their tendency to clear your plates before you’re finished eating lends a feeling of rushedness. I understand that there’s a limited seating of 16 but seriously, I’m there to enjoy myself, not to feel like I’m running a treadmill.
My favorites in this order: the pork belly, followed by the squid (a close second) and the cigalas. Carrots were slightly undercooked with respect to the scallops, and the poached egg dish reminds me too closely of the poached egg at Gramercy Tavern.
Degustation is located at 239 East Fifth Street (Second Avenue).
