Kosher Food and Drink

As I noted in my recent review of Le Marais, my relationship with New York is fraught; both new and old, with hate and love, and to be perfectly honest, jealousy. I wish we had a tenth of the restaurants that can be found in any Jewish New York City neighborhood back home.

Still, like any foodie, I could simply not resist a quick jaunt through the Lincoln Tunnel after Kosherpalooza to try a new restaurant. Barnea Bistro (211 E 46th St, New York, NY 10017; (212) 461-1001; barneabistro.com; under OU supervision) had been recommended to my wife and I by a close family friend, and we were excited to try some genuinely high-end dining.

Our arrival at Barnea was a mixed bag. The front was under construction of some sort and didn’t look super-appealing. Probably not their fault; the building does as the building does. But when we went inside, we were very impressed with the tasteful decor and thoughtful ambience. A thing I really liked was how they got the table spacing just right. I had room to easily move to the bathroom, wash netilas yadayim, and so on, even though the dining room was packed when we went. Noise levels were also acceptable, and it seems some thought went into acoustic design. The music was kind of that generic steakhouse music, but it wasn’t so loud as to be distracting.

Service was also flawless (excepting perhaps a little too long waiting for a check). We were quickly seated, brought menus, water, and bread, and the server went over the various specials of the day. As you see in the pictures, the attention to plating was uniformly fantastic, with presentation that always got you excited (you eat with your eyes, after all!). We did have a chuckle about the tallis-like napkins, I admit. The organization of the waiters was also impressive – they were clearly using some sort of computer system, and it was working for them. I also noted what appeared to be some sort of floor expediter keeping an eye on things around the room.

For appetizers, we ordered the lamb riblets (on GKRF recommendation) and crispy short rib dumplings, along with a La Violette drink for my wife and a strawberry lemonade for me. Before I launch into a description of the food, the utter speed at which the appetizers were brought out was unbelievable. We ordered, and food was in front of us in five minutes. Maybe we ordered just the right things, but that sort of rapid service should be both commended and copied in the kosher world.

The lamb riblets were simply out of this world. I make a lot of smoked lamb,, so I can appreciate when someone makes it well. I was blown away by the fall-off-the-bone-tender, flavorful riblets, which I assume were braised. The crispy dumplings were also extremely good, with the snow pea flavor a nice counter-balance to the rich short ribs inside. Portion sizes were on the small side for the pricing, but the quality made up for it. They’re appetizers, not a meal. I could complain all day about dining preferring quantity over quality, and perhaps I was one of them once, but too many years and a much smaller stomach have brought me around.

My wife’s La Violette was a bit busy as a drink and not what I would have ordered, but the small sip I had revealed a well-designed layering of flavors. The strawberry lemonade was top-notch in the flavor department with the right mix of sweet and acidity, and I appreciated the effort that went into the presentation. I remarked to my wife at least a couple times during the meal that it felt like every single thing in front of me had been thought through for maximum enjoyment, which is maybe why establishments like Barnea have the reputation that they do.

For entrees, we went with the duck confit risotto and the market fish (which that day was red snapper). The duck confit risotto was simply out of this world, and I don’t say that lightly. The risotto was super creamy and delicious, and the duck itself was fantastic, just cooked to perfection. The bits of duck in the risotto itself only added to the remarkable flavor. I’ve made duck, and I’ve made very good duck, but I have never made duck anywhere near this good.

The red snapper was similarly amazing; the skin on top had a perfect sear while the flesh was cooked just right. I would opine that the risotto underneath, while still extremely tasty, was not as good as the duck confit’s risotto – one assumes they used some sort of duck fat in that, which they wouldn’t be able to do with the fish for kashrus reasons. The vegetables were outstanding – remember what I said about attention to detail for everything on the plate? The after-thought vegetables I was used to back home were not present here.

The bill was high but not unreasonable (a bit under $300). For a once a year vacation-date trip, that’s fine. I really cannot say enough about the experience, and I’m very glad we went. If Barnea Bistro isn’t on your list of places to eat, and you can swing the cost, you should go there.

Afterwards, we had a romantic walk to Grand Central Station. I had never seen it before, but the grandeur of the architecture and the fantastic meal I had nearby will seal the night in my memory for a long time.