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Tailor
525 Broome St
Restaurants category pick for the week of 1/28/08
After initially being "greeted" by the kind of bitchy gay maître de one would expect only to find in the pages of an unfunny sitcom spec script, we were a bit surprised by the interior, which didn't quite fit with hunk Sam Mason, who I once saw talking on the cell phone in a perfectly fitting flared pin stripe suit and pointy pink leather shoes. Despite the quirky touch of taxidermy in the back, it was a bit stuffy.
Later, when headed downstairs to use the rest room I learned that that is where the party is at, but we were upstairs, the only place to be for the extravagant chef's menu which we had to get since Jim had a generous gift certificate from his boss as part of his bonus. Not too surprisingly, the experience is similar in many ways to WD-50 where Mason made his name with inventive sweets. Tailor proves his magic touch mixing sweet and salty works for entrees too.
The tasting menu is slightly less daring than Dufresne's but more more accessible, I wouldn't hesitate to take a picky eater here despite the odd sounding combinations–but please, no irate emails if you spend a fortune on someone who just can't wrap their head around peanut butter foie gras.
And speaking of that peanut butter foie gras, which we had after a light spoonful of passion fruit mixed with other odds and ends, it was my favorite dish all evening. The two flavors and textures melded perfectly. Bits of sweet pear accompanied the memorable dish. Next was scallops with coffee soil and papaya and warm pleasant combination of the sea and a very sweet, almost cinnamonny after taste. Next was chocolate miso cod with snow pea and rice cracker, another nice one, but not quite as unforgettable. The pork belly, however, with miso and butterscotch was awesome. This is the dish I've read praise about the most and it is totally worthy. It reminded me of holiday hams with this special thick, sweet, sticky honey mustard my mom would get, and the meat was incredibly succulent.
For dessert, our first dish was sublime, Jim's favorite, and mine after the foie gras: Pretzel Ice Cream with beer foam! It was just perfect, that's all I can say. It was a hard act to follow but the soft chocolate with sesame ice cream, peanuts, and a mole shell was also great.
Thanks to a super attentive and likable staff (minus one maître de) that stuffy atmosphere we first noticed faded away. Our main waiter was great and Nadine, the mix master, was extremely helpful with the impressive (and expensive) cocktail menu.
The drinks at Tailor are as noteworthy as the food and I would have liked to have sampled more, so I think a stop at the downstairs bar might be in order soon - if only to try the Bazooka cocktail, which I was too full to enjoy this trip. I did however have the violet fizz, a drink I was certain to love and did and the Waylon: a bourbon and smoked coke concoction that would sit well with any bourbon fan.
Tailor is a pricey affair, but worth the splurge if you like to experiment with food. If you want a gentler price tag, you can skip the tasting menu and just order the peanut butter foie gras, the miso butterscotch pork belly, and the pretzel ice cream a la carte to get all the best of the best. |
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