I was in NYC only overnight and was attending a matinee opera and evening concert both at the NYC Opera at Lincoln Center, but wanted to have a fun, new meal choice so I went to TELEPAN (72 W. 69th St-www.telepan-ny.com) just several blocks away. I was surprised to find that it had been open for 5 years and I totally missed this wonderful dining experience in the past. While Telepan was jammed and full on a Saturday, I never felt crowded, rushed or pressed; it is a wonderful dining experience with superb food in a simple setting of exposed brick, reasonably spaced tables with many comfy banquettes in separate rooms, a small bar in the front and subtle mauve walls with some nice simple traditional artwork.
There are ala carte menus or tasting options from 4 courses at $55.00 which is a steal anywhere today. The wines can be added to the 4 course for another $55, but I chose this menu and 3 glasses ala carte on my own (I was worried 4 glasses might knock me out for the fab Bernstein concert I was about to attend!).
A small tray of 3 Amuses arrived that set the scene: Cheddar Gougere was nice, CHICKPEA & CARROT Salad on Crostini was very good and the SQUASH SOUP with Walnut Oil made me sorry I had not ordered one of the soups on the menu.
Later in the meal I saw the Italian Bread Soup come to the next table. It was a huge bowl and I was sorry to see the guy salt it and then again twice more! So maybe I was smart with my choices, or maybe he was a slat fiend.
I started with the House Smoked BROOK TROUT which came room temperature like a tartare on a warm cushy CELERY ROOT BLINI with a layer of GREEN APPLE SOUR CREAM. Chives were splattered around with some chive oil on the circumference of the plate. The dish is one of the chef's signatures and is a dreamy tasty mix and was paired beyond perfection with my choice of the supercrisp big green apple GRUNER VELTLINER "Grande Reserve" 2009 from Forstreiter in Kremstal, Austria. The wine had huge legs, a lasting finish and a big aroma as well. It was an intense dining revelation.
The breads were semolina with raisin, wheat and the white ciabatta, which was the only one I tried and was the best for mopping up anything as it was simple and plain.
My next course was the DUCK & FOIE GRAS RAVIOLI made of four huge decadent pasta pillows filled with duck and dotted with cubes of foie gras. There were both a PARSLEY ROOT Puree and a DRIED FRUIT SAUCE on the plate, neither of which was overwhelming and just enough to take small tastes. Too much sauce would have wrecked the purity of the pasta and it all worked divinely. My server recommended a perfectly matched "Tous Ensemble" PINOT NOIR 2008 from COPAIN in California's Anderson Valley that was full bodied with nice fruit forwardness, but not too powerful to overwhelm the dish.
Again my server had suggested the perfect main course of MONKFISH with DUCK CONFIT, large Beans, BRUSSELS SPROUTS and a Red Wine Sauce. The fish came crispy on the top with a slash of the red wine reduction across the top, moist and tasty inside. I was glad I did not chose the heavier pork dish, but I know I have to come back to try more dishes! My wine was a slightly spicy PITTNAUER ZWEIGELT 2008 from Burgenland in Austria, a wine that receives too little attention in the USA and was brilliant with the heavier fish dish that begs for red.
The dessert menu was a hard choice as I wanted cheese, but opted for the Crunchy PEANUT BUTTER & MILK CHOCOLATE GIANDUJA with Peanut Brittle Ice Cream and Huckleberry Gelee. The Gelee was actually cubed tiny jellies that did little for the dish and the ice cream was peanut butter and delish, but had no brittle in it which would have been the perfect crunch the dish needed for texture. The decadent cake had pastry on the bottom, a layer of rich peanut butter, the chocolate and cocoa on top and was indeed the ultimate REESE's relative! The Cappuccino was SCALDING and took 10 minutes to cool to where I could drink it. Why do so many places do this?
A tasty coconut macaroon was placed on the table in a wrapper for later and I thought that I missed a lot of great meals not knowing about Telepan!
