Big City, Little Kitchen

Much has been made of Allen & Delancey: its relative posh; its chef, Neil Ferguson, until recently Gordon Ramsay’s whipping boy; and, of course, its food. This is a cozy den of sophisticated fare and delicious ambience.

Upon entering, make your way past the window nook filled with drinkers sitting in stylishly shabby couches and chairs (note to self: come back early with a few friends to secure that nook), and the dark, narrow bar filled with diners, back to the dining room, which is guarded by a few hosts. Take your seat at your table or, if you’re lucky, at your booth along the back wall, and order a round of gibsons, sure you keep you chair-bound with their potency.

The menu is pleasingly brief; I recommend starting with the terrine of guinea hen, which arrives accompanied by crusty, buttery toast points (though next time, I will try the bacon gnocchi). As an entree, it’s a toss-up. The deceptively simple-monikered “Cabbage, beef, and onion” dish is a sophisticated take on a comforting dish, composed of a tender block of sirloin, stuffed cabbage, and a stuffed onion. The thick slab of pork belly might be my favorite, though, accessorized as it is with pickled pears (I do have a thing for fruit in savory dishes). As a finale, we went with the sweet cream French toast, a seemingly deconstructed take on the breakfast classic: tiny cube of brioche, a scoop of oatmeal ice cream, carmelized banana, all arranged artfully on the plate. While pretty to look at, it didn’t knock my socks off; next time, I’ll go with the slow-roasted apple.

While the food was all thoroughly enjoyable, I have to make a note of the service: it left something to be desired. We waited twenty minutes for our table, after arriving on time for our 9:30 reservation–not tragic, but annoying when the bar is so narrow and crowded. Our server was in no particular hurry to take our order, and it took her 20 minutes to bring me a second glass of wine; by the time it arrived, I was finished with my entree. However, this all would have been fine, had it not been for the lack of courtesy when I attempted to retrieve my jacket from the coat check. I presented my ticket to the hostess standing beside the coat closet, but was informed that I would have to wait, because she “doesn’t do that.” As such, my date and I stook awkwardly in the entryway to the dining room, blocking the paths of servers, bussers, and guests, while the hostess in question rubbed the neck of an apparently drunk guy sitting beside her hostess stand. Yes, seriously. After five minutes of this, she relented, and retrieved my jacket.

The bottom line: the food is worth going back for. Being that it’s a fairly new restaurant, I’m willing to forgive it a few missteps in the hope that my future experiences there will reveal the level of service has been raised to match the quality of the food.