Park Avenue Winter (Spring/Summer/Autumn)

As part of celebrating its appearance on last week's Gossip Girl, this rustic American restaurant (designed by AvroKO, who wondrously transforms its interior every season) offered a complimentary meal to women of any age dressed in a schoolgirl uniform. Needless to say, I dressed appropriately for the occasion and enjoyed a fabulous meal at the Upper East Side establishment run by Executive Chef Craig Koketsu (fans, click here).

Featured Restaurant: Park Avenue Winter (Summer/Spring/Autumn)
Rating: ♔♔♔

Park Avenue Winter pays homage to classic, rustic American fare, with its wintry landscape and professionally executed dishes. As the centerpiece of the restaurant, the main dining room is adorned with crystal chandeliers and connected to a narrow hallway leading to a more intimate dining room. Service was unfortunately a bit spotty, but understandably so, since waiters were probably distracted by the large crowds of women dressed up as schoolgirls. It was an admirable, yet almost comical attempt in reenacting the UES scene.

Now to the food. We started off with the house fried parmesan croquettes. These crispy, bite-size delicacies melted in my mouth, with an empowering creaminess of the cheese filling. Great way to start off the night.

For the appetizers, we had the Sashimi of Hamachi and Porcini Ravioli. Adorned with passionfruit, cashews, and thin shavings of black truffle, the sashimi was both refreshing and invigorating.

The ravioli with swiss chard, on the other hand, echoed the richness of the parmesan croquettes, as our palates indugled in the buttery gorgonzola cream.

For the entrees, we both chose to go with fish. I had the Pan-Seared John Dory, lightly seasoned with black truffle and herbs. As expected, the fish was fresh and very tender, but it pales in comparison with the Dover Sole, which was absolutely amazing.

Though the dish was extremely simple -- the dover sole served with a side of brown butter sauce and lemon -- the combination of these flavors were close to recreating those fireworks that Gus the mouse experienced in Ratatouille. The thin, lightly seared skin was full of flavor, while not too greasy, and the brown butter truly perfected the dish.

To accompany the John Dory and the Dover Sole, we also ordered a side of Fried Cauliflower, which was crispy and delicious.

And finally, dessert! I had The Chocolate Cube, which consisted of a tall, pointed cube filled with chocolate cake and mousse and served with chocolate sorbet. It seemed a bit bland in my opinion, as the chocolate flavors gradually became tart.

The Pistachio Brown Butter Cake, however, was much more interesting. The dish was beautifully orchestrated, with a half-moon shaped sugar straw over the cake, red wine pears, and Bartlett pear sorbet. The flavorful pears brought back a rustic, farmstead feel that rounded up our night perfectly.

Park Avenue Winter is not for the faint hearted, especially the Dover Sole with delicious brown butter. With four different looks throughout the year, it is a beautiful space, and I highly recommend it for a special occasion, or even just a fancy brunch (their breakfast risotto is also amazing).

Park Avenue Winter

100 E 63rd St

New York, NY 10065

(212) 644-1900