"Fancy Lunch" is something my colleagues and I plan twice a year as a way to reward ourselves for all of our hard work, and, let's be honest, stuff our faces with some of NYC's finest cuisine. This time around we opted for the price fixe lunch at Betony (41 W. 57th Street), which is 2 courses for $38 plus a dessert for an additional $10. Boy was I excited as I'd been wanting to visit Betony since it opened and it made one of NY Mag's Best of lists.
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| Photo cred: Celebritychef.tv |
The dining room is decorated in a manner I'd call simply opulent. I realize that could be contradictory, but the carved ceiling and walls were balanced by subtle (yet tall) flower arrangements and hues of browns, brick, and gold. The techie in me appreciated the touch-on lanterns that were brought to our table I'm assuming for conducting business transactions--this is definitely a great place for a business lunch.
Our amuse bouche was a gazpacho with goat cheese snow. Goat cheese snow? Whaaaaaat?! But it was awesome and literally tasted as though goat cheese fell out of the clouds. There is definitely some molecular gastronomy going on in that kitchen.
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| Gazpacho with Goat Cheese Snow |
For my first course, I opted for the corn veloute with aleppo pepper and creme fraiche. This was one of the prettiest soups I've ever had, and it took all my sophisticated will power not to lick the bottom of the bowl when I was done.
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| Corn Veloute |
For my main, I went with the masses on Yelp and ordered the roasted beef tenderloin with young garlic and potato. That description honestly meant nothing to me compared to when the dish was brought to the table. There were strokes of lime green, an "egg roll" filled with meet, and sprigs of fresh herbs twirling throughout the plate. And the two medallions of perfection cooked beef were the perfect portion size for lunch, yet just enough for me to feel like I'd had a substantial meal.
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| Roasted Beef Tenderloin |
For dessert, I had the Pandan. What's Pandan you ask? Well I didn't know either, but it's a grass that grows in Asia that flavored a paper-thin piece of cake served with pistachio ice cream and toasted pistachios. This is seriously one of the most unique and delicious desserts I've ever had in my life and I would come back to Betony just for this.
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| Pandan |
Betony lived up to the hype and I'm so glad we chose this venue for our Summer 2015 Fancy Lunch. They do an extravagant (but comparatively affordable) 4-course tasting dinner for $95, which I may just have to check out in the future. I've also heard Betony's cocktail program is off-the-charts inventive. Until next time, TBD...
