Uptown Joint

DOVETAIL


GREG:
Morning Sara. Let's chat about Dovetail, shall we?

May was Liz's month to pick a place, and for the first time in the
illustrious history of Supper Club, someone chose...the Upper West Side. I'm going to pause now so our readers can gasp. (5...4...3...2...1...and
breathe.)

I'd never heard of Dovetail, and for good reason, being that they just opened up this past December 31st. The restaurant is located catty-corner to the Museum of Natural History, and what goes better with Stegosaurus bones than lamb's tongue muffaletta and beef check lasagna? Not much, I tell ya.
Not much.

SARA:
My sister had been to Dovetail, and while Liz was thinking of places to go I threw in her recommendation. (shout out to Ms. K!)

Truth be told, I had no idea what a dovetail actually was (besides the obvious posterior plumage of the bird of peace). So, before hitting up the Upper West, I googled the word. Wikipedia gave me a long explanation based around carpentry and wood joints. Thus, I expected to enter into a world of wooden tiers. Instead, after climbing a few short stairs, I felt like I had accidentally walked into someone's townhouse. The brick walls showed obvious remains of old fireplaces, probably as aged (and eclectic) as the clientele. Greg noticed that the table next to us were definitely museum curators in all of their stereotypical glory.

We started out with our normal round of cocktails, and I took a chance with a carrot juice concoction. It was light and refreshing. The corn bread was simply amazing. It was warm and sweet and we all couldn't pass up seconds.

GREG:
Don't you remember the Beatles lyrics "trying to make a dovetail joint" from Glass Onion? Come on, Sara!

Amuse Bouche - we got two each. The first was a radish lollipop dipped in some sort of shaved cheese. I kind of wish the radish had been chilled, because it would have made a very refreshing snack, but it was pretty good nonetheless. I got stuck with the smallest one, which was too bad, because Libby didn't really like hers. I think in general I should always get the largest whatever, cuz I'm the dude! It takes more to fill me up! The other portion was a spoonful of fish roe with a crème fraiche. It's nice to have this fresh and not three days old sitting on a stale piece of sushi...the little eggs exploded with juicy goodness in the mouth, a little tart and tangy but still relatively mild. And while these alone aren't a reason to recommend the restaurant, they definitely set the tone for some adventurous dining to come.

SARA:
I never really knew what the Beatles were saying in that song...I just figured it was drug related.

You should have taken my big radish. I wasn't a fan of it...not because of the preparation, but because I don't like the veggie. As a child, it always bothered me that the Fraggles' favorite food was radishes (and doozer buildings). How could something so awesome like something so disgusting? The salmon roe was fantastic however.

The wait service was very quick and attentive. I'd turn away for a second and my wine glass would be refilled, or my silverware would be magically changed. Though they were quick, I never felt rushed.

On recommendation from our waiter I ordered the chopped liver for an appetizer. I am a huge fan of innards so this hit the spot. I usually opt for seared foie, but the spreadable kind they served me was some of the best I've ever had (not too salty or sour). To compliment the goose, a duck mousse with a quail egg and fig compote evened out the meal. All components worked perfectly apart or together.

Liz kept going back and forth between the sweetbreads and the scallops. She choose the sweetbreads, which were delightfully crisp and tasty.

GREG:
I went with the appetizer that to me had the oddest description: lamb’s tongue muffalatta. It was a fried piece of lamb’s tongue with an olive and caper “roll” that was probably meant to elicit thoughts of a New Orlean's style muffaletta, but with a shmancy culinary twist. I think overall it was everyone’s least favorite starter, and had I known it was fried, I may have gone in a different direction. But I did like how lamb’s tongue had a cold-cutty taste without seeming like deli food, and the muffalatta portion (too small!) offered a nice counterpart in flavor and texture.

Libby went with the Crab Ravioli with chorizo and snowpeas to start, and the dish was as awesome as it’s description. That easily could have been a main course...fresh crab, savory sausage, and some greens for crunch. WORD.

SARA:
Word? HA!

After licking the plate my appetizer came on, I didn't wait long until my roasted sirloin and beef cheek lasagna arrived. I like my meat still mooing, and the enormous hunk of meat was perfectly cooked, medium rare (on the more rare side). Though it didn't stand up to Perry's Street's meat, it was still very tender, veinless, and tasty, and I scooped it up with the basil, king trumpet mushroom, and light buttery sauce. Honestly, I ordered the dish more for the beef cheek lasagna (which I heard rave reviews about). It was pretty good, however, it was a tad bit over salted. The first few bites were terrific, but I had to grab my water after eating more than that. I should stick to eating Italian food at Italian restaurants.

Liz had my favorite dish of the night (though she found the morels too strong). She ordered the confit of halibut with morels, peas, and onions. I ADORE morels, and luckily Liz was happy to give me a bunch of them.

GREG:
I wish you wouldn’t use “veinless” as an adjective, especially in praise. Ick. (I briefly considered going with the “you have no morels” joke here.)

I chose the Poached Lobster served with a dill sauce. Perfect summer meal, though it might have been even more perfect served cold. No matter though...each bite of lobster melted in my mouth, juicy and fresh, just the right zip of dill, and not too filling. I got the feeling that, once again, I had the least popular plate on the table, but to heck with y’all. I loved it and wanted to ask for seconds.
Libby had the Buffalo, cut like a filet and served with sunchokes and ginger bernaise. To me, this was the crowning achievement of the meal. The buffalo was cooked to absolute perfection and the meat absorbed the ginger in such a way that every bite was a medley of flavor. How’s that for foodie talk! She’s lucky I didn’t steal the whole thing off her plate when she wasn’t looking. Its fair to say we were all in love with our entrees, because I don’t remember there being a word spoken for a good ten minutes while we dug in.

SARA:
VEIN VEIN VEIN!

Libby's dish was very good, I like ginger, I'm not a HUGE fan of it (unless its in the shape of a little man and has red-hots for buttons), and I felt that it had too much presence in the dish. Liz's dish was by far my favorite, and I would probably order it the next time I'm there.

The dessert was one of my favorites (Peasant's bread pudding still tops the chart). We ordered a peanut butter tart with pretzels and beer ice cream. This dish was perfect. It mixed the salty and sweet aspects supremely well. The beer ice cream wasn't bitter and came without a hangover.

The other dish we ordered for dessert was satisfying, but forgettable. We're on a bread pudding kick, so we ordered it with bananas, bacon brittle, and rum vanilla ice cream. Honestly, it was good, but it sounds better than it actually was. I for one, ate around the bananas (I might be the only person on earth who can't stand the things).

Liz, Libby and I also wrongly ordered an Australian muscat that was overly sweet and kinda nasty-ass. Thankfully they gave us little macaroons to get rid of the taste, and nifty little boxes of peanut butter granola to take home (which I happily found on the bottom of the purse the next day!)

Overall, I would return to Dovetail. The service was prompt, the food was delicious, but the price tag was a bit hefty.

After my meal, I headed back to the internet (this time to dictionary.com), and discovered that the website's definition of "dovetail" is as follows:

dove·tail
4. to join or fit together compactly or harmoniously.

Metaphorically speaking, the name fits.

FINAL GRADES:

GREG:
Ambiance: B
Service: A-
Appetizer: B+
Main Course: B+
Wine/Drinks: B
Desserts: B
Value: B
Bread: A-

SARA:
Ambiance: B
Service: A-
Appetizer: A
Main Course: B+
Wine/Drinks: B+
Desserts: A-
Value: B-
Bread: A

LIBBY:

Ambiance: B
Service: A
Appetizer: A
Main Course: A
Wine/Drinks: A
Desserts: A-
Value: A-
Bread:B+

LIZ:

Ambiance: B+
Service: A
Appetizer: A-/B+: The sweetbreads were like a fancy deconstructed Egg McMuffin - but they were a little heavy. Greg was my plate cleaner!

Main Course: B: The fish sounded good but it was not light at all - the morels were way too flavorful (I can still taste them). I definitely wished I had ordered Libby's entree - that buffalo was tasty.

Wine/Drinks: B+: You can't go wrong with a Ridge but the markup as usual was annoying

Desserts: B+: I always wish the desserts were bigger and Dovetail's plating was no exception. I don't need a super fancy design on my plate.....just fill it with ice cream...beer ice cream that is!

Value: B: would have been higher if I ordered different things

Bread: A+: Yummy Yummy corn bread and it was never-ending!