I should have posted this in early May, when Gabrielle Hamilton won a James Beard award for Best Chef NYC... or perhaps I should have posted it a year ago when I acquired it... but cest la vie. It's a great menu, one of the first to confound me in a bad way when I first started eating out "fancy" in New York.
Often I scan the appetizer list, both the full-fearing and the cheapo sides of me wondering if there is anything on there I can finagle into a full meal. And just as often, I finish my plate and end up eyeing my companions' dishes until they break down and share with me. My first visit to Prune was one of those times. I really really wanted the bone marrow, but no one else at the table did, so I ordered that as my main. After finishing my 2 delicious pieces of toast slathered in creamy marrow, I sat patiently until I got some bites of, oh, I don't remember- probably some sort of braised meat. And I'm sure it was glorious. Upon my next visit, my dining mates and I proceeded to order nearly one of everything- well, we probably got 6 or 7 plates among 3 of us- and some tasty cocktails from the bar. That was really the way to go.
The side of me that fears being full should really be terrified when approached with a menu of this opulence. But I do adore Prune for its accessibility and casual quality, when the food itself is inspired, classic and technically sophisticated. If only the wait wasn't so long. Heck, I haven't even tried to get in after all the hullabaloo in May. But the menu itself reminds me of what you'd hope for if you came across a little French cafe- with wooden booths and slightly over-loved chairs- with handwritten menus, simply drawn out dishes- and for some reason it's all in English.
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Often I scan the appetizer list, both the full-fearing and the cheapo sides of me wondering if there is anything on there I can finagle into a full meal. And just as often, I finish my plate and end up eyeing my companions' dishes until they break down and share with me. My first visit to Prune was one of those times. I really really wanted the bone marrow, but no one else at the table did, so I ordered that as my main. After finishing my 2 delicious pieces of toast slathered in creamy marrow, I sat patiently until I got some bites of, oh, I don't remember- probably some sort of braised meat. And I'm sure it was glorious. Upon my next visit, my dining mates and I proceeded to order nearly one of everything- well, we probably got 6 or 7 plates among 3 of us- and some tasty cocktails from the bar. That was really the way to go.
The side of me that fears being full should really be terrified when approached with a menu of this opulence. But I do adore Prune for its accessibility and casual quality, when the food itself is inspired, classic and technically sophisticated. If only the wait wasn't so long. Heck, I haven't even tried to get in after all the hullabaloo in May. But the menu itself reminds me of what you'd hope for if you came across a little French cafe- with wooden booths and slightly over-loved chairs- with handwritten menus, simply drawn out dishes- and for some reason it's all in English.
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