David Burke Townhouse for NYC Restaurant Week!

This year from July 22 through August 16th is NYC Restaurant week. Anyone who revolves their life around food, like me, has already read through all of their possible restaurant menu options for the best 4 weeks of the summer! During Restaurant week we get to dine at some of our favorite restaurants that normally we wouldn't be able to afford, for the very reasonable set prices of $25 for lunch and $38 for dinner! For one of my restaurant week choices I decided on David Burke Townhouse. After hearing raving reviews from friends and knowing how talented of a chef David Burke is, my decision to bring my parents here for dinner was very easy.


My expectations for David Burke Townhouse led me to think that there would be an upscale vibe and atmosphere. As I entered the restaurant on the night of our much anticipated reservation, I was more than pleasantly surprised. The entrance was warm and inviting and the inside was classy and elegant. The wait staff were all very friendly and attentive as they brought us to our table.
To start they brought us a variety of warm rolls with butter. My mom ordered a drink called Habitual Happiness which was made with St. Germain, Cointreau, rose water, Prosecco and wild hibiscus flower. This was the perfect light drink to start off a meal but  also could have gone well with our dessert later on. Sweets usually pair well with floral and fruity light champagne. Although my menu options for restaurant week were limited and I could not have my pick from the regular menu, the Prix Fixe menu was perfectly fine with me.

For my appetizer I had the chilled tomato gazpacho. In the center was jumbo lump crab meat, crushed avocado and cumin mousse. Beyond gazpacho being a chilled soup, I had no idea what to expect when I took my first bite. My first impression of the gazpacho was that the taste of the cumin mousse was stronger than the taste of the tomato. Although it was a little on the spicy side, the smooth and creamy avocado, cumin mousse as well as the pieces of lump crab meat balanced out the spice perfectly. All of my taste buds were satisfied!


For my next course I had the handmade cavatelli & braised short ribs with wild mushrooms, mushroom chips, truffle mousse. This dish was a mushroom and truffle lovers paradise! Now I usually am on the fence about braised short ribs because they can either be delicious, tender and juicy or very dry. I figured if there was ever a time to take a chance with short ribs it would be now, while at the receiving end of Chef David Burke's amazing culinary creations.  As I waited for my dish, I knew it was close when the aroma of truffles filled the air around me. My cavatelli and short ribs finally arrived and it looked beautiful. The short ribs were glazed with a wild mushroom sauce and were pull-apart tender and juicy. The cavatelli was perfectly cooked Al dente and the crisp mushroom chips added the perfect contrast of textures to the dish. The creamy truffle mouse added a creamy element to the mushroom sauce and all of the flavors of this dish flowed perfectly together. I was in heaven. The portion was also very generous for an upscale restaurant like David Burke Townhouse. I was so full from this rich and flavorful dish that I took the rest home with me. (The next day it tasted even better!)

For dessert I ordered the chocolate caramel bar with Bergamot caramel and earl grey ice cream. This menu item tempted me mainly because I love earl grey tea and I was really was curious to see what earl grey ice cream would taste like.  The Chocolate and caramel bar was thick and rich but had the consistency of a heavy mousse. The Smooth and creamy sweet caramel bar was complemented by the salted caramel icing on top and the crunchy chocolate crumbs on the side added an interesting texture to the dessert. The small scoop of earl grey ice cream was refreshing and delicious and paired well with the richness of the caramel bar. This was the perfect way to end my meal. After we had stuffed ourselves to capacity with this amazing dinner they brought out a complementary plate of small little pastries for us to try which were delicious as well.           
As you can tell, I was very satisfied with my decision to eat at David Burke Townhouse!