ABC Kitchen

35 East 18th Street, Flatiron, NY

8.2

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Neighborhood
Flatiron
Gramercy

Cuisine
American

Nearby
Gramercy Theatre
Irving Plaza

212-475-5829

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By Andrew Steinthal
May 5, 2010

Jean-Georges kills it. We know this. The dude is one of the most inventive and creative chefs that’s ever lived. The locavore/farm to table movement that has recently taken hold of the New York dining scene is nothing new to J.G. – he’s been quietly playing that game for decades. That’s why it’s no surprise that when he finally decided to put his cards on the table, he flopped a boat.

Time Out reports that J.G. is calling ABC his “hippie restaurant”. It’s such a well thought out concept, at first you almost want to roll your eyes and brush it off as one big cliche. Don’t do it. Embrace the flannel shirts, recycled paper towels and foliage free branches. This is industrial rustic done right. Everything is incredibly well executed, and the attention to detail really caught our eye. We’re usually not the type to discuss light fixtures or artwork at the dinner table, but for a brief moment in time, we actually managed to sustain a conversation about something other than our typical immature dinner banter. The ladies at our table were in heaven, and we’re honestly surprised that they didn’t try to stuff every piece of mismatched china and clay dinnerware into their purses. Speaking of purses, typically Jean-Georges dining comes with a hefty price tag, but that’s not the case at ABC Kitchen. This is actually an affordable way to experience his cuisine – indulge you should. A diverse mix of salads, pizzas, pastas and main course proteins decorate a menu that’s meant to be shared. Take a hit and pass, it’s the hippie way.

Food Rundown:

Ramp Toast
Make sure you sample at least one of the toast options on the market table section of the menu. We were all set to roll with the Peekytoe crab toast until we heard the specials. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Green Pea Soup
When was the last time you ordered pea soup and had whole peas show up in your bowl? This isn’t your standard pea soup…oh no, these peas are fresh out of JG’s garden and into your belly. There’s something refreshing about how simple this soup is – peas and carrots with a hint of mint. Good stuff.

Mackerel Sashimi
When eating off a balanced menu like this, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not messing with one of the light seafood apps. Since fluke rarely impresses, we went mackerel and really enjoyed it. The ginger marinade really gave it some nice additional flavor.

Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad
This is quickly becoming one of ABC’s signature dishes and with good reason. I usually leave words like “divine” for females to use on their own food blogs, but in this case, I might actually play that card. That’s exactly what a well constructed bite of this salad is – a little bit of carrot, some avocado and a few seeds all in the same mouthful. Divine.

Pretzel Dusted Calamari
This whole ‘pretzel dust’ thing is a little gimmicky and didn’t taste any different from other batches of calamari. My one complaint here is that underneath the alleged pretzel dusting was rubbery, overcooked calamari. The two dipping sauces were excellent though, and somewhat made up for the chewy squid

Bowtie Pasta with Kasha and Veal Meatballs
Jean-Georges’ take on an old Jewish dish Kasha varnishkes would probably have my ancestors rolling in their graves, but had us scraping the plate clean. If you are ordering one pasta dish, this is the one to get. The crispy kasha and fresh bowtie pasta played off the veal meatballs perfectly. Our table freaked out over this.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Clams
God damn. For me personally, it doesn’t get any better than this right here. A ridiculous amount little neck clams brought to life by hints of mint, parsley and fresh chilies. If you like clams, spicy and pizza like me, you’ll be in heaven.

Chili-Herbed Black Sea Bass
A nice piece of fish, this sea bass with a little extra kick was good, not great. If we could do it all over again, we’d roll with the arctic char or cod.

Organic Crispy Chicken
Ideally crispy on the outside, moist and juicy on the inside. Well executed and highly recommended.

Dessert
Saving a little space for sweets here is worth your while. Definitely order the sundae with salted caramel-peanut ice cream, candied popcorn, whipped creme fraiche & chocolate sauce. All you need is a couple bites, but those couple bites are glorious. Other fan faves included the chocolate cake with marshmallow icing and vanilla & citrus cream doughnuts with chocolate dipping sauce. Good times.