Knife & Fork Rstrnt & Wine Bar
(212) 228-4885
108 E 4th St
New York,
NY
10003
40.7257
-73.9883
Neighborhoods: Downtown, East Village
What People Are Saying About Knife & Fork Rstrnt & Wine Bar
The Editor
Justin Hartung
Citysearch
The Scene
Buzzing foodies with a panoply of accents fill the intimate space, which has been designed with cross-Atlantic flair. The kidney-shaped bar and thick wood tables proudly rep the nabe's bohemian history, while the thin, long-stemmed wine glasses and designer cutlery divulge posher tendencies. Finally, beaded candleholders, tall breeze-friendly windows and white stucco walls (with a rounded cutout leading to the kitchen) strike decidedly Mediterranean notes.
The Food
Irish chef Damien Brassel trained in formidable kitchens across Europe and North America, and his eclectic menu ping-pongs vigorously between old and new world sensibilities. Fresh Greenmarket ingredients co-star in nearly every dish. Zaftig scallops get an earthy accompaniment of tangy citrus-accented couscous. Beef carpaccio nearly melts on the tongue before pointing the way to the tart surprise of its plate-mate, "overnight tomatoes." The showstopper: Tender venison with a gorgeous smear of parsnip puree and a smattering of edible orchid petals.
User Reviews
Bridgetann
May 20, 2009
I love this place! The staff is always accommodating, friendly, and on point! The food is Unique and delicious. The décor, warm and cozy. Knife and Fork is one of those special places people come back to again and again.
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JoeC
May 18, 2009
Went there for the tasting menu with my girlfriend recently. It was alright, but overall much less impressive than I expected. Perhaps I'm just used to higher quality tasting menus. Let me say that the food was generally good. However, there were aspects of the presentation and service which just struck me as amateurish and silly. I'll just list the two which stuck out most prominently. The first couple of dishes coming out were all covered in chervil. I thought that maybe it was just a coincidence. However, the more dishes that came, the more chervil we got. Did they have a surplus that they needed to offload onto us? Out of our 6 dishes, 4 of them were covered in chervil. There was no difference in the presentation of it, just a dish of whatever and then covered in chervil. To me, it's like serving a giant lemon wedge with every dish. I have nothing against chervil, but why put it on top of 2/3 of the dishes? Gladly, the dessert wasn't one of them. However, the dessert was another problem I had. We were both served in the same small dishes, but filled with glaringly different amounts. A serving isn't exceptionally large to begin with, so you might think that consistency might be easy. However, they sure didn't manage that. The levels were visibly off. I wasn't much in the mood for the dessert anyway, so I didn't make a comment, but I'm not sure how you can serve two people at a table a course of a tasting menu and have the quantity of food be visibly different. I'd suggest not getting the tasting menu and just ordering an appetizer+entree. It might cost just a little more (or the same depending on what you get), but you'll be saved from the silliness of an unorganized tasting menu. Since I didn't have a complaint about the food itself, I'd recommend going here if you want to try it for that reason alone.
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Htompkin
November 06, 2008
Went here for dinner and had the long ısland duck. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their duck. I don't think that I've ever had any like it. WOW. It could have also been that the service was on point. Maybe the overall experience was just SO good that it made my duck taste delicious. I will definitely go back... when I have money!!
read full reviewThe Details on Knife & Fork Rstrnt & Wine Bar
Know Before You Go:
The heavily pushed $45, six-course tasting menu is a nice way to sample Brassel's cooking, but because dishes get tweaked according to ingredient availability, it runs the risk of repeated flavors.
What to Drink:
Try the $9 Picpoul de Pinet, a crisp, slightly nutty white that pairs perfectly with the seafood-heavy menu.
Where to Sit:
The corner booth by the window provides choice people-watching, while a seat at the bar offers glimpses of the action in the kitchen.
Category:
Payment Methods:
American Express, Discover, Visa, MasterCard
Restaurant Special Features:
Fine Dining, Brunch, Date Spot, Dine At The Bar, Notable Wine List, Prix Fixe Menu
Cuisine:
Central European, Eclectic & International, Mediterranean, Seafood
