re: What would your meal consist of here? **UPDATED w/ review-page 2**

quote:

---

Grilled kangaroo on a coriander falafel with lemon tahini sauce and green pepper relish 13.50

---

WTF?

That, to me, is the equivalent of eating my puppy.

quote:

---

while for puppy a nice horseradish au jus is the way to go.

---

You probably put kethchup on steak too. AKC registered puppy needs NOTHING on it.

quote:

---

Pan-seared foie gras on spiced French toast with mango chutney, maple glaze and crispy bacon 19.50

---

Grilled New Zealand venison loin, Cabrales dumplings, oyster mushrooms and salsa verde

White chocolate lavender ice cream with fresh strawberries and marcona almond brittle


Those would be my choices, but I'm not familiar with half the other shite on that menu

I know what most of those ingredients are from watching chopped.



I am going with edamame and a cheese plate. I am not paying $30 for an entree with meat I will not eat.

quote:

---

Grilled scallops
OR
Fried Hama Hama oysters

---

but I would encourage someone else at the table to get the kangaroo so I could take a small bite

quote:

---

Braised lamb shoulder
OR Grilled New Zealand venison loin

---

quote:

---

Sweet potato miso mash

---

quote:

---

White chocolate lavender ice cream with fresh strawberries and marcona almond brittle 9.00

---

eta:LL is kinda right, eating kangaroo kinda seems like eating a puppy

Mushroom ceviche or scallops
Lamb shoulder or sea trout
White chocolate lavender ice cream

So I finally got around to writing my review for this place. Here goes:

ATMOSPHERE: Really a cool space the way they have this laid out and decorated. The theme, as you might have guessed from the name Public, is centered around things such as old library card catalog drawers, mailboxes, and other industrial decor. I can see why it won James Beard awards for Best Restaurant Design and Best Restaurant Graphics.

The layout was cool with a main dining area that featured a two long rows of tables. Key thing here is there were individual table tops attached to a steel beam upon which they could be slid horizontally to make room for however many people you had in your party. Never seen that concept before. Pretty interesting. There's also a small patio, an upstairs more private dining room (it gets loud and busy downstairs), a very nice bar with plenty of seats as well as small tables around it and a lounge area with couches where you could wait for your table.

BAR


MAIN DINING ROOM


SERVICE
Couple of points here:
1) We were originally seated in the bar area at a small two-top. The bar was very crowded that night (a Friday) and quite loud (to be expected). The lady did not care to dine there so I requested we be moved to a little more intimate part of the restaurant. Within 3 minutes the hostess - an absolute sweetheart and very professional and helpful - had us moved into the main dining area.

2) Our waitress was one of the best I have ever had - probably second to my waiter at August. She knew every single thing about the menu and wine list we inquired about. Had every detail down pat and mixed in her own suggestions and opinions. Her knowledge of the wine list was bordering on mind-blowing, because it is a large list and she knew the nuances of each bottle I asked about. Really made the entire dinner that much better.

FOOD: Between the lady friend and I, we had..

APPS
Grilled scallops with sweet chili sauce, crème fraiche and green plantain crisps - Scallops were cooked nicely but weren't seasoned all that well. Biggest complaint was they put the sweet chili sauce on the bottom of the plate. Don't even get to it until you're basically finished with the dish; which is disappointing because it went great with the scallops. Plantain crisps were a throwaway.

Grilled Kobe beef tongue with an aubergine-cumin relish and a pita bread puree - Mother of god was this good. The Kobe beef tongue had a pleasing texture and the flavors were rich yet well-rounded. That pita bread puree.. holy cow, I know it doesn't sound like much but it blew my mind how delicious it was. Don't know exactly how they did it.. but it tasted like a briny, whipped hummus with a touch of sweetness. Loved this app.

Pan-seared foie gras on spiced French toast with mango chutney, maple glaze and crispy bacon - That's pretty much all you need to know. Not a single flaw in this dish except that I didn't order two of them. Everything was executed perfectly. The foie gras was silky and rich and I wanted to take it home with me.

MAINS
Szechuan crusted tenderloin and roasted belly of Berkshire pork with braised daikon, pickled baby carrots, and slow poached egg in a truffle dashi broth - Two things stood out here despite it also being a peculiar but tasty entree.. the daikon (braising it was an excellent idea) and the tenderloin. Both coupled phenomenally with the truffle dashi broth underneath, which - thankfully - they didn't go overboard with as many other restaurants tend to do. The porkbelly was good but I've had better at a handful of other places. It was just a little too under for my liking.

Pan-seared Tasmanian sea trout with carrot-cardamom puree, hibiscus braised fennel, chick peas and edamame - Only had a couple bites of this one so I can't speak to my fullest extent as to how the entire dish worked as a main, but the flavors I got from everything but the fish really had a lot of punch, which.. I'm not saying that was a bad thing. The fish was this delicate perfectly juicy piece of trout that shined on its own and was picked up by everything around it. Chick peas and edamame were a good idea here, but could have been used in a different way. Carrot-cardamom puree? Mother of god.

DESSERT
Four sorbets - Not big on dessert but I wanted a little something. This visit they had grapefruit, key lime, mint, chocolate. All were delicious and a nice end to the meal.

OVERALL
I highly recommend anyone in NYC (specifically if you're down near Nolita) check this place out. The bill was not unreasonable at all; and the food, service and atmosphere were all wonderful.

Your attention to detail makes your review really awesome. Not just "App- good, Entree- good, dessert- good.. overall good"

thanks ladies