GREAT EATS HAWAII: GOTHAM BAR AND GRILL

GOTHAM BAR AND GRILL

NEW YORK, NY

Gotham is a legendary Manhattan eatery that has won James Beard Awards, Best Chefs Awards and just about every other award in the culinary field. I had it on a short list of places to fill in the gaps between our main reservations. I gave the Concierge a list of three places and he suggested Gotham over the other two. With that recommendation, we ventured to Gotham not knowing what to expect. First off the space is beautiful. Very simple yet elegant. We were quickly seated in a great spot and private table. Gotham has a lot of those long tables where you sit next to people you don't know and are forced to listen to their conversations. With people on both sides of us I feel uncomfortable so we were very pleased to have been seated alone in a corner. We started with Foie Gras appetizer ($28). Two nice pieces of duck liver cooked to perfection and served over a fresh fruit. This was probably one of the best Foie Gras of my life. Keli decided that she liked it and began eating the valuable morsels as if it were candy. "Stop" I said. this is to be eaten slowly and enjoyed. Our next dish was the White Tuna Salad ($25). Great tasting tuna, but for $25 this was way overpriced. Keli and Shirley split the Rack of Lamb ($44). Served with potato, pearl onions and some vegetables. I tasted it and it was somewhat average. Keli devoured her share and was happy. I opted for the Duck ($39). This was a large plate of duct sliced and served over some beans with an incredible sauce. I absolutely loved this dish. Ate every last bite. Especially the leg that fell off the bone and was like butter. Matched perfectly with a Barbera wine recommended by our waiter. Pure heaven. I liked the Gotham Grill. Service was o.k. before the table next to us started to order bottles of wine. Our waiter gave them all the attention and left us for the buss boys. We ended our meal with a slice of Chocolate Cake ($13). This was an average piece of cake served with some pretty tasteless ice cream. Don't think we finished it.