|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
| NYC, USA |
|
 |
|
Extraordinary
October - 2009 |
|
5
Stars & 5 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
|
 |
|
The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and
Stripes® |
|
|
|
| Thinking back over the past 25 years, there have been
a number of memorable moments and venues I have enjoyed at some of the top
restaurants in the U.S. "The 21 Club"
has always been a special favorite of mine to relax, impress, and enjoy
business with friends and clients. To this day "21" offers an intimate club
ambiance, along with fine food and excellent service. Back in the day, in the
early 80’s I was a frequent visitor to the 21 Club and a charter member of
the 21 Breakfast Club. Until recently, I had never been able to duplicate the
feeling and club intimacy of the “21 Club”. Call it karma, or just
plain good fortune, but recently, after all these years I was able to find
Patroon, a terrific restaurant where I was also able to connect with a
wonderful friend from my 21 Club days, Ken Aretsky. Ken has a long and
successful history in the restaurant and hospitality field and is the owner and
manager of “Aretsky’s Patroon”. Bill Peet is the Executive Chef
at Patroon and a 25-year veteran of such Iconic NY restaurants as Lutece, Asia
De Cuba, and Cafe des Artistes. Bill is noted for his straightforward and
beautifully presented culinary creations while optimizing his flavor
combinations. From the moment, I walked into Patroon, I experienced a flashback
to my days at “21”. The way the dining room, bar, and the restaurant
are setup is intimate and club like. Ken greeted my wife and I and we spent the
first few moments reminiscing about the great experiences of our earlier years
during the 80's at the 21 Club. Ken led us to an elegant section of Patroon,
decorated with priceless artwork and photos illuminated softly with spotlights.
We sat down and immediately began to soak up the ambiance in our luxurious
banquet seats. |
|
 |
|
| Aretsky's
Patroon Restaurant |
|
|
| Rita and I had looked forward to eating some really
fine American Food, and our menu offered all that and more. We were treated to
a very special "Tasting Menu" composed by Exec Chef Peet who started our
culinary adventure with a small cup of Butternut Squash Soup that was sweet yet
sublime, featuring fresh seasonal and locally grown ingredients. Each of our
dishes was served with fine china and beautiful crystal stemware. For an
appetizer we sampled Maple Quail with Wild Rice and Sundried Cranberry Salad,
successfully offering a delicate balance between the sweetness of the maple
syrup marinade and the tartness of the sundried cranberries. My personal
favorite from the list of appetizers is the Crab Cakes with Lemon Tarragon
Aioli made with a generous amount of meaty lump crab bound together with a
modicum of breadcrumbs. To kick it up a notch, the pan-fried crab cakes are
accompanied by lively lemony tarragon scented aioli for dipping, which both
Rita and I took great pleasure in doing so. To accompany our first course our
wine was Sauvignon Blanc New Harbor, New Zealand 2008 going the full distance
as an easy light refreshingly crisp wine showing loads of grapefruit and exotic
fruits, which presented us with visions of lying back on a beach somewhere in
the tropics. |
|
| Entrees included: Dover
Sole with Haricots Verts, Cherry Tomatoes, Lobster Sauce, Caper Meunière
alongside New York Sirloin, with Bordelaise sauce and Caramelized Rack of Lamb,
with Wild Morel and Potato Gratin. The Dover Sole was filleted and portioned by
our Maitre D at the table and offered a simple preparation of browned butter,
chopped parsley and lemon juice as a rustic sauce. Our accompanying wine was a
delightful Chardonnay Chalone, California, 2007, which came close to delivering
vibrancy and verve with classical finesse. |
|
 |
|
| Aretsky's Patroon Restaurant - Cuisine |
|
|
|
|
Gentle white stone fruit aromas with a buttery
feel on the palate made us reflect on how well it paired with both seafood and
meat. The combination of delicately prepared fish, and hearty steak and lamb
more than sated our appetites. The steak was generous in size and delicious, it
probably would have been even more "mouth watering" if it had been sliced with
the juices and tender red meat exposed to the eye.. For dessert the chef
prepared an assortment of 3 exciting taste treats: Grilled Pineapple,
crème fraiche ice cream, warm apple crisp with rum buttermilk ice cream,
and warm semi-sweet chocolate cake, pistachio ice cream. The warm apple crisp
turned us into kids again with its down-home flavors and was definitely our
favorite! An assortment of exotic teas and coffee with petit fours and butter
cookies led our journey to a wonderfully satisfying finale. Patroon is
everything I had hoped it would be and the restaurant evoked wonderful
memories. Patroon has a uniquely intimate ambiance and atmosphere and I
recommend it highly. It is a great place for “power lunches” and for
entertaining important business clients and friends. The Maitre D' and staff
are knowledgeable and made the evening more enjoyable with their
recommendations and attention to detail. Patroon offers additional space on the
second floor for catering events and during the warm weather months has an open
roof top area for dining and hors d'œuvres. Ken Aretsky once again is
hosting a fabulous venue with wonderful American Cuisine! |
|
|
|
|
by Barry & Rita Kay
Editor-in-Chief: John
Lomitola |
|
| © 2009 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
|
|
|
Back to Top
|
|
|
 |
|
