Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

Chef David Burke is not unknown to me as I ate in many of his restaurants in the city and saw him few times on TV in shows like Top Chef. So, when I was invited to try David Burke Tavern, I was really excited because I knew this would full of surprises. As we arrived, we went to the upstairs dining room and sat next to a penguin, not a real one of course: a stuffed animal. You might have heard that, during Covid, to ensure that patrons would respect social distancing, Chef Burke bought a bunch of stuffed animals that he sat at tables. The penguins were kept after that, sitting on each side of the cozy dining room. Then, we saw that plates were decorated with a strange logo that is both a nod to the New Yorker dressing up to go to town and one of the famous dishes from the Chef: lobster scrambled eggs with caviar served in an Ostrich egg.

We started off our meal with cocktails: espresso martini for me and a Moroccan mojito for Jodi that was sans-alcohol, made with lemon verbena syrup, lime juice, club soda, mint and sage leaves. It was nice to see a nice selection of mocktails next to an interesting list of cocktails.

There was no vegetarian appetizer that was a bit disappointing and the only option for Jodi would have been to get a salad, but it would have replaced her main dish selection. So, I was the only one with appetizers and decided to get the clothesline bacon, that is a popular dish that was all over social media few years ago where strips of bacon are hung on a clothesline, torched in the kitchen or at the table (ours was torched in the kitchen), so it releases fat onto the pickles that are underneath. You then cut the thick slices of bacon with a scissor, adding a bit of playfulness to the dish. It was good, although a bit chewy, making me think a bit about a jerky. This is definitely a dish perfect to share.

Clothesline bacon at David Burke Tavern in NYC, NY

The second appetizer was the crab cake pretzel raft. What a wonderful dish: the presentation is beautiful and it was delicious, the pretzel adding a bite to it as well as as a slight saltiness, with an amazing old bay tomato jam and chipotle aioli that still let the crab shine. A must have.

Crab cake pretzel raft at David Burke Tavern in NYC, NY

Then came the entrees. Jodi went for their wild mushroom ravioli that was topped with parmesan, sage, walnuts, pomegranate and a chocolate balsamic. The ravioli was perfectly made, the shell having a perfect thickness, and the whole dish having this sweet and savory taste, each ingredient complementing each other rather than fighting against each other, the mushroom filling giving a nice earthiness to the dish and the pomegranate some bite.

On my side, I decided to try their rack of lamb. First of all, this was a large dish, with a generous portion of lamb that was perfectly cooked medium as ordered, juicy and deliciously fatty. When I saw the thickness of each piece, I understood the message they sent when bringing the knife that looked like a small meat cleaver! It was served with white beans and Swiss char, making it a very comforting dish. I did not regret my choice for sure, even if I am not a big fan of Swiss char. With it, I wanted to try their whipped potato with garlic confit that nice and light, but not as decadent as I thought, thinking that there would be some garlic confit that I adore on top of it.

The whimsical lollipop tree dessert is a delightful creation that brings back childhood memories. Topped with a cotton candy that is made a la minute, it is composed of various types of lollipop cakes that you can cover with the cotton candy or with the bubble gum whipped cream that was amazing.

This was a great way to finish a delicious meal. I don’t think I have ever been disappointed when dining at one of David Burke’s restaurant: the food there is creative and fun, without sacrificing the quality of the products.

Enjoy (I did)!

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David Bruke Tavern - 135 E 62nd St, New York, NY 10065

I Just Want To Eat!