Peachy Continues to Pick Battery Gardens; It Earns Our Highest Recommendation Winter 2015 Bravo Paul and Ari! Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Executive Chef Ari Nieminen, Peachy Deegan and Battery Gardens Owner Paul Nicaj
The excellent Grilled Beef Filet Mignon with potato puree, peas, mascarpone, and hen of the wood mushroom
Yes, it really is this beautiful. All pictures are unedited, always
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We love living in the land of fine dining in Manhattan, and as we do more and more reviews and Peachy completes more and more miles on the elliptical to compensate, we continue to return to the places we love best and it's hard to think of any place that could beat Battery Gardens, any time of year. We said it is the best kept secret in Manhattan particularly in the winter in our initial review, and our fifth formal review only confirms that. Owner Paul Nicaj and Executive Chef Ari Nieminen continue to outperform their competition, and if you want to see an example of perfection, this is where you go. The talented professionalism coupled with the classy, welcoming personal touch by both Paul and Ari in addition to their terrifically upstanding character, the sumptuous cuisine, the views to die for and the decor worthy of the approval of the best interior designers make Battery Gardens one of our favorites, if not the favorite. In smaller cities like Washington, D.C. it is fairly easy to see who is on top of fine dining; in Manhattan we've experienced a lot more to come to this conclusion. To get there, you walk as far south as you can in Manhattan. If you are still on land and not the water, you are at Battery Gardens. You won't want to leave.
It was first reviewed in Winter 2013:
we returned for the Summer of 2013:
and the Winter of 2014:
and the Summer of 2014:
If Peachy's smile above does not say it all, we don't know what does. She does not always smile that big, and they earn that smile.
We will let the pictures speak for themselves as far as decor.
When we first met Paul and Ari, they had just gotten over Hurricane Sandy, which did beaucoup de damage. They are winners; they overcame the Hurricane and so did Battery Gardens.
Summer seats wait patiently for you.
If you time it right, you will see the sun set on Manhattan with the Statue of Liberty in the background. Can't beat that!
If you time it right, you will see the sun set on Manhattan with the Statue of Liberty in the background. Can't beat that!
In most cases, Peachy knows exactly what she would like to try at a restaurant, particularly if it is a place she's been to only a couple of times though she's a sport about suggestions as long as it's not lamb, rabbit or cheesecake. Chef Ari has won us over with his intelligent choices of flavor combinations, and ultimately, their execution, and we take all of his suggestions always.
We don't ever remember wanting squash on a pizza, ordering squash on a pizza, or eating squash on a pizza. However, we've been enlightened. All pizza at Battery Gardens is crafted in their wood oven, and this edition was a total hit.
Chef Ari suggested: Autumn Squash and Burrata pizza.
Every bite was a delicacy highlighted by the white truffle honey (see they indicate on the menu if it is white or black, good to know. Venues of lesser sophistication don't describe the truffle so we would be asking. Truffles are important to us!) and the color combination of the squash is a visual delight also. Everything about Battery Gardens is beautiful. Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Orange Squash team up for a unique pizza that will delight your taste buds.
Sometimes a restaurant can have a dish that is a one-hit wonder, meaning it's not consistent. Consistency is crucial to success. Last summer we love love LOVED the Gravlox and we wanted to see how we liked it this winter. Other restaurant owners even told us they wanted to do something like this dish because they were so impressed by Battery Gardens in that review.
The Gravlox, served on pumpernickel crisps, with creme fraiche, mache and tomato vinaigrette continued to rule the Battery Gardens menu, and it is perhaps even better in the winter because its refreshment brings us back to the days of summer, which everyone misses A LOT particularly with the winter we've had! The dill is also phenomenal here.
Gravlox, until warmer days, we will miss you!
Peachy is a fan of Cabernet, and she sipped this lovely, versatile California red.
On a crisp, clear winter day, Grilled Beef Filet Mignon is a wonderful comfort food. We've been fortunate to work with many top steakhouses, and believe this steak was just as good.
Potato puree, peas, mascarpone and another unique touch:
Hen of the Wood Mushroom added to the excellence of this fine dish. Peachy is definitely a meat and potatoes person, and every bite of this accomplishment by Ari was a carnivorous delight, (aerial view:)
only to be equaled by his entree addition. Which Peachy proceeded to eat concurrently, as she really could not decide which one she liked best. These are the problems you want to have in life, and they are yours at Battery Gardens.
You really ought to try the Roasted Cod and Braised Pork Belly combination, which is another classic. Chatham cod is accompanied by brandade potato, Carrot/Ginger puree, and Brussels Sprout Leaves. Berkshire Pork Belly is gloriously braised for three hours until it reaches an ideal tenderness. It melts in your mouth and is pure ecstasy.
During your dining extravaganza, the view will only make it taste better.
Peachy Deegan is a very big advocate of Apple Pie, and that's not just because she's All-American and also a Chevrolet proponent.
Peachy liked the Pear Franzipane Tart the best, accentuated sweetly by pumpkin ice cream. Very similar to apple of course but just a touch different to set them apart.
Sweet potato cake basking in Grand Marnier Chantilly and Caramel Sauce is also a terrific choice, and classic strawberries in chocolate are also the perfect ending to an amazing experience.
Listen to Ari:
Ari also earns points for being well-versed in hockey.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
When you restaurant hop in New York City, you inevitably develop your very own favorite spot. And your favorite chef. And your favorite ambiance. If you haven't yet gotten my drift, it's Battery Gardens I'm talking about and this was my second professional visit. Unlike any other place in Manhattan, with views that overlook the Hudson River and put you in Lady Liberty's backyard, it's a restaurant where you will receive attention, kind words, and incredibly great food. Consistently. Because Chef Ari is like not many others. He carefully exercises his playful side by combining ingredients that seem normal, once they're put together, but you or I might not have thought about doing it just that way. His winter menu fills the bill, and you must hurry down there to try some of these offerings before they're gone. With the poetic stark background of a New York Harbor, you'll dine grandly, without the prices you may be used to at some of the swanky digs in town. We had a pizza for a starter. Sounds intriguing, right?
Wood oven baked, crisp thin crust, and an eye-dazzling array of winter squash baked on the top with burrata. The burrata is Italian, and the squash is acorn, delicata and butternut, sliced just so, topped with a drizzle of truffle honey. Mouthwatering, right? Oh, my.
And with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from New Harbor, Marlborough 2013, you start your meal. The wine has a whiff of citrus, with passion fruit and guava, a crisp finish and goes well with my pizza and the courses to come. Chef Ari's deft hand continues in every selection: next, the noodle soup.
Because his young foodie daughter asked her Dad for a Thai -inspired noodle dish, he created this tantalizing bite of a soup. Lemongrass, Ginger and Vegetable Broth, Miso, Shrimp, Calamari, Simeji mushrooms (which are magical little Disney things) and Jalapeno. Watch out for that jalapeno, as it adds just the right nip to the smoothness of the broth and the rice noodles.
To continue with the pumpkin theme, as evidenced in the audacious pizza we had, Ari made a smooth approach to pumpkin soup. A creamy puree of delectable vegetable that would warm any heart. His touch never fails, his condiments blend perfectly with the slightly sweet taste, and the popcorn shoots (along with Roasted Corn, Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkin Seed Oil ) as decor add a whimsical not, as well as flavor.
As a main course, I had the halibut, pan-seared and served over a flourish of chanterelles, leeks, corn, chervil with a mound of mustard -whipped potato. If you're not hungry yet, we still have more to go, so read on, and delight in the sound of this food. Having experienced the delight of the Simeji mushrooms in the Noodle Soup, it was a joy to savor the chanterelles served with the Halibut. If you're a 'shroom lover, this is the place to be. Chef Ari chooses inventive touches for his dishes, and the touch of whimsy adds delight to every mouthful. The fish was meaty, cooked to perfection and moist.
The sauce, combined with the potato-laced with mustard was a fair fix for a chilly day. Not too heavy, so there's room for dessert. Desserts are as wonderful as every bite I've eaten so far. Ari came up with a Sweet Potato Cake this Fall that visually resembles a bread pudding, but is lighter, cak-ier, and redolent with Fall/Winter flavor. Spring comes in stages at Battery Gardens, so do put this restaurant on your list. Meet Paul, the gregarious owner, popular with everyone in town from Mayor (sadly, our ex-Mayor), Giuliani, on down the list of local politicos. It's located Downtown, near Wall Street, so close you can hear the gong! You will have to revisit. And come Spring, when the outdoors is open to the majesty of our harbor, you can make it your new after work spot in the Beergarden.
Amongst the desserts, you'll find it hard to choose just one. Do yourself a favor, and come with someone hungry, so you can order two, or three of the perfectly proportioned selections. for chocoholics there is a mound of triple chocolate, coated in chocolate, but not intimidating at all.
The interior is mousse-like, goes down easily, and caps the meal with that cocoa finish.
Battery Gardens continues to Earn our Highest Recommendation.
