Peachy Picks ABC Kitchen by Jean-Georges
Peachy is about as rustic as she is left-handed, which means she's not at all.
But don't let the decor fool you at ABC Kitchen; though she is not farm-motivated, city dweller Peachy Deegan is now one big fan of ABC Kitchen.
ABC Kitchen has a wonderfully warm interior that evokes countryside living to a T, and once you step inside from 18th street you will question whether this is really in Manhattan and as soon as you have a bite or two of whatever astoundingly fresh culinary delight you opt for, you will know you are in pure gastronomic bliss.
At times, we feel that some high profile places are overrated.
They might have poor service.
They think they can get by on pure name reputation alone and trendiness, and we are not advocates of that attitude.
We do not feel that way about ABC Kitchen one bit, and we're going to tell you why.
ABC Kitchen was first featured in Tasty Tidbits:
They have easily graduated to Peachy's Picks.
One of our best reviews, ABC Kitchen is solidly committed to excellence.
The cuisine was superb, the service was outstanding, the decor was pure originality, and the overall package was exactly where you want to be on a Saturday night. Or a Sunday night, or a Monday night, or a Tuesday night...you get the picture.
We began with the pretzel dusted calamari, marinara and mustard aioli. Universally appealing, this is what you should start with. Peachy preferred the marinara however the panelist preferred the mustard, so indeed there is something for everyone here. The calamari was chewy and crisp, exactly the way you'd want to have yours.
The chef surprised us with some extras, beginning with roasted eggplant toast with marinated peppers and lemon. Totally refreshing and a symphony of robust flavors, this will ignite your appetite and leave you ready for more of their organic knockouts.
Seafood is by far Peachy's favorite, and if you are one to prefer cooked seafood over raw like Peachy, do not let the fact that these scallops are served raw worry you. Stunningly fragrant and boasting many notes of flavor when combined with the market chilies, anise hyssop and lime, the raw diver scallops are a welcome summer starter that you don't want to miss.
Peachy did not expect to go to ABC Kitchen and eat pizza, but she did.
And it was fantastic! The combinations are sharply creative and this boasted toppings of mushrooms, parmesan, oregano and farm egg. If she knew the pizza was this good she absolutely would have planned on ordering it! All four pizza options look like splendid choices.
The wine list is impressive; Peachy tried a solid Cotes du Rhone to begin with and followed that up with a Rose from France as well. As an entree, Peachy Deegan chose the very first entree listed on the menu and it was love at first bite. The black sea bass with chilies and herbs, baby market potatoes and spinach was a home run. Grilled to perfection, the sea bass was moist and delicious. Since she's Irish, Peachy has never met a potato she didn't like, and you've seen her rave about spinach quite a lot and this is no exception. They are totally serious on every level when they say they have a passionate commitment to offering the freshest organic and local ingredients possible; you can even see a list of their sources on the back of the menu (we wish we saw more than one Connecticut farm...and that would be our only criticism. You know who love love loves Connecticut.) Another point we'd like to make is that although the owner, general manager, and executive chef each were not there the day Peachy visited ABC Kitchen, you could not tell at all. That is a sign of an excellent place: when everything is executed flawlessly without the watchful eye of the powers that be. We were pleased to meet Christa Ackerman at the conclusion of our review and she was pleasant as punch. Servers Kristine Beverly and Joe Sturm were totally on the ball all night. Ryan Armstrong was a total peach prior to our arrival.
Bravo Jean-Georges!
Jean-Georges we knew you would not be there when Peachy dined, but if you are reading this, she would love to meet you someday! Perhaps she can convince you to drink The Peachy Deegan...
Our esteemed panelist adds:
We recently dined at ABC Kitchen on E.18th Street between Park and Broadway. Upon arriving, we were impressed by the ambient lighting as well as the spacious layout which allowed for a private dining type of feel amidst a bustling, crowded restaurant. The interior is modern with exposed wood on the roof giving off a rustic feel, apropos for the fresh to farm cuisine style.
For appetizers, we sampled the fried calamari in a flavorful, light dusted and crusted batter served with spicy marina and creamy mustard dipping sauces. This dish was well done as the sauces were outstanding, making us want more. We also tried the fresh, raw sea scallops which were sliced very thin and covered with various spices, giving it a nice bite and clearing our palate for the main course. The menu was filled with all types of delicacies, which all seemed relatively healthy and very fresh, including raw fish—tuna sashimi and fresh raw sea scallops which we tried and loved. As for sauces on the dishes, the preference is for minimal use of heavy sauce instead the focus is on spice and other exotic flavors that seem to accentuate the pure taste of the food rather than drowning out the flavor of the fish, meat, etc as is often the case with many restaurants we have dined at.
The wine and specialty cocktail list was fairly extensive without excess choice. Once again, the drinks boasted fresh, natural ingredients like spiced ginger and fresh fruit juices.
For main courses, we dined on the cheeseburger with organic beef, aioli mayo and jalapenos on a toasted sesame seed bun which was delicious and not too filling. Perfectly sized and full of flavor. We also sampled the wild mushroom pizza with ricotta cheese and a fresh egg yolk on top. This pizza was one of the best we’ve ever tried though we admit we were initially skeptical with the unusual accompaniments and ingredients. The mushrooms were abundant and delicious.
The blackberry spritzer with fresh blackberry pure and sparkling white wine is a must drink. Very simple and elegant.
For dessert we sampled a few cookies, including a lemon tart, chocolate chip with sea salt which was divine and a raspberry torte.
We highly recommend ABC Kitchen and hope to dine there again soon. Any date or corporate client would be highly impressed with the fresh, unique food, ambiance and outstanding, attentive service.
Peachy Picks ABC Kitchen.
ABC Kitchen is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
