Peachy Picks Gastroarte Our Coverage Sponsored by Cosmopolitan Dental, Official Dentist of Whom You Know
Executive Chef and Owner Jesus Nunez
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For anyone that ever got in trouble for playing with their food at the dinner table to make it look beautiful, Gastroarte is the place for you to dine at! Executive Chef and Owner Jesus Nunez has an artistic flair that pervades all that is culinary and delicious at Gastroarte, a relative newcomer to the Upper West Side. Since its debut on December 14, 2010, Gastroarte has been delighting its guests both on their eyes and their tastebuds because quite literally everything you will eat there is a work of art. Gastroarte was first featured in Tasty Tidbits:
Today we are pleased to announce it has joined the ranks of Peachy's Picks. Its acute attention to aesthetics, warm atmosphere and genuine care exhibited by Jesus make it a winner on our list. Jesus Nunez is a total peach and he pleasantly greeted us upon our arrival and introduced each course to us with sophistication and flair.
Ooooh cute little garlic shrimps how we love you! These garlic shrimps were grilled just right and were bathing in red pepper galore! The garlic was not prevalent so if you are the type who doesn't like too much garlic, Peachy found this to be light on garlic and bursting with red pepper. As you can see in the above pictures, there is even a lovely red pepper glaze design that is fun to dip your little shrimp in! A nice start.
We were quite impressed with the presentation of the wine menu, complete with map and color-coordinated key, especially since Ms. I'll Have a Barbaresco, Barolo, Bordeaux etc with that was there and has a lot to learn in the field of Spanish wines. With delightful assistance from server Chris Barrueta, Peachy decided to begin with this Albarino, a crisp refreshing white for this killer of a heat wave we are in:
Another aspect of Gastroarte you will find attractive is the layout and decor. It is fresh and modern, and it all goes together with style without being matchy-matchy. There is a seamless transition from bar to lounge area where one might sit at a high table and order appetizers to the dining area, where we sat and not every venue has a seamless transition like this. Thumbs up, Gastroarte!
All of the tables we saw were busy all night and delightful banter lent itself to a reasonable noise level for dinner. You know we like relative quiet when we eat but this was not too loud, as can be the case at lesser Spanish and Latin restaurants.
Next, Jesus suggested we try the Study of the Tomato.
In over 150 dinner reviews, we don't think we have ever had anything called the Study of Something. And we sure are glad we tried this!
Who knew a tomato could be served in so many ways? Next to dessert, this course lorded over the rest of the meal in Peachy's humble opinion. It was so beautiful and tasted so fresh, with each tomato bursting with flavor. We believe it encompassed every tomato we know to exist from fried green to fresh red and cherry tomatoes of every shade.
A second appetizer Jesus suggested was the Avocado Marble, oysters, duck ham, green apple and cilantro. Quite a combination! The avocado flavor was fantastic and you can see there is a lot going on in this dish, and again, it is gorgeous:
Dining at Gastroarte is kind of like going to a museum and then eating the artwork!
Scallops with yellow and green zucchini, cherry tomato and smoked bacon were Peachy's entree of choice and it was delectable. The scallops were fresh and tasty, and the bacon was a dream. We love how Jesus really is interested in incorporating vegetables in so many fun ways, and the sauce was lovely as well. Johny Torres was a delight to work with-he has an upbeat attitude when clearing with a smile. A second wine Peachy tried was her tried and true for summer: Rose. This rose in particular was Enate Cabernet Sauvignon Rose Somontano 2009, and finally we also sampled a Red:
The Prima Tintade Toro 2009 was a bold red that was balanced.
Peachy's most favorite part of dinner was the completely fresh totally tantalizing passion fruit, mango, strawberry, dulce de leche and cookies! Every bite-size component was terrific for a hot summer night and there were even fresh blackberries as well. No one wants to eat something ridiculously heavy in a heat wave and this really hit the spot. It tastes EVEN BETTER than it looks, if you can believe that!
Our esteemed panelist adds:
If you are looking for some artistic inspiration while dining, look no further than Gastroarte! Chef and owner Jesus opened the restaurant almost two years ago and has created quite a fantastic dining atmosphere and experience! Most people consider graffiti more of a way to deface property than an art form. Jesus challenges people's preconceived notions of graffiti and uses it as a common theme in the restaurant decor and food he serves. I started out with the Salmon tartar with melon and ham which was an excellent starter dish!
The peppery salmon was complimented by the sweet melon, salty ham and caviar accents. Everything was beautifully cubed and blended together, exactly like a work of graffiti! We also had the opportunity to try Study of the Tomato, which was a variety of tomatoes in different textures and flavors. Each of the tomatoes varied in color and intensity, complimenting each other extremely well! We also tried the appetizer of avocado marble, oysters, duck ham, green apple and cilantro. The salty crisps that were also in this dish were perfect for scooping up the creamy avocado and sweet green apple. The fried and saucy oysters also added a further layer of depth to the dish. I enjoyed these appetizers with a cucumber mojo which was a cocktail with mint leaves, cucumber, vodka and seltzer. This drink certainly hit the spot and was quite refreshing and enjoyable!
For my main dish I ordered the hanger steak with asparagus, artichokes and piquillo peppers. This dish was gorgeous! The color combination of everything on the plate was so vibrant that it looked like a painting! Not only was the dish beautiful to look at, it was tasty too! The steak melted in my mouth and the mashed butternut squash was a great alternative to regular mashed potatoes. For dessert I ordered the banana and plantains with chocolate and peanut butter. What I expected this dessert to look like was not how it looked at all!
This was another edible art piece with the thinly sliced and sculpted plantains standing in a variation of brown tastes and textures, each bite more delicious than the next! I loved that this dessert also had a surprise kick to it-spicy peanuts! I thought this was quite innovative. The last thing we tried was a chocolate fritter, which was the ultimate chocolate experience!
This fried little ball was filled with decadent chocolate and really hit the spot after a great meal.
Gastroarte was such a memorable restaurant with quite a unique, refreshing outlook on dining. I personally had such a great experience overall and will make sure to go back and experience more of Jesus' edible art in the near future!
Peachy Picks Gastroarte!
Gastroarte is Recommended by Whom You Know.
