Peachy Picks The Milton Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
The superlative Tuna Tartare of The Milton
Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest all year. Fresh Origins produces almost 400 Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™ and related items. Many are not available anywhere else, with new introductions nearly every month. Fresh Origins products are on top of the finest cuisine in the world! Fresh Origins supplies distributors of specialty produce who serve fine dining restaurants and resorts nationwide. There are also a few online sources of their products available to private chefs and home cooks. Read our first Culinary Queen interview with Kelly Sasuga:
For more information about Fresh Origins, visit their website at
Cousin of the Year and General Manager Paul Mooney, whom we were happy to meet with his wife Tara. Paul and Tara could not have done a better job.
This post is dedicated to the memory of Liam and Tomas's Uncle Mickey from Tohill Co. Belfast.
They were in Ireland at the funeral during the review.
Already been a long week for you and it's only half over? Please meet "Long Day at the Office"! It's the newest cocktail that Peachy Deegan tried at The Milton: Elijah Craig 12-year old Bourbon, Campari, Cyner and Dolin Red Vermouth. Its depth and combination of flavors that work well together make it laudable, and it's sure to put you in the mood for a fantastic dinner at one of Manhattan's newest venues open since October 2014: The Milton. The concept of The Milton is Irish/British cuisine but note both owners: Tomas and Liam, who are cousins, are from Ireland.
The Milton was first featured this spring on our first visit:
The culinary revolution in Ireland is a concept that we find incredibly exciting as when Peachy lived in Cork, she mostly ate Tangle Twisters for lunch. We have a list of restaurants in Ireland that are on the wait list for review (owners only: peachydeegan@gmail.com) -we will get there and meet them and try their cuisine- and we find it even more attractive to find such Irish cuisine right down the road here in Manhattan.
It is a huge mistake to go to The Milton and only drink, which would be a strong criticism of some of the clientele we saw at The Milton, not The Milton itself.
The quality of the food is phenomenal and if they made it a more formal occasion, nothing would need to be done to alter the menu.
So, do not let the casual atmosphere fool you and sit in a quiet corner; this was our second visit to The Milton.
This is one of the friendliest places you will find in Manhattan as well.
As an appetizer, Peachy chose the Tuna Tartare with Avocado Tonnato. Though of course Avocado is uber-trendy and practically on every menu everywhere, it did not overwhelm this dish and the tuna itself was the true star of the show. It's tossed in house ponzu/xo sauce, olive oil, mint, cilantro and thai chili and served with a sesame nori chip.
Peachy chose The Milton Salad as the green salad option, and it was just as good as the first time. They were happy to put dressing on the side for Ms. Picky and she was happy. All the ingredients are super fresh and this is so hearty it could be a meal in itself; we like salads like this rather than tiny delicate salads that you can eat in about three forkfuls. The Milton Salad boasts kale, absolutely terrific applewood smoked bacon, granny smith apple, candied walnuts and bleu cheese crumble. The salad dressing is lovely: roasted apple vinaigrette, which highlights the apple in the salad.
Though Peachy just loved the Cottage Pie, she thought she'd give her Irish panelist a chance to try it and instead opted for the Grilled Salmon with Spring Vegetables, a wonderfully healthy choice. Though The Milton does not advertise itself as "farm-to-table" anyone that knows anything about Ireland knows that farms are all over the place and it is a highly rural country. (Peachy's whole concept of rural changed after living in Ireland, particularly after a beautiful weekend in Cape Clear where there was one car on the island and one ferry once a day to get there. It's probably the polar opposite of Manhattan!) The salmon was fresh and seared perfectly medium as we asked, and it arrived in style with fava beans, peas, asparagus, ramps, and beet greens all dancing in a lemon herb vinaigrette. As we are told everyone is supposed to be eating 9-11 servings of vegetables and fruits a day, it looks like you can count on getting a few at The Milton, and they actually make vegetables delicious and something you'd want to eat.
So, we also tried the Sauteed Kale, which was terrific again:
And, of course the Chips were fantastic! (Irish people call french fries chips. And wait until we tell you about Belgian fries in an upcoming review we loved them too!)
A lovely glass of bubbly punctuated a superb evening, and the dessert menu is short but sweet.
Since she did eat vegetables, Peachy was feeling like she could allow a lot more calories for dessert. You will not be able to resist Knickerbocker Glory: vanilla ice cream, strawberry marmalade and whipped cream with a cherry on top! Just perfect.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
Charming but quite boisterous atmosphere at night in this English-style Pub with the Irish conviviality and graciousness of its hosts!
Keep the Heid was the name of the cocktail suggested by the host. It is a combination of Rooibus Tea Infused with Pigs Nose Scotch, Lemon, Pineapple, Honey, Velvet Falernum Liqueur and Angostura Bitters. What a drink! It was fabulous.
The Starter course of Truffle Chicken Nuggets has to be one of the most delicious and juicy starters in Manhattan. The truffle oil is actually cooked inside the chicken and the overall taste is fantastic. Yellow beet sauce and sour sauce complete the tasty and very filling starter, which I personally will never forget.
The Green Mango and Cucumber salad is a shredded combination of mango, cucumber, toasted rice powder with red onion, fresh herbs, lime and honey dressing. It is delectable and so large that one has to ask for a doggy bag.
The main course called Cottage Pie is really too much of a gourmet item to be called simply Cottage Pie. The short ribs are actually braised in Guinness stout! The soft mashed potatoes are topped with Fontina and Swiss cheese and result in the best so-called Cottage Pie I have ever tasted (note from the Editor: this person has been to Ireland more trips than any American we know). The Milton should jazz up the name of this item so that the world will know it is something very special indeed. The serving size is substantial, resulting in another request for a doggy bag. Shockingly the next day’s leftover serving of the Milton Cottage pie tasted just as yummy as the actual hot serving which is testament to the freshness of the ingredients employed.
The dessert I chose was Molten Chocolate cake, a wonderful almost flourless dark chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream. How the brilliant chef at Milton managed to make even the vanilla ice cream so unusual is another mystery.
Overall, the Milton has a wonderful and unique menu. The only downside to the restaurant was the noise in the room, which might have been because of a large party seated near to our lovely window table. Hats off to the chef and the congenial hosts at this excellent dining establishment.
Peachy Picks The Milton!
The Milton is Recommended by Whom You Know.
