#TerrificTakeout #TheConsulate #InauguralReview @theconsulatenyc
Owners Metodija Mihajlov and Miljan Komnenic; you need the Grilled Rib Eye.
Once upon a time in a city called Manhattan there lived a girl who discovered the newest, hottest, most QUALITY (because quality is the only thing that matters!) restaurants by walking down a yellow brick road. She didn't have a dog but she did have a pen and a camera and wrote on menus. She also had a whale. And if the restaurant did a great job, she featured them for many years and the very best for over a decade.
Then all at once there was a natural disaster not unlike a tornado that came from a foreign country across the Pacific and two very wicked witches named Cuomo and DeBlasio told all these hard-working, talented, fabulous restaurant owners that they must close.
This girl became upset. She loved going to restaurants.
But, she got vaccinated with her whale at the whale and suddenly, she discovered a floating bubble not unlike Glinda, the good witch. Oh my goodness she thought she was seeing double. She had not done a dinner review of a brand new restaurant since she met the amazing Joe Lisi at Bar Dough (we've met Joe twice and reviewed him once; we will have more to say on Joe and Bar Dough soon).
When she opened her eyes wider the bubble popped and no she was not seeing double, she was seeing two twins from Macedonia! They even met her whale, who has made exactly one public appearance ever. They were named Kiril (30 minutes older) and Metodija Mihajlov, and together with Miljan Komnenic, Mixologist, and Igor Drca they all own The Consulate, named for exactly that: a consulate where immigrants are assisted and people network and business happens. The Consulate is the first restaurant to be reviewed for the first time in an inaugural review on Whom You Know since this natural disaster and we have high hopes for their future. They opened on November 19, 2019 and the style of the cuisine is French Modern American with French cooking techniques in place.
Also, you should know their bathrooms are spectacularly clean which is obviously a total must always since we ever started doing this. We never brought that up before because we thought it was understood but in this climate of uber-cleanliness we will let you know at The Consulate there are inspection reports on the back of the bathroom doors recorded every 30 minutes. We want to see everyone doing this. We notice everything.
We began with the Smoked Salmon Flatbread; the salmon is from Norway. We think the concept of salmon, dill, chives and creme fraiche is genius and at The Consulate, it was a solid start. Next charred octopus joined by roasted pepper, agrodolce, potatoes and a brilliant black garlic puree walked down the table runway. Every three days we understand fresh octopus is sourced from Portugal.
We are huge advocates of burrata, and the Burrata Salad at The Consulate was our favorite starter among the starters we tried. Heirloom tomatoes, local burrata cheese, wild strawberries, fennel pollen and a mint citrus dressing that we asked for on the side grace this plate. As you might recall Peachy never ever wants her salad dressed and she likes to do it herself.
Brussels and Kale Salad is an excellent choice for a hot summer day. Tuscan Kale, green apple, and pecorino cheese will make you revel in their high quality simplicity singing a song of nutrition together in tandem. Again, picky Peachy asked for the Red Wine dressing on the side.
We would have never picked Short Rib Cavatelli on a hot summer day so it is a good thing it was suggested to us: it is simply outstanding and the second best culinary pursuit we met on this occasion. It absolutely hits the spot: braised short rib, cavatelli and sheep's ricotta are massively exquisite and hearty. We suspect we will be even more impressed with it come this fall.
For the lighter side of pasta we tried the Linguini and Small Clams which you will love if you like your clams to be citrus-acclimated. Linguini pasta, cockle clams, preserved lemon, chili garlic and white wine team up below.
For our fish entree we chose the incredible whole Seared Branzino, which is exactly as inviting as it appears to be! It is one of the best fish we've had this year. Pan-seared Branzino is joined successfully by capers and salsa verde, each of which compliments the poisson wonderfully. And for the uninitiated you should know a fish entree should be exactly this: a whole fish not a slice of fish. Bravo, The Consulate. Below, meet seared brussel sprouts fabulously enhanced with bacon and red wine vinegar: we liked it, but in the cold we think we might love it.
The side section of the menu impressed us: we also tried roasted herb fingerling potatoes which are an ideal accompaniment to all meals any time of year. Their enticing versatility is a win for your dinner.
The triumph of the cuisine is without a doubt the Grilled Rib Eye, our favorite of the trip. Gorgeously executed at a precise Medium Rare, the Grilled Rib Eye oozed dramatic flavor that exceeded our expectations of the new kid on the block. The 14 oz grilled rib eye is sourced from JBS in Canada and is certified Angus beef; broccolini and an entire head of garlic and we do absolutely adore garlic come to this carnivorous pursuit with chimchurri sauce.
The Consultate is Terrific Takeout in their Inaugural Review.
We look forward to seeing them keep up the great work.
Tiramisu and cappuccino completes the experience with extraordinary flair.
