restaurant week summer 2008. i love restaurant week. it’s a great opportunity to check out a restaurant you couldn’t otherwise afford. sure there are a few restaurants that don’t deliver, with contrived menus and stuck up attitudes, but davidburke & donatella was quite the exception.
we were seated promptly when we arrived and led to the back of the restaurant. the room was bright, lively and colorful in a tasteful, not tacky, way. my only complaint would be the crammed together tables, which led to many bumps from the wait staff and involuntary eavesdropping on fellow diners. but, i understand. it’s new york and you have to pay the rent.
i was really excited when i saw the rosemary sticking out of the bread roll. i love rosemary and when its flavor is infused into anything (i’m dreaming of babbo’s rosemary potatoes), i get really excited. sadly, the rosemary was just a garnish. the bread was disappointing. mine wasn’t as burnt as the others, which i really enjoy. nothing like a crunchy piece of bread to start the meal.
the butter, however, was beautiful…and soft. much appreciated. that’s rock salt on top, which is the perfect partner for the bread/butter combination.
the appetizer below is the pretzel-crusted crab cake and shrimp. there was a lovely orange sauce (“confit orange”) which paired wonderfully with the shrimp. brilliant salty/sweet play between the pretzel and sauce.
i went with the lobster-lemongrass bisque. the bowl was brought out with a “lobster stick” and bits of lobster meat and apple, then the bisque was poured table-side, which i always enjoy. overall, it was smooth and delicious, without an overpowering sherry taste, and the lobster stick was a playful complement.
the options for the main course were the standard chicken, salmon and beef. the chicken was steaming hot and super tender. the mashed potatoes were nothing spectacular.
below is the salmon with white asparagus. not a huge fan of cooked salmon, but the fish was juicy and hot with a nice crust. the asparagus didn’t have quite the crunch it could have had, but sarah enjoyed it.
and my entree, handmade cavatelli and braised short ribs with wild mushrooms, mushroom chips and truffle mousse. although a bit heavy for a summer evening, the plate was really well done. the meat was super tender, no knife needed, and anything with truffles, i’m in. there were several different versions/techniques of mushrooms included in this dish, but i didn’t feel overwhelmed at all. the soft cavatelli against the mushroom chips with the truffle sauve was a hit. and the leftover sauce…perfect for sopping up with the bread.
lori and i split a side of brussels sprouts (not pictured) with bacon and apples. they were really not good, too soggy. i prefer them crisp, almost burnt, a la david chang.
dessert time. i was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of chocolate options on the menu, which i didn’t see on the online version. bryn and sarah went with the milkshake and cookies. the cookies were really small as you can see. i didn’t taste them but heard they were mediocre. the real star was the milkshake, which was chocolaty with a strong coffee flavor. a great way to round out the meal.
here’s the caramelized warm apple tart with cider caramel and vanilla ice cream. not a huge fan of non-chocolate desserts, but this was really good. the apple flavor didn’t overpower and the best part was the play on the hot apple tart and cold ice cream. they did a great job with temperature throughout the whole meal.
i went with the tropical chocolate mousse. mousse is my favorite dessert, alongside pudding. here, it was paired with extremely fresh and flavorful raspberry sorbet (chocolate-rapsberry happens to by my favorite combination). i didn’t really eat the mousse and sorbet together, but switched from one to the other. perfect for me.
atmosphere: 9 / 10
service: 9 / 10
value: 7 / 10
(non-restaurant week, very expensive)
food: 18 /20
overall: 43 / 50
133 e. 61st st. @ lexington ave. (upper east side)
212.813.2121
$$$$$ / $$$$$
american nouveau
plate expectations 
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