Jump to content

Betony, Modern American on W. 57th and 6th Street in Midtown West - Chef Bryce Shuman and GM Eamon Rockey - Closed


Recommended Posts

Headed out to Betony last night for a brief dinner. I've been up here in Tribeca since December, but with the crappy winter haven't ventured too far outside of the neighborhood, subsisting on Seamless for the most part, aside from client dinners.

As someone else noted on DR, the space is beautiful, and larger than I had expected. As a solo diner I was given the option of a table or a seat at the bar from the very friendly host.

The cocktail list was interesting and I opted for a spin on a Moscow Mule "“ the Palma Fizz (vodka, ginger, lime, rosewater), served in a copper mug. The cocktail was extremely well balanced, and I opted for a second rather than have anything from the wine list.

Amuse was a mushroom consommé with spring herbs "“ the consommé was in gelee form, with herbs on top. Very nice, albeit quite a large portion for an amuse.

I opted for two courses "“ the marinated scallop and the roast chicken. The marinated scallop (horseradish/ sorrel) was served chopped with horseradish and perhaps a bit of lemon zest, on top of a sort of potato chip (which was very Muncho-like in texture, for those familiar with them), and with sorrel on top of the chip/scallop. The four or five bites of the dish were excellent, with bright, clean flavors underneath the sorrel, which overwhelmed the first bite. Removing some of the sorrel from subsequent bites did the trick.

The roast chicken (peas & carrots/ king trumpet) was presented as a breast of chicken sliced lengthwise, with a stripe of pea puree underneath it. Peas and carrots were at ten and two on the plate, along with a singular king trumpet mushroom. Chicken "jus" was then poured around the chicken breast. As a side, a bowl of chicken leg confit was provided along with the aforementioned peas & carrots. The chicken jus really amped up the dish's flavor, and in my opinion showed (along with the consommé) Chef Shuman's Eleven Madison Park pedigree. While a much different version of roast chicken than the late, lamented Palena's, this was no less satisfying.

Finally, the service. I'd read somewhere here that the service at Betony was found to be over the top or something. Maybe I'm not sufficiently cranky, but that wasn't my experience. Granted I was sitting at the bar, but I found the staff to be very enthusiastic, but not overly attentive and nothing felt manufactured. All in all, an excellent meal, and I look forward to returning.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've not been for a full meal yet, but sitting at the bar before a Carnegie Hall concert last week, two friends and I tired a total of 6 dishes - and there wasn't a miss in the bunch.  Along with a great room and professional service, can't wait to return for a proper sit-down dinner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/8/2017 at 5:17 PM, SRJ said:

I bet you mean Jams (Waxman's below Central Park location). Barbuto is south of Penn Station on the west side down near the Whitney Museum.

On 2/8/2017 at 8:14 PM, DonRocks said:

My goodness - I'm both glad and grieving that you posted this: I meant Betony, which is now permanently closed, and I didn't even know that. It was the best lunch I had in 2016, and one of the Top 10 meals I had all year as well. Man, I almost wish I didn't know this.

I still have my menu, and I'm going to find it and post it out of respect.

:(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...