DB Bistro

M had made reservations at DB Bistro for a romantic dinner. The restaurant was warm, a lovely palette of amber, butterscotch browns, woods, and reds. It's described as "A modern French-American bistro where the traditions of French cuisine meet the flavors of the American market with a menu reflecting the changing seasons and a focus on the simplicity of fine ingredients." I loved it.

We were expected and sent a complimentary amuse bouche of an oyster on the half shell with ice wine garnite. One of the perks of M knowing lots of restaurant chefs, sommeliers, and maître d's are the free courses, desserts, and wine. My first foray into oysters and while I had not yet developed an appreciation for oysters, M enjoyed his. I sipped nice chilled champagne and sank comfortably into my seat.

Next was the the lobster salad with pesto dressing, cherry tomatoes, hearts of palm, avocado and peppers. Simply delicious and a perfect balance. Marty had tuna tartare with artichoke, meyer lemon, olives and Almond-arugula pesto. Also good but not as good as the lobster salad.

The complimentary mid-course they sent us was the orichiette pasta in Colorado lamb ragout, with goat cheese and basil. Rich and delicious. Mmm, my tummy rumbles thinking of it.

For the main course I had the Hangar steak with Oxtail ragout, parsnip puree, baby spinach and vegetables while M had the Loup de Mer with Leek Fondue, vegetables, and shaved black truffles. French fries and more root vegetables on the side, of course. If a place has good french fries they get a gold star in my book. Fries are so simple but are so often done so badly. I'm happy to say DB Bistro's were excellent. The steak was cooked perfectly and M really enjoyed his Loup de Mer with Leek Fondue. We washed it down with a Red burgundy, Savigny-les-Beaune. C'est magnifique!

I can be counted on to order something chocolate for dessert and was presented with the Flourless chocolate cake with Coffee custard, hazelnut, and Milk chocolate sorbet. Sinfully delectable. M also went for the chocolate and chose the Warm Chocolate Financier (also made without flour, but like a tea cake) with Earl Grey Ice cream and a Giner tuile (french for tile, small square cookie). Mine was better but his Earl Grey ice cream was definitely noteworthy.

Two complimentary desserts were sent out. The first was a white chocolate tower. It had a spongy white chocolate exterior and a creamy, kind of citrus flavored interior. A-MAZING! They also sent petit fours that M took care of so fast I didn't even have a chance to nibble one. I hear they were good.

We enjoyed the desserts with two dessert wines, Banyuls (red) and, Beerenauslese (white).

Really very enjoyable and we would absolutely go again, and again.

Lunch prix fixe: two courses $35-$40 includes main course & choice of appetizer or dessert.
Lunch à la carte entrées $28-36
Dinner and Post-theater à la carte entrées $28-36
Pre -theater Prix-fixe, three course dinner $48

DB Bistro Moderne is located 55 West 44th Street in midtown.