I had the luck to eat at Recette on Wednesday night, hours after it received two stars and a rave review from The New York Times. The small-by-even-New-York-standards restaurant wasn't mobbed with diners yet, but from the look of its books, it's going to be soon. During my visit, the place was filled with the sort of locals who live in the tony neighborhood -- young people who are paying through the nose for a studio the size of a closet and older couples who have owned their town houses for years.
Jesse Schenker's contemporary American food was as well executed as the Times review said, but the standouts for me were the desserts (and I don't typically have much of a sweet tooth). They're the handiwork of Christina Lee, a Per Se alum who, on Wednesday, looked incredibly coiffed for someone who'd been whipping up pastries for the last several hours.
Jesse Schenker's contemporary American food was as well executed as the Times review said, but the standouts for me were the desserts (and I don't typically have much of a sweet tooth). They're the handiwork of Christina Lee, a Per Se alum who, on Wednesday, looked incredibly coiffed for someone who'd been whipping up pastries for the last several hours.
Fran Lebowitz
