Restaurants Revisited: Gilt Bar and English

I recently reviewed my dining experiences at English and Gilt Bar, but luckily for me I have some updating to do! It's not everyday that you find a place worth visiting, revisiting, and re-revisiting over again. These fine establishments, however, provide plenty of reasons. Thanks to them, I have boatloads of good stuff to share.

English Bar and Restaurant:

I mentioned before that English has a new chef, Top Chef contestant Radhika Desai, but I hadn't yet tried the majority of her menu additions. Well, my friend, things have changed for the better. I have since had the lobster & white truffle mac 'n' cheese and the duck confit dumplings. Not to pick favorites, but the mac 'n' cheese was extraordinary. Everyone and their mother has truffled mac and cheese on their menu nowadays, and I'm sure I would happily devour all of them if placed in front of me, but English's really is special. It takes you beyond the typical level of pleasure you experience when a creamy, cheesy noodle is placed on your tongue beside a morsel of arguably the finest crustacean on the planet. In all seriousness, it is a field day in your mouth. The duck confit dumplings are delightful as well. The succulent filling is perfectly complimented by the sweet strawberry dipping sauce. Both dishes are rockstar additions to the menu and I cannot wait to get my buds on them again.

Gilt Bar:

My experience at Gilt Bar turned my night into one of the most enjoyable evenings I've had in a long time. I was just stopping by to have a drink with my friend Chelsea while waiting for other friends to make it to my house, but we had a little too much fun. One drink turned into two, and two drinks turned into a feast. Needless to say my friends were waiting in my apartment lobby for a while. To start, I ordered the Death's Door Daisy, of course---it's my drink of choice. Zach, my friend behind the bar recommended a new cornbread dish and ordered one up for us. And mmm mmm mmm was it good! I have a soft spot in my heart for cornbread and Gilt's rendition puts a gourmet and utterly delicious spin on it. Next up was the blackened cauliflower---roasted and tossed with red onions, chiles and capers. It requires some mad skills to prepare a vegetable dish that I'll adore. Kudos to you Gilt, you succeeded. I didn't think I would ever rave about a side of veggies, but there's a first for everything... Way to turn me into a fan of cauliflower--my mom will be thrilled! On to Death's Door Daisy number two and the Gunthorp Farm chicken, which is prepared with oregano, espelette pepper and roasted garlic. It had sublime flavor, and I mean sublime. I am not too familiar with espelette pepper, but I think it has magical powers. Combined with roasted garlic... holy schnikes. It literally was the perfect chicken. And just so you know, I am not the type of person (or foodie) that orders the roasted chicken... I rarely do, actually, and I don't know that I could call myself a foodie if I did. Evidently, Gilt is my only exception.

Oh, and be sure to say hello to Zach if you're looking for the perfect visit. If he's behind the bar, each visit will be better than the last!

Moral of the Story? With food this scrumptious, Gilt bar and English are the kings of the "re-revisit."