“NYC is probably the most amazing place on earth in terms of dining. The beauty of the city is that it is incredibly diverse and never boring, which makes it easy to discover new places and experience new cuisine every day.”
As a world traveler, I leave the city for particular foods or places. In Paris I indulge in Sole Meunière avec haricot vert, in LA it’s Caesar salad at Boa, in London it’s Lebanese humus and chicken kebab at Maroush (with fresh mango juice.) In Moscow I go to Pushkin for its Russian cuisine, always with caviar and Olivier, a traditional potato salad.
This time, it was NYC, and my most recent dining destination, Betony. Ironically, it occupies the space of the former Pushkin restaurant that failed, contrary to the location in Moscow that is a smash hit. Betony was lucky to inherit the space from Pushkin, because the restaurant is beautiful. They kept the last century Russian decor- lots of plaster and stucco, and the place has a lot of character.
Betony also has a great location. Situated on 57th, it’s footsteps from 5th avenue, so it’s very conve- nient to take a lunch break there while doing some power shopping. Bergdorf’s is just around the corner, and The Peninsula, and St. Regis are right there.
Betony serves contemporary American cuisine, whatever that’s supposed to mean! I’ve lived in the United States for 15 years, and I still haven’t figured that one out. I guess chicken is a big part of American cuisine, and at Behony, it literally melts in your mouth. It is so tender, it dissolves on your tongue, like baby Aspirin, but with a better taste.
My favorite dish was a tuna roll, that I actually had to repeat. They also have foie gras cooked 2 ways: Hot or Paté. Not sure if that has anything to do with American food, considering California’s ban on the export, production, and consumption of foie gras in their state, but hey, it’s quite good.
The restaurant is a good gourmet destination with a Michelin star, that plans to serve truffles as soon as they’re in season. If you are planning to have dinner at Betony, plan in advance, because you’ll probably spend a good 3 hours here. Service is kind of slow, but I think it’s for a good reason, nothing here is cooked in advance, your meal is made to order. If time isn’t on your side, Lunch here is a quick and easy alternative.