Post-Dinner at Le Turtle

Le Turtle measured up to the hype.

It also measured up to the atmospheric oddities I had previewed (on the website) and heard about. Servers were, in fact, in grey jumpsuits. Fortunately they were all young and fit and pulled them off well.

The host at the front was curt but polite, in a weird way. He called me “mademoiselle” but barely made eye contact. He kind of joked with me.

The music was loud rap and hip hop. The banquette was very low, I sat easily six inches below the chair-sitting folk across from me.

The service was knowledgeable about the food but not that attentive or prompt. When I asked about a couple of wines, the server did not know how to answer. He said they were new (totally fine) and that he would discuss with someone and they would pick us one. The woman who served it seemed to not have gotten the memo that she should tell us which wine they had selected for us or maybe described it (since I asked). Regardless, it was perfumed but dry and mineraly.

What we ate (all shared):

• Selection of three meat and cheese: Le Turtle (chicken liver mousse), Broadbent (country ham), Ends Meat (saucisson sec, cacciatorini, lonza)
• Romaine: Garlic confit emulsion, anchovy breadcrumbs with fiore sardo
• Maine Lobster: Pickled Aji Dulce & Asian Pear with Almond Curd
• Lamb Belly: (I was unable to take the menu with me and the website online is not up to date and does not have this menu item) but it was fatty and a lamby in all the right amounts
• Whole Sasso Chicken for two: (again, the menu has changed for the ingredients with the chicken but this one I remember) served with schmaltz bread salad (bitter greens)

The food was really incredible. The chicken was one of the best I have ever eaten. The skin was insanely golden and crispy. The chicken was presented whole over seared crackling hay. This is a technique I’ve seen before, up at a place called Fish & Game in Hudson actually, and it was very good there as well. They bring it back in to the kitchen to carve it and then serve the meaty pieces, neck and feet too!

I enjoyed crunching on the feet, the juicy thighs, and the chicken fatty and herbaceous bitter greens served alongside.

Our server opened up towards the end too, or maybe we did, after a second bottle of that flowery wine.

This is untraditional fine dining, and they pull it off.