KTCHN

508 West 42nd Street

New York, NY 10036

(212) 868-2999

If you can bring yourself, against all better judgement, to take the Subway to Times Square and head west along 42nd Street, you'll eventually come to The Out Hotel. I never even knew this place existed, but apparently it gets good reviews and is on a list of the world's trendiest hotels. If you walk into the lobby, where a guy at a piano is playing something pretty and turn left, you'll come to KTCHN, a restaurant associated with the hotel in the same way that Olives is associated with the Union Square W. 

The inside is clean and modern with neon backlight, white chairs and clear glass tables. Trendy is the operative word here. The waiters are super skinny and the customers have expensive hair. Before Myna and I walked in, I was worried. "Are we going to be eating in a club?" I thought out loud. I'd been there before. I hate clubesque restaurants. It's why I won't eat at Cafeteria. Screaming at my date went out of fashion once I turned 26.

It was, therefore, quite the pleasant surprise that KTCHN was definitely not the untiss-untiss-untiss experience I was dreading. The host was very nice, the waiter was even nicer, and the food was anything but overpriced bar food with a garnish.

Myna and I chose an assortment of Crostinis to start. The Duck Confit with Blueberry Chutney was the weakest of the crostinis. The duck was too bitter and the blueberry was too concentrated. I applaud the effort, but if I were you, I'd skip this. On the other hand, the Avocado and Shrimp Salad was delicious. I hosted a dinner party a few weeks ago and this was everything I wish I could have served as a teaser (I made a mediocre flatbread). In between meh and perfection, the Brie Cheese and Fig Jam as well as the Nicoise Olive Tapenade with Goat Cheese Mousse were very good versions of the wine bar standards you know and love. You won't regret the selection.

Myna ordered an Iceberg Cross Wedge Salad as a starter. I was a little surprised. This is a girl who can swim two miles nonstop and actively looks forward to triathlon training ordering something I associate with dinner at a suburban chain restaurant. And yet, the salad was pretty good. Iceberg lettuce with an artfully plated assortment of cucumber, avocado, tomato, goat cheese, hard boiled egg, and a light buttermilk dressing. I opted for the Winter Salad, a mix of arugula, endive, gruyere cheese, and candied walnuts under a mustard vinaigrette. I know. Healthy. See what happens when you date a triathlete who turns on the guilt every time you suck down a whole bag of Cheetos and chase it with a growler of Smuttynose IPA?

Sticking with the healthy stuff, I ordered the Mahi Mahi for my entree, steamed in parchment paper with zuchini and citrus. I wanted to really like this, but it was far too sour. The fish was cooked as well as it could have been. The chef simply used too much lemon and being able to taste anything but the citrus was neigh on impossible. In the meantime, Myna chose the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a side of barley risotto under a cherry wine reduction. This was delicious. And heavy. The pork itself was not a small piece and the volume of risotto was a bit on the excessive side. Still, if you're hungry, here's a good way to end that problem. You'll be stuffed before you know it.

Time for dessert. I ordered the Blueberry Cheesecake which was tasty. It won't beat out Junior's or Veniero's but it's a good solid piece of cheesecake. Myna ordered the Granny Smith Apple Tart, a sort of inside out apple pie type dessert with each paper thin layer of apple twisted and layered beside the one next to it over creme fraiche and a sweet round sugar cookie type "crust". It came with a small scoop of vanilla gelato and a drizzle of caramel and it was fantastic.

The total cost for four crostinis, two salads, two entrees, two desserts, two glasses of wine, and a coffee, plus tax and tip came to $200.

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