WD 50 NYC

          I learned recently that WD~50, an iconic restaurant in the Lower East Side of Manhattan known for its innovative dishes and use of molecular gastronomy, was closing at the end of November. It's been on my list to try for years, and not wanting to miss out on the Michelin star I convinced the bf to go to NY for a long weekend instead of the trip to CA we'd been planning.

           We planned it so I'd leave work a little early Friday and get to Manhattan just in time for dinner. What I wasn't expecting was a proposal as soon as we got to our hotel!!! He did it early so we'd be able to celebrate all weekend! Here are a few of the ring pics:

          Back to WD~50.... there were two tasting menus, a twelve course menu for $155 and "From the Vault" a menu with five classic dishes for $90. I liked the idea of trying classic dishes (and didn't need the extra dessert that came with the larger menu) so we ordered from the Vault.

          First were two bonus amuse dishes: duck prosciutto with crumbled hazelnuts, and a bite of churro with grilled chorizo. Both were delicious, creative bites and set the stage perfectly for the rest of the meal.

          Next was the hangar tartare with Asian pear, onion, and bernaise ice cream. The bernaise had great texture, and I loved the twist on the traditional egg yolk. After the first few bites experimenting with different combinations, I mixed all of the steak and bernaise together and made sure to get onions and scallions in every bite!

 

          The soup course was next, I had Sunchoke soup with trout roe and the fiancé had pea and avocado soup topped with peekytoe crab. They were both amazing and felt light and summery.

 

 

 

          The third course was a seared scallop dish with radish, and root vegetable noodles. As perfectly cooked and tasty the scallops were, the noodles were my favorite part of the dish. I read later that Wylie Dufresne has an obsession with noodles and after trying this dish I totally get it!

          The final savory course was the one I had been most excited to try, and was even more excited when it came out. The Lamb belly with black chickpea hummus was actually more like lamb bacon! I'm kind of obsessed with bacon, and I loved this creative interpretation. This was naturally my favorite dish.

 

          For dessert I had coconut tapioca with grapefruit and the fiancé had a hazelnut tart with coconut, chocolate, and chicory. Tapioca doesn't photograph well, so trust me when I say this was delicious! There were huge beads of tapioca, which made for a nice contrast in texture with the smooth creamy coconut.

          The last bite was a bonus treat made with a chewy chocolate pouch and filled with peanut butter. This tasted just like a butter finger only better.

 

          After dinner we headed back to our hotel and there was a surprise waiting for us from some of our good friends! There were a lot more strawberries but we started eating them before we thought to take a picture. A perfect day followed by a perfect meal, and lots of celebrating all around!