Shoutout: Ryan Skeen's Allen & Delancey, LES, NYC

The youngest Effing BroBro just celebrated the anniversary of his hatching!  Since Baby Bro is a fan of Resto and Irving Mill, the newly rebooted Allen & Delancey with Sir Ryan Skeen at the helm seemed mui appropro for the occasion.

(Being that it was a family outing and that the lighting can only be described as shadow-puppet sexy, I didn't bust my camera out.) 

But if any of you out there were wondering about Skeen's new environs and vittles, rest assured that his latest move is a fortuitous one.  The broodingly-gritty-pretty downtown digs flatter Skeen's familiar and delicious fall menu, and the accomplished cocktail-craft going on at the bar is a cherry on the proverbial organ meat sundae.

We had:

Grilled Lamb Belly with Bibb Lettuce, Curried Almonds, Goat Cheese & Grapefruit: Served miniaturized saam-style, the gaminess of the tender meat and creamy cheese nicely spiked by grapefruit supremes. SOOO tasty.  (Hope they serve these at the bar!)

Shellfish Tagliollini with Cockles, Mussels, Shrimp, Sea Urchin & Bacon (pictured here, scrolling): The pasta ribbons were satisfyingly chewy-but-elastic, bathed in a salty pork/briny-sweet seafood broth that we lapped up like Gentile kittens.

Poached Halibut with Italian Olives, Artichoke Barigoule & Roasted Tomato: Buttery, savory, balanced not only in flavor but texture.  Pescetarians need not fear being shortchanged here.

Roasted Strip Loin with Heirloom Tomato Panzanella & Bone Marrow (pictured here, scrolling): Rock beats scissors, and steak beats fish.  The marrow was merely a helpful boost for a beautiful, charred piece of cow, and the crispy bits of tomato-bread salad were a welcome interjection.  (Volume-geared beefheads be warned--the steak is of the sliced-for-you, portioned variety.)

Chocolate Sponge Cake Creme Brulee: Not my favorite, but brilly idea--a ramkin half-filled with moistened chocolate sponge cake, and topped with creme brulee.  A cake-smuggling dessert device.

Panna Cotta Cake with Strawberries and Blueberries (pictured here): I liked this hybrid a better--'twas a milk cake with a layer of panna cotta on top and fresh berries artfully arranged over all.  So pretty, fresh, tinglingly tart and dairy-touched.  Effing BroBro and I only wished that the dessert chef would consider placing the cake in a milk puddle (a la tres leches cake) so the panna cotta and cake would merge a little more smoothly.

In summation, a really pleasing meal that I'd be happy to repeat.  Go on down, show the Skeen some love.

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Allen & Delancey
115 Allen St
(NW corner of Allen/Delancey)
Lower East Side
NYC, NY 10002   
Ph: 212.253.5400
F: 212.253.5907   
Make a rezzy via OpenTable
info@allenanddelancey.net

Dinner:
Monday – Saturday: 6 pm – 11 pm
Sunday: 6 pm – 10 pm

Bar:
Mon/Wed/Thurs: 5:45 pm – 11 pm
Tues/Fri/Sat: 5:45 pm – 2 am
Sunday: 5:45 pm – 10 pm

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