The Chelsea Inn finds itself on 17th between 5th and 6th. It resonates as a Chelsea block with Union Square rising.
It’s astonishing that Pete Wells hasn’t been called out for being bought and sold whether that constitutes flat out bribes or has the need to fall into the trap of new is good. After a few dinners at what was the former “Gotham Bar and Grill’ well known as one of the 5 jewels in Manhattan Nights Culinary Crown, including jewels Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe, Minetta Tavern, and any of a handful of others included, I was astonished to see that Chef Blamey received 3 stars for what to me was a culinary journey into the worst of Central South American cuisine with a menu that doesn’t deserve the space that it inhabits; featuring horrifically overpriced truly flavorless unbalanced combinations in blunt preparations. Yet Portale, with a delicious flavorful menu with smart takes on old pastas and entrees that aren’t overshadowed but lifted up by the vegetables and grains that accompany them. Portale deserves two stars? It’s incredulity borders on humor...
By the way, Mr. Wells NOTHING has changed in the appearance of the Gotham Bar other than a full service, kitchen and bar staff that has fled the restaurant, with regularly cancelled services and oh yes...the revolutionary Ms. Blamey has taken tablecloths off the tables in the bar... a sheer act of genius. With lunches of 12 guests and Sunday evening service being cancelled because of lack of any interest... Portale deserves 2 stars in a new crisp space, albeit 1/3 the size, could fill the restaurant 5 times over? A JOKE
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Gotham was around when Lutece was still in business. La Cote Basque. Sign of the Dove. Lespinasse. Cafe des Artistes. Those are all gone and Gotham remains. Those that are gone were great and Gotham has never, in my view, been any better than just good.
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@ManhattanWilliam I got food poisoning @Sign of The Dove. The old Gotham was great, on the nights when Alfred was there. Lunch was a treat , too.
Many fond memories of Gotham...it was one of the few destination worthy restaurants south of Midtown in the 80s, as shocking as that seems today.
However, I'm tired of seeing no tablecloths and hard surfaces. If I'm dropping $300 for two (very easy even with inexpensive wine), I'd like a little sense of luxury.
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I hope that the fuller story of what precipitated a changing of the guard at Gotham comes out some day.
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"Since November, he has been found at Portale, a few blocks northwest in Chelsea."
And no part of the Manhattan neighborhood called Chelsea is to the east of 7th avenue, but this restaurant is.
There's no neighborhood called east Chelsea.
This restaurant would be in what is still called the Photo District, based on how many camera sales and rental gear shops are still in the area in 2020.
Chelsea really barely extends east beyond 8th avenue.
Just making up new boundaries for NYC neighborhoods trivializes differences.
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@Yaj Absolutely no one refers to that area as the photo district. The boundaries of Chelsea back at its 1750 founding as Thomas Clarke's estate were 8th to 10th ave from 19th to 24th st. By the 1920s the border was pushed east to 7th ave, and by the end of the 60s this very paper was calling it 6th ave.
It's maybe one of the most controversial neighborhood borders in New York, and for you to authoritatively pronounce that the 1920s border is correct is pretty silly. Yes, 18th St and 6th ave feels nothing like 18th and 8th, and yes it's important that neighborhood borders not be shifted on a whim, but in this case I think you're just being too pedantic.
If this paper were to say that Portale was in the Photo District, most New Yorkers would not even recognize that as a neighborhood.
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@Yaj
Sorry, I worked for many years on that block, just west of Sixth, and we considered it Chelsea.
Signed,
Lifelong NYer
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@Yaj that is just plain wrong. Chelsea extends to 6th Ave; east of 6th from 14th st to 34th st is Flatiron.
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As others note, why just two stars?
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Thanks to the NYC Council, the foie gras in tortellini won't be around for long
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@Susan May I be a (not quite lone) voice to the contrary?
Duck fois gras, which is what we're talking about here, not not goose foie gras, from old France, is largely produced by Hudson Valley Fois Gras, in Ferndale, NY, as poor a corner of New York State as there is.
The vote to ban foie gras was done by politically zealous New Yorker city guys, who are offended by the thought of foie gras, a food of the rich, as they see it. What about beef? Are the millions of cattle slaughtered ever year to feed New York City's beef eaters, treated better than the ducks in the Catskills. I would say, absolutely not.
Which begs the question, is beef next? What about chickens? If you buy a chicken for less than $15, you know it led a short and quite miserable life. And the eggs, those in pink poly cartons for less than $3 a dozen. What lives do the mothers lead?
Before we decide on the food preferences of the rich, let's instead look into our own fridges, and see the sins we commit, before we ban anything.
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I look forward to going there soon with my wife. Mr. Portale impressed us when we were dating 25 years ago at Gotham, and I'm certain he'll do so again. He finished at the top of his class at CIA, and it shows in his wonderful cooking. Can't wait!
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Is it just me or does this read like a 3-star review?!
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"By 6:30 p.m., very few of those chairs are empty."
The ultimate "review." Alfred Portale knows how to cook for New Yorkers who appreciate great food.
Not stars.
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In Italy we are usually a bit less impressed, even disappointed, by most Secondi. The Anitpasti and Pastas are very often the best part of the meal. Seems like this resto is the same, which is OK.
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I agree 100% with this review - a really welcome return for Alfred Portale. But one thing: this is NOT a “very expensive” restaurant! The prices are significantly lower than when he was cooking at Gotham, and both the lunch and brunch services offer all dishes as a $28 two course menu. I stress that because it’s one of the best things about Portale.2. Oh, that and the surprisingly delicious bruschetta with bacalau and pink shrimp.
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"tortellini in brodo stuffed with wads of foie gras...."
I'm sure I would swoon over this, but fois gras? Seriously?
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@Linda Exactly! Sounds lovely, but are we talking here about the fattened livers of DUCKS or GEESE???
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Yes!! Yum!!
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@chas
Sadly foie gras is virtually all duck. Usta be you could find geese foie gras, but near impossible now.
With the approaching ban in NYS there might be a good business opportunity just across the Hudson supplying it to NYCers for illicit home consumption. Maybe row boats crossing the river in the dead of night?
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This is the first review in quite some time that made my mouth water as I was reading it. Everything sounds delicious. My only question would be why didn't Pete give Portale 3 stars?
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Great news for the lovers of Italian or Italianized food.
Mr. Portale is identified in Slide 6 as one of the inventors of New American cuisine. This term means, according to Wikipedia, "fusion cuisine" of different nations. Perhaps this amalgamation is good, but it also underscores that there is little of "national" in the US cuisine. Even hamburgers, pizza, and peanut butter are not native North American foods.
@Tuvw Xyz And we all come together as one even though most of us came from different places way back when. When was the last time you dined on native North American food?
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@Tuvw Xyz It’s worth noting that Mr Portelli is Italian-American. And I’m curious as to how peanut butter is not a North American food. I may be mistaken, but I believe the peanut is food of the new world, and as a child was taught the George Washington Carver developed peanut butter as a way of using it. Or perhaps peanuts originally come from Africa, brought over by slaves?
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@Jaze The peanut is originally an Incan food, they made peanut butter actually. Cultivated for a few thousand years in South America and as far north as Mexico so it can be called North American. French "cacahuete" from the Nahua cacahuatl, as American as so many of our loved foods adopted by Europeans and integrated by colonists with the conquest like tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, corn, chocolate, chiles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut
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