Brought to you by famed restauranteur Jacques Ouari, who is the name behind hot spots Jacques Brasserie and Jacques 1534, comes a new French gastropub and cocktail lounge called The Pitch & Fork. This new spot on the Upper East Side immediately welcomes you in with its old-school appeal. The vintage, yet modern decoration makes you want to order up a tall glass of whiskey, which is quite alright considering their cocktails are out of this world. While the menu features delicious options, the mixologist on hand is ready to whip up anything to please your palate. I enjoyed a cocktail entitled Bourbon Street, which I ended up downing all night long.
And although you might be perfectly satisfied sitting at the bar and drinking all night, you would be missing out if you didn’t try some of their impeccable food, courtesy of chef Stephen Putnam. Before we even headed out to the restaurant we were already sold…any place that has an appetizer called Bacon Wrapped Bacon has to be a winner, right? Sadly, they were all out of it when we went, but their other outstanding appetizers more than made up for it. Their Gruyere Croquettes ($12) melted in your mouth and were excellent with smoked paprika creme fraiche. The Devils on Horseback ($9) are a perfect blend of sweet and savory, comprised of blue cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. The Grilled St. Louis Ribs ($14) were phenomenal, with super tender meat that fell right off the bone and a tangy Jagermeister bbq sauce.
Their entrees are equally enticing, making selecting only a few a difficult feat. The Wild Boar Pappardelle Pasta ($22) is like your typical pasta bolognese kicked up a notch. With thyme and truffle oil added to the mix, it makes for a pleasant dish. The Braised Lamb Shank ($26) is no joke, topped with some of the best barbecue onion rings and served on a bed of smoked gouda mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe. The meat was so juicy and tender it was hard to believe you’ve ever eaten dry meat before. A surprise standout was The P & F Burger ($19), made with gruyere, caramelized onion, bacon, P&F sauce, and fried egg on a sesame brioche bun. This was one helluva burger! Yes, it’s possible it’s too big to actually fit in your mouth, but trying to is so much fun.
After all of this meaty goodness, we were too full to try dessert. But if you are a meat lover (who isn’t?), then this is one spot you will definitely want to check out again and again.
The Pitch & Fork is located at 1606 1st Avenue.
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