Hey everyone!!! Wow, talk about it's been a long time, huh? However, thanks to the generosity of Garnier-- Felix, my girlfriends and I were able to enjoy an awesome brunch at the Public Kitchen.. and I wanted to share the experience with you.
The Public Kitchen is actually inside to the back of the Public Hotel located in the lower east side (near Chinatown) at 215 Chrystie Street. It serves American food but describes itself as "the best of 'New York' food, 'World Food' and all the cultures that make up the eclectic mix and melting pot that is NYC.' They serve delicious brunch as well as dinner foods. Cost of brunch meals are between high teens to mid twenties. Cost of dinner I believe is slightly more expensive.
At first walk in, I loved the modern, rustic look of the place. Everything is so beautifully wooden and bright. It also has a stunning smoker, wood-burning oven and grill by the bar where you can watch them putting finishing touches on their pizzas!
They had a pretty unique cocktails list, so I got the Kumquat Mojito and my friend got the Raspberry Lychee Bellini (while my other friend got black coffee and hubs got coke). They were all deliciously fragrant and had the perfect ratio of alcohol and sweetness. Serious great start to the meal.
lol, my friend wanting to photobomb ;) -- the left is the kumquat mojito, right is coke.. LOL
We ordered 3 appetizers (and fries), 4 entrees and 2 desserts. It was quite aggressive of us, but we tackled it with determination lol.
First up were the apps. We ordered the smoked salmon over latkes (2), proscuitto wrapped broccoli rabe (2) and fontina cheese and the butternut squash (4) and basil dumplings. They were all in the mid to high teen price range and were all relatively small appetizers (thankfully since we ordered so much).
The Smoked Salmon over latkes was by far my favorite as it had just the perfect blend of salty, crunchy, hearty, yet fresh. It was topped with some sour cream and caviar (?) which made it such a savory treat.
The Butternut Squash and Basil Dumplings totally met my expectation. I was hoping it would have the perfect blend of savory and sweet.. and it totally did. It was crispy and creamy. I kind of wish it came with more than four... or that I ordered it myself because I totally didnt want to share them!
The proscuitto wrapped broccoli rabe and fontina cheese was just okay for me. They were heavy on the proscuitto which made the actual appetizer very salty for me. Hubs and girlfriends still enjoyed it, but it wasnt incredibly unique or special to me.
We shared the rest of the entrees because we have a friend that is obsessed with sharing food.. lol! First up came the black truffle pizza with three cheese and a farm egg. I am pretty sure we all died and went to heaven eating this pizza. The pizza was light but chewy and they did not skimp on the truffle. The fragrance was strong and perfect. Usually I dont like a lot of cheese on my pizza, but it didnt overpower any of the flavors, but complimented them nicely... and of course the best part of it all - the farm egg with the runny yolk which moved the pizza from delicious --> to perfection. The only thing that could make it more perfect was if there were an extra two eggs!!
The other entrees that came out were the rigatoni pasta with basil-pistachio pesto with caramelized brussel sprouts, eggs benedict with smoked salmon and hollandaise, and the cinnamon spiced brioche french toast with caramelized apples and crispy bacon. So first up, the rigatoni was amazing. I actually applaud myself for choosing that one! If you like pesto, you will love this! It had such a lovely blend of creamy pesto with crunchy pistachios and the mustardy taste of brussel sprouts. You dont usually see these items mixed together, but it was seriously eye opening! this chef is quite the flavor master!
The eggs benedict was honestly just standard. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but wasnt the best or worst I've ever eaten. The potatoes were also disappointingly bland.. but they did have a nice crunch!
Lastly that french toast was thick and custardy!!!! It almost had a crispy outer layer of cinammon goodness and the inside was a thick custardy layer of brioche. My girlfriends and I were obsessed with the almost bread pudding like texture of it, whereas my husband wished it was slightly drier! However, it was delicious and came with the cutest little bottle of maple syrup!
So... you thought we were done? So did we, until the waitress brough over the dessert menu! LOL! We ended up getting the tartufo and the carrot cake.
The tartufo had a great blend of tarte and sweet and the tarte cherry sorbet mixed perfectly with the pistachio ice cream and the crispy chocolate shell. I thought I might not enjoy it, but when I blended all the flavors together - it was quite delicious!
The carrot cake which came with a cream cheese frosting and coconut ice cream was also very normal for me. The carrot cake was slightly dry but made better with the frosting and ice cream... but I mean, it didnt stop us from finishing it... LOL.
At the end if it, we left with great memories, full bellies and a new place to eat at! If we're ever in the area, we would definitely eat here again! Overall, I think the 'unique' sounding items on the menu are worth trying. You can tell that each of those menu items' ingredients were carefully chosen to create a party on your palette. I wouldn't reorder 'typical' items that you can order at other restaurants (ie. eggs benedict). Although they weren't bad, there are so many other delicious items on the menu that are worth a shot.
My faves by far were: salmon over latkes, rigatoni with basil-pistachio pesto and of course the black truffle pizza with farm egg. Oh and don't forget to try out some of their cocktails! Mine was delicious!
Public Kitchen
215 Chrystie Street
NY, NY 10002
If you're interested, please see our 'real time' vlog of the restaurant! :)
