21:30 Hours - Never too many cooks in Hell's kitchen

An easy walk from the Paramount Hotel is Hell’s Kitchen’s 44 and X , located on the corner of, you guessed it, 44^th and 10^th street.  This restaurant, another great suggestion by Laura, was a perfect choice for a late dinner close to the hotel while avoiding the chains located near Broadway and Times Square.

The menu at 44 and X is described as “New American,” with many comfort food items up for grabs.   Even though buttermilk fried chicken and waffles along with mac and cheese make an appearance on the menu, I wouldn’t call it a traditional comfort food place.  The theme at 44 and X is heaven and hell…like a little bit of heaven in hell’s kitchen….get it?  The interior of the restaurant has a modern, clean feel and is decked out in white - floor to ceiling.   There was also a beautiful (and spacious) outdoor patio section.   So, pretty much heaven in NYC!  And the food and wait staff would suggest the same!

I was tempted to try the fried chicken and waffles, but there wasn’t a meat eating buddy to be found.  For some reason it only seems right to eat comfort food in groups.  Power in numbers I suppose.  But honestly, the fried chicken and waffles are better saved for Hen House Wing ‘n Waffles.   There were so many dishes on this menu that a little fried chicken and waffle match-up couldn’t hold a candle. 

We started with a couple of salads and appetizers.  I had a fried oyster salad that was absolutely divine.  Yes, when you have something like this, the one and only word to describe it is divine.  The perfectly fried oysters were served on a bed of frisee salad mixed with pancetta and smothered with a sweet and rich buttermilk ranch dressing.  The bitter greens were an amazing pair with the rich pancetta and ranch.  My mouth is watering just talking about it. 

Laura and Nicole went with the Mediterranean Chopped Salad:  Boston lettuce, hearts of palm, avocado, feta cheese, chick peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, roasted red AND yellow peppers, and shredded mint.  Wow.   The 44 and X webpage also shares recipes, including the recipe for the chopped salad, so give it a try!

Jen went with the goat cheese and pistachio soufflé starter with Asian pears and pomegranate jus.    

What a decision when it came to dinner.  As always, I could have had almost anything on the menu.  I opted for something a little lighter after the fried oyster bonanza:  the spring split pea bisque.  The bisque was topped with crispy salsify, Japanese rice crackers, and a carrot crème fraîche.

What is salsify you say? I don’t blame you.  I asked the waiter myself.  It’s a vegetable.  Well, for those interested, it’s technically a vegetable in a genus of flowering plants called Salsify, Tragopogon   or Goatsbeard.  For those REALLY interested, well, this is where my Wikipedia reserach ends - appologies.  Overall, sounds pretty appetizing, huh?  Well, I'm not so sure about that.   Unfortunately, I didn’t find the salsify and Japanese rice crackers as tasty as they are interesting.

Nicole and Laura both ordered the mac and cheese with Vermont cheddar.  Always a good choice.  The portion was absolutely huge which gratefully lent to sharing.

Jen went for the spinach and wild mushroom raviolo with gruyère cheese and coconut poblano emulsion.  This dish is also offered with a Maryland crabmeat option.  The raviolo is like an unsealed ravioli.  It was more like two stacked pieces of flat pasta with filling in between.  The coconut poblano emulsion gave the dish a bright yellow color.    

As usual, too stuffed for desert, we called for the check.  To our surprise, we were rewarded with a complementary piece of chocolate cake.  Despite our previous resistance to desert, this one was gone in 2 minutes flat.  The desert was so unexpected, so delicious, and gone so quickly that we didn’t even think of snapping a photo for the blog.   

If you do anything after reading this post, please just do me one favor.   Check out the 44 and X menu online.  You’ll certainly be day dreaming in culinary heaven.  And then if you get a chance, get down to Hell’s Kitchen and try out this little bit of heaven for yourself.