Chef owner John DeLucie’s newest restaurant, Bedford & Co. in the Renwick hotel, features grass-fed meats, sustainable seafood and other American-style cuisine, prepared mostly on the natural wood-burning grill in the open kitchen. I was 
invited to sample their food.
While listening to the recited specials by our waiter, we sipped on one of their signature cocktails. The Zelda is a refreshing spicy blend of Herradura silver, Cointreau, fresh lime juice and citrus juice sweetened with agave and spiced with a touch of jalepeño ($15) — sort of a good tasting, not too sweet but spicy margie.
The smell from the wood-burning grill enticed us to order a few seafood starters with those cocktails. I’d recommend the smoky octop
us ($17) tentacles that came sitting in a puddle of squid ink vinaigrette along with chunks of grilled crushed cucumber. Delightful. Don’t miss the warmed, smoky wood-fired oysters. That evening’s were Wiley Point ones from Maine ($21 for 6); the petite, shallow cup, high-salinity mollusks were topped with a seafood-butter, seasoned with paprika and topped with a smidgen of breading. Also good 
are the earthy wood-fired, head-on shrimp served atop a crunchy blend of black barley, puffed farro and marcona almonds, all in a shellfish jus ($21 for 3).
As their guest, we were able to requested small portions of many dishes. The best of the evening was that night’s special of garlicky bucatini — the thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center — with Manila clams and fresh
ramps, finished with a blend of lemon zest, garlic and parsley ($21).
For entrees, we sampled the bone-in short rib with roasted baby turnips ($69 for two) and the spiced-crust, meaty lamb ribs over a spiced tomato puree with a side of shaved fennel ($25). Don’t miss the wood-fired sides, each unique and bursting with smoky flavor. Specifically, try the charred beets ($11) over Greek yogurt sprinkled with sesame seeds and dill; the mashed winter squash with oozing burrata ($17), or the fire roasted 
potatoes with blue cheese and herbs ($12). I could have made a meal from these three! If you like anchovies, try the white asparagus topped with them ($17).
For dessert, we sampled the refreshing rhubarb sorbet ($6), the housemade mini-oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies ($9) and the chocolatey brownie with vanilla ice cream ($10). All were fine, but nothing extra special.
– bonnie
Bedford & Co.
at The Renwick
118 East 40th Street
New York, NY 10016
(212) 634-4040
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