Rouge Tomato on 60th Street close to Fifth Avenue features seasonally inspired, locally sourced cuisine. octopus

To tickle our palate, the chef sent out a sip of fresh broccoli soup with pumpernickel croutons and a plate of mini sweet beets brushed with orange oil with a plate with a seasoned green olive oil for our fresh breads.

The charred octopusfalafel salad — with fennel, celery root and  chorizo — is flavored with a touch of saffron ($19). The squares of housemade spiced & seared (not fried) falafel are served on a wooden board served with some cucumber raita, apricot-cranberry chutney and a poached seckel pear ($17). Both are for the table, in portions supposed to be share.

The salad of Brussels sprouts leaves and roasted pear slices is garnished with La Quercia prosciutto and hazelnuts, and seasoned with lemon, fresh thyme and aged balsamic vinegar ($16).brusselssprouts

We tried a half order pasta – which was more than enough – of their Spaghetti alla Chitarra with chunks of Maine lobster plus preserved Jersey tomato and made-rich with Santa Barbara sea urchin ($21).

bassThe wild striped bass sat atop parsnip puree with fresh spinach and French green lentils, garnished with pomegranate arils and dressed with a pumpkin seed vinaigrette ($29)

The upstate farms lettuces and fresh herbs is dressed with fresh lemon and EVOO ($10), and provided a perfect foil for the other rich dishes.

We ordered the Ile Flottante (floating island) with concord and champagne grapes and candied lemon ($12) and bittersweet panna cotta ($5). The chef sent out the PB&J ($5) a peanut butter cake with concord marmalade and iced Fingerlakes Farm milk. All three were tasty, but I wouldn’t order any of them again! I suggest stopping before dessert – as everything that preceded it was spectacular.

– bonnie

Rouge Tomate
10 E 60th St
New York, NY 10022
(646) 237-8977
rougetomatenyc.com
Rouge Tomate on Urbanspoon