Not having been a huge fan of Wylie Dufresne’s molecular gastronomy  at WD50 ( it was too out there for my taste), I thought I’d give his new place Alder — with his whimsical take on bar food in the East Village — a try. So glad I did.

We started with the deep-fried Chinese sausage ($13) wrapped in compressed Pepperidge Farm hot dog buns dotted with with sinus-clearing Japanese mustard and Thai chili sauce, or his playful version of “Pigs in a Blanket.” Interesting, but my least fav of the evening, as  although I like Pepperidge Farm bread, I didn’t like the flavor of pig’s blanket.

Next we sampled a pastrami on rye in pasta form ($20), “Rye Pasta.” That’s caraway fettuccini noodles made with a small amount of rye flour tossed in a light white wine mustard sauce and served with shaved dehydrated pastrami, lean fresh pastrami and pickled green tomatoes. Unusually delicious.

The octopus was first was grilled, confited and chilled, then thinly sliced and served with a spicy puree of sweet potatoes, bananas and chipotle peppers all topped with housemade crunchy candied banana chips. An amazing amalgam of textures and flavors ($20).

To accompany all the dishes, we opted for the reasonably priced ($42), medium-bodied Syrah Cuilleron Les Vignes d’à côté’ 2012, Rhone, France with peppery dark fruit. A nice match.

Don’t miss the sous vide duck breast cooked to a pink medium center served in chimichurri dashi atop a smoked yucca cake with pedals of charred pickled cippolini ($21).

Dessert was the only disappointment. The peanut butter cake with chocolate gananche was served with a black raspberry gelato ($8) that was creamy but lacking the berry flavor.

Other than dessert, I’d suggest you head to the East Village and give Wylie Dufresne’s Alder a try.
– bonnie

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Alder
East Village
157 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
212) 539-1900
Alder on Urbanspoon