David Burke’s latest restaurant, Park Avenue Kitchen, offers lots of menu whimsy, as do his other locations. It’s his signature.

For instance, when we stopped by recently for dinner, his crabcake ($25) was enclosed with pretzel sticks and served with chipotle aioli, his signature maple-glazed clothesline bacon gets snipped and served tableside, and the bread service offers two giant gruyere popovers and jalapeno cornbread sticks with spiced butter.

I washed those down with the unusual smoky Oaxacan Old Fashion made with mezcal, tequila and chocolate bitters ($18).

The two menu standouts included the tuna and salmon tartare with avocado, a shaved vegetable salad in a yuzu vinaigrette ($23), and the black sea bass layered with coconut rice, chickpeas and zucchini chips ($37).

We ended with David Burke’s signature touch of whimsy, a cheesecake pop tree with bubble gum flavored whipped cream topped with cotton candy.

Park Avenue Kitchen
(In the 277 Park Avenue building on Lexington )
514 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10017
(646) 847-4166
parkavekitchenbydb.com/