Birthday Vegetables: Dovetail

My birthday is my favorite day in the year. It's the one day where I get to speak to everyone I care about and yes, it makes me feel very special. I even mentally check off all the people that I expect to call me that day and invariably, I am never disappointed. I've known people who don't like to advertise the fact that it is their birthday; I, on the other hand, am telling everyone who cares to listen! There's not much to complain about, especially when friends go out of their way to make it even more special for you. This especially came through when I asked my friend KF to surprise me with a restaurant at her offer to take me out for a birthday dinner, resulting in her inspired choice of Dovetail.

Inspired, and very thoughtful, because we were going to dinner on the night before my birthday, which is the one night in the week (Mondays) that Dovetail serves its vegetarian menu. Each of the three courses has three different vegetarian choices, providing more variety and inventiveness than I am usually used to. In a nod to its regular clientele, however, Dovetail also includes a "vegetable-focused" menu on the other side of the sheet that includes meat and fish, but stays true to its name. Diners are allowed to go back and forth, allowing for some very interesting choices. Eat your vegetables indeed.

After much debate, I finally settled on the turnip ceviche for my appetizer, the salsify for my second course and the fennel ravioli for my main. The beet salad really gave the turnip a run for its money, but given its preponderance on menus these days, I decided on venturing out on the road less traveled. And am I glad I did, because the turnip was a revelation. Served as it was on a bed of quinoa, with some lime and pearl onions, the turnip was one of the most interesting dishes I have tried recently. Sliced thin, with the lime really accentuating the flavors all around, it was an excellent start to the meal.

The best was yet to come though. Without a doubt, the salsify dish was one of the highlights of my evening. I'll be honest - I wasn't even sure what it was when I ordered it and when it did arrive, it looked just like plain, white asparagus to me. However, my first bite removed any doubt I might have had about my choice. The generous helping of truffles combined with the excellent red wine sauce and spinach to really make the salsify stand out. The genius in the dish shone through beautifully and it is not one I will forget in a hurry. Unfortunately for the fennel ravioli, it had a hard act to follow. While there was not much wrong with that dish either, it was never going to be able to match up to the standard of the salsify.

KF and I took our time through dinner, and its hard not to in a space as pleasant as Dovetail's room. Nestled on the ground floor of a brownstone off Central Park, the restaurant has a charming but sophisticated feel to it. The exposed brick walls provide a perfect backdrop to some relatively elegant table settings in an open and well-lit space. The room was completely packed on a Monday night but it never felt crowded. Service was absolutely spot on too, with our waitress never missing a beat, and made for a fantastic evening.

It will be hard to forget my night at Dovetail. I have had some very good and memorable birthday dinners in the past and this one made sure to kick off the rest of the celebrations in style. Rounded off as it was with a few glasses of some excellent Pedro Jimenez each, it was the perfect start to a big milestone date. If all birthdays could start like this.

Dovetail is on 103 W 77th Street, in New York's Upper West Side. Expensive. Very Veggie Friendly (on Mondays). Highly Recommended.
www.dovetailnyc.com













Photo Credit: Dovetail, New York Magazine, Serious Eats