"It’s difficult to find any fault with The Catbird Seat, a tasting menu spot in Midtown that seems to have a monopoly on anniversary celebrations. Reservations are perfectly timed so there’s never any wait, you get to watch courses come to life like some well-choreographed dance, and you’ll get to try fancy and delicious things like kombu oil smoked oysters with “flavors of the forest.” All while Gwen Stefani reminds you that she ain’t no hollaback girl over the speakers. Even the water tastes amazing. A 16-course meal with intricate platings might feel extremely formal, but Catbird is all about fun. Ingredients here aren’t just part of a dish—they’re opportunities to explore and experiment. Just take something called “fresh and aged vegetables,” for example. It arrives like a build-your-own artwork, with little drops of sauces like collard green soubise and fermented tomato scattered around, ready for you to use your fork as a brush. The result is that no two bites are the same, but they’re all equally mind-blowing. The chefs are the servers, and they’re eager to tell you what they’ve cooked with the same enthusiasm as a young child presenting their parent with something they made in art class. Only if that something was a walnut cookie stuffed with chicken liver mousse. You’ll sit around the kitchen, mostly surrounded by couples. Like we said before, people who are celebrating something flock here like bees to honey. But you’ll catch a group of four equally curious friends discussing their puffed beef tendons in egg yolk jam together at length. And there’s always at least one solo diner dotted in, celebrating a professional milestone like publishing a book or finally landing a reservation at The Catbird Seat. We’ve dined here in each group size, and have found that the more, the merrier. Especially since you’ll want to rave about things like melon seed miso under last-of-the-season tomatoes to as many people as possible. Food Rundown photo credit: Andrew Thomas Lee Tasting Menu A meal at The Catbird Seat is prepaid when you make your reservation, and will span between 13 and 16 courses. You’ll eat things like a perfectly tender bite of candy-roaster squash wrapped in a root beer plant leaf and served with a dreamy dollop of foie gras butter. Or maybe you’ll get slices of aged ribeye cooked in a little pot of its own fat. And for dessert, they usually serve a trio of courses highlighting one ingredient. Most recently, they spotlighted apple with a sourdough and shishito fritter over apple cheesecake filling topped with little cubes of pickled apple, and a finishing bite of gelatin and crust that looks like a mini transparent slice of apple pie and tasted just as homey. Drink Pairing It’s worth getting an alcoholic or N/A drink pairing for your meal—both are equally exciting. You’ll sample pours from bottles and vineyards you’ve likely never heard of, or “red whyne” made from hibiscus, pinot noir verjus, and beet." - Ann Walczak
