"Dinner at Sala de Despiece is a full-on event—servers carry around personal blowtorches and caramelize pretty much everything, from appetizers to desserts. The restaurant’s colorful tiled ceiling has massive dangling silver hooks, which may seem strange at first, but once you realize the space was a former butcher shop, it all starts to make sense. There’s eel with foie gras and apple that’s doused with their secret sauce, which the staff will lightly scorch directly in front of you, and the Rolex: a strip of egg yolk, pancetta, foie gras, truffle, and sauternes that’s infinitely more satisfying than a wristwatch. Sure, the plates may seem a bit odd, but the flavor combinations are so unique and the ingredients so fresh that you might be back twice in one trip." - lori zaino
