Restaurant Review: Degustation, New York City

Anyone who is familiar with New York City knows that the East Village is better known for tattoo parlors and head shops than for fine dining. Being something of an uptown girl myself, I rarely go below 42^nd Street to eat, but when my brother (who is not only a chef but also a decidedly downtown type of guy) came to NYC for a visit, I decided to break out of my uptown rut. I had heard some great things about a tiny restaurant in the East Village called Degustation, so I made a reservation and crossed my fingers.

Tucked away on a tree-lined stretch of 5^th St., Degustation is almost invisible. There is a door with a tiny "Degustation" sign - that's it. No windows, awning or any other signals that the door leads to a restaurant. However, once you're inside, it's evident that you're in for a very special experience. The entire restaurant, including the kitchen, is contained in one room - maybe 12'x20' in size. There are no tables, just a bar with 18 seats built around 3 sides of the rectangular kitchen, which occupies the center of the room. The four chefs work right in front of you, preparing the exquisite small plates which comprise Degustation's menu. The décor is sleek and minimalist, but overall Degustation has a sort of dressy-casual vibe, fitting into the East Village perfectly.

My brother and I were ushered to our seats and given menus by Degustation's waitress, an exceptionally friendly and efficient woman who single-handedly serves each and every customer. She explained that in addition to the items on the menu and the day's specials, they offered a 5-course tasting made up of dishes from the regular menu, or a 10-course chef's tasting that was comprised mostly of special dishes. We were tempted to do the 10-course tasting, but Degustation requires that the entire party participate if you choose a tasting, and we wanted to try different things, so we ordered 5 courses each from the regular menu and specials. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the prices were low - each course was between $4 and $16 - so it was easy for us to put our own 5-course meal together for between $50-60 each.

From the first dish to the last, everything we ate at Degustation was spectacular. Standouts included rich croquetas filled with béchamel sauce, goat cheese and bacon, grilled quail with porcini mushrooms and pine nut butter, grilled foie gras with sherry-date consommé and grilled squab with beet puree. Not only was every dish delicious, but the presentations were all beautiful, like miniature works of art. The Degustation chefs were more than happy to discuss the dishes with us while we ate, and actually sent us each a couple of extra courses because they could tell how much we were enjoying the experience. Between us, we tried 13 different courses, and I can honestly say that not one of them was a disappointment. The bill for this amazing dining experience was only $116 before tip and tax for BOTH of us - an unbelievably low price for food of this quality. 5+-course tastings at other fine dining establishments in NYC are usually $100+ for ONE person, and quite honestly the food at Degustation blows many of them away.

After we were done, Degustation's head chef, Wesley Genovart, came over and chatted with us for a few minutes. We talked shop for a bit and he actually gave us the recipes for a couple of our favorite dishes. He seemed genuinely interested in our opinions and truly thrilled to know how much we enjoyed our meal. He is a real innovator with food and an up-and-coming chef to watch, in my opinion. The menu at Degustation changes seasonally, so it's a different experience each time you go. I know of no other restaurant that offers the unique combination of incredible food, incredible value and the chance to watch master chefs at work. Go to Degustation!

Address: 239 E. 5^th St., between Bowery and 2^nd Ave.

Phone: 212-979-1012

Hours: M-Th 5:30-10:30pm, F-Sat 6-11pm, closed Sunday

Price Range: small plates $6-16, 5-course tasting $50, 10-course tasting $75