Tree

Tonight my roommates and I decided to go to a restaurant that I've been aching to try - mostly because of it's awesome name: Tree. The place is located on 1st Ave between 11th and 12th streets, and although the interior is pretty small, they have a nice garden seating area (which we peeked at, but decided that air conditions was more appealing than nice scenery).

I started off with the French onion soup, which had gruyere cheese and toasted whole-wheat crutons. The beef broth had a nice flavor, but there were a tad too many onions, and some random stiff leaves (I'm sure it was some sort of herb, but I couldn't figure out WHAT exactly... and then when I accidentally chewed into some, I decided to call it quits). It was one of those dishes where the first half a dozen bites were REALLY good, but then it became a struggle to finish.

Daniella decided to try their soup de jour, which tonight was cream of asparagus with creme fraiche. Her assessment: "It was alright..." I didn't personally try it, so I have nothing useful to add besides the fact that I LOVE creme fraiche!!!

For entrees, both Anna and I ordered the duck, which consisted of a crispy leg confit, sweet onions and rosemary, cherry tomatoes, and garlic gnocchi. I personally thought the duck confit was a bit overcooked and on the dry side, while Anna enjoyed the texture but thought it was too salty.

Jenny ordered the salmon tartare (normally under the category of appetizers) which was accompanied by a small amount of mixed green salad and two slices of dijon baguette.

Daniella opted for the grilled salmon, which came on a bed of sauteed spinach, with roasted fingerling potatoes and a mint lemon butter sauce. She also felt that the chef was a little too liberal with the salt. (I apologize for the quality of the picture: after we arrived it got progressively darker and darker, and despite increases in ISO and minimizing the aperture on my camera, the crispness of my photos still suffered)

In the end, it was decided that the atmosphere of the restaurant was much better than the quality of the food. It was cozy with interesting decor (next to our table was a sewing machine drenched in melted wax - melted wax being a common theme, although not well demonstrated in my pictures). The service was friendly and although the food took a while to arrive, the staff was attentive without being stifling.

Overall rating: 6/10

Tree
190 1st Ave
New York, NY 10009