Blue Pear Restaurant

Description:

• Tucked into an innocuous, petite strip mall just off the 124th Street stroll is this absolute gem of a restaurant that simply has to be one of the best in the country. A small room in muted gray and blue tones, the Blue Pear is the brainchild of a food-obsessed husband-and-wife team. He's the chef; she handles the hospitality. It's a perfect partnership: Over the course of a five-course meal, wonders emerge from the kitchen at perfect pace, each one leaving you breathless awaiting the next. This is simple food, with an emphasis on local ingredients, treated with respect for flavor and subtle, unique creativity: braised rabbit hind leg and grilled lobster meat with polenta and cheese gnocchi, zucchini ribbons, crisp pancetta, and herb braising jus; or a simple roasted fish of the day, with smashed potato, mushroom ragout, cavi-art, and leek sauce. The "art" is a bit of playful fun, but it's also dead-on accurate. Meals here are the fruits of a top-flight creative food mind whirring at full capacity.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010