John Dory…still here, still good

John Dory’s first location was next door to Del Posto.  The space was pretty sweet and the food was excellent.  I wasn’t surprised that the food was good because April Bloomfield was the chef.  At that time she was putting out some of the best food in the city at the Spotted Pig.  Not only is she top in her field she trains a solid kitchen staff because whether she is there or not the food is consistently good.  That is a true skill.

John Dory closed too soon and it really had to do with the rent.  Ken Friedman, April’s business partner, and April found another location and reopened John Dory around the corner from the Breslin at the Ace Hotel.  They are the team behind the Breslin too.  We were psyched to see the John Dory reopen.  It has now been open for over 6 years and I have been back several times.

This week I was supposed to be in Maine but the trip was cancelled so instead of being in Portland with my friend we had lunch at John Dory.  It was so good.  Oysters were necessary.  The cilantro mignonette is a perfect sauce with a bit of horseradish on top.

These marinated mussels with slices of Holland chili, red peppers and aioli were perfect.  I ate the sauce solo after the mussels were eaten up.

Simple shrimp.

Market salad consisting of crispy fresh vegetables, arugula and a tart Parmigiana dressing.  Nice mix.

Fluke ceviche thinly sliced into swirls that looked almost like spaghetti.

Artic char ceviche with bonito mayonaisse, wasabi tobiko, and seaweed served along side some beet chips. This would have been delish slathered on anything.

Poached lobster was just the perfect amount to share.

We sat, chatted, enjoyed our lunch and then walked into the flower district.  As we walked down the street through the flowers I thought to myself I just love New York City.