Park Avenue Summer

Let me just start with saying that this may be one of my favorite restaurants in NYC.  My family and I have started a little tradition where we’re trying to taste each season at Park Ave…last time we were there it was spring and now it’s summer!

The decor has been revamped…

And the menu has been refreshed with summer ingredients like peaches, corn, and watermelon.

Complimentary watermelon cubes were presented with a tart cheese topping.

I kept things fruity with my appetizer of cantaloupe salad with goat cheese on a bed of arugula and pesto:

This was some of the sweetest cantaloupe I’ve ever eaten – such an amazing contrast with the tangy goat cheese and earthy arugula and pesto – there were tiny brown sugar coated croutons studded throughout the cantaloupe too!

My mom ordered the yellowfin tuna crudo, which was tiny cubes of raw tuna and watermelon with avocado and yuzu…so fresh, you can hardly tell the difference between the tuna and the fruit!

I went a little crazy with my entree and ordered something I typically never get…ribs!  Not just any ribs, Dr. Pepper baby back ribs with a summer peach slaw.

I didn’t even have to pick these up and dirty my fingers, the meat just fell off the bone and was drenched in the sweetest, most delicious sauce – not really full of Dr. Pepper flavor but awesome anyway.  The slaw was cool & crunchy with sweet peaches, pickled red onion and marcona almonds.

I snagged bites of my mom’s summer corn succotash that came with her veal chop, my dad’s steak frites and my sister’s filet mignon with blueberry sauce (trust me, it’s not weird, it’s heavenly).

Dessert?  Sure, why not.

We shared a rhubarb sundae and peach fritters.

The rhubarb sundae was just vanilla ice cream with a rhubarb foam on top and corn puffs (aka Smacks!)…and of course, caramel sauce and whipped cream.  It was good but not spectacular…kind of wish I had ordered the fresh cherries & rice pudding (I was wavering between the two).

The peach fritters were not really fritters at all, but actual fried peach slices with a to-die-for caramelized honey ice cream and mini almond brulee. 

It’s sort of amazing how every bite of every thing at this place is so so good.  I think I can speak for everyone in saying that we left happy and stuffed.