Walking down 1st street through the stifling humidity and incessant rain several afternoons ago, I halted midway down the block, the bright hot-pink decor and awning of Prune restaurant having caught my eye. I was headed elsewhere for dinner, the humble, eclectic menu almost persuaded me to change venues, but plans are plans. I returned today for lunch, hoping the meal would justify the 100 minute commute there. The 30-seat space was charming with the simplicity of its decor, rusticity of the mismatching tableware, and eccentricity of the hot pink strewn around the restaurant. I sat there next to the open kitchen as I contemplated on what to order, feeling like I was dining in a modest cottage from some Disney movie.
The first of two entrees was a buttered brown rice dish with sautéed rock shrimp. The chiodini mushrooms heads buried under the generous pile of shrimp was a nice surprise. The pork cracklings, to my disappointment they lacked any form of flavor or appealing texture.
I ordered the skate wing with lemon butter and capers. Although I despise the unbearable richness of butter in pretty much any savory dish, I was craving fish and this butter was nicely balanced by the lemon. I quickly devoured the filet and moved on the the chilled peppery potato salad which had surprisingly authentic Sichuan flavor - black vinegar and all.
This was probably one of the most memorable desserts I've ever had; the freshly churned mascarpone ice cream was similar to a dense custard. The buttery, salty, caramel-soaked croutons gave loads of flavor and texture to the deliciously creamy mega scoop.
Prune
54 East 1st Street
New York, NY 10003
