Sautéed Potato Pierogies

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
December 1, 2005

THE RED CAT
227 10th Ave
(23rd & 24th Sts)
New York, NY 10011
212-242-1122

This goes on my list of top five best dishes tasted in 2005. Yes! It’s that exciting. Sautéed potato pierogies with mushrooms, lobster wine and butter, reads the menu. Let’s see, I love potatoes, I like pierogies, mushrooms and lobster, oh, and wine and butter too – it’s got all the ingredients to make it a winner. The execution makes it spectacular! The skins of the pierogies are more like pancake-like blinis than dumpling-like dough, when sautéed in butter, it just tastes like heaven. Of course, if you put it in a sauce that is basically a lobster bisque, the combination is just fantastic.

The Red Cat hardly needs an introduction. The first of Jimmy Bradley and Danny Abram’s Beanstalk Restaurants, The Red Cat opened in 1999 and has consistently maintained its high quality and standards. It set the bar for subsequent sister restaurants The Harrison and The Mermaid Inn (Pace just recently closed).

What has struck me most about their restaurants is the service. The staff are always very friendly and not in that superficial, “Hi! My name is …” who cares kind of way. Rather, they make you feel at home and are attentive but not intrusive. In this city, of all places, it’s hard to come by this kind of service without getting some attitude but that’s probably why The Red Cat has such a loyal following. Not to mention, The Red Cat has one of the nicest bars at which to dine. I love eating at the bar in restaurants, and this one is big and comfortable —- the perfect place to enjoy a drink, dine, or preferably both. Fellow diners tend to be Red Cat loyalists and food lovers, which always makes it fun.

Congratulations, The Red Cat, on receiving your second star from The New York Times this past summer. It’s well deserved!

Also in American, Dumplings, Potato, West Chelsea