The Restaurant Fairy
+4.5
What Chef John Fraser does with vegetables is rather extraordinary and I've always been a huge fan of his Michelin-starred Dovetail.
Fraser’s latest ode to the locavore movement comes in the form of Narcissa which is housed in André Balaz’s Standard East Village hotel.
The main focus of Fraser’s menu is a variety of seasonal vegetables that star on every plate. There is no dearth of offerings of meat and seafood too but every dish is enhanced with market driven produce that really makes his signature style shine.
I had a superb Gnocchi dressed with swiss chard, chestnuts and sage – one of the best I have ever tried! The sides of “Supergreen Spinach” which comes with thin homemade potato chips is just divine.
I could go on and on about all the things I loved about Narcissa but I suggest that you go try it for yourself!
Remember when I visited Narcissa and fell in love with the Carrots Wellington? I’ve been meaning to return to Narcissa and finally went back to Narcissa a few weeks ago for a lunch in the beautiful garden. Narcissa is not a vegetarian restaurant, but the menu is veggie friendly and the meatless dishes are very well executed. Based on how fantastic the gnocchi was last time, I decided on the whole wheat orecchiette ($16). I’m the kind of person that almost always has a pasta craving.
The orecchiette was a very enjoyable al dente with good whole wheaty texture. If you’re not a fan of firm pasta, you might want to pass on this one. Orecchiette pasta is the perfect shape to catch the bright broccoli rabe pesto. Every bite has a nice balance of pasta and pesto. There’s tasty roasted garlic, aleppo pepper, and sunflower seeds in here too. Oh man, this place is so good, it’s ridiculous. Read more >>
Our visit to Narcissa was fueled by my interest to try the Carrot Wellington entree that I had read about before coming to New York. Suprisingly, this was the one dish which fell short on its flavours. Everything that our server suggested was delicious. I did not check with him about the Carrot entree. The combination of texture, taste and presentation was excellent for all the other items that we ordered. Service was good overall.
Narcissa is a farm-to-table New American restaurant in an inviting space on the first floor of The Standard in East Village. After I visited Dovetail earlier this year, Narcissa, another John Fraser restaurant, immediately went on my “to try” list. I think of Dovetail as fine dining with a capital “F”, while Narcissa offers similarly elegant, refined cuisine in a more casual, relaxed setting.
My wife and I had an incredible dinner experience. We were greeted by a hostess who paid us a very nice compliment upon arriving. Our waiter was very enjoyable and made many excellent choices for us. From the roasted beet salad , crab salad and a short rib which is a must. Our entrees were perfect as our waiter had suggested and the chocolate tart dessert is to die for. The manager followed up at the end of dinner with a couple of truffles and a personalized card to come back and call on a private line for our next reservation. Coming from a resort town with many excellent choices to eat this was a real treat. For a restaurant that has only been open for 5 weeks they are doing a great job.
With a Michelin-starred chef, two beautiful dining rooms and an accessible farm-to-table theme, it’s easy to see the appeal. I dropped by last Sunday for an early dinner — here’s how that went.
What Chef John Fraser does with vegetables is rather extraordinary and I’ve always been a huge fan of his Michelin-starred Dovetail. Fraser’s latest ode to the locavore movement comes in the form of Narcissa which is housed in André Balaz’s Standard East Village hotel.
The service was really great here—quick and very attentive servers. I got a Yule mule and tiramisu and both were incredibly delicious! The atmosphere is so cute for the holidays it’s a hidden gem in nyc for a yummy cocktail and dessert.
Overall I enjoyed my experience. Delicious food, great drinks (the Yule was really great). My chicken snitzel was really great and our waitress was really nice.
My food and drinks were amazing. I recommend the steak and the Brussel sprouts. They also have a cider cocktail that is to die for!
Easy spot in East Village, loved the crab dip and steak frites. Service was prompt and loved the tinsel!
They have a really nice holiday menu! I ordered the brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes sides- they could’ve been warmer but were good anyway. The tiramisu was amazing- the biggest portion you’ll ever find in your life 🙈 I struggled to finish it. The custard tart on the other hand was very small, I forgot to take a pic lol. Service was great!
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