A new high-end French bistro is set to open this week on 72nd Street between Broadway and West End Avenue after the sudden closure earlier this month of PD O’Hurley’s West End (don’t worry, the original PD O’Hurley’s is still open).
The Purple Fig, at 250 West 72nd Avenue, will have a bar in front and serve high-end French fare in back. It is a project of Chef Conrad Gallagher, a famous Irish chef with a colorful past. From an early age, he was the toast of the Irish culinary scene; he went to New York to work at the Waldorf and Trump Plaza when he was just 20, he cooked for President Bill Clinton, and he had established a mini-empire in Ireland by his mid-20’s, the Independent in Ireland reported. “He revelled in the role of the temperamental genius,” the Independent said. Newspapers also documented his later financial troubles and his arrest and eventual acquittal on charges that he stole three paintings.
But what about the food?
The food at The Purple Fig, from the photos posted on the restaurant’s facebook page, looks like art. But you’ll have to pay up for it. Among the entrees on the menu are $34 peppered beef fillet, $30 black bass with truffle-crushed potatoes, and $37 roasted scallops with foie gras. The chef has also been posting some of his creations on twitter. Check out the menu, as posted on the restaurant’s facebook page, below. Thanks to our tipsters, Janine and the anonymous person who sent the photos.
Tapas at the bar
Waghu Mini Beef sliders with brioche , humous , frizzled onions , confit tomatoes and Truffle Aioli – 16.95
Katafi Crab Cake with basque stew of peppers , shaved fennel , Saffron foam . 12.95
Mini Beef Fillet with Quails egg “sunny side up” and salty watercress . 16.95
Scallops with Celeriac , roumalade , micro greens , white truffle . 12.95
… Kobe beef Meat balls with confit tomato , anchovy , capers and coss leaves . 12.95
Deep fried Egg with White pudding , parmesan crust and frisse salad . 6.95
Oysters with pickled pear and ginger 10 year old soy . 10/95
Pastrami style salmon with Caviar cream , cucumber and fennel . 8.95
Confit duck spring rolls with prunes and armanac with bean sprout and mango chili . 9.95
Seared Foi gras with orange and vanilla , Pain de Espice . 16.95
Goose Liver Parfait with Brioche fig marmalade and truffled crispy spinach 8.95
Seared wild bass with caserole of peas , fava beans enoki mushrooms . 16.95
Appetizers
Deep fried soft Duck egg with polenta , soft blood pudding , Frisée salad with persuitto , lemon oil Emulsion 11.95
Risotto of Parmesan and asparagus with slow braised duck leg roasted chanterelle mushrooms a…nd mushroom foam . 13.95
Warm goats cheese salad and wild rocket , confit tomatoes ,toasted garlic , pumpkin seeds and marinated figs 9.95
Pastrami style wild salmon with wasabi and dill , pickled pear and ginger with cucumber , wasabi Creme fraiche and soy . 10.95.
Crabmeat and advacado salad with beetroot and curried cream fraiche , micro greens and pink grapefruit. .14.95
Goose liver parfait with fig marmalade , toasted brioche with spinach salad , apricot compote and hazelnut aioli. 12.95 + seared foie gras 8.00.
Main courses
Peppered beef fillet with ravioli of goats cheese , celeriac fondant , watercress cream , light Truffle oxtail jus 33.95
Cornfed checked breast with duxelles mushrooms , crepe flavored orzo with asparagus , peas. Fava beans In arbafura sauce. 23.95
Roasted rare moscovy duck breast with poached figs , butternut purée , puny lentils with sunny side up quails egg and green apple… salad ,26.95
Turbot lightly cooked with white beans purée , casserole of white beans with pequilla peppers razor clams and basil 26.95
Black bass pan roasted with truffle crushed potatoes , braised baby leeks , fricassee of enoki mushrooms and summer morels . 29.95
Roasted scallops with foie gras , celeriac roumalade , celeriac mousseline , wild rocket , shaved black truffle and truffle aioli . 36.95
Sides
5.95
Asparagus with hollandaise. Baby Caesar with soft hens egg , fat duck fat chips with Parmesan , french fries with truffle aioli . peas fava beans and morels .
Dessert
Warm chocolate valhrona cake with chocolate peanut butter brownie and pistachio ice cream . 12.00
Mango cheesecake with mango and chili syrup , mango and coriander ice cream . 10.00
Espresso duck egg Creme brûlée with raspberries short bread biscuit .11.00
Aborio rice pudding with toasted coconut , exotic fruits with orange blossom water and purple basil . 12.00
… Vanilla panacota with natural yogurt , strawberries purée , fresh strawberries and sable biscuits 9.00
Selection of 3 or 5 artisan cheeses with crusty bread and fig marmalade 13 .00 or 19.00
I am all for supporting high-end food in our ‘hood, but have to say the numerous spelling errors on the menu make me a bit nervous…they don’t really look like typos…roumalade? Persuitto? Pain de Espice? Advacado? Puny lentils?
I would love for something to succeed in this spot the way the All State did, but those are big shoes to fill. I’m pleased to see O’Hurley’s gone after they ripped every last bit of character out of place so near and dear to locals and replaced it with generic 9/11 paintings and cheap Irish artwork. This new restaurant has a very expensive and over-the-top menu for this space. I have serious doubts the Purple Fig will be able to replicate the success of the All State. I wish them luck, though!
I totally agree- nothing can replace The All State Cafe. Shame that everything about it got demolished.
We dined last night and we see the potential, for sure. They’ve only been open a week, so they are still working out the kinks.
Pros: the wine list is well-priced and a wide selection and the servers are great with wine service; the apps and entrees were spot on – such incredible technique and the flavor profiles were amazing – try the duck!!!!; the ambiance is romantic and upscale.
Cons: the timing on all of the courses has not been worked out yet – it took 20 minutes for apps and 30 minutes after that for entrees. We finished our bottle of wine before entrees even hit the table. The desserts were not up to par: Rice was undercooked for the rice pudding; chocolate cake was overcooked and the coffees were luke warm.
However, I would like to say, we will be back to see how they improve – specifically for the amazing tastes and huge tables for two!!!
I have to say that as this was our first visit to New York friends who live in the upperwest side told us to try out this new restaurant The Purple Fig,we went there
last night and have to say that we will certainly be going there at least once more prior to our departure from Manhattan .We were made feel very welcome and the total decor and ambience in the restaurant was fantastic,we were glad to see that it wasnt a stuffy unwelcoming venue it was the total opposite.
As for the food well we are still tasting it and just want more there were four of us in our group and we basically had two starters the warm goats cheese and rocket starter and it was just stunning from its appearance and presentation to the taste,the other starter ordered was the Duck egg and our friends said that it was simply the best they had ever had.We were extremly happy so far but then the main courses arrived and two of us went for the duck and one for the scallops and the other for the
peppered beef fillet we cant explain how good the food was it was all cooked to total perfection was totally mouthwatering and the presentation was amazing.
We didnt go for desert as we were truly full with the delicious food and of course a few cocktails helped along the way but we can honestly say that this restaurant although only new on the block in upperwest side is one to watch.We have seen some poor reviews however its only new and there are bound to be teething problems but any minor issues that might be had there can be no issues or doubts about the quality and standard of the food simply to describe in one word MOUTHWATERING ,but dont just read this review try it for yourself .we only wish we were here alot longer so that we would enjoy this restaurant on a regular basis.
As they say you get what you pay for and we have had a fantastic night here and will return as often as we are in New York
my experience at the purple fig was even better
than i had ever expected the Deep fried soft Duck egg with polenta , soft blood pudding , Frisée salad with persuitto , lemon oil Emulsion was brilliant i was delighted with the staffs wonderful manner and excellent service
and the Peppered beef fillet with ravioli of goats cheese , celeriac fondant , watercress cream , light Truffle oxtail was delicous
and i just have to say i had trouble picking my desert because they all sounded so mouthwatering but eventually i chose the Warm chocolate valhrona cake with chocolate peanut butter brownie and pistachio ice cream
and boy was that the nicest desert i have ever had and i would recommend the purple fig to anybody and have to give a big thanks to the wonderful staff at the purple fig and i will i am more than happy to say THAT THE PURPLE FIG IS THE NICEST RESTAURANT I HAVE BEEN TO AND THE MEAL WAS EXCELLENT.
If you want to pay $33.00 for exactly 2(two) scallops then this is where to go.
Portions are micro and prices are $$$