For some reason, even though I interviewed Bill Telepan over a year ago, I’ve never eaten there. Maybe it’s my snobby notion that there can’t possibly be any food of merit north of 14th Street.

But the other night, we had an excellent meal (with a couple of exceptions) at Telepan. Let me say that I was looking forward to the foie gras donuts that the chef is famous for. Sorry, they were not my thing. I just didn’t like the mouth feel of all that runny foie gras.

But the meal–a four course tasting dinner– was outstanding after that. The amuse bouche was close to the best part of the meal. It consisted of delicate by intensely flavored mushroom soup, a bluefish pate and a gougere. I could have stopped there and been extremely happy.

Then, I dove into intense, earthy– and delicious– ravioli with short ribs. Unlike other times I’ve ordered creations like this, the meat didn’t overwhelm the pasta; the two were perfectly balanced. The special of the day, day boat scallops from Nantucket were also luscious, lightly fried with an aromatic sauce that was rich and satisfying. Word at our table was the striped bass was not all that interesting, but not everything can be a home run.

Some at our table ordered the bread pudding and raved about it. But I wanted something light for dessert after all the rich food, so I settled on a grapefruit granita. I’m not a big dessert eater, but the granita with a splash of Prosecco was incredibly refreshing with a nice balance of tartness and sweetness. I scooped up every drop.

Telepan
72 West 69 Street
New York, NY
212 580 4300

Related posts:

1. Upper West Side: Restaurant Telepan Delights
2. Upper West Side: A Voce Shines with Dishes that Delight
3. Upper West Side: Telepan’s New Wine Bar in Doubt