Stars for Porter & Frye

This week my husband and I had dinner at Porter & Frye in the Hotel Ivy. The hotel lobby is very modern, filled with white marble and shiny surfaces. The restaurant has high ceilings and exposed pipes but still is intimate and comfortable. Seated in a comfy booth, we had outstanding service. On a Monday night the restaurant had few customers, and we could probably have had a little less service and been happy. We started with Tuna Sliders to share. A curried tuna salad with mango chutney was served in small buns and fragrant with curry. Both of us ordered seafood and weren't disappointed. My striped sea bass had a Parmesan crust and was served with lobster risotto. In addition there was a lobster foam in keeping with hot trends, but I didn't think it added anything. My husband had the prawns and they were fabulous, tender and sweet, and served with pear ravioli. They were the highlight of the evening- small pockets of tender pasta filled with a pear puree. The only sweetness was the from the pears and it complimented the prawns. After ordering (and eating dessert) the waiter brought a tray of tiny bites. It included a raspberry jelly, chocolate truffle, blackberry financier and chocolate cake. I love it when restaurants do the unexpected- these bites were better than the desserts.