A couple of months back, word got out that chef Steven Brown (of Levain fame) was let go from Porter & Frye, the swish restaurant concept inside the Hotel Ivy. Then tongues started clicking about the hiring of Joan Ida to take his place, and the idea emerged that the hotel would be implementing more, shall we say, predictable fare. The new lunch menu was launched this week.

Each time I visit P&F during the day, the place is frighteningly empty, and rumor has it that many of the swank hotels that popped up like dandelions over the past year or two are hurting, and hurting bad. Ivy seems to be no different; it’s missing that bustle of a healthy hotel lobby-- doormen and bellpeople seem pressed to look busy, but do put on a helpful face for the sparse public. Happy hour seems fairly busy, however (see below for details on upcoming specials beginning May 1). We’ll see how dinnertime fares as that menu begins to transition. Erik Anderson, Brown’s former sous chef, has also left the organization to pursue the post of executive chef at the new Cue concept.

What they got wrong:

At first glance, the menu reads like any boilerplate lunch menu at Anygrill, Midwestern USA (spinach salad, turkey cobb sandwich, cheeseburger, et. al.) Happily, the executions seem far more imaginative on the plate than they read on the page.

Still, a composed “nicoise” salad was a solid failure, with oily-tasting Israeli couscous as the base, with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in, including slivered almonds, currants, a strange pickled fennel, grape tomatoes, salmon and more, but none of it coming together as a cohesive whole. A promised soft-boiled egg was in fact delivered hardboiled.

What they got right:

Luckily, this was not a preview of things to come, and a handmade Papardelle with asparagus both green and white, various mushrooms including cute little enoki, and a buttery white wine pan sauce finished with truffle was as fresh, lively and perfectly executed as a spring dish could be. A striped bass (rolled over from Brown’s menu) was one of the most imaginative I’ve had all year, accompanied by clams, merguez sausage, black trumpet mushrooms, and a rich grilled bread sauce that might have been a bit cloying for spring had it not been so beguiling. 

The verdict:

It’s not all that often I’m hankering to go back to a place right after a meal, but that’s how I felt after those second two dishes. The jury is still out whether the chef switcharoo will breathe any new business into P&F, but for the time being, it seems dishes (whether new or old) are still being executed well. Curious to go back and see what other surprises this kitchen might spring on me. Service can seem occasionally bewildered, but you almost can’t blame them given the multitude of changes they’ve seen in the short time the place has been in business.

Grade for this visit: B

Also:

On Friday, May 1, Porter & Frye will introduce a happy hour program that will be offered daily from 3 – 6 p.m.  Every wine from the extensive by-the-glass list will be half price. Bar menu items will be 50% off and tap beers, $3. All bottled wines from the standard wine list will also be offered at a 50% discount every Monday and Tuesday night.