Eggs a La Kosta

I love Greek food and as such, I’m a huge fan of New York’s own, Chef Michael Psilakis. I’ve written about his casual place, Kefi, before and this past weekend, I had an opportunity to brunch at one of his newer restaurants, FISHTAG, on the upper west side of Manhattan with some girlfriends. The menu is limited in the number of items it features, but grand in how delicious each of those items sound.

Hair of the Dogfish

It may seem unfair, but I find that I often pre-judge brunch by how much care a restaurant puts into brewing a solid cup of coffee. The French-pressed coffee is strong and wonderful. There are typical brunch drinks ($8 each or $16 for unlimited) like mimosas and bloody Marys, but the drink I simply had to have is the cleverly-named Hair of the Dogfish. This outstanding drink features Dogfish Head 90Min IPA infused with house-made pickled vegetables, poured over bloody Mary mix and vodka. That is one fabulous drink I’ll be copying at my next brunch gathering.

Pork Belly and Clam Soup

The first dish that caught our eye on the starters’ menu is the Greek “Spoon” Salad ($10). The dish is named that because the chopped ingredients can easily be eaten with a spoon. It’s a combination of Feta, tomatoes, onions, peppers and cucumbers. It’s nicely seasoned, fresh and delicious.

Another starter we had to have is the Clam and Pork Belly Soup ($11). I just love this idea and it really works. The perfectly-fatty pork belly, king oyster mushrooms and clams are served in a bowl where clean, earthy mushroom consommé is poured tableside. The soup is rich and flavorful and I look forward to savoring it again soon.

Croque Monsieur

The rest of the menu is divided into griddle, eggs and lunch options. One dish we had from the griddle menu is the Ricotta Pancakes ($11), Greek pancakes served with honey butter and stone fruit compote. Eggs a la Kosta ($13) features two poached eggs over brioche toast with Guanciale and wilted spinach then topped with lobster avgolemono – how could this dish be anything but fabulous?! The selection we made from the lunch menu is the Short Rib Croque Monsieur ($14), the sandwich is filled with rich short rib meat, smoked Gouda, braised rapini then topped with béchamel sauce. It was simply decadent and delicious.

The space at FISHTAG is cozy but nicely functional. The design team kept many of the ornate turn-of-the-century features of the space like the intricate moldings and the wooden floors with marble tile inserts. The overall feel of the place is of casual elegance. That also describes the well-executed food.

FISHTAG

222 West 79th Street

New York, NY 10024

212-362-7470