11.04.09
Review of La Fonda del Sol, lunch Wednesday August 2009
200 Park Ave. & 44th St., 212-867-6767
Great for: business lunches, sangria, skate
I used to work at Jovia, and I was a fan of Sumile and Bar Fry, so I always follow Josh DeChellis’ career with affection and interest. (That, of course, has absolutely nothing to do with him saying I was the prettiest hostess at Jovia. And being unfailingly kind.) He is a terrific chef, if sometimes a bit ahead of his time. I was delighted when my friend P suggested La Fonda and happy with my food, though he wasn’t quite as satisfied.
I decided to be adventurous and get the scallops tiradito appetizer with chiles, citrus, tomato and cilantro. I rarely enjoy raw scallops, Momofuku Ko being the notable exception, so I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy these. The sauce may have been a tad too strong for the delicate scallops but at least it wasn’t a face-puckering citrus fest as ceviche often is. P’s pickled red and yellow watermelon salad with avocado and jalapeño-pickled onion was odd and pretty good. The salad leaves were still the best part, though.
I very much liked my skate wing special entrée with fingerling potatoes, onions, potatoes and peppers. The veg were all a bit pickled, maybe from a sauce that seemed to be red pepper coulis, but the skate was absolutely scrumptious and perfectly browned. Unfortunately, the bass special (instead of snapper) with saffron, tomato and calamari did not measure up. The rather large filet was a bit dry and overcooked, and the overall dish was small for its hefty price.
We figured cookies for dessert would be a safe bet. They give you 10 (two each of five types) plus a chocolate. Two-thirds were good and we liked the chocolate. It probably wasn’t the best use of $9. The sangrias, on the other hand, were both lovely. I liked my rosé and he liked his red – they had just some fruit, and weren’t too heavy.
We had very polite service in a very busy dining room. It’s an enormous space, 1.5 levels near Grand Central, and has that nice sleek corporate chrome-and-glass look. I wasn’t thrilled with it but I wouldn’t mind returning to try some different things.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our price: $160 (3 glasses of sangria + dessert)
Noise level: not bad
Chance of walking in: dinner may be easier than lunch.
