Kurt's Flatiron Faves - The John Dory

Welcome to the first stop on my culinary walking tour of the Flatiron neighborhood!

We'll start from Beecher's and head straight up Broadway to 29th, where we come across The Ace Hotel, its bar, The Breslin, and its restaurant, The John Dory Oyster Bar (which what we've come for).
Now, the Breslin and the John Dory are run by the same people. The Breslin is a hip place to hang out, it's true, but more of a bar than anything else, whereas the John Dory is serving some really amazing food, and that's where I get really excited.

It's mostly seafood, with a raw bar that boasts numerous types of raw oysters with varied mignonettes and other shellfish, including whelk. When was the last time you had whelk? It's kind of like walking down the center of the US and scooping up the best oysters from both sides. Of course, that's exactly what they're going for: there are two giant, glass globes above the bar, one with sea life from the Pacific Ocean, the other full of Atlantic Ocean denizens. On the crudo side of the raw bar where you can find interesting takes on branzino, scallops and others.


I really enjoyed most of what I had there, but the must-try dish for me is the Kedgeree, a haddock-studded rice dish garnished with lime and crispy red onions.

Click photo for the website menu
The story behind this place is actually kind of interesting. It's actually the second John Dory, the first being open for barely a year in the meat-packing district.  Same restaurateur (Ken Friedman) and same chef (April Bloomfield), they re-invented the whole concept after the first version closed, turning it into a more casual place with a splash of kitsch that focuses more on small dishes than the standard "appetizer-entree" trope that the old one relied on.
I had been to the old John Dory and I think they made a great choice in making this iteration more accessible and convivial, especially in this neighborhood where formal meals are just as common as spontaneous ones. It can be a little difficult to get in if you're not a hotel guest (as they don't offer reservations otherwise), but it's worth the wait.

Click photo for the NYT review
Have you been to the John Dory Oyster Bar? Had you been to the old John Dory? What do you think about the new one? How do they compare for you? Let me know in the comments!

In the meantime, who's up for some oysters?


View Beecher's & the John Dory Oyster Bar in a larger maphttp://thejohndory.com/info.html

Kurt's Flatiron Faves - Intro


Wow. What an amazing month of July it's been!
Beecher's New York opened at 900 Broadway on June 24th and it has been CRAZY in the best possible way. I was really excited to see it open, but I could not have imagined how wonderfully welcoming and enthusiastic New York would be. I could hardly have asked for more.
As most of you know, I've been in New York for a while now and I've had plenty of time to explore the city, especially the Flatiron neighborhood surrounding BCNY (our short-hand for Beecher's Cheese New York).
I've had such a great time working and playing here, I thought I'd take a blog post (or several) highlighting my favorite nearby places, sort of our super-neighbors.
That's how I got the idea of doing a series on Kurt's Flatiron Faves.  Over the next couple months, I'll do a little post at the end of each week about one of these local spots. Expect a little history, a recommendation or two and some photos. As I go along, I'll build a map so you can see where all my favorites are in reference to Beecher's (which I'm sure will be everyone's starting point).

You can always come back to this post to see where we've been so far. Like an evolving table of contents!


1) The John Dory
2) No. 7 Sub
3) Calexico Cart
4) Shake Shack
5) Eataly
6) Almond
7) Veritas
8) Gramercy Tavern
9) Casa Mono
10) Union Square Greenmarket

11) ABC Kitchen with Jean-Georges
View Kurt's Flatiron Faves in a larger map
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Lover of big ideas and bold flavors. Food should be like family and friends: honest, fun, and fulfilling.

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