Dennis Foy- When food is prepared for its own sake

Our dear friend, and honorary family member, Miss M. was in New York City for a quick visit from L.A. for a few days between Christmas and New Years Day. In our family, there is a special place reserved in our hearts for Miss M. She was the first caregiver we ever hired for little one and we never worried when Miss M. was home with little one. Since she just graduated from USC (You Go Miss M!!) I thought dinner at Dennis Foy restaurant, (313 Church Street, between Lispenard and Walker) would be a good choice to celebrate this major life moment -and it was. I'd been wanting to eat at Dennis Foy for awhile and this presented the right opportunity. Miss M. and I met for dinner the Thursday evening after New Year's Day, one of the first seriously cold nights in NYC. The wind was so gusty, it pretty much blew us in the door. Miss M. had spent the previous few days snowboarding in Pennsylvania, yet when I met her, she still exuded an aura of Southern California warmth. The dining room at Dennis Foy also carried an inviting elegant, tropical warmth. Throughout dinner, I kept looking at one wall in particular which was painted in layered, tonal shades of gold. The art on the walls was the chef's own work and his varied paintings evoked the work of English artist, Howard Hodgkin, whose pieces are beautiful foggy blocks of jewel-like colors. Since my dinner with Miss M., I've been reflecting on the experience. This is not a restaurant that panders to the latest trend, or the latest big spender, for that matter. Eating at Dennis Foy provided me a rare glimpse into what it means to eat good food. Something quiet and serious was going on in the kitchen. It's the complete opposite of the big, brash, larger-than-life New York City food scene where everyone becomes a wheeler/dealer -the chef, the wait staff and the diner. Every dish was showcased as an edible array of jewels. It was quite enjoyable to sink into the luxury of simply eating beautifully prepared food. Now, as I meander around NYC, I can't quite get Dennis Foy out of my head. It's a warning bell, dinging against my vulgar interest in the "next best thing". The Jane Austen of restaurants -subdued, austere and very complicated. I sincerely hope Dennis Foy becomes a Tribeca mainstay. Esquire voted them Best Restaurant for 2007 and I understand why. The only comparison I can make - to help the gentle reader understand what I'm trying to communicate - is with Le Miu, a very unique Sushi restaurant in the E. Village (at Avenue A right off 7th street). I feel the same energy happening there with Japanese food and sushi. It's also prepared with a similar quietness of effort and intensity. Our defining moment at Dennis Foy was when the waiter came back from the kitchen and informed us that the chef wanted us to pick another dessert because our choice -the chocolate cake- "did not turn out so well that night." This was after a starter of exquisitely simple haricots verts (green beans), which were astonishingly good. Who would have thought green beans could be elevated to such a level? Miss M. started with pate -which was also very good. We switched plates midway to share our appetizers and not even a crumb was left behind. I selected scallops for my entree and she opted for steak. The scallops melted in my mouth and the steak, which arrived with beautiful bright green peas and mashed potatoes swirled together like an artistic palette of color, was the perfect touch on a cold, frigid night. The waiter presented the last little uneaten piece of steak to us in a gorgeous little bag so we could take it home. We ended up with a sublime chocolate souffle for dessert.