Periwinkle Fob
Periwinkle Fob - 263 Fourth Ave.
Few chefs have shot into celebrity status as quickly and as publicly as Michael Bungt, mastermind behind the Periwinkle chain. Whether he’s showing Rachel Ray’s audience how to paralyze a live flounder or grinning and bearing it while Martha Stewart forces him to make an orchid and citrus tablescape, Bungt is all over our TV screens, newspapers, and magazines, usually promoting his new cookbook, You Can Try To Cook Like Me, Michael Bungt, the Chef From New York City.
If this review piques your curiosities about Periwinkle Fob and you decide you may want to make a reservation, stop right there, as it’s nearly impossible. The night we were in for our seven course dinner with corresponding wine pairings, we had to eat standing up… and our reservation was made six months in advance. To add insult to injury, only two of the restaurant’s fifteen seats were occupied. When we asked our hostess what the problem was, she replied, “Mr. DiCaprio and Mr. Damon prefer to be the only ones seated.”
That’s right; we stood while Leo and Matt leisurely enjoyed their turkey belly angel food cake with sake bomb chasers.
Once we got over that initial, yet significant, annoyance, we began eating our way through Fob’s short and unusual menu, which only solidified its reputation as the most controversial new eatery in the city. Whatever the menu is that evening, that’s what you are eating, so you better be in the mood to experiment and taste some items you may not be comfortable with. First, a small plate of banana bread covered in pork skin and “espresso dust” arrived with an asparagus pesto milkshake. We were a little confused how to share the plate as there is neither silverware nor chopsticks. And of course, no table. As we pondered the dish, we glanced over to Leo and Matt’s table and watched them laugh it up while they finished up their mascarpone cheese doodles. At one point Damon pulled out a newspaper and they began to work on a crossword puzzle together.
Bungt’s German heritage comes into play during several of the evening’s seven courses. Like the Pop Rock Knockwurst, which nearly exploded as we bit into it. The experience was much too intense to decipher any particular flavors. Honestly, this unorthodox meat tube left me with nothing but tooth and gum pain.
After the tiny sausage we were on to the next course, a bacon wrapped Samoa. Yes, the Girl Scout cookie. It was an adorable play on our childhood fears, delights, and assumptions and was the highlight of our meal.
To call the décor of the space “simple” is the understatement of the new decade. It actually appears the restaurant was never finished. The wall facing 4th Ave. has a large hole in it and at one point, a pedestrian passed by and threw a lit cigarette into the dining room, which nearly hit me in the mouth.
Michael Bungt may be enjoying his fifteen minutes as chef of the moment, but Periwinkle Fob is the worst of his restaurants. Stick with Periwinkle Bob, Periwinkle Dodo, Periwinkle Bubble Tea Bar, and his collaboration with Mario Batali, Periwinkle Italian Food.
BEST DISHES: The menu varies from night to night. Good luck.
PRICE RANGE: $219 Prix Fixe
CREDIT CARDS: All major cards
HOURS: From 6 to 9:30 p.m. every day but Monday and Wednesday
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: A wheelchair can fit into the dining room, but you may have to stand
