Best of New York 2007 • Eating

• Davidburke & Donatella

  133 E. 61st St.; 212-813-2121

  David Burke has a passion for artful, whimsical food and an equally ardent fascination with foie gras. The two sometimes overlap. The famous sweet-and-savory lollipops he serves once included a foie gras variety flavored with port, and his foie terrine comes with pineapple-hijiki compote. The latest creation from the mad-scientist-slash-goose-liver-fiend is a twist on what was, before Burke got to it, the most pedestrian of foods: the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. Not anymore. Burke’s PB&J starts with a generous slice of pan-seared foie smothered in macadamia-nut spread and strawberry-vanilla jam. That combo is tucked between slices of brioche, pan-fried, then garnished with a baby mâche salad and a streak of veal jus laced with more strawberry jam. At $22, this is no Jif-and-Smuckers-type deal, but it doesn’t taste like one either. What it tastes like is sweet-and-salty, creamy-and-crunchy heaven.

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