 Lincoln Restaurant Review: Lincoln opened with great fanfare. The Patina Group, with its flagship restaurant ensconced in LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, did not skimp over small details and invested a reported $20 million to erect a Manhattan outpost in the plaza of the world’s largest performing arts complex, Lincoln Center. The architectural result indeed is impressive. The glass-and-steel pavilion with grass growing on the inclined roof and the magnificent views of the nearby reflecting pool are as dramatic as many of the productions staged nearby. The open kitchen appears to be the size of a football field, crowded by a battalion of cooks marching over a pristine floor among sparkling stainless steel equipment. Despite its all-American name, Lincoln proclaims it is an Italian restaurant.The director of this state-of-the-art kitchen, chef Jonathan Benno, honed his craft at many top restaurants, including Aqua, The French Laundry, Daniel, Per Se, Gramercy Tavern and Craft, which are not so Italian, either. Never mind, the menu down-right written in Italian (with English translation) indeed covers the gamut of Italianate food and dishes, from the “antipasti” such as the salumis (salt meat) with the praised San Daniele ham to the “primi” and their expected pastas as spaghetti alle vongole, tagliatelle verdi Bolognese or orecchiette with duck, pork and cabbage, and to the main dishes if you are still hungry. Then, you can choose a halibut with mussels, potatoes and garlic, or a branzino (sea bass) accompanied by fennel and olives. Carnivores might consider the cotoleta (veal chop) with artichokes seasoned with gremolata, a mixture of parsley, citrus and garlic, a typical Italian seasoning for veal. In an Italian eatery, you expect good gelati (ice cream), and here they live up to their reputation, along with the successful chocolate gato and its grapefruit cream and coffee ice cream. Concocted by pastry chef Richard Capizzi, desserts are a welcome conclusion to a dinner where imagination did not prevail. There’s also a degustation menu, in the middle of which appears a dish dubbed “strozzapreti neri”. The translation “strangles the priest” gives an idea of the lightness of this homemade pasta; in this case, black with fish eggs and olives. We are not so sure this robust dish belongs on an expensive menu where finesse is expected. The long all-Italian wine list features many small producers. The knowledgeable staff does their best to get pre-performance guests to their seats on time, and will also serve the complete menu at the bar for walk-ins. (Photo by Iowan Baan)
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