In New York for the James Beard Awards on Monday, I took the opportunity to check out some newish restaurants I had on my list. As we walked east in the dusk, I could pick out the globe lights in front and the door stenciled with the name Prune in a sweet old-fashioned typeface. From one of those famously cramped New York kitchens, visible at the back, owner-chef Gabrielle Hamilton turns out wonderful and eclectic rustic fare. Bouquets of lilacs and baskets of lemons perch on the shelves. Her hair tied in pigtails, she looks completely at home in her kitchen.
Nobody seems to be leaving.
As soon as the food starts to sail by our table, we know why everyone's here. The menu expresses a quirky sensibility. The latter, by the way, is delicious. As are the gloriously messy grilled heads-on shrimp in anchovy butter and the grilled handmade lamb sausage patties. Whole grilled branzino is stuffed with fennel and presented head to tail on a long platter.