Tatiana
At Lincoln Center's Tatiana restaurant, the GOAT on the menu doesn't stand for Greatest Of All Time. It stands for, well, goat. As in the bleating ruminant that hasn't been a widely available source of protein in this neighborhood since about 1959, when the performing arts complex broke ground and displaced thousands of working-class New Yorkers, many of Puerto Rican heritage. (Stephen Spielberg wove that backstory into his film adaptation of West Side Story.)
By serving goat in this rarified setting—heck, you can see the Chagall murals through the windows of the Metropolitan Opera House as you dine—chef/owner Kwame Onwuachi isn't just cooking up seriously tasty food. He's also planting a flag of sorts, and returning this space to its roots.
Prepared in a wonderfully crisp fried patty, the curried goat in question is served with a creamy, tangy sauce on a heavy black plate. The dish may be an oddity for Lincoln Center, but it's an elegant and delicious one.
And those patties aren't the only new-to-the-hood (or returned-to-the-hood) tastes Onwuachi has in store: The entire menu riffs on the foods of the Caribbean and Africa, so get ready for braised oxtail stew, crispy okra, and head-on creole shrimp, among other treats. Everything comes in massive portions, so most couples can get away with sharing one appetizer and one entrée—useful to know since the appetizers mostly cost in the mid $20s, and the mains run from $42 to $50, with the star dish, an African interpretation of on-the-bone pastrami, at a whopping $72 (it's good—and pictured below—but I'm not sure it earns that hefty price tag).
As you might expect from a restaurant in a performing arts complex, the servers here are expert at getting diners to their shows on time, so let your server know if you're headed to a concert, ballet, opera, or play. And don't be shy about wearing your special occasion duds: Tatiana has the same handsome brutalist looks as the rest of the arts complex, serving as a fine backdrop for formal wear.
One warning: Most reservations are either in the 5pm or 9pm hour to accommodate guests seeing shows. If you're just here for a meal, snagging a seat at the no-reservations-needed bar will allow you to dine when you want.
At Lincoln Center's Tatiana restaurant, the GOAT on the menu doesn't stand for Greatest Of All Time. It stands for, well, goat. As in the bleating ruminant that hasn't been a widely available source of protein in this neighborhood since about 1959, when the performing arts complex broke ground and displaced thousands of working-class New Yorkers, many of Puerto Rican heritage. (Stephen Spielberg wove that backstory into his film adaptation of West Side Story.)
By serving goat in this rarified setting—heck, you can see the Chagall murals through the windows of the Metropolitan Opera House as you dine—chef/owner Kwame Onwuachi isn't just cooking up seriously tasty food. He's also planting a flag of sorts, and returning this space to its roots.
Prepared in a wonderfully crisp fried patty, the curried goat in question is served with a creamy, tangy sauce on a heavy black plate. The dish may be an oddity for Lincoln Center, but it's an elegant and delicious one.
And those patties aren't the only new-to-the-hood (or returned-to-the-hood) tastes Onwuachi has in store: The entire menu riffs on the foods of the Caribbean and Africa, so get ready for braised oxtail stew, crispy okra, and head-on creole shrimp, among other treats. Everything comes in massive portions, so most couples can get away with sharing one appetizer and one entrée—useful to know since the appetizers mostly cost in the mid $20s, and the mains run from $42 to $50, with the star dish, an African interpretation of on-the-bone pastrami, at a whopping $72 (it's good—and pictured below—but I'm not sure it earns that hefty price tag).
As you might expect from a restaurant in a performing arts complex, the servers here are expert at getting diners to their shows on time, so let your server know if you're headed to a concert, ballet, opera, or play. And don't be shy about wearing your special occasion duds: Tatiana has the same handsome brutalist looks as the rest of the arts complex, serving as a fine backdrop for formal wear.
One warning: Most reservations are either in the 5pm or 9pm hour to accommodate guests seeing shows. If you're just here for a meal, snagging a seat at the no-reservations-needed bar will allow you to dine when you want.
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