Three Hot Tables Around the World
Brussels
Opened last November, Parachute Parc brings meze-style dining to Ixelles, a neighborhood best known for French bistros. Owner Fabrice Ferrari (of the fabulous En Face de Parachute just down the street) brought in chef Gaëtan de Couve, who changes his menu every three weeks to keep ingredients seasonal. During our visit dorado tartare was prepared with ginger and lime, and panfried foie d’oie paired with mango. Dinner, $95; 32-2/346-6829
New York City
The haute food court in the Time Warner Center, home to $250 tasting menus and $400 omakase dinners, finally has a restaurant for mere mortals. The attractive new Midtown location of TriBeCa’s Landmarc—designed by Clodagh in burnished steel and dark wood—features Marc Murphy’s smoked mozzarella–and–ricotta fritters along with his stellar pork chops, plus the same remarkable half bottle–heavy, low-markup wine list. Dinner, $80; 212-823-6123
Azeitão, Portugal
Set on a 62-acre vineyard in the Arrábida foothills, just a 40-minute drive from Lisbon, Quinta de Catralvos Restaurante is where chef Luís Baena creatively reinterprets traditional Portuguese cuisine. The menu’s 28 tapas-size morsels are ephem-eral artworks with amusing twists: The McSilva, a Golden Arches look-alike, is done with a bacalao patty and the prawn Hot Dog comes on a dog bone–shaped brioche. Dinner, $135; quintadecatralvos.com
