PAUL SALE IS THE ICON AT W NEW YORK THE COURT 

Story and Photos by 
Pamela A. Campbell

It's London's loss and New York's gain. And in restaurant circles that's a major coup.

It's no secret that Paul Sale's arrival at W New York the court has signaled a love-in with the hotel's Icon Restaurant. The executive chef's menu offers fine dining aficionados a monumental array of American dishes with a distinctive French flair.

You'll find the restaurant in swank midtown Manhattan a scintillating hotspot with attitude of the best kind. Whatever Starwood Design Group had in mind, it worked for me, and it looks like I've got lots of company (it's the rage of Murray Hill residents and visitors alike).

The black and silver colored decor unfolds dramatically once you get past the hotel's curiously funny fur lined corridor. Lighting is just enough to absorb the layout of the dining room and get to the ebony wooden tables with soft cushioned seats before you notice the bold metallic silver ceiling and mirrors galore.

But all the glitz and glamour (and the clientele provides lots of that) are easily surpassed by Paul Sale's cooking dynasty.

Sale's unquestionable passion for cooking has consumed his interest since childhood days in England, where he studied, trained and began developing his culinary talent.

Although only 37, Sale can reminisce about his years at New York's top rated Le Bernadin, Fifty-Seven Fifty Seven and London's Connaught Hotel Mayfair. The latter experience has left an indelible appreciation of the importance of pleasing the clientele, a factor that he never overlooks to this day.

As a result, Icon's menu continuously features new flavorful dishes, tempting enough to keep the regulars returning. As proof it's not just whimsical, Sale and his sous chef devote about five hours every week to planning the next lineup.

The friendly, unassuming and newest star of Drew Nieporent's Myriad Restaurant Group has an innovative style that prompts Michael Trenk's (Icon Manager) statement that Icon is "a restaurant for the 21st Century."

Sale and company use organic fruits and vegetables secured from the freshest source, local farmers who grow produce exclusively for the restaurant. Market excursions allow the chef to keep abreast of seasonal offerings.

Fine dining at the Icon means excellence and originality. Sale cooks with style and zest and yes, flavor comes with cream sauces and butter, but not overdone.

Hotel guests are doubly fortunate to opt for on-site breakfast, lunch and dinner. My guest and I were eager to find out why discriminating New Yorkers were so captivated by Icon. Was it the food, the decor or the atmosphere?

Our impression during a dinner rendezvous bordered on the obvious. Pride of product. There are precious few places around that welcome their guests more graciously, feed them so delectably and bid them adieu without emptying their bank accounts.

Appetizers prep your taste buds with the likes of Baked Sunflower Seed Goat Cheese, Warm Globe Artichoke and Asparagus Salad and Chilled Fishers Island Oysters. For simpler fare you can savor the Fresh Garden Pea Soup.

The entrees titillate the palate even as mere words printed on colored silver sheets encased in classy black leather. The pressure lightens once we decide to order and our waitress smilingly approves of our selections.

Exercising great restraint I allow my guest to order Paul Sale's signature dish - sautéed Chilean Bass, a fixture on the menu since its debut in November last year. It speaks volumes that the Sea Bass disappears together with the tasty complement of melted leeks, fennel and garlic croutons in a subtle Bouillabaisse sauce.

I waiver between the pan seared Muscovy Duck Breast and herb crusted Rack of Lamb, but eventually the lamb wins my nod - the Yukon potato leek hash, roasted baby vegetables and burgundy lamb jus playing the pivotal role in my selection. I would later discover that this was another of the chef's creations that has become a much-requested entree.

If you continue to feel in a buoyant mood, you'll welcome the sight of the dessert menu. Icon's pastry chef George McKirdy's rendition of all things sweet is devilishly tempting. Believe it or not, we indulged in three desserts and happily fulfilled McKirdy's goal "to end the meal on an exquisitely high note."

The wine list features a wide selection from the vineyards of America, France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Australia. Specialty cocktails are fun creations of the bartender who caters to the Icon crowd with drinks like Icontini, Mangopolitan, Millennium Margarita, The 21st Century Cosmopolitan, The Lemondrop, The Legend and The 2000.

If your expectations go beyond ordinary, the Icon ranks with the best. And Paul Sale is a chef sensation!