When you name your flagship after yourself, you’d better be sure your word is bond. Since opening his doors in spring 2014, Townsend Wentz has more than warranted the hype he generated for, yes, Townsend (a tad more patrician than Wentz, after all). The crisp yet cozy townhouse surroundings serve as an unobtrusive backdrop for an engrossing menu that, though à la carte, encourages multicourse marathons—starting, perhaps, with a signature like the exquisite hamachi tartare, followed by escargots and Brussels sprouts in bacon-enriched, sherried crème fraîche; pot au feu-inspired rabbit three ways; and a good old spiced baked apple with amaretto cream and candied walnuts. Sommelier Lauren Harris tightly curates her list to showcase the food-friendly finds of lesser-known terroirs—from the Canary Islands to Long Island—and her dessert-wine offerings are a special treat, as is the staff’s comfort level with regard to pairings. But you’d be wise to kick off the whole adventure with a cocktail at the bar Wentz himself built from reclaimed cherrywood.
