Despite being located in the heart of the Fifth Avenue boutique district, Bistro 821 is hip, not stuffy and the food has garnered a loyal following. The menu is all over the map—literally—taking diners from the deep South (chicken pot pie) to southern Italy (veal scaloppini with lemon pecorino crust) to the South Pacific (ginger-, honey- and soy-glazed salmon) to Southeast Asia (sugar cane skewered prawns with Thai chili sauce) and back to South Florida (pot roast with mashed potatoes). Chef Jess Housman has an admirable history of cooking with hot-shot chefs such as Todd English and Jacques Pepin, and here he has carved a niche for himself with original, reliably good dishes of his own invention. If the temperatures are suitable, get a table outside on the street and people-watch while you down one of Housman’s awesome Ahi rolls.
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