Essex

Essex Restaurant Review:

The only hints that Essex was originally designed to be a holding pen for its next-door neighbor and sibling pizzeria Delancey are the shared bathrooms and kitchen. Since the doors opened, revealing the cool-as-a-cucumber (probably house-pickled) marble surfaces, it has taken off on its own for cocktail fanciers and their hungry friends. Homespun details in the drinks (a house-flavored version of Grand Marnier is named Burg’s Extra Special Orange after the co-owner’s father) match the fresh-from-the-hearth style of cooking that lands on a series of small plates. Among the delectable output from the high-heat pizza oven are the covetable caramelization on the frizzy ends of broccoli and the chili-spiked butters melted into salty pools atop oysters. The same simple, ingredient-driven methods that star in the savory dishes inspire seasonal desserts, such as Meyer lemon budino or peaches in sparkling wine.