Danny Meyer is best known for his growing Shake Shack empire, but there are other restaurants in the city that have drawn countless diners and won accolades for a long time like The Modern at the Museum of Modern Art or the Gramercy Tavern. Within the portfolio of Mr. Meyer’s restaurants, North End Grill has long eluded me, largely because of its location all the way down in Battery Park City. I’ve been hearing, though, that the kitchen under chef Eric Korsh (whose now shuttered restaurant Calliope in East Village that I adored) has been putting together some very good, French-leaning dishes. I’ve finally made a trip to Battery Park City on a recent night, and had a lot of like with dishes coming from the kitchen.

A meal at North End Grill should begin with one of the charcuterie options. My dining companion and I tried country pate with house mustard and trotter torchon with parsley salad, both nicely prepared dishes that would make for a good start to the meal before getting to larger options. Duck egg on top of parmesan and English peas was a beautifully plated dish that was another winner; combined with black truffle on top, it had very elegant balance of flavor that I loved a lot. The main dishes didn’t disappoint either. Pan roasted hake with was expertly cooked and worked quite well with the wood fired chilies and scallions that accompanied it.

The massive Berkshire tomahawk pork chop, accompanied by grilled muscat grapes, potato aligot and green salad, was a thing of beauty, a massive heap of tender pork meat that, despite our best efforts, wasn’t thinning down. It was one of the better pork chops I’ve had in recent years, with the smoky meat that wasn’t overly salty in seasoning to my liking to empower the texture of the meat. For dessert, my dining companion pushed for sticky toffee pudding, candied pecans and ginger ice cream, which turned out to be a fine selection, which crunchy pecans working quite well with toffee pudding and ginger ice cream together for delightful end to the meal.

Getting a reservation at North End Grill doesn’t seem too difficult, and the dining space wasn’t quite full on a Friday night. I assume this is really because of the location of the restaurant that probably draws more crowds from the Wall Street community during lunch hours and more family groups living in the emerging Battery Park City neighborhood during weekends. There is a full bar with large wine selections from all over the world to choose from. As with all Danny Meyer restaurants, North End Grill has eliminated all tipping, and your bill reflects the service charge (hence the food looks generally more expensive). North End Grill’s vibe is somewhat peculiar, at that border between casual neighborhood restaurant and fine dining establishment, with a diverse mix of crowds. Still, there is no question this restaurant is a gem among Danny Meyer’s restaurants, and deserves more recognition.

KenScale: 8.0/10

• Creativity: 8.0/10
• Execution: 8.5/10
• Ingredients: 8.0/10
• Flavor: 8.0/10
• Texture: 8.0/10

Address: 104 North End Avenue, New York, NY 10282

Telephone: (646) 747-1600

Website: http://www.northendgrillnyc.com/