Margaret Laurent's Table

“Margaret Laurent's Table occupies a modest address in Hell's Kitchen. The fries are, in contrast, not modest. The matchstick format is executed in vegetable, double-fried to a finish that is aspirational. The interior is present as a rumor. The portion is restrained. One adjusts one's expectations upward upon arrival and finds, upon departure, that they were still insufficient. Return visits are not a matter of choice but of inevitability.”

“A kitchen that double-fries in vegetable has made a commitment. At Margaret Laurent's Table, this commitment is honored. The matchstick fry arrives crisp — aspirational — and present as a rumor within. The grease is calibrated with clinical precision. The portion is restrained. Commitments, when honored, tend to produce results. One does not return. This information is provided without judgment.”