Bringing British Cuisine to Midtown Manhattan

Since time immemorial, British cuisine has had a reputation for being wholly unappetizing. One only has to read quotes on the matter such as Martha Harrison: “I'll bet what motivated the British to colonize so much of the world is that they were just looking for a decent meal" as well as Bill Marsano, “the British Empire was created as a by-product of generations of desperate Englishmen roaming the world in search of a decent meal.” 

Well, this might be about to change…at least in midtown Manhattan.  Jason Hicks, co-owner of The Peacock, opened his stylish restaurant with an England-in-Midtown theme, at the end of last year.  He opened the restaurant with the intent of “showcas[ing] the best of British.”

So what is being served at this restaurant? The roasted beet salad contains sharp pickled beets, pink grapefruit, toasted hazelnuts, ricotta, purple watercress and toasted hazelnuts. To start with, for $11 one can get a creamy house-made ricotta drizzled in oil, balsamic vinegar, and oven-dried thyme, topped with sour dough. And one can order the salmon burger as their main at $18 that contains a red pepper and avocado relish.

Hmmm. While these dishes do definitely sound different, it is unclear as to whether they will delegitimize the claims made about British cuisine by Marsano and Harrison.

Still, it might be worth going just to check out the distinctly British décor that features Wedgwood china and a Waterford crystal chandelier.