When I described the history and complexity of the souffle back in February for Chocolate Souffle Day, I said that the nature of the souffle’s base ingredients–an egg yolk cream sauce and egg white meringue–allow for the souffle to be made either sweet or savory, for two very different airy souffle experiences. Chocolate, of course, provides the quintessential sweet souffle; and the cheese souffle is its signature savory counterpart. Cheese souffles are light and airy, just like the chocolate ones, but instead of getting a souffle that seems flavored by chocolate, you get a rich, cheesy taste and texture infused throughout the souffle. And the variety of cheeses you can use–from grated Gruyere to creamy Brie or the sharp taste of Cheddar–makes everyone’s signature souffle a different and unique experience.
And for a really unique souffle experience, try the goat cheese and pistachio souffle starter at 44 & X. The name of the restaurant comes easily from its location in Hell’s Kitchen, as much a new spin on its address as it is a new spin on American comfort food. Food critics from New York Magazine and the New York Times rave about their take on macaroni and cheese and buttermilk fried chicken. They continue their expert streak on cheese dishes with a goat cheese and pistachio souffle, an interesting mix of ingredients that you probably will never see elsewhere. The unique texture and pungent taste of goat cheese gives the light souffle a flavorful weight to keep it grounded, the cheese making this a heavy, rich appetizer without feeling like it’s too dense to be considered a souffle. And if you’ve still not had your souffle fix after this, the restaurant also offers a deliberately “fallen” chocolate souffle for dessert, also super rich with chocolate flavor, and served with vanilla ice cream–a well-rounded souffle dinner for this national food holiday!
44 & X
622 10th Ave (between 44th St & 45th St)
http://www.44andx.com
Some reviews from Yelp.com:
“I came here for a pre-theater dinner and was thoroughly impressed! Our waiter was super cute and sweet and not overly attentive. The food was just wonderful and so were our cocktails. I had the goat cheese souffle – AMAZING. I know I’m a big sucker for anything involving goat cheese, but this was really nice and well presented.”–Siobhan C.
“Starters I had the goat cheese souffle and he had a grilled calamari special. Enjoyed both of these – the souffle is VERY rich. I was full after eating 3/4 of the souffle. My taste of the calamari was very good as well (properly cooked, not overdone or raw) and was in some green sauce with a nice flavor.”–Maribeth H.
Make sure you check out the updated NYC Food Holidays Map to find this most recent holiday!
National Food Days in New York City 