The Red Cat

Description
This beloved Chelsea original features a New Englandish, wainscoted dining room with red walls, crisp white tablecloths and plenty of handsome diners. The kitchen gives almost every dish an intriguing twist: In place of crab cakes, for instance, are plump rock-shrimp-and-fish cakes served with a zesty papaya salad and curried citrus crème fraîche. A wild-mushroom tart is like a big, buttery, earthy cookie made with Taleggio and served over fragrant truffle-dressed greens. Do not attempt to eat lightly here. The Red Cat specializes in all that’s hearty: gargantuan pork chops, Parmesan-covered french fries, extra-juicy shell steak and big-time sweets like banana splits and apple tarts.