Chef Patron John Fraser is one of the new younger chefs in New York who does not just settle down and becomes satisfied for less. No, he is the kind of chef who breaks new ground and constantly works for improvements and new challenges. John Fraser has taken his Dovetail to local fame thanks to his clever and original cuisine and he truly deserves all his success – Dovetail is a restaurant which should be among your top options during your New York stay.

John Fraser is of Scottish and Greek origin and grew up in a family of strong work ethics. The Chef was taught very early the importance of hard labour. He was 17 when he passed a degree in anthropology at the University of California in San Diego. The young Chef continued his career at Cocco Pazzo and Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, both in Los Angeles, where he soon was noticed for his talent. He moved to the Napa Valley and worked two years for Chef Thomas Keller at the French Laundry where he learnt a lot about the importance of seasonal ingredients and different cooking techniques. Later on John Fraser moved to Paris for a year in the kitchens of Maison Blanche and Taillevent. After France he moved to New York and opened a small Greek restaurant called Snack Taverna. Two years later he moved on and became the Executive Chef of Compass. Late in 2007 the doors of Dovetail were opened at Upper West Side in New York just a few steps away from the Central Park.

Dovetail is not the classic luxurious restaurant; no, it is more of a trendy place of brown colours and bare wood tables. The main floor houses the restaurant with tables that might be too close to each other to fit everyone and it can be a bit noisy in the dining room. There is a private dining room downstairs for those looking for a more intimate or exclusive evening, but the main dining room works perfect as long as you have the right attitude.

The culinary mind of John Fraser is not the typical one; even if his cooking techniques rather emanate from Europe and mostly France. The creative and skilled Chef offers seasonal contemporary cuisine, which can be a butter poached lobster with burgundy truffles, celery root and scallions or the pistachio crusted duck with sunchokes, dates and spinach. The delicious signature roasted sirloin with beef cheek lasagna and with king trumpet mushrooms & onions is highly recommended.

It is time for Dovetail to be internationally recognized for its greatness so we can only say that this is a great restaurant which truly deserves your reservation. You are going to have a great evening with some delicious food.

Image of Chef Patron John Fraser: Courtesy Dovetail

Written by Andy