David Burke Kitchen

The latest gem in David Burke's empire is four-month-old David Burke Kitchen. Located at the edge of Chinatown, it features its proprietor's emphasis on farm-to-table food. The restaurant's atmosphere is rather incongruous; a loud techno soundtrack provides a jarring backdrop to a rustic room decorated with photos of farmhands. As the volume escalates, it becomes difficult to concentrate on how delicious the food is, but this seems to be an increasingly common complaint.

The menu features comfort food with a twist. It's impossible not to order at least five appetizers, which also include the lighter "snacks" and "jars." For jars, our table ordered a basil-accented tomato, ricotta and eggplant jar which reminded me of a deconstructed eggplant parmigiana and the ocean cocktail, which was a spicy ceviche of shrimp, scallops and lobster served with refreshing endive leaves. We then progressed to snacks of salmon pastrami rolled around pretzel sticks and skewers of decadent date and peanut butter croquettes wrapped with slices of maple bacon.

The next dish was one of my favorites of the night. A bowl of mellow tomato gazpacho featured a dainty round napoleon based on a thin disk of watermelon, which was layered with sweet lobster meat and a layer of chive and salt-sprinkled lemon creme fraiche. For main courses, the tuna was a study in crimson: crispy sushi-grade slices were accompanied by a tart plum sauce and roasted beets. If I had it to do over again, I would not have ordered the short ribs and cavatelli with truffle cream and dried wild mushroom chips. Although this dish was delicious, it was probably the heaviest on the menu, and was reminiscent of beef stroganoff. Next time, I will take advantage of all the line-caught fish and local produce on the menu.

Desserts were predictably cute and comforting. Sugar-dusted fried donuts were served with fun tubes of caramel, chocolate and raspberry, as well as a selection of ice cream sandwiches. The peach cobbler could have been served warmer and was rather plain Jane, but this was forgotten when complimentary little packages of crunchy chocolates were brought by.

If you've ever seen the show "Portlandia," you may have been amused by an episode where two diners obsess over the origin of the chicken at a restaurant. They keep asking, "But is it local?" The waiter presents them with a certificate showing the chicken's given name, biography, and the farm where he lived. I will be moving to Portland at the end of the summer, so I guess it's time for me to start taking advantage of the farm-to-table movement!

David Burke Kitchen: James Hotel, 23 Grand St., (212) 201-9119.