From Crispy Flatbread To Tender Pork: A Hearty Meal From Heath Oven At NYC's The Fourth

Located in Hyatt Union Square in NYC, The Fourth defies any stereotype you may have about a "hotel restaurant." The latest venture by husband-and-wife restaurateurs, Marco Moreira and Jo-Ann Makovitzky of One Five Hospitality, The Fourth seamlessly combines the urban appeal of Union Square and the edgy ambiance of East Village with its creative New American cuisine.

Among its seasonal menu items include the Roasted Squash & Root Vegetable Salad ($18). Over a thin layer of creamy burrata, you get chunks of roasted root vegetables and squash drizzled with olive oil. The crispy quinoa chips add a nice crunch, while the watercress provides a slightly bitter tang to the dish. 

My favorite appetizer - which is also perfect for sharing - is the Butternut Squash & Maitaki Mushroom Hearth Bread ($18). As the name suggests, the flatbread is baked in a heart oven to produce a perfectly thin and crispy dough. Top it off with generous amount of burrata, arugula, pumpkin seed, mushroom, and julienne butternut squash, and you get yourself one of the best tasting flatbread ever.

As for main entree, you can't go wrong with the signature Pink Salt Brick Roasted Amish Country Chicken ($24). The tender chicken breast is roasted in brick oven, thereby savoring all the juice and moisture. The chicken is also rubbed with pink salt, one of the purest salts that packs more vitamins and minerals than other types of salt. The dish comes with a side of shaved vegetables tossed in lemon vinaigrette.

The Hearth Roasted Rack of Berkshire Pork ($26) is another highlight. You get a hearty rack of lean pork glazed in savory violet mustard. Under the rack of pork is braised tuscan kale and rich puree of medjool dates. Don't be shy about picking up the bone to get the last bit of the tender meat - I sure wasn't.

For dessert, the Coffee & Cake ($12) is the perfect sampler to try something creamy, doughy, and fried. The espresso semifreddo, served in a little mug, has more of a chocolatey flavor than coffee with semi-frozen pot of cream that is topped with crumbled coffee beans and snickerdoodle cookie. Because the pumpkin cake in the middle is a bit on the dry side, be sure to complement it with the creamy espresso semifreddo. The fried apple cake, which tastes like a less dense version of apple cider doughnut, has real bits of apples and topped with raspberry coulis.