Silver Apricot, which debuted in the midst of the pandemic, is a New-American-Chinese restaurant and a force to be reckoned with.

Not only is this new addition to the New York City dining scene beyond fabulous, but it showcases amazing female talent both in the kitchen and in front of the house.

During my Los Angeles Covid isolation I kept up with NYC dining news.

Silver Apricot was the only restaurant that peaked my interest.

I told my daughter she had to try it…she did and savored every morsel.

She has a tradition of treating us to a wedding anniversary dinner and this year she selected Silver Apricot.

Saturday night was the night to celebrate.

We were seated outside on a balmy summer evening by Silver Apricot managing partner and sommelier, Emmeline Zhao, who had us at hello.

Our server added to the festivities…I love that she grew up in Skaneateles a bucolic upstate New York town where I was coincidentally conceived.

We were welcomed with an exquisite glass of bubbly that our daughter had requested.

The menu features enticing, small, shareable plates.

We kicked the meal off with Scallion Puffs ($11).

What a start. We smeared the warm, snail-shaped puff of flaky pastry that looks like a miniature raisin danish with green scallion butter that is orgasmic…I kid you not.

This was followed up by an amazing Cool Corn Custard which was soo creamy, embellished with fresh corn and black truffle ($19). The combining of these distinct flavors make for a perfectly balanced marriage.

A highlight among a plethora of taste sensations is the Sweet Peas & Burnt Ends which I devoured on my own because my husband does not eat meat…his loss in this case.

The farm fresh sugar snap peas were superb and the crispy pork belly burnt ends were to die for ($15).

We moved on to the Walnut Shrimp Skewers resting on top a delectable honey walnut sauce with a black and white pepper spice ($18).

We ended the savory section with a fabulous Grilled Yellowtail in an outrageous sauce consisting of chanterelles and ramps ($23).

Accompanying the final dish was a Mushroom Crispy Bits Fried Rice which was not my favorite amongst a litany of standouts ($17).

There were a number of other enticing items that we did not order, but sounded exotically appealing including a Watermelon Salad, Crab & Potato Salad, Grass-Fed Skirt Steak and a Trout Crudo.

Dessert was a reminder of the unbelievable Scallion Puffs in the form of Pineapple Puffs with an outrageous and equally tantalizing salted coconut dulce de leche dipping sauce…an ending as memorable and satisfying as Biden defeating Agent Orange ($10).

A cheese course is offered, but, alas, we had no room ($21).

The menu exemplifies a fusion of Chinese staples and the Hudson Valley farm-to-table movement.

Chef and owner Simone Tong who owned Little Tong Noodle Shops in NYC previously worked along side chef and restaurant owner, Wylie Dufresne.

She was born in China and has lived in Hong Kong, Macau, Beijing, Shenzhen, Singapore and Australia before moving a decade ago to New York City.

Tong’s trademark cooking style is taking familiar dishes and breathing new life with exciting flavors into each preparation.

Do not let the portion size fool you…great things come in small, fulfilling packages.

If you try one new restaurant in NYC it should be Silver Apricot which, by the way, is a translation of the original name for the gingko tree in Japanese and Chinese, as represented by the leaf on the restaurant window.

A sublime summer evening sitting outside was greatly enhanced by a sterling meal at Silver Apricot illuminated by exquisite culinary highlights.

Silver Apricot 20 Cornelia Street New York City. Open Wednesday-Saturday 5:30-10pm. Reservations on Resy.