To celebrate my father's birthday. I cannot relate to people (many of my friends and admired colleagues included) who think Wylie Dufresne's food is weird. He's tremendous. Granted, the food was better this time compared to the last time I dined there (just after it opened) when it was merely very good. So maybe those naysayers just need to go back. I think he's one of the most inventive, talented chefs out there today. We ate squid linguine with melon, sweet paprika mayonnaise and dried Serrano ham, which my sister, who is not the most adventurous eater (and in fact was quite miffed at not being able to get a salad…"is this the only non-Asian restaurant in NYC where you can't get a salad?" she asked) thought it was the best thing she'd ever tasted. I almost agree. But then there was the rest of the meal. Last time I was here, the foie gras terrine with marinated white anchovies was the amuse. This time it was listed as an appetizer. Naturally it sounds somewhat strange, but tastes just right, reminding me of monkfish liver in that it's rich, velvety and fishy in a good way. My brother-in-law (again not the world's most intrepid eater) described it as a little wrapped present. Other highlights included the Flatiron beef with a marrow tart, the pork belly (which the waiter introduced as a dish made famous in the NY Times…hm…), and the flawless sturgeon. Desserts also were of note. Parsnip cake sounds like grim English boarding school fare, but is a decadent, moist and caramelized creation. I barely got a bite of either the banana tart or the citrus panna cotta since my family downed those pretty quickly, but what I tasted made me want to sit at the bar one afternoon and just eat dessert for a few hours…which, if you know me, I've actually been known to do.