06.01.08
Review of Bar Milano, Friday May 2008
323 3rd Ave. & 24th St., 212-683-3035 (now an ‘inoteca)
Great for: a sophisticated night out, eating in the bar area, oenophiles who favor Italian wines, lovely late night cocktails for small wallets
I wasn’t too sure about this place after reading Adam Platt’s two-star review in New York magazine, but the Producer said he’d heard good things about it. (Also, the four other restaurants we considered didn’t take reservations.) I figured, how bad could it be with an ex-Lupa chef? We’d just stay away from the pasta as Mr. Platt advised. I ended up ordering his ideal meal – although admittedly not very creative, I wasn’t in the mood for possibly crap food.
My appetizer of patata imbottita arrived as a crispy potato envelope filled with egg and fontina, with caviar on top and greens on the side. It was crispy, creamy and rich; a bit salty, too, I think from the hollandaise sauce underneath. I also liked the Producer’s mondeghili di ostrica, which alternated fried oysters with farro-stuffed cabbage pockets. The oysters were done very well, not rubbery or gooey. The farro was a little vinegary but overall, the dish was simple and good. We were both tempted to order a pasta, just because they look yummy on the menu, and were glad we didn’t when the table next to us made faces over their ravioli.
I was quite pleased with my veal chop Milanese. It had nice crispy breading with a bit too much fat on the sides. Absolutely enormous, it was nearly big enough to fill up the plate by itself (I declined the accompanying mushrooms). I thought the underlying sauce a little sweet. P’s pork chop with mustard fruit, escarole and braised pork was similarly huge. The meat was a bit chewy but tasty. We could have done without the dollops of sweet applesauce. Though the pork was able to make up for it in taste, contrast and quality, I don’t think it should have had to. Both chops could have been cooked a smidgen less – they weren’t dry, just “one step over” as P said. They were pretty good though. The side order of polenta made from Anson Mills corn meal was delicious. It was a great balance of creaminess and texture.
We were delighted with the complimentary triangles of hazelnut and almond nougat dipped in chocolate, as well as our drinks. I had the Corpse Reviver – I can’t resist absinthe – which you will only find on the “Lost and Forgotten Cocktails” menu at the bar. It’s not as absinthe-heavy as you’d expect. The delicious Purgatorio – Belvedere Pomarancza, Aperol, St. Germain, mango purée, and fresh lime juice – went down smoothly. P enjoyed his two giant glasses of rosé.
We appreciated our friendly, attentive waiter. Not so much the housefly convention behind me at one point, but the pretty geode-looking marble wall there kind of made up for it. We were amused by the very Upper East Side WASP-y drink cart off to one side with vodka, gin and mixers. Oenophiles would probably be more interested in the impressive amount of wine in glass cases along the dining room wall. In general, the decor was nice, albeit somewhat impersonal.
This is a very decent resto. For the kind-of-crappy stretch of 3rd Avenue it’s on, it’s veritable gold. Upscale without being pretentious, they also serve generous portions. Overall our whole meal was pretty solid.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $180
Noise level: loud
Chance of walking in: low.
Unfortunately, as of January 2009, Bar Milano is going to close for a little while and reopen as another ‘inoteca branch. Oh well. I hope they keep the cocktails.
