04.15.08
Review of BOND ST, Friday February 2008
6 Bond Street & Broadway/Lafayette, 212-777-2500
Great for: spicy crispy shrimp, sharing lots of dishes, reliably romantic dates, naughty cocktails downstairs, large parties
As I was thinking about the many visits I’ve made to this restaurant, I realized that I’ve been on four second dates here in two years. It’s always fun - not the most imaginative choice if you’re trying to impress a Manhattanite, but romantic without being over the top (and sometimes that’s better). Most importantly, the food never disappoints. This time it was me, the Boyfriend, his friends O & B visiting from London, and their friends D & K who live here. We sat in the round table upstairs by the hostess stand, which was nicely spacious for the six of us.
We got two orders of the spicy crispy shrimp with yuzu calamanci vinaigrette and chipotle aïoli, which I think is hands-down one of the best dishes in the entire city. The shrimp are medium size, fried in a very light tempura batter and drizzled with spicy mayo and chives. They are fluffy, juicy, crunchy, delicious pieces of heaven. I’d be quite happy to have a whole meal of just them. The crispy goat cheese crab cakes had a lovely crunchy pounded rice crust. The wagyu tataki brushed with truffle butter was great – the slices are lined up on a long narrow dish, seared just enough around the edges, and pleasingly soft in the middle. I liked as well the chewy soba nomi buckwheat risotto with sautéed shrimp, peekytoe crab and smoked trout butter, despite the mushrooms in it.
My entrée of NY strip with 18-year-old balsamic vinaigrette, shallots teriyaki and potato cubes was a bit chewy but yummy and made me happy. The Boyfriend’s rack of lamb with Asian pear and potatoes was also tasty. (We’d unwisely already had a lot of sushi that week and didn’t feel like any more.) Those are the only mains I can tell you about firsthand. By the time I was done with my dish, the others had already devoured theirs before I could remind them that they had to share with me so I could review them. They all said, “Delicious.”
The crème caramel with plum wine gelée and caramel sauce was great. It tasted like a better version of flan. The sake crème brûlée with yamamamo fruit and puff pastry was also excellent. We were also quite happy with the quality of the drinks. I liked the sweet saketini I started with, and we got through three bottles of sake #75. The service was good considering it was an extremely busy Friday. They were a bit slow with the drink refills but I’m sure that was partly to do with the small sake glasses and our large thirsts.
It’s a beautiful restaurant, with two floors for dining and a seductive basement lounge where you can also order food. The dim lighting is conducive to romance, and the chairs are really comfortable. Every time I come, the food is very good across the board, quite an accomplishment in a restaurant that’s been open for several years and does so many covers every night. I look forward to the next time I have the privilege of eating here.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $810 for 6 people (3 bottles of sake plus a few cocktails)
Noise level: noisy happy
Chance of walking in: low.
