09.11.08
Posted in New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5, small plates, Spanish, West Village at 17:11 by Dominique
823 Greenwich & Horatio Sts., 212-929-8210
Great for: alliophiles (garlic lovers), sangria
My friend Matthew and I kind of randomly picked this spot for its location. Poor Matt got lost along the way because I forgot to tell him Greenwich Street, not Avenue. As I waited for him, a weird guy at the bar tried very persistently to get me to try one of his meatballs. He said they were really good, but I wasn’t about to eat some disturbing stranger’s food.
After Matt rescued me and we ordered, they brought us complimentary salad with a nice dressing. My shrimp à la diablo with tomato sauce, onion and green pepper was decent, not peppery as the adjective would suggest. His shrimp cocktail turned out to be baby shrimp in a very garlicky, somewhat spicy sauce. It was great. Probably my favorite thing we had.
In an effort not to over-order we shared an entrée of Valenciana paella with chicken, sausage, clams, mussels, scallops and shrimp. It was pretty good. It would have been very good but the chorizo was a bit dry, the shrimp unflavored and the shellfish just ok. The scallops were juicy and great though, and I liked the flavor of the rice. The dish was so huge, we only finished half.
We had a pitcher of just-right sangria, not too strong or sweet. I can’t say the same for the service. They barely paid attention to us, and I had a saucer for a bread plate. It was fine, since I don’t eat bread; I just think the difference between a regular plate and a saucer with a circle in it is pretty noticeable. The place wasn’t that busy, either, so I’m not sure why they were so lackadaisical. It’s a cozy space with a lot of filigree metalwork, which I preferred to the faded amateur frescos decorating the walls. I’d only come for the shrimp cocktail plus sangria.
Rating: 6 / 10
Our cost: $80 (1 pitcher of sangria)
Noise level: room is small, so you’re out of luck if there’s a table full of loud drunks.
Chance of walking in: pretty good, we didn’t wait at 8pm.
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09.05.08
Posted in Asian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, Southeast Asian, West Village at 12:49 by Dominique
643 Hudson St. & Horatio/Gansevoort Sts., 212-352-3590
Great for: sliders, spicy food, skinny people with great hearing
Midtown Hedge Funder finally asked me out, but he left it so late all I had free was a Monday. I’ve been meaning to try Fatty Crab for ages. The menu is small but I was enthusiastic about most of it, a rarity for me. I’m a pretty picky eater.
We started with the Malay fish fry with turmeric [which was misspelled tumeric] tempura, crab curry, green chili and tamaki. It was like fish without chips and some bits were very hot. I found the coconut rice with pepper slices and parsley leaves quite good, despite my dislike of coconut, though a bit gritty. The fatty sliders of beef & pork on toasty buns were probably the best thing we had. They’re very juicy and the fat is blended in well enough that I didn’t feel the need to pick it out.
The somewhat eponymous chili Dungeness crab on white toast was pretty good. The sauce is a bit sweet for my taste, and the crab is nice though difficult to eat, primarily because it’s hard to hold onto the shells with all that sauce. I liked the giant, fluffy, thick slabs of toast. The fatty duck, both steamed and fried, with toasted tamaki on rice and pickle slices was also yummy. The sauce was really sweet and the peppers medium spicy, while the duck was crispy and very fatty but with good meat. It’s a small dish, you can definitely handle a side with it. We had the enjoyable and tender baby bok choy with oyster sauce.
Be careful, the hot sauce on the table is fishy and super hot! I went a little crazy with it and had to gulp down my Dark and Stormy cocktail. It’s made with Goslings black rum, ginger and lime. Too gingery at first, it grew on me. The bartender’s quite friendly too.
We liked our waiter, who managed to squeeze in and out of the narrow space and take care of all his tables with flair and grace. The place is cozy, if you’re feeling charitable – cramped might be more accurate. Don’t drink too much water, as you may not want to maneuver away from your table more than once. The music is super loud and I wanted cold water, but overall it’s a decent restaurant. If I came back I would get a snack of the sliders and then probably go somewhere else.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $160 (1 Tiger beer, 2 Dark & Stormys)
Noise level:
Chance of walking in: It’s not too bad early, like at 7pm. No reservations.
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06.18.08
Posted in Italian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, West Village at 20:50 by Dominique
359 Bleecker & Charles St., 212-929-8727
Great for: skinny people, simple good food
My foodie friend A is thoughtful and articulate, so our discussions are always interesting and she can frequently help me figure out what flavors are and such. We decided to be each other’s Friday night date and August was on both our lists so she managed to get us a reservation.
A started with the special of veal tongue salad, bone marrow toast, mustard, capers and escarole with fennel seeds sprinkled all over everything. Confusingly, the thinly sliced tongue had a little iron skillet to itself. It tasted like cafeteria meat. I actually can’t think of an adjective to describe the flavor, it was that nondescript. The bone marrow had the texture of butter and was also blah. We liked the escarole with creamy vinaigrette though. Fortunately my tarte flambé abundantly made up for it – made with Alsatian onion, very fatty bacon and crème fraîche, it was deliciously creamy. It didn’t look like a proper tarte so much as a pizza without cheese, which was kind of funny.
My main dish of oven-roasted whole orata, a white fish, with Sicilian salmoriglio (a sauce with olive oil, fines herbes and garlic) was tender and flavorful. It was also a tad salty, but very enjoyable. A went for the charred minute steak with julienne salad and crispy potatoes, pickled shallots and horseradish strips. The meat was soft and lovely with olive oil and balsamic sauce. Though it comes pre-sliced, you’ll probably have to do a little more knife work as the slices are quite large. We found the steak perfectly seasoned to bring out its flavors.
We thought we were too stuffed for any dessert, until our handsome waiter unexpectedly brought us a free dish of gelati because we didn’t like the veal tongue. Both flavors were delicious – the ricotta almond was hard and mildly sweet, while the anise was not as strong-tasting as we thought it’d be. Our champagne cocktails were good too. They come in lavender or rhubarb. The lavender was quite sweet, I think because of added honey, and we liked the rhubarb as well.
The restaurant is very narrow, with a back dining room. We sat in the front section – it’s a good thing we’re both slender, or we would have had trouble. The table was so small that might have been why we didn’t get bread plates. We could barely fit our dishes at the same time as it was. It’s cozy though. They’re definitely going for the quaint wooden farmhouse look. We were less impressed with the forks, which had tines as messed up as redneck teeth, but overall we had a good experience.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $125 (2 champagne cocktails)
Noise level: quite loud, but easy to have your own conversation
Chance of walking in: very low.
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05.26.08
Posted in Italian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 9 to 10, West Village at 00:05 by Dominique
38 8th Ave. & Jane St., 212-366-6633
Great for: sweetbreads, grilled dishes, oenophiles, creative cocktails
My friend S is something of a foodie too. I know whenever he raves about a restaurant, it must be pretty damn good. Dell’anima is his new favorite. Apparently it’s the joint effort of an ex-Babbo sommelier and a former Del Posto chef. It certainly lives up to its potential.
I was lucky S has been here several times, so he could tell me the best things to order. He steered me away from the bruschetta, which he said is just fancy toasted bread, and the pasta, apparently on the brick side of al dente. My starter of quail with farro, beets, lime, chilies, mint, yogurt and tomatoes was a bit burnt in a great way, wonderfully spiced and juicy. The farro had a perfect texture halfway between firm and soft. The accompanying vegetables were an interesting contrast to the quail. S’s sweetbreads with parsnip puree, lemon and capers were fantastic. If I hadn’t known, I would have thought I was eating exceptionally tender chicken, which helped me get past the fact that it’s not and savor each bite. S had a glass of unfiltered white Collio to go with it, which matched really well.
For a main I got the ribeye with grilled fingerling potatoes and Gorgonzola. It was scrumptiously and crisply charred. The potatoes were crackly yet soft inside almost like overgrown French fries. I even liked the cheese, though I’m not usually a fan of that kind. S wasn’t too hungry so he got the octopus appetizer as a second course. It’s charred and served over rice, beans, chorizo and chicory. It was so soft! Not rubbery at all and I really liked it. I think this is the way octopus is supposed to be. His glass of red Alianco complemented it nicely.
The bartender makes some interesting drinks. S’s Negroni was way too bitter for me. I liked the Monte Bianco, a combination of Ketel Citroen, St. Germain and aperol. It was slightly bitter and sweet at the same time. Our waitress Gabriella was cute, friendly and attentive. The busboy, on the other hand, kept trying to take away my appetizer before I was done. He stopped that after I told him three times I was still eating.
The decor is understated and elegant. The lighting is fairly dim, so it’s a good place for a date. It’s quite a small space, although pretty big for the West Village – there’s an interesting counter in the middle at which you can sit and watch the chefs do their magic right in front of you. I’m looking forward to my next visit.
Rating: 9 / 10
Our cost: $180
Noise level: lean-forward-and-cup-your-ear noisy
Chance of walking in: very low.
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05.25.08
Posted in American, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, West Village at 03:59 by Dominique
90 Bedford St. & Grove St., 212-741-4695
Great for: intimate dinners, sharing dishes, pretending you’re in a cozy upstate farmhouse
This night was my three-year anniversary with my girlfriend E. Initially, we were set up on a blind date by a guy who was into both of us but settled for putting us together since neither of us liked him that way. We kind of dated for a while – we both had boyfriends though, and now we’re pretty much just really good friends. She finished culinary school recently, one of the many reasons I love eating out with her. We’d heard amazing things about the food, and were really excited to finally try it. I actually made our reservation a month in advance. They are so small they book up really quickly. I called around midday of exactly a month ahead and the prime times were already taken.
Upon our waiter’s advice, we decided to share just the regular two appetizers and two entrées, though we would have been happy getting the last four appetizers on the menu. He very kindly split everything for us, giving us half of both appetizers and mains on each of our plates. It was so thoughtful. I know it must have been more work for the kitchen, since everything was beautifully presented, not just divided onto different plates. The duck breast with arugula, almonds, Parmesan and truffle was great. The very thin slices of meat with their almost-soft texture made a lovely contrast with the crunchy almonds and cheese. I found that overall it was just the right amount of tartness. The ricotta cavatelli with fava beans, bacon and tomato broth was also fantastic. It was a little spicy and very flavorful. The pasta, kind of a long squiggle, had a perfect al dente firmness.
The broiled halibut on a bed of English peas, corn, baby snow pea shoots and pesto was wonderful. The sauce was delicious – even though normally I don’t like pesto much – and the fish was very firm with a soft layer of pesto on top. I don’t know a whole lot about how firm different fishes are supposed to be, but I know this halibut’s texture did not suggest overcooking, as so often seems to happen with this particular fish. It just seemed right. The enormous pork chop with Parmesan butter beans and wild dandelion was the only thing that fell a bit short. The meat was not as soft as it could have been, and a little dry. The butter beans were huge, though, and it was kind of sweet in a good way with a hint of licorice that I surprisingly didn’t hate. The dandelion was very sour in the middle. The spiced fries with aioli may have been sprinkled with turmeric or magic stardust, I’m not sure. They were crispy outside and chewy perfection inside. The aioli seemed to be just mayonnaise, possibly flavored.
Of the two cocktails we tried, the petit hibout was better than the bramble. I found the latter a little tangy for my taste. The petit hibout tastes quite strongly of apple juice and comes in a huge glass. Next E had the Taburno white wine, which we liked. We enjoyed my Vega Sindoa rosé wine too, and especially how generous the sommelier was with our pours.
Our waiter showed saintly patience toward us. We didn’t look at the menus for a while, and then when we did we had lots of questions and dithered about what to get for quite a time. He was unfailingly nice and helpful despite all that. The place feels like a quaint, cozy farmhouse with plants everywhere. We even noticed little mangrove trees, as well as tulips and other little flowers. I very much liked the staggered lamps hanging from chains that provided lighting. I’m definitely coming back here.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $150 (2 drinks each)
Noise level: pretty loud
Chance of walking in: hah. I called a month in advance to get our spot. It’s a tiny place, don’t depend on luck.
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