03.25.10
Review of Epistrophy, Wednesday January 2010
200 Mott & Spring Sts., 212-966-0904
Great for: crostone, quiet awesome Italian, logophiles
I love wandering around SoHo and the Lower East Side. There’s always a new little shop or restaurant, and sometimes it’s not even new; it’s only been hiding from you. That was the case with Epistrophy, which apparently has been right there for nearly 6 years and yet invisible to me the whole time. I’m just glad I got through platform 9 3/4 and found it – sometimes it still disappears on me, but I just keep the address firmly in my mind.
The Boyfriend suggested we start with crostone al pomodoro and mozzarella, which turned out to be the best idea ever. The dish is deceptively simple; toast with melted cheese and thin-sliced tomatoes. The mozzarella helped meld all the flavors together and protect me against the tomato texture, while the toast is a terrific half inch of crunchiness that is just the right level of crisp because of the cheese and tomato juices. The Boyfriend was in raptures, and has in fact asked for this dish on several occasions since. It is perfect.
His short ribs in red wine and herbs with roast potatoes were lovely, salty, dense and stewy with tender meat. The potatoes were well-spiced and delicious. It might have been a tiny bit dry but overall it was really lovely and I had to stop myself from sneaking too many bites. My pork chops Milanese with fennel and arugula in lemon dressing were also very good. I loved the salad and the pork was exactly the light, delicious dish I wished for. They must have an expert meat tenderizer – the chops were uniformly thin, so much so that the little bit they were overcooked didn’t even matter.
I got a big kick out of their word-themed décor. It’s interesting that they serve Italian food but the place has a French feel, especially with the distressed brick walls. It looks like an old antique store with lots of books. Which is basically my idea of heaven, plus they serve terrific food!!!
Rating: 8 / 10 (in April 2010 just as good)
Our cost: $55
Noise level: the hum of happy, well-fed people
Chance of walking in: low; I’ve been there on a late Monday night and it’s still packed.
In April, we tried the crostoni misti, which was almost as good as the simple tomato kind. I very much like the soppressata one. The tilapia in spiced tomato sauce (fregola al sugo di pesce) is very yummy and spiced as advertised. I am starting to suspect that they cook things super hot here, as the meats and fish we’ve tried have uniformly been a teeny bit too well done. The Boyfriend’s ravioli al carciofi with basil pesto, pinenuts and parmesan was terrific, with flavors that go together really well. I had to sit on my hands for a bit to stop stealing nibbles.
Their raspberry cheesecake is so scrumptious I want to roll around in it. It’s creamy, not too sweet, with nice tart raspberries and a nice contrast of chocolate drizzle. They also have lovely house wines.
