07.11.10
Review of Faustina, Wednesday February 2010
25 Cooper Square & 5th/6th St., 212-475-3400 (now closed, RIP)
Great for: large parties, ciabatta, scallops, lobster, tajarin
I seem to be having trouble finishing this review, so if it’s a little rough, sorry – I have let it sit for a couple months now, and there are many new things to write about. Like the amazing Beef 7 Ways feast at Má Pêche, the Meatball Shop (good but terribly overpriced), Pulino’s (good but it’s still just pizza, not crack), Steak Shoppe (wonderful! damn the landlord), Minetta Tavern (totally worth it), and Kampuchea‘s rapid decline. It’s a tribute to how good Faustina was that I’m not just skipping it.
For my birthday the (now ex-) Boyfriend took me out to a fancy new restaurant. We lucked into a reservation here because there was a crazy blizzard and a lot of people canceled. I’m a fan of Scott Conant’s from Scarpetta and this was similar, just with smaller plates.
We started with the grilled ciabatta with poached duck egg and fonduta, which was absolutely terrific. The charred thick bread is a good base for the creamy, lovely “sauce” – I actually used some to scoop up the last bits of egg yolk. We weren’t as fond of the stromboli with prosciutto and smoked mozzarella. Though nicely composed, it was pretty bland.
We really enjoyed the lobster susci with concentrated tomatoes. I’ve never had nearly raw lobster, and it was very tasty. I especially loved the tomatoes-turned-into-green sauce underneath. I just wished for more than six little bites. The seared diver scallops with farro, seafood and sunchoke purée were perfectly cooked and big. The purée and nearly crisp farro made a good salty offset. A small dish, it is deceptively filling. It was interesting with lots of flavors and textures.
From the larger dishes we got short ribs and spaetzle, which are little pasta twists, with cheese and vegetables. It was quite good and very rich. I was excited for the tajarin with tomato and ricci di mare (sea urchin). It’s maybe not “sex in a bowl” as some people have called it, but it was pretty awesome nonetheless. I loved the perfectly-done tagliatelle and somehow creamy tomato sauce (I guess from the uni). We were quite happy despite the smallness of the dish.
Just in case all that wasn’t enough food, we also got a side of herbed fries. They were only fine, though better with their sauce. I was expecting better, as they seemed really popular. I suppose everyone else thought fries would be a safe bet for extra food too.
For dessert we got a chocolate carmellina with chocolate-caramel mousse, gianduja and mocha (or coffee) ice cream. It was almost as lovely as it looked, with nice little jolts of caffeine.
We had very nice service. The lovely, friendly hostess let me sit for a long while waiting for B, which was unusually kind. Our waiter worried that we hadn’t ordered enough food but it turned out to be enough even for a birthday piglet. I loved the sophisticated vibe, which is probably why it was packed even on a blizzard night – cool dark wood with light grey leather is nice. The place is sort of dim but a lot of strategically-placed lighting helps. It’s ridiculously confusing to get into the restaurant. I’m not sure if that’s temporary.
The menu is mostly raw bar and hot apps with some pastas and two mains. I appreciated the music at a decent volume level, and sexy but not silly selections (some restaurants really go overboard). It is mainly very good food; somewhat inconsistent, but a good time regardless.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $160 (3 small, 1 big plate, 1 pasta, 1 side, 1 dessert, 2 cocktails, 1 beer)
Noise level: not too loud
Chance of walking in: you definitely want to call. (Never mind, it’s closed now.)
