02.10.08
Review of Les Enfants Terribles, Monday December 2007
37 Canal St. & Ludlow, 212-777-7518
Great for: rubbing up on strangers, overhearing hipster conversations, experimenting with interesting and unpronounceable food
I’d heard lots about this place for ages, but never got that far downtown and east. The Boyfriend and I were in the area after looking at my prospective new apartment and took advantage of the chance to finally try it. It is definitely not for the claustrophobic. We got a table by a wall, so at least we only had one couple next to us, but it was still a squeeze. I like the vivacious atmosphere. Frequently good restaurants are very expensive, so only older people or bankers can afford to go, which is kind of a boring crowd. Here the bar is in the middle of the room with tables surrounding it, and it’s quite popular so it livens things up.
We started with the tassili shepherd and bolinhos de rio appetizers. Tassili shepherd is green and yellow zucchini, tomato with garlic and red pepper, over a gratinée of basil- and mint-flavored goat cheese. I like zero of those vegetables and actually, it was really good. I would definitely suggest it if you’ve got a veggie hater friend whose horizons you want to expand. The bolinhos were delectable ball-shaped fritters of fish and meat, very crispy and tender inside. I could eat a whole meal of those.
For a main I got the koroghhofefemugu, which is grilled steak in a marinade of special Ivory Coast spices with fried kasava and salad. I asked for medium and they overcooked it a bit, but it was quite good. Kasava is a yam/sweet potato kind of thing, which I didn’t particularly care for, since I don’t like sweet things in savory food and particularly detest yams and sweet potatoes. However, I liked the salad and its dressing very much. The Boyfriend got the bozo-bozo – potato-crusted cod with spinach, artichoke, fennel confit, in a light saffron ginger and lemongrass seafood broth. It was quite good.
I thought the place was a bit loud, but I enjoyed how it felt lively and young, and definitely like a neighborhood joint. Our very French waiter was pretty good, and overall we had a good experience. Although it wasn’t as amazing as I’d been led to believe, I liked it.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $95 (one drink)
Noise level: noisy
Chance of walking in: low to medium, depending on the day and time.
