05.25.08
Review of Little Owl, Monday May 2008
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.
