All Heat with No Fire at American Table

May 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

It might seem a little weird to go to a restaurant with no kitchen.

And yet, that’s just what I’m suggesting you do.

Marcus Samuelsson’s American Table Cafe and Kitchen isn’t fancy. It is nice, since it’s in Lincoln Center’s beautiful atrium, and there is a full bar. But the napkins are paper, the staff is laid back, and you order at the counter.

And. oh yeah…all the food is pre cooked, then assembled there.

How does that work?

Pretty well, evidently.

Doro Wat Chilaquiles

Oh YES! This stuff is just fabulous. Spicy, fragrant berbere mixes with chicken that is so tender, so rich, so flavorful that anyone would swear it was pork. It has the smoky sweet flavor of bbq with the curry-like tastes of ginger and chiles. A few hard boiled egg yolks are a nice color and textural component. Served with fresh, salty tortilla chips, pico de gallo, and a scoop of creamy cottage cheese, it is a mix between Mexican, Indian, and Ethiopian foods.

It’s a million vibrant flavors smacking you in the face.

Love it.

Smoked Caesar Salad

Less successful, but still tasty. The lettuce is fresh, the pumpernickel croutons are crunchy, but the dressing is a bit too smoky and lacks acid. It is tasty enough, though, and the portion is large and the price is right.

 This place sin’t cheap or expensive – its what you wouldexpect to pay in this hood for quick service food, but the food is so much better than I anticipated. The service is definitely relaxed (leaning on the lackadaisical side), but the food is phenomenal! Go with a book or a friend and have a lunch so great that you will never believe that there was no kitchen involved.

It’s amazing at what Samuelsson can do with no kitchen…and how little some people can do with a kitchen.

Not pointing fingers, every family member who ever cooked me Passover dinner as a child. 

Filed Under: review, Upper West Side Tagged With: , ,

Favorite Dishes at Favorite Restaurants

March 4, 2013 By 4 Comments

I love visiting new restaurants – that’s why this city is such a blessing to me. There is always a new restaurant to try, a new cuisine to taste, and a myriad of price ranges for whether I am feeling like wearing heels or flip flops.

However…

There is something to be said about returning to old faithful. Seeing servers who know you and going through the menu until you have tried nearly every dish listed.  Here are a few of my favorite dishes at restaurants that I can’t help but frequent all the time (or wish I did, anyway!).

Ranchero Scramble at The Smith

This restaurant really has it all, at all of its 3 locations. Fair prices, fabulous cocktails, an bustling atmosphere, and really great food. It has something for everyone and I have come here for girls night, brunch with the family, and dates – it really lends itself well to all sorts of occasions. If you are there for breakfast or brunch, I heartily recommend the Ranchero Scramble. These eggs come in a huge, fluffy pile, so light that they practically float away.  They are served atop a crispy tortilla with onion and garlic flecked black beans and a smoky, rich salsa. Topped with a blanket of cheddar cheese and half of a buttery avocado, this is hangover food at its finest. Just be sure to schedule a nap after brunch, because you will be in a major food coma.

Oysters at West Side Atlantic Grill

Atlantic Grill has a couple of locations, but the one by Lincoln Center is my favorite. Though I love the simply grilled fish, the crisp and pungent Caesar salad, and the wonderful homemade desserts, there is only one dish to order for an appetizer here. The oysters. The oysters are always fantastic – expensive, to be sure, but it’s Lincoln Center…the stuff in this area is pricey. They are small, deep, and creamy or large, flat, and briny, scouted from the east and West coast and changed daily according to supply.  They are served with a wonderful sweet and spicy Thai vinaigrette as well as the traditional horseradish, cocktail sauce, and mignonette. The oysters are satisfying and decadent, but not too rich if you are starting a long meal. Bring your credit card and bring high expectations. 

Make-your-own-paella at Socarrat Paella Bar

This is still my favorite paella in the city. I love the crispy layer on bottom  the salty, sticky layer on top, and the wonderful variety of ingredients  What isn’t advertised is that you can basically customize the paella in any way you want. If you don’t like seafood, remove it entirely from your order. Want to add rabbit or mushrooms? Add an extra $5 per person per ingredient, and your dream paella is yours. This is fantastic when dining with people who are kosher, who have intolerance to certain veggies, or who are just plain picky. It also proves that the paella really is made to order – as if you couldn’t taste it, you now know it for sure.

Kabocha Squash Toast at ABC Kitchen

Oh, ABC Kitchen.  You never lose your sparkle, do you? Still the darling of the NYC dining scene 2 years after its James Beard Award win for best new restaurant, it keeps innovating its menu, providing return guests with new and tasty menu options. For one of the tastiest, look to the squash toast. The sqaush is roasted, then pureed with apple cider vinegar and salt. It tops creamy ricotta cheese and sour peasant bread. The result is so extraordinary that you really have to go try it. Creamy and crunchy and sour and sweet and rich and light and salty and bright…this is so delicious that words don’t do it justice. 

I’m so lucky to go try new restaurants all the time. I love this city, ever changing and always vibrant. But now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go get another order of that squash toast.

Sometimes, I just prefer Old Faithful.

Filed Under: Flatiron, Midtown, review, Upper West Side

Cafe Ronda’s Tapas Fit the Bill

February 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

My tapas quest continues, and although I haven’t found a true slice of Spain north of 14th Street, I have finally found a place that offers food that quells my need for croquetas and patatas bravas.

Cafe Ronda is a long, candlelit restaurant. It is casual but nice enough for a dinner with a loved one or a glass of sherry at the small bar. The menu features dishes like paella and skirt steak, but the main reason to come here is the extensive tapas menu.

Mushroom croquetas

Usually ham croquetas are the way to go, but here the ham is stiff and too salty – go for the mushroom croquetas. They are thickly breadcrumbed on the outside  and the inside is a buttery mash of potatoes  meaty mushrooms, and a hint of garlic.  The garlic is echoed in the extremely tasty aioli – an ideal counterpart to these rich bites.

Spicy chicken empanadas

In a word, fabulous. The dough is flaky and thick, but not at all sodden or heavy. It is an excellent vehicle for the soft chicken, braised with peppers, garlic, and spices until it is fragrant and tender to the point of falling apart. The chimichurri served alongside is a game-changer.  It is like a Latin American pesto, filled with fruity olive oil, spicy garlic, and fragrant cilantro and parsley. It is tasty on the empanadas, on the bread, on a spoon…

Basically, I’m now obsessed with it.

Patatas Bravas

This is just drunk food masquerading as fancy Spanish cuisine. Chunks of fried potatoes, crispy and salty with creamy insides, are drizzled in that garlicky aioli and served so hot that they will burn the roof of your mouth if you aren’t careful  Maybe they are just fries with mayonnaise, but they are delicious fries with mayonnaise. This dish really can’t be beat and is not to be missed.

Filet mignon skewers

This plate isn’t cheap but the quality is outstanding.  The steak is incredibly tender, served a juicy medium are with a nicely charred exterior. The piquillo peppers served alongside are positively velvety and quite smoky. No question about it, this is high quality beef that is served as tapas but is high enough quality to serve as a full steak. It is a wonderful way to round out a starch heavy meal.

Milk caramel crepes with ice cream

Any time that you see dulce de leche on a Spanish menu, you order it. That’s because ducle de leche is to caramel as Kate Middleton is to Lindsay Lohan – one FAR outshines the other. This dessert does not disappoint – the crepes are perhaps not as crisp and light as they should be, but the dulce de leche is nothing short of perfect. Thick enough to coat the back of your spoon with a deep, buttery taste that is incredibly sweet without being cloying. It’s sweet and creamy, and makes the ice cream seem like light health food.

Cafe Ronda is a great neighborhood spot. Though the staff can be a bit pushy with the drink menu, it’s nothing that takes away from the meal. The prices are very fair, the food is quite good, and they have all the Spanish staples to fulfill your tapas cravings.

 
Cafe Ronda on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: review, Upper West Side Tagged With:

AG Kitchen – All Bark, No Bite

February 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The best thing about eating is when you order something at a restaurant expecting it to be good and it’s extraordinary. Or when you pull together a few random ingredients and make a dish fit for a king.

Likewise, one of the biggest letdown is when you go to a restaurant where all the descriptions of food sound out of this world and the result is overwhelmingly underwhelming.

Such is the tale of AG Kitchen. This UWS Latin eatery is bright, spacious, casual, and has a menu that looks incredible. And yet…this place just falls short.

Bacon wrapped dates with almonds, blue cheese, and endive

By far the most successful dish of the day. The dates are warm and sticky, studded with a crunchy almond and wrapped in salty, smoky, charred and sticky bacon. It is salty, buttery, meaty, and sweet. The blue cheese, though strong, adds a deep and funky note that rounds out the dish, and the endive and onion relish on the bottom lightens the bite, making it cleaner and brighter. I have seen these on other menus, but they are done really well here – that rich blue cheese and tangy balsamic glaze really makes them stand out. These are very rich and even I couldn’t eat more than two, but this is something that I would get again.

Huevos Garcia with chipotle chicken, black beans, and a tostada

Very disappointing. The eggs are well scrambled, soft and not too bouncy, and the beans are quite good – soft and spiced with cumin, garlic, and onions. That’s where the good stuff stops. The chicken is insipid and bathed in a watery, bland sauce that promises chipotle but tastes only of canned tomatoes and liquid smoke. The tostadas are not thick enough and quickly grow soggy and tough. The layers of cheddar cheese are melty and sharp, but without any sour cream or avocado, this dish still lacks a creamy component. As well as a salty one, a juicy one, a spicy one…well, you get the picture.

Cinnamon French toast with whipped sour cream and tropical fruit.

Okay at best. The brioche is eggy and fluffy, but there is no real crust to provide textural variety. The taste is mostly of sugar, with little vanilla or cinnamon, and the tropical fruit is mealy and in such small quantity that it is hardly a main component of the dish. The whipped sour cream is wonderful – thick, tangy, and a great contrast to the sweet bread – but the maple syrup is served in a paper cup. I’m no snob but come on, guys…even the diner down the street has a stainless steel pitcher.

The food here doesn’t justify the prices. It’s too bad, because the service is nice and the setting is great for a jovial brunch, but $45 for sub par entrees and a few bacon wrapped dates is just too much. If they brought down the prices then I would come here if I was in the hood, but even then, it’s sadly not all that I wanted it to be.

AG Kitchen on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: review, Upper West Side

The Snooty Eater’s Round-Up

February 20, 2013 By 1 Comment

I do these round-up posts fairly often – they usually include a mixture of low-end and high-end places, with a few cocktails, a slice of artisanal pizza, and maybe a burger thrown in the mix.

But lately…I have been eating with family a lot.

And eating with family means that your parents want to eat at restaurants where they can sit for a while, not have their eardrums blown out with loud music, and order food that can be customized until it no longer resembles the dish actually mentioned on the menu.

Code: it means I dine way more expensively than I do when I dine on my own.

And so, when your parents visit or boss wants to take you to a nice dinner, or when you really screw up and need to apologize to your loved one, refer to this post:

The Snooty Dining Round-Up

Charcuterie Plate at Ca Va

Todd English…I generally hate you. Your food is blah, your prices are inflated, and your personality in the press is smarmy. Ew. But, when my dad wants lunch 4 minutes from my apartment and he doesn’t want to go eat the world’s best Thai food on torn vinyl booths with cans of diet soda…we go to Ca Va. The food is generally well prepared but plain, but the charcuterie plate is totally awesome. House made pickles and terrines, pots of rich rillettes and lightly whipped duck liver, smoky bresaola and salty prosciutto ..this is just a great, filling plate. Served with grainy mustard and really nice baguette, this is an A+ charcuterie plate that would be at home in any French country restaurant. It isn’t cheap but hey..nothing on this round-up is! If you find yourself in the theatre district with a couple of minutes and a few bucks to spare, come here and go for this dish.

 

Artichoke with mustard mayonnaise, chervil, and lemon at Nougatine

This Jean-George restaurant is the more casual offshoot of his eponymous Michelin starred eatery. It has hip music and a gorgeous waitstaff, but also very relaxed – I felt totally at home dining in jeans and a nice shirt. Though the menu is filled with complex items, and a lunchtime steal at $32 for three courses, the simplest dish is the one not to miss. What’s the last time that you ate a whole artichoke in a restaurant? In, like 1993, right? It’s time to rediscover this fabulous vegetable. Nougatine steams and cleans it perfectly, rendering soft, meaty inner leaves and a tender heart. Grassy and lemon scented, dipping the leaves in the mayonnaise sauce, tart with cornichons and slightly spicy with mustard, is one of life’s great pleasures. Plus, how great is it to get to eat with your hands at a lah-dee-dah restaurant?

Seared foie gras with huckleberries and graham cracker puree at Dovetail

I saved the best for last. This foie gras is divine – a generously portioned lobe of foie, beautifully cleaned and seared until it is crunchy outside and positively melting inside. Rich and iron-y, tasting almost wild, like game. It tastes far more savory than other foie preparations thanks to the very sweet, almost spekuloos-like graham cracker puree. It is a brilliant choice, because the sweetness of the puree mixed with the tart huckleberries makes the foie stand out as meaty and savory. A shaved fennel salad provides a bright contrast  and this is yet another fabulous foie preparation in the Big Apple.

And THAT’S how you eat snooty in NYC!

 
Ça Va Todd English on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: Midtown, Miscellaneous, review, Upper West Side Tagged With:

Good Enough to Eat – Sweet in More Ways Than One

February 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I recently got to go to one of those restaurants that I never get to go to, one of those places that always has lines out the door and down the block on a Sunday at 10 AM.

It’s called Good Enough to Eat, and you know what…it really is.

This cute little restaurant is a kitschy piece of Aunt Mae’s kitchen right in NYC’s UWS. It literally has a white picket fence outside and inside, and there are embroidered mottoes, on the wall, mismatched teacups on the shelves, and homemade cakes lining the counter.

If it were any cuter, it would have its own tumblr.

Though this spot serves all day straight though dinner, you really come here for the breakfast and brunch fare.

Fruit and cottage cheese

Groundbreaking? Hardly. Fresh, generously portioned, served with full fat cottage cheese – yes, absolutely. After quite a few sub par fruit salads in NYC diners and high end restaurants, this really deserves all the kudos i give it.

Pancakes with homemade strawberry butter

So thick, so fluffy, so airy yet rich and buttery…this is the pancake setting standard. It is substantial enough to stand up to a thick pouring of real maple syrup yet soft enough to cut with only a fork. Lightly vanilla scented, and perfect with the fruity, fragrant strawberry butter. Strawberries might be outta season but they sure do taste great when mixed with unsalted butter.

Unpictured is the thick cut bacon I go ton the side. When I mean thick cut, I mean thick cut. Almost like a salty, smoky, beautifully crunchy yet meaty hamsteak. Really awesome stuff.

Good Enough to EAt is a very nice brunch place, but not worth a 2 hour wait. Then again, what is? That being said, if you can go on a weekday or a weekend when the whole city is out-of-town, go there! The food is very tasty and well priced,and the service and atmosphere are positively sweet.

Come to think of it, I think this place should have its own tumblr.

It really is that adorable.

Good Enough To Eat on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: review, Upper West Side Tagged With: , ,

Oaxaca Taqueria – UWS Street Tacos

January 18, 2013 By 1 Comment

Yeah, I still love Mexican food. Nothing new here.

But I don’t love just any Mexican food. I love carefully prepared, authentic Mexican food – juicy meats, homemade tortillas, vibrant salsas.

Mexican food doesn’t begin or end with Taco Bell.*

Oaxaca, an absolute shoe box of a place on the UWS specializes in a few Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and tortas. The space is extremely small and casual – just a few communal tables, a counter where you order, and a very well priced menu, including lunch specials.

Carnitas Taco and…

Pollo Guisado with pickled onions, cilantro, cotija cheese, avocado lime, and salsa

 These tacos are top notch. Incredibly fresh, with tender corn tortillas and a red salsa that is spicy and a bit smoky with roasted chiles. It has the brightness of fresh tomatoes and isn’t insanely hot, which lets the flavor of the tart, creamy avocado sauce shine. The pickled onions are the most genius addition here – found all over taco stands in Mexico, this crowning touch is ignored a lot at restaurants in the US. The onions are sweet and sour, and bring the entire taco to life, much the way that a spritz of lemon enlivens a perfect piece of smoked salmon. The meats themselves are excellent. The pork is juicy but not overly sauced or greasy. The chicken is, shockingly  even better – what’s the last time that chicken beat out pork?! Stewed with garlic, onions, and spices, it is popping with flavor and very juicy

Rice, beans, and pico de gallo

These are no slouch either! The rice is fluffy and well cooked, with the savory taste of garlic and other aromatics, and the beans are tender but with a bite and smoky, savory flavor. The pico de gallo is made simply but well, with a lot of cilantro to augment the veggies.

Oaxaca gets a big fat A+ from me. Fast, sweet service, cheap prices, and delicious food (that, truth me told, comes in rather small portions.) The UWS is very lucky to have this in its lunch and dinner time arsenal.

Plus, it has a killer wall of hot sauces. They’re playing my song.

*Disclaimer: I freaking love Taco Bell. Those Doritos tacos are unbelievable.

Filed Under: Upper West Side Tagged With: ,

Casa Pomona – Tasty Tapas on the UWS

January 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Casa Pomona is a relatively new restaurant on the Upper West Side that specializes in tapas.

When I was invited there for a press meal, I was curious to see if authentic Spanish food had finally found its way uptown.

The restaurant is large and spacious, with a minimalist, rustic decor and a fun, throbbing vibe. It’s casual but not divey, and has a bar that is perfect for a glass of wine and a cheese plate.

Tortilla

This Spanish dish of eggs and potatoes is a traditional tapas food and it is done well here. A crispy, browned crust cuts open to reveal thin potato slices layered with softly scrambled eggs. The dish is creamy and fluffy, interspersed with garlic and parsley. This is as comforting as hash browns and eggs in the morning, but has those pungent flavorings that really take it all the way to Spain  Ask for some of the restaurant’s aioli with it and you will add another layer of smooth, garlicky goodness.

Mussels en Escabeche

These marinated mussels are by far the best seafood dish on the menu. They are well cooked, plump and sweet. Served cold and dressed with dices of cucumber and tomato in a vinegary dressing, they manage to be fresh and slightly salty without being dried out. These are excellent for anyone who likes mussels or doesn’t like garlic – this is one of the few dishes in the restaurant that doesn’t include a huge amount of garlic.

 

Croquetas with salt cod and potatoes

These are good, if not revelatory. They are served hot and properly crispy, with a creamy filling that is quite pronounced in its cod flavor – not a turnoff for me, but not the choice for people who are funny about fish.

On a related note, the fish options here are the weakest ones. Rubbery octopus and a very mushy, iodine-y and overly saffron-ed risotto disappointed at a meal that otherwise was extremely tasty. Stick to land and air based tapas here and you will be far more satisfied.

Gazpacho blanco

A major hit. The gazpacho here consists of almonds, bread, olive oil, grapes, vegetables, and a TON of garlic. The result is a cold soup that is crisp, rich, and garlicky. It is topped with a smooth olive oil that rounds out the sharp garlic’s edges and brings out the sweetness of the grapes. If you like garlic, this is a MUST GET. I am still dreaming of it.

Albondigas

Oxtail stuffed meatballs. What else can I say that will make those sound even better than they already do? A substantial meatball that seems to have pork in the mix breaks open to reveal almost jammy oxtail that is sweet, savory, and as close to meat jam as one gets. The meatballs are served in a deep, spicy sauce that has the taste of long roasted tomatoes that have turned sweet and almost meaty themselves. Use the crisply fried potato chips to scoop up the rest of the sauce. I know I did.

Patatas Bravas

Huge chunks of fried potatoes served with spicy tomato sauce and creamy aioli. Yeah, that’s what I thought, too: freakin awesome. Crispy, creamy, salty, spicy…all those things at once.

Grilled grass fed hangar steak with sauteed mushrooms, swiss chard, and onion marmalade

A good, if not great, steak. It is tasty, but as so much grass fed beef is, a little tough and lacking the full flavored iron-y beefiness that grain fed beef has. The mushrooms and chard cooked a la plancha are awesome – meaty, substantial, and fulfilling in a way that usually only meat is. The sweet and sour onion marmalade is also excellent. If you like grass fed beef, this might be right up your alley.

All in all, Casa Pomona offers a really tasty meal. I hope that they get a different seafood provider and figure out the paella, because most of the tapas were absolutely delicious. The gazpacho, meatballs, and patatas bravas were especially memorable. Stick to the meaty tapas and a glass of cava, and you will be extremely pleased. Spain might not quite be at the UWS yet, but it has at least gotten a whole lot closer.

*Disclaimer: This was a press meal. I was not required to write about my experiences, and the opinions are my own and unbiased. 

Filed Under: Upper West Side Tagged With:

Bites and Sips Around the City

January 9, 2013 By 1 Comment

There is just one burning question every New Yorker needs to know (now that we know that Dan was Gossip Girl):

What are the tastiest snacks, bites, and drinks around town, and where can you get them?

Read on, hungry city dweller:

Hummus Plate at Le Pain Quotidien

Ah yes, this upscale coffee shop/bakery does more than just great breakfasts. Order the hummus plate and you will be surprised at how tasty it is. The hummus is thick and lemony, slick with fruity olive oil. The kalamata olives atop are juicy and soft, the perfect salty counterpart to the hummus.Also on the plate is garlicky, almost velvety babaganoush and quinoa tabouleh that is earthy, herby, and chock full of juicy tomatoes and diced onions. The sour wheat, crusty white, and sweet raisin breads served alongside complete the dish. This is enough for a very satisfying lunch or a shared snack plate among 3 friends. It’s amazing how well this Belgian place does a middle eastern plate.

Foccacia de Recco at Rosemary’s

This locavore west village restaurant is a little too pricey for what you get, but there is one thing worth trying here. The foccacia filled with milky, creamy stracchino cheese is among the best breads in the city. Your order arrives piping hot, slick with slightly spicy olive oil and topped with grains of coarse sea salt. When you tear a chunk off the bread, the first scent that hits you is the rosemary, deep and woodsy. Then, the tantalizing smells of yeast and spicy olive oil hits your nostrils. The taste is as good as the aroma. The bread is pliant and soft, with a thin crust, punctuated by sharp rosemary needles. The inside is filled with that mild, creamy cheese, so soft that it makes mozzarella look hard and pungent. This is like grilled cheese on steroids, and it’s worth a visit to the restaurant to try this.

Any cocktail at The Dutch

I have been here several times, and each time have ordered a different cocktail. Every single one has been exemplary – well balanced, interesting but but not different just to be weird, nuanced and also pronounced in all the right places. The bartenders are knowledgeable but not snobby, and have no problem recommending something that you will like. The bar is small but comfortable and the vibe is extremely laid back. Of course, also order something to eat, but this is a great place to get a little tipsy before dinner.

Beef Carpaccio with Truffle Oil at Slightly Oliver

I know I have talked about this place before, but it deserves more mention because I just love it. The cocktails, the  faux-British vibe, and the tasty small plates make this a real gem on the Upper West Side. This carpaccio, made with tender slices of beef and dressed with a peppery arugula salad with a tiny fried quail egg and toast, is a perfect appetizer or even light meal. The addition of truffle oil just elevates it. Mushrooms and beef are always a win, especially when the beef is filet mignon and the mushrooms are truffles.

#winning

Filed Under: SoHo, Upper West Side, West Village Tagged With: , , ,

Wine and Roses – A Serviceable UWS Wine Bar

January 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The West Village is full of quaint, interesting wine bars that offer a great selection of wine by the glass, tasty small plates, and excellent service. The Upper West Side? Not so much. So, when a friend suggested we check out Wine andRoses a few months ago, I was all about it. After all, a gal needs her wine.

Said like someone who self medicates.

The small restaurant is well laid out, with plenty of windows, a few high tables, and a large bar that comfortably seats many. We went for brunch, so it wasn’t insanely busy, but I could see how a place like this could get hopping on a weeknight after work.

We started with mimosas which were were, while unexceptional, tasty. They used good sparkling wine, neither too sweet nor too dry, that mixed well with the the tart, thick orange juice. Too many places screw up mimosas, so this was a pleasure.

Watermelon and tomato stack with feta and balsamic glaze*

Like the mimosa, nothing unexpected, but a very tasty dish. The watermelon is juicy and sweet, making the tomatoes more acidic, earthy flavors come ot the forefront. The feta is creamy and salty without being bitter, and the thick balsamic glaze adds tang. This just shows that when food is done well, it need not be complicated. 

Flatbread with  wild mushrooms, mascarpone and goat cheeses, and white truffle oil

An excellent flatbread. A crispy, crackerlike crust topped with meaty sauteed mushrooms and a combination of slightly funky goat cheese and buttery mascarpone cheese. It is topped with salty, nutty shards of fresh Parmesan cheese and a drizzling of truffle oil, heady and rich. This is light and satisfying at the same time.

The only issue I have with this place is the pricing – its a bit high for what you get, which is good but not destination worthy. However, it’s one of the only establishments of its kind in the hood. The service is, if not overly friendly, competent, and the wine by the glass selction looks lovely. While I wouldn’t run here again, I would stop by if I was nearby and desperately craving a glass of prosecco.

Once again, said like someone who self medicates. 

 *Yes, this eatery was visited so long ago that tomatoes were still in season. Yeesh. 

Filed Under: Upper West Side Tagged With: ,
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