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Wherefore Art Thou, Romeo?

Monday, December 21st, 2009

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The much anticipated Juliet Supperclub opened relatively quietly on a far west stretch of 21st Street. The decor, in an original touch, has been designed to evoke the inside of a disco ball with the use of a small mirrored tile floor and mirrored adornments throughout. It is a hybrid lounge/restaurant with Mediterranean food from Todd English. My immediate supposition is that the food is subsidiary to the glitz and glamour, but it’s far better than it needs to be to draw the usual crowd that struts through clubs and lounges.

The menu has the typical sections of appetizers and entrees, but also the addition of sections that include varieties of shawarma (coming soon), kebabs, and different types of hummus. It goes without saying that I had to dip into all these areas. Beet salad was good but average, and hummus was fresh but no better than a falafel place in the village. The highlights of the meal were the scallops with a leek type pancake and the branzino.

It wasn’t all perfect; my Mahi kebab never made it to the table, and it featured one of my biggest pet peeves, when a waiter insists on committing your order to memory and then forgets something. Swallow your pride and write it down! Overall, I think that Juliet seems likely to be another strong player in this area.

Juliet – 539 West 21st Street


Everyone is Getting Tipsy

Monday, December 7th, 2009

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I have been a long time fan of the restaurant Little Giant. It was there that I discovered quinoa a few years ago. I was obviously very excited when I heard the proprietors were opening a sister restaurant, Tipsy Parson, closer to my apartment in Chelsea. I was even more elated to find out they have a substantially sized bar with cocktail and snack menus to match. As a Northeastern girl, I am not quite familiar with the intricacies of Southern cuisine; I was sold after the frozen mint julep. The dining room itself is reminiscent of a West Village townhouse, with an outdoor area when the weather allows.

To start, we amused our bouches with some classic deviled eggs that rivaled my mother’s. I was wowed by the massive and tender braised pork shank with an apple sauce of sorts, which could feed a small family. The macaroni cheese also reached the next level with the evident usage of fresh pasta. The only thing that we weren’t impressed by were the tepid broiled oysters with bacon. The wine list wasn’t huge but the service was very attentive. While it might not be a destination restaurant, it is surely destined to become a neighborhood favorite.

Tipsy Parson – 156 Ninth Avenue

Little Giant – 85 Orchard Street – http://www.littlegiantnyc.com/


This Little Piggy…

Friday, November 20th, 2009

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Danny Meyer has always been one of my idols; he has been a driving force of the New York restaurant scene for over twenty years. When I heard he was opening his first truly Italian restaurant (and first full-service restaurant since the Modern in 2005), I was obviously excited.

Maialino (little pig in Italian), a Roman trattoria, opened at the Gramercy Park Hotel last week. One would assume it would be sexy and snooty, but that assessment could not be more inaccurate. The David Rockwell designed space is rustic and casual, with a lot of exposed wood. The service has the token Danny Meyer warmth of his other restaurants. The bar provides at least a dozen of wines by the glass of all different price points and varieties, Italian of course.

I only had the opportunity to try some snacks from the abridged bar menu, including amazingly crispy, yet not over oily, fried artichoke hearts and a melazane parmigiana which rivaled that of my late Calabrese grandmother. The teaser I had at the bar most certainly makes me eager to have a proper meal there in the near future, including the namesake suckling pig.


Travertine – a new restaurant that’s definitely legit

Friday, November 6th, 2009

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Fall is upon us and with that a plethora of new restaurant openings; some large, some small, some very good, and some awfully bad. This week, thankfully, I had a great experience at the new Italian restaurant Travertine. It quietly opened on Kenmare St. last month after months (and months) of fighting for a liquor license. The décor is sleek and the ambiance is warm and candlelit. In a rare occurrence in the Tomasello family, my sister arrived before me and made the acquaintance of the very hospitable owner and Director of Service while sipping on a great Primitivo at the bar. Their hospitality is reflected throughout every staff encounter.

Chef Manual Trevino has a Batali pedigree, so my hopes for the food were high. Not only were they met, but they were exceeded, especially with the help of the inventive desserts of pastry chef Marisa Croce. The highlights of the meal for me were the garganelli with shiitake, brussel sprouts, browned butter and the greek yogurt pannacotta with black mission figs, prosciutto caramel, honey pepper crostini. As I would say to my friends, this place is definitely legit.

The Travertine at 19 Kenmare Street – http://www.travertinenyc.com/


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