February came, and even though the days were noticeably longer, I felt the full weight of a long and snowy winter. My seven or eight months of living frugally had finally caught up with me. I needed some good food, and fast. After what felt like a year of neglect, I started paying attention to new and new-to-me restaurants again. So many new places to try! Of course, The Dining Section foiled some plans with their reviews coming in just as I was planning to check out a new place (I was hoping before the crowds rolled in)–Maialino, Northern Spy Food Co. (I’ve been for lunch, but really wanted to try dinner. Lunch was good.), Baohaus, to name a few.
The better option was to finally get to those places that have been open for a while that I still hadn’t tried. I already told you about Keste (good) and L’Artusi (not so good). But I wanted something NICER. People tell me I’m fancy, and even though I think I’m not, I do enjoy a nice meal with good wine and excellent service every once in a while. That’s not so wrong, is it? Plus, it had been a while. And I’d been so good. And I hate winter.
Minetta Tavern
So when Christina, my sister, emailed and asked if I was available for an early dinner on a Thursday evening three weeks forward at Minetta Tavern, I said yes. This was going to be a pricey affair, but I was up for it. After all, didn’t Bruni say that steak for steak Minetta Tavern could out-steak all the top steakhouses in NYC? Even though I tend to stay away from most other Keith McNally restaurants, this one I wanted to try.
Christina and I were joined by Janice, a friend of hers whom I had only met once before, but who proved to be a worthy dining companion. She only had one thing on her “don’t eat” list: bone marrow and other gelatinous, fatty foods. Fair enough. We ordered everything to share and tried to pack in as much as we could. Here’s what we ordered:
Apps:
- Rabbit Rillette special, with house made pickles. Spectacular. I could have this for lunch every day.
- Stuffed Squid with salt cod, piquillo peppers, olives, and preserved lemon. I liked this but didn’t love it.
- Beet Salad. I’m not remembering this dish, but I think it was fine.
Mains:
- Black Label Burger. Wow. This aged beef burger had a funkiness to it that made it super tasty. Caramelized onions on top added sweetness. I’d definitely go back to eat this again.
- Duck Special. Duck two ways: sauteed breast and braised leg. Tasty. Christina and Janice loved it. I think my taste buds were a little tired and I didn’t appreciate it as much.
- New York Strip. At $42 this was seriously disappointing. They sliced it for us so we could share it more easily, and though it seemed properly rested, the texture was off. It was too soft & mushy. Flavor was just ok. I did bring home the leftovers, and eaten cold, with some good bread, it made a nice lunch.
Sides:
- Pommes Anna. YUM.
- Carrots. Nice coating of butter. Tasty.
We drank a St. Emillion, and for desert we had the chocolate souffle, which was exactly what it was supposed to be.
Colicchio & Sons
Although I had been feeling more spendy, I still wasn’t up for going all out in the dining room at this shmancy place in the old Craftsteak space. Instead, I wanted to try the Tap Room, the bar area in the front serving a lot of beer and all their dishes out of the brick oven just off to the side. I had been reading about their Pizza Night on Sundays, and I wanted to see what was going on at this place. Would the more affordable Tap Room become part of the regular Chelsea rotation? In a word, No.
I went with Leslie & Christian, and we were all unimpressed. We shared the warm octopus and potato salad with paprika and capers to start. It was a good dish: well balanced, nice flavors, but nothing to write home about. For my main, I had roasted clams with shredded pork shoulder in a little broth. The clams were fine. They were well cooked, and the pork had a good flavor, but the broth was almost inedibly salty. Leslie got a baked rigatoni with duck that tasted just like tuna casserole. At $18, it felt a little dear for what it was. Christian got a braised rabbit that I didn’t try, and counterbalancing his tendency for hyperbole, I think it was fine.
We did get a Tom sighting. He stopped to chat with Top Chef winner, Stephanie Izard, who was sitting at the table next to us. (Speaking of minor celebs, we saw tennis player & commentator Jim Courier at Minetta. He looked happy to be recognized.)
I think Colicchio & Sons would have been less of a disappointment if the price points were lower. The room is fancy and the prices are reflective of that, but everything else, food, service, wine, were merely adequate. Lift this menu out of this space and put it in a homey room in the East Village, reduce prices by 20%, and I think we would have been less disappointed.
It’s blizzarding outside as I write this, so winter soldiers on. Hm… where to eat next?
Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal Street (betw. Bleecker & W. 3rd Street)
Colicchio & Sons
85 Tenth Avenue (at the corner of 15th Street)
