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Morandi
211 Waverly Place, at Charles St.
212-627-7575
WE are deviating from our usual reports on Latincentric spots to share a report from one of our favorite restaurant blogger www.restaurantgirl.com
TYPE: Regional Italian
VIBE: Rustic trattoria
OCCASION: A date, bar dining, or hip group gathering
DON'T MISS DISH: Braised sea bream with tomatoes & olives
DON'T BOTHER DISH: Simply couldn't find one - a first
DRINK SPECIALTY: Italian wines by the glass, carafe and bottle.
PRICE: $60 & up
HOURS: Open seven days a week, 8 AM - midnight.
INSIDE SCOOP: Prime al fresco dining in the warmer months
RESERVATIONS: Reservations highly recommended,
RESTAURANT GIRL RATES: 8 on food, 8.5 on scene
FINAL WORD: Who would've thought French-fixated McNally could nail rustic Italian? He does and the West Village landscape - a sceney bonus.
It's no secret Keith McNally knows how to build restaurant institutions - Balthazar, Pastis and Schiller's Liquor Bar - that will perhaps outlive McNally himself. But just what makes this British-born restaurateur think he can master the art of Italian? Morandi seems not your average attempt to expand a restaurant empire, crossing over into Italy's borders for novelty's sake, but instead a highly calculated Jody Williams-watching expedition around NYC (Il Buco, Giorgone and Gusto). After successfully squiring the chef, her grocery bag of tricks in tote, the two set up camp on a prime West Village corner. Hell, with Balthazar's steak tartare and Pastis' french fries - who wouldn't follow him anywhere?
SETTING
An almost palpable yellow glow pervades the warm space fashioned with all the usual McNally trimmings: distressed wood tables, antique mirrors and brick arches. My one gripe - curiously low ceilings well-suited for a family of dwarves. The lively buzz of a full, but not packed house makes Morandi a perfectly stylish, yet unassuming place to see and be seen.
MENU
Morandi indulges crowd pleasers like spaghetti with clams, fritto misto and meatballs - meatballs so familiar that I'd actually had the pleasure of their acquaintance during Jody's stint at Gusto. In fact, many of "Jody's signatures" are happily sprinkled about the menu: pasta spiked with sardines, radicchio paired with smoked scamorza and grilled octopus with celery & olives. Why mess with successful and unfussy fare? Don't get me wrong. Jody doesn't rest on her laurels, instead she chooses to explore regional Italian dishes: (coda alla vaccinara) roman-style oxtail stew and pizzoccheri (Lombardian rye pasta).
FARE
Let's start with the basics: a deceptively simply grilled radicchio terrifically paired with a firm & smoky scamorza cheese or fried olives, apparently code for breaded pork meatballs, each one marked with a lively green olive. Practically transluscent bass carpaccio was lifted by a glossy sheath of salsa verde, dotted with red peppers and green olives. I haven't even gotten to the crusty raisin-studded meatballs with pine nuts on a bright tomato sauce. Browned to near burnt perfection, the meatballs managed to be crunchy on the outside, moist and meaty within. We made a mid-course out of the homemade pizzocheri, a beyond rustic bowl of wafer- thin rye flour ribbons bathing in a creamy pool of speck and fontina cheese; the unusual and mushy texture did require some patience, but grew to become strangely soothing. I was most charmed by a white wine-soaked sea bream, which arrived braised and coated in a tomato sauce with capers, potatoes and the seemingly ever-present green olive. Anyone noticing a green olive fetish? I'm just throwing it out there. While it's unlikely you'll have room (portions are not small), linger over dessert and perhaps a cocktail. The francelli - rum shaken with lemon and fig jam - is worth investigating as well as the dark-chocolate covered fresh persimmon, which accompany a plate of walnut-stuffed figs. Ditto on the guests, an eclectic mix of the hip downtown set, suits, celebrities and even the wizard behind this new Italian joint - McNally. My one grievance with Morandi (other than the ceiling issue); the near impossibility of ever getting a reservation again.
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
**Don't forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl's Weekly Newsletter**
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Toña Nicaraguan Ale
If you are over 21 years of age continue reading.
If you last paid attention to Nicaragua when Violeta Chamorro was President it may be time to think again. Nicaragua is the Iceland of Central America --- the next hot spot!!!! Nicaragua's hipness may have to do with a new brew. Toña is a golden lager beer with an alcohol content of 4.6% by volume. Its smooth and refreshing flavor is the result of its perfect balance of extract, alcohol, and bitterness.
> Cerveza Toña
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Outdoor
Dining
contributed
by MUG
Some of our favorite outdoor dining
options.
Tribeca
City
Hall, 131 Duane [W. Bway/Church]
212.227.7777 (American)
The
Harrison, 355 Greenwich St.
[Harrison] 212.274.9310 (American)
West Village
August,
359 Bleecker [Charles/W. 10th] 212.929.4774
(Regional European)
Barbuto,
775 Wash [W. 12th] 212.924.9700
(Italian, pictured)
Cafe
Asean, 117 W. 10th [6th/Greenwich]
212.633.0348 (Asian)
Extra
Virgin, 259 W. 4th [Charles/Perry]
212.691.9359 (Mediterranean)
41
Greenwich Avenue, 41 Greenwich
Ave. [Charles] 212.255.3606 (American,
fka Jonez)
Mi
Cocina, 57 Jane [Hudson] 212.627.8273
(Mexican)
Paradou,
8 Little W. 12th [Greenwich/Wash]
212.463.8345 (Provençal)
Son
Cubano, 405 W. 14th [9th/Wash]
212.366.1640 (Cuban)
East Village/Noho
Buenos
Aires, 513 E. 6th [A/B] 212.228.2775
(Argentinean)
Five
Points, 32 Great Jones [Bowery/Laf]
212.253.5700 (American)
Jules,
65 St. Marks [1st/2nd] 212.477.5560
(French)
The
Mermaid Inn, 96 2nd [5th/6th]
212.674.5870 (Seafood)
Moustache,
265 E. 10th [1st/A] 212.228.2022
(Middle Eastern)
Gramercy
i
Trulli, 122 E. 27th [Lex/Park
Ave. S.] 212.481.7372 (Italian)
Midtown West
Barbetta,
321 W. 46th [8th/9th] 212.246.9171
(Italian)
Midtown East
L’Impero,
45 Tutor City Pl. [42nd/43rd] 212.599.5045
(Italian)
UES
Cafe
d’Alsace, 1695 2nd [88th]
212.722.5133 (Alsatian)
Orsay,
1057 Lex [75th] 212.517.6400 (French)
UWS
Nice
Matin, 201 W. 79th [Amst] 212.873.6423
(Mediterranean)
Upper Manhattan
New
Leaf Cafe, Ft. Tryon Park [190th]
212.568.5323 (American)
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Roof
Bars: Drinking In the Skyline
by SETH
KUGEL
THE plastic martini glass industry
must have rejoiced at a recent Craigslist
posting: an "incredible new
upscale venue" in Midtown Manhattan
with a "magnificently landscaped
14,000 square foot" penthouse
garden, needed bartenders. Lots
of them. Up to 22 at a time, 15
working the rooftop.
With the opening
of the bar, 230 Fifth, on May 4,
Manhattan's rooftop bar season unofficially
kicked off, with more than 25 high-altitude
places in the city where the air
is fresh (except for the cigarettes),
the views are (often) stunning,
and the drinks are (almost always)
served in lightweight plastic, presumably
to save pedestrians far below from
potential injury, if not cranberry
juice stains.
Some thrive in the
daytime, others at sunset, others
deep into the evening. String enough
together and you could spend a weekend
looking at rooftops.
230 FIFTH
The space atop the formerly
anonymous New York Market Center
near Madison Square is so vast as
to be un-Manhattanlike, except that
nearly every well-known New
York City skyscraper is staring
you down. What kind of a scene will
develop was unclear the first few
nights, when the on-premises Malaysian
restaurant, which will be sending
around snacks dim sum style, was
not yet open, there was no drinks
menu and the publicity juggernaut
was just starting to gather steam.
(Snack offerings begin May 21; the
restaurant opens in June.)
ROOF GARDEN
CAFE
Unlikely though it might
seem, the Upper East Side is home
to the city's ultimate in democratic
rooftops. At the Roof Garden at
the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, young and old,
tourist and native co-exist, and
no one looks askance if you hang
out all day and don't buy a drink.
The view is humbling:
you stand just above the treetops
of Central Park, with Central Park
West and South beyond, so you can
imagine how much those with similar
views must have paid for them. The
non-petty can ponder Cai Guo-Qiang's
installations, including a noontime
poof of black smoke and two cast-resin
crocodiles pierced with sharp instruments
seized by airport security.
SUSHI SAMBA
7
The view from the rooftop
deck of this Brazilian-Peruvian-Japanese
restaurant in the West Village is
pedestrian enough that it could
be in just about any city, but the
place is abuzz with a good-looking
multiethnic crowd. The drinks menu
is creative but serious and (relatively)
inexpensive, with a regular caipirinha
for $9 and a ginger caipirinha with
real kick for $10.
BOOKMARKS
If the New York rooftop
convention is plastic cups, palm
fronds, white picket fencing and
the Heineken-Corona-Amstel troika
of over-marketed beers, Bookmarks,
at the Library Hotel, is raging
against the machine. Glasses made
of glass! Decidedly deciduous plants!
Pilsner Urquell and Dos Equis Amber
for $7!
This midtown place
is also among the most tasteful
of rooftops, with wicker furniture,
a brick and stone railing and a
high-ceilinged greenhouse for chilly
nights. It may be crowded after
work on Fridays, but it is much
more manageable on a Saturday evening.
The view is a pleasant cityscape,
good for spying on the bottled-water
preferences of nearby offices.
PLUNGE
When this bar at the Gansevoort
Hotel opened in 2004, it was all
the rage, the mere idea of being
15 stories above the meatpacking
district setting trendsetters' hearts
aflutter. Plunge is now more of
a standard, as evidenced by the
wholesale shift in buzz to downstairs
at the G-Spa. But stock the G with
models and it would still not hold
a candle to Plunge's Hudson River
views as the sun sets.
THE DELANCEY
Except for 1010 WINS traffic
reporters, who might appreciate
the perfect angle for spotting jams
on the Williamsburg Bridge coming
into Manhattan, the roof deck at
this rock 'n' roll club, also known
for its live shows in the basement,
is not a stunner. (And the view
disappears completely when the retractable
roof is closed.) But the beers cost
only $5 or $6 — with occasional
$3 Millers— and the crowd
is mostly made up of laid-back Lower
East Siders.
BED NEW YORK
Buried deep in the West
20's club land, BED New York has
two faces: late at night, a velvet-rope
wait to enter a thumping rooftop
club; earlier, a restaurant serving
seared foie gras, rack of lamb and
tiramisù in the shape of
a bed. It's not just the tiramisù,
of course: the tables are themselves
beds.
Reservations are
recommended for dinner and brunch
on Sundays — which is not
for early risers: it is served 2
to 8 p.m., which means you could
dance there until 4 a.m., sleep
eight hours (elsewhere — no
overnight guests allowed) and still
be twiddling your thumbs waiting
for your reservation.
Twenty-EightRooftops
A60
at the 60 Thompson Hotel, 60 Thompson
Street between Spring and Broome
Streets; 212-431-0400; www.thompsonhotels.com.
Hotel guests and members only.
Ava Lounge,
210 West 55th Street; 212-956-7020;
www.avaloungenyc.com.
BED New York,
530 West 27th Street; 212-594-4109;
www.bedny.com.
Serves dinner and Sunday brunch.
Boogaloo,
168 Marcy Street between Broadway
and South Fifth Street, Brooklyn;
718-599-8900. Rooftop is accessible
through a rocket-ship-like tube
and open Thursday through Saturday.
Bookmarks,
the Rooftop Lounge at the Library
Hotel, 299 Madison Avenue at 41st
Street; 212-204-5498.
Broadway
Bar and Terrace, 226 West
52nd Street; 646-459-5820.
Buster's
Garage, 180 West Broadway
between Leonard and Worth Streets;
212-226-6811; www.bustersgarage.com.
Cabanas at
the Maritime Hotel, 88
Ninth Avenue between 16th and 17th
Streets; 212-835-5537; www.themaritimehotel.com.
The Delancey,
168 Delancey Street between Attorney
and Clinton Streets; 212-254-9920;
www.thedelancey.com.
View of the Williamsburg Bridge.
The Eagle,
554 West 28th Street between 10th
and 11th Avenue; 646-473-1866; www.eaglenyc.com.
Gay leather and Levi's scene; barbecue
Sundays from 5 p.m.
Heights Bar
and Grill, 2867 Broadway
between 111th and 112th Streets;
212-866-7035; www.heightsnyc.com.
Near Columbia
University.
Jade Terrace
at the China Club, 268 West 47th
Street; 212-398-3800; www.chinaclubnyc.com.
Latitude,
783 Eighth Avenue between 47th and
48th Streets; 212-245-3034; www.latitudebarnyc.com.
Local West,
1 Penn Plaza at Eighth Avenue and
33rd Street; 212-629-7070; www.localcafenyc.com.
Across the street from Madison Square
Garden.
Me Bar at
La Quinta Inn, 17 West
32nd Street between Fifth and Sixth
Avenues; 212-290-2460. Great Empire
State Building view.
Metro Grill
Roof Garden at the Hotel
Metro, 45 West 35th between Fifth
and Sixth Avenues; 212-279-3535;
www.hotelmetronyc.com.
Closed weekends.
The Roof
Garden at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue
at 82nd Street; 212-879-5500; www.metmuseum.org.
The Park,
118 Tenth Avenue between 17th and
18th Ave; 212-352-3313, www.theparknyc.com.
Rooftop penthouse with hot tub complements
the 4,000-square-foot ground-floor
garden.
Pen-Top Bar
at the Peninsula Hotel, 700 Fifth
Avenue at 55th Street; 212-956-2888;
www.newyork.peninsula.com.
Plunge
at the Gansevoort Hotel, 18 Ninth
Avenue at West 13th Street; 212-206-6700;
www.hotelgansevoort.com.
Rare View
at the Shelburne Murray Hill Hotel,
303 Lexington Avenue at 37th Street;
212-481-1999; www.affinia.com.
Red Sky,
47 East 29th Street between Park
and Madison Avenues; 212-447-1820;
www.redskynyc.com.
Third-floor roof deck.
Sky Terrace
at the Hudson Hotel, 356 West 58th
Street; 212-554-6000; www.hudsonhotel.com.
For hotel guests only.
Sushi Samba
7, 87 Seventh Avenue South
at Barrow Street; 212-691-7885;
www.sushisamba.com.
The Terrace
at Sutton Place Bar and Restaurant,
1015 Second Avenue between 53rd
and 54th Streets; 212-207-3777;
www.suttonplacenyc.com.
13,
35 East 13th Street at University
Place; 212-979-6677; www.bar13.com.
Top of the
Tower at the Beekman Tower
Hotel, 3 Mitchell Place at 49th
Street and First Avenue; 212-980-4796;
www.affinia.com. Old-school top-floor
bar has two small outdoor areas.
230 Fifth,
230 Fifth Avenue at 27th Street;
212-725-4300.
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Lucy's
Latin Kitchen
35 E 18th St , New York 10003
Btwn Bway & Park Ave S
Phone: 212-475-5829
Living in NYC, in such close proximity
to so many restaurants, is a double-edged
sword. So many options but so much
cynicism, I can barely bring myself
to go into another trendy tapas
bar just to stare into my mojito
and nibble on the same old same
old. Well chicas, welcome to a place
that will reinvigorate NYC foodies.
City eating is an art again! And
the ridiculously delicious desserts
I have returned 3 times with different
groups in tow, a group of Latinos,
Wall Streeters, and out of towners
all rave. My personal fave, Shell
Steak a la Catalina is what will
keep me coming back – and
their desserts are irresistible.
This place hits all the right notes,
with flawless food, service, and
ambiance. And I promise that the
Dominican chef and gloriously handsome
Spaniard of a maître d' did
not influence this review one bit,
but they are both delicious with
dinner!
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Buddha
Bar
Recommended by Juli
B
25 Little West 12th Street
B etween 9th & Washington
212.647.7314
Your go-to cds for the perfect lounge
vibe sound like this: Buddha Bar
v.1, Buddha Bar v.2, Buddha Bar
v.3 (and so on). which brings us
to the latest version of the Paris
restaurant set to open this April,
Buddha Bar New York.
Not to be confused with the other
big restos in the hood. This Buddha's
been a Parisian staple for quite
some time. Mais oui, you can expect
the same drop-dead big buddha décor
(this time by Didi Pei), and ambient
dinner music (d.j. Sam Popat). As
for la carte, Chef Keith Matsuoka
turns out French Asian food: seared
foie gras with tempura maitake,
scallops with vanilla sauce, and
the such.
The 15,000 square foot outpost includes
two dining rooms, a pagoda room,
a sushi bar, a cocktail bar, and
a lounge. Each has its own eclectic
mix of antique Buddhas (of course)
imported from Thailand, Paris, and
India.
Plus, you'll be able to add a new
Buddha Bar soundtrack (v.8) to your
playlist.
> Add
the restaurant to your reservation
list
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Intermezzo
202 8th Ave
New York, NY 10011-1624
(212) 929-3433
I pride myself on being a sort of
with it girl, and the go to consult
when it comes to making suggestions
for all others. But when I am out
and suddenly hungry, when asked
"so where should we eat,"
I inevitably go blank. Arghhhh.
On an empty stomach and with my
blood sugar low and falling, this
simple question -- one that I usually
handle with panache -- destroys
me. Well, last week, when a "where
should we eat" was about to
unfold, we happened to be right
outside this little gem, and I was
able respond, with maybe a bit too
much perk, "to Intermezzo,
of course!" My clever comeback
did not backfire. I am still thinking
about my Risotto with spinach and
gorgonzola cheese two days later.
The wine list was quite reasonable;
I of course, opted for the Prosecco.
And the attention our little group
received from the Ricky Martin-esque
waiter was its own dessert -- without
the calories!!
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SLIP
INTO SLY
310 Spring Street New York, NY
Recommendations from my friends
at Fast Metropolis, www.fastmetropolis.com.
They are THE inside among insider's
on the NYC scene.
A brand new lounge has opened in
Soho and you know FAST was there
checking it out to see if it's worth
your money. Located in the Westside
nook of Soho (310 Spring street),
you can avoid the crowds of MePA,
dodge the scenesters of the LES,
and avoid the uptown after work
drinkers when you slip into SLY.
After we got over how good looking
the door and bar staff were, we
noticed that the lounge isn't like
other lounges in New York City.
Sly (more like sleek) is sectioned
off into three semi-private areas
by sheik curtains, folded walls
and the right amount of dim blue
lighting. When you're sipping martinis
with your friends it feels like
you've got a private room all for
yourselves. Although the space is
small, it's a great place to go
after work with a group of friends
before heading out for a night of
dancing and partying.
The opening party was done right:
open bar!, with the popular drink
being the Sly Red, Sly's own version
of an Apple Martini, made with Jack
Daniels and boy were they stiff!
While most places will make smokers
stand outside or smoke in an area
with less than adequate ventilation,
Sly offers a wonderful outdoor garden
that includes bar service where
those who smoke and those who don't
can mingle and stick around for
conversation. Definitely worth checking
out!
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Secretes
513 East 6th Street, between Avenues
A and B (212-228-2775)
I am always on the look out for
a great date place, and if they
serve tapas, ALL THE BETTER!! Well
at Secretes, they filled my requirements
with a twist. The selection is interesting
and different: ostrich medallions
with purple potatoes, and seared
duck with caramelized cippollini
onions for desert. The surroundings
-- dim lighting, dark wood tables
with built-in flower troughs, and
a divine rear garden -- are secondary
to the conversation that ensues,
after you realize the adorable nibble
he just fed you was tripe.
> View
Map
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