Restaurants: October 2003 Archives
I had a nice time here. We were looking for a place to eat around NYU at about 10 Monday night (a couple places we tried were closed), and someone said he ate at Bar Pitti a lot. It's crowded, with warm yellow walls (as far as I remember) and mirrors. Their specials menu, which is written on small chalkboards and is in Italian, is about as long as their regular menu, and features lots of specialties that regulars recommend: meatballs, a daily parpadelle, etc.
I wasn't very hungry, so I had some kind of cured meat, thinly sliced, very mild with pliable sheets of Parmesan and sliced arugula. The other dish I tried, some kind of sausage with lentils, was pretty good. Todd had a pork sandwich and someone else had a spaghetti-type pasta with, I think, garlic, artichokes, leeks, olive oil, tomatoes. (I almost ordered that, but you know you can't have duplicates when you try a new place.) Everyone seemed happy. It was reasonably priced for Italian, and fairly good. I'll go back (although I hear it's usually pretty crowded during normal dining hours).
I had a nice time here. We were looking for a place to eat around NYU at about 10 Monday night (a couple places we tried were closed), and someone said he ate at Bar Pitti a lot. It's crowded, with warm yellow walls (as far as I remember) and mirrors. Their specials menu, which is written on small chalkboards and is in Italian, is about as long as their regular menu, and features lots of specialties that regulars recommend: meatballs, a daily parpadelle, etc.
I wasn't very hungry, so I had some kind of cured meat, thinly sliced, very mild with pliable sheets of Parmesan and sliced arugula. The other dish I tried, some kind of sausage with lentils, was pretty good. Todd had a pork sandwich and someone else had a spaghetti-type pasta with, I think, garlic, artichokes, leeks, olive oil, tomatoes. (I almost ordered that, but you know you can't have duplicates when you try a new place.) Everyone seemed happy. It was reasonably priced for Italian, and fairly good. I'll go back (although I hear it's usually pretty crowded during normal dining hours).
It astounds me how the most modest ingredients make the most fantastic food: old bread, sugar and eggs make creamy bread pudding; flour, water and eggs make pasta; the cheapest cut of beef, carrots, onion, celery and time for a great stew; a chicken carcass and some veggies for a rich, thick stock; flour, water and yeast for bread.
I made polenta last night to eat with the leftover ragu, and it's basically 2 cups of boiling water, 1/2 cup basic cornmeal (about 10 cents' worth) and a lot of stirring (of course, I added butter and Parmesan at the end, but you could have a very respectable, creamy polenta just by adding a lot of salt and freshly ground pepper - but even a wedge of Parmesan can be a modest ingredient when you consider how far you can stretch a chunk). The ragu, which disappointed me the first time, was transformed by the modest cornmeal mush. Frugality is highly underrated.
I had lunch here yesterday and hope that I get the chance to go back soon. It's on 8th Ave, between 24th and 25th, across from that grassy block. The restaurant felt very intimate, and the staff were friendly and helpful and seemed eager for us to come back. But it was the Asian-influenced food that really made me happy.
It may seem like we had some run-of-the-mill dishes, but the extra touches made the meal. Our first course was slices of seared tuna with sorbet, fennel salad and those little baby, sprout-like greens (I want to call it mache but am not sure that's right). The salty crust on the tuna, the smooth interier of the fish, the crisp fennel and cold, slushy tart sorbet was a great combination. Then we had seared chicken with a tomato-eggplant chutney that was so spicy and good. That came with sesame mashed potatoes, which I am going to have to try to replicate at home (with sesame oil).
Dessert was the best, though (usually is for me). A pear-almond financier with powerful ginger ice cream melting all over the top. Again, the contrasts were appealing: the ice cream itself was cold, spicy, creamy, melting over the top of warm pears in a crunchy, strongly almond-flavored cake. I want to try to reproduce that ice cream at home, too. Maybe by steeping fresh ginger?
Anyway, CitySearch labels it $40 and up and I didn't see the menu, so I'll have to find a special occasion for an opportunity to go back. But I liked it so much that it would be worth a special occasion.
I had lunch here yesterday and hope that I get the chance to go back soon. It's on 8th Ave, between 24th and 25th, across from that grassy block. The restaurant felt very intimate, and the staff were friendly and helpful and seemed eager for us to come back. But it was the Asian-influenced food that really made me happy.
It may seem like we had some run-of-the-mill dishes, but the extra touches made the meal. Our first course was slices of seared tuna with sorbet, fennel salad and those little baby, sprout-like greens (I want to call it mache but am not sure that's right). The salty crust on the tuna, the smooth interier of the fish, the crisp fennel and cold, slushy tart sorbet was a great combination. Then we had seared chicken with a tomato-eggplant chutney that was so spicy and good. That came with sesame mashed potatoes, which I am going to have to try to replicate at home (with sesame oil).
Dessert was the best, though (usually is for me). A pear-almond financier with powerful ginger ice cream melting all over the top. Again, the contrasts were appealing: the ice cream itself was cold, spicy, creamy, melting over the top of warm pears in a crunchy, strongly almond-flavored cake. I want to try to reproduce that ice cream at home, too. Maybe by steeping fresh ginger?
Anyway, CitySearch labels it $40 and up and I didn't see the menu, so I'll have to find a special occasion for an opportunity to go back. But I liked it so much that it would be worth a special occasion.
I finally had Korean food last night, but not on Korea street. I met a friend near her workplace, at 54th and Park. It was a good place to go for a first experience; everyone was so nice about all of our questions. Some Citysearch reviews had complained that it was pricey and that they didn't bring out all the vegetables unless the customer's Korean, but that wasn't our experience at all (I'm beginning to think that Citysearch is useless for reviews; it's just a site the disgruntled use for revenge).
I can see why Korean food is becoming so popular, though. It makes you feel like you're having a feast when they bring out all those little dishes of kimchi, pickled radish, octopus salad, lotus root, etc. I ordered bibimbop, which is sticky rice mixed with vegetables and beef. It's brought to the table with an egg yolk on top in the clay pot they cooked it in and then, tableside, the waiter breaks the egg yolk and mixes it into the rice with some hot sauce. They also brought out a savory egg custard for us to try. It was silky and slippery and hot. Perfect for a cold day. They have a great lunch special, too.
I finally had Korean food last night, but not on Korea street. I met a friend near her workplace, at 54th and Park. It was a good place to go for a first experience; everyone was so nice about all of our questions. Some Citysearch reviews had complained that it was pricey and that they didn't bring out all the vegetables unless the customer's Korean, but that wasn't our experience at all (I'm beginning to think that Citysearch is useless for reviews; it's just a site the disgruntled use for revenge).
I can see why Korean food is becoming so popular, though. It makes you feel like you're having a feast when they bring out all those little dishes of kimchi, pickled radish, octopus salad, lotus root, etc. I ordered bibimbop, which is sticky rice mixed with vegetables and beef. It's brought to the table with an egg yolk on top in the clay pot they cooked it in and then, tableside, the waiter breaks the egg yolk and mixes it into the rice with some hot sauce. They also brought out a savory egg custard for us to try. It was silky and slippery and hot. Perfect for a cold day. They have a great lunch special, too.
