Wife After Wife

Although more well-known as a brunch place, my wife picked Jack's Wife Freda on Carmine Street for dinner on the fly after we saw The Wife with Glenn Close. (Both it and she are excellent and highly recommended.)

As we were approaching the restaurant, the threatening rain became a reality and we huddled in the doorway a couple of doors down while we tried to figure out exactly where it was.  The rain made the restaurant seem even cozier: candlelit and convivial, warm and welcoming, with pendant lights like miniature moons. Crowded as it was, we were instantly welcomed and rapidly ensconced in seats of our own (though we were definitely tempted to sit at the bar).

It was on the louder side (the communal table behind us was filled with people in their 20s), though the banquettes and individual tables had a more mixed group of ages.

When the table at the corner of our banquette opened, the staff were happy to accommodate our move.

The whole roasted garlic, thoughtfully split in half, was deliciously creamy and mellow and less drenched with olive oil than other versions. Grilled haloumi cheese was deliciously paired with cooked garlic cloves and halved grapes.

A somewhat misnamed Greek salad with kale and pickled onions (which we both ordered) was excellent and the salmon I had on top was perfectly rare as requested.

The only weakness was the wine, with the Six Hats Cabernet being a bit too young and tannic, though the waiter did refill our glass for free.

The dessert was truly transcendent with the flourless, chocolate chipotle cake, providing a rich and subtle mix of flavors to perfectly end our dinner. Though not particularly a dessert venue, this alone would merit a return trip.

Overall, this restaurant is well worth it and we would happily return.


From the Armchair,



A Critique

Indian Snow

We took advantage of the blizzard to go to Ada, a French-Indian restaurant located at 208 E, 58th between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. This is not as crazy as it sounds, as we correctly guessed that, because of the blizzard, the restaurant woud be relatively uncrowded. In fact, we were one of only two tables filled, which made our experience better, but also somewhat unrepresentative. In particular, though we found the service excellent, with attentive, knowledgeable and smiling staff willing to answer questions, give advice on wine and suggest dishes and what should be served first, that may have been enhanced by the fact that there weren't many others to attend to.

The restaurant is open and airy with a glass-faced front, an upstairs, a main dining room (in which we sat) and a bar area with a working fireplace, which tantalized us throughout the evening with a faintly smoky scent reminiscent of late autumn hearths alight as winter extends it first tendrils through the air.

The food was quite simply excellent. The French influence subtly moderated the basically Indian menu, adding a flavor here or there and generally making the offerings less spicy, without being obstreporous. As we often do, we went for a multiplicity of smaller dishes, to try the greatest number of things. Mushrooms stuffed in tomatoes gave way to salmon tikka, mushroom samosas, yellow lentil dal and wild mushroom buryani. Though we tend to be vegetarian, the meat-based dishes also looked delectable. There was nothing overtly French, but definitely some ingredients were featured which are not commonly found in Indian food.

Desert did not offer what we chocoholics crave. Nevertheless, a unique ginger creme brulee made a very positive impression.

Ada is not cheap for dinner, though they offer a cheap prix fixe lunch.

Overall, this restarant is heartily recommended


From the Armchair,

A Critique

Land Thai Kitchen

Land Thai Kitchen, on Amsterdam between 81st and 82nd, has a narrow and skinny space, but makes the most of it. The long row of tables faces a mirror on one side, making the space seem bigger then it is.

The food is solid and tasty and the kitchen is pleasantly willing to do some customizing on many dishes. The restaurant does not yet have its liquor license, but is in the process of getting it.

Also, though not usually worthy of positive mention, the bathroom is architecturally interesting and makes effective use of limited space.

From the Armchair,

A Critique

Euzkadi: A Farther Adventure

After venturing out of our usual Upper West Side territory to visit a friend in the village, we ventured even farther to Euzkadi, on East 4th and 1st Avenue. The restaurant features Basque cuisine, which, at least in this case, seemed more akin to Spanish then French. The people in the restaurant were uniformly young, enjoying the dark and cozy atmosphere and regional music. The red curtains, exposed brick and low lighting made a particularly strong impression in light of the snow swirling outside. Interesting wines from Catalonia and Valencia made a welcome change from the more usual wines. We shared nearly half a dozen small dishes including cod-stuffed piquillo peppers, which I found particularly good, though they were not to my girlfriend's taste. For desert, we had a vanilla pudding denominated as a Basque Gateux.

I suspect this may not be a universal favorite, but we enjoyed it greatly. I highly recommend it for those looking for a good restaurant that is a bit unusual even by the standards of Manhattan.

From the Armchair,

A Critique

Compass: Lost its Way?

Looking for something new on the Upper West Side, we wound up at Compass for brunch. The restaurant is located between Broadway and West End on 70th Street. It is, to be honest, unclear how new it is, however, as we had never been there it satisfied our need of the moment.

Unfortunately, it wasn't particularly good for brunch. Though it gets points for creative incorporation of chestnuts into the menu, as part of a forest mushroom omelet, the kitchen was slow even with the room half empty.

Worse, the bright little front room was closed, relegating us and our fellow diners to the cave-like interior, with not a bit of natural light. This may work for dinner, but for brunch it is a definite non-starter.

In the future, we'll join the many others who stayed away from this restaurant for brunch.

From the Armchair,

A Critique

A Taste on The Upper East Side

Tonight we went to Taste Restaurant and Wine Bar, on the east side of 3rd Aveue between 80th and 81st. Though definitely not cheap, the food and service were more than worth it. The wine list was excellent and unusual, but the very knowledgeable waitstaff was happy to guide us through it. We wound up trying three wines, of which my personal favorite was the rather oddly named "The Stump Jump". Even more impressive, when my vegetarian girlfriend started asking whether certain dishes were made with meat, the waiter offered to have a vegetable plate created for her -- and it was quite well done too. After several small plates shared between us, we finished off with a huge slice of lemon meringue pie.

The decor is worth a special mention also. What is most notable is the creative use of space and mirrors to enhance the size of the dining room, though of equal import is a willingness not to cram the maximum possible number of seats into the place, an area in which many restaurants in Manhattan fail abysmally.

This one is heartily reccommended.


From the Armchair,

A Critique

Limits of Reincarnation on Columbus

On the northwest corner of 85th and Columbus, sits Nonna, the last in a chain of restaurants spreading back in time over a decade. First, there was Il Nostro, which was replaced by Avenue. Those two restaurants, different though they were, were both consistently excellent. Nonna is, by comparison, something of a disappointment.

To be fair, the food gave no cause for complaint. I had the papardelle with forest mushrooms, which featured al dente noodles and a pleasing sufficiency of mushrooms. My girlfriend had the tuna mignon with pesto oil and eggplant caponata, which was quite good. Also, we consumed an amaretto margarita which was somewhat odd, but grew on us over time.

The real defficiencies are two. First, where both of its predeccessors provided roast garlic for the table gratis, it now costs and arrives cold. Second, the decor suffers by comparison, certainly with Avenue, appearing darker and less finished.

We are, I think, somewhat unlikely to return. Thugh not regulars at Avenue, it was certainly a place we enjoyed going to on occasion. It its disappointing that this reincarnation is not to our taste.

From the Armchair,

A Critique