Reasons Why We Heart This City #10

The city sparkles when the sun goes down...

and for some reason everything just looks peaceful in this pic.

-S&B

Corsino

Oh Corsino! B was so looking forward to dining here ever since she walked passed it one March afternoon. It looked like such a great place to eat & it's sister restaurant Inoteca is delicious. A few weeks ago she went to dinner with her girlfriends JC, JP, & KB...they all walked away disappointed.

To start we ordered a few crostinis: ricotta & orange honey, cannellini bean & artichokes, and olive tapenade. We also ordered a formaggi platter (pic to the left) with cow's milk ricotta, parmigiano reggiano & fontina val d'aosta.

Entrees:

Heritage Brisket Meatballs

Chicken Piccata w/cippolini & cauliflower

Linguini w/cockles, hot peppers & oregano

Tagliatelle w/lamb

The olive tapenade was very disappointing considering it tasted like anchovies, but the ricotta & orange honey is a must. The sweet honey with the cheese is the perfect mix. Our cheese platter wasn't disappointing...it's cheese, who doesn't love cheese! On the other hand the entrees weren't the best. B's meatballs were too salty, hard, too much pepper, they just weren't like Savanna's, sorry. JP's chicken piccata was actually delicious, order this if you go. Both the pasta dishes were too buttery and missing in flavor. KB reviewed it herself: "my dish was good the lamb was well cooked however, I felt the radicchio was an unnecessary accompaniment and didn't add anything to the dish but a bitter flavor."

Corsino - night outdoor seating, good wines & cheeses, not like it's sister restaurant Inoteca

-S&B

Reasons Why We Heart This City #8

D'Agostino's in the West Village is 105% nicer then anywhere else, not cool.

-S&B

The Spotted Pig

After rating a few French fry places it was time eat some real food & what happened to be around the corner?  The Spotted Pig...yum!!  We settled for a burger with Roquefort cheese on top, it was delicious but towards the 3rd bite it became a little overwhelming.  

I would love to go back and try a few more of their dishes like their Pan Roasted Striped Bass with tomatoes & saffron, Fried Zucchini Blossoms with cherry tomatoes & basil and/or their Walnut, Chocolate & Amaretto cake for dessert.


It's a great place to grab a beer or wine with your friends & an excellent place to people watch.  Look out for their regular clients like Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, Kate Hudson, SJP, & Jay-Z (he own's the building, btw)


The Spotted Pig
314 West 11th Street
New York, NY  10014
tel: 212.620.0393


-S&B

Barbuto

Barbuto located in the West Village is a great place to people watch and that's about it really.  Jonathan Waxman from Top Chef Masters disappointed our plates.  Located on the hot corner of Jane & Washington Street you would expect to have this delicious dinner that would blow your mind since Cafe Gitane is literally around the corner along with Standard Grill.  They have a good space with a huge outdoor seating, but keep in mind if it's hot out, they don't have A/C, so don't bring a date here unless it's 70 degrees!

Starters:

Insalata Caprese

Mussels

Entrees:

Pollo al Forno (roasted chicken) w/salsa verde

Spigola ai Ferri (black cod) w/endive, leeks, & mushrooms

Special of the Day - Red Snapper in tomato sauce

Patate (fingerling potatoes) w/calabrian & rosemary

Dessert:

Raspberry Gelato

Chocolate Sundae

B's Review:  I was excited to try a Top Chef Master's restaurant since they are "the best" in world, but was disappointed with a few things, first the A/C condition.  Mind you I love to people watch and I am known to stop a conversation just to watch someone cross the street or put a bike in their car, but on an August night having no A/C is not fun.  I love the garage feel look as it makes it a comfortable environment...perfect brunch location.  2nd disappointment was the amount of oil on the insalata caprese. The tomatoes & cheese on this salad were outstanding as we learned that the chefs go to the market everyday and pick out fresh ingredients that is why the menu changes everyday, but the salad was drenched in oil.  My chicken was outstanding since it was moist, but it lacked that kick, that flavor.  It was also HUGE; they actually served me a 1/2 chicken, so if you want to share a dish, this is the dish.  My girls ordered the fish plates and the black cod was amazing and buttery, the side salad...gross.  The red snapper was hardly touched since it was too sweet and the combination didn't go together.  Sadly I don't think I'll be venturing back there...sorry Mr. Waxman.

Barbuto

775 Washington Street

New York, NY 10014

tel: 212.924.9700

-S&B

Battle for the Best...French Fries

The Spotted Pig

Ratings:

Level of Crispness - 4 out of 5 (these shoe string fries hit the spot)

Oil Amount - 4 out of 5 (just look at the pic)

Flavor - 4 out of 5 (salty & a few garlic chips are thrown in there)

Salt Level - 3 out of 5 (water please)

Presentation / Experience - 2 out of 5 (there's nothing like getting a plate of overflowing fries )

Dips - served naked

Price - 4 out of 5..$7 bucks, it's a lot but look how many fries their are

Definite must if you are craving fries, especially if you are in the West Village & looking for a good bar scene.  Once you taste one you'll find yourself eating the whole plate...watch out!!

-S&B

Battle for the Best...French Fries

Barbuto Fries or fingerling potatoes...hmmm

Ratings:

Level of Crispness - 1 out of 5 (the tiny potatoes tasted like chips..hoooray, everything else was like a potato wedge)

Oil Amount - 1 out of 5 (no oil)

Flavor - 2 out of 5 (salty, lil' rosemary but there should have been A LOT more)

Salt Level - 1 out of 5 (you won't be needing a glass of water after each fry)

Presentation / Experience - 1 out of 5 (could have been presented nicer, but the restaurant serves family style so we'll forgive )

Dips - served naked

Price - 5 out of 5..$8 bucks no thank you

Stay at home and make these.

-S&B