I have to admit, when I walked up to Scarpetta (which sits on the 14th Street border of the Meatpacking District) late on a Saturday evening, part of me expected to see an H2 limo pull up and let out a gaggle of women having “like the best night ever on Stacey’s 34th birthday!” Luckily, that was not the case. For now, the tasteful and dim lit room is calm and relatively untouched by Meatpacking District sprawl. I say “for now” because rave reviews, proximity to the Gansevoort, and the chill out lounge beats pumping through the speakers will soon draw in Stacey and her wobbly heeled friends. Regardless, Scarpetta fully lives up to all the recent hype. The food is absolutely incredible, and I was blown away by how simple and well executed everything was. Truffles and foie gras make appearances, yet don’t come off the slightest bit heavy handed. I was never a fan of sweetbreads, but Scarpetta might have changed my opinion after having them in the excellent farfalle dish. The spaghetti is just that, spaghetti in tomato sauce with basil – incredibly simple and somehow the star of the menu. I will deduct points for the electronic elevator music, but otherwise Scarpetta is about as good as it gets.
Cookshop, like Five Points, is a review that was long overdue on this site. There aren’t many restaurants in New York City that you can count on for an excellent meal regardless of circumstance, and this one is certainly among the few. Chances are that you, a dedicated Immaculate Infatuation reader, already know all of this, and have either recently dined at Cookshop or confidently sent a friend on a recommendation. Then again, maybe you haven’t.
In that case, we can simply tell you that breakfast, brunch, and dinner are all amazing, and that Cookshop needs to be on your list. Or, we can put it into our own terms to help you really understand how we feel. How good is Cookshop? So good that you won’t give a damn if you are the only person in the house not on a really intense date. So good that you will swear to never waste another dollar on trendy let downs like Permanent Brunch or The Standard Grill. Cookshop is so good that you’ll want to take your leftovers home and bury them in a time capsule.
Yep, we back this place pretty hard. Find yourself some time in the near future to visit. And make sure to bring something along worth burying.
Paella is the new ramen noodle and I’m officially obsessed with this place. No bigger than a subway car, Socarrat packs the majority of their patrons on bar stools around a communal table. The idea here is that they do paella the way it’s done in Spain, as one big family. In such a small space, keeping the drool inside your mouth while you wait for your food is no easy task. People are devouring sweet smelling goodness right next to you and all you can do is sit and watch. The smart move is to get a small plate or two to start and get those taste buds warmed up for the main attraction. The paella dishes are served in a huge pan for your party to split. It looks like an intimidating amount of food but the second you start getting in there, it goes fast. Make sure you scrape off the crunchy rice (socarrat) at the bottom, that’s the real good stuff.
You’re most likely going to have to wait a little for your table, but they’ll take your number and call your cell when your time comes. While you wait, we highly recommend Peter McManus, a solid Irish pub on the corner of 19th and 7th that always seems to be playing either Oasis or Rage Against the Machine. Also, keep in mind that this isn’t a cheap meal. Each paella is in the $20-25 range per person, not per paella. Lastly, don’t be surprised if you’re tastefully pushed along during prime time. On one occasion, we were gracefully asked if we wouldn’t mind finishing our cocktails on their private back patio. They even offered up a round of after dinner drinks on the house, not a bad way to end a meal.
Tia Pol is an ultimate Infatuation “Early In The Game” date spot. Take the edge off, have a couple glasses of wine, and maybe some sangria while you’re at it too. Conversation will be flowing freely, you’ll be sharing quality small plates and before you know it, you’ll wind up back in her apartment listening to Lady GaGa while you play grab-ass on the couch. Just beware, there’s pretty much standard half hour wait at Tia Pol; a good thing in case you realize the person next to you is a disease and you need to bail after one drink.
If dating is not your game, come here with a large group and share everything on the menu. The small dishes are a good excuse to sample the entire menu and not feel like a fat-ass. Note: don’t even attempt coming in with a group larger that 3 without a reservation.
We recently checked out Bombay Talkie on a suggestion from a trusted food guru friend. You might have noticed that before today, there were no Indian restaurants reviewed on this site. Despite having lived in Curry Hill for a few years, we’re not exactly experts on Indian cuisine – but chances are good that you aren’t either. Somehow in a city where almost everyone you meet is a self-proclaimed “foodie” (thanks for reading), Indian seems to be a cuisine that has been left behind in the trendification (just made that up) of ethnic foods.
Enter Bombay Talkie, a place where you can go have some real deal Indian in a modern and lively setting. The menu is created from the street carts and roadside cafes found all over the Indian country side, and is definitely not the standard chicken tikka masalas and curries that you find on most Indian menus around town. That means incredible flavors and unique dishes without lots of the heavy and pungent spices that turn some people off. The space is appealing and modern, and it’s definitely a comfortable place to hang out and throw down a few drinks. Wonderful small plates, friendly service, and a really great list of specialty cocktails round out Bombay Talkie’s list of qualifications for it’s new designation – official headquarters of the Indian Trendification Movement. Now all we need is a leader. Padma?
Giveaway: Dinner On Us
