Everyone loves August. It’s impossible not to. The same way I’m always down to watch those movies that are endlessly on TV like Any Given Sunday or Empire Records, I’m also always down for brunch at August. This little European bistro is perfectly located in the heart of all the good West Village action. The friendly space smells of firewood and has an awesome glass enclosed garden that gets tons of sun. August is really a better brunch/lunch spot than it is a dinner spot. The dinner entrees are never as exciting as the eggs, sandwiches and pizza you get during the daytime hours. Plus, the prices on the dinner menu are a little steep. One dinner option we do like, however, is the Sunday night “Pizza & Peronis” meal: one pizza and four Peronis for $25. Not necessarily the Gray’s Papaya recession special, but we back the idea and the pizza is really good. Speaking of pizza and beer, dudes, listen up – August is a great First/Early In The Game Date spot. Considering that her and her friends already love it, you’ll score extra points right off the bat by taking her to the location of her last Book Club meeting. Trust me; it’s a better option than the new Dos Caminos in the Meat Packing district.

Food Rundown:

Wood Oven Baked Eggs en Cocotte
The big ticket item here are baked eggs, cooked up in their own iron skillets. August divides up the different varieties by the European region they’re inspired by. You really can’t go wrong with ordering any of these, but our favorite is absolutely the Alsatian (bacon and onion with crème fraiche) with the Andalusian (chorizo and blistered peppers) coming in a close second.

Challah Bread French Toast
So good. If you’re big on challah bread French toast, definitely calorie splurge on this one. The key to making the outside so crisp is that they finish it in the oven.

Asparagus Mimosa
One of my favorite things to order here, the asparagus mimosa is on both the lunch and dinner menu. A breaded ball of fried egg that looks like a croquette served over a heap of cold asparagus stalks with dijon dressing. Full of bold flavors, but also crisp and refreshing.

Burger
The only thing fancy about this burger is the fried egg you can elect to place on top of it (which you should do, obviously – check the twitpic). This burger is a dead ringer for the one I’m going to make on the BBQ this weekend: ground chuck, lettuce, tomato, pickles and raw onions on a nice kaiser bun. High quality and straight forward. We dig this burger.

Grilled Chorizo Sandwich
For chorizo fans who like a little spice in their life, definitely check this sandwich out. Chorizo sausages served on a super soft bun with baby arugula, blistered peppers, and spicy smoked mayonnaise. Yes.

Perry St is in the ground floor of some super-modern, all glass building on the West Side Highway. It’s a nice place, but it’s completely sterile and a little stuffy. It’s definitely an older, more proper crowd. Got straight-laced family in town from Greenwich? This is the perfect Dinner With The Parents destination. Neither the maître d’ or the tables around us were too thrilled with our quasi-rowdy party, which by Perry St standards might as well have been a table rave. The food was a let down too. After eating a spectacular dinner at ABC Kitchen the week before, I was expecting a more dynamic meal from a Jean Georges restaurant. That being said, we would come back here and order the butter poached lobster anytime. That’s one of the single best dishes we’ve eaten this year, and it saved this review from the toilet. We also hear rumblings that they serve a decent brunch. Maybe we’ll come back and check it out, and this time we’ll bring grandma. On second thought, no we won’t. She’s too cool for this place.

Food Rundown:

Arugula and Boston Lettuce Salad
A nice starter salad. I’m a sucker for anything with Boston lettuce and mustard vinaigrette, so this plays right into my weakness.

Rice Cracker Crusted Tuna
This tuna appetizer is one of Perry St’s signature dishes – it was the number one recommendation of our waiter. Sadly, it wasn’t that memorable, partially because we only got half the dish. The other half wound up being accidentally dropped into a water glass by our server and not being replaced. Thanks dude. The rice cracker crust is certainly tasty, but it’s nothing life changing, and we expected a little more from something that comes served in a sriracha-citrus emulsion.

Sweet Chili Crab Dumplings
Another dish that arrived at our table after being highly touted, but just didn’t do it for us. There was something missing, and we couldn’t understand how this slimy green dumpling could be one of their most popular dishes.

Cod With Miso-Yuzu Glaze
Not the best miso cod we’ve ever had, but the sriracha gives the fish a serious kick of flavor. If you don’t like it spicy, take a pass on this one.

Butter Poached Lobster
$35 and not a penny overpriced. God damn was this lobster dish ridiculous. It was easily the best thing we ate all night. Rich, buttery poached lobster served over an awesome potato ravioli in a lemongrass and kaffir lime broth. You should probably come here once, just to eat this.

Char-Grilled Cheeseburger
Not too big, not too small, and sporting plenty of flavor – this is definitely a solid burger, just not a reason to come like the butter poached lobster.

By no means are we claiming that dell’anima is some under the radar date haven that nobody else knows about. Ask any female that lives west of 7th Avenue and she will probably have this place in her top ten. We’re big fans too, and also hold sister restaurant L’Artusi in high regard. Both are great date spots and both have a vanity apostrophe, which makes them cool or Italian or something. Both can also be loud and a bit sceney at times, though dell’anima is much smaller and more intimate. We like dell’anima specifically for the ample bar seating and chef’s counter, perfect for a more casual meal, and making it a great First/Early in The Game Date destination. We also like it because the food is pretty damn spectacular. There are a few really special pasta dishes, and some sharable first courses that are excellent. The wine list is smart though a bit pricey, but there are a handful of good bottles under forty bucks to choose from.

One thing to note – we’ve heard some recent feedback from the field that both dell’anima and L’Artusi are too heavy handed with the salt in some dishes. These chefs definitely don’t shy away from seasoning, so take that into account. I happen to have dangerously low blood pressure, so it’s good for me.

Food Rundown:

Bruschetta
A bowl of crostini, served with your choice of bruschetta in a tiny bowl to spread on top. We reccommend ordering a few. The options change regularly, but we really like the avocado and the rapini pesto.

Charred Octopus
A few grilled octopus arms on a bed of tiny white beans with fennel sofrito. Top notch.

Vognole
Kind of a strange dish – small clams in a bowl that seem to be missing the pasta. Good with some extra crostini if you have them lying around from the bruschetta.

Endive Salad
A nice light salad of endive spears with anchovy and pecorino. Pretty straightforward.

Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese
A nice pasta, but not their best. As with all the pastas, the homemade noodles are excellent, but this bolognese isn’t quite as meaty and rich as we’d like it to be.

Garganelli
Almost like a pasta version of the dish we freaked out over at L’Artusi. A simple bowl of short tube noodles with mushroom, parsley and lemon. Mind blowing and perfect.

Tajarin
A noodle similar to tagilatelle but thinner. This is a fan favorite at dell’anima, and rightfully so. It’s a take on carbonara with a poached egg and speck instead of bacon. Hearty but not terribly heavy, and really good.

Orata
A good option from the entree menu, a nice light piece of fish that’s a can be a pleasant break from some of the aggressive seasoning you’ll find elsewhere on the menu.

We really wanted to like this place. The vibe reminded us of a West Village version of Infatuation favorite Tree – a cozy neighborhood bistro complete with a little garden in the back. We really did like the space, and it’s unfortunate that the food and service incited wrath inside of us. Things actually started off strong. A plate of chocolate chip cookies greets you upon entry, and you know how we feel about our cookies. But, it was all downhill from there. The service is slow and apathetic for no reason, and the food was just downright bad. Now we understand why their main claim to fame is homemade ketchup. With so many good restaurants in that area, we’re surprised that Home has managed to stay open for ten years. I guess that’s what that “critic’s pick” buys you.

Food Rundown:

Whole Clam Chowder
Seriously? This is what the waiter recommended on the appetizer menu? Clams, red bliss potatoes and bacon…it all sounded good on paper, but damn was this bad. The broth had already started to coagulate on top by the time it arrived at the table. Must have been sitting around for a while. The potatoes were all severely undercooked and the bacon bits were few and far between. I would have been much happier with my standard lunch chowder from Hale & Hearty.

Crab Cakes
Another suspect appetizer, these small fried crab balls more closely resembled something you’d buy in the grocery store and heat up in the microwave rather than fare from a “critic’s pick”. Way off Platty Pants.

Black Eyed Pea Chicken Chili
This special appetizer was the saving grace of a bad first round of food and ended up being the best dish we tried all night.

Braised Short Ribs
How is it humanly possible to slow cook something for six hours and have it come out tasting like absolutely nothing? This was the most bland, tasteless short rib I’ve ever come into contact with. I can’t believe this is actually served at a restaurant. The only thing that kept us from sending this dish back was the scalloped potatoes accompanying it.

Macaroni & Cheese
The main reason we had dinner here is that we were rolling with Infatuation’s resident Mac & Cheese Expert. Home allegedly has an excellent one, and we figured we’d throw him a bone. Sadly, this $18 bowl was nothing special. Our expert ate around all the rubbery hunks of chorizo which would have served the dish better ground up.

Molasses Double Cut Pork Chop
Another colossal disaster, this pork chop was terrible. We got through half of it and then gave up all hope of finding any redeeming quality. Much like the short rib, this tasted like absolutely nothing.

Onion Rings
These were good, but definitely not amazing. Big, lightly breaded rings that are crispy in some places, soggy in others. The homemade ketchup was a nice touch, but we’d be happier with a better ring and some Heinz.

Seeing as how we’re writing about it on this site, you would be right to assume that Wilfie & Nell is a restaurant – they serve not only dinner but now brunch, and the menu was originally curated by Momofuku alumni and Brooklyn Star owner Joaquin Baca. But it is first and foremost a place you come to drink, rather than a place you come to eat. Consider it an added bonus that the bar food you’ll likely be eating while standing near a tiny ledge is pretty good. Tables fill up quickly, as do the bar seats, and thirty people can make the place feel crowded thanks to low cielings and strange layout. Nonetheless, it’s a vibey bar that will get you cool points on a date, or maybe even land you one for later in the week. Just try not to spill mustard on your pants while you eat in the corner.

Food Rundown:

Pigs In Blankets
We’re no stranger to the common folk pigs in blankets, made with packaged mini hot dogs and Pilsbury croissant dough. We love those. Wilfie & Nell’s are more of a gastropub version with a sausage instead of a hot dog, and they’re wrapped in bacon. Not bad, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Berkshire Pork Sliders
Shredded pork on a nice fluffy little bun. These can be a little dry, but throw on a pickle and some of the mustard that comes on the side, and they’re at the very least serviceable.

Grilled Cheese
Far and away the best thing on the menu at Wilfie & Nell, and one of the best grilled cheeses we’ve eaten. Served on Blue Ribbon Pullman with perfectly gooey cheese and carmelized onions. Excellent.

Fries
Really good thick cut fries, served with malt vinegar, which we love.

On this island, taking a break from the beach and rolling to the local clam bar in flip flops and a bathing suit doesn’t happen. While our concrete jungle does indeed have a few solid fish shacks and oyster bars (The Mermaid Inn, Luke’s Lobster), most come with a certain Manhattan spin that seems forced and rather lame (Ditch Plains, Lure Fishbar). Mary’s is the rare authentic feeling fish house around these parts. It could easily be transported to Montauk or Cape Cod and fit right in. The pale pink and blue decor, simplistic dishes and laid back attitude are what we expect from a place that only serves seafood. Sure, the prices are a bit high, but this is Manhattan- everything is expensive. Mary’s is always jammed, so go in expecting to put your name on the list and then grab a drink around the corner. They’re accurate on their wait time and will call you as soon as your table is ready. As far as we’re concerned, Mary’s is one of the best seafood jams in Manhattan. Get some.

Food Rundown:

Half Dozen Malpeque OystersOysters are a mandatory order at Mary’s.

New Zealand Cockles with White Beans and GarlicThe cockle broth is really freakin good, and they serve this dish to you with a huge side of bread for dunking.

Fried Oysters and Clams with Fish Camp Tartar SauceThese little nuggets of fried goodness are always a fun way to start off a meal. Mary’s tartar sauce is particularly good too.

Wild Maine Mussels with Red Curry and Fresh CorianderLast time we were there, these mussels were HUGE and quite flavorful. Mussels can generally be hit or miss, but Mary’s are usually pretty consistent. The red curry broth gives this bowl a nice kick.

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge with Buttermilk Dressing and Double Smoked Bacon Buttermilk dressing and double smoked bacon? Sold. Don’t waste an appetizer item here on a non-fish order. Instead, we recommend ordering this as a side as it’s better than the individual vegetables they serve as side dishes.

Spicy Florida Conch ChowderI love their conch chowder. It’s an excellent move on a cold night or for lunch.

Lobster RollMary is known for her beautiful, rich and incredibly tasty pink lobster rolls. Big chunks of lobster are served over a toasted hot dog bun with a huge side of fries. For those who don’t like a lot of mayo on a $25 roll, this is not for you. For those who do, you’ll agree that this is the best mayo-heavy lobster roll in the city.

Pan Fried Cod Sandwich with French FriesAnother one of Mary’s specialties, this beautifully fried cod filet is served on a sourdough roll with lettuce, tomato and a side of Mary’s flattened shoestring fries.

Emerald Basin Skate with Brussels Sprout LeavesA nice portion of skate drenched, in balsamic brown butter. This dish is incredibly tasty and rather filling. If you don’t like balsamic though, don’t order it. That flavor is a little overwhelming

DessertSince everyone around you is eating Mary’s ridiculous looking hot fudge sundae, it’s impossible to not order dessert. Both the traditional looking sundae and the banana pudding will finish off your meal just right.