Believe it or not, it’s possible for Immaculate Infatuation to love a place even when the food isn’t the main attraction. It’s rare, but it’s possible, and Esperanto is the perfect example. A local Infatuation mainstay, Esperanto’s got that little something special that keeps it in heavy rotation despite average food. It’s consistently packed with people looking to hang out and have a good time. The vibe is contagious, especially after a couple six dollar Caipiroskas (vodka, lime, sugar) to the dome. Going out on the town on a Friday or Saturday night? Esperanto is the perfect choice for your pre-game food and drink, especially when it’s nice out, with the windows open and the outdoors in full effect. The price is right too; all entrees are under twenty dollars. Just beware, there’s almost always a wait during primetime but they move pretty fast. Big group? Make a reservation.
Midtown wine bars are pretty high up there on the list of places you won’t find us hanging out. Why? Well, first of all, the majority of them are slightly less exciting than having a glass or two inside your local Pottery Barn. Second, we’re not so down with the menus rife with shitty pizzas and cubed cheese served on cutting boards. Oh and that fig thrown in next to the pile of Wheat Thins? Yeah, that’s not fooling anybody.
On the surface, Bocca di Bacco doesn’t look much different than any of those places. What is interesting, though, is that the food is actually very good. On the menu is an extensive offering of Italian small plates, pastas, and tasty full sized entrees to accompany all the wines that pour from a giant wine keggerator behind the bar. The crowd is a nice mix of Hell’s Kitchen’s hottest residents and some downtowners that know where to get good eats when they’re in the area. We went in on a Twitter recommendation and have now had two solid meals at Bocca di Bacco, along with some nice wines by the glass that didn’t put too bad of a hurting on the wallet. I’m glad we gave it a chance. The ridiculous house music on the website almost doomed it from the start.
The owners of Penelope must have good connections at City Hall. That or they found a loophole the zoning code requiring all Murray Hill restaurants to have at least six flat screen televisions on each wall. They have also somehow figured out how to run a successful establishment in the neighborhood that doesn’t primarily serve Tasty D-Lite.
Penelope is a comfortable little establishment on a quiet stretch of Lexington Ave, devoid of LCD TVs and sporting a comfortable country house feel to it. They do simple food like a killer mac and cheese, a chicken meatball sandwich, and a decent burger – along with several other gems. Brunch is excellent, but can be a bit crazy. Dinner is a little more reserved and is a great option if you feel like some decent eats and a reasonably priced bottle of wine without a scene. If you live in the ‘hood, the sandwiches deliver well, and it’s usually quick. Also, don’t sleep on the home made baked goods.
A few things to note before we get into it. First, this is a review of the Boqueria on 19th St., not of the newer SoHo location, and not of both. Boqueria Soho has a different dynamic and clientele. Second, let us preface this by saying that we’ve been coming to Boqueria for a while now, and we generally enjoy the place. The only problem we have is that it’s slowly becoming to Spanish food what Sushi Samba is to Japanese. What does that mean exactly? It means that it’s on the short list of venues for Girls Night Out, and that the food is hit or miss. Don’t get us wrong, we’re absolutely fine with going to a restaurant loaded with girls, but consistency is what we crave and Boqueria seems to be all over the map these days. The best bets on the menu tend to be the more simple items like Brussels sprouts, pan con tomate, and anything with chorizo. The wine list is good and reasonably priced (plenty of bottles priced under forty dollars), and the churros are pretty excellent. Maybe even better than the ones that dude sells on the L train platform. At the end of the day, the good at Boqueria is definitely good, and if you stick to the right things, you’ll probably walk away happy. Then again, when we’re craving some Spanish food we’re probably headed to Bar Carerra, Mercat, or Casa Mono instead. For the purposes of this food rundown, we’re going to stick (mostly) to the stuff we liked.
When we heard about The Mermaid Inn opening an “Oyster Bar” in the Village, we were fired up like burnouts scrambling for tickets to the Phish shows at MSG. We’ve been frequenting the East Village location for years now, and the uptown outpost is just as good. They both serve up great fish and a nice lobster roll, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a safer bet for an “Early In the Game Date.” I also just recently had an incredible meal at Neptune Oyster in Boston and it’s been on the brain ever since. So naturally, we went in to the new Mermaid optimistic and ready to throw down some bivalves. Now, the place has all of the same appealing qualities as it’s predecessors and the food is good, but an oyster bar? I guess fifteen or so varieties qualify you, but we were hoping for a deeper raw bar and a little more excitement. Where’s the oyster inspiration? How about an oyster stew, maybe a po’ boy? The menu is standard Mermaid Inn fare, which is fine, but we had hopes for something a little more inventive. What it comes down to is that the Oyster Bar is perfect for mid-day beers and a dozen on ice, but it’s really just another Mermaid Inn. Hit up Flex Mussels if you’re looking for some inspired variations on a theme.
