Immaculate Infatuation

You obviously know by now that we’re not vegetarians. At times, this site feels like little more than a lengthy discussion about skirt steak and pork parts. Why then, are we giving so much love to a restaurant serving only raw food? Because while we may not be vegetarians, we are devoted hedonists, and Pure Food and Wine is all about pleasure. That and every musician we know talks about the place like it’s the Carnegie Hall of restaurants.

A few years back, Sarma Melngailis decided to show New York that a raw food restaurant doesn’t have to mean serving carrot sticks and lentils to a soundtrack of Ben Harper songs. Pure Food And Wine opened, and in the process she’s become an icon among those passionate about the raw lifestyle. Her restaurant, cookbooks, and One Lucky Duck takeaway business have all been extremely successful, and it’s because, raw or not, the food is incredible.

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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.

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Sorella has been near the top of our hit list for a while now. Subconsciously, I think it was chef Emma Hearst winning Eater’s “Hottest Chef” award for 2009 that finally pushed us over the edge. The Infatuation can’t lie…we dig a hot female in the kitchen. Another thing we dig? A good soundtrack while we eat. Wine bars usually aren’t known for their quality tunes, so we were pleasantly surprised by the sweet mix of Ol’ Dirty Bastard “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” into Stevie Wonder “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”. This could very well have been our own iPod that we were rocking, but this one belonged to Emma herself. So not only is she smoking hot – with cooking skills – but she’s also down with some Wu Tang? That’s our kind of girl.

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Let’s take a moment to set the record straight here. If any of you happen to show up at a restaurant and see Padma Lakshmi sitting at a table, it is your duty as a citizen to let us know. Hit us up on Twitter, send an email, put up the bat signal or, at the very least, sedate her and tag her ear so we can track her whereabouts. But please do something. Just as I was about to write this review of Il Posto Accanto, a close friend tells me he was there on our recommendation and saw the Indian queen of food and sexy dining at the bar with a friend. He just didn’t feel the need to tell us until two days later. How are we supposed to get a Friday Fives/start a family with her if our informants are sitting on info? I guess even though the intel is old, it does confirm that we have awesome taste. Il Posto Accanto is fantastic.

There is a good chance you’ve eaten Italian food on this block before, and if you haven’t, it’s time you do. This one street is home to not only Il Posto Accanto and it’s sister restaurant Il Baggato, but also date night MVP Supper. But Il Posto Accanto is the one that nobody seems to talk about. It’s the smallest, quietest, and least flashy of the three Italian spots on the block, and that’s what makes it great. You can still roll in on a Friday night and get a seat because everyone else is trying to get a table next door at Il Baggato. What they don’t know is that the two restaurants share a kitchen, and Il Posto Accanto is home to some of the best meatballs and pastas in town, along with a great wine list and open air dining. We were honestly sort of torn about writing this place up, but you’re a loyal reader and deserve to have it in your repertoire. Just promise you won’t tell New Jersey.

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Mercat was one of the first to pounce on NoHo’s recent transformation to another one of Manhattan’s “it” neighborhoods. It’s an intriguing situation for reasons including their prime real estate, bustling bar scene, and festive atmosphere. Their selection of exclusively Spanish wines is just as attractive as the pretty people drinking them. Shocker special – the food is good too. With so much focus on the space, you might assume the food would get overlooked. Thankfully, that’s not the case. These relatively pricey “small” plates are worth every penny. Their tapas are nicely sized, so be careful not to over-order. We prefer Mercat for drinks and small plates (either at the bar or in the downstairs tapas lounge) as opposed to a full sit down dinner.

Youthful, Catalan-born owner Jamie Reixach killed it with the decor. The twenty grand he dropped on old Spanish newspapers to line the walls was a damn good spend. There’s a nice contrast between the exposed brick and white subway tiles. The open kitchen, high ceilings, well laid out tables and spacious bar all contribute to a nicely flowing restaurant. Mercat’s balance between SoHo chic and Meatpacking euro make for some seriously entertaining people watching. You won’t catch the Infatuation hanging out here on a regular basis, but every once in a while it’s fun to kick back, drink in hand, and watch the ridiculous action unfold around you.

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