[Pigging by Wilfrid: August 10, 2009]
I meant to get here in the winter, I swear I did, fired with enthusiasm by the talk of cassoulet and pork belly rillettes.
One thing and another, it never happened. This restaurant has a following. Sometimes I tried for a table and couldn't get one - and yet I never thought of booking a place like this weeks out.
And then the seasons changed, the cassoulet vanished, and the menu started to appeal to me a little less. You know, salads, pastas, a lot of fish and chicken. So on a recent, unusually pleasant evening, I decided just to try my luck snacking at the bar. I held to the resolution, even though a lamb shoulder was lurking among the entrées.
For $25, you can order a selection of meats and sausages to share. And that, I think, would be some spread. I just ordered two - $6 each - the lamb prosciutto and hot morcilla, and with the grilled bread and pickles, it was a substantial snack.
Speaking of pickles, what a good idea pickled fiddlehead ferns turned out to be. Impressively crisp, mildly sweet, actually rather better than they tend to be when cooked fresh.
Lamb ham is always a great idea too, and it is about time I lived my dream of salting a leg of lamb at home. This was exemplary - deep lamb flavor, not obscured by a light oil dressing. I have a dollar says the morcilla is from Despaña (chorizo is another choice), and if it's not my favorite in the city, there's nothing wrong with it.
Just to round things out, I ordered up the patatas bravas too. Another dish I couldn't fault...
Lamb ham is always a great idea too, and it is about time I lived my dream of salting a leg of lamb at home. This was exemplary - deep lamb flavor, not obscured by a light oil dressing. I have a dollar says the morcilla is from Despaña (chorizo is another choice), and if it's not my favorite in the city, there's nothing wrong with it.
Just to round things out, I ordered up the patatas bravas too. Another dish I couldn't fault...
...except - and I make no charge for the pedantry - they're not patatas bravas. In fact, even on the menu, they are subtitled potatoes with aioli. Bravas implies a spicy sauce, usually colored pink or red by paprika. So what, these were very good: hot and crisp.
What's more, the above - a good light meal - with a glass of wine checks in at about thirty dollars before tip. Maybe I should think again about that lamb shoulder.
Nice airy corner location too, although I strongly suspect the restaurant is named after its own address rather than - as one critic claimed - after the Prime Minister's residence in London. I won't link to the website because it seems completely bereft of information.
What's more, the above - a good light meal - with a glass of wine checks in at about thirty dollars before tip. Maybe I should think again about that lamb shoulder.
Nice airy corner location too, although I strongly suspect the restaurant is named after its own address rather than - as one critic claimed - after the Prime Minister's residence in London. I won't link to the website because it seems completely bereft of information.
