[Pigging by Wilfrid: January 20, 2014]
"We found the perfect corner spot in the East Village, on East 12th Street and First Avenue," says E12O's website. Perfect? Well, it's a well-trafficked corner, and it bookends a line-up of popular little restaurants: Motorino, Ducks Eatery, S'Mac.
The thing is, it's also right across the street from the ten year veteran Hearth, and charges the same prices, if not higher.
It's lurked in that spot, fairly quietly, for about a year, shielded from the street by a heavy, wooden doorway. Beyond the doorway, a modern, square dining room; a curbvy white bar, but no white seating. And nothing to tell you you're in the heart of the East Village.
Chef Roberto Deniaco, formerly of the restaurant in the Armani store, is offering Northern Italian "fine dining"--quite at odds with hearty rusticity of well-established local favorites like Frank, Supper, and Sauce. This is swanky cuisine. But is it delicious?
On a recent weekend evening, it was far from busy (a group of business designers, a dating couple or two). The wait-staff, for the most part, just hung out, leaving the heavy lifting to one guy in a waistcoat. Because I had my eye on the big steak entrée, I didn't need any pasta. It was cold for salad, and I don't trust the Italian approach to raw fish (bombard with oil and salt), so I reluctantly chose the involtini to start.
Very traditional, and indeed they reminded me of the involtini I buy at Mastellone's Deli in Carroll Gardens. Very tomatoey too.
The steak is listed on the menu as tagliata di manzo, which just means "sliced beef." It did come well-charred.
The white studs dotting its surface are little un-rendered pieces of bone marrow, which weren't really integral to the dish. The steak was aged, and had a firm chew to it. It was--you kn0w--okay.
The side dish of beans which comes with the steak fell a little flat. No great flavor; more ballast than anything.
So maybe I was expecting too much from involtini followed by a slab of steak. Maybe this is, as New York magazine claims, the best steak in the neighborhood. At $38 (prices on the website are no longer accurate), it's more expensive than anything at Hearth (except the seasonal venison). And Hearth is a really, really good restaurant.
Comments