We looked forward to our Tuesday lunch reservation for four months and fifteen days; we would be returning to Dirty French for their Dip sandwich.
We had dined at the Lower East Side bistro in the Ludlow hotel in June, and were so impressed, it was at the top of our list this time around. We even sat at the same table; there were lots to choose from.
We knew to expect the flakey flatbread amuse-bouche, served with its delicious fromage blanc. The rosemary spiced pastry was still addictive.
We all but ignored the menu of salads and sandwiches, although we did notice the soup & sandwich option. After our waiter assured us our sandwiches would be full size, we both ordered the Dip and a bowl of mushroom soup, plus a side of pommes frites.
Leek & Mushroom Soup — pickled mushrooms, mushroom vinaigrette, cream The leek & mushroom soup was rich without being heavy; it was delicious. We both slurped down every drop. Then came the Dips.
Dip — dry-aged beef, shallots, au jus The French dip was again stuffed with generous slices of top round, rubbed with black pepper and Creole mustard. The toasted baguette was slathered with tart crème fraîche, fresh horseradish, and a layer of caramelized shallots. Was it good? It was very good. Was it as good as we remembered? Is anything ever that good? The pomme frites came close!
It was theatre night. We had tickets to the hottest show in town, "Hamilton" at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.
We had great expectations for the rap-driven portrait of the rise and fall of Alexander Hamilton, and as Ben Brantley exclaims in his New York Times review, "Yes, it really is that good." Get tickets. If you can. We had a late dinner reservation at Casa Mono, Mario Batali's Spanish tapas venue in Gramercy Park.
The small restaurant was bustling, and it was indeed small. The square box of no more than 400 square feet had a cook bar with stool seating along one wall and a wine bar with stool seating along another. Packed in the middle were small wooden tables for two, pushed together to make tables for four. We selected a bottle of wine from the wine tome; there were no spirits available.
We chose four dishes to share from the tapas menu, served in two rounds. The first items out were the sardines and the squid.
Sardinas Fritas with Endive Salad
Baby Squid with Macha Salsa, Cashew Coliflor Purée and Husk Tomato It was easy to pluck the salty meat off the bones of the whole fried sardines. They were tasty. The squid were a bit over breaded, although the purée of cashews and cauliflower was addicting. It was our least favorite dish. Next out were the sweetbreads and the quail.
Sweetbreads with Fennel al Mono and Marcona Almond Vinaigrette
Grilled Quail with Fried Chicken Wing Salad, Sprouts & Sprouts The breaded sweetbreads were moist, meaty, tender and delicious. The grilled quail was also tasty, with the pieces of fried chicken providing crunch to the sprout salad. We would not recommend Casa Mono for a leisurely New York dinner. But it's the perfect destination for a quick late night meal. Copyright © 2015 TwoForTheTable.com |
