Glad to read your note on the 2024 Oxer Blanco Iraun - bought a case of this last month.
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had dinner with a buddy at lords before the weather gets too warm for their somewhat heavy british fare. i went once when they opened and never returned. i want to like the dame/lords/crevette more than i actually enjoy the food.
ill say the service was fun and friendly and solid. the wine list is a model for all other restaurants considering their 1.5-2x retail market up.
food was merely fine. my snap pea salad with sheeps milk cheese was a winner with briney olives. my duck was one of the tougher ducks ive had since a shitty bar in nice in 2015. my buddy had the sirloin steak which he felt was a poor cut of meat as well. dinner was saved by the ginger cake with ice cream butā¦you really cant have a bad version of this.
im guessing we spent $150ish per person which felt pricey but not i cavallini pricey. wont rush to return but happy its there?
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I like Lords much more than you. However I usually have it in reserve for when I need a reservation for a large group on Monday where we need a decent wine list.
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I havenāt eaten at Dame or Lords. But the one meal I had at Crevette was really good.
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Anyone have a picture of the current menu at I Cavallini that they can post?
I like Dame a lot. Havenāt been to Lordās so no opinion there. I think Crevette is very good but not quite among my favorite places. I will say itās an amazing please to eat seafood and drink bubbles or a white wine on a warm summer evening. One of my most enjoyable meals last year was there and included heaps of shellfish and champagne. With the bright pastels and French Riviera decor, I think it works really well for that type of experience.
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I think thatās a very fair assessment. I went with my daughter before seeing a show at LPR this past October. It wasnāt mind blowing but I was pleasantly suprised.
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Went to Bartolo last Friday. Definitely agree the fritos is an outstanding dish. I think they are trying to mimic the flavor of escargot. We also ordered the lamb rib and CALLOS A LA MADRILEĆA. Neither was a standout to be honest.
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Iām also a fan of Crevette. I think the room is very pleasant and as a pescetarian I like all the delicious menu options. I also like that - up until now - it hasnāt been very difficult to get a table. Hopefully it stays that way AND they remain profitable.
Havenāt been to Dame because while I am sure it is delicious, it is more annoying to book and the space seems less pleasant.
I see Lordās every day but that type of food does not grab me when not in the UK, given all the other options we have here!
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Had lunch at Soba Ulala which is Hirohisaās replacement. The noodle was the best Iāve had in the US (although I missed Sarashina Horii during its brief stint in NY), and it comes with side dishes that steal the show. The white asparagus and fiddlehead poached in dashi was the perfect spring dish and a nod to Chef Hayashiās background in kaiseki cuisine. Also little details like fresh wasabi and seasonal pickles. I was initially skeptical about paying $28 for plain soba but now Iām looking for an excuse to go there again.
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Sounds great. Thanks for the write up!
Got in to four horsemen tomorrow via priority notify. It has worked for me a fair bit. Iāve been itching to go for some time now, so Iām glad I got in while Iām only in town for less than 72 hours.
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Congrats!!!
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I was in NYC briefly a few weeks ago for work/family, so most of my meals were home-cooked. But, I did finally get to Smithereens with a B-school friend. It was so good that I ended up going a 2nd time with one of my foodie friends as I wanted her to experience it as well. On my first visit, the skewers of abalone were so good that we ordered them twice (once as part of the mains, once for dessert). The one dish that didnāt wow us was the crab salad, I felt the dressing overshadowed what little crab meat there was, but everything else was on point. My 2nd visit allowed me to explore the menu more broadly, and I wasnāt disappointed. Even better, we sat at the bar, where we chatted with the bartender, who took great care of us.
Aaron, the wine guy, selected some delicious wines (a Weingut Wechsler Morstein 2021 the first time, a Schafer-Frolich Vulkangstein Trocken Riesling 2024, both absolutely fabulous with a slight preference for the Wechsler). Leslie, the GM, took great care of us as she knew the wines I imported from her time in Oklahoma, where sheās from and where we have a wholesaler.
Everything about our experiences at Smithereens was top-notch, I wish them the best as theyāre doing great work there. I am coming to NYC with my family in July, I might try to get a table as I know my wife and son would love it.
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Smithereens over Cervoās?
Easy. YES. And I really like Cervos.
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Who!
Leslie who was the long time GM of Blanca / Robertaās has only made a great spot even better.
The are different animals. Both absolutely delicious and fun. Smithereens is more of a high end restaurant. To me, Smithereens is a destination kind of place and Cervoās is a neighborhood place.
That was not the question. If you had to choose one over the other which would you choose : )
I would say they both fill a different need/niche. But if itās a binary questionā¦Iām going to Smithereens.
That said, if you told me my next ten meals had to be a combo of Smithereenās and Cervoās, Iād probably say that I would have 6-7 meals at Smithereens and 3-4 meals at Cervoās.
Need to go back to both ASAP!