Back From Sabbatical

It would seem from my nonexistent posts that I did not eat out during the entire month of March and half of April but looks can be deceiving (and bloggers can be lazy) and, in fact, I have tried some new places with mixed results. A quick summary:

1) CACIO E PEPE--Italian-- (2nd Ave btwn 11th and12th)
The pasta was crunchy enough to possibly send me TO al Dente, the salmon was way too fishy ( read: it had gone bad), and the osso bucco had to be sent back. This being said, however, I have heard so many good things about this place that, silly me, I will go back and give it another shot. Especially since I went on the night of the blizzard before St. Patty's Day and I'm hoping, for their sake, that the chef didn't make it in that day.

2) BOMBAY TALKIE--Indian-- (9th Ave. btwn 21st & 22nd)
Delicious. All around a great experience. The Nan was bigger than my head, light, doughy and flavorful. Beggars' purses a must, and very plump shrimp in the Five Spice Shrimp. Cheap, delicious, and sleek new york ambiance to boot. Great place to go out for a fun meal before heading out on a Saturday night. Or for an early weeknight dinner.

3) SORREL--New American-- (605 Carlton Ave., Prospect Heights)
The deal is a $25 price fixe (although there are also A La Carte options if you so desire) and the food generally falls along the lines of Appetizers:fresh and satisfying, Entrees: overcooked and confusing (I had two different types of sauces to dip my fish in, one olive tapenade and the other a mango marmalade compote--dont get me wrong I love them separately but together its kind of like daniel bolud and chiquita banana are sharing my plate) and Desserts: back to satisfying. I highly recommend the blinchiki (i.e. crepe) filled with ricotta cheese. We did have a fabulous $28 bottle of Cote De Rhone and the wine and the great conversation between friends made overcooked lamb (I tried my friend's) forgivable.

Now to today:

4) WESTVILLE--American-- (10th right off Bleeker)
Capitalizing on the Noreaster I figured I'd give this much talked about restaurant a go. Since I only live a block away it was a win/win for me--I assumed that everyone was safely tucked in their apartment, thus there would be no wait or if there were to be a wait I could return to my apartment and tuck back into the bed that I had been loathe to leave. There were three people waiting outside which was not a positive sign but I walked in and low and behold a table for two was available!Side Note: The three scaffold huddlers outside came inside shortly thereafter so don't feel badly for them. Especially since one of them ordered an egg and asparagus dish that I think I should have ordered.
On to what we ate. I got the special eggs "Scramble #2" which included chorizo, mushroom and chipotle sauce, I added gruyere for a dollar extra and it was a wise choice. It cut down a little bit on the chipotle. Fries came along with it color and texture like McDonalds fries--before transfats got sucked out--but a little meatier and a little bit lacking in salt. I also got a slice of toasted "health bread" on the side which defintiely tasted healthy, brown with lots of seeds. My friend got the Breakfast Burrito and the blue ribbon for ordering correctly. Her dish, from the ingredients to the presentation, was just a lot more exciting than my order. In the wrap was proscuitto, arugula, goat cheese and egg whites (she substituted the normal eggs for the whites, which I usually shy away from but in this case it actually ended up improving the dish by allowing the cheese and arugula to take center stage). We also ordered a plate of sauteed tomoto cherries which were really delighful. The vibrant red tomatoes set against the pretty platter made the think of one of the pictures in the Barefoot Contessa cookbook. This brings me to their market vegetables. They have an incredibly wide range of fresh produce which you can buy either as individual plates ($5) or as a combo platter where you get 4 for $13 (A steal because they really load them on) We had a homemade oreo to finish things off..think devil dogs with crunchier outsides and that same deliciously fake cream that is in oreos.

I cannot say enough good things about this meal (eventhough the burrito was better than the scramble, the scramble was 10 times better than you would get at another restaurant) but I have been put in a pickle now that I have tasted the forbidden fruit and must deal with the fact that I will never again be able to walk in and get a seat. Well, there is always delivery.