I went to the new Inoteca in Gramercy--word to the wise: bring your patience as well as your appetite. My friend and I arrived on time for a 9pm Tuesday reservation and were not seated until 9:45. I could have spent my time complaining to the hostess but there was also a wait for that. Instead I passed the time alternatively talking to my friend and protecting my body from stray elbows and misplaced feet of waiters and diners alike. Indeed, the restaurant was in such chaos that at one point, I looked into the dining room only to see the manager lunging toward an office chair (the ugly swiveling/adjustable type) that a waiter had hastily fetched in order to seat a party of four at a table meant for three.
All of that said, the food was delicious. The octopus was tender and served in their tentacle entirety, the arugula salad with bresaola tasted fresh and had a lemon flavor to it that was not overpowering, and the meatballs were a nice hearty size and consistency. The menu itself was filled with appealing items--paninis, pastas, cured meats, cheeses--and I will most likely go back once the hype has settled down. For now, however, I will stick to the original LES location where I can wait without fear of bodily harm and traveling furniture.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Hello Hoagies: Food in the City of Brotherly Love
The last close encounter I had with Philadelphia was when a 400 lb Eagles fan stepped on my foot at this years NFC East playoff game. At the time, his toe-crushing weight was not something I was pleased about, but after sinking my teeth into a Philadelphia hoagie at Primo's, it is something I can understand. But I get ahead of myself.
I arrived on Friday for the beginning of my book club reunion weekend in Philadelphia and the first four arrivals of our group went to Audrey Claire for dinner. It was the perfect place for the four of us to sit down, knock back some of our BYO wine and enjoy some tasty small plates. The very attractive waiter was not a drawback either.
Our final selections included: Bosc pear and gorgonzola grilled flat breads with toasted sunflower seeds, seared haloumi with candied dates and sesame-fig compote, grilled octopus with feta over market greens and a special salad with delicious chunks of grilled pumpkin. The special salad was A+ and I really liked the flat bread--I liked the ingredients mixed with the taste of the bread which was like a thick pocketless pita--but not everyone was in accordance with my opinion on the flat bread. Everyone was in accordance, however, that the octopus tasted like charcoal. But all was not lost because my haloumi-ordering friend was very pleased with her dish.
The next day my friend made brunch at her house and about an hour after my last pancake, I began wondering what we would eat to coat our stomachs to prepare for the "evening" drinking festivities that were scheduled to begin at 4pm. The answer came in the form of two heavenly halves of baguette stuffed with hot sopressato, sharp provolone, capacola and blend of hot spices. The sandwich was an Italian Diablo and the place of purchase was Primo Hoagies on Chestnut Street. There were eight of us who ordered hoagies and each unique hoagie was a masterpiece. At the time, I declared I would marry the owner for free hoagies, but now that I have returned to New York, and have no access to a hoagie, I would be willing to pay him to marry me, as long as he would send me a hoagie once or twice a week.
Post hoagie, and many hours of drinking, came a whopping Sunday hangover but, luckily Papa John came to the rescue with his remarkable cheese bread. The oozing cheese did not give me back the five hours of sleep I was missing, but it did revive me enough to get me to the train and safely home where I could give thanks for friends, food and Philly (sans Eagles of course).
I arrived on Friday for the beginning of my book club reunion weekend in Philadelphia and the first four arrivals of our group went to Audrey Claire for dinner. It was the perfect place for the four of us to sit down, knock back some of our BYO wine and enjoy some tasty small plates. The very attractive waiter was not a drawback either.
Our final selections included: Bosc pear and gorgonzola grilled flat breads with toasted sunflower seeds, seared haloumi with candied dates and sesame-fig compote, grilled octopus with feta over market greens and a special salad with delicious chunks of grilled pumpkin. The special salad was A+ and I really liked the flat bread--I liked the ingredients mixed with the taste of the bread which was like a thick pocketless pita--but not everyone was in accordance with my opinion on the flat bread. Everyone was in accordance, however, that the octopus tasted like charcoal. But all was not lost because my haloumi-ordering friend was very pleased with her dish.
The next day my friend made brunch at her house and about an hour after my last pancake, I began wondering what we would eat to coat our stomachs to prepare for the "evening" drinking festivities that were scheduled to begin at 4pm. The answer came in the form of two heavenly halves of baguette stuffed with hot sopressato, sharp provolone, capacola and blend of hot spices. The sandwich was an Italian Diablo and the place of purchase was Primo Hoagies on Chestnut Street. There were eight of us who ordered hoagies and each unique hoagie was a masterpiece. At the time, I declared I would marry the owner for free hoagies, but now that I have returned to New York, and have no access to a hoagie, I would be willing to pay him to marry me, as long as he would send me a hoagie once or twice a week.
Post hoagie, and many hours of drinking, came a whopping Sunday hangover but, luckily Papa John came to the rescue with his remarkable cheese bread. The oozing cheese did not give me back the five hours of sleep I was missing, but it did revive me enough to get me to the train and safely home where I could give thanks for friends, food and Philly (sans Eagles of course).
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