Filed under Italian, SoHo · Print This Post
194 Elizabeth Street between Prince and Spring, New York City
212/965.9511
about $150 for two, with two drinks, without tip
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It’s hard to convince me to try a restaurant dubbed “Best Place to Impress a First Date” but after walking by Peasant one afternoon, I thought of it as the best place to treat my special someone to dinner. The first thing you see as soon as you walk in is the fire from the brick oven in the back where they cook all their Italian fare the traditional way. The dark wood gives the restaurant a rustic feel, but the aluminum chairs add a touch of modernity.
We split the baked scallops topped with breadcrumbs and the octopus in vinaigrette. The beet and mixed greens salad was excellent. We like it when the waitstaff gives us some time in between courses, but Peasant stretched it a bit too long. The appetizers settled in our stomachs, that by the time the boy’s squab was served, we were already full. We started to slice the bird but had to send it back because it was too rare. Maybe the cooks in the back need more light than the brick oven provides. I also had to hold up a candle to see what kind of beans arrived on our table–fava–and what mushrooms smelled so good–porcini–with my sweetbreads. I’ve never had sweetbreads as a main course before but if there’s a restaurant that takes everything to the max, Peasant is it.
For dessert, we wished for the peach tart topped with hazelnut ice cream but decided to skip it after we saw that it was more that the size of a big slice. I appreciate big portions for the amount of money they charge, but there are times when I’d prefer a smaller plate rather than a gluttonous one. Fortunately, a smaller space in the basement offers smaller plates.
Filed under Greek, Upper West Side · Print This Post
222 West 79th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam
212/873.0200
about $200 for two, with two drinks, with tip
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Updated, 2007: Chef Michael Psilakis has turned Onera into cash-only Kelfi. He has also opened Anthos at 36 West 52nd Street off Fifth Avenue, 212/582.6900
My party was forty minutes late but the Onera staff was very accommodating. Perhaps I was already sitting and consuming alcohol at the bar and they had no other choice but to wait for my seven other diningmates. When they finally showed up, our table for eight was situated perfectly in the back of the tiny basement restaurant.
When my friends wanted to try something different without paying for a ridiculously expensive omakase at a sushi restaurant, I thought of Onera because Greek is not always the first thing in people’s minds when they think of dinner, so it can only be a curious choice. My friends’ filet mignon were all done the way they preferred. A couple ordered pork tenderloin and they were both delicious, served with fennel and toasted garlic velouté. I went off the too-familiar list and started with two dishes from their meze menu, or small appetizers. The sea urchin came on top of pickled beets and cheese. Everyone wanted to taste my uni and unfortunately, I had to give up three out of the five on my small plate. The scallops came with yogurt cucumber sauce and a whiff of anise. I only had three pieces so I devoured them before anyone said anything.
For my main meal, I divided my attention between the chilled roasted octopus and the crispy sweetbreads. Again, everyone’s forks were attacking my plates and I could not help but scold them for choosing the steak and the pork belly without thinking of the other items on the menu. But even though I did not have enough, the octopus was nice and tarty and the sweetbreads divine. Even with foie gras and sheep milk fraiche, the sweetbreads were not overly decadent to turn me off.
Onera did not disappoint me, nor my picky friends.
