Filed under Greek, West Village + TriBeCa · Print This Post
63 Bedford Street on Morton
212/929-3499
about $150 for two, with two drinks, without tip
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I always write about eating at Snack, my favorite Greek spot, so I decided to try its new sister restaurant, Snack Taverna on Bedford. It has a more grown-up menu with some French influences and the ambiance is a lot less casual than its counterpart. I later learned that its chef, John Fraser, cooked at The French Laundry in Napa for almost three years.
I had my first excellent dinner of 2004 at Snack Taverna. I started with the veal cheeks served with hostas, or giboshi to the Japanese, a green plant that could be as tender as an asparagus. The loukaniko, a Greek hot sausage with oh-so-savory fennel and diced pear was excellent, I almost forgot about my crispy lamb’s tongue. We shared a braised lamb shoulder with bitter dandelions and a small serving of the monkfish. A mix of Cabernet and Merlot from Greece was the perfect match. At Snack Taverna, the meals are better than the desserts, but I couldn’t resist the chocolate soufflé with raspberry sauce even though our waiter warned us about the fifteen-minute wait. He served us a complementary piece of baklava for being patient.
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For a more casual night out, try Snack
Filed under Greek, SoHo · Print This Post
105 Thompson between Prince and Spring Streets
212/925.1040
about $60 for two for dinner or $15 for one during lunch, with drinks, with tip
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At least once a month, I get a craving for Snack’s artichoke chicken salad. A big bowl of potatoes, butter beans, tomatoes, string beans and chicken are tossed with black olive vinaigrette. If I’m in the mood for braised lamb without the heavy sauce, I order their braised lamb sandwich with tomatoes and roasted red onions with tomato aioli and arugula on ciabata bread. The bulgur wheat salad is also delicious with mint and walnuts in citrus vinaigrette. I’ve had better houmus and pita bread elsewhere but I doubt any other Greek restaurant, Queens included, can beat their spanakopitakia or spinach triangles. The phyllo flakes off ever-so-lightly at each bite.
For dinner hours, the menu changes to include heftier items. When I visit, I always order the white anchovies and the octopus as appetizers. For main courses, I’ve enjoyed their vegetarian mousaka with eggplants, mushrooms and potatoes in creamy bechamel sauce. The braised lamb stifado smells really nice with currants and apricots while the keftedakia or veal meatballs are a treat with pine nuts.
Snack’s menu rarely changes, but with meals that are sure to please, I don’t see a reason why it should.
