At this storefront restaurant, the menu (in seven or 20 courses) offers a paean to the flavors and spirit of the neighborhood—Italian, Chinese, and hints of the Jewish shops of the LES.
In the front: a café, a bakery, and a provisions shop for house-cured salumi or casual lingering. At the back, a dining area with a perfect little menu of Italian classics.
Keith McNally of Balthazar and Pastis fame preserves the memory of the space (a 1930s saloon) while making the food—well-aged steaks and muscular French fare—better than it ever was.
We love Jody Williams’s sweet, expertly curated, and dollhouse-scaled taste of idealized France in the West Village.
Try the green falafel. The crunchy exterior conceals a fluffy core, with a nutty, herbaceous flavor complemented by silky hummus and tahini sauce. It’s one of our #100best dishes and drinks of 2011. Read more.
Try the beef with chili. Wok-charred beef is tossed w/ kafir lime leaves & green beans, then bathed in a orange-tinted sauce of turmeric & Thai chilies. It’s one of our #100best dishes & drinks 2011. Read more.
Try the crispy Chinese watercress salad. The star green in this salad is lightly battered and deep-fried to gently temper its bitterness. It’s one of our #100best dishes and drinks of 2011. Read more.
Try the freshly made scooped tofu; a delicate, silken dish with a nutty flavor. It’s one of our #100best dishes and drinks of 2011. Read more.
Try the green-bean salad. Crisp stalks of green beans, fried almonds, raw fennel and celery heart join forces in this crunchy, satisfying tangle. It’s one of our #100best dishes and drinks of 2011. Read more.
Try the spicy and sweet kai tod, Asian fried chicken with a garlicky marinade, sweet chili dipping sauce and succulent flesh. It’s one of our #100best dishes and drinks of 2011. Read more.
Try our favorite version of beef rendang. The tender beef is simmered low & slow in a fragrant mixture of clove, cinnamon, lemongrass & coconut milk. It’s one of our #100best dishes & drinks of 2011. Read more.
Try the Stamina Soba, which combines savory and briny seaweed-bonito stocks and features pork belly, scallion and a plump ginger-chicken meatball. It’s one of our #100best dishes and drinks of 2011. Read more.
Dieterle has a knack for fusing Thai cuisine with his own New-American style, and the result is one of the most unique menus in New York right now. [Eater 38 Member]
In many ways Esca is as good as the four-starred Le Bernardin. If nothing else, it's cheaper, more relaxed and, bonus, also serves Baltali-brand pasta. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
A casual cafe menu gives way to a dead-seriously formal tasting version in the dining room itself, well worth riding through to dessert.
