Cana: A wine bar in an Escher painting

Cana Wine Bar recently opened in the Limelight Marketplace, everyone's favorite church-turned-nightclub-turned-upscale-trinket-marketplace. I've written about the bizarro world inside the Limelight before, but what better way to enhance the experience of being inside an Escher painting than to drink some wine? No better way, that's what. (Huh?) Anyway, after work last week, I suggested my old friend AS and I meet up at the newly-debuted Cana for a tipple and a nibble. And so we did.

Cana is situated on one of the Limelight's many landings, and rather than having its own enclosed space, it's kind of just out there on the platform. There are tables lined up against the internal railings overlooking the marketplace's ground floor, and there's a small bar tucked under the overhang of the next floor above us.

The menu is both pretty substantial and relatively reasonably priced (N.B.: Don't go by what's up on the website; the actual menu, particularly the wines by the glass, differs considerably). AS chose a glass of Pinot Noir; I went with a glass of Montepulciano, which was rich and ruby-toned and delicious. And for all those counting, I am now up to EIGHTY-ONE varietals on my Wine Century Club quest! Nineteen wines to go...

Montepulciano

And pinot

I also ordered a dish of their cocktail olives, which goes for a very reasonable $5. A large plate of chile-spiked olives is surprisingly accompanied by a plate of "crostini," thick slices of warm white toast with shards of parmesan bruleed on top sporting humorously long skewers, for some reason. (Do people often have trouble picking up pieces of toast with their hands?) The olives were salty and succulent, and the toast was a nice extra gesture-- and warm and tasty, to boot.

Olives! And toast!

Our overall experience with Cana was quite positive. It's not exactly your cozy, intimate, candlelit neighborhood wine bar, but it's actually a really nice place to grab a drink, albeit in a frenetic, blindingly white, and techno-pumping atmosphere. If you happen to find yourself in the somewhat in-between neighborhood of 6th Avenue and the low 20s, stop on in and have a drink. At the very least, it'll give you some liquid courage to tackle the rest of the marketplace.

Cana Wine Bar
Inside the Limelight Marketplace
656 Avenue of the Americas, between 20th and 21st Street

More Chicago: To the Firehouse!

I've blogged about my adventures at Bin 36 in Chicago, but that wasn't the only restaurant that got some love while I was in town. One evening, I was looking for a quick dinner relatively near our hotel, and so I made my way to the Chicago Firehouse.

I first wanted to sit at the bar, but the bar was completely full, so the hostesses sat me at a very, very awkward table-for-two located pretty much in the vestibule of the restaurant. It was constantly buffeted by cross-winds and was thus pretty chilly, meaning I spent dinner in my scarf and hat. And it was right in the pathway of passing traffic and speeding waiters, which meant I felt I was in the way the whole time. I know I'm only a single diner, but c'mon, Firehouse, don't make it obvious that you don't want me there...

Anyway, to the food. There was fresh bread, which I had a bit of; it was appealing in texture but a bit off in flavor. Huh.

Warm but not too tasty

But the real win here was the salad. I chose the house salad, with baby spinach, green apple, spiced pecans, and sherry vinaigrette. I requested a replacement for the usual blue cheese, and they gladly substituted parmesan. May I say right here that despite all the other issues going on at the Firehouse, this salad was incredible. Truly top-notch. It was incredibly tasty, with all the ingredients melding together yet still asserting themselves in the way that truly characterizes a good salad. I could have eaten a trough-load of this.

Stellar salad

After gorging on salad, I checked out the dessert menu, but nothing really appealed. So after paying the check (a process that apparently required two false-starts before the waiter actually delivered the check-holder with my appropriate bill in it), I skipped on down the street to Marble Slab creamery, where I got a cup of their cinnamon-apple flavor ice cream. It pretty much defined "nothing special"-- it tasted like apple pie and was cool and creamy, but it was slightly gummy in texture and was unremarkable in every other way. Oh well.

Meh.

Oh, and ice cream in November in Chicago? It makes you cold. Fun fact.

While I'd like to dock the Firehouse for service lapses, that salad was so damn good that I still have to give the restaurant three Offset Spatulas. If I'm ever in the area again, I would actually return to have that dish again; I'd just be sure to bring a dining companion. Maybe that was the Firehouse's goal all along?

The Chicago Firehouse
1401 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago
312-786-1401

Stecchino: Second time's the charm

A few weeks ago, the bro and I had an early dinner at Stecchino. We'd been there once before when it first opened, to mixed results, to say the least. But this time all cylinders were firing, and we actually had quite a nice meal.

First of all, it must be said that our waiter was incredibly accommodating and put up with our (my) antics with good humor and panache. I changed my mind about my wine choice about half a dozen times, not that that's obnoxious, and ended up with an incredibly crisp and refreshing Albarino. The bro went for a merlot that was surprisingly smooth and tasty.

Albarino FTW!

AND it was a happy hour special!

While we waited for our food to arrive, the house sent over a complimentary cheese plate for us to nibble with our wine. How sweet! We munched the cheese (parmesan?), and the bro took care of the bread, grapes, and apple slices. Huge extra points here.

Who doesn't love free cheese?

Oh, there was also bread and oil, of which I did not partake. But here's how it looked:

Standard bread

For entree, the bro had chosen pennette with sausage and wild mushrooms in a robust red wine tomato sauce. He found it surprisingly good, and he was unable to finish the large portion. It looked and smelled deliciously flavorful and hearty.

A beautifully composed plate of pasta

My choice was the roasted beets with leeks, string beans, herbed goat cheese, and a raspberry vinaigrette. The flaw that I anticipated in this salad was present, spot-on: it was too sweet. A raspberry vinaigrette doesn't go with a beet salad, since the beets are already sweet; you need something with acidic bite to offset the sweetness. That being said, otherwise the salad was pretty good; it needed a little bit of salt, which I added, and after that all was well. The leeks were especially good here-- add more leeks, do away with the beans, go for a regular balsamic vinaigrette, and add a bit of salt to the mix and you've got a real contender here.

Sweet, but still enjoyable

We were both pretty full, so that was that. This time, Stecchino came through-- it's a friendly and comfortable place to have a glass of wine and a bite. I'd go back.

Stecchino
765 Ninth Avenue (between 51st and 52nd streets)
212-397-2377

Testing the waters at Zigolini's

On Saturday night, the bro and I voyaged across avenues and down streets to check out the latest entrant to our 'hood, Zigolini's Pizza Bar (which I captured as it was preparing to open). When we got there, the front of the restaurant was open to the warm night, and there was a couple at one of the two-tops in front and a couple occupying the communal table that ran down the long, narrow space. The tables were marble; the chairs, black; the whole effect was sleek and borderline stark.

But the service was warm. Our friendly server brought us menus and water; we ordered quickly and chatted to fill the time. Since we were seated close to the pizza oven, we could see the bro's pizza being made, and as soon as it popped out of the oven, it and my salad were hustled over.

First, the salad: for $10, it was somewhat small, and I'd actually say somewhat short on the promised ingredients. I ordered the Insalata di Capra, which is composed of watercress, bosc pear, goat cheese, and pistachio (my request for walnuts instead of pistachios was duly honored). The salad was mostly watercress, a bit overdressed; the few slivers of pear were ripe but so thin as to barely register on the taste scale. The goat cheese was a quarter-sized round that crowned the salad; tasty, but small. There were tiny bits of walnut scattered about, more for color than for taste. If there had simply been much more of the ingredients, this would have been a good salad, but as it was it wasn't anything to write home about.

Almost looks larger than it was

The bro had chosen the Prosciutto di Parma pizza, with mozzarella, prosciutto, fresh arugula, and shaved parmesan. Again, for $16, it was somewhat on the small side, but barring that it was pretty good. I tasted a bit of crust and it was chewy and on the salty side; not exactly Motorino, but a significant step up from your neighborhood slicery.

'Za, ham & cheese blanket

So that was it-- we were in, we were out. (Hey now...) We weren't bowled over, but we left pleasantly sated. Would I return? Sure. Should you go? If you like pizza, yes. Therefore, Zigolini's earns its three Offset Spatulas, honorable for a newcomer, with room to grow.

Zigolini's Pizza Bar
675A Ninth Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets
212-333-3900

A stop at West 3rd Common for a friendly drink

A few weeks ago, I got an email from the nice people at West 3rd Common, a new Gastropub in the NYU area. They invited me to come check the place out, so last Thursday I brought my friends SL and SE to see what they had to offer.

The place is really comfortable. Pass the bar/lounge area in front to the bigger dining room in back, packed with comfy, squishy red couches and large wooden tables. Perhaps grab a book from the bookcases on the wall to flip through as you sip your drink, or if you're there with a crowd, see if you can nail down one of the classic board games floating around (Jenga, Scrabble, Connect 4...). That'll ensure your night is either crazy fun or a total disaster, depending on how competitive your companions are. Either way, it's a good ice breaker on a date. The music is loud and varied, alternating between Dave Matthews and some pretty tough rap/metal. The service is friendly and laid-back.

But don't forget to get some food and drinks. They have a reasonable drink list, with some specialty cocktails gently priced at $10 each, a handful of beers on tap, a moderate bottle list, and a few wines by the glass. SE went for a beer, I chose a glass of house champagne, and SL chose "The Elderberry," a champagne cocktail with muddled strawberries and St. Germain (with real strawberries! Extra points there).

We also ordered a range of food to battle the booze. Below, our choices, with comments on each:

A cheese plate. I requested no blue cheese, so instead we got cheddar, parmesan, and some softer-type cheese that I don't remember. The soft cheese was unpleasantly funky, but the cheddar and parm with both good, albeit slightly unusual choices for a cheese plate. The candied pecans were addictive, and the booze-soaked golden raisins were a creative touch.

CheeEEEeese

Catfish ceviche. No, I'm not kidding. To put it mildly, this is something I'd never, ever order anywhere, let alone at a bar, but our waitress recommended it, and SL wanted to give it a go. She and SE dug in and really enjoyed it. And the next day, they were still alive. So props to West 3rd Common for making a tasty and non-poisonous catfish ceviche. Who would've thunk it?

Wow. Well, yup.

Duck sliders. These were cute and surprisingly delicate; SL and SE pronounced them tasty.

Tiny tasty trio

Mac & cheese. This was a side, in a tiny ramekin, and though it was appropriately cheesy, it wasn't the best version I've ever had. Good for those desperately seeking carbs to soak up a bit too much alcohol.

Melted slice of cheese on top?

The burger. This came highly recommended, and it drew somewhat mixed reviews. On one level, it tasted homemade, very beefy, almost meatloaf-y. On the other level, it tasted homemade, not like what one would expect from a dining-out burger. Does that make sense? It doesn't entirely to me, but what the hell, I wasn't the one eating it. For the technical notes, the cheese was really well melted, there was some aioli for flavor, and there were some sauteed onions for extra taste and texture. SL wasn't a huge fan of the bun, which seemed a little too "glazed" rather than the traditional white bun. We all, however, raved about the fries, crisp and hot and spiced with pepper. In fact, if there's one thing I'd definitely recommend you get when you come here, it's the fries. Grab a side of them for only $4-- they're the perfect bar snack.

Highlighting the fries here

Cross-section, cooked through

When we left, on a Thursday night around 10:30, we were some of the last people in the place, in stark contrast to the robust crowd I'd encountered when I arrived around 8:30. That was curious to me, since once we got outside, there were crowds of NYU students prowling the streets. Would I recommend that they make West 3rd their destination? Yes, I would, actually. It's a friendly, laid-back place, a comfortable place to be and sip a not-too-pricey drink for a while. I wouldn't necessarily return for a full-blown dinner, but if you're looking for some solid drunk food that's a little more creative and a little bit better executed than it needs to be, it'll fit that bill nicely. And if you just want an old standby, get an order of fries, grab a beer, and settle into the couch. Ahhh, happiness.

West 3rd Common
1 West 3rd Street, between Broadway and Mercer
212-529-2059

Keste continues the pizza perfection

An unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon last weekend found AV and me wandering around the West Village like two caged prisoners recently given parole. Sunshine? Warmth? What IS this? We walked around just soaking up the New York-ness of the scene and enjoying the day until, finally, we got hungry. Coincidentally, we were just in the neighborhood of Keste, another of the city's new guard of extraordinary pizza establishments. In the interest of continuing AV's pizza education, we slipped in early enough to avoid a line and prepared ourselves for some delicious pie.

The restaurant itself is pretty nondescript, with no real decor scheme to speak of other than "small." The tables are squeezed together, but the front windows of the space were open to the delightful elements, lending a bit of a sense of roominess to the whole affair. Also worth noting is the fact that the bathroom is surprisingly clean and modern, for what it's worth.

We placed our order with the incredibly affable server (who potentially could have been a manager or owner-- he just seemed to have that way about him), and very shortly our food began to land. I chose the arugula, tomato, and parmesan salad, and it was pretty much as good a version as one could ask for. There were cherry tomatoes of three colors cut into small disks, a light vinaigrette, and a shower of thick parmesan shavings drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. The whole thing was simple, fresh, and a pure delight.

Delicious, delicious parm

AV's pizza arrived straight from the oven, bubbling hot and blistered. He had ordered the quattro formaggi, which he hadn't realized didn't have tomato sauce. Once he adjusted to the concept, however, he was incredibly happy with his choice. The four cheeses--buffalo mozz, gran cru, caciocavello, and parmesan-- actually had distinct tastes, especially the parmesan. And the crust was a dream, chewy and light despite being a bit over-charred in places. On the plus side, the char did enable AV to have a bit of bubble-wrap fun in poking out the brittle carbony bits before putting the leftover slices in a thoughtfully-provided small take-home box.

See that? Char.

Upskirt-- also char

After our meal, we took a leisurely walk to the Hudson River and then doubled back to grab some frozen yogurt next door from Keste, which I didn't photograph because I gobbled it down too quickly. But back to pizza-- Keste was spectacular. Perhaps not QUITE as incredible as Motorino, but that's splitting hairs. Keste is a four Offset Spatula destination worth waiting in line for. For a relatively inexpensive dinner ($30 for both of us together, including tip), among the best you can get.

Keste
271 Bleecker Street
212-243-1500

Meats 'n' sweets at The Red Cat

On Saturday night, AV and I headed to The Red Cat in far West Chelsea to meet up for our second "date" with SW and BC, a long time in the making. AV and I got there a little early, which made for an unfortunate amount of time spent with us trying to make ourselves inconspicuous in the entryway/bar area, which was packed with revelers (leaving pretty much no room to stand. Scratch that, literally no room to stand). Finally we were led to a table, and SW and BC joined soon afterward. Get the party STARTED!

Red Cat was busy. Crazy busy. Servers was running around, chatter was high, people in various states of hipster dress and fluorescent-colored hair milled about, all creating what I think is technically called "buzz." It took a while to get our orders in, but once we did, we were treated to thick slabs of bread, portioned out one per person, with a tiny dish of olive oil in the middle to share. The bread was addictive, incredibly stretchy and chewy in the middle with an assertive thick crust. But we could have used more olive oil, as our well had run dry by the time the four of us had finished our pieces.

You can't tell from this perspective, but this was a huge piece

SW and BC had ordered the fontina macaroni to share as a starter. First off, the macaroni was covered with an arresting green crust-- an inquiry of our server confirmed those were "herbed bread crumbs," but geez, covering anything with what looks like a moldy substance can't be a great PR move for a dish. Nonetheless, SW and BC enjoyed the macaroni, which had pieces of pepperoni tucked inside a loose cheese sauce. I abstained due to the meat content, but I must say I like my macaroni more on the thick-and-rich side, like the craziness at Brown Cafe. But fortunately nobody asked me.

Green mac & cheese, Sam I Am

It took a while after the mac and cheese was gone, but our entrees did arrive eventually, and I will say up front they were winners all around. I went with the arugula and parmesan salad, which is technically a side; it was fresh and much more interesting than I had anticipated, since it came with some onions and halved grape tomatoes. Plus there was ample parmesan, which I appreciated. AV went with the short rib with "garlic escarole, apple-parsnip puree, and pink pepper gremolata"-- he was impressed. SW and BC raved about their sauteed cod ("lamb polpette, cockles, tomato white wine broth") and grilled pork tenderloin ("blue cheese-tomato gratin, wilted spinach, caramelized onions"), respectively. All portions were pretty ample and were beautifully presented.

Short ribs

Cod

Pork

...and salad

And then there was dessert. The Red Cat dessert menu had a number of good-looking options, so we indulged. AV went for the carrot cake (SW and BC also elected to share an order), which consisted of a cupcake-stump-style round individual cake, accompanied by a scoop of cream cheese ice cream atop a carrot and carrot ginger salad. The whole shebang was anchored to the plate by a smear of what tasted like thinned cream cheese frosting. AV and I traded bites of dessert, and I'll attest that the carrot cake was quite good-- the cake part was moist and packed with raisins, and it tasted almost like the Billy's version (which I ADORE). The cream cheese ice cream was a dead ringer for cream cheese frosting, only in ice cream form. Got that?

Like a molten chocolate cake, but carrot. And not molten.

My choice was an order of apple profiteroles. These came three small pastries to a plate, each one an eggy puff (really eggy-- I know it's an egg-based pate a choux but you could really taste the egg in this, even smothered in caramel) filled with apple-butterscotch ice cream, all topped with caramel and perched in a soup of cinnamon-chocolate sauce and swirls of caramel. Sounds like a mouthful, huh? It definitely was. This was a very sweet dessert, but given my insatiable sweet tooth (apologies to my dentist) I really enjoyed it. For texture there were tiny bits of apples in the ice cream and a bit of chew in the pastry. For pure decadence, there was the pool of sauce, which I lapped up long after the rest of the dessert was gone.

Well plated puffs

So, as you can tell, our experience at the Red Cat was quite positive. The place itself is fun to be in, with unusual touches like decorative fork-and-spoon coat hooks on the walls; my only gripe aside from the fact that there's no room to stand while waiting for a table is that the space is loud (the four of us were shouting for much of the night). But the food was quite, quite tasty, thoughtful, and high quality, especially the desserts. I would certainly recommend it and would be happy to return myself, making TRC a solid four Offset Spatula destination.

The Red Cat
227 Tenth Avenue, between 23rd and 24th Streets
212-242-1122