West Village + TriBeCa – Page 5 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Blaue Gans

139 Duane Street between Church and West Broadway
212/571.8880
$80 each for ten, with a lot of drinks, with tip
♥ ♥ ♥

Updated, December 2008: The Dr. and I returned for Christmas dinner and it was still the same hearty and filling food for half the New York City price.

After two bottles of wine at the Monday Room inside Public Restaurant, eleven of us had dinner at Blaue Gans for my early birthday celebration. We were seated in the middle of the room, a long table arranged with decorative wreaths and surrounded by vintage posters from former tenant Le Zinc. Blaue Gans doesn’t take reservations but because my initial plans at Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner’s other restaurant, WallsÃ©, could not be accommodated by the staff, they nicely arranged for my gathering to be held in Blaue Gans instead.

I don’t remember much because there was a copious amount of alcohol and a trip to a strip club after dinner, but I know three of us shared a few exceptional dishes. The blutwurstgrostl or blood sausage was minced and served like a pattie on top of sautÃ©ed potatoes and sauerkraut. The rindsuppe, griessnockerl oder leberknodel or beef consommÃ© came with semolina quenelle and really delicious calf’s liver dumpling. It was light and very clean, the perfect winter treat. I was just pissed that one of the waiters took it away from me before I was done with it. The weisswurst or pork and veal sausage was also good and the pretzel that came with it was the best pretzel I think I will ever have. We were stuffed after the appetizers but of course, we couldn’t help but eat the schweinsbraten, rotkraut and serviettenknÃ¶del or the roasted pork belly with red cabbage and brioche dumpling, as well as the rack of lamb that was perfectly medium-rare and melted like butter in my mouth.

The restaurant is meant to be casual, where guests can just sit, talk, eat and drink wine. We did exactly just that while the faint music played in the background mixed with a good buzz of conversation and laughter. I wasn’t able to take good photos because I was inebriated (and because I also need a new camera) but that just gives me another reason to make a return trip and enjoy the food again. For now though, happy birthday, me.

Mas (farmhouse)

39 Downing Street off Bedford
212/255.1790
about $255 for four, with several drinks, without tip
♥ ♥ ♥

I reserved the bar for four people at 7:30pm and because it was before prime dinner time, we were seated right away even though it was a Friday night. We sat elbow to elbow, looked at each other via the mirror behind the bar and passed our plates to one another to share.

The people behind Mas pay attention to details most New York restaurants forget about these days. I couldn’t help but ooh and aah at everything. I loved the Red Berry Dinnerware from England, the knives with pearl handles and the Terrazzo placemats. A skewer stick holding a sliced lemon made squeezing it in my basil and strawberry cocktail easier. And you know how else you can score a point with me? Have some hooks under the bar for my purse! It’s surprising how only a few bars in the city think of doing this. Every time I brush my hand under the bar, I want to feel a hook I can use, not old gum. The olive walls and warm lighting made the space cozy even though an entire glass wall exposed guests to the street traffic of the West Village.

We started with wahoo, or ono, sashimi in olive oil, cilantro and lime. The Portuguese sardines were served with a Parmesan cheese sablÃ© cracker, reportedly made in-house, and caramelized onions, both of which controlled the fishy taste. While some of us enjoyed the Maine lobster and the fresh oysters and scallops, I split the $36 braised pork belly in a cider reduction sauce served with purÃ©ed apple and cabbage. Cranberry beans, which are only named for their red speckles, accompanied the dish and gave it a heartier and nuttier taste. To cap the bill at $200, we ordered and devoured the gooseberries and fig in hibiscus soup and the yogurt panna cotta with grape juice and apricots.

The staff seem knowledgable without being hokey. Our bartender was extra nice. He poured us a glass of an Alsace dry reisling to match our fish appetizers from the goodness of his heart. When one of us expressed an interest in tasting some whites with his dinner, he served three different types in small parts, which included one from Reuilly, but only charged for one glass.

Chef Galen Zamarra’s experiences with David Bouley and Alain Passard probably defined him as a chef, but Mas is where he proudly shows off the skills he learned. Mas, or French for farmhouse, was over my budget, but it was also a feast to my design sensibilities. Mas also means more in Spanish and after my first visit, I wanted more. If you want to impress or be impressed, Mas is the way to go.

Mary’s Fish Camp

64 Charles Street on West 4th
646/486.2185
about $200 for four, with two bottles of wine, without tip
♥ ♥ ♥

For a restaurant that wasn’t selected by me–I met friends from out of town there–I was really surprised at how good our meals were at Mary’s Fish Camp. I’ve been to Pearl Oyster Bar before and although pretty good, I remember not being too happy with my sandy razor clams. (The owner of Mary’s was a partner at Pearl’s before she left to open her own.) I was running late so it took a while for us to be seated because a party has to be complete before they let you in. (It makes sense unless, of course, you’re the one your party is waiting for.) We were famished when our turn came, but oh, the surprises!

The lobster pot pie was so delicate. Its puff pastry was so light with a ramekin filled with about two claws and some fortifying vegetable chunks. Grilled fish usually bores me but the whole branzino was stuffed with rosemary and other herbs for flavor. A squirt of lemon juice brought out its smokey flavor and we ravaged it until all we had were bones. You can usually find skate in New York City menus because it’s so cheap but at Mary’s Fish Camp, it’s breaded and crunchy on the outside. It’s much more exciting than Jean Claude’s French version in SoHo. The cockles were also good, served with beans and thyme. We also ordered half a dozen of the oysters and although they were smaller than expected, I couldn’t really complain. I love oysters so all you have to do is serve them fresh and we’ll get along. The roasted beets with fennel and aged goat cheese salad was excellent. We left this for last as a palate cleanser and it was a nice break before dessert. We couldn’t help but order the banana pudding with vanilla wafers. I don’t think I’ve tasted a better banana pudding than theirs–balanced, not too sweet. A bottle of the white Burgundy and a bottle of Reisling completed our meal and we walked away from the West Village satisfied.

Mary’s Fish Camp is famous for their lobster roll so it was very pleasing to know that the other items on the menu stand out, too.

Fatty Crab

643 Hudson Street between Gansevoort and Horatio Streets
212/352.3590
about $70 for two, with three drinks, without tip
♥ ♥

Chef Zak Pelaccio is my kind of guy because he would fry pork belly until it’s crispy and serve it with watermelon chunks and its rind, pickled. The result is a delicious balance of saltiness with juiciness and just the right amount of sourness. I can live with just this dish for a while.

The rest of the menu is also good. During our first visit, we tried the quail egg shooters after I was alerted by a reader about an oyster-sake version. Four quail eggs are lightly poached and topped with sambal oelek, a traditional Indonesian spice; the other three come with a single anchovy and shredded dried pork floss. We also ordered the Jalan Alor chicken wings named after what used to be the Red Light District of Kuala Lumpur but where the best street food stalls are now located. It was a messy ordeal trying to eat them with our fork and spoon, and then later, with our hands. A very large serving of short rib Rendang came braised with kaffir lime, coconut and chili. It was absolutely delicious but I wished it wasn’t $20–I would like it in a smaller portion for half the price.

We sat at the bar at 7:30pm on a Monday night and just made it before people started lining up outside to get the next table. It’s warm near the kitchen and with all the spicy food we were eating, we felt like we were actually in southeast Asia; Tiger and San Miguel beers flowed between my brother and I. An extra star for the spoon and fork setup, the oscillating fan on the ceiling, Chef de Cuisine Corwin Kave in baseball cap, and of course, the porn in the bathroom.

fresh.

105 Reade Street between Church and Broadway
212/406.1900
about $55 for one, with two drinks, without tip
♥

For a $28 lunch prix fixe, my shellfish crepe with spinach was very satisfying. It included a scallop, small pieces of lobster and crab plus shrimps sandwiched in a soft crepe swimming in crab broth. I would have been happy without the crepe because it got soggy at the end, but that El Bulli-inspired foam is always interesting to look at. The gazpacho with shrimps had a nice spicy kick to it that I liked. They ran out of the octopus and squid salad and this cold soup was the right choice for a summer starter. I had room for dessert and I thought I made a good choice with the strawberry almond shortcake with sorbet. To me, something tart is always a good ending to a good meal.

The busboy brought bread to the table three times while we waited for our food. Maybe the small flies buzzing around made him nervous because he was keen on spilling water whenever he would give us a refill. One of the flies–a really, really tiny one–dove into one of our wine glasses. To make up for it, the manager brought us an extra bottle of wine–a service totally unnecessary but very much appreciated by our entire group. Sometimes, attentive service makes up for everything else, even small insects. Sometimes.