Sorry for the delayed response – and thanks. Yes, the food is the most important thing, but if a chef owns their business (and more importantly owns the building it’s in) they have so much more creative control.
The kebabs in my experience are still good. I’ve never hugely liked their mains, except that they do make a tasty (even if insufficiently smoky) baingan bharta. Lately I’ve often been getting to Manhattan (when I do get there) tennish. NY is still no longer as late-night a city as it was pre-2020, so I have had to find late-dinner solutions. One of them is to place a takeout order of kebabs, bharta (or okra), and a tandoori roti at Saar once my Amtrak train is close to the tunnel. If I’m lucky with the C/E it takes me 7 minutes from getting off Amtrak to Saar’s door. If I’m unlucky it can take as long as 15. Either way, I get a decent, light supper, with leftovers for lunch. (The lateness of my pickups means it’s past Hemant-pacing-time, so I was not sure if he was still around.)
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We were running around today in the pouring rain. Buckets coming down. Around lunchtime we found ourselves in the West Village and I realized Via Carota was just around the corner. We headed over and fortune smiled on us. We walked in and there was no line. I asked the hostess how long for a table for 3. She pointed to the three open seats at the end of the bar and said we could sit right now if the bar was okay. Sold!
I forgot to take pictures of our apps. We had a carpaccio special, bagna cauda, and artichoke salad.
I had the grilled orata. Perfect. Moist flesh with garlicky escarole.
The lovely wife ordered a special. Chicken livers on grilled bread with scrambled eggs and bacon. I snatched some of the livers. Rosy pink in the middle.
Son had coniglio fritto. Fried rabbit. He was not in the mood to share.
The perfect refuge on a dreary wet Saturday. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a dish that wasn’t great.
By the time we finished the line was practically out the door. It was time to retrieve our umbrellas and head back out into rain.
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need to get back to this place - they have great food and really good wait staff but maybe its a little too funky for michelin. Didnt check whether the bathrooms were special either. That seems to be a thing for star aspirants.
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I went to Via Carota on Friday night and enjoyed the food & wine, but a bit too much salt for my palate. Still lovely food 
We had the Finocchio salad, grilled Funghi, Octopus w/ olive pesto & Tonnarelli cacio pepe. Nice Nebbiolo by the glass as well.
Last night we went to their sister restaurant I’Sodi and loved that as well!
Raoul’s - I was in the mood for a nice Steak au Poivre and figured it was time to try this classic. The place is almost as old as me. The steak didnt disappoint. Maybe even better than some I had in Paris, but meat quality wasnt on par with the tenderloin at Claro we recently had. The divided the dishes so picture is half of it
The Pate Maison was spectacular. French Ham and Compté Beignets with truffle remoulade were explosive. Probably truffle oil but it works here. Maine Lobster Tortellini were supremely flavorful but too little to share. The Jambalaya Risotto was more like it. Bread pudding was NOLA-esque, but also too tiny to share.
Good drinks, especially the “Aviation” which I dont believe means “Aviation” gin but Fords London Dry Gin, along with Luxardo Maraschino, Crème de Violette, and lime I think. Great atmosphere as expected. My oldest gave Raoul’s a complement very few outside HO understand. “This was Foxface quality”
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Huge fan of Raouls. Thanks for posting- a reminder for me to get back there!
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Txikito (Chelsea) - Not flawless but very good overall. Some of the best Octopus carpaccio we’ve had in a long time. Very satisfying, hearty Spanish white beans with shrimp and mussels. Didnt care for the pricy white Asparagus special with scallops. Initial bites were good but that one-tone sweetness got boring in a hurry. Outstanding Cochinnilo (suckling pig) - Just crispy enough outside and super tender and flavorful inside. Love the Frisée addition but wish it came with another side like potatoes.
La Viña-esque cheesecake was good. Esque means “we tried”, although its been a few years since the visit to La Viña. I’d still order it again. Still not sure whether I like stand-alone Spanish vermouth. Maybe I just didnt try a good one yet
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a small, niche wine distributor we used to work with invited us to an industry dinner here to introduce their portfolio of Spanish wines to the US marketplace. I thought the food was excellent and made a note to return. Unfortunately, it’s fairly far off our beaten path and we never made it back.
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I was disappointed with my meal soon after it reopened – everything was just so salty you couldn’t taste anything else.
I used to love it though, so maybe worth a revisit.
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When was that Spanish wine dinner? We went to one as well & had a great time. Never get to Txikito any more, since we like La Vara more and, well, it’s only blocks from home. She’s an excellent chef.
So glad that place is still around. A good friend used to live nearby, and we went for a delightful tapas meal. The octopus in particular was memorable.
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Dunno, a while ago, def bp (before pandemic). Or wait, maybe I’m thinking of tia pol and we had a wine dinner with wine forum friends at tx
I’m a sucker for good, or even not so good, Chicken Shawarma. After 5 or so visits to this place, and eating at roughly 1% of the Shawarmas in the city, I’m ready to announce. Shawarma Mia in Prospect Heights, best in the city
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I’ve been meaning to check out Desigalli on Ave C, and I had a little time to kill before I was due at the Wayland. So…
The filling was quite chilly, but otherwise pretty good. Joke’s on me, though, ‘cause I was supposed to go to the Waylon. Dammit.
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Had a great lunch at Hometown BBQ at Industry City. My third time having it and I still feel confident to say it’s the best BBQ I have ever had in the northeast.
Had a beef rib (a special at $40 lb), brisket, coleslaw, mac and cheese and pickles and two draft beers. Two sauces on the table - one sweet and sticky, the other hot and spicy. I liked them both. Total for all that was $145. We were two women and it was far too much. We each brought home another meal.
We messed up: should have got another type of meat, not two beefs. And we forgot cornbread! Winners were the brisket and mac and cheese. Friendly staff.
(Sorry cant figure out how to add pics right now)
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sound super pricy for BBQ! Servings much have been huger than I am used to at BBQ places.
