The Spotted Pig

Part of the reason we were late for Ricky was that we had dinner at The Spotted Pig first. I've been wanting to go since April Bloomfield was voted one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine. We figured going at 6pm on a Saturday we would be able to walk right in (they don't takes reservations), but we definitely underestimated the popularity of this place and had to wait 1/2 hr for a table. For starters, we each had the signature dish of sheep’s ricotta gnudi with brown butter and sage ($13), matched with a glass of the decent Tempranillo Bodegas Breton "“Loriñon” Riserva ($10). Basically, a take-off on gnocchi, this dish was great - the cheese was SUPER sharp and the sauce was not too heavy.

We followed that up by splitting the chargrilled burger with roquefort cheese & shoestrings ($15), paired with a bottle of Red Stripe ($6). Typically, I love a good blue cheese burger but after all of the sharp cheese in the gnudi it was a bit too much even for me. I've heard in the past the burger there is INSANE, but I have to disagree - it was definitley decent but I still prefer the burger at St. Andrews and it wasn't even in the running for one of the best I'd ever had. The shoestrings were really good though, basically homemade potato sticks.

Eating at the Spotted Pig can be extremely uncomfortable. The tables are crowded and VERY small and much of the seating are low stools. I'd recommend hitting this place on EXTREME off-hours to really be able to enjoy it.

On a Gawker Stalker note, Ty Pennington was drinking pints at the bar right near us and after a few he dropped one, it shattered on the floor, beer sprayed on everyone nearby, and I even had a big chunk of glass hit my shoe. Nice one buddy, especially right after getting a D.U.I!!!!!!!!!!!

Notes From The LES

Last Friday after work I met the USN girls for happy hour at the new LES bar Nurse Bettie. It's a small place decorated with pictures paying tribute to pin-up girls. There is a small bar that seats about 6 in the back, a couple of sectionals in the front and some stools with a counter along the back wall. Music was very Pixies oriented. I started off trying 2 different wines ($7 / glass) - the Cab was decent, the Pinot Noir swill. Then I made the switch to PBR ($4 / bottle - I was wishing it was in a can though!). I liked this place for happy hour. There was a good vibe and a good mix of people. When we left around 8:30 though it started getting packed (as most LES establishments do), so I would recommend getting there early if you want a seat.

In between stops we popped into this little hole in the wall called Rush Hour for a grease fix. BOY was it GOOD! I wish I lived closer to this place for delivery! We had mozzarella sticks that were REAL - gobs of gooey cheese inside a light batter - YUM! That was followed up with by the freakin' tater tots. Crisp, crunchy and better than the high school cafeteria used to make! This place is definitely going to become my last stop on drinky LES nights!

Friday's final stop was at Pianos. Can't say I loved it or hated it. It was a bit too crowded for me but we managed to get seats at the bar so that's all that mattered. To me it was just another typical Ludlow St. bar that I could live without.

Barcelona Foodies - Take 1

Immediately upon arrival in Barcelona we headed out for our first meal, lunch, at Bar Pinotxo in La Boqueria market. It is a small lunch counter near the entrance of the market that is frequented by the likes of uber Catalonian chef Ferran Adria.

I have to say Juanito Bayen (a.k.a. Pinotxo), is quite a character and makes it well worth the visit.

I was sort of coerced by Juanito into having the baby squid with garbanzo beans - definitely the wrong choice after a red-eye flight with no sleep, a mild hangover and an empty stomach.

It was really good - just not what I wanted. But who cares? Really there just there to be there and be entertained!


After an extended siesta we headed out for dinner at Comerc 24, home of noted Catalonian chef (and a disciple of Adria), Carles Abellan (who was indeed at the helm of the kitchen that night). We decided to be brave and go with the 8 course festival tasting menu. Some of it we liked, some we didn't. But really it's all about individual taste. It was all quality for sure. The first course was a bunch of mini-tapas including green olives stuffed with anchovies, gold guilded macadamias, pork rinds, parmesan balls, fried mini-fish and bread sticks with a pesto paste. I think the pork rinds were our favorite.

Subsequent courses included: an orchata, ficoide glaciale and scallop soup-salad (scary, the scallop was a bit undercooked for my tastes), cuttlefish and morel ravioli (delish!), duck and foie rice (very rich), beef entrecot with potatoes and wasabi (the beef was too chewy for me), a mackrel dish and tuna tartare with yolk vinagrette:

All of the food was paired with a 2004 Hacienda Monasterio Ribera Del Duero which was out of this world and one of the best bottles of wine I've ever had. Finally, desert came which consisted of about 5 different items with a side shot of apple-celery juice.

Overall I really enjoyed Comerc and would recommend it to the adventurous. The main dining room is small and quiet (a HUGE change over NY dining) with dark rich colors and comfortable seating. Service was good, although even with a Spanish speaking dinner companion, some of the dishes were lost in translation.

A Killer Show

Last night I went to see The Killers at The Theater @ MSG. First off - it was my first time at this venue and I REALLY liked it. It felt very intimate and I think most seats in the place are good ones. And I was happy to have seats since the mosh pit at the front by the stage seemed annoying. My question is - why do people have to be such idiots and throw their glow sticks into a crowd at people?

Anyway, the show was great. They played all the hits including "All These Things That I've Done" and "Mr. Brightside". I also loved "Enterlude" and "Exitlude" from their latest CD Sam's Town. Basically, they just rocked it. Much of the material actually came from their first cd Hot Fuss which made the crowd really happy. My only complaint was that the set was pretty short (like an hour and 15) and I really would've liked to have heard more.