RESTAURANTS: GO, CONSIDER , STOP
Edible enlightenment from our eatery experts and colleagues Monie Begley, Richard Nalley and Randall Lane, as well as brothers Bob, Kip and Tim.
● Mari Vanna
41 East 20th St. (Tel.: 212-777-1955)
It’s hard to believe we’ve neglected to review this longestablished funky Russian eatery in its setting that looks more like Lara’s sitting room in Doctor Zhivago than a typical restaurant. Start with a custom vodka cocktail, such as a Crime & Punishment, a Firebird or a Tarasik. Appetizers are meant to be shared, whether the smoked fish plate, the tomato salad, the tangy vinaigrette veggies or the veal pelmeni (handmade vealstuffed Russian dumplings). Such classics as chicken Kiev and beef stroganoff are exactly what you’d expect. The half duck is beyond generous, and the filet mignon is more French than Russian. Desserts are delicious and plentiful. Service is friendly.
● Plado Tasting Bar
192 East 2nd St., between Avenue A & Avenue B (Tel.: 646-850-5151)
Chef German Rizzo and his wife, Kristin, have created a simple delight with Mediterraneaninfluenced small tasting plates and tapasstyle dishes. The menu is separated into Garden, Board, Butcher, Sea and Carb. The millefeuille of aubergine is lucious layers of eggplant, tomato, creamy burrata and basil. The mushroom tart has mushrooms swimming in a Parmigiano fondue. The brisket croquette is filled with mascarpone and brisket on a bed of apple compote. The medi paella—no small plate—can be ordered with chorizo and all sorts of fish, clams and mussels on a bed of saffron rice. All pastas are made in house. The welcome and service are enthusiastic.
● MO Lounge
Mandarin Oriental hotel, 80 Columbus Circle, at 60th St. (Tel.: 212-805-8800)
Yes, the view is a stunner: The lounge space looks out from a privileged 35thfloor aerie over Columbus Circle on 59th Street. But the creamcolored, crescentshaped alldayservice space feels like a stopgap rather than a wellconsidered substitute for the Mandarin’s nowshuttered finedining space. Surprisingly, given Mandarin Oriental’s generally high standards, everything from the impersonal reception to the listless waitstaff to the roomservicepriced comfort food (the $39 hamburger, for example, or the $32 burrata) seems phonedin and fatigued.
● Le Crocodile
Wythe Hotel, 80 Wythe Ave., between N 11th & N 12th streets, Brooklyn, NY
(Tel.: 718-460-8004)
Set in an attractive, highceilinged room, this neighborhood bistro offers classic French fare. A Lyonnaise sausage with braised cabbage is hearty and savory. Roast chicken with herb jus is a worthy example and is accompanied by superb frites.
● Rafele
29A Seventh Ave. South, between Morton and Leroy streets (Tel.: 212-242-1999)
This fun Italian in Greenwich Village has an unpretentious interior (no tablecloths) and some seriously good food. The meal gets off to a surpising start with the server bringing gnocco fritto with prosciutto: Wee zeppelins, looking like pomme soufflés on steroids, arrive wrapped in full slices of delectable prosciutto. The pasta special of pappardelle is substantive, and the tagliata di manzo (beef) is tender and tasty. Tiramisu and panna cotta are firstrate. Service is efficient and helpful.
● CheLi Manhattan
19 St. Marks Place, between 2nd & 3rd avenues (Tel.: 646-858-1866)
This handsome, jampacked upstairs East Village outpost of a muchacclaimed Flushing, Queens, original offers Chinese cuisine from the seafoodleaning Jiangnan region outside Shanghai. Such dishes as the delicate, subtly sweetsalty winesoaked chicken and the silky and addictive Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings will draw you back. However, others, such as the spicy cockles completely overwhelmed by their peppery sauce, or the $75 sautéed crab—driedout Dungeness in the shell that could have used a sauce—are headscratchers. The service on a recent weeknight had a rushed cursoriness that didn’t do the place justice.
● Loulou
176 8th Ave., at 19th St. (Tel.: 212-337-9577)
This brickwalled and heavily wooded bistro is a comfortable place for lunch or dinner, serving aboveaverage fare. Among the salads offered, go for the frisée with a poached egg, smoked lardons and a citrus vinaigrette. The tuna sandwich with a big basket of fries is a meal and a half. The chicken paillard, on the other hand, needed more pounding to qualify as a paillard. Save room for dessert. The croissant bread pudding is amazing, and the molten chocolate cake and the pavlova are close seconds.
● Da Andrea
35 West 13th St. (Tel.: 212-367-1979)
If you like to begin with a cocktail, the Capri, a mixture of vodka, lychee juice and prosecco, is delectable. The pureed vegetable soup is a perfect starter for a windy wintry day, and the beet salad is delicious. The chicken scaloppine is cooked to perfection, and the sliced sirloin special with fingerling potatoes and pickled red cabbage is extremely tasty. Definitely try the desserts, especially the chocolate walnut cake and the apple tart. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming.