Joseph Leonard pic courtesy of Curbed.com
Back in the saddle after a few days of post-Thanksgiving fasting (well, not really fasting—just not eating thrice my weight).
Managed to discover two new favorites in and around the West Village in two days. Mind you, these aren’t favorites because they’re flawless (is anything?) but because they’re places I’ll go back to again and again. Here’s where, and why:
1) Joseph Leonard. I was bracing for a long wait even at the early hour of 6:30pm, but when we got there we found plenty of tables open (JL doesn’t take reservations) plus some seats at the bar. Then slam: Half an hour later, the room is packed, almost as packed as owner Gabriel Stulman’s alma maters, the Little Owl and Market Table. I got semi-hostile treatment from the bartender when I accidentally ordered a drink from the barback instead of from her (I Tweeted about this), but things quickly looked up after that. The space is immediately likable: endearingly cluttered with antique mirrors and old wooden furniture; not an original aesthetic these days by any means, but one I’m not sick of yet. Loved the shrimp and grits with cheddar and andouille, and the brussels sprouts with sriracha. I found the braised pork hock a little monotonous, but I suppose it’s good for soaking up a few strong drinks. As long as you don’t alienate the bartender. Looking forward to working my way through more of the menu next time.
2) 508 Restaurant & Bar: Apparently Michael Stipe had just left here, minutes before I walked in last night. I ran into him at a hotel in Nashville earlier this summer (when I say “ran into him,” I mean observed him from across the huge lobby). I’m not the world’s most giant REM fan (liked them well enough but could always take or leave ‘em). So I’m not sure what’s up with the frequent Stipe-ing that seems to be coming my way. It was probably a good thing he didn’t stick around last night. Without massive celeb wattage in the room, I was able to focus on the food—and on the laid-back, easy vibe in the dining room, which initially looks like lots of other downtown Manhattan spaces (shiny surfaces, dim lighting) but quickly feels like home. Meryl Streep is a regular here too, I hear.
For dinner: gorgeously creamy homemade tagliatelle with mushrooms and parmesan; crunchy-hot fried artichokes with rosemary-spiked aioli; and something called a “long rib,” which turned out to be a giant, incredibly juicy beef rib from star meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda, braised in cranberry and red wine to give it a little sweet-sour bite, and served with sweet-spicy corn pudding on the side. Fantastic. Chefs Anderson Sant’anna De Lima and Jennifer Sant’anna Hill have, between them, past cooking stints at Lupa and Bouley, and here their crowd is more subdued and the spotlight less glaring. 508 feels like a mellow neighborhood and date restaurant—in the still somewhat nowheresville of Greenwich Street off Spring—but the kitchen is operating at a much higher level. I’ll be back for another long rib, and for the $1 oysters served nightly at the bar from 5pm until closing.