Hello, all. Very new to e-gullet, so please bear with me. Went to Casa Mono last night with my husband and a close friend. We had 8:30 reservations and were seated fairly quickly (had to wait a few minutes, but nothing unreasonable). Here are my rather lengthy observations, both food related and not. First, the restaurant itself is quite attractive, with dark wood tables and wine racks and the open kitchen. It is tiny though so there is a significant amount of squeezing between and around tables to either get to your seat or use the bathroom. If any of you have been to Gennaro on the Upper West Side it reminds me of what seating there used to be like. Also because it was roughly twenty degrees last night, people who were waiting for tables were crowded by the front door which made for an interesting attempt at ingress and egress. But generally the restaurant is very comfortable with one caveat, it is cold. This is largely, I think, due to the fact that there is no double door so every time the front door opens you are hit with a blast of cold air almost anywhere in the restaurant. Probably won't be a problem in the summer (or when it's not twenty degrees) but if you are going soon I would suggest layering if cold temperatures bother you. Now on to the stuff we really care about, food and wine. The food was generally excellent. The plates are small which encourages sharing. Between the three of us we ate eight dinner plates and shared one dessert. Our first wave of food was: Jamon Serrano a Mano, Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Croquetas, Calamares Fritos, and Scallops with Cava and Chorizo. The Jamon Serrano was very good but not that interesting. Other people probably feel very differently (I know my husband does) but I wasn't wowed, and I love all pork products. The Scallops with Cava and Chorizo were beautiful and the Cava and Chorizo mix that pooled in the bottom of the plate was wonderful. It had the heat that really good spanish chorizo has mixed with a bit of sweetness from the cava. The problem was the scallops, which were in my estimation a bit overcooked and flavorless. The Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Croquetas were phenomenal. They were sweet, crunchy, and tangy all at the same time. I could have eaten thirty of them. The Calamares Fritos were the best example of fried calamari I have ever come across. The squid was tender, not rubbery, and the batter/breading was spicy and lemony which meant there was no need (or desire) for anything to dip them into. In my experience fried calamari is usually rubbery and flavorless. This was a revelation. Our second wave was Sepia a La Plancha with Salsa Verde, Skirt Steak with Onion Marmelada, Cockles with Huevos Revueltos, and Patatas Bravas. I hated the Sepia. This is no reflection on the quality of the cooking because I had never eaten cuttlefish. But I hated the texture because it was rubbery and chewy. I have zero idea if that is the way it is supposed to taste, so can't tell if it was good or not. The Skirt Steak with Onion Marmelada was perfect. The steak was rare. The onions were sweet. The only problem was that there wasn't enough of it (like with the Pumpkin Croquetas. The Cockles with Huevos Revueltos was one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. It was scrambled eggs, chorizo and perfectly cooked cockles. The chorizo is outstanding at Casa Mono. The mix of flavors in the dish was really spectacular. Patatas Bravas, which are basically spicy potatoes, were crusty and delicious and an excellent complement to both the cockles and the steak. With the meal we had three different wines. The wine service, like at all Batali restaurants I have been to, was great. The wine director was friendly and recommended reasonably priced bottles. We had a quartino of 2002 Albarino Lustico, Rias Baixas ($14) to start which was light and refreshing. Then we split a bottle of 2002 Vina Sila "Naia" ($24) which was a good accompaniment to our first wave of food. It had grapefruit and melon notes with a little mineral. We then split a bottle of a wonderfully light fruity red (I can't remember the name or price — probably because it was bottle number two) which was similar to beaujolais, but not too perfumey. Finally we had dessert. None of us were that hungry, but I am a cheese whore, so I had to try the three manchego taster with quince jelly. There were three manchegos of different age (3 months, 6 months and 12 months, I think) and they were all delicious. The youngest manchego was buttery and smooth, the oldest had a harder texture and nuttier flavor. I hate quince jelly so can't tell you what that tasted like. I had a very nice sherry with the manchego, as did my dining companions) and left the restaurant feeling very sated and having really enjoyed my meal. The tab, for those of you that are curious, came to $180 without tip. Not bad given that we ate like pigs and drank equally as well. You could definitely have an inexpensive meal there with no difficulty. Am counting down the days until my next visit. . .