Casa Mono and Bar Jamón

[jogoode]

That sound great except for the macaroni. (The most disappointing dish we had at ADNY was some sort of "macaroni" with lemon sauce. I contend that the French should not attempt pasta.)

Was that the whole dish -- mac with lemon sauce!!?

The only "pasta dish" served in a French-ish restaurant that sounds at all appetizing to me is Oceana's Ivory Turban. (I don't think it's still on the menu.)

[Suzanne F]

That sound great except for the macaroni. (The most disappointing dish we had at ADNY was some sort of "macaroni" with lemon sauce. I contend that the French should not attempt pasta.)

Was that the whole dish -- mac with lemon sauce!!?

Oh, the sauce was fabulous! But the mac was badly cooked -- that is, unevenly -- and didn't absorb the sauce. It came alongside something else, I forget what. (Maybe I posted about the meal? It was in January 2001.)

[alacarte]

Just remembered a Ducasse dish that Jeffrey Steingarten mentions in his latest book: "creamed and truffled macaroni with sweetbreads and coxcombs".

Interesting.....are we spotting a new trend?

Are either/both actually the rooster's "comb" or is it just a name for something else that maybe resembles one?

[jogoode]

A new trend I hope!

defn, coxcombs (or cockscomb): the fleshy red crest on the head of the domestic fowl and other gallinaceous birds

defn, gallinaceous: Relating to or resembling the domestic fowl

defn, fowl: Any of various birds of the order Galliformes, especially the common, widely domesticated chicken (Gallus gallus)

[alacarte]

sounds totally gallinaceous, man...

[Suzanne F]

Since we've been going to Azafran (downtown here on Warren Street) a lot, I really want to do a compare-and-contrast with CM. Well actually CM sounds a lot more adventuresome, but . . .

[jogoode]

So, anyone else been?

[Mulcahy]

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. . .

[Mulcahy]

I do not mean to suggest that $180 for three is inexpensive, it's not. But you could dine far less expensively. Plates run from $3-15.

[alacarte]

welcome Mulcahy! Nice report.

[jogoode]

Welcome Mulcahy. I'm very jealous -- you had the cockles! When I went, the cuttlefish was great, chewy, yes, but very tender for cuttlefish. Maybe yours were overcooked? And the scallops disappointed me, too.

Great report!

[marlena spieler]

Parsnips alla plancha?????

Am I the only person who hates parsnips (unless its simmering, just a tiny piece of it, in my grandmother's chicken soup).

so many other things delicious alla plancha. anything else delicious alla plancha.

parsnips?

feh!

marlena

www.marlenaspieler.com

[Pan]

Parsnips alla plancha?????

Am I the only person who hates parsnips

I'm sure you aren't, but some of us love them.

[Mulcahy]

What is cuttlefish supposed to taste like, exactly? The order we had was very rubbery and hard to chew. I can imagine it would be yummy if tender, especially b/c the sauce was flavorful, but the consistency was hard for me to stomach.

[Pan]

Rubbery is bad. Cuttlefish can either be chewy or tender, but should never be rubbery. I like cuttlefish, but would be hard-pressed to describe its taste. It doesn't have a strong taste.

[Mulcahy]

Thanks. I figured rubbery was probably not such a great sign.

[Pan]

Marian Burros gave a mixed but generally highly positive review of Casa Mono in today's New York Times (link here; scroll down as necessary) and awarded the restaurant two stars. Congratulations to Big E, bourdain, Bond Girl, coquille, jogoode, and Mulcahy for scooping her!

[jogoode]

Burros' review of Casa Mono is by far the strangest I've ever read. In some ways, her being forthcoming was welcome -- she addressed the fact that she had a relationship with the owners and was easily recognized, emphasizing though that little can be done to change the food served. But I've never come across a review in which the critic is so willing to say that:

Even fried anchovies are well prepared, if you like fried anchovies. I am not a fan.

Mr. Batali and the restaurant's chef, Andy Nusser, also a partner, overhauled the dessert menu last week and came up with winners: a fudgy chocolate cake topped with milk chocolate ice cream and plump chocolate-covered almonds — and I do not even like milk chocolate.

I will never know how cap i pota fria (the name is Catalan dialect for calves head and feet, or headcheese) tastes. Do you really want this on the menu in the age of mad cow?

And I am afraid you are on your own when it comes to cockscomb and tripe.

Admitting that some dishes were prepared well, despite her aversion to them in general, is admirable, and has relevance to our discussion of Mix in New York reviews. Nevertheless, I find it hard to relate to a reviewer who doesn't even want to try the three or four dishes I was dying to eat -- the tripe, cockscombs, and cap i pota fria. (I know she's the nutrition and food safety writer but I'm not scared of a little calf's head.)

She criticized the lamb chops, saying they were oversalted every time she had them. On my visit, the lamb chops -- though one of the three was over done, they still seem not to have sorted this out -- were excellent, perfectly seasoned.

And she warned that you could certainly run up a substantial bill with enough small plates, which is true but ignores the great value I think this restaurant represents. Although I could easily sit at the place all night, and get through at least three fourths of the menu, when you compress you meal at Casa Mono into an hour and a half or two hours, four or five plates for each person is perfect and, chosen wisely, won't cost you all that much for a two-star.

[Bux]

Burros' review of Casa Mono is by far the strangest I've ever read. ...

...

... Nevertheless, I find it hard to relate to a reviewer who doesn't even want to try the three or four dishes I was dying to eat -- the tripe, cockscombs, and cap i pota fria. (I know she's the nutrition and food safety writer but I'm not scared of a little calf's head.)

I always find it peculiar when people I know love good food, but have so many food dislikes. In the case of professional reviewers, I also find it admirable that they can separate their personal likes and dislikes from an objective opinion, but how reliable will a review be to a diner when it comes from someone who doesn't share the same enthusiasm for the food. For me, tripe may be the big issue. I had some wonderful tripe the other day, but I may cut off my source of such food if I say too much about it. It was prepared by someone who's testing recipes for cookbook. Before that I had some boned, stuffed and braised pig's feet. My guess is that I won't read the review if Ms. Burros writes one.

My point, before I rudely interrupted myself, was that I wish the Times would hire a reviewer who can bring some real enthusiasm for eating with a passion. It would be rewarding to have a dose of that for a while.

[sammy]

Congratulations to Big E, bourdain, Bond Girl, coquille, jogoode, and Mulcahy for scooping her!

How exactly did they "scoop" her? It is the Times normal practice to give a new restaurant some time before publishing a review. I'm almost positive they mentioned the restaurant previously in either Diner's Journal or Food Stuff.

[Pan]

Alright, maybe I was a bit hyperbolic, but it goes to show that eGullet can be a better source of real-time food news than the Times. I agree that that is partly a matter of function, though.

JJ, when I go to Casa Mono, I'll definitely want to order the cockscombs and tripe.

[ned]

With all due respect, I find Burros' statement that:

". . . having been spotted at restaurants throughout my reviewing career, I have learned one thing: the owners cannot improve the food for the reviewer's sake. They can improve the service; they can make sure the food is hot. But if it does not taste good, they cannot make it better."

absolutely preposterous. The difference between a lively sauce and a dull heavy one is a taste and an adjustment, the difference between a good sear and just a middling one is careful attention. I could go on. When a chef knows that table 8 is a vip, he can plug in and focus in a way that absolutely does make the food taste better.

[jogoode]

She did, despite her VIP status, have plenty of negative things to say about the food. The lamb was overdone for me and VIP Burros.

[alacarte]

My point, before I rudely interrupted myself, was that I wish the Times would hire a reviewer who can bring some real enthusiasm for eating with a passion. It would be rewarding to have a dose of that for a while.

Word.

I give Grimes credit for taking himself out of the reviewing game when his enthusiasm ebbed.

I don't think the Burros review has done much harm to Casa Mono. When I walk by the restaurant, I see that it's still packed night after night.

[jogoode]

I don't think the Burros review has done much harm to Casa Mono. When I walk by the restaurant, I see that it's still packed night after night.

Two stars certainly won't harm the place! And I suspect it's been packed every night since it's been open. Though Batali's restaurants would be particulary resilient in the face of an unexpected one- or no-star review.