JL Far West - Joseph Leonard - 170 Waverly Place at Grove St.

A few disclaimers: Joseph Leonard's chef is a friend of a friend, he sent over a complimentary appetizer and, more importantly, he offered me a support-staff spot in his kitchen for "Cochon Sundays". JL is definitely a restaurant that you want to spend time in, particularly if you live in or near the West Village. It's small, cozy, and warm, but still hip, buzzing and friendly.  It's the Spotted Pig part deux, but focused on ensuring that you'll dine rather than just drink - there's no real drinking bar here and they'll move you out of seats at "le zinc" if you're not actually having a meal.  I plan to go next for brunch on a Sunday, to fuel myself before heading into the kitchen to help (probably just watch) the cochon preparation, for said Cochon Sundays.  Every Sunday, the chef prepares a pig, head to tail, in varying styles, depending on the part of the pig.  As the dishes and parts of the pig sell out, they are crossed off a chalk board in the dining room, which shows a pig in full and the various cuts of pork its body comprises.  It's a cute concept to generate demand and urgency of consumption.  I like everything about JL, and will head back there and encourage you to try it too, but I cannot lead you astray on the food: there are high points and low points. Lucky for me, one of the high points was my entree of baked and braised rabbit (yes, I ate a bunny) with sausage and fava beans.  The dish was flavored well, tender and moist and the meat explosion was balanced well by the starchy beans and some wilted greens.  Our appetizer of octopus and white bean salad, on the other hand, was disappointing, given the miniscule portion of octopus (this is one of the cheap fish, folks, be generous with it!) and the overcooked beans. And, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but our complimentary appetizer of bone marrow bruschetta was relatively flavorless, other than the well-oiled bread and smothering of capers.  I was unaware that bone marrow could actually be flavorless??  Nevertheless, chef McDuffee, who heralds from Thomas Keller's Bouchon, "gets it", seems to be fearless with food and understands service and vibe.  With a few tweaks here and there and some time to let JL hit its stride, my prediction is that this is one of the great spots in the City that hits that fine-tuned balance of extreme comfort and refined cuisine.  I'm going back.

Don't Find Yourself in a Dark Alley Unless it's...Freeman's - Freeman's Alley, off Rivington, b/tw Bowery & Christie Sts.

Folks, I'm going to level with you, the food at Freeman's is not great--only ok at best, although striving for the right things--but Freeman's is a spot you want to try to feel like you've had a NY dining experience or an experience in NY at all.  Freeman's has been open since 2004 and I've been there several times, but there's always a small thrill in even finding the spot that is off of an alley, aptly named Freeman's alley, off of Rivington St. on the Lower East Side.  NYers (myself included) are notorious for wanting to be the first to find and try something new and then be able to talk about it unabashedly.  I tried Freeman's in 2004 after moving back to NY from spending a year in London and upon finding the spot and entering the den (or really a lair, given the taxidermy on the walls) of a restaurant, I felt justified in shunning lovely Europe for forever-striving and pushing-the-envelope NYC.  I recall the food being much better back then - there was something on the menu with butternut squash and sour cream that was just divine - but again, it was never ultimately about the food.  It was and is about the fact that Freeman's is still clandestine in its locale, hip and cutting edge in its ambience, staff and clientele (I liked the Nick Rhodes thing that the hostess was trying to pull off) and now four times the size of the original, but still cozy, hunting lodge-esque and serving artisanal cocktails and very tolerable food.  Good luck finding it, but go with friends, enjoy the scene, the cocktails and the artichoke dip, reserve the back room for a birthday celebration, but don't expect culinary wizardry.

Got to Go - Gottino - 52 Greenwich Ave., b/tw Perry & Charles Sts.

Good for a first date, a catch-up over glass of wine with a friend or just solo for a quick wind down on a week night, Gottino is a great "go-to" Italian wine bar, with an impressive and delicious small plate menu and a small, but well-selected wine list by the bottle and glass. A narrow space, with only a handful of relatively cramped tables, it's all about sitting at the marble bar, soaking in the wine and food knowledge of the bar keeps and taking in the farmhouse rustic and Italian kitchen atmosphere - I loved the piles of apples, chilis, and quince (I had to ask what these were) on the bar and downstairs in the wine cellar area.  The menu offers a selection of cheeses, cured meats, crostini, vegetables and some hot small plates.  Nothing is run of the mill - no Caprese salad on this menu - but, for example, wild boar country pate or cotechino (a blended pork sausage from the north) in roasted apples. The pate and artichoke crostini washed down with two glasses of the Oderro Barbera D'Alba made for a thoroughly tasty and filling dinner.  And back to the topic of dating (why not?): my Italian dinner companion was lamenting the difficulty of dating all these "busy" women in New York.  "Women in Italy," he said, "are not so busy".  Mi dispiace, Alessandro, I sympathize, but I do need to go home and blog. Ciao! 

Summer Surprise - Nick & Tony's, East Hampton - 136 N. Main St.

As much as I am a Hamptons habitue, Nick & Tony's stands for much of what I, and many others, don't like about the Hamptons: the see and be seen place, impossible to get a weekend reservation anytime after July 4th, and a very moneyed clientele with perhaps not as much class. Nevertheless, I manage to find myself there from time to time -usually the dead of winter, or this time a Monday night in late August - and I have to concede that the food and ambience do not disappoint. A warm and inviting atmosphere in which, as a friend pointed out, you can still have an audible conversation with your dinner companions, despite the restaurant being full and buzzing. They have a wood-burning oven, which makes most of their menu tasty, vibrant, healthy, and reminiscent of dinner somewhere on the Mediterranean. I can recommend the whole fish, it was Branzino stuffed with lemons tonight, and the roasted chicken prepared in the wood oven, in which they make pizzas as well. Service was somewhat lacking (umm, we need a menu to be able to decide what to order?) but unpretentious and accommodating. I don't recommend hitting Nick and Tony's on a Saturday night in July or August, but an off night in the summer or winter can hit the spot.

DBGB - 299 Bowery b/tw 1st & Houston

It was a sausage fest in more ways than one. Two ex-Navy Seals as my dinner companions and nothing but meat, and mostly sausage, on the menu. At the risk of sounding totally crass, I loved it! With not a reservation to be had on a Monday night in the dead of a recession, others are clearly loving DBGB's too. We sat in the bar area but still enjoyed a feast from the raw bar, the Frenchie burger (beef, pork belly, arugula and gruyere cheese) Tolouse sausage, the Chop Chop salad and a beer float (no root in that) for dessert. The place is fun and lively, the service a little slow, but the food wins every time and the food was great. Nothing delicate or too complex, but unique and wonderfully, easily flavorful. Even the salad was stand-out and the beer float was unusual, but a surprising treat. I'm going back and have my mind set on the Piggie burger (who could resist?) topped with pork BBQ and jalapeno mayo and, of course, I'll have to have that with a side of sausage.

Standard Grill - 846 Washington St., b/tw LW 12th & 13th

A grown up Bar Martignetti and likely to give Pastis, Balthazar and Morandi a run for their money, the Standard Grill is one of the better bar/restaurant scenes seen in a while. I didn't think the Standard could pull it off (and in 2004 I didn't think the Meatpacking District could pull it off either) but the massive west side highway structure, which reminds me of my elementary school, a hospital and the Seattle Space Needle all wrapped into one, has added the final touch of revitalization to the MPD (do they actually pack meat there anymore, anywhere?). Check it out. Architecturally interesting, big open spaces, lively, stylish bar with adequate Euro to NY ratio, tasty enough food and enough bartenders to actually get you a drink when you belly up, not to mention the outstanding, outdoor beer garden. Didn't stay long, only had a drink or two and a few nibbles, but liked what I saw, just because there was life, vibe and an interesting crowd. Who wants to go back?

Mas Farmhouse - 39 Downing St., b/tw Bedford & Varick Sts.

You can only believe that Mas is a farmhouse to the extent that you believe that Tom Ford has designed and moved into this farmhouse.  Yes, there was a communal table and the requisite brick wall, but Mas is much more sleek and glamorous than any farmhouse I've ever seen.  Ambience aside--which was actually quite good, but upscale and not typical of your average WVillage dining experience--all NY foodies should try this place out. Mas is striving. The chef hails from Bouley Upstairs, there are two tasting menu options, and you can actually build your own tasting menu from the a la carte menu as well. The service is well-timed and well-orchestrated and the food is really top notch, although the fish dishes were slightly dry (cooking fish really separates the men from the boys) and the desserts were a slight disappointment - the rhubarb panna cotta a little too funky and the hazelnut chocolate torte not as luscious and decadent as you would expect. Nevertheless, I had one of the better dining experiences of 2009 at Mas. Great for a closing dinner, foodie parents in town wanting a NY dining experience, or a special occasion. Uno Mas por favor.
http://www.masfarmhouse.com/

Apiary - 60 3rd Ave., b/tw 10th & 11th

Apiary is an E Village restaurant with Upper East Side aspirations, but one of the better meals out there for a 1-handle or less (depending on what you choose for wine). As an UES wannabe, the decor and scene are conservative, but not stuffy and still attractive. The service could use a little extra training and they couldn't figure out what to do with the music. But, all is forgiven, since the kitchen knows what they're doing and the food is worth it. I loved my spring vegetable salad, which was beautifully presented, delicate and yet incredibly flavorful. The Peking duck breast on a bed of celery root puree and lentils was, similarly, delicious. Scott Bryant, formerly of Veritas, is the chef and it shows both in the food and wine list. No booze in this spot, but a great selection of moderately priced wines from all over the world, in addition to the Veritas-hallmark $800 Bordeaux, Barolos and Burgundies. Good for a foodie date or dinner with the rents.

L'Artusi - 228 W. 10th St., b/tw Bleecker & Hudson

L'Artusi - y'all have heard of it because it's been written up everywhere, including the venerable New Yorker. It is the sister restaurant to the stealth success of Dell'Anima and the pair make two of the best W Village meals you can have these days. Dell'Anima has slightly more appeal - a little more relaxed, cozy and the original after all, but L'Artusi still delivers on food and wine: not a bad dish on the menu as far as I've tasted, and the wine list, all Italian, has a significant selection. But know your geography of Italy because the list, really a guide book, is organized by region, north to south. A helpful addition that all restaurants should adopt is a pairing guide of the varietals of each region and the best accompanying foods. Yes, yes, some of us should not need the guide, but a little assistance never hurts and if you've already shared one bottle at the bar, a lot of assistance at the table - guide book, waiter, sommelier and supportive friends - doesn't hurt either.

Minetta Tavern - 113 MacDougal St., b/tw Bleecker & W. 3rd

For anyone who's had a boozy brunch at Balthazar, cougar-hunted or cougared-out at Pastis or pretended they were somewhere in Europe while lunching in the outdoor seats at Morandi Keith McNally has done it again in Minetta Tavern. He nails the decor, comfort and coolness level every time and the food, while not stand out, is good enough and consistent enough to make every restaurant in his empire a staple for brunch, lunch, dinner or even just drinks. It would be interesting to see him depart further from the French bistro/brasserie theme but if it ain't broke, don't fix it, I guess. My favorite is still Balthazar, but all his restaurants win me over every time because no matter how over-reserved or jammed they are, the hosts always manage to find you a table if you ask nicely enough. Good luck getting a rez at Minetta before summer, but this girl got the secret reservation number, so if you ask me nicely enough...

Casellula Cheese and Wine Cafe - 401 W. 52nd, b/tw 9th & 10th Aves.

For the wine and cheese afficionado check out Casellula in Hell's Kitchen. Definitely worth a try for chunky wines by the glass and cheese by the flight, not to mention some clever names like Pig Ass Sandwich for the Cubano or Stanky Flight for the smelliest cheeses on the menu. Cheese with creative savory/sweet accompaniments (e.g. epoisse served with chocolate and nut toffee) was the highlight. Hell's Kitchen location a little bit of a detractor for me, but I'll definitely be going back. Join me?