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.

Good Grief - Hotel Griffou - 21 9th St., b/tw 5th & 6th Aves.

Whatever you do, do not go to Hotel Griffou for the food.  It's been a while since I've had as near an upalatable meal in New York City as dinner tonight at Griffou. The menu is caught between lots of lobster and some, supposed, American classics, e.g. Steak Diane (was this ever considered good eating and was it ever really acceptable to serve this outside of the home?) The selection is poor and among what we chose (lobster thermidor fondue, lobster succotash, duck confit poutine, pork cutlets and salad nicoise) there was not a discernable flavor among any of the dishes other than maybe salt and/or fat.  Frankly, I really just assumed that it was all flavored with MSG, given that everything was saucy, glistening and maybe narcotically flavorful, but truly just disgusting.  Also, unless you're willing to go $150 or above on the wine, there are not many choices on the list and I'm pretty sure the insipid $75 bottle of Sancerre we had, retails for about $14.  Food-wise, Griffou is extremely disappointing and I'm not sure how a kitchen in Manhattan, serving $27 entrees, could get it this wrong.  Nevertheless, I'm clear on why they get away with it: Griffou has appeal and intrigue in its ambience, which is clandestine, cozy and varied in that there are six rooms, all decorated differently.  Moreover, it's a "scene" and somehow has become a hot-bed for celebrities.  A few months ago a friend went and shared in JLo's birthday dinner.  Tonight, a friend spotted Sienna Miller.  I doubted my friend, until I saw Jude Law walk in the front door, probably fresh from his performance in Hamlet (which is great by the way, but I'll stick with the food critiquing).  Not only did we get a good, long look at Mr. Law, but I think we got some scoop too--spotting Jude and Sienna in the same place.  Is it reconciliation?  Whatever it is, call out to all celebs: please demand better in your food.  NYC has so much more to offer than stylized joints, like Griffou, that serve the expensive equivalent of greasy nachos and wings. If you want to check out the scene, go for drinks only.   

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! 

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/

Scuderia - 257 6th Ave., b/tw Bleecker & Houston

What's in a name? Scuderia. Hate that one. Makes me think of Scud missiles or "M'am, you seem to have an acute case of scuderia". Yes, the word is associated with some fab Italian cars and seems to actually mean stable or team, referring to the Da Silvano team that started this W Village establishment, but still, not a good name. The food is mediocre at best. The wines are decent and decently priced, but the main attraction is that the place is fun! Noisy as hell, but there's a young, very cute and high energy crowd (and guys, there are tons of girls). Loved the Italian lessons piped into the bathroom, the custom designed sneakers- for sale -flung over the light fixtures above the bar, and the album covers that decorate the walls. They will also have 36 seats outdoors in time for warmer weather and between 10 Downing next door and Da Silvano and Bar Pitti across the street, this could be the next corner of West Broadway and Grand on a Sunday afternoon.

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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...