The Little Owl That Could

I first visited The Little Owl before I moved to London (translation: a long time ago). The jewel-box sized restaurant is a quintessential West Village establishment: a little cramped, a little too expensive, and a little snooty. I don't mean any of these descriptions pejoratively, more like this is what you should expect when you eat out west of 6th Avenue.

My first visit was memorable, so much so that I kept trying to go back but between ridiculously long wait times and reservations books being filled weeks in advance, I decided to give up on it. Last night, I triumphantly returned with my brother. Now, most know my tendency to exaggerate, but I have to say, this was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. Everything about this meal went right from start to finish and I left feeling really invigorated and ready to make myself a regular at this West Village eatery.

One reason the Little Owl and I are made for each other is the menu is full of exactly the kind of food I generally always want: comfort food or modern twists on classic American dishes. Immediately I was drawn to the broccoli soup. It came with bread covered in cheddar and bacon, creating that heavenly combination of broccoli and cheddar. The soup arrived and was a rich, hunter green color. The soup was not smothered by a heavy cream, instead, it was the flavor cruciform vegetable which was showcased. The crostini that floated atop the green liquid provided a richness and fuller flavor that only dairy and pork could do. Aside from burning my tongue on the soup (I am always to eager when it comes to food), I cannot remember a time I have enjoyed soup more.

For my main dish, I opted for two more starters...the legendary gravy meatball sliders (a blend of veal, pork, beef, and pecorino) and the ricotta cavatelli (more pecorino and more bacon). Presentation wise, the restaurant combined these on a single plate, making my childish picking and choosing of appetizers look more like a grown up dinner.

The cavatelli were tender, little morsels with a great tomato broth that was perfectly acidic. The bacon provided some smokiness to counter the creaminess of the ricotta-based dish and the light dusting pecorino melted into the pasta creating a warm, bowl of all things I love in this world. I never gravitate toward pasta, but this is something I would come back to over and over again. Nothing could be better for a cold, damp January night.

There is no better accompaniment to the cavatelli than the transcendent gravy sliders. These are beyond your typical burger bites. They're sloppy, juicy, and the meat blend makes them so flavorful and rich, you will think about them for months to come. The bread the sliders come on does a great job sopping up the gravy that oozes from these little devils and I cannot think of a better slider in Manhattan or ever. I hardly remember what I was talking about when I was eating them because I was so lost in them. My brother went with the crispy chicken, which arrived looking proud (TC season 2 ref!) and perfectly cooked. John gave it high marks and it is rare I'm envious of a chicken dish, but suffice to say I was.

Then the dessert menu was brought out. I tend to avoid desserts because 1) my palate prefers savory to sweet and 2) calories are precious and I try not to waste them. However, my eyes popped out at every single dessert on the menu. I considered the raspberry beignets, not atypical these days, but the addition of raspberry always changes the game for me. Even the pear crisp crossed my mind, despite not being a huge pear proponent. There was one dessert which was a clearly must have for me.

The easiest way to my heart is through root beer (seriously, this is true). I have loved root beer for as long as I can remember. Living abroad, I would pay a 10x markup for a warm can of the stuff. At the NC State Fair, I had root beer so delicious that I pretty much would pay $100 to have a glass of it right now. Throw in some vanilla ice cream, bits of dark chocolate, and a couple of raspberries and you basically have created the most perfect dessert. Little Owl did just that. Again, I found myself complete enraptured in my food for the second or even third time that night. The root beer that came with the float was Olde Brooklyn, which was pretty decent as far as NY-based bottled root beers go (the best come out of a barrel at state fair). The addition of chocolate and raspberry added some flavors not normally found in the traditional soda shoppe version of the drink and really are what made this special for me.

Wrapping up, Little Owl is a great, NY restaurant...it's the kind of place that reminds why you put up with all that comes with living here (high taxes, crowds, the 6 train on Saturday night). I clearly will be back to make sure this was not a fluke visit, but I'm pretty sure it was not. Still thinking about that root beer float. Wow.

Gamechanger?

Burgers and pizza could sustain me forever. In an effort to reign my caloric intake, I've unfortunately had to curb the consumption of my beloved foods. However, certain occasions inspire me to forget about calorie counting and when my London bruv Aly Patel rolls into town, all bets are off.

I figured that it was finally time try out Bill's Bar & Burger in the Meatpacking. After they announced that they are opening up a massive outpost in 45 Rock (I work on the 7th floor of 45 Rock), I needed to figure out if this place was legit. I now fear that all my gym time over the past year might be a waste if I am an elevator-ride away from these delicious patties.

My gold-standard for burgers in New York is the Shack Burger. Bill's is on that level...plain and simple. The meat is wonderfully delicate and really well seasoned. The American cheese that tops it melts into the bun and meat and is unpretentious. The special sauce is not that special: thousand island dressing, but it works really well. The bun looks like the picture perfect sesame seed bun from a McDonald's commercial. The whole thing melted in my mouth and made me want ten more burgers (and once upon time, I could have polished off another ten).

The fries that come with it are awesome. They are even more awesome when covered in brisket chili: which is smoky and rich and turns the fries into a formidable side to the burger itself. I left most of them on the plate, but Aly P cleared his. I'm sure if Lord B was in town, he would have eaten us both under the table.

Bill's is definitely a worthy adversary to the Shack. It's also open "very late" on weekend evenings--meaning a post-Saturday night stopover is likely. Rumor has it the dogs are pretty delicious too. Just when you think the burger movement has reached a saturation point, Bill's comes along and remakes the landscape.

Times They Are A Changin'

Late in December, Tom Colicchio announced he was closing Craftsteak, and re-opening it as Colicchio & Sons. The time for high-flying steakhouses was over Tom explained and he was excited to get back to his culinary roots from way back when he used to run things over at GramTav.

Craftsteak holds a special place for me, mostly because my brother slaved away as maitre'd there for 18 months. The service has always been impeccable and the staff makes you feel welcome in what could be considered a very intimidating restaurant.

My brother's erstwhile maitre'd status earned us a coveted invitation to the friends and family preview of the restaurant. After a near crisis situation, we showed up last night to try Tom's new place.

The menu is simple, concise, and well-balanced. The biggest departure from the Craft-empire establishments is the lack of sides. The dishes here are complete thoughts, as opposed to fragments the diner can assemble any which way he/she wants. I opted for the gnocchi with marrow, truffles, and chestnuts while my bro decided on some white bean agnolotti (which he raved about). The gnocchi were like little down pillows and the richness of the marrow and chestnut oozed its way deep inside the potato dumpling to give it a bold, warm flavor. Really great way to start.

Entreewise nothing was screaming at my name, so I let the server do the deciding. I opted for the pancetta-wrapped monkfish. The execution on this dish was flawless--the fish was perfectly cooked and pancetta armor was not too crispy nor too flabby. Sometimes the flavor of the pancetta overwhelmed the fish a little, but I was on board with this. The dish came surrounded by beets cooked in cider, creating a makeshift sauerkraut (I think I read Tom borrowed this from a Top Chef contestant). It added a nice acidity to it all.

At the behest of one of the managers, we order a cheese course and two desserts. I ordered coconut cream donuts with lime jelly and caramel ice cream. The flavors were spot on, though a little out of place for the season I'd say. The donuts were long, tubular pastries with ample filing. The ice cream at Chef Tom's establishment has always been revelatory--this was no different. My brother opted for a peanut butter parfait, which looked like it had been created straight out of a dream of mine. The cheese course was a nice way to finish the meal and nice to see a cheese trolley rolling around a restaurant floor these days.

I enjoyed Colicchio & Sons immensely. It definitely is much more low-key than its opulent predecessor which I think is a shrewd move on Mr. Colicchio's part. I'm not sure anything I ate was really revolutionary, but everything was really delicious. The front half of the restaurant will be more casual and I think that section might become part of my normal rotation.

Resolutions

While most people grapple with foods and eating habits they are trying to curb in the new year, PJ Eats A Lot thinks about what else he needs to be eating. Here are my New Year's resolutions:

1. Eat at Minetta Tavern. This is long overdue and frankly embarrassing at this point that I still have not even step foot in this place
2. Spend more time in the outer boroughs...Queens especially. Sometimes I find Brooklyn like Manhattan East when it comes to food. Some great places, but nothing really that different than what I am eating here. Queens has some amazing ethnic options that need to be tested.
3. Take more pictures. Time to combine my love of food with my love of photography. The G11 needs to be a constant dining companion.
4. Preempt the press. Much like I did with Maialino, it is nice to beat the critics to the restaurants. Your experience is unbiased with the thoughts of Sam Sifton or Adam Platt and it is always interesting to compare notes when the reviewers finally weigh in.
5. Do more food events. One of my favorite food experiences of 2009 was attending Le Fooding, which brought together Parisian and New York chefs. It was a unique way to spend a night and I'm always looking for new ways to experience food.