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.