Category: NY Restaurants

Mercat, Noho, NYC


The Bolt Bus got me to NYC in 4 hours last night. It’s our last long weekend at school (yikes..) and I decided it was time to head back to the city and see the boy. As soon as I stepped out at Tick Tock Diner, I knew the weather Gods had been kind. It was a perfect New York night – clear skies, full moon, warm enough for sandals, cool enough for sleeves.

After a quick stop at home, we headed over to Bond Street for dinner. I’d made the reservation on Open Table and was extremely surprised to discover that the awesomeness of Mercat was only a 3 minute walk from our apartment. What a place. Rustic but minimalist, dark but candle-lit, Mercat is warm, airy and unobtrusively positioned on one of NoHo’s more trendy cobblestone streets. The walls are red-brick and unfinished, the kitchen is open-plan and the music, like the menu, is decidedly Catalonian.

Our table wasn’t ready until 9.45pm but our waitress was friendly and the service was quick and helpful. Encouraged by Yelp’s glowing reviews, we made sure to order Patatas Brava, Croquetas de Pollastre, Fideua Negra and Coca D’Anec. We also decided to try the Vedella (hangar steak), Remolatxa (warm beet salad) and vegetable croquetas. While the steak was a little tough and the capers in the salad a little contradictory, the Coca D’Anec (coca bread topped with duck, pears, spinach and hazelnuts) was absolutely divine, combining distinctly interesting flavours with a beautiful assortment of colours and aromas. The Patatas Brava were predictably addictive, the Croquetas were crisp and perfectly gooey on the inside and the Fideua Negra (noodles with squid and squid ink) surpassed all expectations.




The dishes were definitely smaller, tapas-sized and perhaps on the saltier side, but I didn’t find that it detracted from their flavour in any way. I tried the first cocktail on the menu – a delicious concoction of watermelon juice, sauvignon blanc and mint, somewhat questioningly named “Gypsy Tears” – and quickly ordered a second, with less ice. The boys drank gin cocktails (“the Dandy”) and, for dessert, we shared the obligatory churros con chocolate.

The Damage: $180 for three with two drinks each. Definitely on the pricey side but to be expected with NY tapas.
The Verdict: Mercat is chic and stylish but not overly trendy. The menu is interesting, the food is delicious, the service is friendly and the location, in my opinion, is lovably perfect.

Lured in

…Lure Fishbar that is.

About 30 minutes after I finished my 14 hour journey back to New York this Friday, the bf announced he wanted to go out to dinner and celebrate our new jobs. Being the fatty that I am, I jumped in the shower and threw caution (and sleep deprivation) to the wind as I revved my jetlagged appetite for a long night out. Unfazed by our utter lack of a reservation, we decided to resort to our foolproof strategy of walking into restaurants and asking to be seated at the bar. So much for that… After striking out with Peasant, Balthazar and Cafe El Portal, we followed Yelp’s directions to Mercer and Prince and were warmly welcomed into Lure’s boat-like Fishbar.

One of the first things we noticed about Lure was the sheer volume of alcohol being consumed. Dozens of wine glasses littered the tables and there was a relaxed yet convivial air to the place. Its a large large space, much bigger than I thought when I first walked in. The lighting is dim and the acoustics are perfect with catchy 2005 tunes on the ready (if you need them) for awkward silences. The crowd is pretty mixed in age – some groups of 20 somethings, a few large tables of older couples, a few girls’ nights and some small tables with dates. Definitely a higher end crowd but without the aspirational element of some other Mercer Street establishments…

I’m a huge fan of eating at the bar. Not only is it prime real estate for watching elaborate cocktail mixage, but if you’re lucky enough, you can witness the creation of every piece of mouthwatering sushi, every plate of delicately shaved carpaccio, or in our case, every glistening oyster arranged perfectly upon a bed of salt.

We ordered mostly large appetizers (the bar menu is identical to the standard dinner menu), choosing to start with the shellfish plateau, followed by the fluke ceviche, yellowtail & scallion roll and lastly the octopus salad. The service was attentive and friendly with a busboy appearing after each course to change our silverware and our waiter apologizing for something being slow even though we hadn’t noticed. The dishes were beautifully presented, the portions larger than expected and the food was fresh and absolutely delicious.

I savoured my standard (seafood) accompaniment – a lychee martini – which was muddled and strong, but fell slightly short of the Bond Street version. The boyfriend loved his Dulce Caliente. Thoroughly stuffed, we decided to skip dessert and head instead to a friend’s party.

The Damage: $100 for two people who ate mostly appetizers, with two cocktails and no dessert.
The Verdict: classy ambience, warm service, delicious food … bonus points for hosting your menu on tumblr, well done Lure. Not bad at all for a celebratory dinner.

Two Speedy Brunches and One Magical Neighbourhood

After a week of brochette de marisco, chuleta de pescado, gallo pinto and, of course, tostones (thanks Timur) I returned to New York on Friday hungry for brunch. So on the first sunny Saturday morning of 2010, the bf and I met three friends at La Crepe Parisienne on Spring and Mulberry. I don’t know how I’d missed this place but one nutella-banane crepe later, I knew I was in love. The crepes are large, messy and utterly lovable. The place is tiny but bright and airy with cute, grunge-free tables. Perfect for a quick stop-and-go brunch despite what you may hear from Yelp’s whiny reviewers. Besides, when the weather’s as nice as it was yesterday, skipping the two hour brunch is a great call.

In the spirit of speedy brunches, we decided today to try Parisi Bakery, also on Spring. Having recently discovered several vintage boutiques on Mott, I am increasingly convinced that the square mile between Houston, Kenmare, Lafayette and the Bowery is the most precious little neighbourhood in downtown NYC. Poo-poohing gelato stores and pancake-seeking hipsters lined up on Prince, we ordered Parisi’s only brunch sandwiches (spicy, please) and some rainbow cakes. Our food arrived in less than 10 minutes and was lipsmackingly delicious. Light eggs, spicy potatoes, juicy red peppers and young provolone have never been so happily ensconced in soft white bread. By the time Niraj’s cappuccino arrived, I had housed my sandwich, washing it down with Dr Brown’s diet cream soda. Yum!

Nicaragua was absolutely amazing (thank you America for inventing Spring Break) but my taste buds are certainly enjoying getting back to brunch basics.