The Walman Report
Travel Restaurants Entertainment & Wine
BY Nancy Walman
A loyal neighborhood clientele, peppered with celebrities (on our visit Gloria Vanderbilt and son, CNN-anchor, Anderson Cooper, were in the front room) keep this friendly neighborhood hopping. The ambience is fresh and full of kitsch with trompe l'oeil windows opening onto views of the Mediterranean, tile floors, white stucco walls, hanging Moroccan lanterns and lovely fresh flowers. A tinkling piano in the bar-area and pleasant service, led by owner, Ernesto Morel, complete the background scene. Order carefully and you will have some good food. That means skipping the mundane appetizers (unless you are taking the bargain $22 "Early Bird" menu). Smoked trout tastes of only smoke. Prosciutto and melon is a generous portion; the melon is perfect, but the ham is salty. Entrees, on the other hand, can be delicious, if you opt for a first rate steak au poivre with excellent pommes frites; a bountiful plate of calf’s liver and bacon or terrific sweetbreads. Dover sole is fresh, but a skimpy portion and on the dry side. Like most French bistros in Manhattan, the wine list should have more bottles under $30, but the two-page list is well chosen and if you must spend $32, The Argentinean Malbec offers good value. Cocktails, on the other hand, are a bow to modern-Manhattan — beautifully made and served in large, attractive glasses. If you do dessert, the fresh fruit and Brie cheese are in surprisingly good condition f or a moderately priced venue. Overall, I can't think of many restaurants in New York, where $100 for two will provide such a pleasant evening.
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