Some hits and some serious misses

The last couple of weeks there have been some hits and misses in some of the newest spots that have recently opened in NYC for dinner.  Most of the family made it to Misi, one of the most anticipated openings this fall.  I am looking forward to going back.  There is a great vibe the second you step your foot in the door.  People are out to have fun.  The menu is simple, antipasti and pasta.  Decisions are just picking which ones to share, or not.

My daughter wrote a post about Misi which does a much better job than I can describing the experience.  Here are some highlights.  Sadly the tomatoes which we will have to bid adieu to until near summer.  Slow roasted tomatoes with hot honey, coriander, and hints of fennel seed.

I fear the charred marinated peppers with marjoram that is served alongside with whipped ricotta crostini’s will pass as the abundance of fresh peppers from the farm wanes.

Thankfully, thinly sliced fennel with celery, Parmigiano and walnuts can continue through the winter months.

We also had dinner at Baar Baar, that opened in November 2017 but I hear good things about the innovative Indian food being served up and I love good Indian food.  The food is delicious.  Highlights were pork belly with pomegranate and ginger, lamb ribs falling off the bone as you dip into the apricot chili marmalade and of course short rib curry and butter chicken.  Think sharing, think gastropub, think modern contemporary Indian food.

Then there were the bad.  I rarely write about the bad but sometimes I just feel that I must.  Two new spots in NYC, Ferris and The Usual.  Let’s start with The Usual that uses the tagline, comfort food by immigrants to understand the concept.   The restaurant is modern and airy.  You walk into a large open scale room with high ceilings and a long bar and if you are there for dinner, you step down into the sunken room below to the tables.  I can only imagine how much was spent on the renovation.  What I don’t understand is the menu.  Very heavy food that I find it hard to believe that people will return again and again to unless it is insanely spectacular.  I was excited to splurge on some fried chicken but the crust just wasn’t great.  The tag lines gives me hope that the menu will change over time.

The worst is Ferris.  The seating is all over the place from regular shaped tables to shapes that are not conducive to having a meal with other people.  The music is so loud that you can barely hear that person next to you.  Drinks were sent back because they were not good.  The presentation of the plates made the food look as unappealing as it tasted.  A mishmash of food either tossed into a bowl and hidden over one ingredient or just sparse.  We shared and no one had more than one bite per plate.  Damn it is upsetting to see a new spot where lots of cash has been spent to create and then be so poorly executed.

We were starving when we left and decided to splurge with a chocolate dip at Big Gay Ice Cream was the way to go.  Two misses in one week made me think more about returning to the oldies but goodies more often than I do.

Comments (Archived):

  1. jason wright

    Baar Baar has a live DJ on Saturdays. The art of conversation is dying everywhere one looks, and which is particularly ironic with that name.What is this “Executive Chef” moniker? Is this an Americanism?Today i had salmon with steamed broccoli, and green cabbage with kimchi mixed in for a bit of ‘kick’. A favourite.

  2. awaldstein

    Misi is my kind of place. On my list for the next week or so.Looking for best of for sushi and pizza as well I’m brushing off my lists to enjoy the new season. Need to start to follow your daughter I guess.