PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW
Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !
What was your first impression?
wow it’s crowded.
Please rate the Bar:
nice. a little cramped, but okay. comfortable enough. and clean. the bartenders are amiable and quite knowledgeable.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
cocktails are N/A. wine list is good— extensive and eclectic, but skewing a bit more toward the higher end. some very nice selections here.
Please rate the Dining Room:
casual— small and tight, a little loud. but an astute use of spare square footage.
Please rate the BOH:
very good, but i was already a fan of chef david-seigal at Mercat. not a lot of surprises on the menu, although supposedly that will "change soon," when the "new spring menu" goes into effect. but some good solid choices in healthy portions. in any case, if you like Mercat but you live on Amsterdam, you’ll be thrilled.
How was the staff?
very nice. okay fine, we did get "made" almost immediately so you know how that is. but hey, if one is smart enough to snap to attention for a PX, how bad can one possibly be?
:P
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
veal meatballs : excellent. fork-tender, really delicious. i recall some random person commenting on chef ryan-lowder‘s (also formerly of Mercat) departure from GustoRistorante— something like "yeah, cuz spanish food is just like italian."
well, according to this meatball, i would bet italian isn’t astrophysics next to spanish.
mushroom fricasee : hello my love! it’s nice to see you again! oh but the duck egg isn’t necessarily an improvement over the beloved chicken egg. plus it was a tad overcooked, so it didn’t ooze alls over the place as much as it’s supposed to. still very tasty though. and some Mercat enthusiasts may be happy to hear: it’s less salty now.
grilled hanger steak : very good. succulent, perfectly cooked. love the "smashed" potatoes (little whole potatoes, with skin, clobbered by a frying pan).
poussin : very good. succulent, perfectly cooked. and the "lentil stew" accompaniment is very nice.
sauteed pea shoots "special" : hellooo my love! it’s nice to see you again! still simple but fantastic. still so delicious.
i really wanted the "pork belly sliders" but i was too stuffed : but i saw them a table away and they looked reeeally appetizing.
What did you like?
pretty much everything.
What did you dislike?
it’s sooo crowded. the good news is if you live down south, everything up north is totally opposite. so just when you’re ready for dinner at 9pm, TangledVine is starting to empty out— tables and seats suddenly materialize out of thin air.
What was your last impression?
i’m glad i came.
Would you come back?
i would love to, but it is quite a haul…
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
thank you, it was lovely.
Tags: F&F REVIEWS
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