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“Barmarche”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Soho	Moderate	Good

—a crispy round crust topped with artichokes, dollops of creamy ricotta cheese and slivers of sundried tomato ($8). Fried calamari ($9), while ubiquitous and uninspired in most incarnations, is pretty darn good here. Small hoops of squid, nicely breaded and deep-fried to a golden crunch, are piled up in a small hill, accompanied by a vibrant, high-heat roasted jalapeño marmalade ($9). A relentlessly flavorful cheeseburger ($11) was a runaway hit, served on a fluffy yet firm brioche bun with a lovely mess of garlicky fries. My friend Susie, who is known to wax poetic about most morsels of food she consumes, was quite silent when she bit into said burger, topped with a bubbly layer of cheddar. She just closed her eyes and chewed. Eventually, she opened them, and spoke. “Wow.” Pause. “Oh my God.” Then she was silent again, and she went in for another bite. Susie can be dramatic about food, but she was right. While Susie was having a moment with her burger, Kiri and I dug into a deep dish of braised beef short ribs with white beans, eggplant and roasted garlic ($20)—meaty, melting slabs of cow, in a rich red wine sauce. The dish is the perfect welcome for bone-chilling winter nights. A weak link was the grilled baby octopus ($12)—a bit cold and chewy actually, and though served over a nice salad of greens and peppers, a disappointment. Not so for the roasted pear salad ($9) though, which was an inspired variation on the classic: caramelized slices of roasted pear fanned out next to a mound of diced endive tossed with toasted walnuts and rich and assertive chunks of Roquefort cheese. We left quite a clean plate.

What I like about barmarché is that it knows what it is—it is not a temple to 3-star cerebral food, it’s not a could-care-less dive with waiters who are far more concerned with their indie screenplays than taking your order. It is a cool neighborhood spot with style, offering informed, friendly, and effective service, terrific high-end cocktails, and a satisfying and enjoyable selection of food. All in all, nicely done. Barmarché is located at 14 Spring Street (at Elizabeth), 212-219-3299.

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Posted: November 7, 2004

Other restaurants in Soho :
+ Balthazar   + Savoy   + Blue Ribbon   + Lupa   + Public   + Kittichai   + Lure Fishbar   + Barmarche   + Porcupine-- CLOSED   + Ama   + La Esquina   + Jerry's- Closed Now   + The Tasting Room   + Papatzul   + Shorty's.32   + The Monday Room   + Ed's Lobster Bar   + Aurora   + Provence   + Tailor   + Hundred Acres   + Delicatessen, By Guest Reviewer Julie Besonen   + The Mott   + The Dutch   + Cherrywood, by Guest Reviewer Dara Pollak   

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