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“Barbounia”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Turkish/Middle	Flatiron	Moderate	Good

ss and you barely have any experience, but okay, write a review for me." And Kathy was one of my first freelance writer friends. She and I were regular Time Out contributors when we met and instantly hit it off. That was four years ago, and they have become my writer support network, always there to simulate water cooler conversation: to bounce ideas off of, to complain about editors, and to make me feel like I am not in this alone. Being a freelancer can be tough in that way. Working all day alone in your apartment (especially when it is the size of a cereal box like mine is) can be maddening. But having two people who get it, and who know what it's like, has always made me feel a little bit more sane. Not that I am any more sane, but at least it feels that way.

Anyway, our entrees arrived just as they finished Oohing and Aahing over the book. We had ordered two items from the grill—lamb chops ($33) and a whole dourade ($29)—and both were flawless. The lamb chops, which I picked up by their French boned handles, and bit into like some sort of a cave woman, were juicy and pink and perfect, while the fish, filled up with herbs and lemon in its gills, was flaky and sweet. We passed around sides of creamy, nicely textured polenta, thickened with mascarpone, sautéed spinach topped with crispy bits of prosciutto, and braised greens, and then started in on the rabbit braciola ($27), a composed dish of rabbit loin, wrapped up in crisped Serrano ham crust and rabbit turnovers—tender braised rabbit seasoned with cinnamon and cumin, pulled apart and shredded and stuffed into phylo, sort of like rabbit Moroccan cigars. The dish was finished with a sundried cherry jus and oven-roasted sunchokes. It was a winner, and I think they should serve the rabbit cigars at the bar, by the platterful.

We were not really capable of eating another thing, but we decided one dessert was necessary. We picked a good one—the yogurt panna cotta ($9), an impossibly think, tart and tangy yogurt cream, topped with thinly sliced red grapes, a drizzle of elderflower syrup, and a sprig of mint.

Leaning back into our comfy pillowed banquette, finishing off our sherry, we gazed at What Happened to Bjork's Dress. The white feathers circled the glittery ball, reflecting slivers of neon light. It was magical. No, it is not every day that you find a disco ball in an elegant Mediterranean restaurant, but then I thought, when the food makes y ... [more, click below]

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Posted: December 19, 2005

Other restaurants in Flatiron :
+ Suenos   + Amuse-- Closed   + Dos Caminos   + Lucy-- Closed   + Gramercy Taver   + Veritas   + Fleur De Sel   + Bolo -- CLosed   + City Bakery   + Shake Shack   + Kalustyan's Cafe   + Devi   + BLT Fish   + Sugarcane   + BLT Prime   + Barca 18-- CLOSED   + Beppe   + Barbounia   + Boqueria   + Eleven Madison   + Lonesome Dove-- CLOSED   + Hill Country   + Olana   + Wildwood   + Primehouse   + Allegretti   + Bar Breton   + Aldea   + SD26 by Bao Ong   + ABC Kitchen   + Ciano   + The NoMad   

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