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“5 Ninth”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	MeatPacking	Moderate	Great

Parma and pickled jalapenos ($15). We shared a grilled cheese of brie, tomato, and basil to start. It was just what you crave in a grilled cheese—ooey, gooey melting cheese sandwiched between buttery griddled bread ($11). Plus, we went for the side of warm tomato soup ($6) for dipping—a rich roasted tomato puree that tastes of bright hot summer.

The decision of what to have for dinner was a tough one. This menu reads like a walk through Kirna Zabete or Intermix. I wanted everything. (For guys, I’d say the equivalent is a fantasy baseball draft, where you have the number one pick.) One of the specials called me. It was sort of a Greenmarket eggs benedict. Chino places a poached egg on top of a circle of brioche, tops it with whipped hollandaise, and gives it a side of a handful of grilled asparagus and a little mini Caesar salad ($19). It was pretty much breakfast, but I was into it. I love breakfast for dinner. But I was most amazed by the late night menu’s fried beer-battered jalapenos—hot poppers stuffed with a mix of cheddar and diced ham. These will have me making nocturnal journeys to Five Ninth in my PJs.

And while I was roasting in the garden, I couldn’t resist the Korean-braised short ribs with white kimchi and chilis over steamed rice. The short ribs were rich, dark, moist and meaty, picked up with the pungent bite of the kimchi and the racy heat of the chilis. But there was too much food. Craig helped me with my shortribs in between bites of rabbit ravioli ($21), lovely little spheres filled with up with rabbit confit and set in a fresh tomato sauce peppered with olive tapenade and topped with a spray of light Parmesan foam. I had flashbacks of Marcel on Top Chef, but I survived.

One of the Joshes was hankering for a bowl of pasta, and he went for the gnocchi, handmade into small and creamy rounds, shaped like little balls of mozzarella. They were light and ethereal, dressed in nothing but a warm fresh sauce of sweet sautéed cherry tomatoes and summer truffles ($26).

The other Josh went for the seared snapper, a crispy-skinned fillet set on a smooth bed of polenta showered with chorizo, tomatoes, and corn ($29). Speaking of corn, Craig’s brother Adam had been lamenting that he couldn’t find a place to get a simple side of corn on the cob. Granted, he could cook it, but that would require turning on (and locating) the stove. Not happening. But there o ... [more, click below]

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Posted: July 16, 2007

Other restaurants in MeatPacking :
+ Paradou   + Florent   + One   + Bivio   + Spice Market   + Ono   + 5 Ninth   + Fatty Crab   + Del Posto   + Morimoto   + Los Dados   + 5 Ninth   + Merkato 55   + Scarpetta   + The John Dory   + The Standard Grill   + Bill's Bar & Burger   

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