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“Market Table”

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

nversation coupled with the triple height of the wood-beamed ceilings, the hard wood floors, and the walls made of windows don't do much for the acoustics. That said, the candlelight and the sweet energy of the room make it an ideal place to lean in and get cozy. (Yes, it's a good date place.) At lunch, the glassed-in room fills up with light and there's a slow peacefulness to that comes over the space. On a sweltering day last week, Craig and I walked over and ate at the bar, sharing a burger and the eggplant parm, and a few bottles of cold PBR (Gabriel's recommendation), which were thirst quenching and almost as refreshing as a dunk in the Atlantic. Served at lunch only, the burger ($12) comes with the works-cheddar, caramelized onions, slices of pickle and a heap of golden fries, crunchy and hot, and sprinkled with salt. But the works are mere accessories to the stunning mound of meat that rests between the puffy bun-perfectly cooked to medium rare, and seasoned so well that my mind wandered to the Spotted Pig burger and placed this one next to it in my brain's burger rankings.

While Craig was all over the burger, the eggplant parm ($13) was a bit tougher of a sell for him. You see, he has an issue with eggplant. He doesn't eat it. When I asked him why, his answer was not very convincing. "I don't like the name. It just sounds unappealing, an egg coming out of a plant," he said. I considered his position and had an idea. "What if I called it Aubergine?" I asked. "French for eggplant." He took a sip of his PBR and got quiet for a moment. "Okay, I think I can have the Aubergine parm," he said. His first bite was tentative and then the next thing I knew, the plate was clean, not one arugula leaf left behind. "That's some good Aubergine," he said, smiling. It is, indeed. Mikey shaves zucchini on the mandoline into thin wide ribbons that he wraps around a filling of roasted chunks of eggplant, forming a package the size of a deck of cards. Then he breads the deck in panko and pine nuts and pan-fries it so it's golden and crunchy on the outside, and then tops it off with pine nuts and the same intense tomato sauce that tops off the tomato pie. It's much more refined than any eggplant parm you've ever had. There's no cheese, no grease, and of course there's no eggplant-just Aubergine.

Market Table is located at 54 Carmine St, at Bedford; 212-255-2100.

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Posted: October 8, 2007

Other restaurants in West Village :
+ Jefferson-- Closed   + La Palapa Rockola   + Sumile   + Babbo   + Tasca   + AOC Bedford   + Home   + The Spotted Pig   + Barbuto   + Numero 26   + Mas   + August   + Alta   + Cru   + Blue Mill Tavern-- Closed   + Employees Only   + Lassi   + Metropol--Closed   + Turks and Frogs   + Bellavitae   + Yumcha-- CLOSED   + Gusto: SEE EARLIER REVIEW; THIS CHEF HAS LEFT GUSTO   + Perry Street   + Home   + Ditch Plains   + The Little Owl   + Cafe Condesa   + Cafe Cluny   + Gusto   + The Waverly Inn   + Morandi   + P*ONG   + Perilla   + Soto   + Market Table   + Centro Vinoteca   + Barfry   + Dell'Anima   + Bar Blanc   + Smith's   + Commerce   + Elettaria   + Bar Q   + Cabrito   + 10 Downing   + Minetta Tavern   + Braeburn   + Scuderia, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Bar Blanc Bistro by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Joseph Leonard   + Bar Henry, by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Kin Shop   + Monument Lane   + Wong   + Bin on Bleecker, by Dara Pollak   + Ristorante Rafele   + Cole's Greenwich Village by Guest Reviewer Claire Jaffe   

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