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“Shorty's.32”

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

"Lord I was born a ramblin' man. Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can. When it's time for leaving, I hope you'll understand that I was born a ramblin' man..." is a refrain you will hear quite often if you become a regular at Shorty's.32. (And I recommend that you do.) You see, the chef and owner of this snug, 32-seater on Prince Street loves him some Allman Brothers. So it will be playing. You may take in the softly lit room, admiring the ceiling hung with lamps in jewel-toned, tasseled shades, and tap your toe or sing along. It's allowed. Other common lines you'll hear spoken, though perhaps not sung, are: "This chicken is amazing. These short ribs are the best I've had! Can I have another spoonful of your soup? Hey, don't eat my fries!" Put these lines to a tune and together and we may have an altogether new kind of restaurant-as-musical. I'll tell you this-I'd sing for this food. Granted they might just throw it at me, but hey, I'm in.

You see the food at Shorty's.32, a restaurant named for its somewhat vertically challenged chef and owner Josh Eden (he's 5' 3"), is the sort of food you want to eat every day. It's refined American comfort food, cooked in the style of chefs like Jonathan Waxman, Joey Campanaro, and Marc Meyer. There's a soulfulness to Josh's food that makes you feel good eating it, and a careful technique to the preparation that lets you know you're eating from the hands of someone who's been around greatness and absorbed many lessons. But the nicest part about Shorty's is that this terrific food is served in a wonderfully low-key spot that will have you wanting to stop in a few times a week.

On a Sunday night, for instance, if I were in the ‘hood, I'd pop in at the bar with the Sunday Magazine for a Brooklyn Lager and a burger ($14)-a thick and juicy house-ground mound of short ribs, sirloin and beef topped with homemade bread and butter pickles, a nice slice of sharp red onion, a few ruffled leaves of iceberg, and a juicy tomato on a warm brioche bun served with what seems to be a parking lot's worth of skinny, salty golden fries. I'd try to leave without dessert, but I'd have to have the toasted pound cake ($7), a cake originally named for the pound of butter required in its total recipe and in this case, it seems, for just one slice.

After my burger on Sunday, I'd go back d ... [more, click below]

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Posted: February 11, 2008

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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