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“The Redhead”

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

made a note to check it out. Then last week, I heard that Meg had decided to open for dinner Tuesday–Saturday with a full menu. It was time for me to visit. Craig was in Vegas for his bachelor party (what happens in Vegas…), so I grabbed my friend Court and we headed over for dinner.

With temps in the high nineties, we started at the bar for a couple of cocktails to help cool us off. A Rhubarbarita ($9) had my name all over it—housemade rhubarb syrup with tequila and fresh lime juice over ice, and Court’s jala-pina ($9) was my second drink, a chile-infused tequila cocktail made with pineapple juice, shaken and strained and served straight up. The bar had a nice crowd of regulars at it, a gray-bearded guy with one hand on a pint and the other on the Post, a few girlfriends in flirty summer dresses meeting after work, and a nice couple seated next to us who struck up a conversation about weddings when they overheard me talking about mine. They were planning theirs in October and we exchanged wedding planning stories before sitting down for dinner. After only half an hour at the Redhead, I already felt right at home.

Meg’s menu follows the neighborhood restaurant edict with reasonable prices that invite folks to become regulars. Starters come in at $8-$10, and entrees are priced between $14 and $19. Beyond prices, it’s also her food that you’re gonna want to eat every night. She’s got some serious talent and correct technique from working with Jamie Leeds at 15 ria in DC, and at places like The Mansion at Turtle Creek and Postrio before even attending culinary school. Most recently, she was hired as sous chef at MOMA and within a year was promoted to executive chef at Café 2. Her style, though, is not very MOMA. It’s a bit more playful, a little more sassy. It’s food with a Southern twang and a slap of N’awlins attitude thanks to a stint at Commander’s Palace. Her style reminds me of a mix of April Bloomfield, Gabrielle Hamilton and Susan Spicer—feisty and rustic, edgy and seasonal, confident and terrific.

For instance, under snacks you’ll find chips & dip—homemade waffle potato chips with a warm French onion dip ($5), and wild mushroom flatbread—a thin, crisp platform for caramelized onions, mascarpone and Parmigiano Reggiano ($8) alongside the ultimate bar snack (or couch snack for that matter)—bacon peanut brittle&mda ... [more, click below]

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Posted: July 21, 2008

Other restaurants in East Village :
+ Yujin-- Closed   + Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar   + Mermaid Inn   + Five Points   + Lavagna   + Five Points   + Bond Street   + Jewel Bako   + Alphabet Kitchen   + In Vino   + Bao 111   + Chikalicious   + Il Buco   + Hearth   + Lima's Taste   + Mercadito   + Hedeh   + Momofuku   + Una Pizza Napoletana   + Winebar   + Uovo-- CLOSED   + Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction   + Gotham Bar & Grill   + Colors   + Chinatown Brasserie   + Knife and Fork   + European Union-- NEW CHEF; SEE APRIL 2007 Review   + Aroma Kitchen and Winebar   + Stand   + European Union   + Mercat   + Gemma   + Back Forty   + The Smith   + Seymour Burton   + Belcourt   + Graffiti   + The Redhead   + Double Crown    + Apiary   + Joe Doe   + Apiary by guest reviewer Kiri Tannenbaum   + DBGB   + Northern Spy   + Goat Town   + Saxon + Parole   + Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria   + Acme   + Calliope   + Nicoletta   + JEPPNEY by Claire Jaffe   + Feast   

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