<< previous review   next review >>

reviews

“Bar Milano”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Italian	Gramercy	Moderate	Good

buttery on the outside, runny and yolky on the inside, and cheesy at the bottom, it was like the best potato blintz I’ve ever had.

Similarly, the pickled trout is luscious and pristine with just enough pickle and smoke to balance the tart and juicy grapefruit supremes it’s served with ($12). It tastes like it belonged on a Sunday morning smoked fish platter from Russ & Daughters, but looked like it came from the kitchen of Daniel. A salad of Cavolo Nero ($10) was dressed in an excellent tangy Parmesan and sorrel dressing—almost Caesar-like in that it was lemony, pungent and bright- but the kale, which was cut up chiffonade style, was a little unruly and chewy when served raw. I’d have eaten this dressing on anything though, and hope to try to replicate it at home on romaine or perhaps escarole, or as a dipping sauce for crudite.

Grilled octopus ($14) was extremely tender but strangely enough reminded me of chicken wings in its presentation, with its tentacles slathered in a red glaze like that of atomic hot sauce. It was not spicy, instead it was rather tangy and sweet, but for me, the sauce overwhelmed the octopus. It could also be that since I just returned from Greece the idea of octopus served with anything other than olive oil and lemon is just not right.

Pastas, as you might expect, are very good, and the chefs offer an even ten choices, from pinci with cuttlefish and razor clams ($22) to borsetti alla pizzocheri—a potato-filled buckwheat pasta with cabbage and speck ($17). It was tough for us to decide which way to go but we ultimately went with two meat pastas, and were pleased with our choices.

The housemade Tagliatelle alla Bolognese is simple and good: ribbon-like egg noodles cooked to chewy perfection dressed in a surprisingly light but richly flavored Bolognese sauce that made the dish taste almost healthy (emphasis on almost). We also enjoyed the fusilli, a pleasing bowl of dry pasta (also cooked the right amount of time) tossed with hearty hunks of house made pork sausage and creamy borlotti beans ($18). There was such incredible depth of flavor in those beans that Susie could not help but eat them one at a time, remarking about how she could “eat these beans all day.” That might not be the best idea, but hey, they were really good.

Entrees were a hit and a miss. Our salmon ($24) was exquisite—seared beautifully so the skin formed ... [more, click below]

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  

 Make a reservation

<< previous review   next review >>

Posted: September 28, 2008

Other restaurants in Gramercy :
+ Casa Mono/Bar Jamon   + Pure Food & Wine   + Parea   + Gramercy Tavern (Lunch)   + 15 East   + Tocqueville   + Irving Mill   + Bar Milano   + Irving Mill   + Maialino   + Asellina   + Corkbuzz Wine Studio   + Breads, by guest reviewer Tracy Weiss   

Share ! Post a comment