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“Bar Milano”

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

a gorgeous snappy crust almost the texture of a kettle-cooked potato chip capping its rosy pink flesh. It’s plated on a bed of shaved and roasted brussel sprouts, pumpkin seeds and caramelized sections of roasted Delicata squash that make this dish taste like an edible walk through the Greenmarket on a brisk fall day. The veal chop Milanese ($32), while gorgeous to look at—a big boy chop anchored to a beautifully frenched bone that’s breaded and pan-fried- it’s a pretty picture without much going on inside. Yes, it’s wildly juicy and pink but where was the seasoning? The sauce was nice and lemony, but the chop itself was curiously bland.

Occasionally during dinner, the heady marijuana perfume was back, causing all of us in the dining room—a mix of good-looking neighborhood folks and Europeans from the hotel upstairs—to stop mid-bite, look around, chuckle and then get back to their meal. Where was it coming from? Noticing our conversation, a sommelier came over to let us know that they smelled it too and that they suspected it was from a hotel room above the restaurant. She assured us it was not coming from the restaurant. I don’t know if she thought we’d be offended, but in my mind the presence of marijuana in a restaurant does not detract from the enjoyment of a meal so no apologies were needed. I have a feeling that the lively folks in the bar, a sleek, tall-windowed room centered around a communal table where you can enjoy snacks like meats, cheeses, plump risotto balls and fritto misto along with fresh juice cocktails, would not have had a problem with it either.

But sommeliers and a crew of attentive servers, dressed smartly in white shirts, black vests and ties, are very concerned about their guests here. There’s a refined sense of calm and hospitality in the restaurant, and I think the presence of marijuana was not what they felt was appropriate for their guests to be smelling. Fair enough.

After our dinner, it was a bit tough to find room for desserts so we rested for a while and chatted—the election, the bailout (the same conversations that seemed to be happening all over the restaurant)—to make some room. I was glad we did because the desserts were very good, especially a fall squash cake with macerated figs and Parmesan gelato ($10) and the ricotta cheesecake, made with ricotta and goat cheese for a nice little tang, drizzled with butterscotch ... [more, click below]

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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   

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