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“The Fat Hippo”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Lower East Side	Moderate	Good

that was drab and dull. 

But Ten shows a deft command of balance of flavors in a salad of grapefruit and feta with spiced pecans ($5) and a smashing dish of hot and sour calamari ($6)- ringlets of squid bathed in a Thai-style peanut sauce fired up with chiles, ginger, garlic, and lime and showered with crushed toasted peanuts. It’s served in a small bowl with some grilled bread, but I’d turn this into an entrée with Jasmine rice in a heartbeat.

It would be far more pleasing than the Steak and Eggs ($15), which reads with such promise and fails to deliver. The hanger steak, while nicely seasoned, is tough and chewy, and the toad-in-a-hole egg toasts includes eggs that have been overcooked to the point of being more suited for a nice bowl of egg salad. The only bright note of this dish was the green tomato gratin: a terrific riff on fried green tomatoes that takes it one step further by adding a layer of bruleed cheese. These are available as a side and you might just add them to your order rather than going for the steak and eggs.

Speaking of sides, these are a big part of the menu at Fat Hippo, and as you’d expect, they include classics like mashed potatoes ($3), green bean casserole ($3) and mac n cheese ($4), along with Ten’s fun take on stuffing that’s heavy with hunks of pulled pork ($3). You could easily make a meal of a few of these sides, and a bowl of hot and sour calamari and a platter of burger fondue and be very content.

Not that you really need dessert after a meal that no doubt will include burgers dunked in a pot of melted cheese, but if you’re in the mood for something sweet, desserts change nightly and have included a chocolate bread pudding with peanut butter mousse and a buttery pineapple upside down cake.

There’s a degree to which I feel like culinary criticism has no place in the world of the kind of wallet-friendly, shoot-from-the-hip comfort food being served at The Fat Hippo. In some ways it’s counterintuitive. I mean, here’s a group of guys who’ve been friends for a while (Ten and his partners used to all be roommates), who opened a place to serve the neighborhood and fill a void by offering crowd-pleasing eats that make you nostalgic for the good old days. On the other hand, even comfort food deserves a bit more careful attention to basics like balance and flavor.

Either way, the hits outweigh t ... [more, click below]

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Posted: March 15, 2009

Other restaurants in Lower East Side :
+ Mojo   + WD-50   + Schiller's Liquor Bar   + Azul Bistro   + Barrio Chino   + 71 Clinton Fresh Food-- Closed   + Little Giant   + Kuma Inn   + Falai   + The Stanton Social   + The Tides   + Thor   + The Orchard   + El Bocadito-- CLOSED   + Bondi Road   + Rayuela   + Suba   + Bun (boone)   + Sorella   + The Fat Hippo   + Pulino's   

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