New Favorites

I haven't updated the blog in a while -- but I wanted to list a few new favorites and will try to review them soon.

Our new favorite is Regional -- on 98th and Broadway.  It's called Regional for its replication of the cuisines of the various regions in Italy.  Soft jazz plays in the background.  The restaurant is quiet enough for conversation.  And the food is delicious.  After more than a half dozen visits in the last few months, we have yet to be disappointed.  Love the short rib appetizer -- fall-off-the-bone tender beef covered by a rich, deep-red, reduced sauce.  Love the garganelli al ragu di vitello from the Emelia Romagna region for its curly, quill shape covered in a ground veal sauce; love the spaghetti in lamb ragu from the Abruzzi region;  love the wide rigatoni smothered in a tomato-eggplant sauce and dry ricotta cheese from the Silcilian region.  We also love the salad with fried artichokes -- and all the desserts.

We've been back a few times to Symposium on 113th between Broadway and Amsterdam.  We like the Greek salad with its chunks of fresh cucumber, tomato and feta.  We like the combination plate that gives you a chance to sample everything -- yummy mousaka, pastitsio, and Greek meatballs -- served with sides of potato chunks and green beans.  We also enjoy the salad combination -- for the chance to taste everything and especially enjoyed the various dips including a fish roe dip, an eggplant dip, and a potato-garlic dip.  And the desserts:  rice pudding, baklava, and that incredible Greek delight -- Galaktobourito -- a phylo encrusted custard.

We ate once at Max Soho on Amsterdam at 123rd -- very good, fairly inexpensive Italian -- which we'd return to more often if it weren't a 15 block walk.

Two Boots has recently opened an UWS location on Broadway at 97th -- which is perfect for grabbing a slice of fabulous pizza (crunchy crust, ample cheese, rich tomato sauce) before an event at Symphony Space.  I remember going often to their original location in the East Village when my niece and nephew were 2 and 6 and we'd order the pizza with the smiley face.  They're now 18 and 22.  :)

We tried Massawa -- an Eritrean restaurant on Amsterdam at 122nd -- and enjoyed the unusually spiced meats and vinegary vegetarian entrees you sop up with the never-ending offering of spongey bread.

And there are others:  Sura for very good pad thai (101st and Broadway), The Mill for Korean bimbim bop and garlicky, vinegary chimchi (114th and Broadway), A Cafe and Wine Room for creative French-Jamaican fare (byob) and next door, LaBelle for eclectic nouveau cuisine (byob) on Columbus at 108th.

Symposium, 113th between Broadway and Amsterdam

This is not a tourist restaurant.  This is not even an easy restaurant for locals to find -- unless you know it's here.  We've lived five blocks away for almost sixteen months, and never knew it was here except by word of mouth.  I've been craving good, Greek food without having to get on a subway or bus.  We were not disappointed.

We were impressed by the crowd -- not a so-noisy-you-can't-talk crowd, just people (looked and sounded like a lot of Columbia students and professors) laughing and talking at most of the tables and booths:  a symposium of drinking and dialogue that reminded us of a gathering at which Socrates or Plato might be comfortable.

A long communal table runs through the center of the restaurant -- and we thought at first it held a large party, until we saw the different scattered groups paying and leaving at different times.  We were seated at a booth at a table shellacked and varnished to preserve painted sketches of women; Picasso-esque paintings covered the ceiling.  And a waiter quickly appeared to offer us menus (hand written in an artist's or cartoonist's hand).  There is a garden area for outdoor dining in warmer weather.

We ordered a Greek beer and a Greek wine -- both good and reasonably priced.  ($7 for the wine.)  Then we ordered two sampler platters:  the small Symposium Mixed Appetizer Plate ($11.95) and the Popouri of Greek Foods ($15.95).  The mixed appetizers -- quite garlicky -- included Tzaziiki (a yogurt, cucumber, garlic dip), Taramosalata (a fish roe dip), a mild eggplant dip, Skordalia (a potato and garlic dip), stuffed grape leaves with rice, all divided by tomatoes and and crisp cucumber slices -- and served with warm, fresh pita.  All was tasty and satisfying -- and almost a meal for two.

And then the main course arrived -- a plate covered with healthy size samples of Greek cuisine:  spinach pie, mousaka (creamy top, ground meat and eggplant), pastitsio (a noodly meaty, aromatic dish -- probably cooked with allspice), Keftedes (Greek meatballs), and several slices of roasted lamb.  All that was served with a plate of rice and potato and and a mountain of over-cooked green beans and peas.  The two of us could not finish the abundant offerings -- and left with some left-over lamb for our dog.

Of course, we could not resist ordering dessert.  We left the baklava for another time and ordered a Galaktobouriko -- a wonderful melding of custard nestled in phyllo dough and drizzled with honey.

Yum.  We'll be back.

*** (out of 4)
$$  (under $50 with wine/beer and tip)