[nuxvomica]

very neighborhood-y place: simple food, some satisfying but certainly not worth traveling for. there are only a couple of entrees - a whole chicken (with sides will feed a table of four), crab roll, and - of course - a burger. wait, there is a whole fish too. they are all very frinendly priced. fries & onion rings. diner food haute-barnyard style with lots of veg little plates and a cople of pretty good drinks. Platt will love it. the former Radio Perfecto space is pretty plain (save for some farm tools and a mural behind the bar shelves), some wainscoting (pale gray), white walls, blond wood tables and chairs. the non-bar room is a bit of Siberia and people-with-kids room. the room with the bar seemed hopping on Sat. night, where the crowd was part Savoy regulars, part Daily Candy with a sprinkle of locals, food writers and industry ppl. it gets pretty loud.

liked the back forty drink - TN whiskey George Dickel (anyone seen it retail in NY?) with maple and lemon - i had two and each time it was differently (i don't think they use jiggers, btw). the Concord Fizz is more on a juicy side, although they do use the Barbancourt rum.

just two wines - Back Forty red and white from the north fork. the red is syrah and the white a belnd of gewurtztraminer and something else. chenin? chard? both made by a Pellegrini winemaker, IIRC. did not try either, the whiskey held my attention for the evening. good beer selection, according to beer drinkers.

since we already ate before, we planned to have just drinks but then decided to have a few dishes "From the garden" part of the menu - they looked small (=manageable)and that section is the most extensive. most of those dishes ($6) are served on a small b&b plate (your basic bread one), although the fennel salad ($9) was quite massive.

the best dish was the roasted oyster mushrooms with cipollini and thyme. cauliflower & leek gratin with aged gruyere was ok; the gruyere much better when it solidified again and the crispy bits around the little dish, too, of course. the parsnip with white anchovy and aleppo pepper was ok, too, the parsnips served as sort of fries- however, unevenly cooked, some were nicely done, others undercooked and too crunchy.

the brussels sprouts were a bit too crunchy too - and cold. the shallot-cherry butter slices on top didn't even melt. none of the dishes (except for the mushrooms) rocked my world. i would try the "fork smashed potatoes" with lardo; beluga lentils and the cranberry bean salad with feta. and the shrimp & bacon beignets with sweet chili sauce might be interesting too - the portion ($7- Snacks part of the menu) was large in comparison with the veggies ($6), although i did not hear any raves from our neighbors. other snacks included a large chunk of farmstead cheese with a compote and nuts; and chicken liver mousse on toast.

i might go again if i'm in the neighborhood - i'm not much of a whole chicken or fish type - even though both looked very nice and . but i bet it's going to be popular with the locals.

[Sneakeater]

That was REALLY useful. (Not that you need to hear it.) Thanks!

[nuxvomica]

That was REALLY useful. (Not that you need to hear it.) Thanks!

was it? why do i not need to hear it?

[Sneakeater]

I dunno. You seem like someone who's secure enough in her self-worth not to need praise from strangers.

[omnivorette]

I read it as gratitude, not praise....and thanks nux for your early report!

[nuxvomica]

ahhh, internet, always open to possible misinterpretation

[Wilfrid1]

Since it's my neighborhood, it's very welcome. Let's see if the munchkin can persuade them to put crisp duck confit on the menu.

[Wilfrid1]

Instantly popular with a smart young crowd. It's more or less next door to Barbone, on what is now a modest restaurant strip. No reservations, and on a popular night expect to wait, even for the bar or the communal table. Peter Hoffman is looking happy and bussing tables.

The start-up menu is very short though; if it doesn't expand it will be hard to eat there often.

[Wilfrid1]

The place is growing on me. Nice people, the chef is doing her own thing rather than reproducing Savoy's greatest hits, and there are some interesting things hidden away on the menu. I don't take back what I said about expanding the entree selection, though. It's useful as a beer bar too.

I know someone here suggested a crab roll would be an advance on a lobster roll. Well, here's one (clickable):



More pictures and eating at the Pink Pig.

[nuxvomica]

i definitely want to try that crab roll. our parsnips had little anchovy taste, i imagine it works better with more - like the radishes with anchovy at Gusto that come with bread.

so did you like the beignets or really like them? couldn't tell whether just fine or better?

[Wilfrid1]

Oh, sorry. Yes, I really like them. I do like these kinds of battery fritters; I keep ordering the corn fritters at Savoy. The mild pepper dressing was good too.

[Wilfrid1]

Although I have yet to enhance my social cache by waiting in line for a table at the Spotted Pig, I have been willing to wait in the squashed space between bar and wall for seats at Back Forty several times now. The guy in charge of the seating juggles things well in his head, and the tedium hasn't yet extended beyond twenty minutes. Of course, it does help that the place is in the 'hood.

I cautioned in my Pink Pig review that the "core" of the menu - the main dishes, as us geriatrics like to say - was too short and would be exhausted in two visits. But it seems there's usually at least one new item. Last visit, I ate a pork "sammy", a tall sandwich of pork belly and crunchy stuff (house slaw?) on a baguette.

The brussel sprouts with a cherry butter were fun:



The tempura squash showed the chef's usual deft hand with frittery things - the batter was perfectly light and crunchy. The only downside is that the squash was just, well, squash.



We are finding this a very handy local option. Unfortunately, so is everyone else.

ETA: That is not my footwear.

[Wilfrid1]

Early Sunday evening is one time to walk in and be seated immediately for a casual family dinner. Everyone found the chicken liver mousse a bit too smooth - I like it chunkier - but everything else was pretty good. The rosemary fries were better - crisper - this time around. Decent burgers. A really bright, fresh-tasting cranberry bean and raddicchio salad, with cubes of salty feta rolled in a spice/nut mixture. The desserts are huge, and best shared by three or four: must have been a pound of chocolate brownie.

Nice to have this in the neighborhood.

[Salli Vates]

I guess we'll need to go back for dinner. Brunch we were less than impressed by... a $6 bread basket contained one biscuit, one scone and two slices of bread. There weren't any omelettes on the menu, and the potato fennel hash seemed more like regular cubed fried potatoes. Also, I went with a vegetarian friend and there weren't many options for her. But the space is lovely and the service was very good.

[nuxvomica]

Also, I went with a vegetarian friend and there weren't many options for her.

kinda surprising since the dinner menu has so many veg choices (not sure if all are vegetarian).

did you ask for an omelet? or just noticed there weren't any on the menu? can't imagine they wouldn't be able to accommodate a simple request like this