West Village Eats

Thursday night, I went out to dinner with Souch and Jackie to Recette in the West Village. I've heard both good and bad things about Recette so I was looking forward to experiencing it for myself. Some reviews hated on Recette for small portions while NYMAG praised Recette in an article "Tasting Menus that Taste Good". Inspired by that article, I talked Jackie and Souch into getting the 7-course tasting menu. Talking them into it wasn't very hard as they get just as excited for good food. Unfortunately, I don't have a detailed account of every dish; but here are some of the dishes we tried.

We asked the kitchen to try to send out all different dishes, because we all tried each other. All courses were different for the most part; except the amuse bouche and the last course. I thought the food was awesome. Some of the flavor combinations were odd (to me), but somehow worked. The vibe was cool, but what else could you expect from the West Village. A mixed crowd made up the cozy dining room. The place got pretty loud--so loud that it was hard to hear the descriptions of the dishes as they were brought out. Our waitress seemed frazzled and didn't really spend much time at our tables. Once she got our order (Tap water, 3 tasting menus, and a bottle of Cote de Rhone) she didn't really come back besides to put clean silverware after we had finished a course. One of the managers seem to take charge of our table and that was just fine with us. The manager lady seemed more relaxed and did an excellent job in describing the dishes. She raised her voice and gave thorough descriptions so it was always nice when she brought out the plates.

So some of the plates we had...

MARINATED ARCTIC CHAR, Oyster, Crunchy Salad, Bonito Broth, Bottarga ... 14
BEEF CARPACCIO, Burrata, Tomato Jam, Porcini Purée, Basil, Watercress ... 15
"ONION SOUP", Onion Espuma, Oxtail, Gruyere, Consommé ... 15
LOBSTER TORCHON, Marinated Wild Mushrooms, Olive Purée, Micro Celery ... 18
ROASTED FOIE GRAS, Peppercorn Biscuit, Chicken Skin, Spiced Honey ... 21
GRILLED PULPO, Black Garlic, Olive Oil, Lemon, Fennel ... 20
FALL SQUASH RAVIOLO, Sepia, Guanciale, Squid Ink, Ocean Broth ... 19
FRESH CUT SPAGHETTI, Sweet Shrimp, Stewed Tomato, Chili, Sea Urchin ... 24
ROASTED FLUKE, Shellfish "Congee", Leeks, Sauce Bouillabaisse ... 24
WILD STRIPED BASS, Salsify, Black Truffle Barley Cake, Kale, Almond Cream ... 25
ORZO, Sunchoke Purée, Forest Mushroom, Parmesan, Black Winter Truffle ... 41
CRISPY SWEETBREAD, Escarole, Brown Butter, Lemon, Capers, Parsley ... 19
DUCK BREAST, Foie Gras & Duck Leg Terrine, Swiss Chard, Mushroom,Walnuts ... 24
BERKSHIRE PORK BELLY, Rock Shrimp, Turnips, Romesco, Sherry Caramel ... 18
SOUS VIDE VENISON LOIN, Ragu, Sweet Potato Purée, Chicharon,
Huckleberry Sauce ... 32