Here's the first review of 2013 and it's a pretty good one. I've never been a big fan of New Year but I'm feeling good about this year and really taking control of my life and doing things that just make me happy. So starting off my New Year with a good meal with good friends was a nice step forward. It was my good friend Cicily's birthday, so we celebrated her big day with a brunch at Dino. Unfortunately I ran into some L and G train issues (worst train combination in NYC) and was a bit late. When I got there Cicily and her friends had ordered the bufala mozzarella ($12) and had one bite left. I scooped up the last bite and it was delicious. The mozzarella was perfectly wet and soft and fresh tasting. Paired with fresh tomato slices and basil made it a perfect first bite for the New Year. I was excited to order my main entree after that. The menu had a great sounding breakfast dishes such as frittatas, benedicts, eggs ragu, french toast, plus lots of lunch dishes such as burgers, pastas, skirt steak, and salads. Everything sounded delicious and while I was tempted to get a pasta or a burger (it was after 1pm afterall), I opted for the eggs and polenta ($12) and a side of bacon ($4). The rest of the table got the rigatoni with meatballs ($14), the burger ($14), the burrata special, and the frittata.
While the plating wasn't anything super special, everything was served in these classically simple and clean white bowls and plates. The eggs and polenta came in this humongous white bowl and had a giant helping of polenta at the bottom, a layer of garlic sauteed kale and two poached eggs. As soon as I cut into the eggs and saw the runny yolk, I knew it would be a great dish. The combination of the runny yolk, poached egg white, creamy polenta and kale was fantastic. It felt strangely healthy (even though I'm sure it wasn't) and I wish they had served up more given how big the bowl was. The side of bacon was actually a really appropriate serving size and I was able to finish the whole thing without feeling like a glutton. It was a bit burnt for my taste but it wasn't a huge deal breaker. I didn't get a chance to try Cicily's rigatoni but it looked really good and the perfect hang over cure. The burrata dish looked like a big plate of vanilla gelato and it was served with a nice tomato balsamic mixture. I actually like the mozzarella better because it was a bit softer and creamier but I'm never one to dislike any cheese dish.
So if the food was great, why didn't I give it 4 forks or higher? Honestly, the service was incredibly slow and not super attentive. While our waitress was nice, she missed my initial drink order and I had to ask twice for it. Then our water glasses pretty much went unfilled for the majority of the lunch which is another pet peeve of mine. Even though I do like it when the wait staff isn't crawling all over you and shoving you out the door, it would be nice if they came by to check on you every now and then. I would most definitely come back to this place for brunch again and even dinner, but hopefully the L and G train aren't being so fussy. Total bill: $180 with out tip.
Photo Credit: Yelp
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