So it's been a long time since I've dropped 5 forks on a place, especially in NYC, so I figured it was about time I did it with Narcissa. I was hesitant to try it out because it seemed like one of those super buzzy hotel restaurants but Lav raved about it, so I figured I should try it at least once. I was able to snag an 8pm reservation on a Friday night and brought along Amy since the focus on the menu is quite veggie friendly.
As I mentioned, this is on the ground floor of a hotel, The Standard in the East Village to be exact. Being associated with a hotel might have been a reason why the hospitality and service were so spot on. They were kind and eager without being too in your face. While I obviously eat meat, I greatly appreciate a really good vegetarian menu when done right. Almost everything on this menu sounded so amazing that I actually ended up not getting any meat (but we did get seafood) dishes. We decided to share everything and we got the Brussels Sprouts Leaves ($14), the beets ($15), the half size of the potato gnocchi ($15), the black sea bass ($26) and a side of cauliflower ($8). If that sounded like a lot of food, that's because it was but it was all fantastic and I would have ordered any of them all over again. In fact, if I could have, I would have also ordered the raw tuna and the charred octopus.
We started with the Brussels Sprouts (ham on the side) and it was fabulous. It was served with manchego cheese which is always a nice touch - there's just something about Brussels Sprouts that I have really just grown to love as an adult. Next I tried the rotisserie-crisped beets which had bulgar salad, apples and the piece de resistance creamed horseradish on top. The combination of beets and horseradish is one that I'm now really obsessed with. The potato gnocchi was served with butternut squash, swiss chard and confit chestnut. I'm usually on the fence with gnocchi because it can be an extremely heavy dish but this one was light and fluffy but still had that ting of denseness. I'm glad we got the half size but I could easily see this being a wonderful entree. Next came my 2 favorite dishes of the night: steamed black sea bass and the Manchurian cauliflower. Both amazing. The sea bass was perfectly steamed and served with a delicious coconut curry sauce - it was flakey and firm and the curry added great flavor to the dish. Simply wonderful. The cauliflower dish really surprised me. I thought it was going to be a basic steamed or roasted side dish but it almost like a vegetarian play on General Tsao's chicken - it had crispy fried batter on the outside with a tangy ginger sweet and sour sauce coating on the outside and served with scallions. I was beyond obsessed with this dish and it's one of those dishes that really convinces me that there is excellent vegetarian food out there, so never settle for some lame steamed vegetable plate when you can have something like this.
All in all, I really loved my meal and overall experience there. I also have to give a shout out to the cocktail selection there - fantastic cocktails made with enough alcohol to really hit you when you get home. A lot of people often ask me if I've been to any good places in NYC lately and this is my new go to suggestion for those who ask. It is a bit pricey and not an everyday meal but if you are celebrating something or just want to treat yourself to a really excellent meal, Narcissa should definitely be on your list. Total bill: $91/pp with tax, tip and drinks
Photo Credit: Yelp
No comments:
Post a Comment