I gotta say that this place really surprised me a lot. I mean, I kind of went off on Bobby Flay in my Bar Americain review, so I wasn't really expecting too much from Gato but I was really very happy with my meal and caught off guard by how much I enjoyed my everything from the food to the service there.
The vibe here is downtown chill and the menu is Mediterranean small plates. I had read in some previous reviews that the portions were pretty small so Lav and I made sure to over order a bit to compensate for it. On the top portion of the menu is a selection of small bites to choose from - they were 3 for $17, so we got the burrata, eleven layer potato and mussel and clam salad for me. We also got the Gato spreads ($16) where you get 3 different spreads plus pita bread, the artichoke polenta ($12), scrambled eggs ($14) and I got the roasted octopus ($18) for myself. We originally also got the carrots but when waitress said that the cauliflower was really good too, so we switched from the carrots to the cauliflower ($12). In hindsight, we definitely ordered more food that was necessary and due to a mix up with our order, we also got more than we were expecting (I'll explain more later).
We started with the 3 different spreads first - it came with Greek yogurt with charred green chile pesto, chickpea with lemon and paprika, and whitebean with feta and garlic-walnut relish. They were all pretty solid spreads with the Greek yogurt and whitebean one being my two favorite ones. The chickpea was good but it was kind of like your standard hummus spread, so I could have really done without it. While it was nice to get a taste of all of the spreads, it would have been better if they offered up individual orders as I didn't think it was really necessary to force all 3 on people. Next came the octopus - which was highly recommend by the waitress. It was one nice long and thick tentacle that was very well cooked and served with sour orange and bacon. It sounds kind of weird to pair octopus and bacon but it actually really worked out and the bacon wasn't distracting or overpowering. It was a tasty combination of sweet and salty with a seafood twist. Next they brought out the 3 bar snacks - they were served on these small olive plates but they did a pretty good job of putting enough on there to make it worth at least 3-4 bites. The burrata was smooth and creamy and I really loved the touch of harissa with it. The eleven layer potato had a fantastic burnt crispy top to it and served with caramelized shallots and fried sage. It was like eating layer upon layer of a really good breakfast potato dish. Lastly the mussel and clam salad had a sour pickled tang to it with - almost like a ceviche dish but it had saffron and pickled shallots. I loved the bites of mussel but I didn't really get a whole lot of clam to it. I'm glad it was a small size since I was the only one eating it and I'm not sure it was something I'd want to really eat a lot of on my own. Lastly they brought out the polenta, scrambled egg and carrots - wait what?? They forgot to switch it out for the cauliflower but they let us keep the carrots while they brought out the right dish, which was very nice of them but really put us over the edge in terms of food coma. The polenta was rich, creamy and cheesey from the Manchego - so exactly what a polenta should taste like. The pairing of it with green peas was a nice touch. Next, I tried the scramble egg and this was surprisingly one of my favorite dishes of the night. I mean, who the hell doesn't like soft scrambled eggs served with cheese and a toasted garlic tomato bread?? It was a great way to turn up comfort food a couple notches. Lastly, I forced myself to try the cauliflower and carrots and they were both very solid dishes - the cauliflower was roasted and the carrots charred and served with mint and yogurt. I would have enjoyed them more if I wasn't so full already but they were great filling vegetable dishes that even non-veggie lovers would like.
You'd think after all this, I wouldn't be able to handle dessert, but alas we couldn't say no to the espresso soaked bread budding ($12) which was their version of a tiramisu. They kindly served it to us with complimentary glasses of sherry and I'm so happy we did get this because it was fucking amazing. Everything about it was delicious from the mascarpone crema to bittersweet coco used, it was a highly addictive dessert. Usually when Lav and I get dessert we don't always finish it but we demolished this dish and them some. Amazing.
Overall this was a very unexpected pleasant surprise. The waitstaff was incredibly professional and kind - our waitress did a great job of coursing out all our dishes and she kept asking us for feedback on the food, which I appreciated and showed to me a real concern about their customer experience. While this doesn't really change my view on celebrity chefs, I will say that it makes me look at Bobby Flay in a different light and makes me think if I shouldn't lump all celebrity fueled restaurants together. Total bill: $88/pp with tax, tip and drinks
Photo Credit: Yelp
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