The Clerkenwell (49 Clinton Street)

Grant & Kate were only in town for 1 day last week, so I shuffled down to Clerkenwell, a gastropub on Clinton St. between Rivington & Stanton. I'm somewhat skeptical of places that label themselves as 'gastropubs', so I was eager to taste the food here. We took over the entire bar area & downed pints of Stella & Strongbow, but as the night (& drink tab) progressed, we got hungry.

We started by sharing the pate which did not disappoint. Topped by a thick layer of butter & a side of caramelized onions, this dish got even better as the butter softened & melted.


I opted for the Toad in the Hole. Honestly, after spending 8 years in an English boarding school, I was expecting the same disgusting, dry fare, but I was pleasantly surprised. The dish was basically 'deconstructed', with Yorkshire pud replacing the normal flaky pastry & a delicious jus topped the sausages, onions & mash. The real star of the plate were the sausages which are made fresh in the kitchen. They were well spiced & delicious, a far cry from school lunches!

Adam got the fish & chips which he devoured, so I can only assume that they were good. The chips were thick cut, English style (as they should be). The plating of the dish was not what you'd really expect from a gastropub, but it did look good.

Clerkenwell is a stone's throw from my house, so odds are I will be returning. The food is good, our bartender was very friendly & we all had a good time. You can't really ask for much more than that.

The Spotted Pig (314 W. 11th St.)

I know that Teddy reviewed The Spotted Pig for Fergus Henderson's offal-packed guest appearance(Link), but since I missed that amazing night, I felt compelled to add my 2 cents into the proverbial pot.

After our insane culinary tour of Montreal, I had planned to take a break from heavy eating, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to eat here with the gang. I braved the freezing cold weather yesterday (don't be fooled by the stock photo I used above, it was COLD!) to meet up with Teddy & Singapore Sid @ The Pig.

We sat at the bar by the front door downing Speckled Hen (an amazing ale). I hadn't eaten all day & we were in between lunch & dinner services, so I ordered the Chicken Liver toast from the bar menu. It was an excellent small snack to tide me over till dinner, I particularly liked the country-style toast.

It seemed to get progressively colder as we waited; customers coming in & out & the kitchen staff bringing goods up from the cellar, so the ill-fitting door was open more than not. Rather than suffer from frostbite, we moved to the upstairs bar & onto the equally tasty Captain Lawrence Pale Ale. Grant joined us shortly afterwards & we were pretty much ready to roll.

Since we were among the first people there, we got pretty much the best seat in the house; right at the top of the stairs, facing the bar. We decided to order a bunch of food & share. We started with the following;

1. Roasted Fennel & Goat Cheese Tart.
2. Sheep's Ricotta Gnudi w/Brown Butter & Sage.
3. Pigs Ears.
4. Beau Soleil Oysters w/Mignonette.
   

I had checked out the menu before I left the house, so I had to look up gnudi; they're basically gnocchi, but contain cheese & little or no flour (interesting article here). However you want to describe them, they were delicious! I really wasn't blown away by the tart, but did enjoy the oysters. The real star was the pigs ears. Deep fried to a crisp at temperatures nearing that of the sun, the ears were still moist & gelatinous after you bit into them. After wolfing mine down, I spent quite some time scraping the roof of my mouth to get every last morsel of that insanely amazing dish.

After our starters, things really started to get busy. Upstairs was packed with hipsters, socialites & NYC's upper crust... & there was us 4 foodies, filling our faces in the best seat! Excellent! We followed up with 3 mains;

1. Grilled Skirt Steak with Horseradish Sauce & Roasted Beets.
   
2. Sauteed Quail with Roasted Trevise & Pomegranate.
3. Monkfish w/Marrow.
   

We pretty much demolished all 3 dishes in record time. I really liked the quail which were like flavorful little snacks (remember, we shared). I think we all were a bit disappointed with the Monkfish special. It turned out to be the tiniest sliver of monkfish wrapped around a large bone, hardly enough there to feed a baby mouse.

All in all, I had a great time at the Pig & would definitely be going back there. The food was top-notch (a Michelin star 3 years in a row!), the service was great (particularly from our waiter upstairs, this really cool Australian dude) & the atmosphere was crowded but cool.

My only real problems with the place (besides the monkfish) was the freezing front door, the throngs of people milling about & finally the number of staff they had working there. I mean, I love service, but the amount of waiters, porters & hangers-on they have in the joint was insane. It was hard to know who was who.

The European Union

[Updated; now closed!]
I had a chance to check out The E.U. (235 East 4th Street (btwn. Ave. A & B), http://www.theeunyc.com) yesterday with my parents. I'll admit that this is one of the few places that I was upset about Community Board 3 refusing to give a liquor license. But now that's all in the past & The E.U. is in full swing.

The place was surprisingly busy for a cold, rainy Sunday, but we were seated immediately. The place is somewhat cramped & we all thought that the chairs were low, but what the heck, I'm accommodating. I was in a mood for beer, so I'll admit that I was somewhat disappointed by the selection. After months of being spoiled at Against The Grain, I've become accustomed to massive, varied beer selections. I eventually got the Pilsner Urquell which I really didn't enjoy, but heck, I made my bed, so I'll sleep in it. My Dad got a 5 flight tasting, which looked kinda cool. Mom got a Chardonnay.

I had looked at the menu online & had noticed Fromage de Téte (for you Non-Francophiles; Head Cheese. Sounds delicious, right?), so I was very upset when it wasn't on the menu; Drat! I ended up ordering a dozen West Coast Oysters & sharing that with my Mom, they were excellent. My Dad got the Octopus, which he really didn't enjoy.

For the main course I got the braised Veal cheeks which were to die for! Perfection! My Mom got the Chicken & Dumplings which she enjoyed. Dad (the unlucky sod) got an overcooked burger, but at least the fries were good!

We ended the night with coffee & orange beignets, which were comped to make up for the burger fiasco. I'll admit that I enjoyed myself, the food was good, yet slightly pricey - but hey, this is the East Village after all! I'll be going back to The E.U. & I recommend that you at least check it out.