Most of the time, I'm not an eater with a plan. Given the choice,
I'd much rather wander with a fellow intrepid noshmonkey and a craving
than adhere to a predetermined gustatory destination.
Luckily, Soft-Spoken Feisty Lady (SSFL) shares this disposition, and demonstrates great patience as we comb through blocks of window-mounted menus for our next meal.
Even luckier are the days where we don't have to meander far at all! Mere steps from being spit up from the subway, we stumbled on a spiffy-new yet unassuming space, offering much in the way of wine, thought-out cocktails and small plates: Vintage Irving.
I hadn't heard much about it, apart from the fact that they tout absinthe cocktails, but the cheese offerings, an uber-nerdy wine/beer list (that includes a glossary of terms for pairing), and super-sweet gentleman host pretty much sealed the deal.
SSFL and I planted ourselves at the tall-stooled communal tables, and contemplated booze.
"One of us should get an absinthe cocktail."
<Hesitation.> "Yeah...Do you like Pernod?"
"Nope."
"Neither do I."
So we dodged the Green Fairy, and settled with rose and a dirty martini instead--SSFL's martini came equipped with a "dirty" ice cube of olive brine.
(Um, I thought salted water doesn't freeze. Did Mr. Wizard lead me astray???)
As I sipped my wine and worked my way through the descriptive, text-heavy menu, I noticed a chemical, burning smell.
And realized that I'd lit the back of the plastic-covered menu with a tea light.
Such are the hazards of short, klutzy folk breaking bread at tall tables.
Our server, bless her heart, was quick to summon accidental kindling comfort in the form of cheese:
What we have here (clockwise, starting at the bread tower): Truffled honey ricotta, Membrillo (quince paste), Roncari Blue (Spanish goat's milk cheese), Caciotta di Bufala (read: Buffalo mozzerella, or at least that's what it tasted like), Saucisson Sec (French salami!) and whole-grain mustard.
The little bread rounds were warm and soft, and all manner of pork and dairy started disappearing quickly. Roncari is my New. Favorite. Thing. An authoritative kitchen figure strode toward us and requested that we pair the blue with the quince paste, and consume with eyes closed.
Suggestive? Maybe. But the man was right! Salty, sweet, and earthy in the way that only lovingly cultivated dairy mold can be, 'twas the kind of mouthful that goes away too fast.
[And like a crazy quesophile, I did a little homework on Roncari...and found almost nothing! Google was a dead end, and calls to Murray's, Whole Foods, Stinky Bklyn, and the Cowgirl Creamery yielded NADA. Which means I'll have to come back, just to scratch my Roncari itch! Touche, Vintage Irving.]
Next favorite thing: Fennel Cappuccino!
This soup was satisfyingly savory, thick, and redolent with anise-y, fennel-y vapors, and they were nice enough to divide it into 2 wee cups without our asking. We broke the rosemary breadstick in half, happily dipping, sipping, and respectively wishing we each had an actual-sized cappuccino cupful to ourselves.
We also got the special appetizer of the day, Fried Green Tomatoes:
And the Wild Mushroom Valencia Rice:
They were both okay. The Fried Green Tomatoes were...well, fried. Come to think of it, every time I order FGT anywhere I get this impression, so maybe it's no fault of the kitchen--MAYbe green 'maters just don't taste like anything!
I liked the rice in principle, but it kinda lacked oomph--I kept trying to work shreds of the raw radicchio into each bite for sharpness. Maybe some salty cheese (obvious bias) or sauteed radicchio worked into the mix would help.
Verdict? Good cocktails, pleasure-provoking cheese plate and memorable soup is more than a lot of small-plates places have going for them these days. Pull a seat up, dangle your legs, and give a girl a chance!
(Plus, the menu is pre-arranged with wine AND beer pairings per dish...how thoughtful! More drinkin', less thinkin'.)
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Vintage Irving
118A E. 15th St.,
nr. Irving Pl.
Union Square
NYC, NY 10003
Ph: 212-677-6300
Favorites: Cheese and cured meats plate (Roncari bleu! WHERE ARE YOUUUU???), Fennel Cappuccino
Still want to try: Boquerones (Spanish anchovy!) Salad, Rice Balls, Lobster Bisque, Escargot Valencia Rice, Jelly Doughnuts, Fresh Fig Tempura
Caveat: They've gone with the whole communal table thing, so if you're feeling misanthropic, this may bode ill for you.
The Roncari Blue is a sheep milk cheese, not a goat milk cheese.
Posted by: paulfocus | January 30, 2011 at 06:00 PM