In a city where fusion restaurants are about as exciting as vanilla ice cream, the staff at Indochine remain pretentious, despite their incompetence. French-Vietnamese cuisine was a novelty in 1984 when Indochine opened its doors but it has since become one of many fusion restaurants of every color and flavor imaginable. Indochine is a beautiful restaurant with large palm trees inside the room and bare white walls. It feels like a special place. But if I returned I would serve the staff a slice of humble pie. What do I know though? The restaurant was packed on a Saturday evening at 8:30, so packed that we had to wait 15 minutes after our reservation time, for our table to be ready. I guess a lot of people sacrifice friendly service for good food.
I was there for a friend’s birthday so I sampled a lot from the menu. We started with a spicy beef salad special as well as tender and delicately spiced lamb loin, served atop shrimp crisps. Another standout for me was the filet mignon carpaccio with ginger scallion oil, one of the best I’ve had. A steamed chilean sea bass marinated in black bean chili paste had just enough ginger broth to make the fish slick and flavorful, without drowning it. Unfortunately the sweet rice and sticky rice were a gloppy mess, lacking any elegance of seasoning or texture. Stick with the steamed jasmine rice, a safer bet. Their extensive menu of specialty cocktails fared well: a friend had some kind of Maker’s Mark tangy berry concoction and I had a cucumber infused gin martini, both well-made.
Though the food was generally good it does not make up for the snub hostess or our bumbling waiter who forgot dishes without apology, all the while maintaining a thick attitude. Some might choose food over service but I’m not one of them, especially when the meal isn’t cheap.
Indochine: 430 Lafayette Street (between 4th and Astor Place) Cuisine: French-Vietnamese Average Entree Price: $18-$23
This East Village newcomer, brought to you by the same folks who own West Village Jane, is a fresh face to the neighborhood. The menu dabbles in comfort food and eclectic offerings like a take on Korean Bibimbop alongside items like “Coney Island Disco Fries” and Lamb Wiener Schnitzel. After being open for a few months, the Smith was packed on a Wednesday evening. Walking into the Smith I’m reminded of Schiller’s Liquor Bar on Rivington with white tiled floors, walls and a wide-open space dining room dotted with bare-bones black tables and chairs. A long bar with a wide selection of beers on tap adds a hint of Brasserie flavor. This isn’t an elegant dining room but a neighborhood place where one feels comfortable returning if the food would deliver adequately.
And it does. A string bean salad accented with ricotta salata and almonds is the perfect mixture of crunchiness and rich salt. I could have eaten two bowls of this refreshing starter. Salmon with brussel sprouts, bacon, and baby portobellos is a well executed crossroads of flavors. Lamb wiener schnitzels were a popular item around the table, accompanied by satisfaction all around.
Service was friendly with few errors despite our large, boisterous party. Drinks from an eclectic menu of wines by the glass, beers, and cocktails were always refilled and timed appropriately. Combine the great food and service with an unbeatably affordable menu and I think I’ll be making the Smith a regular jaunt in the future.
The Smith: 55 3rd Ave Between 10th and 11th Cuisine: New American, Traditional American Entrée Price: $14-$23 Word to the Wise: Not to be confused with recently opened Smith’s, Nevada Smith’s, or Smith and Wollensky.
This highly anticipated gastro pub on the lower East side has finally opened its doors for business. Spitzer’s is definitely a social event with large picnic-like communal tables, offering up little in the way of privacy but a lot in the way of elbow rubbing with strangers. The space is completely made of well-worn wood (apparently made of old pickle barrels) but large open windows line the front, spilling onto the sidewalk and creating a nice airiness.
Spitzer’s has a whopping 39 beers on tap, not to mention plenty by the bottle. I told the waitress I wanted to try something akin to a Hoegaarden or Delerium Tremins but really wanted something new. She suggested many of her favorites, including a Unibroue Ephemere which I went for. The Unibroue Ephemere was like no beer I’ve ever tasted with intense flavors of crisp apple and vanilla though it was dry. My friend opted for a Dogfish Pale Ale. Second beer was a Smuttynose Summer Weizen and from then on I start to forget Other interesting contenders simply based on names included Stone Arrogant Bastard and Old Speckled Hen.
The menu offers jazzed up bar food with selections like a pot of pickles, olives, raw bar items, pork fat popcorn (think popcorn dipped in bacon) and lots of seafood items and burgers. We started with the pork fat popcorn then shared fried zucchini blossoms with ricotta and truffle oil. Entrees around the table were: grilled cuttlefish with preserved lemon and ink sauce, steamed mussels with Italian sausage, peppers and tomatoes, and chicken breast with potato puree, braised cabbage and pilsner jus. The sausage was a nice complement to the mussels and the spicy broth married the two well. The cuttlefish was a perfect texture and sopped up the hearty ink sauce. I wasn’t into tasting the chicken but my friend enjoyed it.
Spitzer’s is unassuming, despite the buzz around its opening. The spot was rumored to be owned by ex Top Chef cast member, Sam Talbot, though that fell apart in the end. Prior to our visit I called three times with no answer until the fourth attempt when someone answered “Uh, HELLO? I mean uhh… Spitzer’s?” Clearly there’s no pretension here. Service was spotty but it had only been open for a week when we stopped in. Besides, you don’t come to Spitzer’s Corner for an impeccable dining experience, you come for a fantastic beer selection and some mind blowing pork fat popcorn.
Spitzer’s Corner: 101 Rivington Street and Ludlow Cuisine: Gastro Pub
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Other interesting contenders simply based on names included Stone Arrogant Bastard and Old Speckled Hen. 
