I'm back in NYC where it was colder this morning when I went running than it was in Iceland, that doesn't seem right does it? Even though I was only gone for four days, I certainly feel refreshed! And of course, hit the ground running.
Tonight, I had my monthly dinner with a lovely group of women at Marco Canora's Hearth in the East Village. Opened in 2003, this restaurant has consistently received fabulous reviews. A focus on fresh ingredients with an Italian twist, classic dishes reinvented. A warm and inviting dining room and a great place to catch up. So what did we all have?
We started with three of their appetizers:
1. Lettuces and Vegetables - a lovely rustic melange of Kabocha Squash, Cauliflower, Pumpkin Seeds, parsnip, with a savory sweet maple sherry vinaigrette. Hard to split so everyone got a taste of every vegetable but still very delish, crisp and fresh.
2. Arugula and Fennel Salad that was mixed with white anchovies, bread crumbs, and pickled cipollini onions. An aromatic presence dominated with herbaceous anise notes from the fresh fennel and the fishy salty qualities of the anchovies and bread crumbs. Not for everyone, but definitely for me.
3. Octopus braised with red wine served with sauteed potatoes, black olives, fresh parsley, and a lemon aioli. The octopus were charred just right, the potatoes were a little soft to stand up to the octopus, but still a great classic combination done differently -- packed with a flavor punch but designed to delight the amateur or advanced octopus lover. Definitely my favorite and I believe the table's favorite of the appetizers.
Entrees and Sides, 2 of each:
1. Roasted Chatham Cod with sauteed black cabbage, smoked chickpeas, garlic confit, and baccala. This
cod melted in your mouth, sensuous and luscious yet briny and dynamic. We needed to try some of Canora's fish preparations and this sure didn't disappoint.
2. Buckwheat gemelli with savoy cabbage, hen of the woods mushrooms, sage, and fontina cheese. This earthy rustic warming dish seemed so simple but blew us all out of the water -- it sure had the gusto to impress five tough female critics. Why? Well it had the full package -- fully seasoned pasta that was light and airy, fresh herbs that took that plain pasta to the next level, a nice boost of vegetables to carry the dish away on a magic carpet ride and the fontina cheese "cherry on top." Overall, most of our favorite dish of the evening and the only dish that incorporated cheese.
Sides:
1. Sauteed greens -- broccoli rabe sauteed with EVOO, hard to go wrong here!
2. Homemade potato puree served in a mini copper pot was the cutest perfect small package.
Overall, a satisfying meal in a fun yet quiet and lowkey environment where the company and the food were the stars of the evening.
Hearth
403 East 12th Street
NYC
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