Week 1: The Little Owl

Day/time: Friday at 5PM
With who?: Stephen

They were just opening for dinner. It was an odd hour to eat, but still recovering from New Year’s Eve, we’d slept late and put off eating until this odd hour. We were the first and, for a while, the only diners in the restaurant.

After asking if we had a reservation (we didn’t), the manager sat us at the corner window table overlooking the street. It took all of five minutes before a hoard of people diagonally across the street started furiously taking pictures of the restaurant. One of the servers told us the restaurant is in the building used for the exterior shot of the apartment on Friends.

The interior of the restaurant is small. Easy to see how getting reservations ranges from difficult to impossible most nights. There are white roses on the tiny bar and white linen napkins and tiny open salt holders on each wooden table.

We don’t drink with the exception of Stephen’s made-to-order lemonade served in a cute glass depicting a cartoon pole dancer. It seems a little out of place, but I’m never one to skimp on kitsch so I love it.

I got two appetizers, Stephen, one entrée. I started with the diver scallops. The two scallops, served over a bed of fresh spinach, capers, lemon-leek noisette, are seared perfectly and the capers give them a salty kick. Second I got the sliced duck breast. Our server didn’t ask how I wanted it cooked, which I was surprised by, so it came out cooked a little more than I usually like. However, it was still just amazing. The fat was definitely evident but not overwhelming, perfectly crisp on the edges. The breast was deliciously tender. It was served over a salad of arugula, almonds and pecorino cheese, the almonds giving the salad a crunch that went really well with the juicy duck.

Stephen’s entrée was a special: seared red snapper served in a lobster reduction broth over a tiny round pasta with escarole and whole in-the-shell clams. “It’s melting in my mouth,” he said. I tried it, and it did.

On the whole, everything was amazing: service, food, ambiance. By the time we left around six, the place was nearly full. And for good reason.

The Little Owl: 90 Bedford Street (at Grove Street)
Photo courtesy of New York Magazine