Week 4: Calle Ocho

Day/Time: Sunday 2PM
With who?: Stephen

I usually work on Sundays so was excited when I had the day off to try Calle Ocho’s famous Sunday brunch for the first time. It’s one of Stephen’s favorites for a reason and one reason only: included with your brunch entree—free of charge—is unlimited sangria. And I’m not talking “free sangria” in that you have to flag down your waitress every time you need another glass of Franzia and orange juice that’s filled to the brim with ice. I’m talking free all you can drink sangria from the sangria bar. You can pick from about 8 different varieties (4 red, 4 white) and then best part is you serve yourself and you can stay as long as you want.

This is undoubtedly the best deal in town and I say this now in fear that it’s too good to be true. They are going to realize sooner than later that charging 10 bucks for a Cuban sandwich and letting everyone get shitfaced on their dime is not the best business model. But until then, whoo hoo!

I had the yuca crab cakes with eggs and red and green chili sauces. For $11 I should have suspected there was no actual crab in them. Disappointing, but hey, it’s hard to complain when you’re drinking for free. Stephen had the skirt steak with eggs, avocado and rice. Again, for $13 I was not surprised that the steak was overcooked and a bit stringly. But again, sangria, people.

To be honest, the side order of yuca fries and the bread basket with spicy black bean dip was worth the money alone. So if you ever find yourself not-hungover on a Sunday, take the trek to the UWS. But make sure to make a reservation in advance as they, unsurprisingly, tend to book up quickly.

Calle Ocho: 446 Columbus Avenue (Between 81st and 82nd)
Photo courtesy of Calle Ocho

Week 3: Bar Pitti

Day/Time: Friday night 7pm.
With who?: Stephen and Rachel

Even at 7pm, the place was packed. Understated yet wildly popular, Bar Pitti is a casual Italian spot in the West Village frequented by celebs and locals alike. After waiting about 10 minutes, we were shown to our table for four and a chalkboard about two feet tall and a foot wide was place on the table leaning against the wall with countless specials written in scribbled cursive.

Our very Italian waitress came over and we ordered a bottle of Montepulciano, which they were out of, so we had Chianti instead. She listed off the specials in great detail from the board which took a solid five minutes. As soon as she walked away Stephen said, “Okay so what are the specials?” Ugh.

For an appetizer Stephen and Rachel Split the special buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad. The buffalo mozzarella was served inside a shell of regular cow’s milk fresh mozzarella. It was superb: rich and creamy yet balanced out with the firmness of the cow’s milk cheese, the acidic tomatoes and fresh basil. (around $18) I had the decidedly more frugal chicken liver pate on country bread ($5.50). I got two large pieces with a seriously heaping portion of the liver. While the flavor was there, the consistency was almost watery so by the time I got to the end of the first piece, the bread was soggy. The second piece remained uneaten.

For entrees Stephen got the Taglierini All'empolese: a thin pasta that looked a little bit like Chinese lo mein, to be honest, topped with leeks, artichokes, garlic, olive oil and a little tomato. I’d say across the board average. What really surprised me however, was Rachel’s simple Penne Arrabbiata with garlicky tomato sauce, olive oil and spicy red crushed pepper. It was just so flavorful. I would never think to order such an ordinary dish at a restaurant so it was really pleasantly surprising. My entrée was a special, the linguini with clam sauce. Not to sound totally cliché, but the pasta was perfectly al dente. Using olive oil, garlic (of course), parsley and a touch of tomato sauce, the chef was quite heavy handed with the whole clams, which was appreciated.

On a side note, when the runner put the food on the table he asked if Stephen or Rachel would like fresh parmesan. Then when he looked at me and saw I was debating he gave me a serious sort of look and said, “No, you don’t want any.” It made me laugh because I have always been torn on the issue of adding parmesan cheese to Italian dishes that include seafood. I’ll admit I like it sometimes. But I took the guy’s “advice” and left the pasta well enough alone. And it was delicious.

For dessert we had chocolate mousse and tiramisu. Both pretty tasty.

All in all, Bar Pitti is a great place to stop if you’re shopping around the West Village, as they don’t take reservations under 4 people and accept only cash. It’s also reasonably priced for the area. Just ask Beyonce.

Bar Pitti, 268 6th Avenue (near Bleecker)
Photo courtesy of New York Magazine