I arrived before my friend and found the bar to be a bit more bustling and crowded than I would like. I fought through the crowds though and ordered a Rhubarb Sophie. After my first sip, the crowd simply melted away. This absolutely delightful cocktail of cucumber, vodka, rhubarb bitters, agave syrup and lime was pure refreshment that reminded me of a hot summer day sipping limeade.
When my friend arrived and we were led back to our table in the main dining room, we realized that the tables were packed ridiculously tight. So tightly in fact that there was someone whose job it was to pull the table completely out of the lineup of two tops and let one guest in to the booth side and then push the table back in. So not only is one of you pretty much stuck for the whole meal, but you both can hear the conversations on either side of you. Sometimes the eavesdropping in these situations makes the evening much more entertaining but on this night the couple next to us were on an anniversary dinner and the wife complained about EVERYTHING which was not entertaining in the least.
The waitress came by and offered an impressive list of delicious sounding specials. However, my heart was set on the summery sounding crab salad appetizer on the main menu. So we started our meal by splitting this as an appetizer. The crab salad was awesome – beautifully fresh crab with slices of avocado, wedges of grapefruit and hearts of palm. The flavors and textures were just wonderful with the citrus, crab, and avocado. A fabulous summer salad.
For my main, there was no way I could order anything other than the infamous custom blended black label burger from the meat purveyor La Frieda. The burger is a blend of dry-aged beef (supposedly a mix of dry aged ribeye, skirt steak, and brisket) with caramelized onions on top of a brioche bun. They apparently cook it over relatively low heat until it develops a crust and drizzle it with some clarified butter while it cooks. As the burger rests, the onions are cooked in the burger juices left on the griddle. The waitress delivered the burger with a “the chef recommends you try the burger without any condiments first”. I’m a huge ketchup fan so this was quite a request. But since I love chefs just as much, I heeded their advice. The aged beef gives it this really cool funky, rich flavor and the sweetness of the light smear of caramelized onions contrasts really nicely. The burger had a nice crust on it and was the perfect juiciness that oozed into the bun that captured all the delicious drippings. It wasn’t the best burger or bun I’ve ever had but it scored some serious points for the interesting flavor. And if it’s any sign of how much I enjoyed it, I finished it completely condiment free. Now, one thing you must be aware of that I almost missed…About halfway through my burger, I paused and looked down at my plate only to notice a pickle I hadn’t seen before. I will passionately urge all of you to eat this pickle. It is definitely homemade with a hint of spiciness that you get at the tail end and delicious dill and fennel flavors. Just awesome. And the thin cut fries were crispy for the entire time my plate was on the table.
My friend ordered the beef tartare for her dinner which came with thin, waffle cut fried potatoes. The beef tartare was fabulous. The fresh beef was perfectly seasoned and had the right balance of capers and lovely egg that oozed over the tartare.
I enjoyed the food at Minetta. There truly were only good bites and the food deserves the accolades it receives. The scene was perhaps a bit too bustling and the dining area a bit too tight for me. But I suppose some people really enjoy this type of atmosphere. Is it worthy of a Michelin? I'm not completely convinced. But it is worthy of a visit.
