Good food and good company always equal a great night. Friday night had us meeting Kale, Bono and Fried Wonton for dinner at Barmarche in Nolita. We’ve snacked here before but Cookie Monster was keen on revisiting not only for the food, but their especially delicious espresso martinis.
I think the coffee beans perched on top is a nice touch.
We dug right in. Three of us shared a dozen raw oysters….
…and the fried calamari.
The calamari is served with a choice of marinara dipping sauce or chipotle aioli. I love fried calamari but try not to order it too often for two reasons: 1) it’s deep fried and 2) it’s a pretty standard appetizer and I feel there are so many other inventive appetizers to try. As expected the tender rings were fried to a lovely crisp and made better with the delicious sauces.
For main, I had the braised short ribs with the carrot creme brulee and swiss chard.
What a lovely piece of meat! Very tender, fall of the bone and delicious. Large portion as well. The slightly bitter swiss chard cut the richness and added a green element to the plate. Now the most interesting, and inventive, item on this plate was the carrot creme brulee. I was surprised by its appearance. I expected it to be savory given that it is served next to short ribs but when I spooned into it, it was mildly sweet, very creamy/custardy and very reminiscent of its sweeter dessert version. It was so delicious! I must remark that I did find it an odd pairing – not sure how one helped the other out. Plus side: no need to order dessert if you order the short ribs with the carrot creme brulee!
Kale and Bono shared the branzino (perfectly seasoned and cooked) and the crispy bass taquitos (always a crowd pleaser at Barmarche) while Fried Wonton and Cookie Monster each had the famous shrimp risotto.
Creamy risotto with the lovely aroma of truffle oil was topped with peppery arugula, perfectly cooked shrimp and shaved parmesan. All the elements of this dish worked very well together. The drizzle of balsamic vinegar’s acid cut through some of the creaminess of this dish. It was so good! I can’t really say if I preferred my short ribs over the risotto as they were equally delicious, although very different. Get both and share!
For dessert we had the churros.
Oh goodness! Chewy, crispy, warm strands of dough coated in a sprinkle of cinnamon! The dough was what got me. It was like the perfect donut – not too heavy, not greasy and slightly chewy. Must have.
Barmarche has been around for awhile and from the looks of the wait, still ever popular. The food is creative and what I would describe as comfort food stepped up several levels.
Barmarche, 14 Spring Street, New York, NY
