Elegant tapas
of expert simplicity
in intimate bar
I was excited to eat here ever since I read about it in Bill Buford's incredible book, "Heat." If you haven't read it, you must. It is the true story of Bill Buford, a former editor of the New Yorker who decided to give up his career in journalism to pursue his culinary passions. You meet many incredible characters, including Mario Batali (who supposedly parties VERY hard), Dario Cecchini(a larger-than-life Tuscan butcher who roars verses of Dante while at work) and Andy Nusser (the diligent executive chef of Batali's flagship restaurant, Babbo). Andy, in the book, dreams of opening a tapas bar like those he encountered in his childhood in Spain. Eventually, with hard work and expert cooking, he gets Mario Batali, among others, to sponsor the founding of Casa Mono.
What strikes you first is how small it is... It's a tiny dark space not much larger than most living rooms. Yet, with this intimacy comes a closeness to the open kitchen, which is even further amplified if you sit at the bar, like Jane and I.
It is stunning watching the chefs at work... observing the efficiency of their motions, the perfection of their timing... but what struck me most was how honest everything was. There were no tricks. Everything had an integrity that is almost impossible to find outside of home-cooked meals.
Oh... and everything was insanely delicious... here's some pics. Sorry for the poor quality... they were taken with an iPhone.
Catalan Sausage with Black Garlic Fabada
Perhaps it's because we were comparing this to the porky mountaintop of the crispy belly, but this fell a bit short. No question, they were excellent sausages. They just paled in comparison.
Oxtail stuffed Piquillo Peppers
The kitchen wisely decided to end our tasting with the stewed dish. Unfortunately, we unwisely chose a stewed dish instead of a grilled dish. Once again, this was good. But Casa Mono is ultimately about the magic they perform consistently on the grill. And we saw so many dishes being cooked in front of us that we wished we had ordered.
What strikes you first is how small it is... It's a tiny dark space not much larger than most living rooms. Yet, with this intimacy comes a closeness to the open kitchen, which is even further amplified if you sit at the bar, like Jane and I.
It is stunning watching the chefs at work... observing the efficiency of their motions, the perfection of their timing... but what struck me most was how honest everything was. There were no tricks. Everything had an integrity that is almost impossible to find outside of home-cooked meals.
Oh... and everything was insanely delicious... here's some pics. Sorry for the poor quality... they were taken with an iPhone.
Ensalada Mono with Manchego
Deliciously refreshing salad of frisee with a tangy vinagrette and crunchy nuts. The cheese was top notch.
Deliciously refreshing salad of frisee with a tangy vinagrette and crunchy nuts. The cheese was top notch.
Scallops
I usually cannot eat shellfish, as it makes me gag. Though it always looks so tantalizing... These, however, were not only Juewon-edible, but delicious! Crispy carmelized on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside... they were amazing...
Crispy Belly with Sunchoke Puree and Confit Artichokes
This was the mountaintop. The pork belly was cooked quite similarly to the Chinese crispy pork belly you sometimes see hanging next to roast ducks. However, here, the pork bursts with piggy flavor without having the gross sheen of grease seen with the Chinese version. My words really do not and cannot do this dish justice, so here's the ultimate proof. From the moment Jane and I saw the dish, we were too busy eating to remember to take a picture.
I usually cannot eat shellfish, as it makes me gag. Though it always looks so tantalizing... These, however, were not only Juewon-edible, but delicious! Crispy carmelized on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside... they were amazing...
Crispy Belly with Sunchoke Puree and Confit Artichokes
This was the mountaintop. The pork belly was cooked quite similarly to the Chinese crispy pork belly you sometimes see hanging next to roast ducks. However, here, the pork bursts with piggy flavor without having the gross sheen of grease seen with the Chinese version. My words really do not and cannot do this dish justice, so here's the ultimate proof. From the moment Jane and I saw the dish, we were too busy eating to remember to take a picture.
Catalan Sausage with Black Garlic Fabada
Perhaps it's because we were comparing this to the porky mountaintop of the crispy belly, but this fell a bit short. No question, they were excellent sausages. They just paled in comparison.
Oxtail stuffed Piquillo Peppers
The kitchen wisely decided to end our tasting with the stewed dish. Unfortunately, we unwisely chose a stewed dish instead of a grilled dish. Once again, this was good. But Casa Mono is ultimately about the magic they perform consistently on the grill. And we saw so many dishes being cooked in front of us that we wished we had ordered.
While I did not get a chance to taste these, if you get a chance to go, the following also looked amazing from watching the chefs cook them:
Razor clams - grilled till they have crispy exteriors then topped with a beautiful parsley based vinagrette... best looking dish I saw
Pan con Tomate - simply tomatoes squeezed onto grilled bread... yet it looked incredible
Bone marrow
Seriously though, eat the crispy belly.
-JK
Razor clams - grilled till they have crispy exteriors then topped with a beautiful parsley based vinagrette... best looking dish I saw
Pan con Tomate - simply tomatoes squeezed onto grilled bread... yet it looked incredible
Bone marrow
Seriously though, eat the crispy belly.
-JK
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