Resto

Resto (French for "casual restaurant") opened its doors in the Spring of 2007.  Being a line cook at Tabla at the time, my coworkers and I used to visit this restaurant every other week for their amazing Belgium-style pub fare. The menu is nose-to-tail, the beer selection is amazing, and it's just a great place to hangout and enjoy yourself.

It has been just over three years since I have been to Resto, but after seeing it was participating in Summer Restaurant Week this year, I decided to make a reservation and come back.  Memories of the opening menu four years ago flooded my head.  Deviled eggs on pork toast were my favorite.  Pig's head sandwich served on toasted white bread and curried mayonnaise was a close second.  The house-made sausages, the beef cheeks, and the memories of the rest of the nose-to-tail menu excited me and I couldn't wait for lunch on Friday afternoon.

The restaurant has undergone some changes in the past few years.  The executive chef has changed to Bobby Hellen, and the menu is now a lot more developed.   However, everything else about the place is the same.  The decor is still boring.  Eighty seats spread around 26 tables in a large room, with six outside on the patio.  And if you visit the bathroom, the large, heavy sliding door will annoy the **** out of you.  Yup, that's really all there is to say about that.



What made this visit even more depressing for me at first was when I first walked inside.  When I first got to the restaurant two patrons were seated at the table outside, and I was expecting to walk into a packed room for restaurant week.  When I walked in, I scanned the room to find 78 empty seats, and just me and another diner in the dining room.  Uh oh, did this place change for the worse?

Like David Burke Kitchen which I visited the night before, Resto combined its restaurant week menu and a la carte menus on one page.  There was not much being offered for the $24.07 prix-fixe menus, so I opted to order a la carte, and very happy I did so.  I was able to have updated old classics and fell in love with this restaurant all over again.  If anything, the food got a lot better.

The "Deviled Eggs on Pork Toast" were just as soul-satisfying as I remember them.  Smooth yolk mayo set atop of soft whites, over crunchy pork toasts.  A touch of cayenne brought a hint of heat.  The hot-cold crispy sensation was then surpassed by the liquefying texture of the pork.  I can't speak highly enough of this little guy.  Oh my god, and there's two more.

Deviled Eggs on Pork Toast

The new "Tete de Cochon" sandwich is SO amazing.  Braised headcheese packed into toasted pieces of Texas-sized brioche, with pastrami-spiced slaw and jalapeno sour cream.  It is INCREDIBLE.  It has a good amount of spice, the pork has so much flavor, the slaw adds a whole new level, and the toasted buttery brioche can be eaten as is.  The fact that it is paired with pork has now made this my favorite $12 sandwich.  Seriously, how the hell can you go wrong??

Pig's Head Sandwich

As full as I was getting, I finished off with the "Veal Belly Gyro".  If my stomach wasn't in so much pain from all the pork I ate in the first two courses I would have enjoyed this more, but don't get me wrong, it was still great.  Tender pieces of veal belly were packed into a soft pita, with radishes, Greek yogurt (described on the menu as Greek yogurt, but I could have sworn this was sour cream), and crunchy French fries inside the gyro.  Ah, couldn't help but feel this was an ode to The Grease Trucks.

Veal Belly Gyro

It pained me so much to see they were incredibly slow for lunch.  But when you visit the bathrooms you'll see all their accolades and awards hanging proudly.  They are all well deserved.  If you're looking for a great place to drink and eat cheap, but not dismiss flavor and creativity, look no further than Resto.

Resto

111 E 29th Street

New York, NY 10016