Atera

**Note.  If you are planning on dining at Atera, I highly recommend eating the food before reading this post, as it will ruin a lot of surprises through the course of the meal**

It's amazing how many culinary trends New York City has undertaken in the past decade.  The fall of the twin towers caused the death of fine dining, where as a nation we turned to more economically feasible comfort food options.  We looked for menus that had a recognizable burger and french fries, instead of duck and foie gras.  Fast forward a few years and we became ready to play with our food, and all the emphasis was on molecular gastronomy and the multiple ways we could manipulate nature's ingredients.  Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck in Bray, England, and Ferran Adria's El Bulli in Catalonia, Spain were the world's best known restaurants to showcase it.  When trendsetters like Alinea in Chicago, and WD-50 in New York City ran out of ideas, so did the city's interest with science.  We've seen it already, what can we do next?

Then out of nowhere the "fad" was a practice multiple chefs had been utilizing for years.  Relationships they had built with farmers and emphasis on fresh and local produce started the "farm-to-table" craze.  Like little kids showing off their newest and coolest toys, it became a trend for restaurants to show which local farmers they were using, and how they were showcasing their products.  "Here we have a strawberry soup utilizing strawberries from Berried Treasures Farm."  It was a vehicle that caused all these hard-working low-key farmers at the greenmarket to finally become celebrities in their own right, but chefs decided to push this further.  They wanted to up themselves.  Thus began urban farming and rooftop gardening.

But this is New York City.  We need to push the envelope even further.  We need to watch what chefs from all around the world are doing, and then we need to up that.  Well, New York finally has a theater in which to showcase the newest food craze.  It is called Atera, and the 31 year-old Chef Matthew Lightner has brought from Portland not just a philosophy to utilize local farms, but local parks.  The new trend is called "foraging", and foraged food is now beginning to pop up on menus all around the city.

Swine

"Not another one!"

When news broke out on Eater.com that Swine, a new pork-centric restaurant located in the West Village, was about to debut, it wasn't exactly welcomed with praise by commentors.  "Another pork restaurant?  How innovative.."  "Yawn."  "I guess they could have just called it 'No Jews.'"

Even though on the downwards part of the slope now, pork is still very much in demand in NYC.  So many restaurants have popped up that offer pork-centric menus, housemade charcuterie, nose-to-tail feasts, and great beers.  Back in 2007, Resto was at the forefront of this movement.  Fast forward five years, and it seems NYC is starting to get tired of the trend.

One thing I love to do is ignore what the mass population says and try out a restaurant for myself before forming an opinion.  In the case of Swine, I am more than happy that I did, because even though its not a new concept, even though its not innovative in any way whatsoever, it delivers a meal that is executed perfectly.  Sometimes, that's really all that matters. The flavors speak for themselves and nothing is effed with.  If you're a fan of offal, charcuterie, and cheeses, definitely make your way in.  Chef Phil Conlon delivers, and this restaurant is not a gimmick.

Located on Hudson Street, right next door to Red Farm and a block away from Takashi, Swine is easily found because of its large blue awning stretching out onto the sidewalk.  A very small hostess stands awaits you on the other side of the entrance, on a small floor in between the bar (top floor) and main dining room (located in the basement).  Although the decor is indescript and pretty much what you expect from a restaurant like this located in the West Village, the food and drinks are really why you're here.

Animal

The front of restaurant Animal (via Eater.com)

For weeks leading up to my first trip to Los Angeles I couldn't help but constantly think about Restaurant Animal.  It was first opened in 2008 by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.  You may recognize these punk rockers from Food Network's "Two Dudes Catering".  Soon after opening Animal and losing the catering business, they grew to national culinary fame with their small meat and offal-centric, 45-seat nondescript restaurant, even being awarded some of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs title of 2009.

I first met Jon and Vinny at Meattopia 2011.  By now I knew of their reputation, after watching them on Food Network and skimming through their cookbook from time to time.  Although they don't match any type of contemporary look for chefs, one thing is for sure, these guys know how to cook, and they can cook pretty damn well.  

Lamb Head Skull, the only decor on the walls

Animal was inspired by trips to Martin Picard's Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal, and Fergus Henderson's St. John in London.  Their chicken hearts with burnt eggplant puree that I tasted at Meattopia was just a teaser for things to come.    For now I am finally here in Los Angeles.  Looking at the no-name restaurant with black beams, full wall-size windows, and the numbers 435 across the top from across the street, I became a giddy schoolboy.  Come on Chef Floyd Cardoz, it's time to eat.  

The decor of Animal is very minimal, with nothing more on the walls than a lamb head skull.  A small bar in the back of the room provides the only color contrast to a small restaurant with wooden tables and beige walls.  Forget about it, though, you're not here for tablecloth wine service.  Take one look at Animal's menu and be prepared for the rich, fatty, spicy, fresh, well-balanced meal to come.

ilili

I received my first taste of Lebanese cuisine many years ago at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Brooklyn.  I didn't know what to expect of the cuisine before heading in.  With a friend's help, she navigated me through the menu and after one bite of the fresh baked bread covered in za'atar (a fresh herb blend mixed with sesame seeds, sumac, and lemon), I fell in love.  I will never forget that first taste, and that first meal.

For years that followed I became intrigued by Lebanese, as well as other Mediterranean cuisines. Small plates of mezze (think tapas) of traditional hummus, baba ganoush (baked eggplant mixed with various seasonings), tabbouleh (bulgar and herb salad), to large skewers of meat (mainly lamb and chicken), fresh pita breads, and heavy seasonings of garlic, lemon, fresh herbs, cumin, aleppo pepper (a mild type of chili flake), and sumac (a dried reddish berry powder with a lemony flavor, but not as tart).  There are few that could dislike this cuisine, and if you have yet to try it, I am hoping my descriptions have made you willing to do so.  

At nighttime it can easily be seen as a restaurant

However, it has always served as a medium-profile cuisine.  Small restaurant owners setting up shop serving traditional small plates of hummus, pita sandwiches, and grilled meats over rice.  With the introduction of ilili into the NYC restaurant scene back in 2008, Lebanese cuisine has finally come into the major spotlight.  

Located just a short distance from Madison Square Park, it is very easy to pass by ilili in the daytime.  Like the service staff inside, the restaurant is painted black.  Unless you notice the brown lettering sketched into the black awning over the front doors, the space looks vacant.  Step inside, though, and its a whole other story.  

Bone marrow at Casa Mono

It really is amazing when you think about the NYC food scene.  With close to 25,000 restaurants, it is very hard not to find what you’re craving.  With new restaurants popping up all the time (close to 5000 in just 4 years), anything you can’t find will soon become available. 

So what’s my favorite dish in NYC?  It’s the “Roasted bone marrow with radishes”, on the menu at Casa Mono. 

Roasted bone marrow, pan con tomate, parsley and radish salad

Casa Mono is a small Spanish restaurant in Mario Batali’s huge Italian empire.  It has about ten tables, and a handful of bar stools overlooking an open kitchen, or a wine bar depending on which way you’re facing.  If you decide to try it out, I recommend going during lunch or off-peak hours between 3pm and 5pm, because the line is out the door once dinner starts.