'Ino

21 Bedford St

I decided to skip the dinner crowds and try lunch at 'Ino. A wise move - we didn't wait for a minute. The menu reads very grazer-esque: with sixteen different bruschetta options, a few salads and a long list of tramezzini and panini. Unfortunately, it's also a bit arcane; my friend, for whom English is a second language, needed me to "translate" the menu.  

We both chose the special salad: arugula, shaved jerusalem artichoke, pine nuts and parmesan vinaigrette and we ordered a plate of four bruschetta to share (butternut squash and walnuts, spaghetti squash and pine nuts, asparagus and parmesan, and white bean).

I liked the salad a lot. Light, fresh, and very green.  The dressing was really tasty and obviously homemade.  But I was disappointed in the bruschetta - for which I thought 'Ino was known.  All four of them were too dry; just a splash of olive oil would have done the trick.

The waitress recommended the spaghetti squash and it was my least favorite because it had the least flavor.  

I didn't like the white bean bruschetta either because it had lots of hard-boiled egg!  The menu didn't say anything about egg and it made for a bizarre flavor combination.  The butternut squash was probably the best because it was complemented with a sharp asiago cheese.  The asparagus was also okay, a very rustic flavor but definitely too dry.  

The fact that 'Ino is one of the original rustic Italian small plates cafes earns it points.  The space is very pretty and the long wine list seems good.  I'd say stop in for a glass of wine but don't expect too much from the kitchen.  And don't ask the waiters for an opinion.

- The Grazer

Esperanto Cafe

114 MacDougal St

Esperanto Cafe is a great spot for NYU students in need of a place to sit and study. If you're not an NYU student, I don't know why you'd go...I went because, well, I'm on a "student budget" and Esperanto is really cheap.

The place is crawling with students sipping on big mugs of cappuccino and reading Nietzsche. I think they must like it here because the waitresses pretty much ignore you, leaving you to sit for as long as you like.

I ordered the tuna salad and it was small and simple. Some mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, a hard-boiled egg and a scoop of tuna salad. I'd call it too small and too simple if not for the amazing price: $6.50! The menu is made up of other cheap cafe hallmarks - eggs & omelets, chicken salad, turkey or roast beef sandwich; they even make pizzas. I wasn't wildly impressed, but I wasn't disappointed either. For a good student hang-out at student prices, I'd say Esperanto is on the mark.

- The Grazer

Bar Pitti

268 6th Ave, nr. Bleeker

Bar Pitti was putting out Tuscan fare before rustic Italian became all the rage in Manhattan. I guess I was slow on the uptake too, because I made my first visit to Bar Pitti just recently. I took my parents there, figuring it was a good mix between downtown cool and old-school tradition. I was right. At first, my parents were confused by the menu - to their credit the menu is short, offering no more than pasta and panini - but they came to when the waiter (who was quite chipper, friendly) swooped in with the chalkboard. He elaborated with great tenacity on the specials scribbled on the chalkboard (my mom and I usually ask follow-up questions); everything sounded great. We all ordered from the specials list, but I'll only comment on two of our three meals. My dad didn't order anything worth reviewing - he DOESN'T graze.

My mom and I decided on the special vegetable soup, similar to a ribollita our waiter said, but lighter with more vegetables and no soaked bread (and dairy-free). It was sooooooo good: big chunks of kale, whole pieces of carrots, zucchini, some stewed tomatoes, plus chickpeas and white beans. The soup was well-seasoned and warming.

To follow, my mom had grilled chicken topped with endive and sundried tomatoes. Let me brief you by saying that my mom orders chicken everywhere and every night. Even she could not stop singing praise for that plate of chicken. She insisted I taste it - I hardly ever order chicken - but she was right. The chicken itself tasted like sundried tomatoes as well as so many different herbs. A bite of chicken together with the cool, crunchy endive and the oily sundried tomatoes admittedly made for a delicious bite.

I had the whole-grilled striped bass with a side of broccoli rabe (the chef intended for zucchini to be the side-dish but the waiter was very amenable to my small preference). The whole fish was brought out for my viewing before it was fileted. It was a very nice medium size fish (still I couldn't finish it), with white flesh and lots of lemon juice. When they brought it back out to me it had been fileted beautifully; no head left on the plate and most importantly, no scales or bones in sight. Honestly, I've never had such a perfectly fileted piece of fish.

And it was also very delicious; not at all fishy, it was soft and had absorbed the flavors of the grill, the lemon juice and the slices of garlic. The side of broccoli rabe was done perfectly too, cut small and sauteed until soft but not too soft, garlicy but not too garlicy.

My parents were happy, which made me happy (so did my food). I had to consult them on this rating. After all, they paid (fyi: it's cash only), and together we agreed that Bar Pitti gets 5 carrots!

- The Grazer

Village Natural

46 Greenwich Ave

Amidst a spattering of new trendy restaurants on Greenwich Ave sits an old hidden gem: Village Natural. At first I thought the restaurant could use a face-lift, but as I sat there I decided that the 80s retro decor added to its charm. As did the guitar player, who sat towards the front and played some quiet tunes throughout my meal.

Vegetarians and vegans will find a happy home in Village Natural, where the menu is 95% vegetarian. They do offer a fish of the day for those who need more than vegetables, grains, and tofu. But if veggies and tofu are your thing, then it will be hard to choose what to order. Even more unique, they have a grain of the day, which they include in dishes nightly. Last night, the grain was wehani. It was mixed with other grains and raisins on top of my salad (the "Healthy Grains Salad") adding a rich, nutty and delicious flavor to my greens.


There are several salads from which to choose, each just a variation on romaine and spinach with tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and cabbage. Some add avocado, others hijiki, and others the grain of the day. The lettuce is fresh and the add-ons superfluous.

The entrees list encompasses dishes with just vegetables and grains (wok sautéed or simply steamed) and some that include tofu or seitan. A nice mix with enough options to please those of us who are tofu-loving and those who are anti-tofu as well.
To top it off, Village Natural offers Vegan-friendly no-dairy dessert pies: pumpkin, sweet potato, and tofu blueberry to name just a few. But don’t plan on it. Even if you only intend to graze, the food here is so good that you might not have room for dessert.

- The Grazer