When we arrived for our 9pm reservation on Wednesday night, we were told that they were running late and we would have to wait a few minutes. Shortly after we were brought three mugs of what was described with a wink as “The Little Owl’s special Italian Coffee” to keep us warm outside. As we finished our first mug of red, fruity, ‘coffee’, the host came out to apologize again and top off our mugs. He then asked if there was anything else he could do for us. To which one of my friends replied, “Actually do you have a cigarette?” While our host looked shocked for a split second, he re-grouped and told us he didn’t have any but would see if he could find one. A minute later my friend was smoking Marlboro lights.
After the excellent treatment we received outside, entering the small but cozy candlelit room felt like going to a good friend’s house to eat dinner. Any apprehension about dining out was completely erased. It also helped that our wonderful waitress was wearing a PBR t-shirt.
However, all of the wonderful service in the world would not bring me back to a restaurant if the food wasn’t
good. The food that I’ve tried at the Little Owl is excellent. Admittedly, I haven’t had a chance to sample many of the menu items, but this is because I couldn’t talk myself out of ordering the pork chop; big, charred juicy and flavorful with just the right proportions of salt pepper and aniseed, just for the sake of trying something else. It’s too good. I also tried the duck breast because I read an interview with the chef, Joey Camponaro in which he said it was his favorite appetizer. This too was a winner, a well composed dish with the thin strips of duck melting on the tongue, while arugula and almonds provided some crunch and contrast to the richness, and parmigiano and truffle added a satisfying, lingering aftertaste. I’ve also tried and enjoyed: the gravy meatball sliders a fun way to eat meatballs, the scallops and hearts of palm in a citrus salad, a refreshing and li
ght way to pair scallops, and the gnocchi; cooked perfectly into little savory pillows so as to not weigh you down before the main course.For dessert we tried the raspberry beignets with Nutella and the warm brownie cake with espresso gelato. The beignets were a little heavy and not great on their own but are a great device for scooping up something as perfect as Nutella. The cake was like eating a pillowy warm brownie without any of the heavy stickiness that often accompanies them.
The Little Owl is one of the only restaurants I’ve been to where I was excited to pay the bill and leave a tip to show them how great my experience was. Although it has already gotten a lot of great reviews, Gabriel Stulman and Joey Camponaro have not let success go to their heads. They still treat their diners like friends, which is why probably they do so well.
Overall Grade: A
Who to bring:
I’m sure just about anyone who likes good food and being catered to would love this place. Its coziness, small size and friendly atmosphere would make it a great place for a date or to bring people you don’t know that well but want to get to know better, (your date’s parents somewhere down the line.) I would not try to get a table for more than four since space is limited.
Also—The one dish not to miss (you can order it as a side) is the butter beans that come with the pork chop. They are soft, and slightly smoky tasting (they are cooked with ham hocks) and will change the way you think of Butter Beans forever. That is if you previously had any thoughts on butter beans.
Food Photos are from http://crumbs-nyc.blogspot.com/
Interior photo is the same one used in the times review. I would have used a different one but the Times picture really captures the feel of the restaurant.
(I still feel a little weird taking pictures in restaurants)
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