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MICHELIN guide | Hemant Baijal The MICHELIN guide has proved itself a welcome new resource for a time-strapped New Yorker’s most persistent challenge: finding the right restaurant—out of the city’s thousands—for business meals, family occasions, spontaneous bites with friends, and every other reason you could imagine for needing just the right watering hole. Just this month it led me to a variety of treasures I doubt I would have found on my own.
Papatzul
Described by the MICHELIN guide as, “a refreshing addition to the model-festooned neighborhood with a vibe that’s festive,” - a colleague and I decided to duck into this new Mexican cantina in Soho early one evening. We needed to escape, at least for the moment, the turmoil in the financial markets, which is our daily bread and butter. Papatzul instantly transported us to the warmth and exuberance of Mexico City—complete with killer margaritas from Papatzul’s extensive menu. You can’t go wrong with one of the many artisanal tequilas on display behind the bar, as we happily discovered.
The Mexican market-style comfort food further bolstered our spirits. The Elote de Coyoacan (corn on the cob dressed in a soothing yet lively sauce of crema, cheese, and chiles) and the Flautas de Papa con Elote y Queso (crispy tortillas filled with mashed potatoes, corn, cheese, and poblano peppers) were both standouts as starters. For entrees, our server steered us toward the menu’s many enchilada options. I found the house special duck enchiladas a bit on the sweet side, thanks to a rich almond-based black mole sauce, but the mushroom and spinach variation was excellent. My colleague opted for the seafood enchiladas, filled with scallops, shrimp, and swordfish in a creamy salsa—he was not disappointed. The presentation was elegant, but not fussy. This is a soulful, exuberant kind of cuisine, after all, and Papatzul keeps it real. The décor and the crowd certainly help. In the slightly cramped front bar area, Mexican masks give the place an authentic, festive, yet not gimmicky vibe, that caters to the eclectic local crowd. The back room is slightly more “dressed up” with white brick walls, black tree-shaped candelabras, and a large, inviting skylight. Overall the feeling is laid-back and attitude-free, a delightful thing in a Soho restaurant of its caliber. MICHELIN labels Papatzul as a “sleeper hit”, as I headed home content and relaxed—rare in these tumultuous times—I could only agree.
Franny’s
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, my wife was away on business and I had to entertain my five-year-old daughter. When I asked her what she wanted to do, she said “let’s go to Brooklyn and have pizza for lunch!” I checked my MICHELIN guide to find a Brooklyn restaurant that serves good pizza and has a good wine list for Uncle Frank – my colleague who is always up for a babysitting adventure and I. We settled on Franny’s.
After counting the stops to Bergen Street and Flatbush Avenue, and a quick five-minute walk, we finally arrived at the simple storefront. We were pleasantly surprised to get a table right away. We walked in to see an open kitchen with wood piles and the smell of a wood fire oven. By now, my daughter was starving and Uncle Frank and I were thirsty. Although there was no kids menu, the wood fire pizza was tempting enough for my daughter. With lots of children around us, we were able to enjoy our Rosso Montalcino without worrying too much about my daughter making a mess with her crayons, coloring books and pizza. And, yes she enjoyed the fresh lemonade.
The menu, although simple has several choices to choose from, so we decided to share a few dishes. It took us very little time to finish our oven-roasted pork sausage and pasta with cauliflower, pine nuts and capers. Then we moved on to the pizza, which lived up the MICHELIN guide’s description of “puffed and crispy.” Served with smoked meats, the plain pizza (just olive oil and salt) was outrageous.
Franny’s is certainly worth the trip from anywhere in the city and if your child likes to eat what I would term more adult pizza, then it will be enjoyed by all.
Wallse
Working in the finance world, I have at least two business dinners a week at midtown restaurants that cater to the finance crowd. Recently, when my colleague and I had to meet a client who lives downtown, we had the task of finding a restaurant in the West Village that was appropriate for a business meeting – not too hip, not too loud but not too stuffy. We also wanted good food and wine so after consulting our MICHELIN guide, we agreed to meet at Wallse.
The first thing we noticed as we walked into the understated, quiet room; was the long inviting bar. Without saying a word, we both took a seat at the end of the bar. Our client arrived shortly thereafter and agreed sitting at the bar was the perfect spot in this quaint charming restaurant to have our meeting. The sommelier helped us pick our wines from an elusive and extensive Austrian wine list. He made sure to choose a wine that matched our pallet as well as our wallet.
We decided to order all the traditional “must haves” on the menu – the weiner schnitzel, the goulash and the lobster ravioli. We continued discussing business while enjoying the delicious cabernet along with the outstanding Austrian favorites. The staff, though attentive remained respectful enough not to interrupt our conversations. We topped off our meal with the traditional Sacher torte.
Although an unusual setting for a serious business meeting, Wallse turned out to be the perfect spot for us that night. While living up to the MICHELIN guide’s description of “quaint dinner in the West Village,” it offered a quiet setting where we were able to discuss business and yet get away from the usual “power” dinner setting.
The Harrison
As a longtime fan of The Red Cat, in Chelsea, I had high expectations for chef-restaurateur Jimmy Bradley’s Tribeca restaurant, The Harrison—so much so that I decided that it was the perfect place to wine and dine a prospective client. The MICHELIN guide calls it a place that walks the line between, “downtown hip” and “warm and inviting.” One look at the long, seamless wooden bar, the flattering light emanating from brushed-metal chandeliers, and the warm, clubby room filled with prosperous-looking downtown types confirmed Michelin’s review.
Our client was late, so my colleague and I sat at that gleaming bar and sampled some of the offerings from the impressive and well-priced wine list. At the bartender’s suggestion, we tried an order of the house spiced French fries. Our appreciation of The Harrison grew steadily – even more so when our client arrived very late (appropriately apologetic) and the staff was perfectly accommodating, ushering us to a table without delay, despite the fact that the place was now officially hopping.
We studied the menu while our client attempted to make up for lost cocktail hour time, slowed only by the diminutive size of the glasses in which his beer was served. Meanwhile, we tucked into our starters, which included a salad of figs, blue cheese and prosciutto (a bit too figgy for my taste); some good house-made gnocchi with mushrooms, and another order of those addictive fries.
While there were several fish entrees to choose from, we all gravitated towards brawnier, meatier fare when it came to choosing our entrees; it just felt like the right thing to do—and the right place to do it—on a chilly autumn night. My pork chop was perfectly grilled and accompanied by sautéed greens and beans. My colleague raved about the hanger steak, and our client opted for the rosemary-scented lamb chop, which seemed to quiet any complaints he might still have had about the paltry beer glasses.
Dessert? We really couldn’t. And yet of course, we did. A chocolate pretzel tart with a malted sauce and a sticky toffee pudding sealed the deal—not necessarily with our prospective client (for that remains to be seen), but with The Harrison’s place on our short list of go-to neighborhood restaurants.
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