Tartinery

This past Friday, I had dinner with a couple of friends at this charming Nolita spot. This French bistro inspired menu and charming minimalist space delivered on all fronts. We were seated down stairs at a small numbered table underneath a huge drift wood  over hang creating a very intimate feel to the airy room. The décor combined truly rustic elements with minimalistic and whimsical details. It was was a genius combination of cosy and cool. It was a delightful Friday night setting, all the charm you want from a NYC restaurant without any of the pretentious undertones.  Most of waiters muttered to each other in French as they milled around taking orders and filling water glasses. It is never a bad sign to hear the native language of the cuisine flying around throughout the dining room!

At first glance I was intrigued by the menu. They specialize in tartines which are open face "sandwiches" made popular in French bistros by their combination of fantastic rustic bread and hearty ingredients. Leave it to the French to popularize a sandwich that requires a fork and knife! Well before I dive into my experience with the tartine, we all decided we had to try the ravioli appetizer. It was fantastic. Baked cheese raviolis served in skillet with cream and truffle oil. I generally like anything with truffle oil, and this was no exception. The dish was super rich and enough to share with several people. Great way to kick off the meal! 

For my entrée I opted for the foie gras tartine which was served with sea salt and fig jam. They offer several bread selections and I asked the server to recommend the best paring for this combo. He suggested the rustic French and it all came together swimmingly. It was very rich, as foie gras tends to be, but the sweetness of the figs and the crunchiness of the bread added up to the perfect bite. The tartines are large and I could not finish it all, which was great since we all had extra to share with one another. Our table had combinations like mozzarella, tomato, basil, olive oil and sea salt, as well as one with ham, brie and Dijon mustard. Each one was tasty and posseded completely differnt flavour profile. Tartinery is probably best experienced with a group that will like to share, as its nice to have a couple of bites of each thing on the table!

Our meal was superb from beginning to end. The service and food were flawless and the atmosphere lends itself to the leisurely progression of a Friday night meal . You can check out the whole menu here. They take reservation on open table and I would for sure put a note that you want to sit down stairs as the upstairs room is very small and does not exude the same charm. One thing to note is that they do not have a full bar. They offer wine, champagne, beer, and sake or kir cocktails. So don't be shocked when they turn down your usual order of vodka soda. 

They did have a delicious looking dessert menu but we were all so full and late for our next destination that we did not indulge. It's always good to leave something for next time. I do plan to visit this place again, the menu is sizeable and there are still lots of things I would like to try! It is also very easy on the wallet for a down town Manhattan dinner as most of the en tree's average around 15 bucks. Even with a couple of rounds of drinks and an appetizer we all got out for around $40 which I think is great for an NYC Friday night! So go and enjoy this French invention, it will change the way you think about sandwiches for sure!