'Patio Dining' at 31 2nd Ave. - Has anyone tried it?

Question

Wondering if anyone has tried this place. It was written up in New York Magazine b/c the chef changes the menu daily depending on what she has purchased that day at the Union Square market. It sounds really yummy, but I thought I would check with the real foodies out there who may have been already before I try it. Thanks!

Answer

i actually check out the menu a few weeks ago while walking by. still thinking it was mugsy's, i was shocked to see veal and greenmarket ramps on the menu.
 
a little further reading made me want to check out the place, but then the 25 and under made me think again.
 
but i went anyway two weeks ago, and gotta say the food was real nice, but the wine choices lacking.
 
we had a delicous dirty squid dish (with garlic aioli and super delicate sauteed pea shoots/leaves) that was unbelievably tender. did not know you could eat'em dirty or i would have never slaved away cleaning them.
 
we also had pike dumplings with roasted cubed beets and carrots. tasted nice, but the crumbly texture of the dumplings was the interesting part.
 
entrees were a very pleasing pasta with spicy/bitter greens and a niman ranch slice of pork loin that had been slow coooked with smashed potatoes and natural jus. 
 
pork was soft and tasty, but i did not did the overriding orange flavor/zest. the pork portion was a bit tiny, but the write-up in the times warned about that.
 
cheese plate was less than stellar, they need to hit murray's and not rely on the USQ GM for that. the quality is just not there from what i tasted.
 
service was exemplary and the room is cozy. a definate go, unles you are very budget minded or need a ton of food.
 
we got out for under $50 each, but only had a glass of wine each since the selections were less than inspiring.

Answer

I think this is really funny. Allowing for the fact that not everyone lives in that area, and wouldnt necessarilly know. A person wrote a great review of patio dining in this site 2 weeks before the NY mag article came out. No one even asked about or had any experience with this wonderfull restaurant. It seems that it takes write-ups in magazines for people to check out great restaurants. I too use reviews sometimes to learn about new places. However, I thought the whole point of Chowhound was to exchange info to and from people in the "know". Not to wait until everyone else in NYC is talking about it. People should be alot more adventurous and not wait until places are deemed "acceptable". Finding unknown food places should be fun!

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'Patio Dining' at 31 2nd Ave. - Has anyone tried it?

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