casa mono

new york, ny

website

this is not a place to take vegetarians. or people on a diet. this is a place for meaty fatty gluttony. and wine. derek and i are big fans of batali and i love wine bars and tapas, so we've been trying to get into this restaurant for a long time. but there's always a long wait, so we usually pass. memorial day weekend at 10 pm, however, turned out to be a perfect time to snag a table. derek ordered a lovely glass of red wine and then we tried to figure out the menu. we ordered fried pork croquetas, pork belly, fried sardines, and bone marrow. the waiter actually laughed out loud and said "wow" when we finished our order.

that should have been a hint that we needed to order something lighter. oops. it was a very very heavy meal. the fried sardines were good (and reminds me of the free fried fish that bcd tofu house gives as banchan). the meaty fatty gluttony highlight, however, was the bone marrow. amazing. its served with crusty crispy bread covered in garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. this is the best version of "meat jelly" (as a from y&a fame refers to marrow) that we've ever had. next time, to lighten things up, i think we'll stick to wine and marrow.