Yesterday I had an appointment with my 6 year old in Tribeca, so I thought it would be fun to pick him up a little early and spend some quality time together. Obviously the first thing I did was do some research and figure out where I would take him for lunch.Food, essentially, is what my life revolves around.
I'm rarely in this area, but I realized yesterday there is a lot to do. You can easily make a Sunday outing to this hood with the kids. Along Hudson and Greenwich Streets, there's a bunch of really good food choices (Bubby's, Sarabeths, Locanda Verde, Kutshners, etc). We wandered into a boutique toy store, and stopped to play tic tac toe at a great children's playground. There's also Barnes and Noble right there, and of course the new towering Freedom Tower.
After debating all of my food options, I opted for the oldie but goodie, Locanda Verde. Locanda is an Italian Taverna by Chef Andrew Carmellini partly owned by the famed Robert de Nero. It has a sprawling bar, big open windows, and high ceilings. During lunch there is a big banker and
businessmen crowd, but dinner and brunch (which I hear is amazing!) draws more of a diverse bunch. The last time I was here was when they first opened in Spring 2009, and I remembered that the food was delicious, but not specifically what was so good about it. In the past fews years whenever I tried to go back here, it was always full and impossible to get a reservation.
Locanda got tons of buzz when it first opened, and now a few years later I must say that it is still buzzing. Tuesday at exactly 12pm, the place was fully packed. The focaccio bread that they bring to the table is OUT OF THIS WORLD. The photo does not do it justice. Fresh and piping hot out of the oven with rosemary, parmiaggino (?), and I don't know what else. My 6 year old was impressed.
Next we got the special crostini of the day with pesto, mozzarella, and eggplant. Crispy and delicious, and you taste the fresh ingredients. For the mains we got the Eggplant Hero with egg, escarole, tomato and burrata. WOW. It's a big sandwich so you better come hungry, and it is definitely not light, but tasty nonetheless. We also got a side of Roasted Cauliflower sprinkled with cheese (my least favorite thing on the table), and Rustic Potatoes with garlic and parmigiano-reggiano. The potatoes were also insane. They had a sort of spicy mayo sauce on top that reminds me of the papas bravas we got so often in Barcelona.
By the end of the meal we were busting, but the sweet waitress who was very attentive and helpful, brought us a house made donut to top off the meal. One bite and we were both smiling ear to ear.Perfect way to end a very nice lunch.
My son wants to know if we can make this a weekly endeavor. (I'm thinking about it) :-)
Bite Mark: *** and a half
TBB Tip: Make a reservation, they are perpetually crowded!
Locanda Verde; 379 Greenwich Street between Franklin & N. Moore 212-925-3797 www.locandaverdenyc.com
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