Optimus Dime

The wife posted a similar list a little while ago.  She did not solicit my opinion.  How un-thoughtful…

Prune:  Lower East Side, 54 East 1st St (between 1st and 2nd Aves); +1 (212) 677 6221; prunerestaurant.com:  Review by “The Waiter” (whose book I found first and make her read):  Tiny, cosy venue with an open view into the kitchen. Creative bloody mary menu and don’t miss the fried oyster omelette with remoulade sauce. This place is popular among the waiter crowd, especially for those recovering from post-shift binge drinking hangovers.  (Also endorsed by my guru-of-everything food Anthony Bourdain.)

Dirt Candy:  430 East Ninth Street (Avenue A), (212) 228-7732; dirtcandynyc.com:  (Partial) review by NYT: Dirt Candy’s conceit is that vegetarian food can be an indulgence. If there’s little that’s animal about the tasty jalapeño hush puppies ($6), there’s even less that’s nutritious.  But the food looked terrific, and so artfully composed the dishes seemed styled for a photo shoot. (Given some recent health issues, the vegetarian option sounds intriguing.)

L’Atelier de Joel Roubuchon: 57 E. 57th St., nr. Park Ave.; 212-350-6658; 57 East 57th Street, (212) 829-3844; http://www.joel-robuchon.com/: (Partial) review by NY Magazine:  This is the fourth L’Atelier Robuchon outlet to open around the globe, the other three being in Paris, Tokyo, and Las Vegas (Robuchon has a fifth restaurant in London). All of the L’Atelier establishments (the name means “workshop”) are built around the traditional Japanese concepts of small-plate, omakase (chef’s choice) tastings and dining at the bar, and Robuchon shuttles among them, adjusting recipes and menus, like a kind of jet-setting haute cuisine Ray Kroc.  (Recommendations indicate bar seating is preferable to the tables.)

More on this later.