Smith and Mills

Last night, I ventured down to Tribeca to meet some friends at Smith and Mills. Upon exiting my taxi on North Moore and Greenwich, I was instantly jealous of the people sitting outside at Locanda Verde, but I had no idea I was in for such a treat across the street.

A tiny room, with no more than 6 tables, is more of a bar than a restaurant. There is no kitchen. All of the food is prepared behind the bar. The ambiance is extremely warm, and the decor is hip and antiquey. From the vintage bottles on the windowsill, to the crushed velvet banquettes, to the distressed platters they use to send out their toasted bread, the place has character.

The toasted bread was accompanied by a chunky pistachio pesto with hearts of palm, pecorino, and mint. Also accompanied by smoked ricotta. Both were delicious. The salmon tartare was great. I'm not a huge salmon fan, but lately some raw preparations have been surprising me, and this was no different. It was sweet and delicious. The burger was on a soft and fresh brioche bun, and as far as burgers go, it was pretty classic, yet extremely tasty, especially with the addition of russian dressing. The mussels were the best thing we ordered though. Prepared simply with white wine, garlic, shallots, tomatoes, and mint, the broth was so delicious that we devoured all of the accompanying bread meant for dipping.

We couldn't resist ordering dessert once we saw the couple next to us share the bread pudding. A gigantic portion of brioche bread pudding made with banana. Covered in caramel sauce, and sprinkled with pine nuts. It was delicious. I could barely keep the forks away to take a photo, but I managed to sneak one in.