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I tend to shy away from bar-top dining but Bar’s bar is quite spacious and the bubbly bartender who set up our place settings, was eager to offer up his fiddy-cents about the menu.  Upon glancing at the menu, my friend grabbed my arm and announced that she had a confession to make.  She was addicted to…pecorino!  Over the preceding two weeks, she had stopped at Murray’s Cheese Shop for a hunk of it, every single night on her way home from work.  As such, she felt compelled to order the  baby boston lettuce, hearts of palm, poached egg and yes…pecorino salad.  I am a fan of poached eggs even on salad and this combination proved impressive even to the pecorino aficionado.  Two of my all-time-favorite delicacies, roasted rabbit and sweetbreads were paired together in my appetizer of choice.  Laid atop baby greens and drizzled with rich ricotta cheese, this dynamic duo was superbly satisfying.     

Another $17 glass of champers en route (side rant: $17 a guh-lass!!! People this is getting out of control! Is champagne only meant for the rich?  wait…is it?)…well, I felt it necessary to more closely explore Bar Blanc’s (thus far) impressive cuisine.  With a few more stops left on our journey, I had hoped to keep this on the lighter side of life but when I’m 2 glasses in and I see a dish on the menu that features not 1, not 2, but 3 variations on pork on the same plate, I feel pretty much forced into ordering it.  I speak, of course, about the milk-fed porcelet which features roast baby pig, pig belly, terrine of pig head and is paired with a chanterelle puree, diced brussel sprouts, natural jus, cinnamon, star anise and orange.  Phew! I’m exhausted.  Well for all this pomp and circumstance and for my incredible adoration of the pig in all his deliciousness, this dish extended itself just a bit too far for me.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it but I didn’t love it…and this little piggy REALLY wanted to love it.  Featuring only one or possibly two of the main ingredients would have created a more focused and pleasing experience. 

Overall, the one thing I can’t blank on (pun intended) about Bar Blanc is the fact that I feel very, very comfortable there.  I’ve only said this about twice in my life but Bar Blanc is the type of bar/restaurant I would open.  I hyphenate the description because in actuality Bar Blanc very much retains the atmosphere of a hip bar more so than a fine dining establishment.  Luckily, the chefs hiding away in the kitchen, elevate this Bar past pub-grub to the level of high-caliber cuisine.  So just as with R Kelly and Jay Z, we get the best of both worlds at BB.  There may be an inconsistent note here and there but overall it’s that neighborhood bar where you wish everyone knew your name.

~ciao chow for now~
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BAR BLANC
142 West 10th Street b/w Greenwich & Waverly / ph: 212.255.2330