23. Tosca
So it begins. Restaurant Week, that is. I go back and forth about whether Restaurant Week is really worth it anymore—there are better deals (we’ll call them “recession deals”) to be had outside the week, and since I usually don’t order three courses at one sitting I end up paying more than I normally would. But there are some restaurants that are bang for your buck choices. Corduroy was always the front runner on impossible Restaurant Week reservations, but since it has quietly removed itself from consideration, I think that Tosca has taken the crown. I’ve been to Tosca before and found it to be creepy quiet and empty, but it was full on packed to the gills last night.
The first time I ate there, when we were the only table at prime dinner time, there was a weird awkwardness to the room. You felt like you had to whisper, the waiters were a little too attentive, and with all the beige and heavy drapes it felt like a place Fredo Corleone would have opened before he made it big in Vegas. As I said, this was not the case last night and it served the restaurant well. It was much better lit than I remembered, and instead of just making me feel like I was hiding from the FEDs, the curtains were working hard to absorb all the conversation.
Since I’m such a hater of Restaurant Week these days, I have to first grade them on their RW menu. It was good, like really good. There was no special menu, just a choice of an appetizer (or pasta), entree (or pasta) and a dessert. The only up charges were for a rack of veal dish and a New York strip that I didn’t even pay attention to. The portions overall were small—either this was on account of restaurant week (annoying) or they just have incredibly small portions for the money all the time (really annoying). I started with the veal and prosciutto ravioli as my appetizer, and it was delicious perfectly handmade pasta. The veal sauce was salty and luscious, and the filling had a nice peppery bite to it. For my main course I had one of the grilled seafood of the day choices—the octopus. I absolutely love grilled octopus, but tend to only order it in serious fish cookin’ restaurants since badly prepared octopus is full on disgusting. Lucky for Tosca (and for me!) they prepared it perfectly. It was meaty and dense without being the least bit chewy, and it was nicely charred on the outside. The char and the simple dressing of fresh herbs and lemon juice was perfect. The sides served with the octopus wavered from uninspired to pretty bad (I’m looking at you, what I think was collard greens) but the octopus was so good that I didn’t care.
Other hits at the table were the seared scallops, which though a little light on the portion size were well cooked, as well as the baby beet salad which was destined for greatness since it came served with what seemed like a deep fried goat cheese cannoli. The desserts were pretty basic, but my panna cotta was especially delicious—creamy and light, with a wonderful thick blueberry sauce. The tiramisu got rave reviews, though it was served in a martini glass, which I always think is an awkward way to eat food. I spill a lot when I drink out of a martini glass, so it’s pretty much a given that I’m going to make a mess while eating something made of custard out of one.
Sadly for you, dear readers, reservations at Tosca for Restaurant Week are long since spoken for. Is it worth the money the other 50 weeks out of the year? Well, that’s up to you. It is a VERY expensive restaurant, but their food is good enough to be attached to those price tags. It’s really a matter of whether or not you think that paying $100 a person for ANY food is worth it. Or maybe you should just get in line for the next wave of Tosca’s Restaurant Week reservations. February is right around the corner after all.
