94 Christopher Street
between Bleeker and Bedford Streets (closer to Bleeker)
212-242-3800
A nice little spot tucked away in a tiny west village
storefront. But the real attraction for us came with the word “Garden” on the
sign we spotted in the window as we were wondering west on Christopher Street.
The Garden is in back of the restaurant. It’s covered with a canopy and green house
type thing, well hidden from city life. The area is planted with a few nice
plants. A drawback is that boxwood is not my favorite scent to have around
food, a factor not made better by the incense sticks that were lit by the wait
staff and placed around the yard. Not
overwhelming enough to deter us as the incense faded and we quickly became
accustomed to the plant life.
As it was early in the evening we lucked out on happy hour
and enjoyed a couple of $5.00 Mojito’s.
Very nicely made with fresh lime, mint and a juicy piece of sugar cane
about 7” long that quickly became a tasty chew toy. Warning – they are healthy, you can just
taste the rum.
Moving on to the food.
We each ordered an appetizer and shared them.
Annie ordered the Ceviche.
It was made with shrimp, scallop & calamari, slithers of red and
orange peppers, onions, cilantro & lime juice. It was a tad too spicy - and
I like spicy. Annie’s standard for great Ceviche is that it should make her feel like she’s on tropical vacation.
This one missed. It was still
good – just no vacation.
For appetizer I ordered Chorizo. I explained to the waiter that I was Gluten
intolerant and he said no problem, it was not made with any wheat or wheat
products or stuff like that. Out came
nicely prepared chorizo sautéed in caramelized onions sitting on 2 slices of bread. (Sorry no photo) I scooped mine off the top without half of the
item touching the bread and queried the waiter about my entrée, again he assured
me that the entrée I ordered would be OK.
Annie ordered Roast Suckling Pig from the standard menu. It came with yucca and a side order of rice made with black beans so the rice looked blackened. The portion was healthy. Pork was moist but a little bland, the rice was made very well but the standout on the plate was the yucca. Yucca can be dry, this yucca was moist and very flavorful.
I ordered the seafood special – shark with mussels accompanied by yellow rice with asparagus. The shark was very good. The mussels were cooked just right and
arranged around a timbale of rice that sat in the middle. Annie loved the way the rice looked with its rich orange color against the bright green cylinders of asparagus scattered throughout. Did I say the shark was very good? The mussels were moist and the rice was as tasty as it was colorful.
We were too full for dessert so we opted for a stroll north along
the West Side Promenade picking up 2 coffees along the way.
Bottom Line
Cost for 2 drinks, 2 appetizers and 2 entrees with tax and
tip $94.00
Would I eat here again – Yes
Special feature - Garden
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