Restaurant Review: Swine

Checked out a new place, Swine, with Jeremy in the West Village the other night - well not new, but new to us. We had a nice meal, nothing crazy, but an overall good experience. For starters, they have happy hour until 7:30 with BOGO beers and house wines, so we each took advantage of that.

Our table was on the main level right next to the bar, which actually wasn't really a problem. It wasn't too loud, at least for most of the meal. Around 8:30 it started to fill up, but we were already on our way out. Anyway, we ordered two appys and 2 entrees and that was the perfect amount.

First we had the Daily Pickle Plate and that day it was red beets, white beets, and cauliflower - just a few of my favorite pickled veggies. They gave us a solid portion and I really enjoyed this obviously housemade dish.

Pickled red beets, cauliflower, and white beets

The second appy was the Maine Diver Scallops with a cherry-brandy glaze. It came with 2 medium sized scallops on a bed of lentils, carrots, and leeks. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the lentil/carrot/leek combo provided a nice textural contrast. It was interesting because scallops are usually a lighter dish but the lentils, carrots, and leeks made it a hearty one. Not the best scallop dish I have ever had, but we still enjoyed it.

Maine Diver Scallops

For my entree, I got the Balsamic Braised Short Ribs served with white grits, watercress, and radish. The meat was so tender and flavorful. I thought the grits were really smart because it mixed with the juices from the short ribs and created a creamy deliciousness that was different from your typical mashed potato (which would have been too heavy). The watercress was necessary to add some green to the plate and some crunch, but the radish I could have done without. I don't hate radish, I just can't think of anything that would be better with it, so I usually find it unnecessary.

Balsamic Braised Short Rib

Jeremy got the Swine Chop for his entree. This was pork porter-house, topped with sweet corn and herbs. The chop was a very nice size, possibly a tad bit over cooked, but very flavorful. The sweet corn was a nice addition to bring in some freshness, sweetness and texture.

Swine Chop

The service was good and everyone was friendly. I would call this a cool neighborhood spot, if you live in the neighborhood. Probably would only return if convenient, but I would still recommend it to anyone in the area for a quick bite.

Restaurant Review: Cleo Los Angeles

While in LA for work, I was taken out to a great spot in Hollywood, Cleo. Known for its Mediterranean tapas, Cleo is a trendy restaurant great for sharing. We ordered much of the menu. Between 6 people we shared:

Babaganoush dip
Brussels Sprouts with capers, parsley, almonds, red wine vinaigrette
Mushrooms with dates, hazelnuts, and puffed wild rice
Grilled Hanger Steak with grilled peewee potatoes
Chicken and Duck Bastilla with almonds, saffron, egg, chicken, and cinnamon
Grilled Octopus with celery, crushed potatoes, and lemon vinaigrette
Grilled Tuna with olive tapenade, zaatar, tahini, and calabrian chili
Scallops with lebaneh, dill, orange, and Moraccan dry cured olives
Artichoke Flatbread with crushed potato, wilted arugula, and aged mozzarella
Eggplant Lebaneh with feta, fresno chili, and zaatar

There was probably a few other things that I missed, but the table was full of fun, yummy dishes that we all got to try. The dishes were a solid portion size, and it was perfect to let everyone have a taste or two of everything - and there was more than enough food. Each dish had great flavor, everything was cooked well, and they had a nice presentation. The restaurant has a cool atmosphere with a significant bar area and several different types of tables to accommodate parties of varying sizes. We even spotted a LA Kings player with Erin Andrews - so LA.

I would definitely recommend this place to any of my LA readers, or anyone visiting.

See and be seen, and eat good food.