The Dish: Sauteed Spinach

The ubiquitous side dish of sauteed spinach is always a favorite of mine. I probably get it from my father who is the only person I know who attempts to order it at any type of restaurant in the world. I think he finally learned his lesson at Japanese restaurants though. Making sauteed spinach is one of the easiest things a home cook can do, and you most often find it in Italian, American, and Bistro type of restaurants. Standard ingredient include olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and that's about it. Some restaurants do different spins on the standard, adding lemon juice, pancetta or bacon and other small additions. I personally think the best versions have 1 key difference: how the garlic is cut. Some places chop up the garlic, some use whole cloves, but the best are the razor thin slices that are almost transparent. Imagine Paulie from Goodfellas slicing the garlic in prison with a razor blade and then putting it in the frying pan with the spinach. The garlic absorbs some olive oil, become soft and sweet, and you don't even realize you are eating a piece of it, yet get the full flavor of it with each bite.

The best side dish of sauteed spinach I've ever had exist at Roberto's in the Bronx. The original Little Italy on Arthur Ave, Roberto's is the best in the area and maybe the best Italian in the city. But that is another blog entry. Their spinach includes olive oil, razor thing slices of garlic, a little salt and pepper, lemon juice, capers, and the secret ingredient - anchovies. I know, most of you just said "yuck" out loud, but anchovies are a great way to add saltiness and a distinct flavor that is not as fishy as most people think. The spinach is in fact not fishy at all, but has a distinct taste that only the anchovies natural saltiness brings out of the spinach. Amazingly, it is extremely easy to recreate this dish at home, and makes a perfect side dish to just about any meal. Any meal that is, except for sushi.

The King of Side Dishes

Restaurant: Caffe Cielo

I think the easiest way to start writing about this restaurant is simply by saying two words - Theater District. I can't think of anyone I know that actually eats or goes out in this neighborhood unless they are a tourist, going to a Broadway show, or actually live in the area. Even most people that live in the area venture further west because the food is better, and it's not catering to Midwest tourists. Caffe Cielo is an average Italian restaurant, that on a Saturday night at 8:30 was barely crowded, never a good sign for any place. Wines were about average, both in price and selection, and the prices as a whole were about what you would expect from a touristy area, a few dollars more for everything, and just not worth the price. The price is even worse once you actually start eating. If you like standard Italian food, with big portions, and the price to match, this is the right place.

By no means is this actually "Northern Italian" like the restaurant claims, and my starter of Insalata Graziosa, was quite bland. A nice combo salad on paper with arugula, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella, the salad needed more dressing and bite than a sprinkle of lemon juice and olive oil. Not to mention the fact that the sun dried tomato totally overpowered any other flavor in the dish because there was too much of it. Others at the table didn't even finish their salads, and the plate of "fresh" mozzarella tomatoes and basil was disappointing. The tomatoes tasted like something from Met Food and the mozzarella was very watery and crumbly.

For a main course I had a grilled swordfish with capers, olives, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and oregano. The swordfish tasted like they forgot to salt and pepper it before grilling, and was a bit over cooked and tough. The sauce was actually quite tasty, but again needed some salt and tended to overpower the normally strong flavor of the swordfish. The other dishes around the table looked nice, but not surprisingly no one finished their meals. While service was nice, the food was very average, and might impress someone visiting New York who only knows Italian food from pizza places and Olive Garden.

Caffe Cielo (why the extra F in Cafe?)