Eating out with friends with different expectations can be a bit tricky. I was a bit dismayed to discover this recently in New York with three friends, two new ones from London and one from Seattle. I suggested we lunch at Mario Batali’s Casa Mono in the stylish Union Square neighborhood of New York.

Batali’s restaurant website says:

Casa Mono: New York City, New York

Mario’s Spanish taverna with a New York sensibility. Choose from over 500 wines and another dozen Sherries. Small plates, tapas-style, are all the rage, but traditional appetizers and entrees, spun beautifully by Mario and Chef Andy Nusser, will make you long for Barcelona. Marion Burros of The New York Times says Mario has, "another hit on his hands.” 

So I’m thinking: amazing Spanish wines, creative small plates we can share … oh, yeah! What a way to spend a relaxing afternoon in NYC with friends? Right?

To make things even a bit more complicated, when Beverly or I suggest restaurants, it seems to elevate them somehow in our friends’ minds…so there’s always a bit of pressure on our suggestions to deliver. Granted I had never eaten there, but had good advice from our wonderful NYC guest blogger, Umit Celebi, and the review from Marion Burros, so I was confident this spot would be a winner.

As for me, I have always enjoyed meals at other Mario Batali restaurants. So I wasn’t surprised when I thought the food was amazing. The wine selection was out of this world, and the atmosphere and service were both impeccable. My favorites were the Butternut Squash and Cana de Cabra with Pickled Figs, Pulpo with Fennel and Grapefruit, and Scallops with Cranberry Puree and Apples. (All pictured here).

Everyone at the table but me had traveled to Spain and had eaten numerous times at taverns in Barcelona, Seville and what seemed like every other major city in Spain. They were very familiar with traditional tapas, (and I suspected), Spain’s bar scene. So my new friends were not nearly as impressed with this “popular spin” on Spanish bar food as I was. The prices and the “frou-frou-ness” of the food and wine was a bit much for them, even though for the quality and creativeness, I thought the price was extremely fair.

But this is New York. This is Mario Batali’s “take” on Spanish tavern food and a celebrated wine list. This is not your ordinary tapas bar. Thank goodness! I’ll be going back and maybe I’ll invite friends … or not.

Casa Mono
52 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
located between 17th and 18th Sts.
Phone: 212-253-2773