GOTTINO IN THE WEST VILLAGE

I love entering into a warm restaurant on a cold dreary morning to be welcomed by a plate piled high with flaky and buttery pastries, it's enough to restore the life sucked away by the chilly winds outside.  This past weekend, the very gracious food blogger, Jessica, hosted FoodMayhem's first meet-up at Gottino, a cozy Italian wine bar and popular brunch spot in the West Village.

Judging from Jessica's review, I had plenty of good food to look forward to at Gottino. Without any haste, we dug into the Surfer Waffle, a thick belgian waffle lightly drizzled with maple syrup, and topped with eggs, prosciutto and cheese.  This dish was a big hit at our table. Shortly afterward I found out that these waffles are an off-the-menu item, so if you're interested, be sure to ask for it when you visit.

Since we heard scrambled eggs ($9) were the specialty at Gottino, several versions of the dish were ordered at the table, one with sun-dried tomatoes and cheese, and another with lox, cheese and capers, both served with thin slices of toasted artisan bread. No big deal, right?

 

And with the first bite, I instantly understood what all the fuss was about, these were perhaps the tastiest, fluffiest, mousse-like eggs that have ever hit my tongue. I paid closer attention to the technique behind the making of scrambled eggs at Gottino. It turns out the restaurant utilizes dry steam from the espresso machine to cook these eggs! How ingenious!

Jessica who has dined here several times ordered a rustic dish composed of long thin slices of apples topped with walnuts ($8). It was quite tasty with a medley of wonderfully chewy, crunchy and hearty textures. As with each of the aforementioned dishes, the creations were simple but it was the emphasis on high quality ingredients that made the experience so outstanding. Much can also be said about the staff, who were attentive and polite.

At the end of the meal, we received complimentary shot of Gottino's rich and creamy hot chocolate made from bits of dark ganache. I couldn't have asked for a sweeter ending!