Yet another N.Y. quickie

Psychchef and I recently did a 2 1/2 day food blitz in Manhattan. Food was, with little exception, incredable and service was stellar. I've been going periodically since '87, and it just gets better, and for the last 2 visits the service has really shined. Here's the rundown.
Friday(1/2 day)
Casa Mono-great little place with great little plates-seared octopus with mint, fennel and grapefruit; seared pork belly with pork confit, headcheese and balsamic.
Blind Tiger-great beer bar-Smutnose IPA, Capt. Lawrence Imperial pale ale.
Little Branch-wonderful below street level cocktail bar-rye whiskey sour rye manhattan, Martin Miller Westbourne Strength gin martinis
Blue Ribbon-always great-fried sardines, Greek salad, sweetbreads, bone marrow w/ oxtail marmalade.
Korean bbq place for late night dose of beef noodle soup and steamed mandoo pancake.
Saturday
Abraco-new coffee place-drip method by the cup, olive oil poundcake
Prune-Great fried oyster omellette, lamb sausage, potato rosti, and bloody caesars
Russ & Daughters-state of the art smoked fish and more-double smoked Danish salmon
McSorley's-old standby bar-you order a house brew and they give you not one but 2 mugs of it
Lupa-beautiful balsamic and mustard braised lamb shortribs, tripe in tomato sauce, brussel sprouts with (too much)pecorino
Porto Rico-good coffee
Bar 288-beer, Blind Tiger-more beer, Anissa-1/2 martini
Hakata Tonton-one of those special N.Y. spots-Japanese run all pig's feet menu. ( O.K.-at least 80% pig's feet) Vietnam style pigfoot springroll, grilled pigfoot with salt, lobster sandwich, pigfoot hotpot, pigfoot bibim bop.
At the end they give you 25 cents to reimburse your reservation call and a tablet of pez(grape, not pigfoot flavor)
Death & Co.-incredable cocktail bar experience-scotch dram, rye sour, rye special, rye manhattan. A must-go place
Momofuku ssam bar-12 pickle plate, fried pig's head, country ham served with "red eye gravy"-miso and coffee bean sauce.
Momofuku Noodle bar-killer chicken wings, smoked duck breast, deep-fried sweetbread nuggets, grilled beef tongue.
Sunday
Pick-me-up-coffee
Pickle Guy-fresh and half-sours
Fatty Crab-chicken wings, pork belly buns, and wonderful seared pork belly with pickled watermelon.
Gaslight-bar in meat-packing district-negroni
Florent-classic 24 hour joint-mussels w/ fries, caesar salad w/ poached egg. (nothing special)
More Korean for last stop-edamame, mandoo, and noodle soup.
So many new places to try-can't wait to get back-did I mention that mighty service?

If you liked Momofuku (I've never been), there is an interesting portrait of the founder either in the current issue of the New Yorker the issue just before.

Jonah

How was Prune? I have tried to go several times on last minute occasions but the wait has been out of control. Did you try the radishes and butter?

Jonah-yes I liked both Momofukus very much, and found them quite different. I did read a piece on the chef recently, but I don't recall the source. It sounds like he had a tough climb for awhile.
Shaggywillis-Prune was quite good-I only had the dishes I mentioned, but everything was executed perfectly. I should add that this was brunch on a Saturday-we only waited about 5 minutes. Maybe just lucky...

There are so many restaurants in NYC that my tendency is to keep trying new places instead of returning to the ones I've enjoyed. Casa Mono will break that pattern.
A friend and I had a simply dazzling dinner there last week. After a couple of glasses of tempranillo next door at Bar Jamon, their Spanish wine bar, we dove into Casa Mono's extensivemenu.
The space is small, dark and impossibly crowded, yet the servers move around with ease, attending to the smallest details. Regrettably, I didn't make a note of everything we ordered (we did have the octopus and the skirt steak--both amazing), but the memory of all those delicious flavors and textures will bring me back there again soon. With my camera.

Casa Mono/Bar Jamon
52 Irving Place
212-253-2773

Paul SL,
That is a conundrum of eating in N.Y.-wanting to go back to the tried and true gems,(as I do with Blue Ribbon) and at the same time discovering the host of amazing new places. Our experience with Casa Mono was like yours: great food, exceptional service. Our server (looked like a N.Y. hipster) and was beyond professional in every aspect of his service. If I seem to be gushing, I am. I just don't see this in Chicago.