I don't know what I was thinking when I booked a Restaurant Week dinner; hello, the whole point is to save money! I guess I was thinking that dinner would be easier for a restaurant in my neighborhood. Oh well. Yes, it was more money, but yes, it was a delicious meal, so it WAS worth it...
In my quest to try restaurants featuring executive chefs I enjoy watching on tv, I chose MP Taverna because Michael Psilakis is the chef. I greatly enjoy Greek food anyway, and he is always an engaging personality on tv AND his food always looks amazing. Why it's taken me so long to make it to a restaurant that's technically around my house is a mystery. However, it's not quite as close to my house as I imagined. I left a little early, figuring it would take me about a half hour to walk over there. No, it was more like 40 minutes because I got my street names mixed up. If I had realized how far over the place actually was, I would've taken the subway or a green cab. I guess the walk did me good, but I was a little overheated and a little tired before I even got to MP Taverna.
MP Taverna is a very nice, modern spot, with a small ground floor (but a generous bar area) and a much larger second floor dining room. It's a lot of chrome and exposed brick, with rustic wood tables and an informal vibe. I liked that, though I have to admit that there was a large group dining on the second floor and they were a little too loud and rambunctious for my tastes. On the one hand, I was happy to see families encouraged to dine there, but I do wish the kids would sit down and be quiet. Get off my lawn. : )
The big group may also have impacted the speed with which I was served - my server seemed a tad overwhelmed and it took a long time to get my food, though my bill arrived promptly. She did at least apologize and thank me for my patience, and I wasn't in a hurry, so it wasn't a huge deal. I don't think I would try to go there if I had an appointment afterwards, though.
Because it was so noisy (ha, like I wouldn't have ordered wine anyway), I decided to get a nice glass of wine to start. Ordinarily, I drink red wine, but since I was already a little overheated, I ordered a white wine instead. I got a falanghina, which was incredible. I need to drink it more often; it's just really a perfect wine for almost any food. For my appetizer, I got the grilled octopus, which is served with a chickpea salad and on top of yogurt. This was simply delicious. The octopus was tender and meaty, and a little smoky from the grill char, and it was perfectly paired with the meaty and tender chickpeas. Having it all on top of a creamy, acidic yogurt sauce was perfect. It was an excellent start to my meal.
For my main course, I almost got the dumplings, but I decided to get the grilled lamb instead. I'm a big fan of lamb and almost never order it. This was a wonderful dish - three grilled lamb chops, served atop a grilled lemon wedge, and it had a creamy lemon sauce on top. The lamb was perfectly pink, very juicy and succulent. It was served beside really crispy potato wedges, which I loved. I am a very big fan of crispy potatoes - they were seasoned perfectly and were a nice contrast to the soft lamb. Yummy.
Two of the dessert courses have walnuts in them, so I asked my server if the chocolate halvah brownie also had nuts. She said no, but it did have a nut garnish. I asked if I could have the brownie without the garnish and she said no problem. I don't know how much of a nut garnish there normally is, but the brownie looked pretty skimpy on the big, white plate. I'm thinking they should probably serve the brownie on a smaller plate, to look more significant. The brownie was incredibly delicious, though, very fudgy and rich, with a nice tahini ice cream on the side, it just looked ridiculously tiny on that huge plate.
I totally have to go back to MP Taverna (and will remember to take the subway next time) because their menu is really amazing. Everything sounded good to me. I'm actually considering going back again for Restaurant Week, but for lunch next time. Saving money AND eating well is the best of both worlds...
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