The only thing Cervo's doesn't have going for it right now is location. If it wasn't in such a strange part of the city (no offense to the area, it just is what it is), I'm sure it would have more than two reviews at this point. It certainly deserves more attention. It's on the same block as the famed Dimes--where Canal Street ends/feeds in the East Broadway. It's absolutely worth the trek, though. Though small and unassuming, Cervo's is a seafood powerhouse. Whether you have a hankering for raw fish or something of the cooked variety, Cervo's has something you'll enjoy. I can almost guarantee it. Clean flavors and fabulously fresh ingredients consumed in close quarters with lots and lots of wine. This isn't your place if you're looking to find yourself in a food coma post-meal, but I personally don't like feeling weighed down after eating so I was happy to experience this.
Cervo's is perfect for a date or a small girls dinner. Trendy, dimly lit, lots of wine. The front area is filled with covetable bar seating and a few high top tables (very lively overall) while the back is more of a traditional, sit-down vibe. The front lends itself to good energy/good service, so I recommend that. Plus, you'll be closer to the wine that way.
The wine here is a serious draw. Lots of great options, a good number of them available by the glass. All wine here is Portuguese or Spanish, I believe. They'll let you try whatever you want, and pours (both tastes and full pours) are quite generous. They're eager for you to reach your highest level of enjoyment here, a vibe that's palpable here. I went with one Riesling-esque white and one sparkling white, while my friend stuck with sparkling rosé. All super delicious and refreshing, which paired perfectly with the meal.
Food-wise, opt for sharing. The small plates bring a lot more to the table (counterintuitive, I guess). Fair warning--because these dishes are so light, you'll need a decent number of them to fill you up. And they ain't cheap. We managed to do okay, though--two glasses of wine each and five small plates brought us to around $120.
It pained me that I'm gluten-free, because there's so much potential damage to be done with the sourdough bread here. Others have complained about them charging for bread here (I think it's lame too, for what it's worth), but it makes sense from a money-making perspective. Every single dish we ordered was either bathing in olive oil or white wine sauce, and all of that goodness was wasted because we didn't order bread. It's sad to watch them clear those plates with pools of missed opportunities still sitting there. So, if you can order bread, I'd still recommend it. Our eats, below:
Squid escabeche with cucumber and tomato: A
Light but still super flavorful. Nice seasoning on the squid--just enough to give it some complexity but not overpowering. The cucumber and tomato were worthy accompaniments and paired very well with the squid. My friend preferred the rings over the tentacles, but I enjoyed both equally. Depends on how important crispiness is to you. Though this was in the "Raw Bar" section, it seemed pretty cooked to me.
Tuna crudo with celery and mint: A
Another light, delicious starter. More delicate, thoughtful accompaniments in the celery/onions/seasoning. They let the seafood shine here, which is a serious relief. I can't stand when restaurants try to get too fancy with seafood and end up drowning the natural flavors in heavy sauces. As mentioned before, you're getting clean flavors with hardly any sauce (plenty of oil, though).
Beef tartare with littleneck clams: A-
A very curious preparation. It was tasty, but definitely a bit puzzling to the tastebuds. Though this certainly looked like a beef tartare preparation, the flavor of the clams overpowered the mildness of the beef. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm wondering if ratios were a little off. That said, still good and definitely giving them props here for risk-taking/creativity. Not an ingredient combo I would've come up with on my own. But hey, a seafood-forward restaurants needs to include seafood wherever it can, so it makes sense.
Bluefish conserva with braised leeks and hazelnuts: A+
Probably the most diverse dish we had. Sorry for the redundancy, but again, flavor was on point. This dish was particularly impressive because while it was a small plate, each component was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The braised leeks were addicting and the bluefish itself was yummy too. Nice variety of hot/cold, good mix of textures too.
Manila clams with garlic and vinho verde: A
What you see is what you get. Teeny tiny clams and not much else. These will not fill you up, but I can safely say that you will delight in eating them. read more