Little Maven has exceptional reviews across the board, which seemed a bit too good to be true upon initial review. While I don't think it was a five-star experience, it was a very solid four stars with a few clear highlights. As a restaurant that is New American-esque located in kind of a no-mans-land as far as defined neighborhoods are concerned, Little Maven does not have a strong identity, instead catering to a diverse crowd in terms of interests and expectations. The result is a spot that produces delicious, well-executed food, sometimes sticking with tradition, other times with a bit of playfulness and whimsy. In my opinion, it's likely to satisfy -- but not wow -- everyone. It's a spot that certain out-of-towners will enjoy and find impressive, and locals will find worthy, tasty, and with mild intrigue.
Came here at 8pm on a Saturday night. I made a reservation beforehand but there were plenty of openings available and there was a smattering of open tables when we arrived so I'm sure you could easily be sat as a walk-in if you end up deciding come to here last minute. The space is on the larger side for Manhattan but pretty standard for the area. The decor is colorful and abstract, with fun patterns adorning various elements of the space.
Though Little Maven seems to be known more as a wine rather than a cocktail destination, we ended up going for cocktails on this particular evening because we were going out with friends later and were trying to maintain a more high-energy vibe. The wine was definitely enticing, but the cocktail menu still offers a lot to get excited about, especially if you like agave-based drinks. I don't drink tequila but I love mezcal, and luckily one of the two margaritas listed on the menu -- the Spicy Passionfruit Margaritas -- can be made with mezcal if you specifically ask for it. It's made with passionfruit liqueur, yuzu koshu, and lime, and while it's advertised as being spicy, the spice level is mild at most (my partner, who is much more sensitive to spice than I am, tried it too and had a similar report). I then tried the Mezcal Meyer Lemon Negroni (Siete Misterios Mezcal, Luxardo Bitter Bianco, Le Mone Meyer Lemon Aperitif, Aveze), a white mezcal negroni variation that was bright and citrusy and a little sweet. Overall, both drinks were approachable and tasty, nothing too wacky or memorable but very good (again: worthy, taste, and with mild intrigue).
Food-wise, we attempted to balance what we had read was standout and what our server endorsed, which oddly had very little overlap. I can't say the menu overall has much cohesion, but each dish was solid at the very least to excellent at best, so planning and execution on a smaller scale is working very well here. They coursed it out well and the timing of each course was ideal, and that sort of thing can be taken for granted but it was particularly well managed here, so props to the service for making that happen. Eats, below:
Beet Salad w/ labneh, pistachio crumble, pomegranate: A-
People absolutely raved about this online. It was very good, but it didn't necessarily blow me away. A safe preparation but executed very well, with both golden and red beets and some nice punches of flavor with the pomegranate seeds.
Caesar Cups w/ endive cups, charred broccoli, garlic crumbs: A+
At the other end of the spectrum was this dish, which was familiar in flavor but very playful and creative in execution. The charred broccoli was an unusual touch that made the dish intriguing and memorable.
Tuna Tartare "Cannolis" w/ spicy tuna, crispy nori, sesame: A
The other memorable dish of the evening which almost seems obvious in hindsight yet it's something I'd never seen before. I've had plenty of sushi wrapped in nori and plenty of tuna tartare preparations but put altogether like this something totally new. Fresh and yummy and fun.
Shrimp Scampi w/ toasted garlic, tomato, white wine, Calabrian chili, fresh focaccia: A-
This one was highly recommended by our server but probably my least favorite of what we got, though it was still solid. I guess it didn't feel all that exciting after some of the more creative stuff, but the flavors were there and the tomatoes were a great complement.
Steamed Black Bass w/ green Thai coconut curry, roasted eggplant, sticky rice cake, toasted peanuts: A
Something about this dish was strange and really cohesive as a concept but each component was delicious and the flavors overall were excellent. Good coconut curry is hard to beat, and this one was no exception. read more