My friend, who, with her partner (not to drop names) supplies the cheeses to No Saint, chose this for a dinner for us together. She only said "it will blow your mind." I eat a lot of delicious food. Guess what?
The food blew my flipping mind.
I let my friend choose our meal. We started with the kampachi & elderflower crudo. It was gorgeous! The color of the kampachi, when accompanied by the charred cucumbers and actual elderflowers was a wow first dish. So delicious! The bread, a type I had never seen before - like a puffy pita, but so much better - was used to sop up the crudo drizzle, and then the sauce accompanying the padrons.
Those padrons. I love padrons, and had never found a restaurant that had a sauce or dip that did anything to highlight the taste or add any culinary value. Until No Saint. Listen to this - there was a pepper aioli, but on top of that was the most beautiful, brilliant green oil. I found out later it was a mint oil. I had never tasted mint oil, and somehow it was perfect with the savory padrons. The confetti cilantro (which I've bought at the Montavilla farmers market but never had the heart to use it instead of regular basil - never again will confetti basil die in vain in my fridge!) was so delicious! The lime was almost imperceptible, but we finally recognized it and talked about how it added the final touch.
Next, the endive Caesar salad. I love good food - cooking good food, eating good food, reading about good food! Still, I have never loved endive. I've never bought it for a meal. I would walk past the endives in the market and avoid eye contact. To say the endive was amazing in this salad is to undersell the salad! Often, I think the simplest of dishes show if a place is good, down to the basics. Often there is a "twist" that drives me crazy. Or the dish is just bad! This Caesar was so good my friend and I carefully divided the last of it so there would be no hard feelings.
For our entrees, my friend chose the Morel and Asparagus Lasagnette, and Snap Peas and Mortadella pizza. I would have chosen one of the red sauce pizzas - I not a fan of most "white" pizzas. Thank god she didn't let me choose!
The lasagnette was the circumference of a lasagna serving, but half as tall (or less). That isn't a criticism! Again, the brilliant green of the arugula pesto made the presentation. The handmade pasta kicked. We separated the lasagnette into two pieces. It's a good thing we did, because I would not have been able to stop at half. I can't describe the flavor, but if they have it on the menu when you go, get it!
The pizza arrived. Not only was it a white pizza, but covered in pistachios. I'm not a kvetcher, so I just took a bite. Frigging hell - it was good. Exceptionally good. The flavors of the toppings, the basil puree, nutmeg, and lemon (as well as the aforementioned pistachios) sang in perfect harmony. I was almost stuffed when it came, but could not put it down! I ate two pieces, and then my friend said we should stop, to save room for dessert. This friend of mine is skinny. She's always been skinny, and it isn't something she makes happen. She just has those skinny genes. I am not skinny, and felt like I was going to burst. I have never seen my friend stop because she was full!
She ordered the tiramisu, and I asked for a cappuccino on the side. The tiramisu came out, and it was the circumference and height of your regular piece of lasagne! Another example of a common Italian dish that can be really, really done wrong. Not at No Saint. No Saint nailed the landing.
I left full, but also feeling lighter. The meal had been a revelation, the restaurant design a welcoming, wonderful place. The pizzaolos are in the center of the room, back-to-back with the bartender. Not literally back to back. I hope you get what I mean. It is wide open and not packed with knickknacks or over-staged art - it made me want to not just clean my house, but toss half of the stuff in it! I never choose to sit at the bar (Except for Lucky Horseshoe - the bar is the best!). My friend chose the bar, and once again (I know, I'm getting repetitive) it was the ideal place for us. The stools are really comfortable. The wide bar is perfect for fitting lots of plates and glasses, and you get to see so much.
I left, and the next morning, when I woke up, the food I ate at No Saint was my first thought. Throughout the day, one dish or another would pop into my mind. I love going to all the different restaurants, but now I just want Old Saint. Am I ready to finally commit and stop playing the field? I might not be able to resist. read more