Brunch at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York


We were looking for a place to get some brunch with our friends Jen and Gary and ended up at Tartinery in Nolita. I was expecting a small bistro, but when we arrived, we discovered a fairly modern place that seems to cater to a younger crowd rather than families.
image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

Although, there is a bit of nostalgia as can attest the black and white photos on the walls (Jimi Hendrix, Serge Gainsbourg, a popular and scandalous French singer on top of his career between 1970 to 1991 when he passed away - check his interaction with Whitney Houston on Youtube...).

There are two main sections: upstairs, next to the bar, where couple of tables are lined up.
image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

And downstairs, a more spectacular room with huge ceilings and wine bottles sitting in enclosures several feet from the floor, only accessible using the iron ladder.
image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

The restaurant describes itself as a contemporary bistro: I would agree, although it can give the impression of dining in a dungeon!

image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

Well, as you probably know, restaurants assign a number to their tables; at Tartinery, they paint the number on the tables themselves...so there is no confusion...

image of Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

Let's talk about the menu: the main concept is a tartine, a French term for a slice of bread with a spread on top. At Tartinery, it is simply a whole meal served on a piece of rustic bread. Imagine a buschetta but with limitless choices on top of the bread. There, you can pick three different breads: country peasant and health multigrain from Eli's bakery or rustic sourdough from Poilane bakery in Paris.

Before we started our meal, we ordered some beverages. Gary went for a beer from Corsica called Pietra.
image of Pietra beer from Corsica at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

I went for a fresh squeezed juice, the Delicious Trio, made with apple, pineapple and orange:
image of Delicious trio fresh squeeze juice at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

This was very good, the taste of each fruit still standing on it's own.
image of Delicious trio fresh squeeze juice at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

But an espresso was also welcome.
image of espresso at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

Anyway, before we ordered our tartines, there was one dish that caught my eye: Ravioles De Royans. Ravioles are little ravioli filled with cheese that you find in the Dauphiné province. It is sold in supermarkets, usually in sheets of 48 ravioles (left), and are cooked like pasta (right).

image of ravioles in France image of ravioles in France

They can be eaten simply with a cheese sauce (Crème fraîche and roquefort is succulent), in gratin or even on pizza (all photos from my last trip to France - and yes, I take photos of everything I eat)!
image of pizza with ravioles in France

At Tartinery, they made the ravioles with some cream and truffle oil.

image of ravioles de Royans at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

This was small and it is unfortunate because I would have eaten it on my own. It was so good, so creamy, with just a hint of truffle scent.
image of ravioles de Royans at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

If you go to Tartinery, you cannot miss this dish!

Then, we had our tartines. Jodi ordered the Saint Marcellin:
image of Saint Marcelin tartine at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

 It was composed of Saint Marcellin cheese, prosciutto, arugula and olive oil.
image of Saint Marcelin tartine at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

It looked good, but was a total miss: not enough cheese and the prosciutto was very, very, very salty.

Jen and I each ordered the Croque Monsieur:
image of Croque Monsieur at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

It was made of cooked ham chiffonade, gruyere cheese and béchamel sauce. 
image of Croque Monsieur at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

This was another miss: dry probably because not enough béchamel sauce and very salty. 

Gary seemed to have a better chance with the Benedict tartine.
image of Benedict tartine at Tartinery in Nolita, NYC, New York

I was so disappointed when I left: not only I did not like the food, but I thought it was overpriced. This is unfortunate because this is a great concept. At least I got the delicious ravioles...

Enjoy (...)!

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