Harold Dieterle's third West Village restaurant The Marrow opened just just before Christmas. This is Dieterle's third West Village project with partner Alicia Nosenzo, after Perilla and the Thai restaurant Kin Shop. So far, the reaction to the German-Italian hybrid seems to be rather mixed. Let's take a look at the early word.
The Good News: One Chowhounder has a whole lot of praise for the restaurant: "The atmosphere was very pleasant, with a hint of rustic casual but very polished nonetheless. I would put it in between Perilla and Kin Shop as re formality, though closer to Perilla. Service from all staff was attentive but not overly aggressive. While it certainly had the buzz of conversation, we had no problems hearing each other; tables were reasonably spaced. In all, we thoroughly enjoyed the meal, especially at the price point. I continue to think that Harold Dieterle is a master of combining flavor combinations that work well together and keeping everything in balance, while not doing anything too out of the box (good for taking folks that aren't too adventurous!) Look forward to seeing what he continues to do." [Chowhound]
The Horrible News: An Eater commenter (who took an almost-identical criticism to Yelp) was less pleased: "No level of friendly earnest service can compensate for the pretentious mediocre food at over inflated prices this new German Italian establishment serves. It occupies the same location as the previous and highly regarded Paris Commune on 99 Bank street which we made the fatal mistake of assuming would be of similar quality and value. The only good thing about this Resteraunt was the company we came in with. Avoid at all costs, just Horrible!" [Eater Comments]
The Foursquare News: Here's the most helpful Foursquare tip among six: "Get the duck schnitzel. The spaetzel is just OK. But the duck is great." [Foursquare]
The Nothing Wrong News: Here's the word from Mouthfuls: "The food here was basically dull. There was nothing wrong with it -- but there was nothing that made you think you need to come back. ... This is all a kind of food I like. And looking at the menu, there are a number of items that sound like things I'd like to go back and try, In fact, though, this was more the kind of place I'd go to if it were in my neighborhood than any kind of destination. The food at The Pines, to think of a vaguely similar recent opening, is much more compelling. This is more workmanlike; that has some magic." [Mouthfuls]
The Lovely News: The Yelp reviews are, generally, fairly positive, like this one: "Pillowy pretzel rolls conjured up Oktoberfest pretzels past. Foie gras served in a shot glass with a toddler-sized spoon.... Cheers, to that. The waitress was supremely attentive, at least once to the point of interrupting our conversation. One of us ordered iced tea, and they brought it to the table as a pot of hot tea served with a glass of ice -- which only leads to lukewarm iced tea. Brisket was tender and duck schnitzel - though a strange idea - was crisp and lemony. 'Apple hand pie' looked like high-end apple toaster strudel, served with delicious cheese ice cream. The wallpaper proved the topic of contentious debate though I appreciated the half-moon booths up front. Lovely ambience, for day 5, the bar was really swingin'. Extra points for a great name. Congratulations." [Yelp]
The Bland News: Another Yelper writes a a sort of free-form Yelp poem-review. Some highlights: "service is excellent with warmth to match competence." "wine list celebrates economic and regional diversity." "sexy, simple decor but only one OVER-SIZED bathroom!?!? Architecturally doesn't make sense." "duck schnitzel was cooked well but quite bland." "lamb neck was cooked well but quite bland with overly 'vinegared' red cabbage." The Yelper-poet also says the cuttlefish appetizer is "perfect" and praises the stout cake. [Yelp]
The Excited News: The blogger from a thing called NYC Nom Nom went on opening night: "We really enjoyed our meal and we were excited to be able to dine there on opening night. I can't say it was a top meal of 2012, but it was a solid meal and Mike and I agreed that it would be absolutely worth returning to try more. The schnitzel was certainly the stand out dish, followed directly by the bone marrow. I would skip the rabbit and the crudo if I were to return, but I'm glad we tried both. Can't wait to try more!" [NYC Nom Nom]
· All Coverage of The Marrow [~ENY~]