The Early Word on Bohr and Hardy's Charlie Bird

[Bess Adler]
Charlie Bird, the new Soho restaurant from sommelier Robert Bohr and chef Ryan Hardy, opened just a few weeks ago, and it's already garnering a lot of attention. So far, the reviews are full of raves for Hardy's "Italian influenced, American executed" menu, from the chitarra nero pasta to the suckling pig. Many of the early reviews also praise the wine program, which is a collaboration between Bohr, who was a partner at the now-shuttered Cru, and Charlie Bird's sommelier, Grant Reynolds. Here's a look at what early diners are saying:

The Good News: This Yelper loves almost every dish she tries: "The star of the appetizers though was the chicken liver. We had to ask for more bread to make sure every single morsel was scraped out of that bowl... For dinner, the majority of us had the Chitarra Nero, but I also got to try the suckling piglet and the Cappellacci which were all delicious and will not disappoint. My friend who got the skate inhaled it without offering, so I'll assume she liked her dish too." [Yelp]

The Average News: Another reviewer on Yelp, however, is more divided on the place. She praises the "great waiter, lovely decor," and "delicious appetizers." But ultimately, she files some complaints: "SUPER loud restaurant, hostess with a bit of an attitude, and not great large plates. The waiter really sold the rigatoni and I thought it was totally average at best, as was the black bass. We also had two of the vegetable sides (artichoke, scarpece) and they were both quite bland." [Yelp]

The Solid Service News: Eater Commenter BigAppleDining reports back from a first visit: "Food was pretty damn good I must say. Our portion of the Chitarra Nero (split into two bowls), was excellent and worth the $20...Waitstaff was completely more chill than at Cru. Service was quite pleasant/easy going. Cru and Charlie Bird = birds of a different feather, so to speak...Bohr was on the floor. He stopped over, filled our glasses once, but the waitress we had and Grant, who was really the acting wine guy, were both great." [Eater Comments]

The Ripoff News: Over on Chowhound, one lengthy review finds much to fault in a recent meal, and comes down especially hard on a few dishes: "The langoustine was in my opinion 'fishy' in taste and smell and when I mentioned to one of owners he said it was impossible since it was split open live. That may have been the case but nevertheless not enjoyable. Also details such as uncracked legs were minor distractions as you could not eat leg meat and for $24 for 2 langoustines, I want every bit!" Meanwhile the tripe, "was cooked to death and lacked that 'tripey' taste one expects w the dish," and the "Chitarra with crabmeat had so little crabmeat you needed an electron microscope to find any!" [Chowhound]

The Perfect News: A tipster writes in with a glowing review of a recent dinner. "One of the top 3 dining experiences I've had all year. Been recommending it to everyone. Blown away by how meticulous the service was 5 days after opening. Food was absolutely perfect, very simple, very well executed. Had half-grilled langoustines that were the best I've ever had. Bone marrow was? bone marrow, starting to get overplayed everywhere. Scallops in brown butter? Epic. Pasta with pork and peas? Marea-esque. Suckling Pig? Don't get me started. Cocktails and wine were great as well." [Eater Tipline]

The Al Fresco News: One Yelper, who calls it "one of the best new additions to the neighborhood," praises the, "Great space, attentive staff, great location," and particularly loves "how they can open up the huge floor to ceiling windows and give you that indoor/outdoor experience." [Yelp]

The Great News: On his blog, Vinous, Antonio Galloni gushes over his meal, which he says consisted of "hearty, soulful food you can eat every day, rather than only on special occasions." More on the food: "We started with the grilled langoustines, which were sweet, packed with flavor and perfectly cooked. The chiles weren't at all necessary, as the langoustines were absolutely delicious on their own. Hardy's cappellacci with ramps, peas and guanciale guanciale (pig cheeks) was terrific. We could have easily devoured a second portion. The combination of bright spring flavors with the richness of the and perfectly cooked pasta worked beautifully." [Vinous]

The Twitter News: Danny Meyer himself tweets about a "Wonderful first dinner @CharlieBirdNYC showing all the signs of being a treasured #NYC keeper." One diner tweets "WOW. @CharlieBirdNYC crushes. Order: razor clams, farro, gnocchi... Brilliant must: @robertbohr chooses the wine for the table. PERFECTION." And the folks at Neta add, "if u haven't made ur way 2 @charliebirdnyc make sure u make your way down there soon, killing it #bestitalianinnyc." [Twitter]
· All Coverage of Charlie Bird [~ENY~]