WILDAIR ~ NYC

Hello friends...
Long time, no foodie chat! I've still been eating my way around the world, just haven't been stopping to write about it. But we're going to revamp things a little, and the addition of our new Insta page @HittingTheSpots will help get drool-worthy info straight to your eyes and taste buds. So make sure to follow us, and stay in touch!

But back on track with the ol' blog: let me regale you with a lovely meal I had recently at Wildair in NYC's Lower East Side. Located next door to its sister-joint Cosme, Wildair is billed as more of a wine bar, and the wine selection is divine, with knowledgable servers who will point any thirsty guest to the perfect bottle.

My friend and I started with this wacky and delish orange wine from Collio in NE Italy. (Orange wine, while often that color, basically refers to a white wine that's had skin contact. It will exhibit the aromas and flavors of the grape varieties it's made from, but also have more bitter phenolics and structure.) This was 80% Chardonnay and 20% Ribolla Gialla, was fermented in oak, and spent four weeks on the skins (that's a lot!) and was also aged four years before release. Just delish: complex, interesting, yet refreshing and quaffable. Glasses in hand, my friend and I split an array of smaller plates:

 We had to start with French breakfast radishes, because I JUST discovered these last week (seriously?!?!) The spring version of your typical round red radish, these are not super-spicy, and their crunchy freshness is a perfect palate-prepping nibble. Served atop a seaweed butter for dipping, these went quickly. (Only tiny issue was that the butter was a bit solid and, when scraped up, would often fall off your piece. Minor squabble.)

Next up, "Sicilian sashimi." If you can say that five times fast, you get a prize! Kind of felt like a cross between ceviche and sashimi, as these were served with oils and herbs and "winter citrus." All so yummers, but the scallop in particular was mind-boggling, and melted in the mouth.

If you miss diner hashbrowns from your childhood (or hungover collegiate weekends,) the Wildair potato darphin is for you. Like a hashbrown pie topped with a liberal amount of creamy, sweet Maine uni, and a kiss of jalapeño, this was grownup comfort food galore. We commented that if they'd brought us the rest of the quarters, we'd have eaten every morsel.

Sorry to tell you that the photo of the confit bacon toast, with pickled pineapple and njuda butter was dark and blurry. Topped with greens, it wasn't super-instagrammable to begin with, but was also a great dish.

Finally, the fried squid, with lemon and squid ink mayo: my friend and I are always up for a calamari scenario, but this was elevated light-years above the typical. Lightly battered (felt like tempura?) and perfectly crispy, with the tangy and rich mayo for dipping... we were so full by this point, but polished it off anyway!

It would be derivative to describe Wildair's menu as "fancy bar food," but with shareable portions, you could really just have a nibble with a few glasses of wine. Or be like us and create your own tasting menu! (We did experiment with a few more wines as well, but that Ponka was our total fave. Hopefully they'll get more in and make it a permanent part of the list!)

Wildair is not the kind of place to come on a budget, but I felt the prices were fair, given the creativity, deliciousness, and attention to detail, both in the kitchen and in the dining room. I can't wait to return! Bon appetit!

DEETS:

WILDAIR, 142 Orchard St, NYC

646-964-5624

info@wildair.nyc

IG: @wildairnyc

A few online reservations available, but only for large parties, mostly walk-ins.

Hours: Sun-Thur 6-11pm, Fri-Sat 6-12:30am (<Kitchen closes at 11:30pm)

Prices: Smaller plates $10-27, larger plates $22-140 (<that's the 24 oz waygu strip, invite me, I'll share!)

Handful of cocktails, beer, liqueurs, and a large and interesting wine list.