Northern Spy Food Co 03-27-2010

Location: 511 E. 12th St.
Time: 6pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: Northern Spy Food Co is my new favorite spot in East Village, and they also serve RB's favorite pork dish of his life. Their mantra is to cook locally grown and sustainably produced food. This, combined with the warm and minimalist decor surely make every city girl swoon. This is a perfect place to have brunch or dinner with your girlfriends, and if you take your date out here, she will certainly be pleased.

As soon as I went in, I felt like I was in a small neighborhood restaurant in the countryside. I have to admit I have never really visited the countryside, but I assume this is how it would be! Their tables and benches are adorable, and the staff is very warm and friendly.

The large selection of microbrewery gave RB a big smile. He chose Two Brothers Domaine Dupage ($6), which was smooth and buttery thick and resembled the texture of a good scotch. RB stays away from liquor due to the smell that reminds him of hangover days, but he was able to enjoy the smooth taste without any unpleasant reminders. Every pregnant woman like myself or people who don't indulge should order blood orange seltzer ($3), which was the perfect mixture of tangy, sweet and refreshing. It was incredibly fresh and a great way to start a meal.

My favorite type of produce is root vegetables, especially turnips, so when I saw Farmer's Salad on the menu, ($10, kohlrabi, turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes with yogurt vinaigrette) I was quite excited. All the veggies were fresh, and I could really taste the earthy flavor. They were perfectly cooked: not too soft, not too al dente, but they all had a nice bite to them. The yogurt dressing was tangy and not too creamy, and it did not distract the flavor of veggies. When you have such fresh produce, you really don't need anything else, so I appreciate that they did not over-season the salad.

Are you ready to hear about the best pork dish of RB's life? Upon hearing about their pork reputation, I suggested he order it ($17, Fleisher's pastured pork). He was silent for the duration of his dish but occasionally looked up with a smile and a glazed look in his eye. The pork was terrifically tender, moist and fatty. It was stuffed with herbs, breaded and lightly pan fried to form a lovely croquette and served over a tasty mild sour kraut and crispy potatoes.

Northern Spy not only caters to health conscious girl like myself but also to gents who enjoy a pint and mean pork dish. The portion at this place is a bit small, but I am certain you will be satisfied with their quality of food. And if you are still hungry, all you need to do is to pick up some delicious curly fries from Kool Bloo across the street. (which I will cover on tomorrow's post)