The Alex & The Eleanor + 1

A Brooklyn restaurant that made the leap to Manhattan  - does that mean Brooklyn is the new Manhattan or Manhattan is the new Brooklyn? Whichever it was, it’s a rare thing and bodes well for the restaurant. It is an interesting space with very high ceilings and huge windows,  and they have finished it like a bistro - dark wood, marble table tops, tiles and mirrors on the walls, and lights dimmed way down. Except for the inevitable noise from all those hard surfaces and high ceiling, it is very pleasant room.

The menu is broken up into what is becoming increasing common little segments - one for salumi and cheese, one for bruschetta, one for salads, one for appetizers, one for pasta, one for meat, one for fish and one for sides.  We hopped around the menu a bit, splitting a white bean and tuna bruschetta and a side of roasted cauliflower and I got mussels, and A getting pasta. The wine list was good sized, with a number of wines by the glass and quartrino .

The bruschetta was quite tasty, the tuna was not overpowering at all, more a subtle addition, which is not an easy thing for tuna to be.  We were also given a plate of the fried artichokes, compliments of the kitchen, which was very interesting - its very thin slices of the whole artichoke, which made me think of seafood or insects when fried up - the leaves look like tentacles or legs or something. Not being a big fan of artichokes, I wasn’t in love with the dish, but it was very addictive and I ate far more then I should have.

The cauliflower came well ahead of our main courses, but was very nice - a trio of romencsco, purple and regular roasted with capers and garlic. My only compliment would be the pieces would be better off smaller - I had no place to cut them up on my bowl of mussels. The mussels were plump and flavorful, with saffron and pancetta complimenting, not overwhelming the flavor. Alex’s pasta was also good, al dente pasta with a duck filling, but the sauce, which was really more broth like was amazing. Though rich and meaty, it wasn’t heavy, just incredibly flavorful.

Lunetta is a welcome addition to a neighborhood that is already full of very good restaurants, the food and the space are spot on, the service needs a bit of work still, but as it had been open less then a week, I except those small issues will be worked out.

B+/A-