A few days ago, we finally made it to DuMont in Williamsburg.  Small menu, seasonal, local… sure, we all know the gimmick.  But in the case of DuMont, it is done to perfection.
They’ve put together a punchy, well curated, wine list to go with their traditional modern American menu.  We rarely drink South African wine but their 2004 Tantra had just the right balance of fruit and spice to match our rare hanger steak. Also, their scallops with bacon and wild mushroom were extraordinary.  Anecdotally, we had dinner at David …

The classic, traditional Italian-style restaurant has had so many gimmicks and incarnations in New York that I’m always skeptical of trying a new one.  So after a friend suggested Peasant for a relaxed after work meal last week, I sort of cringed.
But a few days later, I showed up by myself a few minutes early for our reservation, ducked into the restaurant out of the cold whipping wind-driven snow, and felt like I had been transported.  The dark room was lit primarily by the ambient light being thrown out of the …