Little Giant

Do you know what that is? That, dear readers, is a pickle plate. A plateful of freshly pickled vegetables (beans! carrots! jicama! watermelon peel! red beets! yellow beets! and two kinds of onions!) that a group of us ordered last night to share at what may very well be my new favorite restaurant in New York: Little Giant. Something about that pickle plate sums up the loveliness of this place: simple but interesting, delicious but unpretentious, well-presented but unfussy.

A small, warm little storefront on the Lower East Side with just a smattering of tables, the restaurant is cozy and warm (though the staff seemed uniformly glum), not too loud (I've grown sensitive in my old age), and not uncomfortably full. Along with our plate of tangy pickles (with varying degrees of spice and sourness) to start, we nibbled on rosemary and orange-scented olives (picholine, I think?) and had sweet little quartinos of wine.

Our meal was delicious: the plates of arctic char with brussels sprouts and parsnip puree that some girls ordered were licked clean, and the short ribs with bourbon-molasses glaze, wild mushrooms, polenta and arugula were so big and flavorful that I actually took home leftovers for lunch today. A Kansas City native at the table said the short ribs weren't as moist as they could have been, but being an ignoramus of such details, I thought they were tasty as could be.

I loved that we could get a reservation without a hassle, that the room was well-lit and didn't smell unpleasantly of stale food, that the food was well-made with thought and care, that we didn't have to pay through the nose, that they brought us the bill with tiny rolls of Smarties, and that the attention to detail didn't overshadow the delicious food.

Oh, you'll probably want to know about dessert. We shared chocolate bread pudding with wee little cherries and a dollop of plain whipped cream, but I didn't need more than a spoonful or two, as the icing on the cake, to be convinced: I love this place and I can't wait to go back again. Especially since it'll mean more pickles. And what could be better than that?

Comments

[pam]

oh...you had me at Smarties...

if I ever find myself in NYC, I'm going to have to go there. Smarties!

[gemma]

I loved this place too but I tried going back there recently and they totally screwed up the reservation so we had to eat elsewhere. Still a bit annoyed with them but the food was so good I know I will forgive them soon.

[Tanna]

Pickle plate - wow. I really crave watermelon pickles!! The rest of the dinner sounds equally wonderful. Lucky girl and go back soon.

[shuna fish lydon]

"And what could be better than that?"

CHIKALICIOUS for dessert.

[RA]

I love pickles instead of bread and it's such a nice surprise. My parents used to take me to a place like that in NY when I was a little girl... maybe Wolf's? Your meal sounds so good.

You're almost at the end of NaBloPoMo and I think you're still going strong!

[Kevin]

A pickle plate without a pickle!!preposterous!!

really enjoy checking your site - keep up the great job1

K

[lakshmi]

i like your blog, for the second time here, very well presented and nice photos.

[Jessica]

I miss bread pudding SO much!

[Lia]

Yipppeeee, a new place to try out! Isn't the Lower East Side great? I can't get enough these days and am definitely adding this spot to my list.

[Tea]

You had me at pickle plate!

Eight different kinds of pickles? I may have to make the trek to NY just for that.

Thanks for the tip.