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FATTY ‘CUE – NYC 

50 Carmine St. (nr. Bedford St) New York, NY, 10014

Date Dined: 11.3.11

I am already plotting my return to one of the newer additions to the Fatty Family in the West Village -Fatty ‘Cue. There were too many things on the menu that I wanted for just our two person dinner.

The décor at Fatty ‘Cue is a bit more upscale than their other locations which makes it a perfect date spot but it still has a low key vibe and moderately priced fare that is meant to be shared, making it also great for groups (6-8pp). The small bar is at the front when you walk in with a list of amazing cocktails (I had the “Foreplay”-a twist on the traditional Aperol spritz- while waiting for my friend to arrive). The small, cozy dining area is towards the back with mixed–size tables. The banquette that lines the right hand wall is very European feeling in that the only thing that really delineates your space from your neighbors’ is the centimeter–wide gap between the tiny tables.

The Meal:

Chilies and Cheese: This dish was just a small bowl of soft house made buffalo milk cheese served with fluffy, buttery warm rolls and salted red and green chilies on the side. The creaminess of the cheese and the salty spiciness of the chilies balanced each other perfectly.

Chilies & Cheese

Kale salad: The hearty texture of kale makes it a perfect fall salad green. It was dressed in a creamy green peppercorn and cincalok dressing. The cincalok, which is fermented shrimp, made it taste like a Malaysian Caesar salad. (Apologies for the dark picture)

Kale Salad

Poached chicken and smoked eggplant: This was not a dish I would typically order but we needed something lighter to balance all the cream and bread. The poached chicken was dressed up a bit by thin strips of celery, sesame, pickled jalapeño and big soft pieces of tangy smoked eggplant. I actaully ended up thinking it was pretty bland so I would only rceommend this if you’re trying to kick a cold as a subsitute for chicken noodle soup.

Poached Chicken

Smoked Lamb Shoulder: The lamb shoulder was pulled into pieces and pretty heavily smoked. Some pieces even tasted like lamb jerky and some were a bit meatier and more tender. It was served with warm house-made pita and a spiced goat yogurt (very garlicky!) that was so good you just wanted to eat it plain with a spoon. Definitely my favorite dish of the evening.

Smoked Lamb Shoulder

Galangal: The galangal dessert is a must try at Fatty ‘Cue. Galangal is a blue ginger but the flavor is much milder than your traditional spicy ginger root. The buffalo milk ice cream was a thick, heavy ice cream dressed with the galangal, walnut-pecan praline, milk cookie, thai condensed milk. Everything was topped with a tumbleweed of puffed noodles to add even more texture.

Galangal

I highly recommend ‘Cue for anything from a date to a rendezvous with friends.