Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Fat Hippo

A few weeks ago, I dined at Fat Hippo, the restaurant filling the shoes of 71 Clinton Fresh Food.  I had heard very little about this new place, run by a Mercer Kitchen/Jean-Georges vet, but liked the whimsical name.  Luckily, the place has a lot more going for it than just its moniker.  Excellent food, fun atmosphere, reasonable prices and tasty drinks made for a wonderful evening.

Before dinner, I figured I’d be comparing the meal to Fat Hippo’s famous predecessor, but I quickly forgot about the old 71 after my first bite into a piping hot mozzarella ball.  The appetizer was balanced by a mountain of arugula and slow roasted tomatoes making for a wonderful opening salvo ($6).

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We rounded out the cheesy beginning with calamari – hot and sour with ginger, chilies, garlic, lime and crushed peanuts.  It came with grilled bread ideal for dunking into the broth ($6).  img_2762



We also ordered the shrimp ceviche, which turned out to be an ample portion of the crustaceans ($9).  Whole shrimp where marinated in lime and tossed with cilantro – this was my favorite.  img_2763
As our main, we decided to split the steak and eggs ($15).  I hadn’t had steak and eggs since Florent closed and I figured now was as good a time as any to dive back in.  Our appetizers had been so delicious that I had a good feeling about the main event.  And wow.  Yum.  Seared, sliced hanger steak was tender and flavorful.  The meat was topped with two mini toad-in-a-holes in which the bread was flaky philo dough.  The dish also came with green tomato gratin.  All of this for $15; I could not believe it. img_2764

We also had a side of mac n’cheese ($4), which turned out to be fusilli n’ cheese covered in breadcrumbs.  I wasn’t complaining.  img_2765
For dessert, we selected the chocolate bread pudding with caramelized bananas.  It came as a sort of molten cake with a full banana sliced in half and bruléd.  I really liked it but wouldn’t say it was the high point of the meal.  img_2766

After dessert, we sat, finishing off our old fashioneds and brambles for quite a while.  The space is very cozy and conducive to settling in.  And with so many great options on the menu, I almost wanted to wait there until we got hungry again.
Go to thedishsdish.com/blog to see pretty outrageous photos of my meal from Fat Hippo!

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