"Getting into Casa Mono is no easy feat. The Spanish restaurant in Gramercy has been a consistently tough table since it opened in 2003, and while you can generally reserve a seat outside, you shouldn’t. Going to Casa Mono without sitting in the dining room is like going to the movies and spending your whole night refilling your soda cup—especially if you’re someone who likes a little theater with their dinner. Half the fun is watching the chef call out for mountains of patatas bravas and bacalao croquetas while slabs of confit goat sear on the plancha in the loud, lively open kitchen. The best thing to do is put your name down early, and wait for your table at Bar Jamón, their sister bar next door. Once you’re in, Casa Mono is a fantastic spot to drink Spanish wine with a date while nibbling on those croquetas, or some soft-scrambled eggs with uni. photo credit: Will Hartman photo credit: Will Hartman photo credit: Noah Deveraux If you ever took a class with a cool professor who made you excited for that early alarm, you know what it’s like to order wine from a list like Casa Mono’s. It’s as thick as an encyclopedia volume, with bottles ranging from $60 to nearly $4,000, and glasses starting at $12. You should also drink some vermouth here, and let the servers surprise you with something inexplicably fruity or nutty from the cellar. With all this focus on beverages, and despite the energy of the kitchen, the food can be a bit touch-and-go, with a menu that promises a bit more than it delivers. Despite a couple of misses though, we’d suggest coming by for those creamy eggs and the signature confit goat—and to try a beverage you likely haven’t had before. Food Rundown photo credit: Will Hartman Creamy Eggs with Uni It’s a little hard to tell where the eggs end and the uni begins. They’re both the texture of a chocolate that’s spent a bit too much time in someone’s pocket. But the raw bitterness from the walnuts, and a deep, oceanic umami from the aged anchovy oil make this a signature dish well worth its fame. photo credit: Will Hartman Pan Con Tomate The simplest things are often the hardest to get right. This is true of Casa Mono’s pan con tomate. The bread is nicely charred but it tastes more like garlic bread, lacking that fresh tomato pop. The patatas bravas are lackluster too. photo credit: Will Hartman Confit Goat We thought we had eaten every texture of avocado before ordering this dish, which features griddled avocado on the plancha. It’s absolutely delightful and perfectly mimics the slab of grassy confit goat. Crumbles of pistachio add some nuttiness—this is our favorite main on the menu, and you should ask your server for their favorite glass of red to pair with it. photo credit: Will Hartman Bacalao Croquetas Served with a citrusy aioli that’s smoother than seaglass, these bacalao croquetas are nice, salty drinking food. Sip on a glass of a fruity vermouth with a twist of grapefruit peel while eating them. photo credit: Will Hartman Pulpo a la Plancha Casa Mono uses baby octopus about the diameter of a coaster, crisped on the plancha, with a bitter fennel and grapefruit salad. While each component is nice, it doesn’t quite feel like a complete dish, and could use zhuzhing. It’s hard to not order octopus at a Spanish restaurant, but in this case we’d say skip." - Will Hartman
