Eggcelent Dinner

Yes I did just put Egg and Dinner in the same title, but for good reason. Last night after a successful waffle party in the West Village, we weren't ready to leave yet so we walked into Joseph Leonard, a tiny seven table bistro owned by the former owner of Little Owl and Market Table, Gabriel Stulman. We got the last open table at 7pm and by the time we left there were a few loiters outside waiting for their turn to try the creative menu Joseph Leonard has to offer.

Immediately after sitting down at our table in the corner, I noticed a small container filled with baby gherkin pickles - one of my favorite kind. I've never seen pickles served anywhere other than a deli so this was exciting and I definitely had a handful by the time the waitress arrived.

Other than the pickles, we ordered an array of appetizers and main courses to share between the three of us. We started with the beef tartare special served with a poached egg and onion rings on top, the zucchini tart and the asparagus with a fried egg and pecorino cheese. A lot of egg for dinner, but all added a necessary flavor for the dishes. The beef tartare was amazing. We let the yolk ooze through the beef and finished every bite. The beef had a citrusy flavor to it and the onion rings were super fried but I've had better (the Varsity in Atlanta of course). Next, the zucchini tart, which takes 15 mins to make, was delicious as well. The tart was flaky and hot with an olive tapenade spread on top with thin grilled zucchini slices. We finished that dish as well and moved onto the asparagus. We again, popped the egg and let the yolk ooze onto the dish. You had to combine a bite of asparagus with some of the fried egg and a shave of the cheese to fully take advantage.

For the main courses, we shared a pot of mussels and the skate. The mussels came in a huge bowl, perfect for sharing and a side of fries. The sauce was a light garlic and white wine mixture with pieces of fennel on top. We only got 1 or 2 closed mussels and each one was huge. To finish it off, we had to dip the toasted french bread and left over fries into the sauce after the mussels disappeared. The skate came with two huge pieces in a citrus emulsion with a frisee salad with oranges, pine nuts and olives. Skate is a white flaky fish so it really took on the citrus flavors.

Too full for dessert, we finished our moderately priced wine and walked all the way home to Murray Hill. Each dish was perfect for sharing, and a great portion for the price. The service was great and if you can get in to Joseph Leonard without waiting forever, I highly suggest picking at least one appetizer from the Vegetable section and you can't go wrong with any of the seafood.