Valanni
This being Restaurant Week here in the city, let’s have ourselves some food reviewed! After all, there’s a certain order to the typical nighttime crawl in the ‘hood. Before you have a wild night of sexy passion leading to a morning steeped in regret, you have to fortify yourself with drinks. And before you fortify yourself with drinks, you need to fill your stomach with delicious foodstuffs. For many of the regulars, Valanni* is the place to go, primarily because it’s right in the middle of everything (conveniently located at the corner of 13th and Spruce), but also for its merits as a chill evening spot.
* Some people swear by Bump instead, but I vote for the order Valanni-Bump-nightclub of choice. Why pick just one?
For starters, the food is downright amazing. You can start off with any of several tapas and appetizer dishes, from kebabs to assortments of cheese, to the outstanding ham croquettes or shiitake polenta. An order of the red or white mussels is more than sufficient for an entire meal. If you elect to (just) have an entrée, get the paella for two and make your date pay; otherwise, there’s duck, lamb, tuna, stuffed chicken, and the like, each with a distinct and mouth-watering flavor combination of sauce and spice. Or, if you’re feeling less fancy, they make a mean plate of burger and fries too, with that spicy mayo that takes pommes frites to a whole new level. End with one of their fantastic desserts: trust me, I’ve tried them all, and each one is an experience. (I’ve had wet dreams about the bread pudding.)
(Well, okay, not really, but you get what I mean.)
The layout of the restaurant has a large square bar in the middle of the main dining room, with individual lounges stretching out from the corners, allowing for easy transport of your chosen alcoholic bev to the table. They offer a wide variety of cocktails and liquors, and the wine list is ridiculous. The added bonus of an extremely attractive wait staff is also nice; you’ll probably find several excuses during the night to call your waiter over, just to admire the view. The music isn’t half-bad, and though the restaurant is full of cozy nooks, it’s never quite full enough to have volume be an issue. Whether you decide to stop by at 6 or midnight (and they do offer a late-night menu featuring most of the starter dishes, at least), you and your posse will be able to enjoy a relaxing meal. (At least, until you get the check. Valanni is many things, but cheap is not one of them. However, it is one of the few places where you honestly do get your chunk of money’s worth.) In any case, check it out at www.valanni.com and see what’s what.
Conveniently across the street: Jay’s Deli, for cheaper and equally delicious paninis, Gatorade, and condoms. Around the corner: Tavern on Camac or the Venture Inn, for putting 1 to 2 of those to good use.
~~ PQ
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