It should be noted that G&G would not be the type of place that springs to mind when the occasion is to catch up with your two male college roommates. The cozy, narrow space is entirely lit by votives - a late night date spot, yes; a fraternity gathering, hardly. The music dancing overhead felt like it came from one of the staff's miserable iTunes playlists, but nevertheless, good food and wine is what we are always in search of, and Grape and Grain delivers. The obvious beauty of small plates is that one gets to try a greater number of dishes and get a truer sense of what a given eatery is capable of, what are its strengths and what are its weaknesses. We agreed on three smaller dishes and a pizza for the two of us that were eating. First, baked meatballs in marinara, an Italian specialty that is tough to get wrong, but even tougher to get completely right. The menu did not specify the type of meat(s) to be used in these meatballs, and we did not inquire. I would guess all beef by the finished product which was nicely plated with some crostini to accompany the meatballs. They were tasty, but no wow factor and relatively simple. Like the girl you took home from that bar with the mechanical bull - nothing to write home about, but did the trick. With the few courses we selected, we decided to take the waitress up on her wine recommendation, and went with a tempranillo, Siflorio de Valdhermoso, which was pleasingly oaky and rich, a nice complement to the tomato based dishes. The wine menu is more than affordable, and the restaurant does not try to be something its not by throwing some special occasion bottles in there - everything is under $50 with most falling in the low $30 range.
I would argue that the food is overpriced for what you get, but that is to be a bit expected at a tapas joint - such is the price one pays for a tasting. The scallop ceviche with grapefruit and fennel was a winner - though the intense spice of the dish was unexpected, and the grapefruit was more garnish than contributor, the flavor was intense. I'm glad the restaurant chose to go with scallops for their ceviche dish rather than shrimp or calamari which tend to be tougher than the delicate scallop. A pizza with arugula, tomato, and artichoke stood well on the merit of the focaccia bread of Sullivan Street bakery. Fresh arugula made it feel like spring inside, helping our second bottle of wine - a lovely, medium-bodied Syrah - to further insulate us from the November city chill outside. Short ribs with yellowfoot mushrooms was a star, tender but not pulverized and served over a nest of perfectly cooked polenta. But the deliciousness was also the demise, as only four small pieces of short rib at seventeen dollars left us a bit puzzled. The biggest loser of the night was the quarto of Pinot Noir that took us into dessert, but to be fair, this did not come with the same recommendation as the first two bottles. It is hard for a chocolate torte with fresh mint, honey ice cream, and a hazelnut sauce, to actually live up to the pornographic feelings that it conjures, but kudos to the chef on the effort here. Red wine and any type of chocolate is almost always a winning combination, though it would not have hurt to see a few more dessert options in play.
A value play perhaps in the wine department, though not in the food, I would say Grape and Grain is best utilized as a post dinner wine date, with a fresh pizza and maybe an appetizer to fuel the munchies. Though thoughtfully prepared, the food is a bit overpriced, but alas, Alphabet City doesn't come cheap anymore. It may take a special someone or something to get you over to their neck of the woods, but Grape and Grain deserves to be a destination in its own right. Just leave the keg at home.
