I love going to a restaurant expecting to enjoy only their specialty (handmade pasta in this case, and yes I enjoyed the lobster ravioli very much) but then getting pleasantly surprised with a completely different dish. When the waitress recommended the mussels I didn’t go for the bait right away, deciding to try them after placing our order. I’ve tasted mussels in all sorts of different broth, but this simple white wine version contained added depth: the addition of black peppercorns, which turned an otherwise simple dish into a must-have. I love these kinds of surprises.
Read my review of Spina on Papermag.com
Spina/175 Avenue B/212-253-2250
