Wildair

Towards the end of the year, Ken and I went out to a holiday dinner together before our upcoming visits with family. We decided on Wildair on the lower east side because we never venture over there and I had read a few positive reviews of the restaurant. I got there right before it opened so we could secure the first seating since they don’t take reservations and luckily we were the second couple there!

The main reason I wanted to go there was for the bread – their bread is on the menu and you can order a loaf for your table with olive oil (but if you end up ordering it, I’d order the radishes with butter as well because the butter is better than the olive oil!):

The restaurant was opening and prepping for the night when I first arrived so there was lots to watch from our bar seats:

The waitress recommended a glass of wine for me based on what we ordered (Ken abstained from drinking because he had his holiday party the night before):

We also had a half dozen oysters to start the meal:

Everything is a small plate (except their steak, which we decided not to order). We ordered the breakfast radishes with seaweed butter:

The beef tartare (if you go, this is a definite order):

The Georgia white shrimp with celery and cilantro:

The waiter instructed us to eat the shells because they were very soft but I thought it tasted a little better without the shells,

And the tuna with cabbage and potato:

The dessert I wanted – the chocolate hazelnut tart – was replaced with a buckwheat tart so we decided to pass. I thought the menu was creative and really enjoyed the dishes we ordered, but wasn’t blown away the way some people have been. Have you been? What did you think of Wildair?