New York - June 24, 2005

Uovo, Here She Comes

Uovo Restaurant

Amazing, isn’t it? Eight million people in this fair city. Yet we keep running into the same ones over and over and over.

Take today, for example. Strolling down B we passed Uovo, a breezy and sophisticated new restaurant that reminds us that the best thing about New York is its neighborhood haunts.

Hey, that chef looks familiar. Right. Matthew Hamilton from Prune, doing his take on farmhouse urbane: nutty, creamy, chilled almond soup; sugar snap peas with mint; market fish (Mediterranean sea bass, Long Island porgy) grilled whole with lime and oregano; braised beef brisket with coffee bean barbecue sauce.

This is just the place to bring a date, mom and dad, or your best friend (and her terrier).

The wine list is full of surprises because Rich Ervin, another Prune alum, scours the world for small-vineyard selections that are as tasty as they are obscure. We hadn’t heard of Etxaniz, a crisp Basque white served blindingly cold, but we were very happy to get acquainted.

By the time we left, one thing was clear.

Uovo is sure to become a familiar face.

Uovo, 175 Avenue B, at 11th Street (212-475-8686). To see a menu, go to uovo.biz.