The del Balso's go to the WEST Side

Some of you have been wondering where we've gotten to lately! It's not that we haven't eaten lately, it's more a matter of having the discipline to sit down at the computer. Maybe with the end of summer, the mood has changed.

Tonight, Chris and I ventured over to West Chelsea to visit a new restaurant (opened in July) specializing in Swiss - New American. The restaurant was lovely and featured a pretty walled garden in the back. We ate in the garden (probably one of the last opportunities this year). The menu is very brief, featuring unusual, rustic, ingredients.

I started with "oxtail and pig's foot terrine with spicy mustard". Both Chris and I prefer coarse-ground country terrines and we loved it. Chris started with "sautéed frog legs with frisée salad". The frogs legs were delicately sauteed - not fried. The waiter had not recommended this choice and we both would have to agree. For the entre, I selected the "roasted pork loin with caramelized carrots". It had been brined and was tender and juicy. The carrots were wonderfully roasted - I have never had anything quite like them. Chris had the "roasted lamb saddle, mustard greens, cipollini onions. She like it but thought the lamb and mustard greens were just 'ordinary'. We had two sides that were quite extraordinary "gratinéed pizokle with onions and gruyere (kind of like spetzl gratinee) and sauteed green beans with speck. They were both delicious and were a highlight of the meal. We had a 2004 Austrian Wachau Riesling that was great (we've been drinking a lot of Riesling lately). For dessert, we shared a walnut tart with cream that was delicious.

We sat in the garden next to two women who had obviously been there before. Chris got into a conversation with them (anybody surprised?) about how attractive the garden was. It turned out one of them was the Chef's mother-in-law and had created the garden area! We learned quite a bit about the chef and his wife, who are both in the business. If you think you might enjoy this, go soon because apparently Frank Bruni had been and plans to put his views in the paper this weekend.

Trestle on 10th
242 10th Ave.(24th St.)
Manhattan, NY 10001
212-645-5659