The West Village sure has some great restaurants. Some are well known, some are hidden treasures. If you don't know about Recette, you should; it is a great restaurant with unique and fantastic fare.

The vibe is quaint and quiet, homey, yet modern. It's not that big, and would make the perfect date spot, or spot to dine solo, as I did last week. Chef Jesse Schenker and pastry chef Christina Lee's food will have you craving to come back.

Salt cod fritters ($12) with lamb sausage ragu and curry aioli, bridged land and sea in one "Snack", and it was outstanding. I never experienced that flavor combination before, and it was ingenious. Wonderful. Probably the best lamb ragu I've ever had.

Just as outstanding was my next dish, a sunchoke soup ($13) with diamond shell clams, bacon, and sunchoke chips. Another bridging of land and sea (clams and bacon), I would take a bath in this soup every night. The addictive flavors teased my taste buds, and the soup was devoured in moments.

Grilled pulpo ($17) with black garlic puree, fennel, preserved lemon, and rosemary was also a very unique dish. All these flavors gave a lovely tang on my tongue, a tang I had not encountered before. (In fact, I can't recall the last time I used the word "tang" in a sentence.)

I ended with Recette's deconstructed version of "Smores" ($8), with Graham Cracker Ice Cream, Toasted Marshmallow and “Hot” Chocolate Ganache. This was one of the best desserts of my life. Not only did it look artistically beautiful, a painting in a bowl, everything about it is was absolutely amazing. I was ecstatic after each spoonful. A touch of cayenne pepper, gave this dessert an extra kick, that totally took this dish to another level. A level of sheer awesomeness.

So if you desire a great and unique meal, I urge you to stop by Recette. It is one of the best restaurants in NYC.

Recette
328 West 12th Street (at Greenwich St.)
New York, NY 10014
212-414-3000
www.recettenyc.com