I had Casa Mono on my radar for some time now and we finally made it for brunch. This Michelin star restaurant serves dishes inspired from the Costa Brava where the Chef, Andy Nusser, grew up. In fact he grew up in the fishing village of Cadaques that I visited when I was a kid during a memorable trip with my Dad and my brother. This place is where Salvator Dali lived for more than 40 years and there is a museum with his art that I can still picture.

The place is not that big, with around 15 tables, the most noticeable part of the dining room being the bar where you have a direct view of the grill. Menu wise, they serve small plates, so two to three per person is the average but, interestingly, you will not find classics like the tortilla española that is quite common in this type of restaurant. Here is what we had:

They have an impressive wine list where they specify the type of grape used (and we were sitting next to their wine rack, in a quiet corner by the way). So, I decided to try the Albamar Fusca 2019 made with Mencia grape, from the Ribeira Sacra in Galicia. Pricey but you get more than a glass of this red wine that has a bold flavor.

Albamar Fusca 2019 at Casa Mono in NYC, NY

They have few vegetarian dishes, so Jodi ordered the ensalada mono (the salad), made with manchego and Marcona almonds (gave a nice crunch and nuttiness), as well as the burrata with butternut squash that was amazing, the burrata being creamy and the squash adding a nice sweetness to the dish.

On my side, I had the duck breast a la plancha that was served with a sunchoke purée that was deliciously creamy and a gastric made with elderberry. The duck was perfectly cooked, the skin being nicely crispy. Definitely a dish I recommend.

The other dish was the stuffed lamb belly served with hazelnut mole, onion escabeche and crème fraîche. This was superb: the lamb belly was so good that I could probably have had another piece of it. The whole dish was well balanced, with the mole standing out despite the strong taste of the meat.

Last was dessert. We decided to try the chocolate con galleta de Avellana or chocolate ganache with crème fraîche ice cream and tahini hazelnut cookie. This was amazing! It was like a deconstructed chocolate hazelnut tart with a fantastic ganache that was rich and very chocolatey.

chocolate con galleta de Avellana at Casa Mono in NYC, NY

This was a great meal: no wonder why Casa Mono kept its Michelin Star; the food and service are on point. Definitely a place I recommend.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Casa Mono -52 Irving Pl, New York, NY 10003

Dinner at Casa Mono

I Just Want To Eat!