Gato- Almost Purrrrr-fect

Meow! Hello Pretty Kitties, there is a new feline in town, curled up on Lafayette Street, and she belongs to Bobby Flay.  I originally thought that Gato was going to be a replacement for the recently shuttered Mesa Grill or the not as recently shuttered Bolo, but Gato has a Meditrreanean identity all of her own. The Food Network has made Bobby Flay extremely famous, and it was really refreshing to see him breaking a sweat in the kitchen, and enjoying a drink at the bar in his whites, no doubt deserved after a night of actual kitchen heat, and not the kind generated by spot-lights.  I suspect that Gato was still in a bit of a soft-opening mode, because the dining room was not packed (it was still jamming though, we saw Proenza and Schouler, hee hee), and the front bar area seemed to be working at a more frenzied pace.

One thing that we came to realize after many meals at Mesa Grill, is that Bobby Flay’s  food is almost always accompanied by both green and orange sauces.  Shrimp tamale- green and orange sauce on the plate; steak- green and orange sauce on the plate. Well the green and orange sauces appear at Gato as well, a bit of Mesa Grill nostalgia that carried over, but clearly serves its purpose.  We started with a trio of Greek dips, that were a dressed up version of the standard Tzatiki, hummus and feta dip that is the norm at Greek/med places; a fresh, promising start to the meal ahead.  Now, our old green and orange friends first appeared on our octopus appetizer, and never have they been in better company; this was the most perfectly cooked octopus that we have ever tasted, so texturally transporting that it seemed like a  different species from other octopus dishes.

Another stand-out dish were the crispy potatoes, smoked paprika, egg and parmagiano, a salty, crispy treat with the added viscosity of the egg yolks; yum yum yum yum yum. Daryl and I both had fish for our main course, orata for me, halibut for her; mine was extremely orange and green, but bright and zesty.  Daryl’s fish was more aromatic, a balance of lightness and hearty flavors.

Tarte Tartin for dessert was perfection, but I must caution you against the free sherry, it is a little cup of headache.   Gato is bound to to successful, with a mixture of buzz and a location that will excite New Yorkers and visiting Flay fans alike;  the food is both unique and familiar, especially the orang and green sauces.  I can’t wait to try some of the small plates the next time we go, and even though I am an ardent cat lover in general, I recommend Gato to even the most cat-adverse.