On a Whym

One of my favorite restaurants (and the site of the BF's & my first date) is Whym. It's owned by the same people who run Eatery but frankly, I prefer it much more. Eatery always stood out to me as a bit overpriced and overrated. Whym has rarely let me down in the food department. Their sirloin burger is one of their best items, but you'd better be hungry! They also make a fabulous molten chocolate cake (yes, it stands out from the 5,000 other ones in NYC and elsewhere). Their mixed drinks are often hit or miss with me, but I did well in my most recent outing.

My fabulous friend Brad took me out for dinner last week on a brief business trip to NYC. He lives in Texas, so I knew not to bring him anywhere Mexican : ) But Whym? It seemed just perfect for both of us.

We decided to feast like kings and order drinks, apps, entrées AND desserts. Oof.

First up: the chicken wraps with plum sauce in lettuce cups. The menu mentioned a wasabi drizzle, which immediately grabbed my attention. These were quite tasty, but the wasabi drizzle tasted more like cilantro than fiery, fabulous wasabi. Still, we gobbled them right up (I'd also not had time for lunch, so I was doubly hungry by now!) Also-I apologize for the orange-y tint to the photos--I don't use my flash when I'm in a restaurant--I do have standards!

My drink was the mojito martini. It was a minty mojito-type concoction made with tequila instead of rum. Deeeelicious. Not too sweet, perfectly minty, and maybe just a little too easy to drink! Not as bright and refreshing as a true mojito, but definitely worth trying.

B ordered my very favorite dish there: Chipotle-spiked Meatloaf over Vermont Cheddar mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach with a creamy double-smoked bacon-mushroom gravy. It might not be the most appetizing-looking dish, but let me tell you...it melts in your mouth and yeah, maybe goes right to your hips, but it tastes so good you just don't care.

Since B ordered the mainstay, I decided to go out on a limb and try something new. Nothing ventured, nothing...gained?
I opted for the Grilled Angus Hanger Steak with buttermilk-scallion mashed potatoes, fried yellow tomatoes, and a sprinkling of crispy shallots (yum) and balsamic glaze. Good points first: the fried tomatoes were delicious and juicy, with a crispy, unobtrusive coating. The crispy shallots were addictively tasty. The hanger steak?? Granted, it's not my go-to cut to begin with, but I found this particular serving a bit too tough and fatty. I was ravenous, so I ate most of it, but at times I had to ignore the unpleasant textures. I ordered it medium, but I recently read you shouldn't get it cooked past medium-rare or it does begin to get too tough. Overall, not my favorite dish; I wouldn't recommend it and I won't order it again.

Despite the inordinate amount of food we'd consumed, we decided to EACH order our own dessert (culinary madness, I tell you!) I told B that he had to get the chocolate molten cake with vanilla gelato. It's the BF's and my favorite there. The cake is intensely chocolate, and rich enough for two to split quite happily. Which we did. But we also ordered.....

the S'mores-Wich: a sugar-tastic combo of chocolate ganache, marshmallows, and graham cracker crust/layers. It was also wickedly, whymsically delicious. And far too much food. We tried our best, but we couldn't polish off our desserts. We did enough damage though (to our plates AND our waistlines). B was quite thrilled with his meal. We also had a great time laughing. I think our waiter might have wondered if we'd had drinks before we came, as we laughed so hard so often. Isn't that the best? It had been years since I'd seen B, though we talk on the phone and via email, but that's not the same as doing your best Grey Gardens reference and watching your friend try not to laugh so hard his mashed potatoes come out his nose. My career might be a bit stalled right now, the economy might be the worst in my memory, but life? Life is good.

Whym
889 9th Ave # 1
New York, NY 10019
(212) 315-0088