THE MARY LANE

Don’t go Google-mapping Mary Lane as some obscure street in Manhattan you’ve never heard of. Power-team Mike Price (The Clam, Market Table) and Joey Campanaro (The Little Owl) of Blackfoot Hospitality recently opened up The Mary Lane in the West Village, which is rife with non-numerical streets, but The Mary Lane is named after an heirloom varietal of fig, not some quaint off-the-beaten path path.

Located at 99 Bank Street, this address has historically incurred a high turnover rate, with even such reputable chefs as Harold Dieterle and Harold Moore, who were unable to make a go of it here. This should not be the case with The Mary Lane, however, as Blackfoot Hospitality has an almost unblemished success rate, and their concept for and execution of this new venture are completely en pointe both with the neighborhood, what is trending now in the current dining scene, and pretty much every element of what constitutes The Mary Lane. 

The team had been looking for a place in which to expand their empire since fall of 2019, and arrived upon the 99 Bank Street address particularly since they “like corners in the West Village,” notes Price. Then the pandemic hit, and their progress slowed significantly, but they used the time to finesse and hone their vision. For the name, they had originally they tossed around iterations of fig varietals, in different languages, etc., but arrived upon the succulent eponymous species of fig and knew they’d found a winner. Both feminine and naturalistic, they determined the power of the fig to be a perfect balance for the two men at the helm. And while the restaurant is in no way fig-themed, they expect to utilize the luscious fruit for inspiration, at least seasonally. Right now, chef de cuisine Andrew Sutin has imagined pancetta-wrapped figs saltimbocca, kind of a devils-on-horseback riff, and a fig tart for dessert, both of which would be tough to argue with in any season.

As for the rest of the menu, Price and Sutin have conceived of a vegetable-forward, seasonal American menu.  We started with a terrific mushroom tartare, a fine dice of lightly marinated king trumpets topped with crispy slices of sunchoke and a flurry of herbs... really delightful.  

Heartier on the vegetables front were the vadouvan roasted carrots nestled into a bed of pumpkin seed hummus, studded with pepitas and Bulgarian feta.  We chose a vegetarian entree to share as well, and it may have been the highlight of the evening:  a pavé of sweet potato, kale, and roasted mushroom layered with ricotta, just bursting with autumnal goodness, and a rich swath of charred onion soubise to bolster the umami.

But omnivores too will not be disappointed. Price said the he had developed a strong, long-standing relationship with Ottomanelli Butchers (also nearby on Bleecker Street) in his other ventures, appreciating and reciprocating their loyalty and commitment as suppliers, especially throughout the pandemic. He will enthusiastically continue relying on their expertise and pride of product as their meat purveyors. That said, even the meatiest of entrees, like a rosemary braised pork loin, is balanced with a luscious house-made sauerkraut featuring market-fresh caraflex cabbage, and it might be the cauliflower and braised baby fennel with roasted Mutsu apples alongside a pristine filet of Hudson Valley steelhead trout that make it so good.  

Nova Scotia halibut, seared golden, takes advantage of late-season grapes to add sweetness to a saute of hon shimeji mushrooms... another favorite of the evening.  A better-than-basic New York strip featured some outstanding onion rings.... gone before the meat was: another testament to Sutin's proficiency with produce.

 

  

And as goes without saying, I can never pass up the brussels sprouts, although to be honest these were the least noteworthy dish of the night- slightly underdone and thus a little bitter and raw tasting, especially with the well-cooked bits of squash that adorned them.  They seemed like they didn't get equal footing in the oven, but needed it. 

 

Their creativity, and loyalty, is likewise funneled into the design of the restaurant. They utilized Alta Indelman, an industry icon who created the unique interior of The Clam and its gorgeous vaulted ceiling of glittering seashells. Colorful artwork adorns the deep blue walls, including a vibrant painting by Steven Fragale mounted just past the long cherry wood bar, playfully lit by orb-shaped lamps suspended from the ceiling. The painting has augmented reality features that provide 3-D perspectives when used in conjunction with your smartphone, adding to the intrigue.  Even the lights on each table, miniature lamps atop spindly stems, are fun to play with, altering the light intensity by touching the base (which also helps for menu visibility, and then dimming it more moodily when precision reading is no longer necessary.)

We skipped dessert having filled up too heartily on the savories, which is a pity, really, because they had a rustic apple pie on offer that night as a special, probably carried over from Thanksgiving, but the pear and quince crisp with oat streusel and ginger gelato was equally, if not more, tempting.  But my tablemates were vying for the chocolate cake with espresso buttercream, and lacking consensus, we opted out.  Which, as is so often the case, gives me an excuse, among all the other wonders of T.M.L.,  to go back.  

99 BANK STREET

Tel. (212) 597-9099