Mo Pitkin's

Swimster got his first choice/dream job offer and we wanted to celebrate with good friends. The job will take him to London for the summer and I'm trying to find a way, a means, any reason for me to go with him. (If you're in London and reading this...got job? Mona will do it for fish and chips!)

I keep going to Eater to try and pick a fun new restaurant that few have tried or written about, but I'm always led astray by a good review of a not-so-new place. When I read that my favorite restaurant Kitchen and Cocktails (R.I.P.) closed, I shed a few tears and made it my mission to find a substitute for its comfort food and atmosphere. After reading "deep fried macaroni" on the Mo Pitkin's menu, I hoped I found the place.

Fashionista, Swimster, Architetto, and our new friend in New York BigBlueBabe all met at Mo Pitkin's and had a few drinks while I scrambled to leave work. I called the restaurant earlier that day to make a reservation, and the hostess really went out of her way to accommodate us; despite not having a spot for us at the time I wanted, or being able to sit a party that wasn't all there (I hoped my friends could sit and get started while I left work but that wasn't possible). Instead, she just told me to send my friends there, have them put their names in, and by the time a table opened up, I'd probably be there. Voila! This plan worked and we were seated shortly after I arrived. Thank you Caitlin!!

Mo Pitkin's full name is "Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction" and satisfy it does.... Mo's takes up two stories and they have four different rooms to please every patron: the dining room and bar downstairs, topped with the 65-seat cabaret room and Sadie's Hideaway for private parties on the second floor. We stuck to downstairs, but the word on the street is Mo's has great performers of all shapes and sizes that visit upstairs. The cooking is Judeo-Latino, and you'll just have to read on (or go there) to understand what this means.

The bar is long and lean and there are lots of stools and space for people to linger around. Beyond the bar is the simple dining room. There is nothing really remarkable about the space. Tables in the middle seem to be for bigger parties and surrounding them are the big leather booths where we sat. The booths are 3/4 circles and very cozy for a group of five or six people. Circle tables = happy customers and conversation. Don't worry, Mo's makes up for its no-frills atmosphere with ball-busting and over-the-top food.

Since this was a celebration, Swimster didn't waste any time in ordering cocktails for the table. We tried a red sangria pitcher and a white sangria pitcher. I had never tried white sangria before and was pleasantly surprised. Both sangrias were excellent and not too sweet (or stingy on the alcohol).

For our appetizers we went with crispy artichoke with lemon and fennel and a romesco dipping sauce, potato latkes with apple sauce and sour cream, and chiccarones de pollo with avocado salsa. (aside: I'm drooling rethinking this meal and I might have to go get lunch in the middle of writing this post, if I don't eat my arm first.) The artichokes were very lightly fried, like they sprinkled some frying dust on them without actually dipping them in batter. And the romesco sauce was so sweet I ended up eating the remains of the sauce with my fork. The potato latkes were thick patties of potato: hot and crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. Sour cream and apple sauce are to latkes as ketchup is to fries, and I now know why. The chiccarones de pollo were mini drumsticks right out of a cartoon: they were big and round and meaty on top. The skin was crispy and tasted good on its own, especially with a dollop of the avocado salsa.

For the entrees I tried the chicken club with apple-smoked bacon. Architetto went with the famous rotisserie chicken, BigBlueBabe tried the starving artist special, which was basically a burger, fries and a draft beer-a great idea for a meal. Every restaurant in New York should adopt something like this in their menus. Swimster tried the grilled skirt steak with chimichurri and fries. No, I didn't forget about Fashionista, she chose wisely, and snacked off everyone else's plates. In addition, we all shared the sides: deep fried mac and cheese (yes you did not mis-read this) and manchego garlic fries. I will begin with my club. It was no club in the ordinary diner sort of sense. Instead it was two long narrow slices of warm grilled challah with long strips of bacon and lettuce and tomato, and this amazing chicken "salad". It was shredded chicken with herbs, little to no mayo and could go down as one of my favorite sandwiches of all time. Their rotisserie chicken is one to reckon with. BigBlueBabe's hamburger was the size of her head and looked excellent. Swimster's strip steak was tender and moist with flare. The chimichurri added a nice kick to it, something different for a change. Finally, last but not least, the deep fried macaroni and cheese. I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats wondering what in the world this was like. Well, it came to the table in the shape of a brick, a real brick of fried something. When we sliced open the fried brick with our steak knives the mac and cheese came oozing out. I would have to say off all the things we ate that night, this was the only slight disappointment. I think I prefer the baked mac and cheese with the fresh breaded topping, instead of the fried layer that surrounded the mac and cheese, it was more like frozen food fried instead of freshly fried. No worries, the garlic fries were incredible and we were all fighting to get the last fry. Mo's fries are thick and crinkly, and cooked to medium well. Shreds of manchego cheese were sprinkled and lightly melted on the fries, and garlic was tossed in the mix as well. Mmmmmm-o Pitkin's!

Mo Pitkin's was an excellent place to take good friends and have a truly fun dining experience. Its casual atmosphere makes it a comfortable spot to eat and have fun any time of the week no matter what you're wearing (a real anomaly in New York City). I felt we were all little kids in big kids' clothing that night. Every time something came out we were clicking our heels together and clapping and bouncing off our seats, the way I felt at birthday parties at Bullwinkle's when I was a wee little girl.

34 Ave. A, between 2nd and 3rd Sts
212-777-5660