My Restaurant Review-Northern Spy

As soon as I entered Northern Spy Food Co., I felt my neighborhood transform into a quaint, easygoing locale. The rosemary in the window was welcoming and on my way to the bathroom I noticed a bag of “help yourself” popcorn planted at the bar in a brown paper bag. We were served family style, which added to the simple elegance of the restaurant. The first two dishes to come out were the Farmer’s market salad and the gnocchi. The carrots, turnips, leeks and cucumbers in the salad were wonderfully crunchy and coated in a sharp, flavorful yogurt vinaigrette. The variations of the veggies were ones you do not see very often which made the dish a joy to eat. As good as it was, I could barely wait to stab my fork into the pillowy, perfectly burnt on-one-side gnocchi staring me in the face. The vibrant cherry tomato sauce was a gorgeous palette. They were deliciously creamy, and the sauce and English peas were a lovely, light compliment. The gnocchi was not dense at all, which can be a common dilemma. The strands of basil provided a nice bite and added freshness to the dish. Everyone looked satisfied with both dishes and no leftovers were seen anywhere at the table. We sunk into our seats and waited for the next course, which came out soon after the first. Dishes of freekeh risotto and cod with vegetables were placed on the table next, and everyone dug in. The freekeh was a lovely substitute for Arborio rice and tasted like barely. The mascarpone made the dish creamy and rich, but the zucchini and asparagus running through it lightened things up and provided a nice crunch. The cod was cooked perfectly and fell apart when my fork broke into it. The seasoning was perfect as well. The vegetable medley consisted of wild mushrooms, green beans and roasted corn and served as a perfect bed for the fish. The char of the corn really came through and added a nice bite. Just when we thought we couldn’t eat any more, two different desserts were brought out: yellow plum cake with basil ice cream and sweat and sour cherry pie with burnt caramel ice cream. My fork kept going from one to the other, not being able to decide which it liked best. The plum cake was definitely sweeter, and the pie had a delicious, sugar speckled crust I couldn’t get enough of. Both were a treat to enjoy and a lovely ending to a diverse and flavorful meal. I can’t wait to escape the heat again with a trip to this quaint outpost.