'Ino

If you’re a long time reader of my blog, then you know that I’m a big fan of Mario Batali’s food. Not so much a fan of him or anyone on the Food Network for that matter, except for Giada but that’s because she’s just so cute and everything she makes looks orgasmic. Batali annoys me as a celebrity chef but the food that he produces is top notch. Not only is Batali’s food amazing, I dare say that anything created by his disciples are of above average quality.
‘Ino’s been a crowd favorite for at least a year. It’s owned by Jason Dent, who worked at Babbo before. Whilst it’s been on my list for some time now, I never had a good opportunity to try it. The restaurant is only about 8 tables big and I don’t like waiting over ½ an hour for a seat. Such a situation completely rules out the weekends or a popular weeknight such as Thursday. Even on a Monday night, my friend and I were lucky to get the last free table when we went around 8pm. The bartender actually tried to stop us from sitting down, thinking that there were people waiting ahead of us. Even before I saw the menu, I knew I had to try their famous truffled egg toast. In addition, I got a tramezzini made with pancetta, tomato, rucola and lemon mayo. I wasn’t sure what a tramezzini was. Turns out it’s a tea sandwich. My friend also got a tramezzini, hers with prosciutto, tomato and rucola. In addition, she ordered a bruschetta. Neither of us got a panino, which is what they are known for, aside from the truffled egg toast. I’m not a fan of paninis. There’s too much bread.
Both my friend and I thought the food was fabulous. My truffled egg toast was a thick piece of bread, covered in Fontina cheese, with a big egg yolk oozing out of the center. The sandwiches were so simple yet so delicious. Everything tasted fresh and was just perfect. We were so impressed that we went back to the restaurant 5 minutes after leaving it and got sandwiches to go. The service wasn’t that great. We felt a bit hurried and were taken back when the bartender initially tried to take the table away from us, even though another waiter seated us. When we went back to get take-out, I didn’t feel like they weren’t particularly friendly either. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. The food is so good that I can look past that, especially given the price. Dinner for 2 was less than $30. The sandwiches are $6, cheaper than a Subway sandwich!