Restaurant Review: Bacaro

Bacaro: Italian, Lower East Side

Bacaro – romantic, sexy, rustic, and hidden restaurant on an unassuming street in the Lower East Side. You really feel like you’re in on some sort of secret when you go down the stairs into Bacaro’s cellar. Apparently, the space used to be an aquarium so it has an underground, musty, dungeon-like feel to it.  It is elegant with dark stones, old wood, candles, and secret caverns.  Bacaro’s cellar is truly one of the most unique and beautiful dining spaces I’ve ever been to in NYC.

The wine list is diverse and affordable. We went with a very reasonably priced Pinot Noir from Alto Adige – delish.

The feast began with their crostini of the day – It came with 3 different spreads: Olive Tapenade, White Fish, and Mushroom.  The white fish was definitely the best with big chunks of peppery, flaky, & fresh fish.

Next, we got the grilled asparagus with baked eggs and grana. Asparagus and eggs is one of my favorite combinations – the egg was runny and mixed perfectly with the creamy cheese.

We finished things off with 2 of their specials for the evening.

First, baked razor clams with breadcrumbs and a tomato, lemon, garlic sauce.  The clams were large, dense, and slightly sweet. I actually would have drank the broth if I could have.  These were my favorite part of the meal.

Last we had their black spaghetti with cuttlefish – in a slightly spicy, tangy, and light tomato sauce. Delicious sauce, al dente pasta, and large pieces of creamy cuttlefish. Delicious.

Overall, highly recommend for a unique and authentic Italian dining experience in a setting that is unlike any other you will find in Manhattan. It is a must try.

Kale & Cabbage Avocado Salad

No surprise here that Kale is everywhere and I love it.  Kale can be tricky though – and tricky to make well at home. I love a good kale salad, but it can be pretty tough and stiff when totally raw.  Lately I’ve seen a lot of “marinated” kale salad recipes so I decided to give one a try. My goal here was to mix the kale with the avocado, EVOO, and lemon juice and let it sit for a bit before eating---essentially “cooking” and softening up the kale.


I had 2 recipe inspirations:
First, one of my favorite kale salads: The Kale Avocado Salad from Juice Generation
Second, this Kale and Cabbage Salad from Rawmazing


Here’s what you need for my version: 
(Servings: 2) 
1 Ripe Avocado – chopped into small pieces 
1 Head of Kale – shredded and destemmed 
½ Purple Cabbage – chopped up 
1 cup raw sprouts 
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
1 TBSP Dijon Mustard 
½ TBSP Balsamic Vinegar 
½ TBSP Lemon Juice 
Salt & Pepper
Garlic Salt 
Sriracha Sauce


To start, I threw the kale, avocado, EVOO and lemon juice into a  bowl.  I stirred this mixture for awhile. I really wanted the avocado to soften up, cover the kale and mix with the EVOO to create a creamy dressing.  Then I let it sit for about 10 mins. The kale turned into a great romaine-like texture and picked up a ton of flavor from the avocado and lemon.


To finish things off, I threw everything else in the bowl and stirred it around some more.  Season and spice to your discretion. I used about 2-3 shakes of salt, pepper, and garlic salt and topped it all off with lots of sriracha because I like things SPICY. 

This salad is one of my new favorites – It’s so filling, healthy, and packed with vitamins.  The avocado and EVOO mixed into a delicious and creamy dressing. The crunchy cabbage provided great texture and a slight sweetness. This would be a great salad to put a bit more of an Asian flare on with sesame seeds, soy sauce, shredded carrots and/or ginger. For a protein boost, quinoa would be a great addition, too. Easy and delish!