Monday, March 19, 2007

Villa Berulia
107 East 34th Street (between Lexington & Park)

Earlier in the day last week, I had looked through a pretty bad selection at the local grocery outlet, so I decided to eat out. I had wanted to try the popular Villa Berulia for awhile now, for its simple-but-good food reputation, as well as its Croatian roots. I chose a Tuesday for the experience, and it was well worth the wait.

The restaurant is a simple trattoria, family-run and relaxing. It's the type of restaurant you feel comfortable in, one where the decor and atmosphere is homey and charming, unpretentious in every way.

I chose to enjoy the restaurant's special veal chop and to skip a starter. This turned out to be a splendid choice. Alongside a beautiful bottle of Croatian red from the dreamy island of Hvar (never tried this before, it is just fantastic), it turned out to be a wonderful (and excessive) evening.

The double broiled chop was absolutely fantastic, a juicy piece of meat cooked to perfection. The char and flavour on the outside revealed a wonderful quality chop that tasted incredible from one part to the other. I somehow managed to finish the whole thing -- and the wine. Wow...

I stayed and chatted with the proprietors, who are the nicest people in the world. They were so proud of the Croatian specialties they carried, and I enjoyed several other home-made spirits such as Å¡ljivovica amongst others before I wandered off happy. Oh, what a fun evening!

I highly recommend Villa Berulia for its relaxing atmosphere, wonderful food, and the charming people that run the restaurant. You will find it as homey as me I'm sure, but it is fabulously busy, so do make reservations!

Food: A-
Atmosphere: A-
For Lone Diners: A-

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