Irving Mill
116 East 16th Street (between Irving & Union Square East)

We have been trying to get a booking at Irving Mill for weeks, as this new restaurant has been receiving good press. As the chef/owner is an alum of the Gramercy/Collicchio empire, I had high hopes for the place.

The space is larger than one may think, but the layout of tables is not very smart. This place seem to be designed for corporate events instead of being a true restaurant, with bad use of space for middle tables. And they squeezed us into a very small middle table next to 2 other parties in a rather empty dining room...a practice I despise. Not a good start.

The service was utterly confused. I counted about 7 major mistakes the service staff made, from wrong utensils to taking away things prematurely, from forgetting orders to suggesting items not on the day's menu (which they have no power to create). Very bad sign. After the poor service in London, I didn't need this for the new year...

The starters were quite good, and me and my friend shared two. The scallops were very tasty, while the baby octopus (nearly in whole) was a pleasant surprise. The portions were a little unbalanced, as the scallops had a small set while there were 5 baby octopi.

The main course I enjoyed the braised lamb shoulder. This was a small piece, but very tender and flavourful. The mushroom and cabbage base was also very good. Excellent, though the piece of meat was too heavily sculpted (they told me the pork chop was like a medallion...so there's too much trimming and extracurriculars done to the food for my taste). But it was excellent.

I passed on the dessert and had a pretty lame grappa and espresso. It was hard to talk as the adjacent tables were so close and the acoustics were dreadful. So we left. I left with a mixed feeling...good food, but mediocre restaurant. I wish this excellent chef and his team would find a more appropriate space...and front room team...

Food: B++
Atmosphere: C
For Lone Diners: C (*)