Wolf at Nordstrom NYC
Italian restaurant · Midtown West ·
Italian-inspired fare with Pacific Northwest influences
Italian-inspired fare with Pacific Northwest influences
"Avenue C is knee deep in a pool of gentrification right now. Amongst the housing projects and homeless punk rockers are all kinds of hip eating and drinking establishments, resulting in one of the most entertaining blocks of culture clashing this city has to offer. To the drunk college kid we saw trip over himself and into the garbage cans in front of Summit Bar the other night - it might be wise to watch where you fall around here. This isn't MacDougal Street just yet. Being the judgmental person that I am, it took me a while to accept the fact that any restaurant named Edi And The Wolf could actually be worth going to. I have a habit of assuming a bad name equals a bad restaurant, and what a terrible name that is. Edi opened around the same time as Octavia's Porch, an awful "Global Jewish" concept which is already closed. And because they were around the corner from one another and named after a person, in my head, they were the same thing. Much like the whole Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton scenario. At least they had a little more in common. But my stupid preconceived notions about this restaurant were dead wrong. Edi And The Wolf is actually quite Infatuation friendly. The restaurant has a great spirit to it. The main dining room, a sort of rag-tag urban garage with random sh*t everywhere, seems like a perfectly appropriate arena for drinking Austrian wines you've never heard of. The spooky back "patio" actually feels more like a haunted greenhouse. Meat hooks hang from a plastic ceiling that's patched together with umbrellas. It's weird, but it's cool. Even if you can't pronounce the majority of the menu options, don't be intimidated. This food is as accessible and familiar as any - the words for the dishes are just spelled crazy. Here's another word for you - Gentrifizierung. That's German for gentrification, that is exactly what Edi And The Wolf is perpetuating in the East Village. Food Rundown Pickled Vegetables This is an assortment of beets, carrots, ramps, and radish slices served over a bed of sauerkraut. It's an excellent appetizer for the table and at four bucks, it's also a steal. Cured Pork Belly If you like cured meats, you're going to freak out over this dish. I'm not sure that I've ever had better cured pork belly in my life. The thin slices of bacon were served with horseradish, pickled ramps, and apples. Yes. Spätzle In case this is new to you, spätzle are a traditional Austrian dish -essentially mini-dumplings. This is a mandatory order at Edi And The Wolf. The portion size is huge, and we couldn't even finish half of it between two people. This spätzle is served with hen of the woods mushrooms, fava beans, and asparagus and then topped with fried onions. Delicious. Steak This hanger steak was another dish we were impressed by, but hanger steaks are always good. Schlutzkrapfen A traditional "Austrian mountain cheese ravioli" filled with homemade ricotta, baby beets, and pine nuts. The ravioli were perfectly cooked, and the cheese was creamy and went well with the beets and pine nuts. We'll call that a flavor combination success story." - Andrew Steinthal
"Peter Barry — a Rezdôra alum who started selling pasta over Instagram under Pastaiolo e Sugo during the pandemic — has continued to run a less-frequent version of the pop-up after taking on a full-time job again at Wolf, an Italian restaurant located inside Nordstrom’s flagship store near Columbus Circle." - Erika Adams
"Facing denied coverage from Fireman’s Fund Insurance, Ethan Stowell’s restaurant group (ESR) has filed a lawsuit claiming about $1.5 million in COVID-19-related losses so far; the suit says the policy should cover those losses even though the claim was rejected. After dining rooms shut in March, ESR laid off about 90 percent of its staff and later rehired roughly 60 people, and the group reports that the shift to takeout produced only about 20 percent of typical revenue across many of its restaurants (around $2.2 million per month). ESR president Steve Hooper tells Eater Seattle, “We believe the insurance policy covers the COVID losses as it’s written,” and the group is asking the court to enforce it; ESR is the first among several local restaurants covered by Fireman’s Fund to file suit, though others are prepared to take legal action if similarly denied." - Gabe Guarente
"The store’s signature restaurant Wolf, located on the second floor, is a first-time collaboration with award-winning Seattle chef and James Beard nominee Ethan Stowell. It’s inspired by Stowell’s popular rustic Italian spot, How to Cook a Wolf. Starters at Wolf range from classics like olives or beef tartare, to more inventive small plates such as delicata squash with maitake mushrooms, parsnip puree, pistachio, and pomegranate. Pastas are plentiful and include spaghetti with uni butter, and entrees run the gamut from a bacon cheeseburger to American wagyu with peperonata, fingerling potato, and salsa verde. The full menu is below." - Eater Staff
"Ethan Stowell’s first New York restaurant, Wolf, draws from his Seattle spot How to Cook a Wolf and will focus on simple Italian small plates—some dishes, like polenta fritters with ricotta, sage, and chestnut honey, will repeat here—while also incorporating Pacific Northwest flavors and product rather than being a straight replica of the Seattle original." - Serena Dai