First Meal: The Odeon

My friends Jeff & Eva and I found ourselves in Tribeca after midnight a few weeks ago, looking for a place to eat. Luckily there a lot of places down there that stay open late, so we just decided to wander until we found something we like. Someone suggested Landmarc, but then pointed out that they specialize in grilled meats (though they do have what Eva called a “boring” grilled portobello mushroom). We decided to check out the menu, but then we passed by the Odeon and when we saw their menu I knew I wanted to eat there.

There weren’t very many diners there when we arrived, though the bar was pretty lively. The Odeon has been around for about 20 years, always positioning itself as a hip, late-night place, and the large neon sign seems to harken back even further, to the supper clubs of the ’30s. Despite the elegant dining room the host didn’t blink twice at the shorts I was wearing and showed us to a table immediately (we asked to be seated outdoors, but they close the outside tables at midnight). And by the time we left, about 1:30, they were starting to change the tables over for breakfast. I’m pretty sure the place is open 24 hours.

The dish on the menu that gad really captured my attention was the local sweet corn ravioli, topped with summer truffles and aged romano cheese. I ordered a half portion ($14), as did Jeff, and Eva ordered the frisee salad. We also got a warm goat cheese salad for the table. We also got a bottle of Rose, which was the cheapest bottle of wine they had on the menu at $35. As Jeff pointed out, these were definitely priced for the Wall Street set.

The ravioli was very good, with an incredibly thin tender pasta over the sweet corn. The taste was great, though the texture reminded me a little too much of creamed corn. Don’t get me wrong, I like creamed corn, but it reminds me of cafeteria food. I would have preferred the filling to have a smoother, more refined texture, which would better suit the fine dining atmosphere. I thought the romano cheese shavings added a nice saltiness, but the truffles didn’t do anything for me. The goat cheese salad was fine, but nothing special. The wine was nice and crisp, perfect for the warm summer evening.

After the meal i decided to go for dessert. I’m a sucker for bread pudding, and it turns out that their version is great — warm, rich brioche with orange sherbet and poached apricots. A little too sweet, maybe, but the citrus of the sherbet was a nice accent to the custard of the bread pudding. You can see it at the top of this page.

All together it was a very good meal, though maybe not worth the $100 (before tip) that it came to. $100 for ravioli, salad, and wine? Not an everyday kind of dinner, to be sure, but if you’re wandering Tribeca late at night and have some money to burn, the Odeon is a pretty good option.

The Odeon — 145 West Broadway