Dinner at Ecco

On Friday we dined at Ecco in Midtown. Overall I liked the space and vibe: trendy without being overly so and music that allowed for conversation. Our waiter was very attentive and he recommended a good red wine to go with our dishes. We also tried a lemonade cocktail, which was quite sweet (I liked it). It had a candied lemon slice on top - a nice touch.

Based on others' reviews I knew that the fried goat cheese with honey and cracked pepper was something to try. I did enjoy this unique appetizer, especially the way the large peppercorns played against the sweetness of the honey and gooey goat cheese. The baguette with butter offered to every table was nice - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. For our mains, we shared the chili-braised pork pasta and the duck confit pizza along with a side of brussels sprouts. The chili-braised pork was good, with tender, flavorful meat. I was a bit disappointed in the piquancy of the sauce, however, as it was not as spicy as I'd hoped and the noodles were not as fresh as I expected, sticking to each other like they had been sitting for awhile before going into this dish. The duck pizza was unique and tasty, but the squash puree as sauce was a bit too mild for my taste as well. The brussels sprouts were tasty, probably rendered extra tender and juicy by the duck fat they were cooked in. I ended up putting a generous amount of cracked pepper on everything, which helped, but I wish the kitchen could have put more spice in the dishes back in the kitchen.

Fried goat cheese with honey and pepper.

Chili-braised pork with garlic and homemade pappardelle.

Pizza with duck confit, roasted squash, sweet and sour onions, pecorino and brussels sprouts cooked in duck fat.