#25 – LAMB RAGÚ SLIDERS at ANFORA

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

Who would go to a wine bar and order a cocktail? Take one guess: Yours truly!

But let me explain. First off, I’m not a huge fan of wine. Let it be said (and I know I may lose some of my foodie cred), but I generally find wine too harsh and not as complex as a good cocktail or beer. And secondly, Anfora was offering half off all their cocktails. So maybe on another day, I’d have sucked it up and tried some special Rioja or Chianti, but today it was all about saving some money (when is it not about that?)

The reason we decided to come to Anfora in the first place was not the cocktail special, but rather to try another TONY list item.

The lamb ragu sliders have been talked about relentlessly since this cozy but spacious wine and cheese bar opened earlier last year from the owners of Dell’anima. The menu here is composed of bites which seem to be smaller and more fashionable than the small plates we call tapas. And that’s what this $9 slider was: a bite. Or, to be fair, two bites. I must admit that it was a pretty spectacular two bites but it left something to be desired in terms of size.

Tender ciabatta bread held the delicately portioned ragú and it was showered with nutty shaved pecorino cheese that had just started to melt. The ragú had a strong gamey lamb flavor but may have been too heavily salted. However I appreciated the aggressive flavors. The slightly greasy stew was light on the tomato and quite delicious. And I hate to use the comparison to an adult sloppy Joe (since every food writer including TONY has endlessly used this), but it’s just too accurate to pass up.

It was one (or two) delicious bite. I was just disappointed that there wasn’t more for this price. The cocktails, on the other hand, had a great price tag but were truly uninspired and boring. I wonder if I’ve learned my lesson. I think from now on I’ll stick to wine at a wine bar. Unless of course, there’s a sale on something else.

Would Anfora’s Lamb Ragú Sliders make my Top 100 of the year? They get a 7 out of 10 because they were quite delicious, if a little greasy and salty, but I wanted more to savor and chew on.