SUMILE

154 West 13th Street (btwn 7th and Broadway)
[just about anything to 14th]
www.sumile.com

The lovely and amazing Anthea set us up here for dinner ... before she arrived an hour late. BUt she was working and sleeping and come to think of it, I should have been doing the same. In any case :::

The restaurant is incredibly interesting. Dinner is done tapas style, with each plate costing $14 and the option to upgrade some dishes to entree size for $28. Apparently, Chef Josh DeChellis was voted top chef in New York and he takes his title very seriously; when Anthea sent let me taste her custard and left it by me for the waiter to pick up, Mr. DeChellis himself came by to inquire as to whether she liked it. Ain't that something ?

Despite its price and pedigree, the restaurant itself is pretty comfortable; there are pillows on half of the chairs, and the space is narrow and intimate. The waitstaff is friendly and clearly enjoy their jobs - when the bartender ran out of Riesling I ordered as I waited for Anthea, he gave me the remanants of the bottle gratis and appeased me with sea salt seasoned edamame. Yum.