Cafe Condesa

A few months ago, I visited tiny, eight-table Cafe Condesa, which had just opened. I was amazed at how low the prices were (entrees were in the $8-$12 range) for such high-quality food. Now, Cafe Condesa has been "discovered" - reviews are starting to plaster the window, and it's much harder to secure a little black wooden table - but the prices and food haven't changed at all.

Chef Luis Mota works wonders in an open kitchen which is even smaller than the ones in most NYC apartments. Tonight, as I dipped my toasted bread in a gooey, melted wheel of Camembert, I remembered Mota saying that he begins prep work for dinner immediately after breakfast is over. (If you happen to get to Cafe Condesa for breakfast, you'll find fresh-baked muffins and great coffee.)

The dinner menu includes such items as fresh fettucini with Manchego and broccoli rabe, Spanish meatballs, roasted rack of lamb with a roasted wild mushroom-chimichurri sauce, and my choice of the evening: pan-seared salmon over a bed of sauteed spinach, surrounded by small pools of avocado puree, tomatillo salsa and pico de gallo. The portions at Cafe Condesa are small and elegant, like the restaurant.

I finished my meal with the dessert special: Earl Grey creme brulee. I scooped out every last bit of sugary burnt crust and every spoonful of rich custard. Then I got ready to leave, making sure I had all my things - the last time I ate at Cafe Condesa, I'd been in such a state of bliss that I left my jacket there.

Cafe Condesa: 183 West 10th St., (212) 352-0050.