Whitman and Bloom

When I walked by Arctica (a douchy typical Murray hill bar) and noticed it was now Whitman and Bloom I thought...oh good, Arctica 2.0.  But when Albert said that's what he wanted for his November pick, I couldn't argue.  You see, we're trying to establish a tradition where we each choose 1-2 new restaurants or bars each month to try - no vetoes allowed.  When he said that's where he wanted to go I made no complaints even though I suspected it would be overrun by Yankee frat boys.

I was floored with what they've done to the place.  You would never be able to recognize that it was once a place for sloppy make-out sessions over cheap well drinks...not that I know about that from personal experience.  The tables and chairs are dark wood while the walls are all white but in different textures.  Low lighting makes it feel romantic, not a word I would ever use to describe for the "love" connections made there.  Again, I don't know from personal experience.

The food is small plate style so Albert and I went to town.  We started with olives and then moved to a meat and cheese plate, followed by the mac and cheese, the roasted cauliflower, seared calamari, and the pulled lamb sliders.  We may have over-ordered a tad.  My favorite was the roasted cauliflower with homemade cheese though there was a bit too much of the tough stalk, even though it did make for a cool presentation.  Downsides were my overly sweet drink (the Smoked Pina) and that the waiter didn't really know anything about the cheese selection.

This is the kind of place I want to go to with my girlfriends before a night out on the town.  For the first time, I don't have to leave my neighborhood to do so.