kashkaval

856 9th ave b/t 55th & 56th sts

hell’s kitchen is full of restaurants that will save you from times square/midtown hell, but it’s hard to know which ones are good, in my opinion (see vnyl post). K & i stumbled upon this random small door the other night when it was freezing cold and we wanted a quick, warm bite to eat. ambivalent about the italian restaurants filling 3/4 corners at 56th & 9th ave, we hurried across the street and popped into look at kashkaval. fondue? cold? perfect.

at 10 pm on friday, it was the perfect place. we shared the kashkaval fondue (a sheep’s cheese, but not very sheepy tasty, perfect for fondue), which came with a basket of bread ($10-$12) and added a veggie plate ($4). i ended up scraping cheese off the bottom of the pot. need i say more?

after that, i took S, R & N there the following night, enjoying both the warm, rustic decor, the fondue, and intrigued by the “mediterranean tapas” and the “cheese & meat plates” that we hadn’t made it to the night before.

alas, saturday night, rather poorly run service (if nice)…kind of a disaster. the night ended up being fun because of the company and snacks at the front counter area, but otherwise, the 1hr wait (and partly due to inefficiency) would have killed me. whilst we waited, we split a bottle of carmenere (deliciouso! chilean, i believe), 4 tapas (all very good — one potato, one lentil type, tsaziki, and something else) with warm pita, and then a complimentary meat & cheese plate from the counter girl who felt bad about our long wait. at the table, we split a bottle of white (i forget what kind now) and the kashkaval and cheddar&ale fondues. i have to say that they have some issues with kashkaval fondue consistency (different b/t the two nights and neither quite smoothy and fondue-like), but of the two, kashkaval was definitely the better fondue taste.

so overall? i would recommend going at a not-busy time. friday at 10 seems to work. perhaps weekdays too. it’s got a terrific rustic atmosphere, the food is good, and it’s a nice cosy place to commune. but during “new york dining rush hour”? avoid it.