Wildair
“The roamin lettuces were terrific, loved the beef tartare and wanted more and more of the fried squid.”
“I've become a big fan of Contra, and now my big quandary will be whether to have dinner at Contra or Wildair.”
“I would probably come back and devour two more plates of that fried squid.”
Wildair
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Decent food, just no particularly standout aspect or dish for me.
Two friends and I stopped by on a Friday evening at 6:15, and we found one of the last few tables available at that time. We split the bread and olive oil, potato darphin, beef tartare, fried squid, and seared tuna between the three of us, and while it was all pretty unique and moderately tasty, and I just didn't find any of the dishes particularly memorable. The potato darphin had a fairly generous heaping of uni, but I didn't find the pairing too tasty, and the fried squid was a tad too breaded for my liking. I did enjoy the beef tartare with the cheddar, although I found the tuna a bit lacking in flavor, and my most favorite dish was probably the chocolate tart dessert. It was generally alright, but if I had waited for an hour to be seated (i.e. if we had arrived 15 minutes later), I probably would have not found it worth the wait.
It took me way too long to make it into Wildair.
After almost a year and far too many accolades, I finally had the opportunity to check out one of the most buzzed abound restaurants in lower Manhattan. From an overwhelming majority of Yelp reviews to local food blogs to critics from esteemed publications, it seems Wildair is a universal hit. I can't say I disagree.
Moseyed in on a Friday night at 6:00pm sharp. With only a handful of other restaurant goers waiting in line ahead of me (it's walk up only), we had our pick of the litter for seating. Being a fan of chef's tables and eating at counters, we chose the high tops with a direct view into the efficient, minuscule kitchen Wildair cooks and chefs operate from. It's impressive to watch this team pump out high quality food in such tight confines in about the same time it takes you humble brag to your friends on Snapchat. With such a small restaurant, I'm sure their strategy is to turn over seats in as quick, yet non-invasive a fashion as possible. If you're in a hurry, but still want to eat something other than a dirty water Sabrett, you can make that happen with ease.
My lovely lady and I shared the beef tartare, bread with olive oil, purple sweet potato salad, and a chocolate tart. The beef tartare came decorated with smoked cheddar and chestnut, and was an excellent choice for fans of raw beef. The purple sweet potato salad was a sleeper hit, easily our favorite dish of the bunch. I'm sure the menu rotates based on food availability, but you should target this dish if it's featured the day you visit. Despite foul cries that bread and oil should come complimentary at a restaurant, I have no problem paying for something as enjoyable as hot and delicious fresh baked bread. To those who find the notion unscrupulous, just a quick reminder that it's not the '80s anymore. You probably stopped wearing Z Cavariccis, and well made bread may cost you a few bucks. Restaurant margins are razor thin these days, y'all.
Rounding out the meal, our chocolate tart was simple, yet perfect for closing the loop on dinner. Not too sweet, topped with thick sea salt, and sitting atop a homemade dough constructed of crumbled pralines and plenty of butter. I'd return just for this and an espresso if it were possible.
If you've been wondering if it's worth they hype, I'd venture to say it is. It can be spendy for small plates, but there's more to life than never ending pasta bowls. Savor something brilliant, enjoy the moment, and you'll be just fine.
Still incredible. Here's our ranking from our latest visit:
– Fluke crudo, pineapple, 'nduja
– Chocolate hazelnut tart
– Beef tartare, smoked cheddar, brazil nuts
– Selection of cheeses
– Bread and olive oil
– Littleneck clams, XO, bitter almond
– Blistered shoshito peppers, nama yuba
– Crispy grain salad, hearts of palm, tarragon
I really can't stress enough how great the fluke was, with the pineapple and sausage. Very different from any other dish I can remember eating, and just perfect in its own way.
There was also a gap between the peppers and the salad — I liked the salad, but my wife wasn't crazy about it, and I thought it was easily my least favorite. It was the only dish out of eight that I didn't totally love.
Also: for our second consecutive visit, they didn't have the spicy tuna, scallion, and tomatoes, which looks amazing. I'm dying to try this, so hopefully we get this next time.
I recommend showing up early – on a Friday night the restaurant opened at 6 pm so we got there right around then and were promptly seated. By 6:30/7 the whole place was full. We snagged the two bar stools facing into the kitchen, and it was fun to watch all the magic happening.
The service was exceptional. Our waitress was lovely and just-the-right-amount attentive. The food itself was also wonderful.
I've never had a more enjoyable salad at a restaurant in my entire life. Like, seriously. Get the romaine lettuce! It sounds boring but it was outstanding! Trust me. Doused in pistachios and lemon juice and topped with a delicately piped dressing made out of reduced lettuce…unusual but so delicious. The burrata and persimmon salad was equally delicious. Both are must haves.
Next came the delicate beef tartare topped with smoky cheddar and then the potato darphin – basically the best hash brown I have ever had topped with decadent uni and chopped jalapeños.
The only dish of the evening that we found disappointing was the squid, and that was because the batter was too heavy – you couldn't really taste the seafood. I would recommend passing on this one but make sure not to miss out on any of the others!
And get the chocolate tart. Just do it. You deserve it.
Super casual, no reservations, small plates for sharing. Ordered 6 plates + 1 dessert for the 2 of us, and everything was at least super interesting, if not mindblowingly delicious (persimmon, potato, hazelnut tart). I lied earlier. Don't share the aforementioned 3 plates. Get an entire order for yourself.
Fun, playful, and tasty dishes in a warm and casual space.
Service was friendly and everything was brought out at a really good pace. However, I did take issue with our waitress, who was also friendly, but whose wine recommendation ended up being nothing like the description she gave or the notes I had said I was looking for.
Aside from this minor thorn in my side, the food and ambience are really awesome and Wildair is certainly worth checking out. Here are the dishes we had, ranked from my most to least favorite:
Fluke Crudo
This dish I feel like embodies the creative and fun spirit of Wildair, and the interesting choices taken definitely paid off. The fluke is cut like a ceviche, and in a very lemony dressing, with the nduja sausage used more as a flavoring, in a non-overwhelming, but certainly present way. Ultimately, I kept going back for more (it was a great portion, I should also add) and if you have the chance I would get this dish.
Beef Tartare
The beef is treated more like a ceviche dish than a beef tartare, and it comes in an aggressively vinegary dressing. The combination of the beef, cheese, and vinegar make for an addictive dish that's far from a fatty, hearty tartare but that fits the seafood-based menu of Wildair perfectly.
White Georgian Shrimp
These shrimp are fat, shell-on, and grilled to tasty perfection. The shrimp themselves were awesome and perfectly cooked, with the perfect amount of charcoal flavor, though I thought the sauce could have been better; it was oily and had a take-out Chinese food taste to it. Still worth ordering though, by my measure.
Seaweed Butter Radishes
These were really tasty and great to snack on (say if you were just coming in for some wine).
Littleneck Clams
The dressing–XO sauce and almond milk–was amazing, and hit all right right notes, and the dish was really tasty and addictive. However, I thought the clams were a little too briny, if I had to make a comment.
Fried Squid
The squid was tender, fatty, and almost porky. A+ on however they treated it to get it that way. However, the batter was really sweet, and I wish this came with some acid (a lemon?) to cut the richness with. The sauce was also meh, but again, like with all of this dishes, this one is still awesome and worth ordering.
We finished off with the already-famous hazelnut tart, which was scrumptious to the last bite–the aggressive saltiness and decadent real hazelnut cream were amazing, and I feel like the dessert reflects the rest of the menu; dishes that take calculated risks that totally pay off. We really enjoyed every dish we had, and the playfulness made it such a great dining experience. For the reasonable price, the fun ambience, and the playful dishes, I would say this place gets my stamp of approval. Wildair, I'll be back for you!
Very disappointing considering the standards that were set by Contra 🙁 the only positives were the Georgia white shrimp, our bread and evoo and the fluke ceviche. Everything else just felt flat and made you say huh? The biggest disappointment was the fried squid!!!! It was overly battered to mask the main ingredient and over seasoned to an extent that tasted like Cheetos? Yes Cheetos.
One word: Amazing. If that's not indicative enough of how I feel about Wildair, I instagrammed a collage of my meal here and haven't been able to stop myself from looking back at it whenever the fancy strikes to relive my experience (which, by the way, is embarrassingly often).
Space: Small, casual, and cozy. All communal tables and counter seating – we opted for corner seats by the window, facing the kitchen, so we could watch everything being prepared.
Service: Staff was warm and incredibly helpful when we inquired about the wine selection (which is all-natural – points! Points!), and was attentive throughout the meal while still giving us our space.
Food:
1) House-made bread and olive oil – deceptively simple sounding. If you weren't already in the know about their bread at their sister restaurant Contra next door, you might just pass by this item on the menu – don't. Their bread is incredible – brought back memories of when I was living in France and was spoiled with fresh bread on the daily from the boulanger down the street. It is warm, pillowy and doughy on the inside, and the crust crunches beautifully in the mouth.
2) Beef tartare – my favorite dish of the meal. A sprinkling of smoked cheddar on top to give it some flavor juxtaposed with the crunch of the chestnuts – texture was incredible.
3) Persimmon, jalapeño, burrata, butternut – I could have passed on this. It was good, but forgettable.
4) Potato darphin with uni – a-freakin-mazing. Maybe I'm biased because I harbor an intense affinity for anything with potato, but this was truly good. Uni was relatively mild. Creamy and tasting vaguely like the sea.
5) Panna cotta with tangerine granita and crumble – definitely get this over the tart. I'm not normally a dessert person, but this had an airy, light quality that tied up the meal nicely. The tangerine balances the custardy panna cotta beautifully, and the crumble has a nice buttery flavor without feeling too heavy.
In other words: Go here. Just make sure to come early-ish, as they don't take reservations.