Indie Food and Wine

Indie Food and Wine is in the new Lincoln Center Film Center on the Upper West Side at W. 65th (btw Broadway/Columbus and Amsterdam). I had read about its opening but initially wasn't completely convinced that I should try it out. Descriptions of the place were mostly replete with descriptions of the high brow theater snacks that would be served (parmesan black truffle and salt & caramel popcorn). But the name "Indie Food and Wine" made the shop sound as though it would have actual food. I also work incredibly close by, so I decided one afternoon to find out what kind of lunch I could procure.

As soon as I walked in, I fell in love with the space. Country-style, wooden tables, with sparse, minimalist decor and plenty of natural light flooding in from the large floor-to-ceiling windows, and the "indie" look of having the menu written on a chalkboard pillar.

The lunch menu looked quite promising, with sandwiches such as Apricot Jam & Camembert, Duck Leg Confit, and Milk-Braised Pork Belly. I was in the mood for something hearty, so I walked up to the above-pictured counter and ordered the Braised Beef Short-Rib sandwich with cheddar, tomatoes, red onions and dijon on ciabatta.

Although the texture of the short-rib was spot-on at tender and juicy, the whole of the sandwich was somewhat lacking. The short-rib itself was underseasoned, with the cheese, tomatoes and onions adding little depth and the dijon being the overbearing flavor. Additionally, the proportions were off, as I had expected the $15 sandwich to come heavily laden with meat and well-balanced with bread. Instead, as you can see from the picture above, the sandwich is mostly untoasted bread with a thin layer of meat.

Undeterred by this initial lackluster sandwich, I returned a few days later and purchased the olive oil poached tuna sandwich with piquillo peppers, saffron aioli and frisee on ciabatta. This sandwich had slightly more depth of flavors but was a bit too watery and cold for a $12 sandwich. I am unfortunately biased against cold sandwiches so I may just have to blame myself for the purchase.

I just so happened to purchase this cold tuna sandwich the same day I was writing my Mexicue post, and I couldn't help wishing that bold, punchy, Mexican flavors were entering my mouth instead of slightly bland, cold, drippy tuna. Maybe one day the UWS won't be overly laden with fancy sandwich places. But until then, lunchtime on the UWS may just continue to be drab.