Restaurant Review: Edi & the Wolf

Edi & the Wolf is a baroque Austrian tavern on the outskirts of the East Village, as cozy as a cabin in the forest. I was so charmed on my first solo visit that I made a reservation to bring seven people with me the following week. The setting is instantly heartwarming and no one in my group objected when we had to squeeze around a table that seemed meant for four. In fact, we felt lucky. The small, rustic space is mobbed so patience is required and rewarded. Chef/owners Eduard Frauneder (or Edi, pronounced Eddie) and Wolfgang Ban are also behind Midtown's Michelin-starred Seäsonal and turn out equally accomplished, satisfying food here. We worked our way through much of the brief menu and couldn't find anything we wouldn't want again. Good to share is a plate of liptauer ($5), farmers cheese enriched with herbs, paprika and pumpkin seed oil. Flatbreads variously topped with figs and cipollini onions or speck and horseradish ($12/$14) were fun snacks, as were the meaty baby back ribs cooked in honey, beer and mustard ($13).  Lightly fried schnitzel ($19) made with heritage pig was classic, the steak perfectly cooked ($22), and the sea bass with sunchokes ($22) unimpeachable. Along with dinner we went through several bottles of Feiler-Artinger Zweigelt ($42), a soft, elegant red. For those who haven't been initiated in the pleasures of Austrian wine, the list is helpfully divided into light, medium, and full-bodied styles. It's no secret that the Austrians make some of the most luscious desserts (all $7) in the world so order whatever they're offering that night, from Linzer torte to crepes stuffed with chocolate and nuts to Bavarian cream so lovely and amazing I'll never forget it.

Edi & the Wolf

102 Ave. C

(212) 598-1040

www.ediandthewolf.com