I had heard that La Sirena from restaurateurs Mario Batali and Joe Bastiani had had some service issues and a ho-hum menu.  I decided to check it out myself one perfect weather day, as I knew how delightful it was to sit outside at the non-street level restaurant.  I had eaten here  at the Maritime Hotel when it was La Bottega.

I’m so glad I did

Haven fallen in love with the spicy Calandria at Hotel Americano, we chatted with the manager looking for a La Sirena piquant cocktail. Spice Me Baby One More Time ($16) satisfied. It contained smoky Montelobos mezcal, Milagro blanco tequila, house made spicy red pepper chile honey with a dash of hellfire bitters. We got ours with orange in lieu of the grapefruit juice listed. Loved the chili-coated fruit slice garnish!

While waiting for our order, we nibbled warm sesame coated roll that we slathered with soft spreadable butter topped with crunchy sea salt granules.

What I’d highly recommend is their heirloom tomato and Opal & Thai Basil salad with a smoky, creamy mozzarella they called stracciatella ($19), especially while tomatoes are in season. Spectacularly simple. Also good, is their starter of sweet grilled corn and charred Romano beans on a puddle of smoked ricotta ($16).

I will definitely go back — as La Sirena had great service and quite an interesting menu.

 

 

– bonnie
BonnieBOTB
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La Sirena
Chelsea
88 Ninth Avenue
New York City
La Sirena Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato