Misi
8.3
"- opening -
december 27th. 12:54 pm. two weeks before I will arrive, but scheming for the nyc trip begins. chloe reaches out asking if we are continuing our tradition of going to a new omakase spot when I come to town. out of respect for my friends wallets, I suggest we skip it this time. since I don’t respect their wallets THAT much, I ask if we can still go to a bougee spot for dinner one night.
a week later and chloe has pulled some strings and snagged a res for 6 at misi, a trendy pasta spot in williamsburg.
the night of, we trek through the cold rainy streets of brooklyn to arrive right by domino park. welcome to misi.
- pt i - atmosphere -
misi keeps its decor relatively minimal and industrial. wooden tables, metal chairs, dimly lit. personally, I prefer a cozier ambiance for an italian spot but the vibe they went for isn’t bad. I would probably have felt a bit exposed at some of the tables and not sure how I feel about how open it is for a place that likely thrives as a date night location.
the kitchen is open to the restaurant which works really well for a spot like this. the ability to watch the chefs at work is a real treat. our table was a high top which was right by the kitchen. in fact, my seat may as well have been in the kitchen so I got a behind the scenes look at the action which was very enjoyable.
- pt 2 - apps -
we kept it simple here. the ricotta toast seemed to be the one thing everyone agreed was a must try (taste, google, friends) so we got 2 orders so everyone got a slice. we may be basic, but we aren’t TOO basic so we also got the artichokes.
the ricotta toast was tasty but a bit overhyped. visually, it’s a very appealing item that looks like so soft you could take a nap on it. the quantity of ricotta on the bread should have been overwhelming. instead, it ended up actually being a bit too bland which was kinda shocking. it had a great texture and the salt on top saved it, but it wasn’t anything that blew me away. the bread itself was a pretty standard sourdough. I think this would have been fine as a vessel if the topping had something to say, but the ricotta wasn’t super impressive. not terrible, but not worth raving about. the mushrooms they came with however were top tier. perfectly cooked and seasoned well.
the artichokes were solid; I think I preferred the mushrooms but the artichokes were yummy and had a nice crisp to em.
- pt 3 - main -
we each ordered a pasta for sharing. 6 dishes, so we got to try about half the menu.
this was where misi really fell apart in my mind as a contender for “meal of the trip”. unfortunately, misi is a pasta focused place that struggles to deliver tasty pasta.
out of the 6 pastas we ordered: 1 was delicious, 2 left me confused, 2 were decent, and 1 was laughably bad. at the price point misi is charging, I would expect at least a 70% hit rate, with the remaining 30% at least being acceptable.
starting with the positive: the anchovy linguini blew me away. this was the dish I was most apprehensive about us ordering but it stood out by far. the linguini was perfectly cooked, the sauce was flavorful and struck the proper balance of salty and zesty. the anchovy were crispy and paired perfectly with the pasta. no notes.
next the confusion: the lemon ricotta occhi and brown butter spinach tortelli. both of these dishes had so much potential. these dishes are balanced well with a thoughtful mix of ingredients and a proper amount of sauce. particularly the tortelli is a dish that is so close to excellence.
however.
me and misi seem to have very different ideas of what al dente really means. this became very apparent in these two pastas as they feature thicker sections of noodle. the outer parts were very firm to the bite to the point of unenjoyment. misi seems to be petrified of the thought of a slightly overcooked piece of pasta that they err to the opposite extreme. in my opinion, they take it too far and this is the biggest flaw at misi. a pasta spot that doesn’t have pasta that is enjoyable to eat is not one I see myself returning to.
the decent: the lamb chitarra was good but didn’t shock me. lamb was well cooked but the sauce was mediocre. the butter fettuccine was also acceptable but didn’t stand out in a meaningful way to justify its price.
the laughable: the chickpea pappardelle was beyond mid. the sauce was chickpea based and there was even more chickpeas floating around. not sure who green lit this… but there is such a thing as toooo many chickpeas. the noodles were also too thick so the al dente issue struck again.
I really wanted to like the mains here, but without properly cooked pasta, the top tier ingredients featured here struggle to be notably enjoyable.
- pt 4 - dessert -
misi ended on a positive note with one of the best gelato I have ever had. I got the olive oil gelato which was perfectly infused and not just drizzled on. the gelato was airy and creamy and every bite was top notch. if I ever return, it will be solely for this. the other flavors I tried were stellar as well.
- closing -
misi struggled to be consistent in a way I expect from a restaurant at this price point. overly al dente pasta really hampered the mains and while there were some really good bites here, there also were enough mediocre ones where I can not recommend misi as a spot worth visiting." - luke
