Feasting Royally at Peasant

Place: Peasant

Nationality: Italian

Location: 194 Elizabeth St., between Spring and Prince.
212.965.9511

Transportation: By subway: 1/9/2/3 to Times Square, transfer to
the N/R to Prince St. 25 minutes by cab.

Occasion: Ideal for a splurge on parent’s weekend or a
romantic night in Nolita.

Budget: Appetizers range from $9-12, main courses from $22-30;
pizzas are $12.

Atmosphere: Peasant’s chef has a comforting philosophy:
“Peasant is about going back to basics, to a time when the
hearth was the center of the kitchen as well as the center of the
home.” This is certainly reflected in the brick dining room,
which is illuminated by the wood-burning oven and beautiful open
kitchen. The room is filled with everything from romantic
tête-à-têtes to raucous parties of ten.

Highlights: This is one of those places that will drive you
insane with the desire to order everything on the menu. After some
pleasant agonizing, we made our choices, and began with sweet
ricotta and fresh bread. This got mixed reviews from the table, but
I felt as if it was just the right introduction to a traditional
meal. A highlight of the meal was the fagioli toscani con tonno
($11), a medley of arugula, white beans and top-quality canned
tuna. We also ordered the prosciutto e frutta (prosciutto with
fruit, $12): velvety, nutty prosciutto with a faint hint of
saltiness complimented by sweet fresh figs. Next we had Agnello con
polenta ( lamb with polenta, $22) and gnocchi con chantarelle
(potato flour pasta with chanterelle mushrooms, $22); I would
recommend both. The desserts seemed promising, but we opted to
cruise Little Italy in search of gelato and cannoli. Big
mistake—according to some Peasant denizens, we should have
stayed for either the tiramisu or the house chocolate cake.

Footnotes: Visa, Mastercard, Amex. Closed Mondays.

Perhaps it was due to a late dinner or the European tradition of
spending hours at the table, but it took about an hour to get our
main dishes. Peasant is not a place to come if you’re in a
hurry, but it is a place to try if you’re looking for an
excellent atmosphere to compliment a delicious meal.