Carla Lalli Music Meatballs

Casual, crispy. Chef Roberto Reyes is a man with a vision. The only thing more French than a show of culinary creativity is a show of French culinary creativity… not sure about that.

The chef at Bella Baule in Greenwich Village, New York, is really known for his cooking experiments using the local produce from a company called Italian Market.

On his blog, Roberto’s Passion for Food, he quotes the French cook, Paul Bocuse: “Eat my food, therefore eat your beef.” He then defines his philosophy of food, “My goal in food is to cultivate people’s spirit of life.”

Chef Ricardo Alvarez returns to his old kitchens at La Oxta. Part restaurant, part salad bar, La Oxta’s breakfast and lunch menus get the French twist in the form of an Egg Roll, their version of a croque monsieur, while brunch includes a soup and sandwich course in a nice, understated space, complete with an old piano on the bar.

We couldn’t leave before we had a serious hit with this ‘meatball.’ This version is in celebration of a recent influx of meaty appetizers from the oven, as well as a follow up for traditional Italian cooking.

Steak

This steak comes served with a house cured mustard and a balsamic reduction, but the most gorgeous steak you’ll ever eat: it’s well above medium-rare.

Beef and Pork

We had an opportunity to sample the tender steaks and boneless pork loin served at La Oxta, and the flavors were spot on for the seasonal stuff.

Grilled Shrimp and Pork Loin

In addition to several different seafood dishes, ‘meatballs’ was one of the highlights of the show, courtesy Chef Ricardo. It was actually the accompaniment as well as the first ever trio to accompany a pasta course, a lunch item.

Soups and Sandwiches

A large soup dumpling of Asian flavor as well as a sandwich full of salty, ‘meat’ flavors. We were very excited this dish proved a very popular lunch option.