Inside Union Square Cafe

Since the restaurateur Danny Meyer opened Union Square Cafe in 1985, it has been as influential as just about any other New York restaurant, for the way it melded not only casual and sophisticated notes but also American and Mediterranean styles.
Photo: Lee Clower for The New York Times


Italy plays a bigger role than France at this "international bistro," reflecting the culinary strengths of Michael Romano, a partner with Mr. Meyer in the restaurant since 1993.
Photo: Lee Clower for The New York Times


An appetizer of fried calamari.
Photo: Lee Clower for The New York Times


Spinach risotto with bacon and poached egg.
Photo: Lee Clower for The New York Times


Frank Bruni, The Times's chief restaurant critic, writes, "Union Square doesn't encourage you to take mincing bites of measured portions. It exhorts you to dig in."
Photo: Lee Clower for The New York Times


The restaurant has a cozy setting; a series of rooms and nooks that impersonate a country inn.
Photo: Lee Clower for The New York Times


Capellini with flaked cod, broccoli rabe, garlic, chili and bread crumbs "had that irresistible broccoli-rabe bitterness, coupled with a faint, fugitive heat," writes Mr. Bruni.
Photo: Lee Clower for The New York Times


Mr. Bruni writes that a dish of grilled lamb chops were "butchered, seasoned and grilled in a flavorful fashion." But, he notes that "the menu and cooking aren't particularly adventurous or inventive, putting a real premium on execution."
Photo: Lee Clower for The New York Times


A banana tart dessert.
Photo: Lee Clower for The New York Times


Union Square Cafe


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http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/08/05/dining/20090805-rest-slideshow_index.html