For sentimental reasons, a dish that arrived early in the meal at Feast & Floret was my favorite. Truffled egg toast ($16) is a gloriously gooey square of bread with a raw egg yolk planted in the middle. Melted fontina cascades over the sides, two crisp asparagus spears act as sentries, and the plate comes showered with a flurry of fresh truffle shavings, exuding a luxurious odor.
I remembered this dish as one of the best things I ate in 1998 at ‘Ino, a 400-square-feet wine bar on lower Bedford Street in Greenwich Village. No food that couldn’t be made with just a cutting board and a toaster oven was served there. Then, the dish employed truffle oil rather than actual truffles, consistent with the bargain nature of the place. The guy responsible was Jason Denton, who went on to be involved at New York City restaurants such as Lupa, Corsino, and the ‘Inoteca chain of Italian wine bars, as well as Hudson, New York’s Fish & Game.