Last Night at M. Wells

But accessibility did not break the illusion that this was something odd, not quite great but still some kind of wonderful in a distinctly 21st century, non John Hughes way. Legendarily lax on the service side though it may have been - we saw some evidence of that but also had incredibly cheery and accommodating interactions with several staff members - and a supremely tight fit, M. Wells was a place for rich cooking and bold flavors. And we can't say it disappointed on that front.

Now this being a booze column, you'll likely want a round-up of spirits and notes on wine. We can't really judge a place on its last night as the list was no longer complete - what we did see looked good and we managed quite well, but a request for another bottle of a certain wine was met with an apology. We had drunk the last one, something that was just right given the circumstances. We did try a couple drinks - the Defenestration was a nicely aromatic yet somehow lacking, its mix of cognac, cocchi americano, punt e mes and benedictine not quite coming together, while the Glimmer, gin, aperol, licor 43, cava and orange blossom developed a kind of bubble gum-y quality enhanced by the fizzy cava. Interesting and not unpleasant.

But M. Wells was about the food - the bone marrow, the giant pieces of meat, putting foie on everything. It was comfort and excess all in one, an ode to times full of uncertainty where corporate profits break records but regular folk are left out and just want something that's, well, a bit different. The superstar sadly wasn't the bone marrow, which was sampled a few times and only half delivered due in part to underwhelming snails, but the surprising General Tso sweetbreads. This was a sweetbreads dish for those who are afraid of the ingredient and would rather pretend it were chicken. Or more simply, crack for foodies. Also excellent was the beef tongue salad, great big chunks of tongue over greens, and the chix fried schwab - though you had to watch for the funky bits. This is post-modern cooking which means you can always expect funky bits. 

All was topped off by an unbelievable banana cream pie. Pillowly soft and deliciously decadent, it was the perfect accompaniment to the staff conga line that bounced through the tiny space. Last night indeed.