The Bohemian Tasting Course

It's been a couple years since Diana and I first went to Bohemian for a HS reunion of sorts.  We all like reminiscing about school lunches - mainly how our friend Nick drove us to Golden Chick in his Ford Explorer, which had great kid's meals with the best chocolate chip cookies wrapped in saran wrap (slightly melted, so delicious).  And oh how times had changed, from fast food kid's meals to Bohemian tastings. Our pictures disappeared from the night though, so I knew I had to return one day.

Fast forward two years, the tasting is mostly the same, and as good as I remembered.

Bohemian is a cute Japanese speakeasy restaurant.  No number is published, gotta be in the know kind of thing.  Despite being only word of mouth, it's definitely hard to get a reservation with its limited seating.

The restaurant resembles sitting in someone's basement / backyard, casual with bits of Japanese cool. Everyone's always laughing and having a great, intimate time.

The drink selection is varied with lots of refreshing cocktail options.  I sipped on the Indian Chai all night made with homemade ginger syrup and lots and lots of cinnamon (which I love!).

The tasting begins with the vegetable fondue.  A medley of beautiful, raw vegetables perched in an icy bowl.

It's a hands-on appetizer where you take your cold veggie tool of choice and try to smother as much of the warm, gooey mushroom cheese sauce as possible all over it and into your mouth.  It's a refreshing start.

The uni / mushroom croquette was a creamy combination, briny, earthy and fun.

Bohemian is connected to a Japanese butcher shop, so it makes much sense that their beef is fresh and fantastic.  The beef sashimi, seared only on one side, was most tasty and tender despite being raw.

Look at that gorgeous marbling!

The main difference from both experiences is that previously, everyone got their own fish.  This time, the four of us shared one fish plate.  This drastic change is a bit of a shame since this remains my favorite dish from the tasting, and being able to drown in all that succulent, juicy fish meat by your pescetarian self, is a dream!  The roasted potatoes, brussel sprouts, and sweetest of onions were also phenomenal.

Eaters have choice on the following course, either a washu beef burger or rice topped heavily with Ikura caviar.  The four of us all selected the slider.

The timing of the burger is a bit odd, fitting better before the fish, but who is really complaining anyway - we'll eat it anytime.  The boys ate it very leisurely and delicately, but the girls just chunked that thing down immediately.

The burger was cooked perfectly medium rare, juicy, and that one tiny deep-fried potato morsel was most salty and totally awesome.

The honey lemon pannacotta was an equally refreshing end just as how the meal had begun - cold, not too sweet, and just delightful.

On the train ride home, the boy remarked how the meal was very good, and the best thing about it was the variety of dishes, textures and flavors, and that honestly sums it up best.  For $58, it's a great little smorgasbord of food, but if you're with a group, it's probably best to just order the best things a la carte (the branzino, beef sashimi, uni croquette), so you can have more because you'll want more.

Han's Nonsensical Rating: A hidden gem in Noho with a brilliant branzino, and fun, comfortable atmosphere.

Bohemian
57 Great Jones St
New York, NY