Return to Dominic

Note: Dominic closed in 2007. I did have one more visit, and it was again positive: see here.

It took me nineteen months to get back to Dominic, which I finally did last night. (An account of my earlier visit is here.) My enthusiasm for the restaurant is undimmed—some minor glitches aside.

It’s not often that the Zagat review tells you precisely what dish to order, but it does for Dominic: “all can agree the roast suckling pig, a holdover from its old Portuguese incarnation, is ‘a must.’” So, that’s what I had last night.

The menu describes the dish as a 10-Hour Pig Roast ($24). It’s slow roasted with Tuscan seasonings, crispy skin, wildflower honey and sautéed greens. The dull sautéed greens added nothing, but the pig was terrific, including the crunchy skin and a brick of tender, flavorful meat.

Coincidentally, I had Cookshop’s version of this dish on Monday night, and found it bland. The folks at Cookshop need to high-tail it over to Dominic, to see how it’s done.

Dominic’s current winter menu lists five pasta dishes, and it was most peculiar to be informed that three of them were unavailable last night. I wasn’t looking to order pasta anyway, but it’s strange for a purportedly Italian restaurant to be out of so many items.

When I sat down, I was not presented with a wine list. When I asked for red wine by the glass, the server told me that my choices were chianti classico, pinot noir, or merlot, apparently on the view that it is unnecessary for me to be told which chianti, pinot, or merlot it is. I could have insisted, but I just ordered the chianti and ignored the lapse. It was nothing special, but at $7 I didn’t feel cheated.

The restaurant seemed to be a little over half full, which isn’t bad on a Wednesday night, in a neighborhood where there are so many dining options. It might help if they knew their own web address. It says “www.DominicRestaurant.com” on their business card, but the correct address is “www.dominicnyc.com”.

Dominic (349 Greenwich Street between Harrison & Jay Streets, TriBeCa)

Food: *
Service: Satisfactory
Ambiance: *
Overall: *