What’s the vibe?
Wildair, on the Lower East Side, is the casual sibling to the already pretty casual Contra, which is a couple of doors down and has a Michelin star. If you’re not after a tasting menu though, then Wildair hits the spot, with its high stools, communal tables, small plates, and great wine selection. It’s a small popular spot and gets busy but they do hold most of their space for walk ins so it’s a great option for when you’re in the area without a ressie.
What to order?
This is a great place to come with a few friends as the small plates set up means you could almost order the whole menu. There are some larger dishes too but we stuck largely to the snacks so we could order more. We loved the shishito peppers served with a yuzu mayo, and the scallop crudo, which both went well with a glass of fizz to start.
Next was an excellent beef tartare, with cheddar, horseradish and brazil buts, and a plate of creamy straciatella cheese with squash blossoms. Both dishes were fantastic but our only criticism would be that they really should have been served with bread as standard. Luckily there is some delicious bread on the menu which you can order as extra so we’d recommend just ordering this with everything else. From the larger plates we loved the fried squid and a black squid ink mayo.
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