Annisa Press: Time Out New York - Eating and Drinking 2002

"Whether the owners intended it or not, Annisa's location-on an obscure block in the eternally bewildering West Village-filters out a lot of random pedestrian traffic. You have to be bent on finding the small whitewashed restaurant in the maze of twisting streets, whichmeans Annisa's clientele generally skews toward the serious. The dining room, fittingly, has a contemplative vibe, with guests dining in intimate clusters. Chef Anita Lo and partner Jennifer Scism, along with the disarmingly warm waitstaff, have created an environment where you can focus your attention on the exquisite food and whomever you happen to be sharing it with. The menu draws ideas fromFrance, Japan and 21st century New York, so expect some wild-card action. To wit: seared foies gras with soup dumplings and jicama, uni (sea urchin) with celariac remoulade, miso-marinated sablefish with crispy deep-fried silken tofu in a bonito-kelp broth, and grilled noisette of lamb with Chinese broccoli and fried milk (fried milk is a fairly recent invention from Hong Kong whereby the ilk is set, using corn starch, and fried, so it's crispy on the putside and oozy within). The dishes are carefully and exquisitely prepared, so it's hard to go wrong-unless, say, you don't like sea urchin, fried milk or jicama. Open-mindedness will serve ypou well here, and if you walk out the door smiling, spread the word. Just please: whisper, don't shout.