Meet John Cordova, Chef of Home Restaurant on our Original Greenwich Village Tour!



MUST EAT ITEM: You MUST try John’s signature savory cheesecake with artichoke hearts and Benton’s Country Ham topped with tomato caper salad. 



Of course, cheesecake is a must have on any trip to NYC, but John’s savory version brings the experience to a whole new and more sophisticated level. After some diligent “taste testing”… Rachel, the manager of Home Restaurant recommends pairing it with the Shinn Estate Red. A wine made by the founders of Home Restaurant David Page and Barbara Shinn who now spend full time at their winery on North Fork of Long Island. The wine & cheesecake pairing is often offered for $15 during happy hour from 5pm to 7pm.

Rachel


It’s an exciting time at Home Restaurant! This past Thursday, April 4th they celebrated their 20th Anniversary with a 4-course prix fixe that combined “throwback classics” and new favorites including the savory cheesecake. They are also getting ready to launch their new spring menu. Home prides itself on serving local seasonal produce and John is looking forward to having more options with the changing season. I took John’s suggestion and tried the duck liver mousse cooked in sherry, probably not something I would order without a personal push from the Chef and I was pleasantly surprised and would encourage more people to give it a try. 



John also recommended the roasted pork shank with spring beans (right now, gigante), wilted greens and spring onion which was melt in your mouth delicious!



WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW: All amazing suggestions… but what does John eat on a regular basis?!? Like many restaurants, the staff has a “family meal” at about 4pm before the restaurant opens for dinner. John usually takes a back seat and lets his kitchen staff do their thing. Yaya makes a mean meatloaf wrapped in bacon… hmmm that might be a fun addition the menu…. And for a restaurant that specialized in local cuisine, John loves when Alejandro makes Mexican food. John will soak beans ahead of time to give Alejandro a hint that it’s time to go south of the border.

After the restaurant closes it’s home to his family in Brooklyn, but “if it’s a good night” he’ll first cap it off (and you can too!) with a Bulleit Rye on the rocks, which I had the honor of John’s company for a round after I finished my meal.

I hope it was a good night… it sure was for me!