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THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS
Weights+Measures: Still hip, still hot
By Jim Ayres
A while back, on a cold winters’ eve after a grueling visit to the Medical Center, I stopped into Weights + Measures for dessert and an after-dinner drink. It hadn’t been open long, and the PR was still in high gear: This was the hippest place in town!
Shag carpet and classic cocktails reminded me of the Cactus Lounge in the Standard Hotel on Sunset in Los Angeles. Out there, the kitschy 1970s décor was and is circa 1990, but here, it was fresh and vibrant. I was in a trance.
My Irish coffee and “Doughknots” with cardamom sugar and honey sounded like the relief I needed, and only enhanced the mood. Dessert and drink paired flawlessly, giving me the only “sweet ending” I would get that night. It was as good as any medicine. When my check arrived in a plastic cassette case, the time warp was complete.
Buzz on most new restaurants quiets down after the initial blast. Not so for Weights + Measures. This restaurant, bakeshop and bar still get the accolades, despite a few changes to its menu or concept.
Recognizing Weights + Measures as CultureMap’s Top 100 Restaurants list in 2021, Editor Eric Sandler had this to say: “Whether it’s pastries and breads for the bakeshop or pizza crusts and pastas for the restaurant, the dough room drives the menu at this eclectic Midtown restaurant.”
A few years later, Weights + Measures continues to reliably turn in a number of tasty bites like 3 Way Brussels, and Watermelon and Tomato Salad. The creative cocktails live up to the standards established by its founders, and the wine list remains a reasonably affordable way to indulge. From the bar, a fine take on tequila called Aguachile Margarita mixes Mezcal, Serrano, lime and cucumber juice, and simple syrup. It went down faster than I could say “Another, please!”
The next time I met friends at Weights + Measures, our server recommended a lovely Pinot Noir+ blend from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. No less than two bottles hailing from that renowned region have found their places on the impressive wine list, which offers a 40 percent “take-home” fee for any of its bottles, so you can keep the warming party going.
As for our dinners, Weights + Measures offers immaculate choices like the Grilled and Wood-fired Pork, a Spanish Secreto cut, on top of roasted purple jam and root vegetables. All the flavors in this dish came together seamlessly.
The Argentinian Spaghetti Pappardelle with shrimp, mildly spicy Peruvian yellow pepper, lemon butter and Parmesan was light and fresh, yet still filling. Not too much, not too little. Just right.
Weights + Measures is located in a somewhat-isolated area of Midtown. Turn on your GPS! But that’s part of the fun of Weights + Measures. It’s like something you’ve discovered for your very own. Discover it soon!
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