Obsessions: Fideos Negros

This is the beginning of an on-going series called: Obsessions.

I'm a Gemini. So I'm always on the search for my next favorite thing. I think my friend, Maggie Marion, puts it best when she says, "the mind once expanded by a new idea can never regain it's former shape." This is exactly how I feel once I've tried a new ingredient or a new dish.

So, onto my Obsession: The Tangled Vine's Fideos Negros

This often-overlooked Upper West Side gem boasts an intimidating wine menu and a laid back, minimalist decor. But the Mediterranean food is what keeps me coming back. I dream about the Fideos Negros ("black pasta" in Spanish). It's made with angel hair noodles cut perfectly bite-sized. Using squid ink, the chefs dye the pasta black. It's tossed with tender cuttlefish pieces. Then tiny dollops of garlic aioli and fennel frawns top the dish. It's unforgettable.

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Chef's Note: Pass on the black truffle arancini. It should be renamed bland truffle arancini. The dish needed salt and a dash more truffle oil.