PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

You'll find this brick-walled, cozy, romantic charmer tucked away on equally cozy and romantic Bedford Street in the West Village. Here the A.O.C. in the restaurant name stands for appellation d'origine controlee -- the French designation for high-quality food products. But on the menu you'll not only find A.O.C. products from France, but D.O.C, the Italian designation, and D.O, the Spanish. If the appetizer of octopus \"carpaccio\" is on the menu, which changes seasonally, your octopus, pounded thin and tender, will be served with D.O. dry red pepper from Spain, and A.O.C fleur de sel from France or the Caesar salad will have D.O.C-grade Parmesan cheese from Italy. But you won't need all those designations to know that what you are eating is of high quality -- just a few bites will suffice. The paella marinera, a constant on the menu, is prepared for two, stuffed with jumbo shrimp (heads on for more flavor), squid, scallops, mussels, and clams and cooked in Spanish Calasparra rice. Another standout is the duck, a crispy breast prepared best medium rare, and served with a Bosc pear. Finish with a selection of cheeses, A.O.C.-, D.O.C.-, and D.O.-quality only, of course. The restaurant has an impressive wine list and bottles are decanted at your table.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's New York City 2008, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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