Jane

Jane is kind of an unassuming, plain-looking restaurant from the outside, but the interior is surprisingly sophisticated and fancy. I came here on an unseasonably cold day, because the green and white awning outside looked it would serve some good, comforting food. I never judge a restaurant like this, but hey, I have to eat.

My first course was the wild mushroom soup. I order things with truffle indiscriminately, and this soup had a generous--but not excessive--drizzle of white truffle oil. The soup itself was so incredibly flavorful, as it was mostly mushroom (a lot of mushrooms soups are cream with a few shreds of mushroom in it--this isn't one of those), and had this homey, lumpy-but-smooth texture. It's a really comforting thing to eat when it's cold outside.

I got the spaghetti, which was really, really simple--an olive oil-based sauce, tomatoes, garlic, chilis, and a handful of arugula on top. It was good, but really overpriced for how simple and small it is--$16. For the price, I could've gotten two more bowls of the mushroom soup, which I wish I did.

For a side I got the Brussels sprouts. They're fried, which is ironic, since people usually eat Brussels sprouts for its nutritional value. Culinary lesson: Brussels sprouts must be a bit charred, or else they stay bitter and disgusting. These fried ones are an unusual alternative to the sauteed-with-bacon variation that seems to be so popular now, although I have mixed feelings about these. The insides retain that Brussels sprouty sweetness, and aren't bitter; however, because it takes a relatively long time to get the insides cooked through, the leaves were burnt and bitter--kind of like charcoal.

I would classify Jane's food as overpriced comfort. My lunch, with tax and 20% tip, was just over $40, which is ridiculous. The spaghetti, which I could've made myself, was good but absolutely not worth $16. The Brussels sprouts were way overpriced as well, considering a) Brussels sprouts are cheap, and b) they were burnt. But I will definitely come back, when I'm not too hungry, to get the mushroom soup and a lot of complimentary bread for lunch.

Jane Restaurant

100 W Houston St.

http://janerestaurant.com/