The party don’t start till I walk in…ok, maybe it’s already started.
Its “feels like” 8 degrees outside, I’m dressed up (sexy, cause I'm always sexy, but not too sexy – hey I’m married now, no one to impress but the other ladies), coat, hat, scarf, purse, gloves in tow. We get to the restaurant and there is a line outside. It’s not just a -someone is holding the door for a group of people- line. It’s a – this is a club/restaurant and we want to look like even more people are here than really are- line. Or so I wish… Luckily, one of my party members had already been standing in line and was arguing with the bouncer to let her in when we walked up. They let us in, only to realize that there is nowhere to go. The place is thronged with pretty people. This seems to be a turnoff for some Yelpers, but for me… I just blend right in. We get our beeper and shimmy up to the bar. I actually did not ever go upstairs, which I’m told is just as clubby as the bottom floor, maybe even more so.
Let me talk about what happened to me at the bar. We walk up, discuss the order and I start to dive in. There are 8 of us, so I designate myself the one to push through and get a bottle of proscecco. When I’m about to dive in, two girls get up from their bar stools. WHOOPIE! So, my friend and I sit down, talk to the bar tender a bit and order our bottle. About 3 minutes later, which I’m half standing up from the bar stool to check on the bottle, I feel a shove on my back and the barstool is taken out from under me! One of the girls had returned and literally shoved me off the seat. I may not always be the nicest bar-position girl, but I would definitely never go as far as to shove someone off a seat. But hey, this is NYC. There are some bitches out there. Luckily for that girl (man I sound hard core), the beeper rings and we cancel the bottle and go to the front. Once there, we find out that they actually ring the beeper as a warning for you to close out your bar tab and your table will be ready close to eventually soon.
I probably sound like I hate Beauty and Essex, but it’s not true. Would I rush to go back? Probably not. Would I go back if I had 12 friends in town from out of state and they wanted a “taste of NY”? You betcha! This is like a step up from Buddakhan, which is my usual big-party-from-out-of-town choice because the food is good and the place is huge. At Beauty and Essex, not only did I feel cool just being there, but I felt like I was in Vegas baby! Loud music, huge space, surrounded by bachelorette parties. Sorry for partying. Or am I?
Let’s talk food. The menu was staggering and a bit overwhelming. It made me happy that there were 8 people. If I went just me and my husband, granted we would order more than normal people who care about their health and weight, we would be so upset that we didn’t get to try the 15 items we wanted.
I am so fortunate to have such wonderful girlfriends who have such insatiable appetites for life (and booze). We had the tomato tartar, yellowtail crudo, a kale and apple salad, two Jewels on toast, whipped ricotta and avocado and lemon, lobster bisque dumplings, chicken meatballs, seared tuna and some pasta that was excellent but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was made of… crispy hominy, brussel sprouts, broccolini and onion rings were our sides.
Things I would recommend out of those? ALL of the sides (ok, I didn’t have the onion rings but they looked good). Whatever hominy is – too lazy to look it up at the moment – I like it! The Kale and Apple salad was one of my favorites. I like a bitter lettuce. The dressing was tangy and acidic which made the kale even easier to eat.
The tomato tartar was probably the most interesting item we ate; it tasted just like steak tartar. They use all the same seasoning/spices. My only complaint is that I thought it was going to come out just like a meat tartar. But instead, we got little bite size tartars with a small quail egg on top. I like to crack my quail eggs over my tartar, to use the yolks as a dressing. The egg yolks were too cooked. But hey, maybe it was meant that way. It still tasted amazing. My least favorite was the lobster bisque dumplings. Hard to believe since I’m obsessed with lobster and anything fried (again with the health). I think there was just too much lemongrass. I tasted no lobster. I’m semi-scared of lobster bisque because one time at this place, I now cringe when I walk by, called Red eye Grill, on 56th and 7th, I had a terrible allergic reaction to lobster bisque. I think I was poisoned. FYI this was 2004 so don’t get all up in arms. Calm down. The post is over.
Wow, how could I leave this out… if this place wasn’t opulent enough for you, make sure you make a trip to the bathroom. I’m not sure if people hang out in the bathroom because its less crowded then the bar or they are just there for the free champagne and good sounds and good smells… good times.
Although I could barely hear any of you over the loud, thumping club music, thank you to Rehana, Heidi, Erica, Caren, Liz, Jenny and Kate for letting me choose the restaurant once again. Just call me the Queen of scoring reservations one month in advance. Do it. I dare you.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Kin Shop
I’m baaaaaaaaaacccckkk. After a year (almost to the day) hiatus, I am going to start updating my blog again! Try to muffle your excitement; you can’t can you?
Our journey begins on a blustery winter night… my husband (yup!) and I have been hearing a lot about Kin Shop. We love Perilla, which is probably our most often visited restaurant in NYC. So, we had to try out the new restaurant by Harold Dieterle. Don’t be fooled. These two restaurants have only one thing, other than the owner/chef in common, they are both excellent.
Perilla is the perfect place to go on a random Friday night when you don’t know where you want to go but you know you want something good. I have never made a reservation there and try to go early and sit at the bar. Kin Shop, its Thai relative, has a very different atmosphere. Where Perilla is homey and welcoming, Kin Shop is hip and alluring.
Ok, let’s get onto the good stuff. Oddly, I just had my leftovers for lunch today and I can tell you that hot or cold they are still amazing. (I can’t help it if I like my Asian leftovers cold). My husband and I have an issue when going to a new restaurant. We want everything on the menu and tend to eat like a bunch of savage beasts. I can eat more around him then I would any other person….and, much to my stomach’s dismay I do! When we first walked into the small restaurant, which lies inconspicuously between a bodega and a pizza shop, I was surprised my its lack of bar and coat check. Here we were, 20 degrees outside, perfectly on time for our reservation with nowhere to go… There is a bar, but it’s in the back of the restaurant and not welcoming to a pre-dinner drink. Luckily, we only had to stand around for about 5 minutes before someone paid their check at the bar and we were sat there to wait. Another 5 minutes pass and we are ushered to our seats. The music was great, keeping with the restaurants upbeat aura.
We quickly spotted one of our favorite restaurant wines, the Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner. If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you do. It was especially fitting for a meal of spicy Thai! Not-so-to-the-side-note, on the dessert menu there was a Merry Edwards 2008 dessert wine. Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc is by far my favorite wine. I was rather surprised to see it, and although we didn’t try it (because dessert wine is bordering on gross), I’m sure it’s fantastic if you like that sort of thing… But I digress…
We began with the warm sliced snap peas with Diver Sea scallops, which we were told by the bartender was one of the favorites of the house. Granted, I tend to always order a scallop anything. The scallops were perfectly seared, with just the right amount of crisp outside to compliment the scallop’s tenderness. The snap peas added the right amount of crunch and greens to give you the chance to pretend you chose a healthy starter. We also chose the Fried pork and crispy oyster salad. The chili lime vinaigrette is the same that is used on the excellent calamari at Perilla. Its sweet and spicy and very much complimented the fishy taste of the oyster and the hearty fried pork. I am not one to compliment pork belly. But, this was a very well done piece of meat. I could barely tell that I was eating lard.
For our main courses, a bottle of wine later, we got the steamed snapper with green curry, baby bok choy and kabocha squash and the stir fried rice flakes with rock shrimp. If you talked to me a year ago, you would have a hard time imagining me saying this, but I really like Thai food. Its flavorful, doesn’t have to be too filling and you can even go healthy. Steamed snapper? If I knew how to use my bamboo steamer, I could attempt this at home! For my husband, making good green curry is an art form. On the back of the menu, it describes how many ingredients go into curry paste. It was scary. Don’t even bother. But you should bother ordering the green curry at Kin Shop. It was the second best green curry we have ever had (debatable between us, but I win because I’m the writer and he’s the editor). Bringing you full circle to my lunch today, the stir friend rice noodles were/are amazing. I loved the cauliflower addition as well. None of the spices were too hot, which says a lot coming from me, and the shrimp was not overly chewy or too tender.
All said and done, it was a nice way to get myself back into my self important, over indulgent way of spending my time… eating hordes of food and telling my adoring fan (thanks mom!) all about it.
Our journey begins on a blustery winter night… my husband (yup!) and I have been hearing a lot about Kin Shop. We love Perilla, which is probably our most often visited restaurant in NYC. So, we had to try out the new restaurant by Harold Dieterle. Don’t be fooled. These two restaurants have only one thing, other than the owner/chef in common, they are both excellent.
Perilla is the perfect place to go on a random Friday night when you don’t know where you want to go but you know you want something good. I have never made a reservation there and try to go early and sit at the bar. Kin Shop, its Thai relative, has a very different atmosphere. Where Perilla is homey and welcoming, Kin Shop is hip and alluring.
Ok, let’s get onto the good stuff. Oddly, I just had my leftovers for lunch today and I can tell you that hot or cold they are still amazing. (I can’t help it if I like my Asian leftovers cold). My husband and I have an issue when going to a new restaurant. We want everything on the menu and tend to eat like a bunch of savage beasts. I can eat more around him then I would any other person….and, much to my stomach’s dismay I do! When we first walked into the small restaurant, which lies inconspicuously between a bodega and a pizza shop, I was surprised my its lack of bar and coat check. Here we were, 20 degrees outside, perfectly on time for our reservation with nowhere to go… There is a bar, but it’s in the back of the restaurant and not welcoming to a pre-dinner drink. Luckily, we only had to stand around for about 5 minutes before someone paid their check at the bar and we were sat there to wait. Another 5 minutes pass and we are ushered to our seats. The music was great, keeping with the restaurants upbeat aura.
We quickly spotted one of our favorite restaurant wines, the Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner. If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you do. It was especially fitting for a meal of spicy Thai! Not-so-to-the-side-note, on the dessert menu there was a Merry Edwards 2008 dessert wine. Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc is by far my favorite wine. I was rather surprised to see it, and although we didn’t try it (because dessert wine is bordering on gross), I’m sure it’s fantastic if you like that sort of thing… But I digress…
We began with the warm sliced snap peas with Diver Sea scallops, which we were told by the bartender was one of the favorites of the house. Granted, I tend to always order a scallop anything. The scallops were perfectly seared, with just the right amount of crisp outside to compliment the scallop’s tenderness. The snap peas added the right amount of crunch and greens to give you the chance to pretend you chose a healthy starter. We also chose the Fried pork and crispy oyster salad. The chili lime vinaigrette is the same that is used on the excellent calamari at Perilla. Its sweet and spicy and very much complimented the fishy taste of the oyster and the hearty fried pork. I am not one to compliment pork belly. But, this was a very well done piece of meat. I could barely tell that I was eating lard.
For our main courses, a bottle of wine later, we got the steamed snapper with green curry, baby bok choy and kabocha squash and the stir fried rice flakes with rock shrimp. If you talked to me a year ago, you would have a hard time imagining me saying this, but I really like Thai food. Its flavorful, doesn’t have to be too filling and you can even go healthy. Steamed snapper? If I knew how to use my bamboo steamer, I could attempt this at home! For my husband, making good green curry is an art form. On the back of the menu, it describes how many ingredients go into curry paste. It was scary. Don’t even bother. But you should bother ordering the green curry at Kin Shop. It was the second best green curry we have ever had (debatable between us, but I win because I’m the writer and he’s the editor). Bringing you full circle to my lunch today, the stir friend rice noodles were/are amazing. I loved the cauliflower addition as well. None of the spices were too hot, which says a lot coming from me, and the shrimp was not overly chewy or too tender.
All said and done, it was a nice way to get myself back into my self important, over indulgent way of spending my time… eating hordes of food and telling my adoring fan (thanks mom!) all about it.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Dumont
It was a blustery day. So, we decided to travel an entire 10 miles (40 minutes by public transportation) over to Brooklyn! I’ve lived in NYC (now Hoboken) for over 7 years. I have been to Brooklyn twice. The first was for a birthday party at a beer garden, the second was to go to the Brooklyn Brewery. So, basically, to me, Brooklyn = beer. Maybe I need to branch out…
On our way to the brewery we stopped at a place that one of my friends recommended called Dumont, which was two stops off the L train. The front of the restaurant looks like any old diner, but if you venture towards to back, you are in another world. Even though it was 10 degrees outside, we chose to sit in the back patio area, which was covered (by tarps) and had plenty of heaters. Luckily for me, since I’m always freezing, we sat directly next to one of them. I still wore my scarf and hat. But, I was able to take my jacket off. I can see the back patio being a hot spot in Brooklyn in the spring/summer and even fall.
According to the waitress, the burger and the huveos rancheros are the two biggest sellers for brunch, so that made our choice easy. Now, I’m not an expert on huevos racheros, but how can you go wrong with two over easy eggs, guacamole, salsa, black beans and a lot of cheese! All the taste together was a party in my mouth. A Mexican party. I don’t handle spice very well, so I was a little worried, but the salsa was mild yet flavorful. I love black beans. The dish was very hearty, yet I would order in the summer as well, because of course, guac is better in the summer when the good avocados are out.
The burger? It was excellent. Perfectly cooked, with a nicely charred crust on the outside and plenty of flavor. The burger also came with delicious pickled red onions. Most of the patio was ordering the burger and there were lots of smiles around. It was a perfect brunch item.
Great place to hang out and meet friends. We walked to the Brewery after, which was about a mile away (and right next door to the new bowling alley). If you are going to spend a day in Brooklyn, to get away from it all, I suggest you check out Dumont as your food stop.
On our way to the brewery we stopped at a place that one of my friends recommended called Dumont, which was two stops off the L train. The front of the restaurant looks like any old diner, but if you venture towards to back, you are in another world. Even though it was 10 degrees outside, we chose to sit in the back patio area, which was covered (by tarps) and had plenty of heaters. Luckily for me, since I’m always freezing, we sat directly next to one of them. I still wore my scarf and hat. But, I was able to take my jacket off. I can see the back patio being a hot spot in Brooklyn in the spring/summer and even fall.
According to the waitress, the burger and the huveos rancheros are the two biggest sellers for brunch, so that made our choice easy. Now, I’m not an expert on huevos racheros, but how can you go wrong with two over easy eggs, guacamole, salsa, black beans and a lot of cheese! All the taste together was a party in my mouth. A Mexican party. I don’t handle spice very well, so I was a little worried, but the salsa was mild yet flavorful. I love black beans. The dish was very hearty, yet I would order in the summer as well, because of course, guac is better in the summer when the good avocados are out.
The burger? It was excellent. Perfectly cooked, with a nicely charred crust on the outside and plenty of flavor. The burger also came with delicious pickled red onions. Most of the patio was ordering the burger and there were lots of smiles around. It was a perfect brunch item.
Great place to hang out and meet friends. We walked to the Brewery after, which was about a mile away (and right next door to the new bowling alley). If you are going to spend a day in Brooklyn, to get away from it all, I suggest you check out Dumont as your food stop.
Ninety Acres
Out in a quaint little town in New Jersey, a young man had a dream. His dream was to build an enormous ranch style farm-to-table restaurant pushed back from the road for the entire town to marvel. Ok, maybe I made some parts of that up. Ninety Acres might be set far back from a quiet road, but it’s one of the many indulgences of Sir Richard Branson. (I have to add that the website is crazy fancy).
It took us 45 minutes to get there from Hoboken. I don’t know my way around Jersey, but luckily my driver snagged the very detailed directions off the website.
As we made our way up the drive (I’m assuming once entrance is fully built it will be even more fancy looking), we came upon a gorgeous setting. The ranch-style restaurant was lit up from within. It was so quiet and calm outside that we thought maybe we were the only ones there. Granted, it only opened a month ago. But, we can’t kid ourselves. I found out about the place from Urban Daddy. If I know about it, everyone does. That’s just how it goes. We valet parked because the other parking is kind of far away and it was cold outside! Luckily, the inside was warm and inviting. The clientele seemed to be a little older and it sounded (from my eavesdropping) that everyone there knew each other in some way or another and a lot of the people knew the front of the house. There is an open and brightly lit area by the kitchen they will use for tastings and private parties.
Food:
Bacon wrapped Quail – I have never had quail, but I think I may think twice before having it again. First, just like when I saw people eating rabbit, I can not stand eating a leg so small… I felt like I eat eating a baby (bird). Second, it was not very flavorful. Also, I like a crispy bacon wrap, not one that slides around the food just adding fat and oil. Shouldn’t bacon be crispy?
Venison Carpaccio – excellent. This was my second time having venison. The first time was at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, where I imagine that everything you have for the first time basically ruins you for all other times. But, the carpaccio was very good. It was nicely cooked, topped with cranberries and bitter arugula. They all combined to make a very tasty dish.
Salad – greens, cauliflower, apples, vinegar, manchego. There were quiet a few menu items that called for apples. Do apples have a season? I don’t even know. But, these apples (I prefer green, as these were), were intensely flavorful. The flavor spiced up the otherwise bland dish (no knock on the salad maker, just because lettuce and cauliflower aren’t crazy flavorful). The manchego cheese added a smooth, rich taste, while the cauliflower slices added a crunch. The salad dressing tasted like pure vinegar…and I liked it.
Faro – lobster, carrots. Farro is the “oatmeal of pasta”, according to my foodie boyfriend. Who cares? Lobster anything is good, and I actually liked the faro. Pasta itself never has a real taste to it, it is all about texture. The small pieces of faro lent nicely to the lobster chunks (yes, tail meat!) and the sauce was the kind you wipe up with your bread – and we did.
Brussel Sprouts with bacon. These were ok. Blue Hill in the city had better brussel sprouts. These were a tad squishy instead of their normal crunchy texture.
Ricotta and Kabocha Squash ravioli – very good. We have had Kabocha squash once before, and the still-closed but totally amazing Annisa. I looked it up…kabocha is a generic Japanese word for squash. (The website I found had 15 different kinds of squash!) I’m so cultured. Actually, the only way I’ve had this type of squash is in a ravioli form. The standout here was the pasta. As I said before, it is all about the texture. You can tell this pasta was hand-made. It was so delicate and smooth.
Leg of Lamb with parsnip gratin – Parsnips are relatively boring. But, au gratin pretty much makes everything better. I even went out and bought parsnips today. We will see... They are like potatoes. The lamb was not as tough as I was expecting. It was cooked medium rare, which was suggested by the waiter. That suggestion was the only helpful thing he said all night. I like a waiter, especially at a new place, that talks a lot, makes suggestions, and makes us want to come back. This guy just stood around doing nothing. Or maybe we just weren’t that interesting…
Overall, I liked the place a lot. I can’t wait until it’s finished. They claim they aren’t trying to copy Stone Barns, but we will see. If I lived in the area, I would go here a lot more often. I’ll be interested to see how much progress they make before the summer.
It took us 45 minutes to get there from Hoboken. I don’t know my way around Jersey, but luckily my driver snagged the very detailed directions off the website.
As we made our way up the drive (I’m assuming once entrance is fully built it will be even more fancy looking), we came upon a gorgeous setting. The ranch-style restaurant was lit up from within. It was so quiet and calm outside that we thought maybe we were the only ones there. Granted, it only opened a month ago. But, we can’t kid ourselves. I found out about the place from Urban Daddy. If I know about it, everyone does. That’s just how it goes. We valet parked because the other parking is kind of far away and it was cold outside! Luckily, the inside was warm and inviting. The clientele seemed to be a little older and it sounded (from my eavesdropping) that everyone there knew each other in some way or another and a lot of the people knew the front of the house. There is an open and brightly lit area by the kitchen they will use for tastings and private parties.
Food:
Bacon wrapped Quail – I have never had quail, but I think I may think twice before having it again. First, just like when I saw people eating rabbit, I can not stand eating a leg so small… I felt like I eat eating a baby (bird). Second, it was not very flavorful. Also, I like a crispy bacon wrap, not one that slides around the food just adding fat and oil. Shouldn’t bacon be crispy?
Venison Carpaccio – excellent. This was my second time having venison. The first time was at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, where I imagine that everything you have for the first time basically ruins you for all other times. But, the carpaccio was very good. It was nicely cooked, topped with cranberries and bitter arugula. They all combined to make a very tasty dish.
Salad – greens, cauliflower, apples, vinegar, manchego. There were quiet a few menu items that called for apples. Do apples have a season? I don’t even know. But, these apples (I prefer green, as these were), were intensely flavorful. The flavor spiced up the otherwise bland dish (no knock on the salad maker, just because lettuce and cauliflower aren’t crazy flavorful). The manchego cheese added a smooth, rich taste, while the cauliflower slices added a crunch. The salad dressing tasted like pure vinegar…and I liked it.
Faro – lobster, carrots. Farro is the “oatmeal of pasta”, according to my foodie boyfriend. Who cares? Lobster anything is good, and I actually liked the faro. Pasta itself never has a real taste to it, it is all about texture. The small pieces of faro lent nicely to the lobster chunks (yes, tail meat!) and the sauce was the kind you wipe up with your bread – and we did.
Brussel Sprouts with bacon. These were ok. Blue Hill in the city had better brussel sprouts. These were a tad squishy instead of their normal crunchy texture.
Ricotta and Kabocha Squash ravioli – very good. We have had Kabocha squash once before, and the still-closed but totally amazing Annisa. I looked it up…kabocha is a generic Japanese word for squash. (The website I found had 15 different kinds of squash!) I’m so cultured. Actually, the only way I’ve had this type of squash is in a ravioli form. The standout here was the pasta. As I said before, it is all about the texture. You can tell this pasta was hand-made. It was so delicate and smooth.
Leg of Lamb with parsnip gratin – Parsnips are relatively boring. But, au gratin pretty much makes everything better. I even went out and bought parsnips today. We will see... They are like potatoes. The lamb was not as tough as I was expecting. It was cooked medium rare, which was suggested by the waiter. That suggestion was the only helpful thing he said all night. I like a waiter, especially at a new place, that talks a lot, makes suggestions, and makes us want to come back. This guy just stood around doing nothing. Or maybe we just weren’t that interesting…
Overall, I liked the place a lot. I can’t wait until it’s finished. They claim they aren’t trying to copy Stone Barns, but we will see. If I lived in the area, I would go here a lot more often. I’ll be interested to see how much progress they make before the summer.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Kefi
Kefi is a nice family restaurant on the upper west side that just recently moved to a bigger space, which I assume, was to accommodate its many adoring fans. By “family” restaurant, I mean to say that it’s not a fancy date place or a girl’s night out destination. Normally I try to stay close to home, so don’t head north, but luckily for Kefi, I was going to a concert uptown. Two years ago, I went on a wonderful honeymoon-like trip with one of my best girlfriends. So, I can say I have had my fair share of Greek salads, entrees, the works. Maybe that was the cause of my slight disappointment in Kefi, after hearing the rave reviews from friends and family. Or, maybe it was the fact that my Greek boyfriend (did you see My Big Fat Greek Wedding? He’s nothing like that…except for the name!) wasn’t overly enthused either. Guess, as the saying goes, nothing beats grandma’s cooking!
We started with the Meatballs, Roasted Garlic, Olives, Tomato and the Greek salad. My Greek boyfriend told me that they tasted just like his grandma’s! I find that pretty impressive. Considering that the only meatballs I have had since starting to eat meat again are the frozen chicken meatballs from Costco, these were a delightful treat! They were soft, plump and flavorful. The Greek salad was quiet a disappointment. It was more like a chopped Italian salad. The dressing was overwhelming and the chopped lettuce fennel (I think that was fennel?) just made the dish look sloppy. In Greece, the salads have large slices of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes with a light dressing, if anything.
Next we tried the Sheep’s Milk Dumplings, Tomato, Pine Nuts, and Spicy Lamb Sausage. These were kind of like the Gnudi @ Spotted Pig but bigger, softer and… ok not really like them at all. They are very soft and smooth. I don’t even know how they can make food items that feel like you are eating silk (ignoring the taste of fabric…). The sausage was a step too spicy for my palate. But, it was a good contrast to the dumplings, rounded out the dish.
Our other entrée was the Brazied Lamb Shank, Orzo. Not the best lamb shank I have ever had… who am I kidding, I think it’s the first lamb shank I ever had. But, my date thought it wasn’t the best one he has ever had, so I had to agree. It was on the small side, dry and the sauce just wasn’t good enough to mask the poorly cooked meat. Its kind of sad when you can actually say that the Orzo, a relatively bland from of pasta (as if there are tasty kinds?) was a highlight…
Maybe we just made bad ordering choices. I think this restaurant has potential, especially if you find something you love. The service was prompt the atmosphere upbeat. Good neighborhood spot, not necessarily good for a date (at least not a beginning-of-the-relationship date: too bright!) But, just make sure you don’t travel too far.
We started with the Meatballs, Roasted Garlic, Olives, Tomato and the Greek salad. My Greek boyfriend told me that they tasted just like his grandma’s! I find that pretty impressive. Considering that the only meatballs I have had since starting to eat meat again are the frozen chicken meatballs from Costco, these were a delightful treat! They were soft, plump and flavorful. The Greek salad was quiet a disappointment. It was more like a chopped Italian salad. The dressing was overwhelming and the chopped lettuce fennel (I think that was fennel?) just made the dish look sloppy. In Greece, the salads have large slices of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes with a light dressing, if anything.
Next we tried the Sheep’s Milk Dumplings, Tomato, Pine Nuts, and Spicy Lamb Sausage. These were kind of like the Gnudi @ Spotted Pig but bigger, softer and… ok not really like them at all. They are very soft and smooth. I don’t even know how they can make food items that feel like you are eating silk (ignoring the taste of fabric…). The sausage was a step too spicy for my palate. But, it was a good contrast to the dumplings, rounded out the dish.
Our other entrée was the Brazied Lamb Shank, Orzo. Not the best lamb shank I have ever had… who am I kidding, I think it’s the first lamb shank I ever had. But, my date thought it wasn’t the best one he has ever had, so I had to agree. It was on the small side, dry and the sauce just wasn’t good enough to mask the poorly cooked meat. Its kind of sad when you can actually say that the Orzo, a relatively bland from of pasta (as if there are tasty kinds?) was a highlight…
Maybe we just made bad ordering choices. I think this restaurant has potential, especially if you find something you love. The service was prompt the atmosphere upbeat. Good neighborhood spot, not necessarily good for a date (at least not a beginning-of-the-relationship date: too bright!) But, just make sure you don’t travel too far.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Joseph Leonard
http://www.josephleonard.com/
Is that seriously a website? Way to not seem pretentious…
I guess that is what happens when you are the owner of a couple of the best and hippest restaurants in the west village. I did blog a while ago about Little Owl didn’t I? I will remember the soft shell crab with asparagus risotto forever.
When I first heard about Joseph Leonard, which is apparently the names of the owners grandfathers, all I heard about was that it was a place for “daily candy girls with ponytails and skirts” and that the oysters were for some reason not on ice (kind of gross and probably not healthy…). So, I had a wait a bit to let them work out the kinks and stereotypes. Ok let’s be honest. I am the stereotype. But hey, we “ponytailed girls in pairs” drop some dough on a good wine list.
The dimly lit joint had a romantic overtone, while still having an upbeat and lively vibe. The ex-little owl front of the house man turned owner of JL, Gabe Stulman, is on the scene each night serving up drinks and talking to patrons. We sat at the bar, so we were front and center. The bartender and the owner were ribbing each other the entire time about not paying enough attention to the drinks they were making.
We started with the Shrimp and Grits, because I had read that it was one of the top apps. But, it didn’t jump out at me as anything special. I actually thought the grits were rather bland and the sausage and shrimp just didn’t have enough umpf to get the dish going. Now, I’m told that grits is always bland? What’s the point of that then? I would much rather have a risotto! (I’m obsessed…). For entrees, we had the Skate, which was actually pretty phenomenal, and the turkey. Yes, a restaurant was serving turkey for dinner and it wasn’t even Thanksgiving (too bad, I love Thanksgiving). The skate was lightly battered and cooked. It was easy to peel apart, which is my favorite quality of a skate fish/wing, besides the taste. The turkey was a special that will be added to the menu in the winter. Nothing like a heavy, tryptophan(ic) meal to start off your night! It’s well worth it.
I like to count Joseph Leonard as one of those places that you can go for the scene as well as the food. Btw – we went on a Saturday night with no reservations and were seated relatively promptly at the bar.
Is that seriously a website? Way to not seem pretentious…
I guess that is what happens when you are the owner of a couple of the best and hippest restaurants in the west village. I did blog a while ago about Little Owl didn’t I? I will remember the soft shell crab with asparagus risotto forever.
When I first heard about Joseph Leonard, which is apparently the names of the owners grandfathers, all I heard about was that it was a place for “daily candy girls with ponytails and skirts” and that the oysters were for some reason not on ice (kind of gross and probably not healthy…). So, I had a wait a bit to let them work out the kinks and stereotypes. Ok let’s be honest. I am the stereotype. But hey, we “ponytailed girls in pairs” drop some dough on a good wine list.
The dimly lit joint had a romantic overtone, while still having an upbeat and lively vibe. The ex-little owl front of the house man turned owner of JL, Gabe Stulman, is on the scene each night serving up drinks and talking to patrons. We sat at the bar, so we were front and center. The bartender and the owner were ribbing each other the entire time about not paying enough attention to the drinks they were making.
We started with the Shrimp and Grits, because I had read that it was one of the top apps. But, it didn’t jump out at me as anything special. I actually thought the grits were rather bland and the sausage and shrimp just didn’t have enough umpf to get the dish going. Now, I’m told that grits is always bland? What’s the point of that then? I would much rather have a risotto! (I’m obsessed…). For entrees, we had the Skate, which was actually pretty phenomenal, and the turkey. Yes, a restaurant was serving turkey for dinner and it wasn’t even Thanksgiving (too bad, I love Thanksgiving). The skate was lightly battered and cooked. It was easy to peel apart, which is my favorite quality of a skate fish/wing, besides the taste. The turkey was a special that will be added to the menu in the winter. Nothing like a heavy, tryptophan(ic) meal to start off your night! It’s well worth it.
I like to count Joseph Leonard as one of those places that you can go for the scene as well as the food. Btw – we went on a Saturday night with no reservations and were seated relatively promptly at the bar.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Yes... I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!: Corton
Corton
http://www.cortonnyc.com/
The website says the restaurant reflects a light and intimate style. I was thinking more muted and stark. When we first walked in, I wanted to turn around and walk out. You can tell on your first step through the door that the restaurant has no viable atmosphere. The walls are bright white, with a small smattering of colored flowers on tips of whiter embossed vines. It’s tough enough that that area where this restaurant is located is fairly frightening. I felt like I was walking down a dark alley without any mace… except its 2 feet from the Holland Tunnel and in an “up and coming” neighborhood.
There is that man called Paul Liebrandt running the kitchen. I guess he’s a 30ish year old dynamo who just received two Michelin stars. I’m going to be 30 next year…this is the kind of stuff that makes me feel old, boring and unaccomplished (even though I’m young, vivacious and quite generally amazing).
So, all ambiance aside, lets get down to the dirty dirty.
I would call this place a “special occasion” restaurant. Most of the people were about 30 years my senior. The elders know whats up. I went on a Wednesday night (happy bday N), which doesn’t necessarily show the pizzazz a restaurant can have on a weekend night. But, it can show its ability to sustain in a recessionista environment, it was packed when we left.
We had the three course prix fixe menu. The restaurant offered a three course and an overwhelming 10 courses. You know me, I like to eat, but I just wasn’t feeling the whole shebang when I saw how many plates the people next to us actually had at the table. Overwhelming isn’t the right word… it was down right absurd. But, they were loving every second of it, and so did we.
I started with the dish “From the Garden”, its one of their most well known appetizers. It was one of the most beautiful displays of fresh vegetables I have ever seen…on a plate. There were baby carrots, two different color beets, corn puree, and some other vegetables, some of which I could not even identify, but wish I could because they were delicious. The vegetables were topped with numerous delicate, edible flowers. I felt like I was eating something that they had grown in the backyard (ok, so I hope not a backyard in the middle of Tribeca, more like a backyard in the middle of a farm upstate). We also had the Corn appetizer, the name for which does not do it justice. Three dishes came, one with a light corn puree in a bowl, which was topped with sweetbread (which I actually do not care for at all – why do they call something sweet bread, when it is neither sweet, nor bread?). The smaller dishes along side were consommé with a ravioli and corn with shrimp. For mains, we had the Rabbit/Scallop, with artichoke, sweet potato and black garlic, and the Maine Lobster, with heirloom beets, parmesan crumble and bergamot. Poor little baby rabbits, getting eaten again. I couldn’t deal with eating the small little rabbit ribs in Sonoma, and still can’t. Poor Peter and his family (anyone? Peter Cottontail? No? Bueller?). Scallops on the other hand, they are lonely creatures, no family bonds and they aren’t particularly cute either (nor do they have children’s tales written about them). While we are at it, lobsters are probably one of my favorite foods. High in cholesterol, high in taste. The lobster was tender and perfectly cooked, not overly buttery (darn). The parmesan crumble was more like a parmesan crisp and the Bergamot added just the right around of citrus infusion to the dish.
At the end of the meal (after the dessert I didn’t even want) they served the French style macaroons – which are 100% better than the Kosher of Passover ones… sorry mom – and a series of chocolates that I wanted to take home, but thought that would be too tacky… agree? Even the shortbread cookies that were given with the check were great. So to wrap up, Corton is short on atmosphere but it has excellent food from a young chef on the rise.
http://www.cortonnyc.com/
The website says the restaurant reflects a light and intimate style. I was thinking more muted and stark. When we first walked in, I wanted to turn around and walk out. You can tell on your first step through the door that the restaurant has no viable atmosphere. The walls are bright white, with a small smattering of colored flowers on tips of whiter embossed vines. It’s tough enough that that area where this restaurant is located is fairly frightening. I felt like I was walking down a dark alley without any mace… except its 2 feet from the Holland Tunnel and in an “up and coming” neighborhood.
There is that man called Paul Liebrandt running the kitchen. I guess he’s a 30ish year old dynamo who just received two Michelin stars. I’m going to be 30 next year…this is the kind of stuff that makes me feel old, boring and unaccomplished (even though I’m young, vivacious and quite generally amazing).
So, all ambiance aside, lets get down to the dirty dirty.
I would call this place a “special occasion” restaurant. Most of the people were about 30 years my senior. The elders know whats up. I went on a Wednesday night (happy bday N), which doesn’t necessarily show the pizzazz a restaurant can have on a weekend night. But, it can show its ability to sustain in a recessionista environment, it was packed when we left.
We had the three course prix fixe menu. The restaurant offered a three course and an overwhelming 10 courses. You know me, I like to eat, but I just wasn’t feeling the whole shebang when I saw how many plates the people next to us actually had at the table. Overwhelming isn’t the right word… it was down right absurd. But, they were loving every second of it, and so did we.
I started with the dish “From the Garden”, its one of their most well known appetizers. It was one of the most beautiful displays of fresh vegetables I have ever seen…on a plate. There were baby carrots, two different color beets, corn puree, and some other vegetables, some of which I could not even identify, but wish I could because they were delicious. The vegetables were topped with numerous delicate, edible flowers. I felt like I was eating something that they had grown in the backyard (ok, so I hope not a backyard in the middle of Tribeca, more like a backyard in the middle of a farm upstate). We also had the Corn appetizer, the name for which does not do it justice. Three dishes came, one with a light corn puree in a bowl, which was topped with sweetbread (which I actually do not care for at all – why do they call something sweet bread, when it is neither sweet, nor bread?). The smaller dishes along side were consommé with a ravioli and corn with shrimp. For mains, we had the Rabbit/Scallop, with artichoke, sweet potato and black garlic, and the Maine Lobster, with heirloom beets, parmesan crumble and bergamot. Poor little baby rabbits, getting eaten again. I couldn’t deal with eating the small little rabbit ribs in Sonoma, and still can’t. Poor Peter and his family (anyone? Peter Cottontail? No? Bueller?). Scallops on the other hand, they are lonely creatures, no family bonds and they aren’t particularly cute either (nor do they have children’s tales written about them). While we are at it, lobsters are probably one of my favorite foods. High in cholesterol, high in taste. The lobster was tender and perfectly cooked, not overly buttery (darn). The parmesan crumble was more like a parmesan crisp and the Bergamot added just the right around of citrus infusion to the dish.
At the end of the meal (after the dessert I didn’t even want) they served the French style macaroons – which are 100% better than the Kosher of Passover ones… sorry mom – and a series of chocolates that I wanted to take home, but thought that would be too tacky… agree? Even the shortbread cookies that were given with the check were great. So to wrap up, Corton is short on atmosphere but it has excellent food from a young chef on the rise.
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