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.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Marea
Marea is directly off Central Park South, with view a (past the traffic) from the main dining room and bar. The bar area is great for a before dinner drink or after work with a client. Its backdrop of a glowing cross section of a tree nicely compliments the dark wood interior. The stairway to the bathroom was slightly disorienting. It is very dark, shiny, with almost mirror-like dark wood and quite steep. It felt as if I was walking into a fancy funhouse. However, at the bottom it opens up to a fancy private dining room and nice clean and big bathrooms. I heard that if you sit too close to the street side of the restaurant that it gets noisy. We sat in the back and it was busy yet quiet. The restaurant, although full, was quiet and calm, with servers moving about seamlessly. The sommelier introduced us to a chardonnay that I actually liked! Very impressive in itself.
Trio of Crudo: In general, if you need a like pre-appetizer, crudo is the way to go. We tried the trio because, being us, we can not decide on one thing, and aren’t interested in being confined to things like… dishes or… price. So, we got the trio (which in actuality wasn’t overpriced).
- Scallop with orange and cucumber – This was my favorite. The diver scallops were delicious. They were large slices, not so large that you even got a whole scallop, but for a crudo, it was a decent size.
- Tuna with cucumber. This was just ok. The tuna was good, nice and dark, but it was nothing special. I would have liked some wasabi, spicy sauce and a roll instead.
- Branzino with caviar. We got this because we never get sea bass crudo. It was unimpressive and lacked taste. I don’t suggest getting this.
Zuppa. I can’t find it on any of the menus online, and don’t remember the full name. But, it was a delicious creamy pea soup, garnished with my new favorite vegetable, cauliflower. Ok, so this might sound slightly to very slightly like the soup I had at Convivio. To be honest, I didn’t even realize I was ordering a soup, I thought I was ordering scallops, which is what is in the middle of the soup, topped with trout roe. I only read what I want to read on the menus, I guess! The scallops tasted divine and melted in my mouth. I liked the scallops in this dish even better than the scallop crudo. Plus, I’m one of those few people who actually like the large fish eggs (roe). Yes, they can be a bit scary, but when they pop in your mouth its fun right? You eat chicken eggs why not fish eggs?
Lobster appetizer: Astice – Nova scotia lobster, burrata cheese, eggplant al funghetto and baby basil. My boyfriend loved this dish. The lobster was sweet and tender, which was nicely complimented by the creamy burrata cheese (which is an Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream). It was an appetizer portion, so we didn’t expect much, and neither should you. It was probably a small tail wrapped around the dish in a circle. Still good and worth trying.
Mare – Shrimp, clams, scallops and basil risotto. As usual, I got the risotto. The risotto was just ideal for me, not too creamy and not too al dente. Since I love all things crustacean, mare risotto is a never fail dish choice. The only thing I could ask for here is a few more little guys in there. But, even splitting the dish, there was more than enough to eat.
Sturgeon - with spring garlic, morel mushrooms and a sweet sauce. We chose this dish because we never had this fish before. It was a meaty white fish. Not as meaty as swordfish (which I don’t like) but not as flaky as Halibut (which I love). I’m branching out one small meal at a time. I would not even be able to place spring garlic. According to another site, spring garlic is “immature garlic that hasn't yet developed its garlic bulb and has a much milder flavor than the mature bulbs, yet still has that distinct garlic flavor. It can be used in any recipe in place of regular garlic or leeks, and can be used raw or cooked.” Ok… well, that makes sense. It looked like a leek with a small garlic knot on the top, but didn’t smell or taste as potent. This dish was great, simple but a good use of fresh seasonal vegetables that I never would have thought of using. But, that’s why I just eat food, I don’t cook it.
Michael White has done it again. I loved Convivio and now I love Marea. I loved both so much; I am already telling out of town guests and my parents that I want them to check them out. Pretty good response from me, since I rarely have good experiences dining at brand new restaurants. He is one of my new favorites. Not only does he circle the restaurant talking to almost every patron (I obviously did not seem important enough, for he looked right at me and walked away… granted we had just ordered so didn’t have any food and probably looked desperate), but he now has cooked me two good meals in a month. Plus, he looks like a nice jolly fella.
Trio of Crudo: In general, if you need a like pre-appetizer, crudo is the way to go. We tried the trio because, being us, we can not decide on one thing, and aren’t interested in being confined to things like… dishes or… price. So, we got the trio (which in actuality wasn’t overpriced).- Scallop with orange and cucumber – This was my favorite. The diver scallops were delicious. They were large slices, not so large that you even got a whole scallop, but for a crudo, it was a decent size.
- Tuna with cucumber. This was just ok. The tuna was good, nice and dark, but it was nothing special. I would have liked some wasabi, spicy sauce and a roll instead.
- Branzino with caviar. We got this because we never get sea bass crudo. It was unimpressive and lacked taste. I don’t suggest getting this.
Zuppa. I can’t find it on any of the menus online, and don’t remember the full name. But, it was a delicious creamy pea soup, garnished with my new favorite vegetable, cauliflower. Ok, so this might sound slightly to very slightly like the soup I had at Convivio. To be honest, I didn’t even realize I was ordering a soup, I thought I was ordering scallops, which is what is in the middle of the soup, topped with trout roe. I only read what I want to read on the menus, I guess! The scallops tasted divine and melted in my mouth. I liked the scallops in this dish even better than the scallop crudo. Plus, I’m one of those few people who actually like the large fish eggs (roe). Yes, they can be a bit scary, but when they pop in your mouth its fun right? You eat chicken eggs why not fish eggs?
Lobster appetizer: Astice – Nova scotia lobster, burrata cheese, eggplant al funghetto and baby basil. My boyfriend loved this dish. The lobster was sweet and tender, which was nicely complimented by the creamy burrata cheese (which is an Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream). It was an appetizer portion, so we didn’t expect much, and neither should you. It was probably a small tail wrapped around the dish in a circle. Still good and worth trying.
Mare – Shrimp, clams, scallops and basil risotto. As usual, I got the risotto. The risotto was just ideal for me, not too creamy and not too al dente. Since I love all things crustacean, mare risotto is a never fail dish choice. The only thing I could ask for here is a few more little guys in there. But, even splitting the dish, there was more than enough to eat.
Sturgeon - with spring garlic, morel mushrooms and a sweet sauce. We chose this dish because we never had this fish before. It was a meaty white fish. Not as meaty as swordfish (which I don’t like) but not as flaky as Halibut (which I love). I’m branching out one small meal at a time. I would not even be able to place spring garlic. According to another site, spring garlic is “immature garlic that hasn't yet developed its garlic bulb and has a much milder flavor than the mature bulbs, yet still has that distinct garlic flavor. It can be used in any recipe in place of regular garlic or leeks, and can be used raw or cooked.” Ok… well, that makes sense. It looked like a leek with a small garlic knot on the top, but didn’t smell or taste as potent. This dish was great, simple but a good use of fresh seasonal vegetables that I never would have thought of using. But, that’s why I just eat food, I don’t cook it.Michael White has done it again. I loved Convivio and now I love Marea. I loved both so much; I am already telling out of town guests and my parents that I want them to check them out. Pretty good response from me, since I rarely have good experiences dining at brand new restaurants. He is one of my new favorites. Not only does he circle the restaurant talking to almost every patron (I obviously did not seem important enough, for he looked right at me and walked away… granted we had just ordered so didn’t have any food and probably looked desperate), but he now has cooked me two good meals in a month. Plus, he looks like a nice jolly fella.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Cornertable does Nashville: Loveless Cafe and Pancake Pantry
Wow… Nashville is quite a town. I barely know where to begin. If you have never been to a Honkey Tonk, its time to go. It’s a mix between a random college bar, the set of Days of Thunder and the Talkhouse in Amagansett, NY. The first time I went to Nashville, we went to a bar called The Stage. There was a live band, and it was obvious they had followers (some cougars, some servicemen and women). A guy even proposed to his girlfriend on the stage. How romantic… I’m sure they will remember everything with fantastic beer goggles.Onto the good stuff… about a week before I went to Nashville for the first time, I was watching the food network and they had an entire episode dedicated to the wonderful food of Nashville, TN. The two takeaways I got were the Pancake Pantry and Loveless Café.
Pancake Pantry… let’s just start with the line. They don’t take reservations and won’t take your cell phone or even your name. You just have to stand in line…in the heat and sun. They do give you water in Dixie cups, which is nice. Anyway, I heard this place makes the “best pancakes ever.” This is coming from people who actually live in Nashville and are still willing to wait in line. So, that is a good sign. I tried the regular pancakes. I know what you are thinking… when there are a million pancakes to choose from, how could I possibly choose the regular ones?! Well, its simple, people. I just like to keep it real. The Food Network show just went on and on about the special recipe. I wanted to taste it, in it's true, unaltered form. Turns out, it was delish. BUT, I can honestly say that I have eaten a better pancake… I haven’t been to Clinton Street Bakery yet, but my fave pancake is at The Place in the West Village. They are twice as fluffy. The Pancake Pantry’s pancakes were just flat and regular looking. Maybe I was expecting too much out of a pancake. But sorry… it is what it is… just a pancake.
Now, Loveless Café is in a whole world of its own. It’s about 20 minutes outside of the city of Nashville. When I asked a couple people around, would they prefer Pancake Pantry or Loveless Café, they said Loveless for real down-home cooking. Since I had already been to the Pantry, I went with my parents and boyfriend to Loveless Café. Then, 1 hour and 45 minutes later, we were able to sit. Yes, it was that long of a wait. Granted, they are situated in a small make-shift town like atmosphere, so if you have 20-30 minutes to fill, you can. But almost two? No thanks… So, we drove off with their beeper and came back in an hour. (One issue with doing this is that the beeper makes a really annoying and constant beeping sound since it out of range).
Loveless Café is famous for their biscuits (of which Martha Stewart was denied the recipe) and the fried chicken. So, since I’m a fake-a-tarian now, I ordered the chicken fingers. I really couldn’t go all the way like my fellow diners and order the sampler. I would have passed out. Even the chicken fingers came with two sides, of which I got creamed corn (best I’ve ever had) and hash brown casserole. Yes…. I ate chicken fingers, creamed corn and hash brown casserole for lunch. There goes the last nine years of low blood pressure and low cholesterol. I gross myself out.Back to the biscuits. They were awesome. In my humble opinion, the secret ingredient is pancake mix… because they really did smell, taste and feel like pancakes. That is it. You heard it here first folks. I am the master of secret recipe discovery.
The sampler was three of your choice of meatloaf, fried chicken, pulled pork, catfish or ham (don’t forget the two sides, in case the entrée wasn’t enough). It is hard for me to even explain what the plates looked like when they came to the table. I mean, the four of us (granted mine was considerably smaller) could have fed a family of 15 with the amount we had. But, no one was willing to compromise and share. When in Rome/Nashville!
Speaking of Athens… ok maybe not, but I needed a segue and figured since I was talking about Rome and it is in Europe and so is Greece..., if you have never been to Nashville, you must also check out the full size replica of the Parthenon. No good reason to tell you… just wanted to.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
I heart Restaurant Week...
http://nycgo.com/?event=view.article&id=171992&cid=srw_coke_event_062909
Reason 41 to not like Restaurant Week... Who are they catering too? Don't you think that they should be catering to real NYers? The people that actually live here and might go to these restaurants more than once in every 6-7 years (assuming that tourists visit here that many times in their lifetime). How about people that work? Make money for the city's economy? Those people cannot go to a summer event from noon-2 on a weekday. When am I going to see something that is geared towards people who eat their breakfast and lunch at their desk? Then, I will accept restaurant week....maybe.
Anywho... back to your regular scheduled programming...
Reason 41 to not like Restaurant Week... Who are they catering too? Don't you think that they should be catering to real NYers? The people that actually live here and might go to these restaurants more than once in every 6-7 years (assuming that tourists visit here that many times in their lifetime). How about people that work? Make money for the city's economy? Those people cannot go to a summer event from noon-2 on a weekday. When am I going to see something that is geared towards people who eat their breakfast and lunch at their desk? Then, I will accept restaurant week....maybe.
Anywho... back to your regular scheduled programming...
Monday, July 6, 2009
Convivio
Tucked away in the corner of Tudor City, which someone not from NYC may not even know exists, is the cool little spot Convivio. Even though I saw the sign, I still did not think we were in the right place. I am not sure what I expected, but this was not it. The inside is decorated in a hip chic fashion, with bright oranges against a stark white background. The entire restaurant is understated, in a good way. The tables are not too close together, although I did hear a great conversation from the loud talker to my right. She was very into the NYC foodie scene and apparently has been EVERYwhere and wasn’t afraid to tell EVERYone. Her friends were über impressed. Sadly, I was slightly impressed also. She not only knew about the hip restaurants, but also knew about the owners/chef/gossip, etc. Nevertheless, she just sounded so ridiculous and annoying, yet made good people watching/listening. The mother and daughter next to me weren’t quite as exciting. Ok, ok, I know… This isn’t craigslist’s missed connections (awesome – check it out if you never have).
“OUR MENU IS RECOMMENDED AS A $ 59.00 FOUR COURSE PRIX FIXE”
That is awesome btw. Only $59 for a 4 course meal? Granted, I’m sure the dishes are smaller and you are forced to order a dessert, but still great!
We chose a number of the specials for the evening as our dishes, so you won’t be able to find them on the menu. We had the 4 course tasting menu, starting out with the prawn salad special and the fritedda. Usually I would not start with a soup, since it’s so filling and I like to be able to eat the rest of my meal. But, I went for it. The fritedda is a soup made from fava beans, English peas and artichoke toped with ricotta cheese and pancetta. It was amazing. I love a good pea soup, but this wasn’t heavy on the pea taste. It was a nice combination of pureed artichoke, fava beans (which I happen to love) and peas. The soup was not overly thick and creamy either. I am going to pretend that it had no dairy… just puree of vegetables. The cheese and pancetta just added a meaty flavor to balance out the dish.
This pasta tasted fresh and different. Squid Ink pasta with squid… that’s a lot of squids. Yet, this squid confused me… the waiter told me it was “like calamari” but, I didn’t taste calamari… It was chewier and tasteless. I could have done without it.
Malloreddus – Sardinian saffron gnocchetti, crab, sea urchin – This pasta was excellent with a great balance of the tender gnocchetti, the buttery uni, and crab.
I had some sort of fish. I think it was halibut. I remember thinking it was good, but can’t for the life of me remember what it came with! Oh well for YOU. You should go out to dinner with me more. I can’t continue to do this on my own!...
Costolette di Vitello: The veal chop was crusted with parmesan and was served with polenta croutons, onion salad, veal juice. Ohhhhh polenta croutons. Why do I always flock to the interesting and fun side dishes rather than the main? Granted, there is only so much you can do to a main, in this case veal chop. The veal was good, perfectly cooked, juicy, but it was the sauces and additions that made the dish.
The waiter and sommelier were very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. I tried the flat prosecco on the sommelier’s suggestion and it was excellent. I tend to drink prosecco when out with the girls, but never had (or knew that it was available) it flat. He also chose me a nice dry white for my dinner. The evening was calming and delicious. I definitely recommend this spot for a date, dinner with your parents, or really, anytime. I did try to make a reservation for 8 people and they only have one table available to seat that many, so it is not good for large groups.
I’ll be updating the blog with one of Michael White’s other restaurants shortly… because I just can’t get enough.
“OUR MENU IS RECOMMENDED AS A $ 59.00 FOUR COURSE PRIX FIXE”
That is awesome btw. Only $59 for a 4 course meal? Granted, I’m sure the dishes are smaller and you are forced to order a dessert, but still great!
We chose a number of the specials for the evening as our dishes, so you won’t be able to find them on the menu. We had the 4 course tasting menu, starting out with the prawn salad special and the fritedda. Usually I would not start with a soup, since it’s so filling and I like to be able to eat the rest of my meal. But, I went for it. The fritedda is a soup made from fava beans, English peas and artichoke toped with ricotta cheese and pancetta. It was amazing. I love a good pea soup, but this wasn’t heavy on the pea taste. It was a nice combination of pureed artichoke, fava beans (which I happen to love) and peas. The soup was not overly thick and creamy either. I am going to pretend that it had no dairy… just puree of vegetables. The cheese and pancetta just added a meaty flavor to balance out the dish.
This pasta tasted fresh and different. Squid Ink pasta with squid… that’s a lot of squids. Yet, this squid confused me… the waiter told me it was “like calamari” but, I didn’t taste calamari… It was chewier and tasteless. I could have done without it.
Malloreddus – Sardinian saffron gnocchetti, crab, sea urchin – This pasta was excellent with a great balance of the tender gnocchetti, the buttery uni, and crab.
I had some sort of fish. I think it was halibut. I remember thinking it was good, but can’t for the life of me remember what it came with! Oh well for YOU. You should go out to dinner with me more. I can’t continue to do this on my own!...
Costolette di Vitello: The veal chop was crusted with parmesan and was served with polenta croutons, onion salad, veal juice. Ohhhhh polenta croutons. Why do I always flock to the interesting and fun side dishes rather than the main? Granted, there is only so much you can do to a main, in this case veal chop. The veal was good, perfectly cooked, juicy, but it was the sauces and additions that made the dish.
The waiter and sommelier were very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. I tried the flat prosecco on the sommelier’s suggestion and it was excellent. I tend to drink prosecco when out with the girls, but never had (or knew that it was available) it flat. He also chose me a nice dry white for my dinner. The evening was calming and delicious. I definitely recommend this spot for a date, dinner with your parents, or really, anytime. I did try to make a reservation for 8 people and they only have one table available to seat that many, so it is not good for large groups.
I’ll be updating the blog with one of Michael White’s other restaurants shortly… because I just can’t get enough.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Basta Pasta
In case you were wondering… some restaurants do not open until 6pm on a Saturday night. What happened to me that I 1) went to dinner that early on a Saturday and 2) didn’t care? I love Basta Pasta. It is a great neighborhood spot… that really isn’t in a neighborhood in particular since its on 17th between 5th and 6th; pretty random area. A group of super friendly Japanese guys runs it and they have a knack for making updated Italian food.
We started out with the Insalata di Cesare - Basta Pasta’s original romaine lettuce Caesar salad. Wow… fancy. Just kidding. It was just a way for us to get an appetizer with greens. I enjoy a good starter salad.
One of my biggest food pet peeves is a crab cake without any crab. You know what I’m talking about; the crab dishes that come with mostly breading and something crunchy but not enough pieces of crabmeat. Luckily for them (cause I’m kind of a big deal), Basta Pasta’s crab dish had plenty of meat to go around (plus, not fried!) I could have done without the grapefruit jelly. However, that is only because I can’t stand grapefruit. I think the citrus and the consistency of the jelly is probably a good combination with the crab… maybe orange jelly? Just a thought… the apple and daikon were a nice side. I love green apples and daikon, although seemingly tasteless, does add a bit of a crunch to the dish. BTW – if you are thinking of ordering: Tortino di Granchio – Crab Meat, avocado, Green Apples, Yukon Gold Potatoes and basil aioli with grapefruit jelly, daikon radishes & chayoteAnother patron tipped us off to the specialty of the house was the pasta in a cheese wheel. What is that exactly? See here (to the left). They bring out a huge block of parmesan, melt a bowl
shaped area, put the pasta in and toss it around. It was definitely the biggest piece of cheese I ever cut… I mean saw… On the menu its called Spaghetti con Prosciutto d Parmigiano, which is spaghetti with parmigiano reggiano & parma prosciutto. I actually thought it was going to be a little too cheesy and greasy, but it was not at all. It tasted as if the pasta was cooked lightly in butter and then fresh partially melted cheese pieces were tossed throughout. The prosciutto was a nice salty addition to this savory dish.My date got the Orecchiette al Pollo Organico as his main. Kind of a change from the usual for him, as the meat he orders tends to be closer to the gamey type and farther from the ordinary. The dish is Orecchiette pasta with free-range chicken ragu, fresh tomatoes and sliced prosciutto. The chicken ragu was a step up from what I could make at home (I’m assuming here since its pretty obvious that I don’t cook from all my posts).
The pasta here is just good. Not as good as Babbo (which will be talked about in a future post) but, for a random neighborhood spot, it just can’t be beat.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Anthony David's: CornerTable does Hoboken
Yes, sometimes I find myself in Hoboken. I used to be scared. Scared of admitting there was a place in Jersey that wasn’t too bad. Scared of leaving the little city I live in. But, I’m over it. I’m getting over myself one day at a time.
On my way to self destruction…I mean discovery… I am allowing myself to experience the culinary mastery that is Hoboken, NJ. I have eaten at a couple places around town, but never went so far to blog about it! Whoa. Calm down there.
Anthony Davids wasn’t our first choice, but it was on “the list” so I’m glad we got to it. It was Mother’s Day, so there were people dressed up with families and babies and mommies. There I was in a t-shirt and a baseball cap (Go Marlins!). So… no worries, they take all kinds. Onto the purpose of this blog, since I can wax poetic all day.
We started with a hearty yet crisp romaine salad with caesar vinaigrette, parmesan (shaved and sliced) and a crostini dressed with balsamic vinaigrette and an olive tapenade. Of course I needed to try the Lobster Risotto with saffron and crisp peas. My only complaint was that the rice was more my-mom’s-paella, less good restaurant’s risotto. Granted, the description did say saffron, but I was thinking just yellow rice. The crisp peas were great as peas always are, so that made up for it a little bit. I had a taste of the lamb, which was very meaty, like a steak, not the tender juicy lamb I’m used to. Yet again, the dish was saved by the accompaniment, the blue cheese mashed potatoes. You can only imagine the smelly creaminess of it all.
The outdoor seating was a plus, as Hoboken is a cute little town, which I will soon call home. But, I’m a little scared if this is some of the best that Hoboken has to offer. I’ll still come back into the city for the good stuff.
On my way to self destruction…I mean discovery… I am allowing myself to experience the culinary mastery that is Hoboken, NJ. I have eaten at a couple places around town, but never went so far to blog about it! Whoa. Calm down there.
Anthony Davids wasn’t our first choice, but it was on “the list” so I’m glad we got to it. It was Mother’s Day, so there were people dressed up with families and babies and mommies. There I was in a t-shirt and a baseball cap (Go Marlins!). So… no worries, they take all kinds. Onto the purpose of this blog, since I can wax poetic all day.
We started with a hearty yet crisp romaine salad with caesar vinaigrette, parmesan (shaved and sliced) and a crostini dressed with balsamic vinaigrette and an olive tapenade. Of course I needed to try the Lobster Risotto with saffron and crisp peas. My only complaint was that the rice was more my-mom’s-paella, less good restaurant’s risotto. Granted, the description did say saffron, but I was thinking just yellow rice. The crisp peas were great as peas always are, so that made up for it a little bit. I had a taste of the lamb, which was very meaty, like a steak, not the tender juicy lamb I’m used to. Yet again, the dish was saved by the accompaniment, the blue cheese mashed potatoes. You can only imagine the smelly creaminess of it all.
The outdoor seating was a plus, as Hoboken is a cute little town, which I will soon call home. But, I’m a little scared if this is some of the best that Hoboken has to offer. I’ll still come back into the city for the good stuff.
Monday, June 15, 2009
CornerTable Barcelona Edition! : Commerc 24
Well, my boyfriend is, as you might have realized, very into food. When we decided to go to Barcelona, Spain for a quick jaunt, I knew I would be in for it on the eating front. So, he did a bunch of research and found this place Commerc 24 (named for its location’s number and street). It was a quiet, dark and loungy restaurant, decorated with a modern bourgeois flair, with a lot of red, black and yellow. We weren’t seated for 10 minutes when the waiter asked if we had been there before and started to explain the menu, which was the point where he was quickly stopped and told that we wanted the Grand Festival Tasting. Yes, even the name of the tasting menu sounded crazy. 12 courses later, I had finished one of the most unique meals I have ever had.
Luckily for me, they were nice enough to give us a list of the dishes we had on the menu. Two of the 12 courses, amuse bouche and dessert, were actually multiple small items. For the amuse we had: Olives stuffed with anchovies, golden macadamia nuts, chicharróns with guacahina, filo/parmesan/lime and basil, avocado and lobster makisand French oysters (Marennes d’oleron). Now, that may seem like a lot of food, and we were actually very shocked that this all came out at once, it was a little overwhelming and we tried to guess how many courses they would count it as. Turns out it was the first of many.
Course three: Cold infusion with flowers, vegetables and clams. Wow. Not only was this dish really pretty and cool looking but it was also a great soup. The soup wasn’t too salty or heavy, it was just a perfect blend of light and flavorful.
Course Four: consommé with truffle, parmesan and egg. This dish was equally as interesting as the last. In the soup dish, as you can see pictured, was a trio of encased fillings. The white parmesan, the black truffle and the yellow egg. I tried each of them separately at first, and they tasted as they should (which was only a guess because I have never tasted a bubble of yellow egg, let alone a black truffle), but the kicker was to crush them all together to flavor the consume. I believe this was how it should have been eaten, but I couldn’t pass up tasting the flavors one by one.
Course eight: Kinder Egg. After two basically mundane dishes, the eighth course came back with a vengeance. The hard shell of the egg was filled with a frothy, salty foam made of the egg whites. I have never eaten egg foam before, nor have I eaten out of an egg shell. It was almost like a salty dessert, because who really eats foam for a meal?
Course nine: Duck rice with foís gras. I didn’t eat this. Who really liked fois? WHO? Where are you and can you please explain to me why this is so popular? The rice was sticky it was flavored like duck....can't go wrong there...
Course eleven: sirloin with roses and berries. Again with the flowers. Now I know I love roses in every form. The steak was a little well done, but the presentation, thin slivers of roses and a berry sauce was a great combination, bringing a little life to an otherwise dull piece of meat.
Luckily for me, they were nice enough to give us a list of the dishes we had on the menu. Two of the 12 courses, amuse bouche and dessert, were actually multiple small items. For the amuse we had: Olives stuffed with anchovies, golden macadamia nuts, chicharróns with guacahina, filo/parmesan/lime and basil, avocado and lobster makisand French oysters (Marennes d’oleron). Now, that may seem like a lot of food, and we were actually very shocked that this all came out at once, it was a little overwhelming and we tried to guess how many courses they would count it as. Turns out it was the first of many. Course two: Marinated sardines with blood orange and wasabi. Ugh sardines… they are little gross and slimey. I tried my hardest to eat one, but I couldn’t even put it in my mouth.
Course three: Cold infusion with flowers, vegetables and clams. Wow. Not only was this dish really pretty and cool looking but it was also a great soup. The soup wasn’t too salty or heavy, it was just a perfect blend of light and flavorful.
Course Four: consommé with truffle, parmesan and egg. This dish was equally as interesting as the last. In the soup dish, as you can see pictured, was a trio of encased fillings. The white parmesan, the black truffle and the yellow egg. I tried each of them separately at first, and they tasted as they should (which was only a guess because I have never tasted a bubble of yellow egg, let alone a black truffle), but the kicker was to crush them all together to flavor the consume. I believe this was how it should have been eaten, but I couldn’t pass up tasting the flavors one by one.Course five: Razor clam and tangerine Yakisoba – I don’t remember this one at all. I have been avioding clams in general ever since I found out I'm slightly allergic.
Course six: Pizza-sashimi with tuna. This is one of the favored dishes in the restaurant. It was decent, but not as wonderful and unique as the rest. The tuna sashimi, as with the next dish, was good, but the pieces were so small and I’m not totally sure that it should be considered pizza. It was more a cracker topped with tuna.
Course seven: Tune tartar. Same as above. Nothing special, but still good.
Course eight: Kinder Egg. After two basically mundane dishes, the eighth course came back with a vengeance. The hard shell of the egg was filled with a frothy, salty foam made of the egg whites. I have never eaten egg foam before, nor have I eaten out of an egg shell. It was almost like a salty dessert, because who really eats foam for a meal? 
Course nine: Duck rice with foís gras. I didn’t eat this. Who really liked fois? WHO? Where are you and can you please explain to me why this is so popular? The rice was sticky it was flavored like duck....can't go wrong there...Course ten: Sardines… I don’t really have much to say about this. I tried it, because hey… when in Rome (Spain). But, sardines are just gross little slimey things.
Course eleven: sirloin with roses and berries. Again with the flowers. Now I know I love roses in every form. The steak was a little well done, but the presentation, thin slivers of roses and a berry sauce was a great combination, bringing a little life to an otherwise dull piece of meat. Course twelve: Dessert overload.
Mandarin-passion-mint
Muesli-yogurt-passion
Sable with pineapple and meringue
Bread, oil, chocolate and salt
Nougat with tuille cigar, chocolate and coffee
Black sesame Oreo with vanilla
Chocolates
Its too hard to go into the exact description of every dessert. There was A LOT of them. I was surprised when they brought everything out, the waiter didn’t say “TA DA!” at the culmination. My favorite dessert was the bread, oil, chocolate and salt. Not such a great menu description? Actually it was. It was literally a piece of bread, pieces of chocolate and an accompaniment of oil and salt. All my favorite things wrapped into one: starchy, sweet, salty, oily goodness. Ok, fine, some of the other dishes were more imaginative, but sometimes less is more, especially at the end of a 12 course meal. There was only so much I could take.
At least we didn’t have the wine pairing. I think that would have put me over the edge. Instead, we had a nice bottle of white which the server poured us throughout the meal. I really liked everything about this restaurant. I like to non-overbearing, yet great service; I liked the wine; I liked the interesting and unique food combinations and the glamorous presentation. I’ve only been to Barcelona for 3 days in my life, so I can’t say it’s the #1 place in the city and you definitely need to go there (ok, I’m pretty positive that Il Buli is the #1 place… in the world…) but, if you are looking for some place to spend the evening and perk up your sense, Commerc 24 is a good start.
Ok, ok, we also went to the famous Bar Pinotxo in the Boqueria. You MUST try it if you head to Barcelona. The Boqueria is the coolest food market on earth (that I have been too…). The seafood is ridiculous looking; huge lobsters with claws as big as my hand, crabs as big as my head, tuna steaks as big as my thigh (which is huge...I’m a food blogger). The owner/chef of Pinotxo, Juanito is awesome. Stop by and let him pick the plates for you. He is a legend in Barcelona and quite possibly the most photographed 
person in the Boqueria. He has been written up in magazines and is the cutest little funniest looking man ever. He served us wonderful cockle clams, squid with white beans and langoustines. They were all great.
Ok, ok, we also went to the famous Bar Pinotxo in the Boqueria. You MUST try it if you head to Barcelona. The Boqueria is the coolest food market on earth (that I have been too…). The seafood is ridiculous looking; huge lobsters with claws as big as my hand, crabs as big as my head, tuna steaks as big as my thigh (which is huge...I’m a food blogger). The owner/chef of Pinotxo, Juanito is awesome. Stop by and let him pick the plates for you. He is a legend in Barcelona and quite possibly the most photographed 
person in the Boqueria. He has been written up in magazines and is the cutest little funniest looking man ever. He served us wonderful cockle clams, squid with white beans and langoustines. They were all great.*Random Note: Gwyneth Paltrow's random blog/email called GOOP mentioned this restaurant!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Allen and Delancy
The first time I went to Allen and Delancy was, I believe, one of my first dates with my boyfriend after officially becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. While some might think it would hold a special place in my heart, I must admit that it only holds a place in my subconscious because I was half-asleep (its amazing we are still together after that showing). I am not sure what it is about that place that raises my melatonin levels so much. Maybe it is the fact that there are no windows, or that it is so dimly lit you can barely see across the room, or the quiet lull of the background muzak. This time around, I was a little perkier.
There is a tasting menu, but we passed since we wanted other things. I’m not into seared/charred octopus. I started with the Vialone Nano Risotto with baby shrimp, English peas, peas shoots and mint. As I have said many times in the past, I love risotto. It’s really difficult for me to pass it up, especially with peas! Remember that Top Chef episode when Carla made the side of peas? My mouth was watering like crazy. The risotto was made perfectly, not too creamy, not too al dente. The worse thing that can happen to risotto is cooking it al dente. What’s the point? We also had the diver scallops with Israeli couscous, lemon confit and cauliflower capers. The scallops (my other fave) were great as well. This was the scallops off the appetizer section, not the raw bar, where I prefer the smaller Nantucket bay scallops. There were 4 huge scallops in the dish, which is more than I would normally expect for an appetizer, so I was pleasantly surprised. The scallops were seared to perfection, with no heavy salt water or fishy taste or smell. I’m glad cauliflower is sticking around in dishes. I was introduced to cauliflower puree as a substitute to mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and never turned back. Anything with an accompaniment of cauliflower puree is already on the right track.
For entrees, we had the Cioppino of Day Boat Halibut with Great South Bay clams, and seafood sausage and the Beef Ribeye with morels, asparagus, white pearl onions, potato purée. The Halibut was decent. It was well cooked and served in a broth filled with clams. I am not a huge fan of clams, especially now that my allergist told me I was allergic #2 out of 5. Nevertheless, I still went for it since he said it was not that big of a deal and it was up to me if I wanted to avoid them. So… of course… I ordered them immediately. One day I will listen and care about what I put into my body. The seafood sausage was ok, its just seafood mashed together and stuffed in a sausage like shape. I have seen it on multiple menus recently and still have no idea what’s actually in it. I guess it’s a part of new wave of side dishes. The ribeye was fantastic and cooked to perfection.
Even though we didn’t get this dessert this time, I can not fail to mention the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Tart with whole milk sorbet and whiskey-vanilla milkshake. I’m told (as I am not a dessert eater) that it is heavenly.
Our waiter was mostly M.I.A., which was not too bad because we were served in a decent amount of time after ordering. The drinks there are tops. They have a decent and random beer selection if you, or whomever you are with, is some sort of beer connoisseur. The bar scene is slightly more upbeat than the restaurant itself (maybe because you are near a window?) and you can eat at the bar and chat up the cute knowledgeable bartenders.
The LES is not as scary as it seems (for us west-siders). Yeah, it’s far, but it also has a lot to offer in terms of hot new restaurants and even two year old A&D. There are a couple of cute after dinner drink spots for a solid romantic date, but I don’t want to give away any (more) good secrets.
There is a tasting menu, but we passed since we wanted other things. I’m not into seared/charred octopus. I started with the Vialone Nano Risotto with baby shrimp, English peas, peas shoots and mint. As I have said many times in the past, I love risotto. It’s really difficult for me to pass it up, especially with peas! Remember that Top Chef episode when Carla made the side of peas? My mouth was watering like crazy. The risotto was made perfectly, not too creamy, not too al dente. The worse thing that can happen to risotto is cooking it al dente. What’s the point? We also had the diver scallops with Israeli couscous, lemon confit and cauliflower capers. The scallops (my other fave) were great as well. This was the scallops off the appetizer section, not the raw bar, where I prefer the smaller Nantucket bay scallops. There were 4 huge scallops in the dish, which is more than I would normally expect for an appetizer, so I was pleasantly surprised. The scallops were seared to perfection, with no heavy salt water or fishy taste or smell. I’m glad cauliflower is sticking around in dishes. I was introduced to cauliflower puree as a substitute to mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and never turned back. Anything with an accompaniment of cauliflower puree is already on the right track.
For entrees, we had the Cioppino of Day Boat Halibut with Great South Bay clams, and seafood sausage and the Beef Ribeye with morels, asparagus, white pearl onions, potato purée. The Halibut was decent. It was well cooked and served in a broth filled with clams. I am not a huge fan of clams, especially now that my allergist told me I was allergic #2 out of 5. Nevertheless, I still went for it since he said it was not that big of a deal and it was up to me if I wanted to avoid them. So… of course… I ordered them immediately. One day I will listen and care about what I put into my body. The seafood sausage was ok, its just seafood mashed together and stuffed in a sausage like shape. I have seen it on multiple menus recently and still have no idea what’s actually in it. I guess it’s a part of new wave of side dishes. The ribeye was fantastic and cooked to perfection.
Even though we didn’t get this dessert this time, I can not fail to mention the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Tart with whole milk sorbet and whiskey-vanilla milkshake. I’m told (as I am not a dessert eater) that it is heavenly.
Our waiter was mostly M.I.A., which was not too bad because we were served in a decent amount of time after ordering. The drinks there are tops. They have a decent and random beer selection if you, or whomever you are with, is some sort of beer connoisseur. The bar scene is slightly more upbeat than the restaurant itself (maybe because you are near a window?) and you can eat at the bar and chat up the cute knowledgeable bartenders.
The LES is not as scary as it seems (for us west-siders). Yeah, it’s far, but it also has a lot to offer in terms of hot new restaurants and even two year old A&D. There are a couple of cute after dinner drink spots for a solid romantic date, but I don’t want to give away any (more) good secrets.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Momofuku Ko
The piece de resistance: Momofuku Ko. What kind of restaurant doesn’t have a phone? (or at least claims it does not have one). A good one. What kind of restaurant stays alive with only 24 patrons a night? A great one. What kind of restaurant has a chef that consistently wins awards, yet still works in your face with only two other people helping out? An amazing one. And there we have Momofuku Ko. You can barely tell where it is on the street, as there is no sign (just the peach). Then, once you get inside, show your email and ID, you are seated in front of a pretty small and very clean kitchen. Just you and the 11 other chosen ones. The seatings are spread out so, if you are lucky, the people next to you or down the way are a course ahead, so you get a little bit of a preview. You can close your eyes, or pray for the first seating, if you want. It doesn’t matter anyway, the food is better than it looks from a far, so not matter what you see, you will be more than happy when it comes your way.
For your reading and drooling pleasure, I have done my best (with a little help from a friend… ok, a lot of help) to let you know what could possibly be in store for you on your adventure into eating a 10 course meal.
Pea amuse w biscuits – pea soup. I love pea soup. Specifically I love a thick, puree of split pea soup. This was better than that. The sweetness outshined the thickness and even though it was only a small portion, it was wonderful. The pea amuse was paired with a small freshly made biscuit topped with a honey syrup drizzle. A perfect way to start to meal, a little sweet and a little savory to open up your taste buds.
Fluke sashimi buttermilk, white soy. This was our second time at Ko. The first time, we had the fluke sashimi as well. Having this before did in no way alter its brilliance. The sashimi was fresh and thickly and precisely sliced by David Chang himself. The buttermilk and soy added a creamy texture to an otherwise meaty fish dish.
Dashi soup, uni, chives, pea shoots. This salty light soup was a nice segue into the heavier courses. Typically I avoid uni because it’s a weird color and weirder texture. But, like a good little eater, I just went for it. I’m glad I did. I am not longer totally afraid of uni….only slightly now. The pea shoots were split open with the peas seemingly placed one by one in their pockets, as they were crispy and shelled.
Smoked egg, caviar, fingerling potato chips, onions. The smoked soft boiled egg was also a part of our first meal at Ko. It was also the most memorable for me and one of the most unique dishes they serve. To be honest, I do not believe I had a soft boiled egg before Ko. They’ve ruined me forever since every soft boiled egg I have from now on will never live up to this.
Hand torn pasta, pecorino, chicken skin, snail sausage. Everyone loves their sausage… not sure about that chicken skin…. This dish was an interesting mix of textures, with the crispy skins, the smooth soft pasta and the rubbery cheese and sausage.
Foie Gras, Riesling jelly, lychees, peanut brittle. Am I the only one on earth that doesn’t like this dish? It’s tough, since I don’t like fois gras or lychees… so… how can I comment?
Snapper – so I had this instead. A small but fresh and tasty piece of snapper. It wasn’t the most impressive dish, but my bad for not wanting the specialty of the house.
Soft shell crab, celery noodles, hearts of palm, old bay. I talked to David Chang. Yes, I did. I asked him when they started serving soft shell crab. I knew it was just starting to come into season and knew it wasn’t actually in season in the northeast. I am so smart. S-M-R-T. (Does anyone watch the Simpsons anymore?) They just started serving them that week, and imported them from the Carolinas.
Deep fried short ribs (sous vided for 48 hours), scallion purée, onion Way too fatty for me, but my boyfriend LOVED them.
Guava sorbet with cream cheese skin I actually tasted dessert… a cold ice cream like dessert. I only did it because I was interested in the cream cheese skin. You know when you bite half way through a watermelon jellybean? You can see the green skin around the red middle? This was kind of like that. It was red sorbet with a white candy shell (except cream cheese, not candy).
Funnel cake with black sesame ice cream, lemon curd, coconut milk. WOW. I love funnel cake. Love it. I can’t help but like fried dough. It was the prefect ending to the perfect meal, a little playful and something I can never imagine making for myself but I would dream about it.
Take it from someone who has been there twice and will be going again and again, if the internet allows… It is worth putting an Outlook reminder 10am every morning for the opening of the week’s reservations. And even a little random checking in case of cancellations. Also, make sure you cancel any plans you have that night because unless you are going out partying with some famous people for free at a club you never would be able to get into any other way and it will make you an instant star, anyone who would consider themselves a foodie, or even a person who just likes to eat good food should go to Ko when the green check mark says they can.
For your reading and drooling pleasure, I have done my best (with a little help from a friend… ok, a lot of help) to let you know what could possibly be in store for you on your adventure into eating a 10 course meal.
Pea amuse w biscuits – pea soup. I love pea soup. Specifically I love a thick, puree of split pea soup. This was better than that. The sweetness outshined the thickness and even though it was only a small portion, it was wonderful. The pea amuse was paired with a small freshly made biscuit topped with a honey syrup drizzle. A perfect way to start to meal, a little sweet and a little savory to open up your taste buds.
Fluke sashimi buttermilk, white soy. This was our second time at Ko. The first time, we had the fluke sashimi as well. Having this before did in no way alter its brilliance. The sashimi was fresh and thickly and precisely sliced by David Chang himself. The buttermilk and soy added a creamy texture to an otherwise meaty fish dish.
Dashi soup, uni, chives, pea shoots. This salty light soup was a nice segue into the heavier courses. Typically I avoid uni because it’s a weird color and weirder texture. But, like a good little eater, I just went for it. I’m glad I did. I am not longer totally afraid of uni….only slightly now. The pea shoots were split open with the peas seemingly placed one by one in their pockets, as they were crispy and shelled.
Smoked egg, caviar, fingerling potato chips, onions. The smoked soft boiled egg was also a part of our first meal at Ko. It was also the most memorable for me and one of the most unique dishes they serve. To be honest, I do not believe I had a soft boiled egg before Ko. They’ve ruined me forever since every soft boiled egg I have from now on will never live up to this.
Hand torn pasta, pecorino, chicken skin, snail sausage. Everyone loves their sausage… not sure about that chicken skin…. This dish was an interesting mix of textures, with the crispy skins, the smooth soft pasta and the rubbery cheese and sausage.
Foie Gras, Riesling jelly, lychees, peanut brittle. Am I the only one on earth that doesn’t like this dish? It’s tough, since I don’t like fois gras or lychees… so… how can I comment?
Snapper – so I had this instead. A small but fresh and tasty piece of snapper. It wasn’t the most impressive dish, but my bad for not wanting the specialty of the house.
Soft shell crab, celery noodles, hearts of palm, old bay. I talked to David Chang. Yes, I did. I asked him when they started serving soft shell crab. I knew it was just starting to come into season and knew it wasn’t actually in season in the northeast. I am so smart. S-M-R-T. (Does anyone watch the Simpsons anymore?) They just started serving them that week, and imported them from the Carolinas.
Deep fried short ribs (sous vided for 48 hours), scallion purée, onion Way too fatty for me, but my boyfriend LOVED them.
Guava sorbet with cream cheese skin I actually tasted dessert… a cold ice cream like dessert. I only did it because I was interested in the cream cheese skin. You know when you bite half way through a watermelon jellybean? You can see the green skin around the red middle? This was kind of like that. It was red sorbet with a white candy shell (except cream cheese, not candy).
Funnel cake with black sesame ice cream, lemon curd, coconut milk. WOW. I love funnel cake. Love it. I can’t help but like fried dough. It was the prefect ending to the perfect meal, a little playful and something I can never imagine making for myself but I would dream about it.
Take it from someone who has been there twice and will be going again and again, if the internet allows… It is worth putting an Outlook reminder 10am every morning for the opening of the week’s reservations. And even a little random checking in case of cancellations. Also, make sure you cancel any plans you have that night because unless you are going out partying with some famous people for free at a club you never would be able to get into any other way and it will make you an instant star, anyone who would consider themselves a foodie, or even a person who just likes to eat good food should go to Ko when the green check mark says they can.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
River Cafe: CornerTable goes to Brooklyn
Let me set the scene: it was a gorgeous night, no clouds in the sky; a perfect early summer night in NYC… or should I say Brooklyn?
Yes, I went to a borough.
The River Café’s famous setting is why people go there, for the views of Manhattan and the flowery surrounding garden (which smelled amazing). The décor and the view made you feel like you were on a boat on the river. Yet, what they are lacking is the reason people go back to restaurants time and time again… the food. Who cares about the view when you are spending $98 a person (all meals are price fixed) for food you can get anywhere. It is just not as impressive as the skyline.
The tasting menu sounded meek (and was $125 btw), so we went for the two app, two entrée scene. Of course, now that it is summer time, there was a soft shell crab appetizer special, which we promptly ordered. We also went for the rabbit and ravioli. The soft shell crab appetizer was a rather large crab with…to be honest; I don’t even remember what was on the side of the crab. It was decently cooked, but considering I had a decent soft shell crab entrée the night before at a random restaurant/bar in Hoboken, I wasn’t enthralled. The Rabbit and Ravioli appetizer was rabbit loin wrapped in panchetta on top of hand-made cheese ravioli. I was expecting the cheese to be of the stinky, flavorful variety to balance out the gamey taste of the rabbit. To my chagrin, both the rabbit and the ravioli were bland, nearly tasteless, considering all the potential it had.
Now, before I go onto the entrees I must tell you the real reason I will never go back to River Café. It should be obvious that I didn’t care much for the food, but it was the despicable service that did me in. Consider this… I had no idea who was actually our waiter. There were about 5 people working for us, filling water, clearing silverware, folding napkins, etc. But, until we were seated for, let’s underestimate it at, 20 minutes, we were not asked what we wanted for drinks. Then, once we actually ordered a bottle of wine and some prosecco, we waited, again underestimated, 20 minutes until we were asked if we were ready to order. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am all for a leisurely dinner, but there comes a point where you are sitting there at the table with your menu closed with no one in the restaurant acting like you are there, when you realize that something has gone wrong. Did our waiter quit? Do we not have one? Oh! There he is. Once we ordered, we got our food within another 20 minutes (rather quick actually). But, at the end we were completely ignored for the check. After 3 hours of dining, when half the restaurant was empty… we just sat there…wondering…maybe we should have dined and dashed?!
So, onto the entrees. I had the branzino with tomatoes and some lemon sauce that I chose not to put all over my fish. They unhappily left the sauce at the table for me when I told them I wanted it on the side. The fish wasn’t horrible. It was covered with a baked almond crust and stuffed with shrimp and chorizo, which is the reason our “waiter” (and I use that term loosely) told me it was a better choice than the sea bass with artichokes. My date had the rack of lamb, which was supposedly one of their specialties. I found the lamb to be extremely fatty, so much so that there
were huge chucks of fat left on the plate with each piece. The dessert was decent, and came with the price fixed menu. I don’t normally order a dessert, so I ordered the fancy Brooklyn bridge mousse, where chocolate was formed in the shape of the bridge. It was cool. I took a picture.
One we were finally able to pay and leave, we found that we were at the edge of Brooklyn with no way to get home! Luckily, I scored a cab, where we got to hear the end of the Cavs game (Lebron is ridiculous) and got safely back to the city.
By the way, if you have been there, please let me know if you also think that the dining room is slanted towards the water? It was a little disorienting.
Yes, I went to a borough.
The River Café’s famous setting is why people go there, for the views of Manhattan and the flowery surrounding garden (which smelled amazing). The décor and the view made you feel like you were on a boat on the river. Yet, what they are lacking is the reason people go back to restaurants time and time again… the food. Who cares about the view when you are spending $98 a person (all meals are price fixed) for food you can get anywhere. It is just not as impressive as the skyline.
The tasting menu sounded meek (and was $125 btw), so we went for the two app, two entrée scene. Of course, now that it is summer time, there was a soft shell crab appetizer special, which we promptly ordered. We also went for the rabbit and ravioli. The soft shell crab appetizer was a rather large crab with…to be honest; I don’t even remember what was on the side of the crab. It was decently cooked, but considering I had a decent soft shell crab entrée the night before at a random restaurant/bar in Hoboken, I wasn’t enthralled. The Rabbit and Ravioli appetizer was rabbit loin wrapped in panchetta on top of hand-made cheese ravioli. I was expecting the cheese to be of the stinky, flavorful variety to balance out the gamey taste of the rabbit. To my chagrin, both the rabbit and the ravioli were bland, nearly tasteless, considering all the potential it had.
Now, before I go onto the entrees I must tell you the real reason I will never go back to River Café. It should be obvious that I didn’t care much for the food, but it was the despicable service that did me in. Consider this… I had no idea who was actually our waiter. There were about 5 people working for us, filling water, clearing silverware, folding napkins, etc. But, until we were seated for, let’s underestimate it at, 20 minutes, we were not asked what we wanted for drinks. Then, once we actually ordered a bottle of wine and some prosecco, we waited, again underestimated, 20 minutes until we were asked if we were ready to order. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am all for a leisurely dinner, but there comes a point where you are sitting there at the table with your menu closed with no one in the restaurant acting like you are there, when you realize that something has gone wrong. Did our waiter quit? Do we not have one? Oh! There he is. Once we ordered, we got our food within another 20 minutes (rather quick actually). But, at the end we were completely ignored for the check. After 3 hours of dining, when half the restaurant was empty… we just sat there…wondering…maybe we should have dined and dashed?!
So, onto the entrees. I had the branzino with tomatoes and some lemon sauce that I chose not to put all over my fish. They unhappily left the sauce at the table for me when I told them I wanted it on the side. The fish wasn’t horrible. It was covered with a baked almond crust and stuffed with shrimp and chorizo, which is the reason our “waiter” (and I use that term loosely) told me it was a better choice than the sea bass with artichokes. My date had the rack of lamb, which was supposedly one of their specialties. I found the lamb to be extremely fatty, so much so that there
were huge chucks of fat left on the plate with each piece. The dessert was decent, and came with the price fixed menu. I don’t normally order a dessert, so I ordered the fancy Brooklyn bridge mousse, where chocolate was formed in the shape of the bridge. It was cool. I took a picture.One we were finally able to pay and leave, we found that we were at the edge of Brooklyn with no way to get home! Luckily, I scored a cab, where we got to hear the end of the Cavs game (Lebron is ridiculous) and got safely back to the city.
By the way, if you have been there, please let me know if you also think that the dining room is slanted towards the water? It was a little disorienting.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
TBSP
On a quiet Saturday morning after a night of horrible heartburn, all I wanted was pancakes. I figured I deserved them, because I had not eaten for 24 hours. The line at Clinton Street Baking company was over an hour long (at 9:45 am…it opens at 10). So, we went over to a neighborhood spot that we had walked by a number of times. Spoon catering company is a quiet family owned business, which opened a small restaurant, TBSP, with delicious looking brownies behind the counter and a very pleasant staff. Last time we tried to go, there was a very long line. So, this time, we weren’t expecting much. But, maybe this sleeper spot actually serves the sleepy and doesn’t wake up until after noon.
“tablespoon is founded on the idea that fresh, local ingredients and quality recipes make for culinary success.”
I agree. I like the new locavore movement. If I had any natural light coming into my apartment or any type of balcony and/or open air space, I would probably be growing my own herbs and possibly my own small fruits or vegetables (I would also probably be a bit happier). But, being a poor New Yorker, I must rely on restaurants stepping up and serving the freshest food they can. The menu (to the left) had no simple options; everything was unique sounding and filled with flavor. We had the breakfast pizza (egg pizza) and the blueberry pancakes. The pancakes were wonderfully buttery, but undercooked, almost raw. The bacon was a little fatty, but, because bacon supposedly cures all ailments, I had to eat it…The breakfast pizza was two poached eggs, on top of a salad of greens, tomatoes, manchego cheese and bacon. The bread was crisp and starchy… 
The base for it was "pan tomate", a Barcelona specialty, which I hear is actually an excellent segway into my upcoming posts on the food extravaganza that is my trip to Barcelona, Spain!
The base for it was "pan tomate", a Barcelona specialty, which I hear is actually an excellent segway into my upcoming posts on the food extravaganza that is my trip to Barcelona, Spain!All that being said, I was sick so I can’t 100% say with confidence that it was the best meal I have ever had, but it is definitely worth a stop by if you are in the neighborhood. Ah, I love Chelsea.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Co.
A pizza place, that’s all it is right? Well, this is not Pizza Hut or Pizza 33 (ok, that second one is actually a favorite of mine). Check out the menu, this place is gourmand. Want a regular cheese pizza? Don’t be a loser. You didn’t go to Co. just for a cheese pizza. You have to order the one with the salad on top. Sorry to include me in my inner monologue…Co. (or as the sign reads on the store front: Company) just recently opened for lunch, so I had to check it out. You can see by my other post about this restaurant that I tried to go to lunch there a couple weeks ago and it was not an option. What a waste of a 5 block walk (lazy bum… sorry... inner monologue). I don’t know
what to say about this place. It’s pizza. The dough is excellent, but a little burnt on some parts (which you may like). It’s very dusty, i.e. when you eat it your fingers turn black with soot (char?). I ordered the Popeye (pictured..half eaten). It was a crispy spinach salad on top of a pizza pie. There was supposedly cheese on the dough, but I barely tasted any. Not to say it was bad, because it wasn’t. It’s a lot less greasy than the normal pizza I tend to eat and
way more unique. I’ve become a fiend for pepperoni and was slightly disappointed that there was no pepperoni option, only a couple different sausages. But again… unique is the operative word here. I also had a piece of the Ham and Cheese (pictured). Again, not too much cheese here, way more ham, or really prosciutto. It was nice and salty, which I love. The picture doesn't even do it justice, since it looks like I took some bread in my kitchen and threw prosciutto on top. I might even actually try to make this one, as it seems pretty simple.The décor is a mix between restaurant and pizza parlor. It is very non-descript… I probably shouldn’t be saying that considering I’m trying to describe it… I guess I should say, it was just simply decorated, yet not as simple as the typical pizza joint in the city. Co. is much more upscale and more like a restaurant.
There are a bunch of small two tops and some big tables in the middle. It would have been nice if the restaurant, which lets in semi decent light, was a little more open-air accessible. There is a rather large wine selection considering it’s just a pizza place (I know I keep saying that, but its true.) There are another menu options, including choice of the oh-so-minimalist cheese. I don’t have to go back. I’d say give it a try once, maybe for an early Sunday dinner, but you are going to go back to your local shop or the old staples like Patsy’s (actually in the same area and they deliver...) and Grimmaldi’s which are still tops in my book. I would have wanted to see a bigger selection of pizzas. Maybe that will come later. Yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if this place wasn’t around for too much longer unless they really come up with something special to keep people coming back.
Time magazine article mentioning Co.: http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0,31542,1896713,00.html?cnn=yes
Nobu
Today I googled Nobu. Not, the restaurant or the chef, but the actual word. It means prolonged or stretched in Japanese. I know you wanted to know that…
Friday night, went out on a raining night to the original downtown location (I try to generally avoid midtown when not at work or in the park). I wanted to go to Nobu for a long time. It was on the list. I felt that as a good New Yorker, I needed to experience the restaurant that everyone has been to; I’m just a jealous person.
Happily, I came across a promotion that Continental (my new airline of choice) was running called International Restaurant Week. I am going to Barcelona in a couple weeks, so I wanted to check it out in case they were running some special at a restaurant there. Unfortunately (and fortunately?), the restaurant week was actually for internationally themed restaurants in NYC. Does that not encompass every restaurant?
Well, it did have Nobu, and for every $100 you spend there, you get $50 in Continental money. So, we figured, we were eating for ½ off! Nice recession thinking….
Speaking of recessions, wow… Nobu was getting hit pretty hard on that front. We walked in for an 8:45 reservation and the place looked like it was 4:30pm. I think there were about 5 tables full of people. Granted, by the time were were ½ way done with our meal, it had filled up. Yet, there is no bar scene, there were no people waiting for tables. Is this because I’m the only one left in NYC that hasn’t been to Nobu? Is this because it was raining? (We all know that this sadly deters people in the city from going out and people outside from coming in.) Is it because Nobu is overplayed and overpriced? It could be any number of those reasons.
We originally thought about ordering the Omakase. But, when hearing what it was (just a parade of the signature dishes, nothing off the menu or special), we decided to take a little cheaper route and order the dishes we actually wanted. Granted, some of those were the signature dishes, although after eating them, I can’t really understand why…
We started out with the Bigeye and Bluefin Toro tartar. The dish was very small and the poor presentation made it look even smaller. The toro itself was good, but that’s what you pay a heafty price for it. Our next dish was the Yellowtail Sashimi with jalapeno (pictured). I was told I needed to try this by a co-worker. While it was good sashimi in a nice sauce, the jalapeno was extraordinarily hot. No one's fault here but my own. I just can’t handle the heat! Next, I think because of the continental special, we were given a free appetizer by the chef. It was a lobster salad and was the worst dish we had the entire meal. It was lobsert claw meat (which isn’t the tastiest part, or the meatiest) in no sauce and served on random pieces of butter lettuce. Thanks? We were then partly saved by the Black pepper crusted Ahi Tuna salad. The tuna was good, but the sauce/dressing overwhelmed the dish. The lettuce on top was dry and the lettuce in the bottom was sopping. Granted, the 
dressing wasn’t bad, I just didn’t like how it was used. To end our foray into the cold apps, we had the squid pasta. I thought this was going to be pasta with squid. I probably wasn’t listening to the explanation… ok, I know I wasn’t, because we got a bowl of squid. It wasn’t like sautéed calamari. It was different. These were huge pieces of squid tenticles. If it sounds gross. That is because it was.
Our first signature dish, the Rock Shrimp Tempura (pictured) with creamy spicy sauce was decent. It was not spicy at all (good for me and explained as such by our waiter when we ordered). But, everyone makes rock shrimp tempura nowadays. If you are going to eat this, go to Lure Fishbar. Its amazing. Also, try the calamari there while you are at it. That dish was followed by the Black Miso Cod (pictured). I didn’t like this at all. All restaurants serve a version of this now, and Nobu’s was probably the worst I have tasted. The miso sauce was excellent. Yet, the fish was dry and tasteless. Cod isn’t the most tasty fish out there, actually I think its pretty bland. But, restautants have been able to transform this boring poor mans fish to a culinary hit. Nobu just failed me. Yes… there is more… We had to try the sushi. We ordered the house special roll (all of the
other rolls sounded incredibly boring) and some extra pieces of Spanish mackerel, Red Snapper, Eel. The sushi was decent. But, I guess there is no point in expecting good sushi from a restaurant not known for its sushi. You are better off going to Yama, Blue Ribbon, Sushi Yasuda or Sasabune.
Since its also the week of the Tribeca Film Festival, there were interesting characters in the restaurant. Next to us was a table of complete randoms. Maybe a film crew? Maybe the mob? The table was filled with about 12 people that had very heavy accents and were abnormally tan (considering we have only seen 2 days of sun this spring). It was someone’s birthday. They got him really odd gifts and probably thought I was a freak by starring at them. Whatever, I love people watching.
Maybe I should have gone to Nobu when people actually cared about it. There are so many new and better restaurants. Nobu was acclaimed for its innovation years ago, but now that all restaurants with the same theme make the same dishes, but better. There is no reason to return. I feel bad for myself and my boyfriend that we dragged ourselves there with high expectations.
Friday night, went out on a raining night to the original downtown location (I try to generally avoid midtown when not at work or in the park). I wanted to go to Nobu for a long time. It was on the list. I felt that as a good New Yorker, I needed to experience the restaurant that everyone has been to; I’m just a jealous person.
Happily, I came across a promotion that Continental (my new airline of choice) was running called International Restaurant Week. I am going to Barcelona in a couple weeks, so I wanted to check it out in case they were running some special at a restaurant there. Unfortunately (and fortunately?), the restaurant week was actually for internationally themed restaurants in NYC. Does that not encompass every restaurant?
Well, it did have Nobu, and for every $100 you spend there, you get $50 in Continental money. So, we figured, we were eating for ½ off! Nice recession thinking….
Speaking of recessions, wow… Nobu was getting hit pretty hard on that front. We walked in for an 8:45 reservation and the place looked like it was 4:30pm. I think there were about 5 tables full of people. Granted, by the time were were ½ way done with our meal, it had filled up. Yet, there is no bar scene, there were no people waiting for tables. Is this because I’m the only one left in NYC that hasn’t been to Nobu? Is this because it was raining? (We all know that this sadly deters people in the city from going out and people outside from coming in.) Is it because Nobu is overplayed and overpriced? It could be any number of those reasons.
We originally thought about ordering the Omakase. But, when hearing what it was (just a parade of the signature dishes, nothing off the menu or special), we decided to take a little cheaper route and order the dishes we actually wanted. Granted, some of those were the signature dishes, although after eating them, I can’t really understand why…
We started out with the Bigeye and Bluefin Toro tartar. The dish was very small and the poor presentation made it look even smaller. The toro itself was good, but that’s what you pay a heafty price for it. Our next dish was the Yellowtail Sashimi with jalapeno (pictured). I was told I needed to try this by a co-worker. While it was good sashimi in a nice sauce, the jalapeno was extraordinarily hot. No one's fault here but my own. I just can’t handle the heat! Next, I think because of the continental special, we were given a free appetizer by the chef. It was a lobster salad and was the worst dish we had the entire meal. It was lobsert claw meat (which isn’t the tastiest part, or the meatiest) in no sauce and served on random pieces of butter lettuce. Thanks? We were then partly saved by the Black pepper crusted Ahi Tuna salad. The tuna was good, but the sauce/dressing overwhelmed the dish. The lettuce on top was dry and the lettuce in the bottom was sopping. Granted, the 
dressing wasn’t bad, I just didn’t like how it was used. To end our foray into the cold apps, we had the squid pasta. I thought this was going to be pasta with squid. I probably wasn’t listening to the explanation… ok, I know I wasn’t, because we got a bowl of squid. It wasn’t like sautéed calamari. It was different. These were huge pieces of squid tenticles. If it sounds gross. That is because it was.Our first signature dish, the Rock Shrimp Tempura (pictured) with creamy spicy sauce was decent. It was not spicy at all (good for me and explained as such by our waiter when we ordered). But, everyone makes rock shrimp tempura nowadays. If you are going to eat this, go to Lure Fishbar. Its amazing. Also, try the calamari there while you are at it. That dish was followed by the Black Miso Cod (pictured). I didn’t like this at all. All restaurants serve a version of this now, and Nobu’s was probably the worst I have tasted. The miso sauce was excellent. Yet, the fish was dry and tasteless. Cod isn’t the most tasty fish out there, actually I think its pretty bland. But, restautants have been able to transform this boring poor mans fish to a culinary hit. Nobu just failed me. Yes… there is more… We had to try the sushi. We ordered the house special roll (all of the
other rolls sounded incredibly boring) and some extra pieces of Spanish mackerel, Red Snapper, Eel. The sushi was decent. But, I guess there is no point in expecting good sushi from a restaurant not known for its sushi. You are better off going to Yama, Blue Ribbon, Sushi Yasuda or Sasabune.Since its also the week of the Tribeca Film Festival, there were interesting characters in the restaurant. Next to us was a table of complete randoms. Maybe a film crew? Maybe the mob? The table was filled with about 12 people that had very heavy accents and were abnormally tan (considering we have only seen 2 days of sun this spring). It was someone’s birthday. They got him really odd gifts and probably thought I was a freak by starring at them. Whatever, I love people watching.
Maybe I should have gone to Nobu when people actually cared about it. There are so many new and better restaurants. Nobu was acclaimed for its innovation years ago, but now that all restaurants with the same theme make the same dishes, but better. There is no reason to return. I feel bad for myself and my boyfriend that we dragged ourselves there with high expectations.
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