One of the things I like about going for lunch is that there are always deals available in restaurants, much more than for dinner. In Japanese restaurants, it is the usual bento box or lunch special with its choice of roll, sushi or sashimi, accompanied with a soup or salad. I was determined to enjoy one of these deals when I went to Kikku, a Japanese restaurant that is truly...
Bhatti Indian grill is a restaurant located in Curry Hill (Murray Hill but named Curry Hill because of the multiple Asian restaurants located there), where Chef Gaurav Anand serves Punjabi cuisine (Northern cuisine).
I cannot believe that Telepan Local, located in TriBeCa closed on November 16th! We went there a week before and loved our food there, recommending it to people. There was just this announcement on their website:
But what struck me at first with Mastro's was the decor. First of all, the entrance looks like one you would find in Las Vegas: flashy with its neon lights. Then, when you enter, it feels more like a club that offers dining than a steakhouse with music: there is loud music, with live entertainment at certain hours, increasing the noise level in the dining room.
I love paella and tried to recreate my own version, made with meat and seafood and cooked for long enough so the rice gets very soft and flavorful. In this recipe, I have replaced the saffron by turmeric, to give to the rice this nice yellow color, saffron being expensive. Here is the recipe:
Going to Le Rivage is like going back in time twenty years ago: that is how I would characterize this restaurant located in Theater Row. I definitely wanted to go when I saw that they serve two of my favorite traditional French dishes: escargots and frog legs (cuisse de grenouille).
I went to a fantastic event at The French Cheese Board. This time, no pairing with tequila or bourbon: straight cheese tasting with more than twenty different European cheeses, in a new setting showcasing the work of photographer Colombe Clier, about milk. We were also honored by the presence of Max McCalman, a maître fromager with an incredible knowledge that I met in previous events, and Top Chef France contestant Valentin Néraudeau.
Today, I went to Moda Espresso and Wine Bar, a coffee shop in Chelsea, opened in 2011, that is located few steps from FIT (hence the name Moda). It was not to try some of their Italian dishes (they serve panini, salads, wrap, pizza and...Italian sushi made with prosciutto and mozzarella!). No, it was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Nutella, the delicious chocolate and hazelnut spread. Well, knowing my love for Nutella, there was no way I could not go!
The decor is very nice, modern with some paintings representing Havana: the old cars, La bodeguita del Medio, the famous club where Hemingway or Gabriel Garcia Marquez use to go (you can enjoy this club in many countries now; in the US, it is located in Palo Alto).
No, I am not planning to replace Andrew Zimmern on Bizarre Food or Anthony Bourdain: I was just curious and had been wanting to try the Filipino dish that is balut for a while. For sure, for Jodi, it was out of question to come with me as she was grossed out at the simple idea to see me eating this.
What happens when you get Tequila and cheese together? A surprising pairing that goes beyond the traditional wine and cheese. It is not my first not-wine and cheese experience at The French Cheese Board, having discovered in a previous event a Bourbon and cheese pairing quite interesting.
Check out this recipe to make some delicious butternut squash ravioli with taleggio cream. In this recipe you will learn how to make homemade pasta! Yum!
Last Thursday, I was invited at La Scuola in Eataly for a media event to celebrate a variety of pear called the Abate Fetel, in a 3 course-tasting meal prepared by Chef Nicoletta Grippo. I was definitely curious as I mostly associate pear with desserts, besides the classic salads or the pear with roquefort that is a great combination, the sweetness of the fruit neutralizing the acidity of the cheese.
As we were looking for a restaurant reservation on Opentable, we found out Laut, the first Malaysian restaurant in the world to receive a Michelin Star in the famous 2011 guide (they lost it since).
We went on a Saturday early evening. I guess we were right not to go too late as, when we left, the restaurant was full. And trust me, it filled up quickly as we did not stay hours there: you sit, you eat and you go. Not that they were pressing us to leave, but this is not the place for a tête à tête, the tables being very close to each other.
Going to brunch with friends is always exciting. Not only because of the pleasure to see them, but also because we always try to make it a culinary experience. So, this time, we went to Montmartre, a French restaurant located in Chelsea, after our friend Gary read an article in NY Magazine that said that they had the best burger in town.
It is not a big place, and I counted only four tables, so either you are lucky or you have to grab and go...In the back, is the kitchen where you can have a glimpse at the cupcake making process. If you notice on the photos, pink color is everywhere, even on the sparkly kitchen aid appliance that is probably there not just for display.
We found Little Cupcake Bakeshop few weeks ago, while trying to find our way around The San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy, and decided to go back and try that place. The location in Nolita is an outpost of their flagship bakery that opened in 2005 in Brooklyn.
Imagine that for the prices I mentioned above, we got each a foot long sandwich that was tastier than some of the chains out there. My favorite was definitely the one I ordered with BBQ pork as it had this divine crunchiness and sweetness. Both tasted fresh and I truly appreciated that they put lots of fresh cilantro in the sandwiches.
As all kids were trick or treating for candy, I was at The French Cheese Board to trick or treat for...cheese. Mimolette to be precise, the bright orange hue color of that quite unknown cheese being similar to a pumpkin and therefore perfect for some carving.
It was a delicious dish: the homemade pasta were amazing and the crab cake perfectly done, really tasting crab, with big lump of it. I liked the fact that there was a sauce for the crab cake (made with pepper) and one for the pasta, more on the lighter side and complemented with tiny asparagus.
Like a lot of people, I do not associate healthy cuisine with Chinese food. When I want to eat Chinese, I immediately think about greasy and saucy dishes, at the exception maybe of dim sum. Well, I was wrong: there are ways to cook healthy Chinese food and Lo Fatt Chow (probably a take on low fat), a Chinese restaurant in the Monroe Center in Hoboken, is a good example. Freshly opened on October 16th, they cook their food a la minute (no frozen or pre-cooked dishes) without any MSG and do not use peanut oil.
We went twice since they reopened and they are definitely working on their menu. They make pizza that is an odd choice considering the multiple pizza places in the city, and their brunch menu is more a bar menu than a brunch menu, lacking the usual egg, pancake or French toast dishes. Of course, they have burgers, and we tried the classic American burger with (lots of) sautéed mushrooms...
We decided to go for brunch at Estela, a restaurant located in Nolita that made it in the news recently, after President Obama and the First Lady ate there. Nothing unusual if it was not that the credit card of the President was declined. He explained later: "I guess I don't use it enough, so they [the bank] thought there was fraud was going on." Fortunately, Michelle Obama's card worked...
It has been a while since we wanted to go back to Maze, one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants, located in The London Hotel, Midtown. We wanted to go there for a simple reason: the beef Wellington that is one of the dishes cooked in the Chef's TV show Hell's Kitchen, dish that triggers a lot of yelling from the Chef.
When I heard that Dough was opening an outpost near the Flatiron, I could not resist to go and try some of their original flavors. Yes, I tried Dough earlier this year, when one of my colleagues brought some donuts for breakfast (see my review of Dough here). This place opened last Friday, October 17th, and, with all the buzz they got, I was not surprised to see a line of excited foodies, waiting to get their sugary fix.
O Mai is a Vietnamese restaurant located in the trendy Chelsea. It is a decent size place with a warm decor and an interesting menu with unique dishes that can satisfy any palate. We went there on a Friday night and the place was packed. This is definitely the place to go if you like loud music, loud people and barely no light to see your food...
It is a wine bar, so it is not surprising that they have an impressive wine list made of bottles not only from France, but also from Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Italy or Spain. They also propose some American wines from California, if you prefer drinking local...
I passed so many times in front of Thalia, in the Theater District, not really enticed to try it. I should have looked at their brunch menu before. It has your traditional dishes, but some of them with a twist, like the Crème brûlée French toast that was amazing: the bread was perfectly soaked, the top was crunchy and deliciously sweet.
This week, I was invited by Tarallucci e Vino, an Italian restaurant located few steps from Union Square, for a party to promote their events. I admit that I though it would take place at the restaurant itself, but it was no the case: it was located in one of the four large lofts on top of the restaurant.
Menu wise, as I mentioned before, they serve New American cuisine and their brunch, that we tried, offers a good deal: for $19 you get an appetizer (not just a salad as you will see) and an entrée. For $11 more, you get an alcoholic beverage, unlimited, such as a beer or a mimosa. As my drink of choice for brunch is either coffee or fresh squeezed juice, I went for the first option, similar to Jodi.
We were not sure what to get there as there were many yummy flavors proposed. They have of course the classic: vanilla, chocolate or hazelnut, but also some strange one: ginger, currants and cream, Ceylon cinnamon or earl grey tea. They also have a bunch of vegan choices made with coconut or cashew milk.
As we were craving dim sum, we went on the internet to find a place in Chinatown: that is how we ended up at Oriental Garden, on Elizabeth street. I admit that the entrance, with the trash in the front, was not that appealing, but you know, this is part of the charm of Chinatown.
What you are going to read below cannot express enough how sensational our dinner at EN Brasserie was. We passed so many times in front of that restaurant, located in Hudson street, in an area not that ideal for restaurants, if not maybe the lack of competition. Going there was like setting foot in Japan and we tasted some phenomenal dishes that convinced me more that there is more than just sushi and sashimi in Japanese cuisine.
Now, that was a fantastic appetizer: not only because of the burrata that was perfectly creamy, but also because of the pairing of the cheese with the fresh figs that gave another refreshing level to the dish as well as a nice sweetness.
Those who think that going to Heartland Brewery is only for the drinker of beer is wrong. The food there is pretty decent: not your fine dining experience for sure, or a place where I would go all the time, but good enough for a nice casual dinner, where American staples meet international dishes, on the menu, but also on the plate.