Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!  

Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

A few years ago, the idea to go to a vegan restaurant would have made me cringe. Today, I am kind of excited at the idea to try some new flavors. So yes, I was excited when I got invited to try Café Blossom on Carmine, especially after reading the statement from one of its founders, Ronen Seri:

My vision for Blossom was to create a place with outstanding food, not just for vegans, but

for everyone to enjoy.

Yes, I am not a vegetarian and much less a vegan, so going to this kind of restaurant can be a real test.

Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

I like the place: simply decorated, I love the contrast of the dark wood with the white brick wall, like the ying and yang.

dining room at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

They push the concept to having a communal table situated right in front of the open kitchen.

dining room at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

dining room at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

The menu offers small and large dishes, some of them looking familiar such as the Caesar salad or the pipette Margherita, but with a vegan twist if I may say: the cheese is for instance replaced by tapioca cheese, bacon by tempeh bacon.

menu at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

We started off with some drinks. Jodi ordered their belvoir sparkling elderflower lemonade:

belvoir sparkling elderflower lemonade at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

And I ordered the house brewed fresh ginger ale:

fresh ginger ale at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

Then, we shared two appetizers:

The first one was the buffalo risotto croquettes served with pickled carrot ribbons and blue cheese sauce.

buffalo risotto croquettes at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

There were three croquettes that were divine: think about rice balls made with buffalo sauce that are deep fried and then topped with blue cheese.

buffalo risotto croquettes at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

This was a very successful dish, very flavorful and I loved the fact that these little rice balls were not dry.

The second appetizer was the taco trio:

tacos trio at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

It was made of roasted mushroom adobo, corn tortilla, cabbage, huitlacoche, carrot/onion escabeche and micro cilantro. I had no idea what huitlacoche was and later discovered that it was corn mushroom, corn smut or even called Mexican truffle (that's pushing a bit!).

tacos trio at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

This was a delicious dish: very flavorful, I did not mind at all that it was vegetarian. I love the crunch of the cabbage, as well as the bold flavor of the roasted mushroom adobo. Another great dish!

For the entrées, Jodi ordered the soy bacon cheeseburger:

soy bacon cheeseburger at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

She decided to have French fries as a side rather than field green: after all, it is a burger.

soy bacon cheeseburger at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

It was composed of seitan patty, tapioca cheddar, caramelized onions, grilled shiitake mushrooms, soy bacon, lettuce, tomato, chipotle aioli on a sesame bun. I admit that it was a bit messy to eat because of the soy bacon that was too hard and make it difficult to cut through. I also did not like the texture and taste.

On my side, I decided to order the huevos rancheros, curious to see how one of my favorite brunch dishes would end up.

huevos rancheros at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

The dish was made of tofu scramble, adobo sauce, tapioca cheddar, black beans, soy sour cream, served on a crispy corn tortillas.

huevos rancheros at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

This was a nice interpretation of that dish. Being eggless, it did not have the same smoothness that the egg yolk usually gives, but I found it quite interesting, the tofu being moist and flavorful, perfect mixed with the beans and sour cream. I wonder if the yellow color is coming from turmeric...

Last was dessert. We went for the peach and strawberry crumble, served with vanilla ice cream:

peach and strawberry crumble at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

And the New York cheesecake, served with a peach reduction, strawberries and chocolate chips:

NY cheesecake at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

The desserts were quite good, especially knowing that they do not use butter. The crumble was the best one, although I would have liked more fruit in it. But the cheesecake was fabulous too, with its crust that was very coconut-ey.

My meal could not be complete without a coffee and, instead of going for an espresso, I went for a cappuccino, curious to see how they would pull it off without milk (they use almond milk in fact). And it worked!

cappuccino at Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY

This was a nice meal, surprising in a lot of ways. If you go to Café Blossom, I definitely recommend the buffalo risotto croquettes, the tacos and the desserts. You will not regret it!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

As we were craving Mexican food, we decided to go to Empellon Taqueria, located in the West village; a place whose staff has definitely a sense of humor...

Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

Big place with beautiful mural on the wall.

dining room at Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

That day, they were hosting a birthday party and I did not had time to have a look at the menu crafted for the event, but noted that this could be a good place for a group meal. 

guacamole at Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

To start, we went for the guacamole and chips.

guacamole at Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

The guacamole was definitely freshly made as could attest the chunks of avocado, chopped onions or fresh cilantro. 

guacamole at Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

I truly appreciated the fact that they put the jalapeño on top, so if one does not like it, it is easy to remove them. 

tortilla chips at Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

It was perfect: well seasoned, served with delicious tortilla chips. 

For her entrée, Jodi ordered the mixed mushroom tacos (she chose to get two instead of three, that are the two sizes proposed). 

mushroom tacos at Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

This was a delicious dish that I recommend if you love mushrooms, because they put a lot of it and it is not mixed with any sauce or ingredients that would overpower the entire dish, letting the mushroom be the star. 

mushroom tacos at Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

On my side, I was first set for tacos, but changed my mind when I saw that they were serving a churro French toast. Yes, you read that right and I was sure the combination of a churro and a French toast would be divine: I was not mistaken. 

Churro French toast at Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

First of all, it was a perfect French toast: the bread that was like a brioche or challah was perfectly soaked, and the churro created a crust that was delightfully crispy. It worked so well that I did not need to add any butter and maple syrup. 

Churro French toast at Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

This was a fantastic brunch there, all the dishes being very good and the service perfect. I am still ecstatic about the churro French toast that I definitely recommend. I will definitely go back as I saw some tacos I definitely want to try. I really enjoyed: oh yes I did! Sorry, I just drooled all over my computer...

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Empellón Taqueria

Dinner at Left Bank in the West Village, NYC, New York

Last week, I had a fantastic dinner with my friends from Tabélog, Sachiko, Kenta and Shouhei. If you read this blog, you probably remember my encounter with Tabélog, a year ago. Tabélog is a restaurant review site with over 40 million users in Japan, expanding now in the US. Their reviews are not anonymous, leveraging bloggers and putting an emphasis on photos, that is great considering that a photo is worth a thousand words. But, what I like also is that the team loves food as much as the bloggers they meet and it is always fun to exchange experiences and good addresses.

This time, we had dinner at Left Bank, a restaurant that defined itself as "an American tavern, inspired by Greenwich Village itself, and influenced by European sensibilities". At first, I thought it referred to the rive gauche (literally left bank) in Paris, that is, beyond a location, a movement of writers, artists and philosophers like Pablo Picasso, Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, Henri Matisse, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and many others. You many not know the term rive gauche, but, if you went to Paris, you probably heard about Boulevard Saint-Germain or the Boulevard Saint-Michel.

I arrived a bit early (I hate to be late) and toured the restaurant to take some photos. What I like is that there is a bit of space between tables and they did not try to maximize the space.

When I looked around, I could definitely sense a European feel, reminding me a bit restaurants in Paris, especially La Butte Aux Cailles, where I use to live.

The menu, crafted by Chef and owner Laurence Edelman, is of a good size, offering small plates as well as just few choices per section (raw bar, appetizers, pasta, meat / poultry /fish, vegetables), made with ingredients provided by local farmers.

We decided to start with drinks. On my side, I ordered a thyme and ginger cocktail:

We then shared few appetizers / small plates. First was the chicken liver pate:

The presentation was appetizing and rustic. You may wonder what the layer around the chicken liver pate was. Well, it was butter! And I admit that it went well together. This is definitely a dish I recommend.

Then, we had the Mongolian fish dumplings:

It had a nice acidity from the lemon and were perfect for me as I do not like when the shell is too thick.

Then, we shared the lobster puffs with champagne cream:

This is definitely an elegant dish, the champagne cream pairing perfectly with the fresh cream puff, but keeping the lobster the star of the dish.

For the entrees, we started first with the homemade parpadelle, served with sunchokes and fava beans:

That was one of my favorite entrees, the pasta being succulent and the dish being hearty.

Next was the suckling pig porchetta:

It was served with English peas, thumbelina carrots, ramps. This was a very good dish: the pork was very good, with a nice amount of fat, paired with a bold sauce that did not overpower the meat.

Last entree was the iron roasted split chicken:

It was prepared with roasted shitakes, escarole and puffed wild rice. I was not a big fan of the escarole, but certainly was of the chicken that had a crispy skin, heavenly salty, and moist inside.

To stay healthy (of course), we also ordered roasted cauliflower:

I admit that I just had a bite to try, preferring to focus on the meat...

Last was dessert. We went for the olive oil cake with candied hazelnuts:

This was sublime: not the lighter dessert, but a perfect one to end a wonderful and fun evening.

Thank you to the Tabélog's team for the invite and great evening at Left Bank, a place that is now on my list of restaurants to go back to! 

Enjoy (I did)!

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Restaurant Information

tabelog.us

	* Restaurant Name
	Left Bank
	* Overall
	★★★☆☆
	* Neighborhood / Cuisine
	West Village / American New
	* Street Address
	117 Perry St. (corner of Greenwich St.), New York, NY 10014
	* Phone
	212-727-1170

Umami Burger in NYC, New York

Ah, burgers! One of the most American dish ever, known all around the world, but unfortunately not always with a good representation (I am talking about the fast food chain). Well, I mentioned few times in this blog how teenagers and young adults love Mac Donald's in France, and I recently read that people are thrilled to hear that Burger King is going to make a come back in the country, planning to open 40 new restaurants. Seriously, if your benchmark for burgers are these fast food chains, then you got it all wrong. When I came in this country, I got it all wrong, craving a quarter pounder and eating some on a weekly basis, if not several times a week. Until I tried the Burger Joint, Corner Bistro, BLT burger and others. Now, I only go to Mac Donald's for the milkshakes and the fries that are some of the best.

But burgers are not reserved only to fast food restaurants or diners: more and more restaurants, sometimes high end, propose a burger, most of them trying to make it unique. For instance, DBGB from acclaimed Chef Daniel Boulud proposes one with pork belly confit and morbier cheese. Another of his restaurants, DB Bistro Modern, with foie gras. 

So, what would make Umami Burger unique, with lots of people saying that they have the best burgers in the City? That is what I was going to figure out. To learn a bit of history about this chain, know that it started in 2009 in Los Angeles, when Adam Fleischman, the owner, passionate about wine and cuisine decided to bring to the masses his twist on burgers. The logo is pretty amusing as it looks like lips made with a bun, hence their motto: get your lips around our buns.

We tried to go on a Saturday night, a little before 7pm, thinking that the crowd would come later. Big mistake! The place was packed with people waiting for tables. So we decided to go somewhere else and try this place the next day, for lunch. As we were not sure how crowded it would be, we showed up a little before 12pm.

The place was empty. As the time passed, we saw families coming, some of them with strollers, this time of the day being more kids friendly, and the only time when parents craving a burger would be able to come, skipping the expense of a nanny to satisfy and sudden urge for a burger.

It is a big place, with a slight industrial look thanks to the air conditioning system. Unlike lots of the burger places today, you do not order at the counter, but rather sit at the table where they will give you a menu; nothing fancy, just the delivery menu.

Umami is what is called the fifth taste, after sweet, sour, bitter and salty. At Umami Burger, they created some combinations that bring together sweet and salty. Because of this, they do not allow for any substitution. You will not find also a classic cheeseburger. There, everything is their own creation.

As we were waiting for our burgers, they brought us some sauces for our sides:

From left to right: jalapeño ranch (spicy with really a taste of jalapeño), aioli, spicy diablo (very spicy, it is their version of siracha sauce) and umami ketchup.

Then came the burgers. Jodi decided to try the Umami burger.

As you can see, the burgers are branded with a big U. The Umami burger is made of shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, parmesan crisp and umami ketchup. The bread is a Portuguese bun that has a bit of honey, giving to it a nice sweetness.

It was just ok for me, the taste being too sweet, masking the flavors of the meat.

On my side, I ordered the truffle burger.

Also on a Portuguese bun, it was composed of house-made truffle cheese and truffle glaze that were dripping. The beef patty was perfectly cooked medium, juicy and very flavorful, not overpowered by the hints of truffle that emanated from the burger. I split it with Jodi and we literally inhaled it.

With it, we decided to order their jumbo onion rings.

They were impressive and very good, although a bit greasy, delicious with the sauces they brought to the table. I admit that my favorite sauces were the jalapeño ranch and the spicy diablo, even if they were spicy.

I loved the truffle burger at Umami Burger: it is probably one of the best I had so far. They propose other combinations with truffle that I definitely will have to try!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Restaurant Information

tabelog.us

	* Restaurant Name
	Umami Burger
	* Overall
	★★★☆☆
	* Neighborhood / Cuisine
	West Village / American New / Burgers
	* Street Address
	432 6th Ave. (Between 9th St. & 10th St.), New York, NY 10011
	* Phone
	(212) 677-8626

Da Marcella Taverna in Greenwich Village, NYC, New York

Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

Last Wednesday, I got invited to a press dinner at Da Marcella Taverna in Greewich Village. When I saw the name, it sounded familiar and when I saw it, I realized that I passed so many times in front of it. Why didn't I stop before? Simply because I mostly passed at lunch time and they only serve dinner. 

It is a small place, seating just 42 people between the bar or in the main dinning room that has either individual or communal tables. 

Know that this place is an outpost of Da Marcella located across from the Rockefeller center. 

I got to meet with the founder and owner of the restaurant, Manuel Moreno and had a quick chat with him at the end of the dinner. 

Manuel and his parents have an interesting past. His father was born in Spain and left for Italy to escape the infamous dictatorship of Franco. There, he opened a bakery, where Manuel's mother (Marcella) used to shop. And you can guess what happened next. They got married, had children, and, when Manuel was three years old, they moved back to Spain. Years passed. Manuel became a graphic artist, before doing a 180 and becoming a baker (The Bakery of NY in Long Island City) and a restaurateur. In fact, the bread and desserts we tried came from his bakery. 

When I told Manuel that his restaurant had a neighborhood feel, he explained to me that it is exactly what he wanted to create in his restaurant. As he explained, the term taverna is common in Spain, Greece and Italy, although now in Italy, the word Osteria or Trattoria are more used. So the taverna or tavern was a place where people could go and eat some food that would cost them just a little more than if they were cooking it themselves. Some sort of kitchen of the neighborhood. Keeping the same spirit at Da Marcella is important to Manuel and that is true that the prices are fairly reasonable ($10 pasta dishes: that is pretty good). 

The menu, crafted by Manuel and Executive Chef Francesco Mueses, offers dishes that are for the most part family recipes. 

So let see what we ate! The first appetizer was grilled marinated Spanish octopus, served with caper berries, sun dried tomatoes and rughetta. 

The octopus was very tender thanks to their cooking process: they marinate it for three days (in vinegar, peppers, salt...), then will cook it for an hour in the oven, with some marinate. Well it worked! Cooking octopus is not that easy, because if not cooked enough, it can be tough. 

The second appetizer was the Scottish wild salmon and avocado tartare with Lampedusa capers. 

I liked it: well balanced, enough acidity with the capers adding a nice salty and bitter taste. 

It was served with some bread soldiers. 

These two dishes were served with a light white wine: Vermentino di Sardegna 2012 "La Cala".

After that, we tried the meatballs: Chef Francesco's meatballs "al sugo di Pomodoro". 

They were made with veal, pork, Parmesan, milk and bread, as well as rosemary and sage that definitely enhanced the taste. They were very good, soft and not dried at all, serve with a nice tomato sauce. 

Then, came the wood fire eggplant "alla parmigiana":

Although I did not really taste the fact that it was cooked under a wood fire, I liked this dish for the simple reason that it was...simple...and let the eggplant shine. Often, eggplant parmesan tastes too much of the breading rather than the eggplant, but not at Da Marcella Taverna.

The meatballs and eggplant were served with a red wine: Cannonau di Sardegna 2011 "Filieri" - Cantina Dorgali, that was fresh, tasty, with a medium intensity.

Then we got to try a pasta dish. It was the tagliatelle artigianali "Setaro" Al ragu'Bolognese classico, Manuel's family recipe.

They import the pasta from Italy, Setaro being the brand. I have never seen such pasta: uncooked, instead of being smooth, they are rough, allowing the pasta sauce to stick to it when cooked. But no worries: it was not rough to my palate and was definitely my favorite of the dinner.

That ragu, that they cook for few hours, was succulent: rustic, not watery with a bold taste. Eating it with a piece of bread would even be fine for me: bring me the pot!!!

It was paired with a red wine: Langhe Nebbiolo 2011 "Elvio Pertinace" from the region of Piemonte.

The last entree was the braised beef short rib "Al Barolo" served with a creamy polenta.

These short ribs were fantastic: they literally fell of the bone. Apparently, they first pan sear it and then cook it for more than two hours in sofrito (garlic, onions, pepper...). Very tasty, I truly appreciated the fact that it was not too fatty. The creamy polenta (the brand used is Berreta) that was served with it was sublime: very creamy, it was not grainy at all and had a slight buttery taste, although, surprisingly, they only use milk.

The short ribs were served with my favorite wine of the evening: a Cabernet montepulciano 2011 "Integolo" -Sada from Toscany.

Of course we could not have left without trying some desserts. First was the panna cotta:

Perfectly set, it definitely had hints of anise and vanilla.

The tiramisu:

A classic: I always say that you can measure the quality of an Italian restaurant by trying its tiramisu. This one was perfect: creamy, with the right balance of coffee and mascarpone, and perfectly soaked lady fingers.

The ricotta cheesecake.

Another perfect dessert: not dry, not too dense and not too heavy.

So I would pick desserts in this order: tiramisu, cheesecake, panna cotta. They were deliciously paired with a Moscato d'Asti 2011 "Cascina dell Perliche" from Piemonte. I love muscat wine for its sweetness and this one was sparkling.

This was a wonderful evening and the food was delicious, comforting for the most part, definitely representing the concept of neighborhood kitchen that the owner wanted to create. This is clearly a place to know!

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Restaurant Information

tabelog.us

	* Restaurant Name
	Da Marcella
	* Overall
	★★★☆☆
	* Neighborhood / Cuisine
	West Village / Italian
	* Street Address
	142 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012
	* Phone
	(646) 559-9192

Murray's Cheese Bar in the West Village, NYC, New York

Being French, I was raised eating cheese, any kind of cheese, although, as a kid, I hated the stinky ones. I have no favorite and in fact, with close to 400 different cheeses in France, it is tough to choose. I remember that the first time we went to France Jodi and I to visit my family, I brought her to a supermarket to see the different cheeses proposed, but also how cheap it is compared to the US. I would say that it is 2 to 3 times the price. So sad, as cheese is so good! The best places to buy cheese in New York City are for me Fairway, Zabar's and Whole Food, where they offer a wide variety of cheeses from all over the world. But there is also Murray's on Bleecker.

So, as were were walking down the street on a Saturday, we decided to see if their restaurant, located few steps from it had seats available.

When we arrived, the place was not that crowded, but when we left, it was packed!  They sat us at the bar that was very comfortable considering that it is fairly large and we were not too close from our neighbors.

They menu offers well known specialties with cheese such as Mac & Cheese, grilled cheese or cheese fondue. But we decided to go directly for cheese a la carte and picked few of them.

The cheese took a while to come: this was surprising as you would figure that they just need to cut few pieces and put that on a plate. But when it came, it looked spectacular, the cheeses arranged on a slate and paired with a something sweet.

This is what we picked:

Vendéen Bichonné from France:

This is a creamy cow’s milk cheese that is salty and nutty with a hint sweet cinnamon-clove spice. It was paired with pickled raisins.

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar from Vermont:

Made with cow's milk, it is sweet, savory, nutty and tangy. It was paired with an apple butter.

Vacherin Fribourgeois from Switzerland:

Made with raw cow milk, it has a slightly acidic and resiny flavor. I admit that I forgot what the chutney was...

Époisses from France:

Produced in the village of Époisses in Bourgogne, this cheese an unpasteurized cow's milk cheese with a pungent taste. It was paired with a carrot chipotle that had cumin in it.

Blu di Bufala from Italy:

This blue cheese made with buffalo milk had a nice buttery texture and was both sweet and tangy. It was served with a salted caramel.

This was a perfect dinner and it will for sure not be the last time I will be there! Definitely the place for cheese lovers!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Restaurant Information

tabelog.us

	* Restaurant Name
	Murray's Cheese Bar
	* Overall
	★★★☆☆
	* Neighborhood / Cuisine
	West Village / American New
	* Street Address
	264 Bleecker St. (Between Cornelia St. & Morton St.), New York, NY 10014
	* Phone
	(646) 476-8882

Restaurant Week: Spice Market

For my last Restaurant Week review, we decided to go to Spice Market for lunch. Located in the trendy Meatpacking District, this place is amazing! Well, its owner, Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Jean-Georges, Jojo, The Mercer Kitchen...), is no stranger to creating unique experiences and this time we were there for a treat. Inspired by Jean-Georges Vongerichten's travel in South East Asia, Spice Market has an impressive decor and as soon as you enter, you are transported miles away.

At the entrance is the bar with its wood carving and white leather stools. 

Then the dining room with its custom-made colonial style furniture, mixed with artifacts brought from all Asia, the antique copper lamps and the fans. But it is only the first floor. Downstairs, an  even more impressive dining room is available.

Interestingly, they have a whole section kind of separated from the rest that can cater to large parties and provide some privacy.

So we sat at our table on the first floor and got greeted by our waiter Lionel. He explained to us that the food was served family style, each dish being brought to the table as soon as ready. We looked at the menu, inspired by South Asian street food and made our choice from the Restaurant Week deal ($25 for an appetizer, an entree and a dessert).

They brought us some papadam that is a lentil bread. It was served with a spicy tomato sauce.

I then had a house made soda called Calamansi that takes its name from a widely cultivated fruit in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

It had a fantastic color and was very citrusy.

Then, the first appetizer came. Jodi ordered the soy cured salmon served with Cilantro, crème fraiche and some Asian pear.

This was fantastic: refreshing with the crème fraiche and Asian pear, the salmon was delicious and delicate.

My pick for appetizer was the Thai beef noodle soup made with crispy garlic and herbs:

This was very good, especially the broth that was light and milky, flavorful. The beef was sort of giving some flavor to the dish and clearly not the star of the dish. Yes, again, that broth...

For the entree, Jodi chose the Wok charred pearl noodles served with smoked tofu in a black bean sauce.

If you are still doubtful that tofu or vegetarian food can be good, you have to try this dish: the noodles were fantastic and the smoked tofu was incredible, showing that tofu does not need to be bland. Last, the sauce, which had peanuts in it, was perfect and I truly appreciated that it was not too salty.

On my side, I ordered the Tempura catfish Bahn Mi prepared with pickled carrots and mint:

Bahn Mi is a Vietnamese term for bread that refers in the culinary world to a sandwich, the bread being usually a baguette.

This was an amazing sandwich: the tempura was crunchy and not oily, the fish was perfectly cooked, the toasted baguette soft but a bit crispy and the entire sandwich was bursting in flavors, between sweet and savory, with peanuts in the bottom for an extra texture. This is definitely a sandwich to try.

Last was dessert. We tried first the banana cream pie made with caramelia chocolate sauce.

It was not your usual banana cream pie: it was a cream puff. The shell was quite good and the filling delicious, not too sweet, with some pieces of banana in it.

The second dessert was the Japanese cheese cake served with Kumquat marmalade.

This was a very good dessert, the cheese cake not being too dense, but I think the star was the kumquat marmalade that was superb.

I loved my lunch at Spice Market: again another restaurant that embraces the principle of Restaurant Week by serving spectacular dishes that make want you to go back. Not only was the decor amazing,  the food was uncommon and out of this world. Bravo Jean-Georges Vongerichten!

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Restaurant Information

tabelog.us

	* Restaurant Name
	Spice Market
	* Overall
	★★★☆☆
	* Neighborhood / Cuisine
	West Village / Asian Fusion
	* Street Address
	403 West 13th St., New York, NY 10014
	* Phone
	(212) 675-2322

Crumbs Gluten Free in Greenwich Village, NYC, New York

After hearing my cousin's Jessica friend Andrew talk about how he started to eat gluten free only and the health benefits that ensue, we thought it would be a good idea to try some gluten free (GF) places. The first strike was Tu-Lu's bakery that I posted two days ago, this one being also out of curiosity considering that they opened next to Veniero's Pasticceria, one of the oldest if not the oldest Italian bakery in town, as if they wanted to challenge them. Then, Jodi remembered that we passed by Crumbs Gluten Free, a store that got converted to a full GF bakery last year. Their goodies are baked at a completely gluten and peanut-free bakery and delivered fresh daily to the store and on top of the regular cupcakes and cookies, they propose breads and quiches.

I would have gone blindfolded, I would not have known it was a GF Crumbs as the cupcakes and other brownies looked the same (meaning giant cupcakes!). 

We decided to try their milkshake cupcake:

Just reading the selection made me salivate:

Marble cake filled with vanilla cream cheese frosting mixed with chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs, topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting swirled with chocolate cream cheese frosting and edged with chocolate crunches. 

It was good, but a bit on the dry side.

We also tried the chocolate hazelnut tart:

It was delicious! The chocolate taste was fantastic with a nice hint of hazelnut and the crust was crumbly. Definitely recommended for the chocolate lovers.

Crumbs Gluten Free was surprising: not only everything looked appetizing, but it tasted good too. I would not have known it was GF, I would have never guessed!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Famous Ben's pizza in Soho, NYC, New York

Walking in Soho, we were looking for a quick bite before going home. Pizza is always a good choice in that case, because the wait time would amount to the time to order and then to heat the slices. As we were walking, we saw Famous Ben's Pizza, a small pizza joint. We were wondering what Ben was famous for and then saw the sign indicating that it was for his Sicilian Pizza rated best by...somebody. 

This is you typical pizza joint: you would go there for the food, not the decor that was simplistic, if it was not for the quotes on the wall.

There we ordered the following slices:

Vodka slice:

This was a surprising slice: think about the vodka sauce that you typically find on penne pasta and put it on pizza instead of the classic tomato sauce. Et voila the vodka slice. Genius, original and very good!

The second slice was the Palermo pizza:

Originally, we wanted to try their marinara pizza, but their inverted the sign and ended up with this one. What a mistake: it was not good. I am not sure how it was made (tomato sauce of course and onions, but what else?), but I did not like the taste and the texture of it.

Last was of course the Sicilian pizza. Remember: "Rated Best Sicilian Pizza".

Well, it was just ok. For a better slice of this kind, I prefer Stromboli that is not too far from there.

I was a bit disappointed, not that I had high expectations, but sometimes, you find these little hidden gems. Famous Ben's Pizza is not one of them, although their vodka slice is delicious and I would just go back for that one!

Enjoy (...)!


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Brunch at Lafayette in Greenwich Village, NYC, New York

After watching an episode of Unique Sweets, we had Lafayette in our list of restaurants to try. And we tried it! We decided to go for brunch, as the item displayed on the tv show was from the bakery. In fact, we did not think that restaurant was so big at that time, because they only showed the bakery located at the entrance.

They had lots of delicious things there, prepared by Chef Pâtissière Jen Yee and Boulanger James Belisle:  from standard viennoiseries (croissants, pains au chocolat, pains aux amandes) you find elsewhere in New York, to delicacies that I had when I was a kid in France, such as the Petit Beurres.

These are homemade, not like the ones I use to have that were mass produced and that I love to dip in a café au lait. Well, I did not try these...yet!

So, back to the restaurant: it is huge! On the left side is the dining room:

And on the right side is the bar with its classic look and amazing display.

We sat at one of the tables that had a banquette on one side, like a half booth.

Some patrons chose to sit next to each other on the banquette, but I decided not to as I like to see the person I am talking to...

Jodi ordered a tea as a beverage:

And I ordered a coke. Yes, no espresso this time!

I am happy I took a photo of it so I can remember it, considering that it was $5 for just a glass of soda!!! This is crazy!

Then it was time to try what we were coming for: the coconut banana chocolate croissant or pain au chocolat a la banane et noix de coco.

Let's be honest here: it was mainly for Jodi as she loved coconut. 

Imagine a pain au chocolat cut in half where some banana will be spread over as well as a coconut frangipane. It was quite good, having the flakiness and buttery taste of a pain au chocolat, as well as the texture of a frangipane (almond paste that you find in almond croissants). However, I wish they put two bars of chocolate and that there were more pieces of banana. Jodi, however, was in heaven!

For the main dishes, we had quite a large choice of French dishes prepared by Chef Andrew Carmellini and Chef de Cuisine Damon Wise: duck confit, beef tartare or Pâté Maison. French specialties, yes, but interpreted and brought to a higher level by the chef. For instance, the beef tartare is served with a quail egg; the duck confit with curried lentils and crème fraîche. 

Jodi ordered the egg white frittata with mushrooms:

It was good, but there were mushrooms only on one part of the omelet, the other part being just egg whites.

On my side, I ordered the soft scrambled eggs vol-au-vent with chèvre and leeks:

When the dish came, I could definitely smell some truffle that was present in the sauce. If you wonder what vol-au-vent is, it is like a well made with puff pastry that you would fill with whatever you want. This vol-au-vent was probably homemade; it was flakey and deliciously buttery. Inside was the scrambled eggs that were very soft and not dry, the way I like them. It was a good dish, however, not enough if you have a normal appetite and only order this. I think they should have thrown some potatoes with it.

I think the food at Lafayette was decent and we got good service there. Would I go back? Probably, but maybe more for the bakery than the restaurant that is a bit overpriced.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Dark Dining Projects - blindfolded dinner at Camaje bistro in Greenwich Village, NYC, New York

Last week, I was invited to a blindfolded dinner organized by the Dark Dining Projects at Camaje, a bistro located in Greenwich Village, serving French-American cuisine. 

Dark Dining Projects started in 2005 from the imagination of Dana Salisbury, a New York City based artist / choreographer. She stepped down in September of this year, being replaced by Amy Baumgarten who was hosting this event, helped by Breanna Gimble.
The principle seems simple: you eat while wearing a blindfold, adjusting it so you do not see any light. Well, the only moment during the event where you could see the light is if you go to the bathroom. You would then raise your hand and somebody would guide you to the bathroom, holding your hand and moving them to make you understand which direction your body should follow. Once the door is closed, you can then decide to remove the blindfold or not. When you are done, you put it back, knock at the door, and they bring you back to your table.

Not only it forces you to trust the Chef for the food you are going to eat, but also the wait staff who will not only serve you but also help. I think that lots of people are freaked out that there will be something weird or disgusting in their food, so imagine when you cannot see! It is also a way to heighten your senses; don't we say that we first eat with our eyes? 

So we put those blindfolds outside the restaurant, before entering, and were guided inside by the organizers. I cannot imagine what people in the street were thinking when they saw this line of blindfolded people (in fact, I can imagine...). If you look in the mirror in the photo above, on the left, you can see people being seated with one hand on the shoulder of the person preceding them. And yes, the photos in this post have been taken blindly, so to speak, by myself and Jodi for the one above. I later discovered that taking photos blindfolded would also prove to be a challenge!

So, as I mentioned previously, we put the blindfolds before entering the restaurant and, as the windows were covered by thick drapes, I only discovered how the place was when looking at the photos (by the way, did you notice the guy on the left of the photo above?). However, when seated, I tried to imagine the space, listening to the people around us and   thus placing tables in my mind. Coincidently, our neighbors, Valerie and Joe, lived few blocks from us and we spent the evening chatting together.

The event was not just about the food and at some point, we could feel some movements, objects or hands on us, adding a bit more to the mystery. 

We started off with a hot towel for our hands.

Then they served us a glass of wine.

Amy asked us to first smell it, feel the temperature and the shape of the glass. As it was cold, we guessed right away it was a white wine. 

After that, they brought us the crunch course that I just called garlic bread at that time...We received the menu few days later and I included the description of the dish that was more appealing than mine...

It was a toasted Stirato (Italian baguette) with extra virgin olive oil and garlic. We immediately smelled the garlic and could hear the distinctive noise it made when people where eating it, the bread being toasted and crunchy.

The second appetizer was a caramelized onions and goat cheese tart (the menu says: "Caramelized onion and goat cheese puff pastry tart with Lucknow Fennel & Kohlrabi sprouts):

The crust was made with a puff pastry. I was able to guess what it was at the first bite, although I did not guess the micro greens that were on top.

The first two dishes were perfect to start because they can naturally be eaten with our hands. The next ones proved to be more challenging. It started with a fish dish, made with Arctic char and sea scallops (menu: seared Arctic char with a sauce of sea scallops, tomatoes, chipotle, cilantro, fish broth over mixed greens).

I did not recognize the Arctic char and thought it was halibut because of the flakiness. It was also disturbing because each bite was different. I think that the first one was the fish and then the second one was the sea scallops, two different tastes that threw me off! 

One of the challenges in eating these dishes was to know when to stop, meaning when the dish was empty. I admit that I brought few times an empty fork to my mouth, thinking that anyway nobody could see me, except the staff who was probably used to it...

Then I got another glass of white wine:

The next dish was oxtail with a creamy polenta (menu: red wine-braised ox tail over Polenta with Parmigiano):

I knew it was a meat dish from the smell and then identified the oxtail after trying a first challenging bite of the meat. It was definitely slow cooked in red wine and I even tasted a carrot, cooking process that was later confirmed by the Chef and owner Abigail Hitchcock. 

As I was struggling to eat the meat, I heard "You do not need to eat with your utensils" and, like many people, I ate with my hands. At that point, I it was really all about the taste, the touch and the smell. People were laughing about the fact that they had to use their hands and all inhibitions that they would have if they were not in that situation were gone. Their family, friends or dining neighbors would not tell them that they had no table manners as they could not see.

At that moment, we had a spill. Not a big deal and treated diligently by the staff.

I tried to capture it, but unsuccessfully...

After this dish and before serving us dessert, they brought us some ginger beer:

This was interesting as I never had that before. Sparkling, it was a good palate cleanser with a nice ginger taste and smell.

Dessert was a chocolate cake with puffed rice and almonds (menu: flourless chocolate-almond cake with egg nog crème Anglaise and sprinkled with puffed rice).

It was light, chocolaty and not too sweet, with a nice crunch from the puffed rice.  Because of the cream, I decided not to go with my hands, and I guess I did a good job eating it, although, without the blindfold, I would have probably finished that cream!

The evening finished with Chef Abigail Hitchcock telling us what we ate.

She described the regular menu served that night, but I have to mention that they took care of any dietary requirements. For instance, Jodi asked for a vegetarian menu (that I did not try as I did not want a fork in my eye), but others asked for no nuts or no seafood. 

At $120 per person, you may think it is pricey, think about it: it is a 4 courses meal with wine pairing, but also a unique experience that I am glad I participated to, similar to a show. It can really be fun with family, friends or co-workers for a team building evening. The food was good, but I wonder how different my opinion of it would have been if I could see it. But this, we will never know...

Thanks to Dark Dining Projects and Camaje for hosting us!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own! 

AOC - L'Aile Ou la Cuisse in NYC, New York

AOC means L'Aile Ou la Cuisse in French (the wing or thigh) and does not refer at all to the French wine certification (Appellation d'Origine Controllee). It has been a while since I wanted to try this restaurant, probably because I realized that I do not go that often to French restaurants...

So we decided to go there before seeing a documentary downtown. When we arrived, they sat us in the back, in what I consider a large room, with a bar and a TV screen showing some European soccer. You may think it is an insignificant detail, but you will understand at the end of this post why it is not!

So the place has two dining rooms, one in the back and one in the front, plus a garden that must be nice during warmer days.

The Chef crafted a menu that is for the most part French, with classics such as poulet roti (roasted chicken), croque Monsieur or salade Niçoise. 

We ordered our food and it took forever to come, the staff more interested by the soccer game than taking care of us. The bread basket took also forever to come and I noticed that some of the bread was slightly burnt.

I am always suspicious with warm baguette, because we use to heat it when it was stale to make it better.

So, after waiting for quite some time, our food comes. Jodi ordered the croque Monsieur:

It started well as it has lots of cheese and a nice amount of ham. It was good, but barely warm, making us think that it sat there.

On my side, I ordered the merguez sandwich:

I ordered it with fries (similar to Jodi, I had the choice between fries and salad, Jodi opting for the healthiest)...The fries were good: crispy but soft inside. The sandwich was good too: it had merguez (lamb sausage) and peppers in it, and had a nice kick. 

But one of the sides was burnt! 

I mentioned it to the waitress who laughed and apologized, but still laughing at the same time. She then went to one of the managers and simply asked for the check. When he came to us, I explained to him what happened and he seemed fairly upset. I told him that we were on a time schedule (especially considering the time the food came) and there was no way I could have asked for the food to be remade. As a nice gesture, he removed the sandwich from the bill and apologized again. 

We left with mixed feelings about that place: their menu looked appetizing, but the execution and service was not good. Hopefully they will improve...

Enjoy (...)!

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Cheap eats: Stromboli Pizza in NYC, New York

One of the safe bets for cheap eats is pizza, as lots of pizza parlors serve by the slice, except if you have a gargantuan appetite and need a whole pie! This time, we went to Stromboli pizza on University Place. In fact we went twice. It is a small place with couple of stools, perfect if people watching is your favorite activity or for students as they propose a great deal:

There, we tried the following pizzas:

Sicilian (we always ask for a corner):

White pie (fortunately it was not packed with garlic):

Plain:

Pepperoni rolls (a bit too dough-y):

The pizza was overall good, not earth shattering, but good. Not that I was expecting the best pizza for that price! A great thing is that they have these students' discounts!

So if you are looking for a cheap eat in that area and like pizza, Stromboli is your place. 

Enjoy (i did)!

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Pizza at Mezzaluna in Soho, New York City, NY

Mezzaluna is a tiny Italian restaurant located in Soho. Yes, tiny represents 17 seats, some if them at the counter next to the kitchen and then the one next to the window, perfect if you practice people watching!

The decor is interesting: colorful chairs, dark wood for the walls with plenty of pizza cutters hanged.

In fact there is even a pizza cutter on the plates!

The menu is of a reasonable size, featuring a mozzarella "bar" (three different ways if serving mozzarella di buffala, my favorite, for appetizer), salads, pasta and pizza. 

The pizzas are cooked in the wood fire oven visible from the dining room.

As we were going to have an early dinner, we decided to go for a "light" lunch. We started off with a special: gazpacho.

It was good, nothing exceptional, but good and refreshing.

Then, we ordered a Quattro formagi pizza or four cheese pizza.

It was made with mozzarella, fontina, Gorgonzola and tallegio. There was for sure lots of cheese and a perfect selection because creamy and not dry. The pizza was Neapolitan style with a bubbly crust that had a bit of a char. The crust was slightly floppy. Definitely a good crust, but missing a bit of char that could have been created from that beautiful oven.

Don't get me wrong: it was good, but not to the point where, like Luzzo's, it would be on the top of my list, or at least I would absolutely want to go back, knowing that there are many places in NYC that I did not try yet!

For the area, I still prefer Pulino's that has prices not that much higher than Mezzaluna. 

Enjoy (I did)!

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Dorado, Tacos and Quesadillas in NYC, New York

I just discovered another cheap restaurant near Union Square: it is called Dorado Tacos & Quesadillas. They make tacos and quesadillas, but you can also get soup, one being with cheese and quesadillas, the other one with tacos. Ok, let just say that they serve tacos and quesadillas in different ways!!!

It is a small place with a communal table in the center, two small tables and some stools. It is so small that If you sit at one of the tables like I did, don't be surprised to bang into the person behind you from time to time! 

The way it works is that you order at the counter, they assign you a number, and will call you once your food is ready. 

We started off with the chips, guacamole and salsa. 

The guacamole was already packaged but pretty good! The salsa, not spicy and refreshing, perfect with the tortilla chips that were thick, well salted and seemed homemade. 

Then, I decided to go with an all fish taco selection. I first picked the Baja taco: beer batter Atlantic whitefish served with cabbage, picked onions, crema and salsa fresca.

The second one was the grilled fish taco made with mahi mahi. 

Between the two, I preferred the Baja Taco: more flaky, crispy and tasty; but don't get me wrong, the mahi mahi one was good too! 

Then Jodi got the vegetarian black bean quesadilla.

It was a vegetarian black bean quesadilla that contained...black beans, salsa and some cheese. It was pretty good with a nice crispness.

It was definitely a delicious meal, at a very good price! So if you are in the area and want to eat cheap, this is a good place!

Enjoy (I did)!

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An Italian Culinary Experience with Casa Vinicola Zonin Wines and Aroma Kitchen and Wine Bar

Last Monday, I was invited by Casa Vinicola Zonin, Italy's largest privately owned wine producer, to the Italian Culinary Experience at Astor Center. It is an event that brings together food and wine, Italian of course! This month, they featured the Sicily region and their award winning wines from Feudo Principi di Butera Estate and the food was the creation from Chef Vito Posola, Chef and owner of Aroma Kitchen and Winebar, an Italian restaurant located in Noho. 

I was really excited to go because, usually, when I went for wine tasting, the food was either not present or just few crackers and little pieces of cheese! There, it was an opportunity to experience how these two components complement each other!

The setting was interesting: like an auditorium at the university. I could not not imagine what going to class would have been if they have been serving food and wine...

When we arrived, we were greeted by Ingrid, Jelena, Francesco and Paolo from Zonin, as well as Chef Vito Polosa.

Jelena, Paolo, Francesco, Chef Vito

They welcomed us with a glass of prosecco:

Some like to say that Prosecco is the main competitor of Champagne and for sure I would not call it sparkling wine! If you wonder what the differences are between these two: the grapes and the fermentation method. 

The prosecco was served with our first dish: crostino di cozze P.E.I. e lardo or crostino of P.E.I. mussels and lardo.

This was an aperitivo or amuse bouche (one bite, although this was a giant mussel!), pretty common way to start a dinner in Italy (in France, it would be the apéritif), to stimulate the appetite. Pairing the lardo (imported from Italy) and the mussel is not usual in Italian cuisine, but Chef Vito thought it would be a good idea...and he was right! The lardo brought some smokiness as well as texture and the bread some crunch that made this dish a nice way to start what would truly be an Italian culinary experience!

And let me add that it paired perfectly with the fruitiness of the prosecco.

The next dish was the tartare di capesante New Bedford, barbabietola, pompelmo, pane carasau or tartare of New Bedford sea scallops, beets and pane musica.

That dish was aesthetically spectacular with all the colors, especially the bright red from the beets and the green from the avocado.

It was a succession of layers: beets, sea scallops, zucchini and peppers (that added a nice crunch), avocado and the bread that was a perfect tool to push the food into the fork. Chef vito decided to add avocado because he wanted to add some fat to the dish and thought it would be better than pork. It was a successful dish presentation and taste wise with all the elements coming together and having flavors that complemented each other. 

This wonderful dish was served with a white wine: Insolia IGT Sicilia 2012, Feudo Principi di Butera, one of their top sellers.

It is a wine made 100% with Insolia grapes, grown and harvested in the South East of Sicily, from an area 5 miles from the sea. They describe it as:

"Bright and luminous golden straw yellow with light greenish reflections. Full, with scents of exotic fruit and flowering bloom. Rich and harmonious with delicate scents of sweet almonds."

I am not a huge fan of dry white wine, I prefer the sweeter ones like a good riesling or a Sancerre (perfect with foie gras!), but I enjoyed it with the tartare, the acidity of the wine counterbalancing the sweetness of the scallops!

The next dish was the pulpo brasato con finocchietto ed arancia rossa or braised octopus alla piastra, fennel and grapefruit.

As Chef Vito put it, the presentation was challenging because of the octopus. Personally, I thought it was fine! I love octopus so I was really excited! I was curious to see if it would be tough because if it is not cooked properly, it can be tough and chewy. This one was very tender and had a nice char taste (they cook it for 45 minutes in garlic, parsley, basil, and then finish it on the grill). Interestingly, Chef Vito explains that he receives it frozen from Portugal, but, contrary to fish, freezing octopus does not ruin it.

With it was fennel, grapefruit (nice addition of acidity), frisee salad, olives, olive oil and some sea salt. 

They served the Feudo Principi di Butera Chardonnay 2012 with it because octopus has a meatier taste perfect for a Chardonnay as it is creamy and more full bodied.

The way they describe it is: "Dry yet well-balanced, with an elegant touch of toasted almonds offsetting the fruity notes. Good zesty acidity and velvety fruit".

The next dish was one of my favorite of the night: Bucatini Del Verde con sardine, pinoli, uvetta e pangrattato or Bucatini Del Verde (Del Verde is a brand in case you wonder) with sardines, pine nuts, raisins and bread crumbs.

The dish, typical from Sicily, looked beautiful, with a nice swirl made with the pasta that were perfectly cooked al dente. The sardine was under (you can see a tiny bit on the left side of the photo): I loved it! It had a nice grilled taste. But what I loved the most was the pasta: the sauce was made with a branzino broth, bread crumbs (that added a fantastic crunch), oregano, and some sweetness coming from the golden raisins.

And guess what! It was served with a red wine: Feudo Principi di Butera Nero D'Avola 2011.

This wine is apparently selling well in NY and it was my favorite red. So you wonder why the Chef committed such a blasphemy? He thought that pairing a young wine, that hasn't settle, would be perfect with the flavorful sardines. And then started a passionate debate about red or white wine with food, some advocating for white wine with fish, others disagreeing. As Jelena said, there are guidelines, not rules! 

Here is the way this wine is described: "Dry, well-structured and extremely rounded, it offers very complex fruit flavors on the palate. These are reminiscent of cherries preserved in brandy, mingled with a very appealing spiciness that lingers on the finish." I have to say that I love these descriptions: reading them is surely easier than guessing them!

The last dish before dessert was Trancio di pesce spada alla griglia con tapenade di Castelvetrano e caponata or grilled swordfish, Castelvetrano tapenade and Sicilian caponata. 

Again a spectacular presentation, very appetizing! The fish was perfectly cooked, moist, with a nice grill mark and taste. Having it with the tapenade made with Castelvetrano olives (it is a variety from Sicily) was great as it gave the necessary salty element to the dish. The caponata, also Sicialian, reminded me of the French ratatouille in a way, that is not surprising considering that it consist of a vegetable (here eggplant) stew.

They also paired it with Feudo Principi di Butera Nero D'Avola, but an older grape from 2008. Again, the choice of red with fish seem to make sense: swordfish has a meaty taste and is often referred as steak. 

The last dish was dessert! It was Pistacchio di Bronte in tre maniere or Bronte pistachio three ways.

Again a phenomenal and appetizing presentation! It was pistachio gelato, pistachio madeleine and pistachio creme brulee. That was something! The inspiration was from Sicily where there are lots of pistachios. I started with the creme brulee that, despite not being as expected by the Chef was good; the best proof is that, Jodi, who does not like nuts ate it (in fact it was so good that she ate all three!). The madeleine was light and had a very subtle pistachio taste. Last was the gelato: creamy and tasty with tiny pieces of pistachio in it, laying on a very thin layer of brittle and a small (too small) amount of nutella. It was delicious and I truly appreciated that it was not too sweet.

This was served with a Castello Del Poggio Rosato NV:

This is a sweet wine perfect served as a dessert wine, made with moscato bianco and pinot noir grapes. It is described as "Fruity and floral, with delicate rose and exotic fruit scents. Fresh and pleasantly sweet with a taste that reveals its varietal characteristic". This was the exception of the night: coming from Piedmont, it is not from Sicily. It had a beautiful color, was refreshing and had a nice sweetness to it, that perfectly complemented the dessert that was not too sweet (sweet + sweet is not always good).

This was a great evening: the Zonin wine was good and the food fantastic. It was fun, but at the same time very educational thanks to the crew! They had such a knowledge and the surprising pairing of red with fish will definitely make me think twice the next time I order wine with my dish, especially if it is fish!

I also discovered Chef Vito Posola, his incredible knowledge of wine (his restaurant has more than 150 different labels) and his passion for food that transpired during the entire evening. His food was fantastic and, although it was not regular dishes from his restaurant (some key items like the octopus are on the menu but presented differently), it gave a nice insight on how the food at Aroma Kitchen and Wine Bar must taste! I will definitely have to check that out!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Please note that, in accordance with the FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I was contacted directly by the restaurant or a PR and that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own! 

Grom ice cream in NYC, New York

On a very hot day, we were walking on Bleecker street and decided to stop by Grom Gelato. It is an interesting company: they started in 2003 in Torino, Italy, with an all natural philosophy: no coloring or artificial flavors, fresh seasonal fruits or organic eggs. They are also collaborating with the Italian Association of Celiac disease who gave them the gluten free label.

So here we are, queuing up, because of course, lots of people got the same idea! I immediately notice the hazelnut flavor: my favorite for gelato! It reminds me when we went to Italy couple of years ago: we had gelato every day and I, most of the time, had hazelnut gelato. I remember that it was a lot of gelato for just 2 Euros. So, anyway, I got the hazelnut gelato as well as the Crema Di Grom, a gelato made of egg cream, "meliga" biscuits and dark chocolate from Colombia.

It was fantastic! Creamy, it was very flavorful, but I have to admit that the hazelnut one was the best, overpowering a bit the crema di grom.

Jodi went for two other flavors: vanilla and coconut.

I loved the vanilla ice cream: it even had the black spots so particular to fresh vanilla beans. Jodi inhaled the coconut. There, it was creamy too and very tasty.

So definitely, with Eataly, Grom is a great gelato place! I will definitely have to go back to try their other flavors!!!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Another visit to Bambootori in NYC, New York

If you follow this blog, you certainly know that I love Bambootori, a small place located near Union Square that serves fantastic yakitori at an affordable price. My last post about this place was about the few times I went there as well as the video interview of the owners, Hendy, Jonnie and Christophe who are very nice guys, totally passionate about this restaurant adventure. I love Bambootori so much that I even made it the pick of the month for July and August. So it is no surprise that I went back for dinner. 

Ok, I admit that I was disappointed at first by the fact that they do not propose steamed buns as an option for the skewers anymore except if you order a platter of three with possible choices of beef, pork or chicken meatballs. I love these little buns and was ready to order my favorite: pork belly in a bun. So we decided to order the platter and got two pork meatballs and one beef meatballs skewers.

As usual, the presentation is nice, with the meatballs nicely decorated with the spicy mayo. What I really like is the combination of meat, sauce and bun, three layers that pair very well. As usual, the meatballs are soft and moist. 

Then, I ordered two pork belly skewers and one tri-tips.

Perfectly cooked, they were juicy and had this fantastic taste coming from the char created by the grill. 

Then, they offered us some desserts! That is true that I did not talk about desserts in my last post. Not that I did not try them. What happened is that I tried the rice pudding a night when they were short of caramel. It was good, but the photo looked a bit boring and I promised Hendy that I would come back for it another time. Well, I did!

This is my favorite dessert! 

First of all, it looks like a skewer with white meatballs! Then, I love the taste! It is a denser version of the rice pudding, but you still get the same texture for the rice with a delicious hint of coconut. The pairing with the caramel is perfect. 

Then, we got mochi ice cream. Hendy would not have told me it was ice cream, I would have thought they were cookies! 

It was interesting: you definitely can feel the two layers (mochi and ice cream) and need a knife and fork to eat it rather than a spoon, especially when they are in plastic. We got two flavors: black sesame (my favorite) and green tea. They also have chocolate and vanilla. 

The last dessert was the yuzu panacotta: a great take on an Italian dessert!

It was very creamy and refreshing!

The desserts were definitely a good surprise! What I appreciated was that it was not too sweet and the portion enough not to over indulge, but give you the impression the meal is complete. Who would have thought that this place had desserts? Well, trust me: they are as good as the rest, so for sure, the next time I go, I will order one!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Vive La Crepe in Greenwich Village, NYC, New York

Crepes: a typically French dish that some people call thin pancakes...I love crepes. In fact I learned how to make crepes at school, when I was probably 7 or 8... So I was really excited to try Vive La Crepe, located near Union Square! It is Jodi who found this place and we added it to the long list of places to try. 

This small place was fairly busy and the staff was efficient. At least, they had five crepe makers to work with!

The menu offers sweet and savory choices, French inspired for the most part. 

Jodi ordered the ham and gruyere crepe:

I ordered the raclette:

Raclette is a dish popular in France and Switzerland, where cheese is melted on potatoes. So this crepe was made of cheese, boiled potatoes and prosciutto. There was enough meat, but clearly not enough cheese! Also, the potatoes were bland; I would have preferred less potatoes or maybe skin on would have given a bit of taste. 

The ham and cheese did not have enough ham...and cheese either!

What was very disappointing was the crepe batter: weird taste! I do not understand how they can screw it up! It is so simple to make ( I should post the recipe!). 

For dessert, we ordered the sugar and butter crepe and the banana and Nutella one:

I could unfortunately not get past the taste of the batter. Too bad because there was a lot of nutella!

So it was clearly disappointing ! And pricey! Bar Suzette remains for me the best so far, although I am always amazed by the cost of this cheap dish!

Enjoy (...)!

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Molly's cupcakes in the West Village, NYC, New York

If you walk on Bleecker, you cannot miss this bright yellow store that houses Molly's cupcake. The place was not totally unknown to us as we saw them on Cupcake Wars, a TV show where several contestants have to show some creativity to showcase their cupcakes and battle against each other until only one stands. Molly's cupcake, that originated in Chicago, was one of them. If you wonder where the name is coming from, do not start imagining that it is the name of the founder. No, his name is Johnny and named this place Molly, in remembrance of his third grade teacher, Molly, who use to bake cupcakes whenever one of the pupils she was teaching to had a Birthday. I guess that this is also because of his childhood memories at school that Johnny decided to put swings inside where you can sit to joyfully eat your cupcakes. We went twice: the first time we sat there and the second time at a table.

This place has something that I truly appreciate: a way to make your own! I wish any pastry shop would have that!

You can make a mini or a regular size cupcake and pick, in order: the size, the type of cake, the frosting and any topping you want. The fact that they propose mini size is great because it allows you to try different flavors. The first time we went, it is what we did!

Jodi went for a mini vanilla with vanilla frosting, coconut and sprinkles for toppings (there was a tiny portion of coconut).

I went for a banana cake (regular as they do not offer mini size for this one), chocolate frosting and brownie chunks.

The last cupcake that time was a mini red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, a classic!

The vanilla and banana cakes were good and moist; however, the red velvet cake had an off taste, as if the ingredients were not well mixed together. Also, the frosting on each of these cupcakes was too sweet and the cream cheese frosting was like having cream cheese directly on the cake. Disappointing!

When we left, we thought that we would never come back, but we finally decided to give it another chance! That time, we went for cupcakes of their creation. Jodi ordered the Birthday cake one.

I ordered the Cookies & Cream:

It was again disappointing: the cakes were good, but the frosting on each was not good! The Birthday cake frosting was bland and the cookies & cream was too sweet.

After two visits, I am sure that it will not become one of the spots I would go to if I want something sweet! Sweet Revenge, that is close by, is far better! Also, I have to mention that one of the owners who served us twice was not very nice, as if we were bothering her! So, no regrets!!!

Enjoy (...)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!