Wu Liang Ye - Authentic Chinese cuisine in NYC, New York

Wu Liang Ye in Midtown Manhattan is a family style Chinese restaurant; each plate can serve 2 people, hence, don't be surprised by the price. This place is always crowded and if you are a large party, you'd better reserve! I went there for lunch time and it was like a beehive: customers going in and out, waiters running around to satisfy the crowd.
The restaurant itself is located on the second floor of a brownstone. The weather was nice outside and it was freezing inside!

Food wise, I really liked it! But be careful: they serve authentic Szechuan cuisine that is spicy!

We had couple of dishes. The first one was Shredded chicken with spicy garlic sauce. The chicken was moist and the sauce not too spicy. Fortunately, it was not too garlic-y either!

We also tried the tangerine chicken.

It was a first for me. I really liked it. I think it is a perfect alternative to the General Tso Chicken: a bit crunchy with less fried taste. The sauce was not overpowering at all.

Then was one of my favorite dishes: the kung pao chicken.

This dish is mainly made with chili pepper and peanuts. No way to have it mild! I can tell you that it was spicy. Delicious but spicy! I love the thick sauce coming with it that baths the chicken and the veggies (onions, peppers...). Great dish!

Wu Liang Ye is a great Chinese restaurant outside of Chinatown! Definitely for you to try!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Pastis restaurant in NYC, New York - Overrated!

Pastis is an anise flavored spirit that is served mixed with water. It originates in South of France. Instead of Pastis, you may also hear the names Pernod or Ricard that are derived from the name of the company Pernod Ricard who use to produce pastis.

The Pastis I am talking about is different though: it is a popular restaurant in the Meat Packing district of NYC, New York. Pastis is a French bistro opened by Keith McNally with Executive Chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson. These names do not ring a bell? They are the same cast as Balthazar in NYC. In fact, the bread served at Pastis comes from Balthazar. 

Having heard about it so many times, I decided to go few years back, but did not become a fan of Pastis. As the restaurant is still there and always crowded, I decided to give it another try. 

I went on a Friday, for lunch. Let me tell you: it was packed! At the entrance, they tell us that they cannot sit us right away and that we have to wait at the bar for approximately 30 minutes, until lunch is served (there were several empty tables). Interestingly enough, five minutes after we order a drink at the bar, they sit us and we wait for 20 minutes before ordering. I am kind of suspicious that they sat us at the bar so we would consume a drink. I hate this type of practices!

We decide to go for the croque monsieur and the cheese burger. The waiter warns us that the croque monsieur does not come with any side. I am a bit surprised. Ok, no side needed. The food takes a bit of time to come.

When the croque monsieur comes, several parts look burnt. That's fine, we love burnt cheese. We taste it and it is disappointing: there is not enough béchamel sauce and it is salty. Not worth the $15 it costs! I really prefer the croque monsieur at Brasserie Cognac!

When the burger came, it was promising: lots of cheese, good ratio meat / bun and a nice bun (not sure if homemade by Balthazar). Unfortunately, the meat was a bit dry. The fries are a bit overcooked. Disappointing too!

On top of this, the noise level was pretty high with loud psychedelic music playing! Only the service was good.

So my re-visit to Pastis did not meet my expectations. The food was disappointing and overpriced. I think this place gets its reputation not because of the food, but because of the sceney atmosphere. Not a recommended restaurant for me!

Enjoy (I did not)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Magnolia Bakery in NYC, New York - Average cupcakes...

I heard about Magnolia Bakery in New York City for many years but never went there. In fact, a long time ago, I went to a restaurant on top of the Bakery Midtown, restaurant that is now closed.

Cupcakes are really big here and I do not know if one day they will be as big in France. Why? Because there are so many different pastries with some many different flavors that I am not sure people would be attracted to it. However, what makes the difference is that cupcakes offer, for the same concept, a wide range of possibilities: you can make different types of cake, have some cream or fruits in it and then have an infinite choice of frosting and decoration. A Millefeuille (close to a Napoleon) is a millefeuille!

So we went to Magnolia Bakery Midtown. The place was a mad house! You can have cakes like banana cream pie or order coffee or tea besides cupcakes. Of course, most of the people will go for the cupcakes. And the scene is always the same: pick, pay and inhale!

So we went for the vanilla cupcake and the red velvet cupcake. Red velvet has to be good! If a bakery does not know how to make it, there is a big chance they do not have good cupcakes! I was wrong: the red velvet frosting was pretty good but the cake was very dry (very red too: they must have put a lot of food coloring in it). 

I preferred the vanilla one: great frosting, not too sweet and the cake was moist.

I am not sure I would go back to Magnolia Bakery but have to note two things that I liked: 

• The ratio cake / frosting was perfect. I hate when there is too much cake! The best is the frosting!
• The box to carry the cupcakes is perfect as lots of bakery just offer regular boxes and the cupcakes will roll in it.

I was not wowed by Magnolia bakery to be honest. I may have to try another time...

Enjoy (...)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Morimoto Restaurant in NYC, New York

I am a big fan of Chef Masaharu Morimoto and try to never miss his appearances on Iron Chef America! Chef Morimoto is incredibly talented. On the show, he always comes with incredible presentations and association of food you would never think of. 

So we decided to go back to his restaurant. I have great memories of the first time I went there few years ago: I remember that I had the surf and turf that was made with fish and Kobe beef. I did not like the taste of the kobe beef but I still can talk about the dish!!! On top of that Chef Morimoto was there, making sushi!

So we went back and had another memorable dinner! I love the place: modern with an elegant decor. Not a stuffy atmosphere at all. The service was, like the previous time, perfect: courteous and efficient. 

The menu makes you drool from the first page. It offers a modern Japanese menu with some Western cuisine hints.

We started with the Nasu (eggplant in Japanese).

The eggplants were pickled. When they arrived on the table, one could not have noticed the amazing blue of the Japanese eggplant. It popped on the dish! It was the first time I tasted a pickled eggplant. It was a surprising taste: eggplant of course but definitely raw. 

I then had the Oyster Foie Gras that is oysters, foie gras, sea urchin in a teriyaki sauce.

The presentation was spectacular.

Of course it is at this point that my camera shut off because the battery was empty...But I had other resources! So, back to food! This dish had so much flavors: I was scared at first that the teriyaki sauce would be overpowering, but it was not the case. You could taste all the layers: from the gigantic oyster to the foie gras and sea urchin (had been a long time I did not have some).

The Kasutera, custard omelet was very good. Light and fluffy.

We also had a tuna roll. This was very good but I will be honnest: I can get a great tuna roll in my favorite Japanese restaurant as it is pretty basic. For sure, however, the quality of the tuna is probably superior!

For the main dish, I decided to reorder the surf and turf made with Australian Wagyu beef and Hamachi fish.

This was really great! First, it changes from the traditional lobster and steak. The Hamachi fish is cut in ribbons and prepared with avocado, tomatoes, crushed citrus and onions. They mix all the ingredients together at the table, after adding some Yuzu sauce. It tasted so fresh!

The beef was cooked perfectly (I asked for medium) and was extremely tender! It has a perfect charr on the outside too. Last, this was served with potatoes cooked with a delicious cream. 

We could not end this feast without trying some desserts!

We tried the warm flourless chocolate cake served with caramel popcorn and rice crispies, sesame-caramel sauce, white chocolate foam, green tea-pear sorbet.

This was amazing! I loved the caramelized popcorn and rice crispies on top of the cake. The cake itself was moist and very chocolaty.

Last, was the tofu ‘hot and cold’: soy milk soufflé, tofu cheesecake, maple ice cream.

Let me tell you: who could have imagined that a soy milk soufflé would be so good! It was my favorite dessert! However, I did not really like the tofu cheesecake: it was kind of tasteless.

These desserts were pretty imaginative and really reflect the versatility of Chef Morimoto cooking!

I am definitely a fan!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

The New French Restaurant in NYC, New York

We were walking around in the West Village when we noticed this small place called The New French.

But do not be fooled: this restaurant, opened in 2008, is not serving French cuisine, but more an American cuisine, although some dishes can be associated to France, such as the crepes!

I like the place that reminds me of places you would find in certain areas of Paris such as La Buttes aux cailles. The furniture looks like a typical bistro / brasserie tables and chairs.

In one of the walls, there is a big mural from local artist Maira Kalman.

We went for brunch. The menu at The New French is pretty simple. At least, you do not have in front of you a huge menu and are not wondering what to eat! But it has the basic brunch items: pancakes, French toasts, eggs...

We went for the crepe filled with goat cheese, mushrooms and spinach. It was served with some salad. I have to say that the crepe was good! The crepe itself was well done and the filling delicious.

We also tried the buttermilk biscuit sandwich served with bacon, eggs and cheese. For the side, you could pick potatoes, fries or salad. I went for the potatoes that were pretty good and not greasy at all!

The sandwich was awesome too: there were a lot of flavors that mixed well together and the biscuit was amazing! They put some honey that added a nice sweetness to the salty taste. But it was on top of the biscuit, so either you end up having sticky hands or have to eat with your fork and knife.

At the end of the brunch, I was stuffed and did not get a chance to try the sugar crepe. I bet it is really good!

If you are looking for brunch, I definitely suggest The New French!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Mie Thai Restaurant in Woodbridge, NJ

We went with my colleagues to Mie Thai, a Thai restaurant in Woodbridge, New Jersey. I like the place as it has a nice decoration with art representing Thailand. The service was efficient and very courteous.
For lunch, they offer different traditional dishes at a very reasonable price.

As it was the first time in that restaurant, I decided to go for the Penang curry. Usually, to test a Thai restaurant, I will either go for the Penang or Massaman curry.



First, they served us a salad.

The star was not the salad, but the peanut sauce that was delicious.

I asked to have Chicken Penang Curry mild: I am glad I did that. It was slightly hot and I am wondering what it would have been if regular. This dish had a lot of flavors and they served a nice quantity of it. I loved it and finished the bowl.

I also tried the Pad Kee-Mao that are sauteed wide rice noodles with shrimp, chicken, fresh chili, onions and eggs. It was also delicious.

Overall, I really liked Mie Thai: the food was good, flavorful and well seasoned. Definitely a good Thai place.

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Varli Food Festival in NYC, New York - Thursday, April 5th

This Thursday, will take place the Varli Food Festival. This festival has been created to bring knowledge of the Indian cuisine. Hosted by Top Chef Host Padma Lakshmi, it will include some celebrity Chefs who will participate in diverse activities.


When?
Thursday, April 5th, 2012
5 P.M - 10 P.M

Where?
Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th Street
(between 6th and 7th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011

Tickets on sale on line - $100 per person.

More information at: http://www.varlifoodfestival.com/index.php

Ben & Jerry's free cone day!

Today is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's!

Enjoy (I will)!

Bar Americain in NYC, New York - Come on Bobby Flay!

I do not think it is necessary to introduce Bobby Flay! Ok, for those who do not know him: he is mostly known for being a celebrity Chef with multiple shows on the Food Network, such as The Next Iron Chef, Throw-down with Bobby Flay or The Next Food Network Star. He is the type of Chef that seems to be genuine and does not seem to think he is the best! Good, because you need a certain humility to participate to a throw-down and acknowledge that your competitor is better. I think a lot of Chefs should learn from him!

Of course, Chef Bobby Flay is first...a Chef, specialized in Southwestern cuisine (do not be surprised to see him add habanero peppers in everything! I exaggerate a bit).  Reading his biography will make you understand his dedication and passion for food. He opened his first restaurant in New York City, Mesa Grill (that I did not try yet!) in 1991.  Since then, he opened many restaurants, Bar Americain, opened in 2005 is one of them.

I went few times to Bar Americain, before I started this blog. I had mixed experiences there. Mainly related to food, because the restaurant is simply gorgeous and the service has always been impeccable.  Presentation wise, it is amazing. Just look at this salad (Boston lettuce, egg, bacon and blue cheese sauce):

This is simply gorgeous. But it is not the presentation, but more the taste that was a problem. For instance, I did not like the filet mignon at all: dry, tasteless and overcooked. I did not like the deep dish chocolate cream pie either. But I loved the homemade potato chips with blue cheese dip or the trio of seafood cocktail. But the best is the Kentucky Hot Brown: an open face turkey sandwich made with cheese sauce (recipe here). If you go to Bar Americain, you have to try this!

So, I went back after few years. Nothing has changed: same great decor and very good service. I was tempted to take the Kentucky Hot Brown but decided to try something new.

I started with the spicy tuna tartare. 

Yes, it says spicy and it can be, especially if you pick some of the garnish on the plate (egg white, onion - spicy - capers and parsley). This was really good, fresh and light. Perfectly seasoned.

I then went for the Gulf shrimp and grits served and cooked with bacon, onions and garlic. 

First, I was surprised by the consistency: it was like a thick soup. It tasted really good at first with a lot of flavors from the shrimp, the bacon and the grits. But the more I was eating it, the more my taste buds got saturated. Probably because of the bacon. It was a bit disappointing.

So I could not end the lunch on that note and therefore decided to go for the Sweet Potato Pie, served with a cinnamon ice cream. This is an amazing dessert! It got a nice sweetness to it from the potato, but also from the pie crusted with sugar. That pie was so buttery: it was delicious!

So I had mixed experience at Bar Americain. I would probably go back but it would not be my first choice.

Enjoy (I kind of did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Rino Trattoria in NYC, New York - The Groupon non-experience

Using sites like Groupon or Savored is a great idea, especially if you like to go out a lot, experiment different food or if like me, you have food blog!

So, I purchased a coupon for Rino Trattoria in New York City. I acknowledge that we took our time before using it, thinking that with the nice days coming back, it could be a nice dinner after a walk in Central Park. Then came the perfect time and we were in the mood for an Italian dinner. We called the restaurant few times and they always wanted to know if we were coming with a Groupon before giving us some very early reservation time. What type of practice is that? At the end, we did not go and will use the Groupon voucher for something else.

Later, I went on Yelp and looked at the reviews: I am happy we did not go! Here are some quotes:

"This place is awful. The atmosphere is awful. The service is okay, but that doesn't make up for the fact that the food and atmosphere and pricing is AWFUL"

"As a lot of reviewers on this website, I went to Rino Trattoria with a Groupon, and they swapped out the full menu advertised in their Groupon description for a much, much smaller menu selection of lackluster choices. The food was horrible and the service was atrocious, and our waiter smelled like cigarette smoke. "

"Oh man, I read the reviews before going to this place and expected a bad meal, but they went beyond and really made some horrible food. Ahhhhh, I can't give this place two stars, I'm changing it back to one."

There are so many negative reviews (few positive) that it would take me too much time to go over them. Reading them, I am very happy that we finally did not go. Why would a restaurant associate itself with Groupon and serve some mediocre food? Isn't the principle to entice customers to try your restaurant and serve them a wonderful menu so they would come back? Apparently not for Rino Trattoria!

Enjoy (the post only)!

Carnegie Deli Restaurant in NYC, New York

You cannot come to New York and not try a deli (short for delicatessen). Carnegie Deli is with Junior's and Second Avenue Deli, one of my favorites. Yes, I did not mention Katz's Deli because I do not like it, think it is overpriced and overrated.

The restaurant opened in 1937 and got its name from being close to the Carnegie Hall. It is still operated by the family of the founder: the Parkers. It is today one of the most visited restaurants in New York City, although the expansion of business has not been that successful, seeing most of the branches in California or Connecticut close. Today, there is a Carnegie Deli in the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.

The restaurant is pretty big and tables are cramped, making it uncomfortable when the restaurant is packed, especially during the week end. At the entrance, you cannot miss the desserts that are showcased, as well as all the autographed photos of celebrities who ate there. By the way, the Carnegie Deli was even mentioned by Adam Sandler in his song about Hanukkah (Saturday Night Live).

Concerning the menu, you may think that is is expensive (it is a bit). In fact, they serve family style portions. So be careful when you order!

We started with the Matzoh Ball soup. It comes with the soup in a cup that they will verse in the plate: nice way of serving. The balls are dense but not too much and perfectly seasoned. The broth is good and served with delicious pasta.

We then tried the potato pancake (there was one of a reasonable size). It was served with apple sauce (I am not sure it was homemade) and sour cream. I really liked it. It was tasty and not greasy at all.

But, the plat de resistance was the open face pastrami reuben. This was huge and we had to split it! We asked the waiter to split it for us, but he did not seem to be willing to (only disappointment in the service that was overall great).

The meat was delicious, lean and with just the necessary amount of fat. There was tons of Swiss cheese and some sauerkraut to give a bit of crunch. With the amount of meat and cheese, the bread was invisible. All of this was served with a very good Russian dressing. Definitely a great dish!

So, of course, we had to finish with desserts...

We tried the strawberry shortcake: not the best shortcake we had....

They also had coconut cream pie and banana cream pie.

I have to say that I was disappointed. It was light but a bit bland. Both cream pies are made with the same base and they just sprinkle the pie with almonds or toasted coconut. Definitely not as good as the banana or coconut cream pie from Billy's bakery in New York or at the Red Eye Grill.

The Carnegie Deli is one of my favorites, but not for dessert! If you go there, enjoy the reuben: it is so good!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Burger at The Corner Bistro in NYC, New York

I went to The Corner Bistro a long time ago and did not like it! I remember that my burger was overcooked and dry. But, after hearing that it might be one of the best burgers in New York, I decided to go back!

I like the place: it is a simple place with an authentic feel accentuated by the old wooden furnitures. There are two rooms: at the entrance, one with the bar and some big TVs and a back room. During the week, it is not that crowded, but can be during the week end. This place has definitely a history! Officially, The Corner Bistro opened in 1961, after being purchased by a business woman named Tania de Gomez who tried to make a French bistro. Unfortunately, it did not work and she sold the restaurant, once bar tended by Yoko Ono, within a year. It ended up in the hands of Bill O'Donnell in 1967. Since then, The Corner Bistro has been serving burgers to locals, artists, actors, writers...and it became a burger institution.

The menu is pretty straight forward: hamburger, cheeseburger, chicken sandwich, grilled cheese and chili (including chili burger) compose the menu. For the sides, there is only one choice: fries. 

After few minutes, the burger comes!

All plates are plastic ones and they give you extra napkins....The cheeseburger comes with a slice of onion on which the thick patty is placed. They also give you lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. The cheese is American cheese. The bun is a regular hamburger bun that you would find in your supermarket; it has been toasted. The proportion bread / meat is perfect!

At first, you cannot not notice the nice smell of the burger. The meat looks juicy with a nice char on the outside. I ditch the onion, lettuce and tomatoes and put some ketchup and mayonnaise. The first bite is divine! The you get different layers of flavor between the bread, the cheese, the meat and surprisingly the onion taste that sticked to the meat! The meat is perfectly cooked and juicy.

The fries are shoestring fries: they are crispy and lightly salted. They are simply great!

At the end of the day, I loved the burger at The Corner Bistro and I am happy that I went back to give them another chance! 

It is now becoming one of the best places for burgers for me!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

The 12 Year Old Food Critic

I read an interesting article about David Pines, 12 yo, who published a book called Pines Picks: A Kid's Guide to the Best Things to Eat and Drink in New York City. The book is full of restaurant critiques, focussing mainly on the food, as, as he told the NY Daily News: "Adults make too many judgments based on the appearance of the restaurants. They get mad because the glasses weren't all there when they walked in. I'm like, who cares? How did the food taste?".

I think it is great to see that coming from a kid and also see that he can eat everything, except raisins, at a time where children tend to be too picky in what they eat. I remember that when I was a kid, I had to eat what was on the table and there were very little exceptions (broccoli and brussels sprouts!). But it might be a question of education as Pamela Druckerman pointed out in her book Bringing Up Bébé.

Anyway, I half agree with David in his comment. It is true that often, we hear people or critics focussing on certain things and they never talk about the food. I remember that I was astonished to hear Simon Majumdar in The Next Iron Chef only focus on the fact that a Chef put some confectioner sugar on a chocolate souffle ("It is so 80's") rather than telling us if the souffle was good.  

Personally, I think it all depends on where you are and people usually adapt their expectations. For instance, I will not expect the same thing if I go to a burger joint like Corner Bistro or an elegant restaurant like Le Bernardin. In the first one, I do not care about the decor, although I like the authenticity, or that they serve their food on plastic plates (I may talk about it, but very briefly). However, at Le Bernardin, I am expecting the whole experience: from the decor, to the service to the quality of the food. Considering the price I pay, I expect it perfect.

In any case, I wish David all the best for his book and hope that he will have lots of readers, young and old!

What about you? Let me know what you think about this!

Stacks Pancake House and cafe in Hoboken, NJ

I love pancakes and French toasts and when Stacks Pancake House & Cafe opened in Hoboken, New Jersey, I was very excited. Usually, you get pancakes and French toast in diners and restaurants, but the choices are limited. Not at Stacks! And it has been crowded from day one with people craving for it!

I went few times. I have to confess that at the beginning, I was not a big fan: although the pancakes were good, they did not give that much of toppings. I went back anyway and loved it!

First, they surprise you with homemade corn bread that is really good.

In term of food, they do not only have pancake and French toast (made with homemade Challah bread), but also waffles, sandwiches, wraps (made with pancakes!) and eggs. 

Then, they have more than 20 different pancakes! It can be with chocolate, with Banana and strawberries, apple and cinnamon or chocolate chip!

This time, we tried the strawberry fields that is served with farm fresh strawberries.

The portion was huge and the pancake was awesome! Not doughy at all!

We also tried the Chocolate chip french toast.

There were a lot of chocolate chips. At first, I thought the sugar would make it too sweet and noticed that the bread was not fully dipped in batter. But it was in fact delicious. I finished my plate! 

I really like Stacks Pancake House and Cafe in Hoboken and would definitely go back! I just wish they had a build your own where you can pick different toppings, the same way you do for pizza.

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to Eat!

I tested the Homemade Pizza Company - CLOSED!

Update March 25th, 2012: this place has closed! I guess people prefer not going through the hassle of cooking the pizza and considering the number of good pizza joints in Hoboken, this is not surprising!

Original post:
Imagine the concept: you like pizza, but do not know how to make one or do not have time. You still want to feel as if you made it yourself. You pick the ingredients, they prepare it for you and you bake it. That's what Homemade Pizza Company is all about! This is a great concept! 

When you go to their store, of course, there are no tables! You either pick from their own recipes (4 cheeses, mushroom...) or create your own. If you create your own, there are different steps:

1. Pick a size: cutie (serves 1), Medium (serves 2-3) or large (serves 3-4).
2. Choose a crust (regular or whole grain). 
3. Choose a base (ruby red tomato sauce, olive oil or fresh pesto). They usually come with tomato sauce and cheese.
4. Add ingredients: they propose 41 different ingredients (fresh herbs, cheeses, meat or fresh produces).
5. The last step is to bring it home and bake it! For this, they package the pizza for you, similar to the fresh pizza you can find in supermarkets and give you instructions on how to cook it. The pizza is on a parchment paper and on a cardboard, very convenient to slide and remove from the oven. You are supposed to cook for 10 to 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Ours took longer.

So we tried 2 different pizzas: 

• one with blue cheese, aged parmesan, asiago and fontinella: it was delicious! 
• the second one with goat cheese, caramelized onions and crimini mushrooms. The goat cheese and caramelized onions work so well together: it was full of nice flavors!

The pizza were really good: the crust was thin and they were not cheap on the ingredients! They also serve salads in case you want one to accompany your pizza.

Definitely good and fun to pick the ingredients! You should try it! They have restaurants in different areas of the states of New Jersey and New York.

Enjoy (I did)!

Emporium Brazil in NYC, New York: Surprising dish!

Recently, we went with some of my colleagues to Emporium Brazil, situated in Little Brazil in New York City. It was the first time for me in this restaurant. The decor has nothing extraordinary and I was surprised not to see a more pronounced Brazilian related decor. 

They had a lunch menu, but the only items they proposed were...Italian! So I went for the Moqueca de camarao that is a shrimp stew with coconut milk sauce, served with white rice. This is a traditional dish from Bahia, apparently influenced by African cuisine. The fact that there is coconut milk, I would have more thought about cuisine from India or China, but it is true that cuisine travels and so many cuisines have similarities!

When the Moqueca came, I was blown away by the beauty of the dish! 

The yellow of the sauce with the red of the peppers was a precursor to the festival of flavors I experienced! This was simply delicious. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, but interestingly, they were not the star of the dish: the sauce was definitely! I can still remember it and it makes me drool!

If you do not like shrimp, they also have tuna (Tuna Grelhada - grilled tuna marinated with soy sauce, ginger and lemon. includes baked potato and vegetables).

Or steak (Bife A Cavalo - beef steak and egg, rice, beans and fries)

Everybody loved their food (I licked my plate...)!

Prices are very reasonable for Midtown and the only negative was the service that was a bit slow. But I would definitely go back! 

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Fine Dining brought to you by Delta Airlines

Last Thursday, Delta Airlines announced that they would bring fine dining to its renovated and expanded terminal at JFK Airport (Terminal C). This follows their initiative at La Guardia Airport in 2010, that was a success. The goal, as per Delta Airlines, is to reinvent and improve the travel experience of their customers.

This time, the following restaurants will open:

Cotto: a modern Italian restaurant by Chef Michael White who is also the owner and Executive Chef of Marea in New York City.

Empire Tavern: Classic menu from Chef Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr from Balthazar.

Kombu: a modern Japanese restaurant by Chef Jamison Blankenship from Morimoto.

Vagabond Burger Bar: Burger restaurant by Chef Anne Burrell (one of the Food Network stars, she was for a long time Bobby Flay's sous-Chef in Iron Chef America).

Victory Grill: Classic American menu by Chef Andrew Carmellini (The Dutch and Locanda Verde in New York).

They will also have Gourmet Food Hall and Cafe with renowned Chef like Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Food), Chef Aaron Sanchez, etc...

I just wish they would bring Chefs to the plane itself and propose in coach class a better menu, similar to what is served in Business or First classes, even at a premium cost. This would really make the travel experience different!

Let me know what you think about this initiative!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Recipe: Pearl Couscous Salad

Pearl couscous, also known as Israeli couscous or ptitim, is a toasted pasta shaped like pearls. I never heard of it before coming to the US, seeing it at the salad bars or on TV, cooked in Iron Chef. I was more used to the couscous semolina that has a totally different taste and is used for taboule.

So, here is an easy recipe to make a Pearl Couscous Salad that I hope you will, like me, find delicious!



For 2 servings:
- 1/2 cup of pearl couscous
- 2 tomatoes
- 0.25 lb of feta cheese
- 20 to 30 manzanilla pitted olives
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 tablespoon of garlic
- 2 table spoons of olive oil
- raisins

In a saucepan, put the garlic, olive oil, cumin and pearl couscous on medium heat. Toast the pasta until golden. Then add 3/4 of water, salt and cook until the water is fully absorbed for approx. 9 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Cut the tomatoes, olives and feta into small cubes of similar size. Put them in a salad bowl with 1/4 of a cup of raisins. Add vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Let the raisins soak for 10 minutes.
Add the pearl couscous to the bowl and mix. Refrigerate and eat cold. Et voila!

Note: after 30 minutes, mix again in the bowl as the couscous tends to stick all together.

Bon appétit!

Do not hesitate to let me know what you think about this recipe by posting a comment!

And remember: I just want to eat!

The controversy surrounding restaurants grades in NYC!

Nine months ago, New York Started to grade its restaurants with the now famous A, B and C letters. There have been a lot of buzz recently about it. From the supporters, but also the detractors of this measure. One of the supporters is Mayor Bloomberg who did not hesitate beginning of March to associate the implementation of the grades to more than 24,000 restaurants to the slight decrease in salmonella cases between 2010 and 2011 and to an increase in earnings by 9% for the city. 

They also point out the fact that today 72% of the restaurants have obtained an A, increasing from the 69% the year before. Considering that most of the restaurants who get a B or C contest in court and seem to have a big chance of being able to get their rate go up, I am not sure I would use this as an argument!

Detractors are arguing that the inspections are inconsistent (inspectors give contradictory advices on how to keep or not food), driving costs up and unequal. Some say that Per Se was close to get a B when its owner called the city and obtained to keep its A rating (unverified rumor).

Personally, I think this is a great concept as we, dinners, have a right to know that where we are eating meets the sanitary standards. It forces restaurant owners to pay attention to the safety of their customers and improve. After that, we are all free to go an eat in a restaurant rated B or C. 

As part of this post, I would like to point out that the City has released an Iphone application called ABCEats NYC where you can see the grade of restaurants. I used it and it is pretty convenient. It allows you to see the rating, but also the detail of the violation! This app is available on itunes and is free.

Let me know what you think about the restaurant grades by posting a comment!

For more information about the grades, click here.

Enjoy!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Restaurant Curry in a Hurry: please slow down!

I was very excited to go for Indian food in Curry Hill in NYC, New York. I was supposed first to go to a place called Tiffin Walla that proposes small plates. But, when we arrived at the door, we saw the famous or infamous letter B! As I have never been there, did not know anybody who already went and found this restaurant surfing on the internet, we decided not to go. As we were craving Indian food, we looked around and saw a place called Curry in a hurry. We looked at the grade and it was an A. This place is a fast food joint, as indicated by the name. They told us that they have a dining room upstairs where we could also be served. I thought that maybe they had a different menu and wanted to sit comfortably to enjoy what I thought would be an awesome lunch!

They have a big dining room upstairs, but let me tell you: the cleanliness was questionable. We sat to a table next to a big frame showing several photos of Russell Simmons and a typed letter where he praised the food. At first, I did not pay attention, but he mentioned the iced tea (on the photo you can see a bottle of Snapples) and the bottle of water!!! That was so funny!

Anyway, we ordered some food and I ordered a sweet lassi for a drink. I love sweet lassi and if an Indian restaurant does not know how to make it, you can be sure that the cuisine is not going to be good.

Their sweet lassi was perfect! So it was a good start.

We then got some samosas (I cannot believe I forgot to take a photo of it) and a cheese naan. The samosas were cold and a bit bland. The cheese naan was a naan with processed cheese on it! It was not even cooked all the way through.

I went for the combination platter. It came with Chicken Tikka (marinated chunk of chicken that are grilled), Sheek Kebab (lamb skewer), a tomato sauce with spices and rice. 

The lamb skewer was quite good although the spices were kind of overpowering. The chicken was not good at all!  It had a weird taste that had nothing to do with the spices!

The sauce that came with the combination platter was ok, a bit too watery. I guess the only thing I liked was the rice! And the plain naan that came with the platter.

This was a big disappointment! Of course, I did not even entertain the idea of having a dessert there: we ended up at Red Mango...

On top of that, the service was horrible and extremely rude! The waiter burped when bringing the bill! The food took forever to come to our table (I thought it was a fast food!), came cold and was overpriced. Be careful: the prices on the menu are not the ones reflected on the check.
Last, I was sure that this restaurant showed on its window an A grade. But looking at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, it seems that their grade is pending!!! I am finally not surprised as there was no way they could have had an A!

Enjoy (the post only)!

And remember: I just want to eat!