Amazing dinner at Vetri in Philadelphia, PA

We went to the restaurant of Marc Vetri in Philadelphia, simply called Vetri, last year. Since then, I kept dreaming about it! It is a fantastic place! Although pricey, it is worth it considering the overall experience: not only the food, but also the plating and the service that were great! So, we decided to go back to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary.

Let start with the restaurant itself: it is a townhouse that has been transformed into a restaurant. So, it has some warmth in it that gives the impression you are dining at a friend (except when they bring the check). We only went there in the evening and each time, they dimmed the light, giving an intimate atmosphere to the experience. Unfortunately, it did not help for my photos that are quite dark as I refuse to use the flash (maybe I should revisit that one...). There are not that many tables, so make sure you reserve before going, especially around the Holidays! 

On the week end, they only serve the tasting menu (6 courses). It is composed of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. You either choose what you would like to eat or you let the Chef decide for you. Of course, you can mention anything you do not like at all from the menu or communicate any allergy you may have.

We decided to go with letting the Chef pick for us (except that we asked specifically for the sweet onion crepe and the almond tortellini)!

Before we ordered, they offered us some Prosecco (they did that last year) and brought us a tasting plate with some salumi and foie gras toasts that were delicious and perfect to open the appetite.

They also brought some veggies with a delicious balsamic vinegar reduction.

The last thing they brought before the dishes started to arrive was an amazing bread with olives (focaccia and semolina).

Now that we were in appetite, we started the plat de resistance! We started off with the salads: Jodi got the artichoke salad.

It was served with parmigiano reggiano and mache salad. It was very light and well seasoned. The sauce was simply made with lime, that added some freshness to the dish.

Then, we had the Dungeness crab salad with peaches and mache.

To my surprise, I loved it. I tried Dungeness crab in San Francisco few years ago and did not really liked it. The crab was perfectly cooked and the dish was light and fresh (again with a lime dressing, but also the peaches).

The next dish was the roasted squab with eggplant and cocoa vinaigrette.

It was very tasty and I thought that the eggplant complimented very well the squab. I did not really taste the cocoa vinaigrette though.

Then came the Sweet onion crepe with truffle fondue.

If you like caramelized onions, this is for you! We had a quick chat about this dish with the server and he told us that it takes more than 10 hours to caramelized the onions! Not sure I will try this at home! But the best part of the conversation was when he described the dish as a deconstruction of a French onion soup (onions = onions, crepe = croutons). I thought it was a perfect description for this amazing dish!

The next round of dishes was pasta.

Jodi got the Spinach gnocchi with brown butter.

What you do not want is a heavy gnocchi! These were light and although I am not a huge fan of spinach, I really enjoyed the dish. It was light and very tasty. The brown butter sauce was to die for!

Then came my long awaited Almond tortellini.

They are served with a truffle sauce incredibly good! This is the second dish to try if you go there! Imagine that all the pasta they serve are homemade; I can tell you that you can taste the difference! The tortellini were light and were melting in my mouth. You could definitely taste the almonds and the truffle sauce had this fantastic subtle taste.

The next pasta dishes were the Black pepper lamb sausage parpaddelle with pecorino cheese and the Chanterelle and corn doppio ravioli with scallion.

This was also outstanding! The lamb sausage reminded me of merguez that I talk about often on this blog. The paparddelle, that are large tagliatelle / fettuccinni, were also amazing! These homemade pasta rock! It was again light and the pasta were perfectly cooked.

The chanterelle and corn ravioli were outstanding too! In fact, they put next to each other a chanterelle ravioli and a corn ravioli. You can either taste them separately or together, giving to the dish a different dimension each time. Making the ravioli with chanterelle was a good choice as these mushrooms are phenomenal.

The last set of dishes before dessert were Polenta and zucchini flower beignets, and Maialino with zolfini beans and pickled asparagus.

The polenta and zucchini flower beignets was my least favorite dish. I did not think that all the elements worked together and it was a bit bland.

Maialino is pork meat. It was very tender with a crispy skin. The beans were a bit crunchy and the pickled asparagus surprisingly delicious. The elements of the dish worked perfectly together.

So that was it for the entrees. Then came the time for dessert. Or should I say pre-dessert! Yes, you read correctly: before eating our desserts, they brought us some ice cream and cookies!

The ice cream was a cherry sorbetto made with goose berries. The way they make it is by crushing the cherries and then make a sorbet. It had a clean taste and was perfect to freshen our palates.

They had brownies, shortbread...Hard to resist before dessert, that came few minutes later:

Jodi got the Raspberry clafoutis (a baked French dessert of usually black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter). I liked it, although I would consider that it was more an interpretation of a clafoutis than a traditional one.

I got the pistachio flan with white chocolate gelato.

That was an amazing dessert! I loved it. A bit warm, it had this buttery taste that was to die for and was not too sweet! Loved it! Eating the flan with the gelato was divine!

That was a lot of food! When you see the quantities, you would think that you would be hungry, but trust me: the walk back to the hotel was necessary!

Vetri is a favorite and I would not be surprised that we will go back each time we go back to Philadelphia! It is the perfect example of Italian food brought to the next level! A must try!

Enjoy (I surely did)!

Pat's vs. Tony Luke's Cheesesteak in Philadephia, PA

I love Philadelphia: great city close to New York, with a fantastic food scene! Imagine that it is where there is the original Morimoto restaurant, where Marc Vetri has his amazing venue (review to come)! I will also mention the Reading Terminal Market, Sabrina's or Honey's for brunch!

But for sure, you cannot go to Philly without trying a Philly Cheesesteak! Now, there are many, many places serving this delicious sandwich, but not all of them are great. I remember that way back, we went to Philly with Jodi and a friend of mine from France, Malika. We found this amazing place close to the university that served us an amazing cheesesteak. It was not a popular joint and dinners were mainly students. Too bad that at that time I did not have the blog: no photo and no address! I then tried Geno's: this was fabulous! I remember the delicious bread and this incredibly tender meat. Then last year, we went to Geno's main competitor: Pat's King of Steaks.

Although the cheesesteak looked amazing, it was not good at all: not enough cheese when ordering something else than cheese whiz (provolone for instance), the meat was tough and the bread just ok. It left a sensation of dryness that was very disappointing!

This year, we went to Tony Luke's, thanks to the show Man vs Food (I always check where Adam goes). To be honest, I thought that Geno's was in fact Tony Luke's!!! But when we arrived there, after a 1h30 walk in a terrible heat, I realized it was not that! So, anyway, we ordered two foot long cheesesteaks. 

The first cheesesteak was with cheese whiz.

The second one with provolone.

Note that the color of the photo can be a bit greenish because of the lighting where we were sitting. 

So, let me tell you: this was amazing! I inhale mine and got part of Jodi's cheesesteak (no choice: it is solely for the blog - and yes: I am fully dedicated). First of all, not only were they generous on the meat portion, but it tasted amazingly good! It was made of ribeye and was tender, juicy and cooked to perfection. The bread was perfect too, very soft. Last but not least was the cheese: nice amount! It was the first time I tried cheese whiz and found that it was it was pretty good with the steak!

So definitely a good joint! A bit far from the center, but worth the trip!

Enjoy (I did)!

The Spotted Pig in NYC, New York - Overrated?

So we made it to The Spotted Pig over the week end! It has been a while since I wanted to try: I heard many people talking about this place and about what is supposed to be an outstanding burger! You do not need to tell me that twice to have a restaurant in my radar!

The place has its charm with a bunch of piggies all over the place! There is even a frame that reminded me of the movie Delicatessen!
From outside, it gives a feel of a house in the country, with all the plants.

Not only can you see pigs from outside, but they are everywhere inside, giving a playful feel to the warm decor.

With a name like The Spotted Pig, you could imagine that the restaurant is all about the edible parts of this animal, but as you will see, it is not the case. In fact, all drawings and photos are not only about pigs, although they are the majority.

So we went on a Saturday and decided to show up for brunch at 11:30am, fearing that, with no reservation, we would have a problem to get a table. Yes, this restaurant is popular; also because some celebrities like to hang out there.

When we arrived, we gave our name and were told that we had to wait 10 minutes. This was interesting considering that there were plenty of available tables! So I had two explanations:

1. They do like Pastis: use this as a way to make you consume a drink at the bar.
2. The kitchen just opened and they did not want to be swamped by orders. I would go with this one.

So, few minutes after, they brought us upstairs. On our way up, we could not miss the multitude of drawings of various animals. They sat us at the tables with stools. 

We started off with the deviled egg (the menu says "eggs", but it is only one!).

I liked it: the egg was cooked beautifully (overcooked whites taste funny) and there was the perfect quantity of mayonnaise. The egg was topped with was I believe were chives. So it started well.

Then we shared the grilled cheese.

It was served with onion marmalade and mustard. I like it a lot! First of all, the sandwich itself was very good: the bread was soft inside and crispy outside, not greasy. I guess the cheese was swiss.

Besides the sandwich, what made this dish unique was the onion marmalade! It was a fantastic pairing and I truly appreciated the fact that it was not too sweet.

Then, came the star of the brunch: the burger!

So, the burger is served on a brioche bread, with roquefort cheese (kind of a blue cheese, roquefort has a strong taste) and shoestring fries.

The presentation is awesome with the mountain of fries and the marks on the toasted brioche. The bread is fantastic; in fact, I think that brioche bread is my favorite for a burger. I hate when the bun is dry as it is the first thing you will taste when you bit on the burger!

I asked for the meat to be medium, although I hesitated to ask for medium rare as a patty can dry out pretty quickly if overcooked.

As you can see on the photo, the meat was medium rare. It was very juicy and had a nice char taste outside. However, the roquefort was too overpowering! I think it would have been a phenomenal burger with either swiss or cheddar cheese. 

For your information, these sauces you see on the photo above are ketchup and mustard: they do not have mayonnaise.

The shoestring fries were just of for me: too thin, I could barely taste the potatoes...

So, surprisingly, the star of the meal was not the burger but the grilled cheese! I am not sure I would go back there: the food was decent but overpriced! $20 for a burger: it has to rock and it was not the case. The grilled cheese at $16 was also expensive for what it was.

Last, the service was average. At the exception of the waitress and the guy who brought the burger, people there were a bit rude. I guess it is the price to pay to eat in a popular restaurant. At least, it is what they think!

Enjoy (I barely did)!

Fraunces Tavern in NYC, New York - oldest building in NYC?

Recently, on a Sunday, we went for brunch with our friends Jen and Gary who proposed to go to Fraunces Tavern, downtown Manhattan. Fraunces Tavern is said to be the oldest surviving building in Manhattan per the Sons of Liberty who are the lucky owners since 1904. This building is filled with history! According to the Fraunces Tavern Museum website, the current building was built in 1719 by Etienne "Stephan" Delancey, a French Huguenot who married the daughter of New York's Mayor Stephanus Van Cortlandt. Delancey's heirs then sold the building to Samuel Fraunces who decided to open a tavern called the Queen's head. It is in this tavern that, before the revolution, gathered regularly the Sons of Liberty, a political group of American patriots that was formed, pre-independence, to protect the rights of the colonist from the rules set by the British government. 

But, one of the most famous story about this place lies in the dinner that took place on December 4th 1783: the "Turtle Feast". After British troops evacuated New York, the General (soon to be President) George Washington organized a farewell to his troops and said, in the long room: "with a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable."

After that, Samuel Fraunces became Wahsington's Chief Steward and, after the war, at the time New York was the Nation's Capital, the place was rented to the Government to house the Departments of War, Treasury and Foreign Affairs.

All this history is explained in the Museum that is on the second floor of the building. 

The building is pretty impressive in the middle of the skyscrapers. 

On the outside, you cannot miss the multiple plaques commemorating the place, its history or Samuel Fraunces. 

You can also see few windows showcasing bottles of whiskey (it is part of the American Whiskey Trail, an initiative of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States that promotes the history and cultural heritage of distilled beverages in the United States). 

In fact, inside, there is a very comfortable lounge where you can taste this divine drink as well as others.

I snooped around the place:

They sat us in the Long Room where George Washington gave his speech. They really kept it authentic (or at least as you would imagine it was). I noticed for instanced that couple of tables had holes.

We could not get any explanation from the wait staff as to what it was, but they told us that it was not bullet holes!

Next to the Long Room is the Bissel room:

And adjacent to it is the Chef's table room that showcases incredible wines.

There was a last big room, but I did not go there as they were setting it up.

All over the place, you could see portraits of George Washington.

Now let's talk about food! After all this is a food blog!

Fraunces Tavern serves Brunch, Lunch and Dinner. We went for Brunch on a Sunday. The restaurant proposes on its menu some Irish specialties such as the Irish breakfast: black pudding, bacon, Irish sausage, beans, toasts and 2 eggs.
They also propose some classics such as the French Toast, burgers or crab cakes.

With your meal, you can get a beer from the impressive beer list (the Tavern is run by the Porterhouse Brewing Company). That is how I ended up with the Oyster Stout, a dark beer that got its name from the oysters shucked into the conditioning tank! Do not worry, it did not taste like oysters!

We started by sharing an Irish cheese plate.

It was composed of: sage cheddar, cashel blue, port wine cheddar and brie. They served it with slices of apples to clean our palates between cheeses and some delicious port wine fig chutney (ideal for to soften the strong taste of certain cheeses). These cheeses were very good, although I have to say that I am not a big fan of port wine cheddar...
The cheese plate was ideal for sharing!

Then, we tried the fish & chips.

I love fish & chips, but this one was just ok: the batter was missing some crispiness and the fish was too flaky, completely falling apart. It was served with a wonderful tartare sauce and thick cut fries.

The next dish was the French toast.

They were served with fresh berries and of course some maple syrup. I loved it! The bread was perfectly soaked, all the way through. It was fantastic! And the berries added some freshness to the dish. This is definitely a recommended dish!

Jen and Gary got the eggs benedict:

and the corned beed hash:

I did not try these dishes, but they said that it was very good.

For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding.

This was an amazing dessert. Not only the presentation that was beautiful, but also the amazing buttery taste! It was served warm, with whipped cream and strawberries. I loved it!

This was a great brunch (Thanks Jen & Gary for the idea!) and there are plenty of dishes I would like to try: the Tavern burger or the duck leg confit! I guess I will have to go back...At least, you should try and let me know what you think!

Enjoy (I did)!

TGI Friday's in Iselin, NJ

Believe it or not, but the first time I heard about TGI Friday's was many years ago, before coming in this country, in Seoul, South Korea. I did not go for food but for drinks, before hitting a Korean BBQ joint for an amazing Bulgogi.

So, this time, I went to TGI Friday's in Iselin, New Jersey, for lunch. It was a Saturday and the restaurant was not that crowded. The service was very courteous and efficient.

We started with mozzarella sticks.

It was served with a pretty good marinara sauce. I liked it: it was golden brown, tasty and not greasy at all. The inside was very gooey. It came very, very hot!

The second appetizer was spinach flatbread.

That was also very good: the flatbread was crispy and the tomatoes added some freshness to it. I was surprised to like it because I am not a big fan of spinach (except a la creme...), but I guess the cheese on top helped...

For the healthy conscious, they propose a grilled chicken cobb salad.

We got it without the chicken. It was made with slices of avocado, eggs, tomatoes, bacon and crumbled blue cheese. It was simple, but good.

The next dish was fried shrimp with seasoned fries and cocktail sauce.

I think it was my least favorite: too much breading on the shrimp. Too bad because they were perfectly cooked, golden brown on the outside, crispy and not greasy. 

Then came the cheese burger.

I heard that TGI Friday's was known for the burgers so I had to try one! The burger was made of black angus beef: it was very tasty and I would add that it tasted like... meat! It was topped with two slices of cheese (I hate when restaurants only put one very thin slice of cheese on a burger!), red onion, lettuce and tomato. The bread was a brioche bread that was toasted. I really enjoyed it. Of course it is not comparable to BLT Burger, Shake Shack or Corner Bistro, but it was pretty good! It was served, similar to the fried shrimp, with French fries, regular cut that were crispy.

The last part was of course dessert! TGI Friday's serves a bunch of decadent desserts such as the Brownie Obsession (a warm brownie made with Ghirardelli® chocolate-fudge sauce, topped with vanilla ice cream, caramel and pecans).

We ordered the Chocolate peanut pie:

It was: chocolate ganache layered with peanut butter mousse in a peanut butter graham cracker crust, topped with whipped cream and a peanut butter cup. I had a bite of it and it was delcious. The ganache was very good and the layers worked extremely well together!

The other dessert was a vanilla bean cheesecake.

It was made with real vanilla beans, layered with white chocolate mousse and baked in a graham cracker crust, topped with white chocolate shavings. I liked it too although I would have preferred a more dense cake (once you tried Junior's cheesecake, you have high standards!). The white chocolate mousse was very good and light and the graham cracker crust was awesome!

So, surprisingly, I had a great lunch there! You see: it is not because it is a chain that you cannot have a great food experience!

Enjoy (I did)!

Bonefish restaurant in Iselin, NJ

Bonefish Grill is very popular in Iselin as the long line and the wait the day we went could attest.

The restaurant was packed causing the service to be a bit slow. The restaurant, as its name suggests, is specialized in seafood. Of course, if you do not like it, you can order some beef or chicken. The grilled fish they serve is cooked over a wood burning grill that I did not have a chance to see.

So we started the dinner with the crab cakes.

There were two nice little crab cakes served with a red remoulade. As you can see on the photo, you could immediately see that they use jumbo lump crab. The cakes were nicely seared, golden and came with a red remoulade. Unfortunately, they put celery in it and it was overpowering the crab. I could not even eat it.

At the same time, we tried the Bang Bang shrimp.

It is supposed to be their popular choice. It is fried shrimp in a creamy spicy sauce. This appetizer was pretty good! A bit spicy, but the shrimp were tasty and perfectly cooked.

I also tried the corn chowder with lump crab.

With all the food we ordered, I decided to get a cup, not a bowl. This was very good, although a bit too spicy. I would have liked more crab in it, but it was a decent amount!

The last appetizer was the Ahi Tuna Sashimi.

It was a sesame crusted seared Ahi Tuna with a wasabi and pickled ginger. The sauce was delicious, but the tuna fell short! It was tasteless and there was too much sesame seeds.

The other tuna dish we tried was the Ahi Tuna "Tokyo Style".

It ended up being like the sashimi, but served with vegetables and jasmine rice! So disappointing!

I did not really like my dinner at Bonefish Grill. Too bad because they have a good concept and you would expect that a restaurant specialized in seafood would succeed in making dishes as traditional as crab cakes or sashimi!

I did not enjoy (I did not)!

Angelo's Coal Oven Pizza in NYC, New York

I went to Angelo's pizza several times and always preferred going to the location on Broadway as it is much quieter and less crowded. It is in fact surprising considering that it is next to the Late Show with David Letterman studio!

Both restaurants are on two floors, but the one in Broadway is much spacious and can much easily welcome a large party.

Besides pizza and pasta, the restaurant serves soups and salads, like the Insalata Siciliana on the photo below.

They also serve panini; the one on the photo below is a chicken parm panini. 

Previously, I tried their pasta, specifically the Fettuccine Alfredo and the Rigatoni A La Vodka. It was good and they were generous with the sauce. But, know that the pasta are not homemade.

This time, we got pizza. When you order, you have to go through a simple selection process:

• First, pick the size of the pie: you can either order a small (6 slices) or a large pizza.
• Second, you decide if you want a white pie (made with ricotta or mozzarella - no tomato sauce) or a regular pie (tomato and mozzarella).
• Last, you pick your toppings. They propose several ones like mushroom, olives, pepperoni, anchovies, broccoli (seriously? Do you think it will make it healthier???), onions, prosciutto...

So we decided to share two large pizza. The first one was a white pie.

This one was disappointing: it was very dry and there was not that much cheese!

The second one was a regular pie with mushrooms and prosciutto di Parma.

It was delicious! The pizza sauce was good and they put some good quality prosciutto on it. I also like the crust on both pizza: thin, crispy and slightly blackened, result of the cooking in the coal oven that you can see when you enter the restaurant.

Angelo's pizza is not that bad, but it is clearly not the best pizza in New York. I also find that it is a bit overpriced and the service was a bit slow. So if you decide to go, avoid the white pie...

Enjoy (I half did)!

Imposto restaurant and pizza in Hoboken, NJ

Have you ever noticed that, it is always the same types of food that you crave: burgers, pizza and subs! Imposto's does not serve burgers, but they surely serve pizza and subs!

It is a small place and when you enter, you cannot miss the original pizza they display. Imagine that: Mac & Cheese, Chicken Alfredo, Freedom fries (you mean FRENCH fries?) with gravy or buffalo chicken pizza!

Of course, they also have regular pizza: white pie, margarita...We decided to try their Sicilian.

The pizza is thick (of course - but thicker than usual) and the crust has a nice charr. Unfortunately, the crust was not crispy, the sauce was average and there was not enough cheese! The pizza was very salty. This was not good; I prefer the Sicilian at Uptown pizza or Basile's.

We also tried one of their subs. As it was the first time we tried theirs, we picked the Imposto's special sub.

It was a 12 inches long sub, made with ham, capacola, salami, turkey, provolone, tomatoes and lettuce. The bread was tough (I would have preferred an Italian bread) and it was very salty too. A bit disappointing...

This was not great and if they cannot make good standard food, I do not see how the original pizza they offer can be good. Disappointing!

Enjoy (the post)!

Celebrating Bastille Day at Felix in Soho - NYC, New York

Yesterday was Bastille Day, the French National Day, celebrating the French Revolution (the Bastille was a fortress-prison where political prisoners were held by the royal government). 

In France, it is marked by the following events:

• a ball. You typically have to wear something blue, something white and something red to represent the colors of the flag.
• a Military demonstration on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

So, we decided to go to a French restaurant to mark the occasion. It is not too difficult to find one as there are plenty in New York! But I wanted something new, with a menu that was French (I do not remember which one I saw that had mainly dishes you would find in American cuisine, such as eggs benedict and pancakes...with no typical French dishes). That is how we ended up at Felix. I did not realized that it was across the street from Taka Taka, the Japanese Cantina (understand Japanese / Mexican fusion).

The place was big with high ceilings, old French ads (ex: Dubo, Dubon, Dubonnet) and old wooden furnitures giving some authenticity to the place. The restaurant was fully opened to the street, giving the patrons full view, perfect for people watching. One thing that surprised me is that the music was not at all French, but more oldies.

The service was polite and pretty quick, except at the end...when asking for the check! At that point, the restaurant was fairly crowded, explaining maybe the slowness that we did not experience at the beginning.

For food, we went with traditional dishes. We started with the Escargots de Bourgogne.

It is normally 6 snails (I got 7), cooked in garlic and parsley butter. The plate was very hot and the snails bathed in butter! It was very good! I noticed that they added some shallots to the usual garlic and parsley. The sauce was delicious for some bread dipping...I was not disappointed!

The second dish was the Croque Monsieur.

It was served with a mesclun salad. This croque Monsieur was just ok: although I appreciated the quantity of cheese on top, the bechamel sauce was missing and the cheese should have been toasted to give a bit of crunch that even the bread did not provide. This was a miss and disappointing for..$17!

The last dish was the merguez.

Merguez is a spicy lamb sausage that you find in mediterranean cuisine. I love it on the grill, in a nice baguette with either some ketchup or honey mustard. Unfortunately, it is a bit difficult to find some in New York. At some point, Freshdirect was selling them!

So, the merguez, half the size I am used to, where served with French fries and a salad. They had a nice kick and were perfectly cooked (overcooked, they can become dry). I really liked the dish, however, I  thought that it was not worth the $21 they charge for!

I had overall a good experience at Felix with some decent food. It is a bit overpriced for the food they serve. I am not sure I would go back if I were to eat French food; I would more end up at Cedric in Harlem or Marseille in Hell's Kitchen.

Enjoy (I did)!

Urban lobster shack food truck in NYC, New York

If you tell French people that you are eating a lobster in a piece of bread, they will think you are crazy! Not me! Since I discovered lobster rolls, I love it! Not all of them though: I hate when they smother the whole lobster with tons of mayonnaise, to a point where you do not even taste this divine ingredient!

I think the first time I tried it was in Boston, at Faneuil Hall. Since then, I have tried it in many forms, such as the Lobster roll benedict at Anthony David's in Hoboken, NJ.

Then, last year, I went to the Food Truck Festival at South Street Seaport and tasted a succulent Connecticut style lobster roll (poached in butter!!!) from The Red Hook Lobster Pound (see the related post: Food Truck Festival at South Street Seaport (NYC) on August 20th!).

Then, I noticed this red truck on the corner of 52nd and 6th in New York: Urban Lobster Shack. With a name like this, there is no question what it is about! They have in fact a brick and mortar restaurant Midtown, as well as one in the Financial District. I spoke with the Chef who told me that they started couple of month ago with the truck. The menu is defined everyday, based on her mood. For instance, the second time I went, I did not see the different dishes made with crab: she was not in the mood for it!

So, I tried several of their rolls.

The traditional ("Our famous lobster roll").

This was my first. At first, I was surprised by the size of it as the roll is a tiny hot dog roll. For $13, it was a bit small. But the taste was amazing: the lobster was perfectly cooked, tasty, perfectly seasoned, with a nice buttery taste (the roll is toasted and buttered). 

Then I tried the Chef's scampi lobster roll.

Good too, but too much garlic! It for sure protected me from vampires for a month. However, it was filled with lobster! Yum!

The last one was the Chef's creation: Asian Lobster Roll:

It was served with celery, a wasabi soy sauce topped with sesame seeds. I like the originality and the taste of the dish. But the traditional one is my favorite!

I like the fact that they propose many different types of Lobster Rolls and wish they serve more often crab rolls as an alternative...But $13 / $14 seems a bit overpriced, although the rolls are filled with the lobster. I would eat again there, but not everyday!

Enjoy (I did)!

Lime Jungle, Mexican Grill in NYC, New York

I love walking on Ninth Avenue in New York City: there are so many restaurants, big or small! That day, we wanted to eat Mexican. Our first choice was Ariba, Ariba! I love this place: they have amazing chimichanga and I had this incredible seafood enchilada loaded with crab and shrimp the last time we went there (it is the Seafood Enchiladas Verdes in the Chef's favorites). Unfortunately, the place was crazy packed and they had no immediate availability. So, that's how we ended up at Lime Jungle. We went there several months ago and liked it, so why not! The restaurant is big, with high ceiling and brick walls. I also like the wooden tables and the used chairs: all of it give a warm and rustic feeling to the place.

That day, the service was very slow, although the place was not that busy! I do not recall that it was like this the last time we went!

We started our dining experience with Guacamole. 

This is THE appetizer we order whenever we go to a Mexican place. I am always hoping that they will do it table side. This was not the case. It was well presented, but you could see immediately that it was not freshly done. I could also not see any avocado chunks, prompting me to think that they were using some king of avocado puree. It was good, but nothing exceptional. 

When they bring the food, if it is hand food, they put it in a piece of paper and bring it in a basket.

We started with a cheese empanada.

I like it: very tasty, a lot of cheese and not greasy.

Then we tried the veggie taco:

It was made of soft flour tortilla or crispy corn taco shell, vegetarian beans, jack and cheddar cheese, guacamole, grilled peppers and onions, tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream. It was very good. I am always scared to end up with something bland, but it was not.

The other taco we tried was the short rib taco:

It was a soft flour tortilla (you could pick a crispy corn taco shell) with slow cooked beef short ribs, cheddar cheese, chopped onions and tomatoes. At first, I thought that the beef was dry, but it was only on one side of the taco. It was delicious: the meat was finally juicy and I got an explosion of flavors in my mouth, accentuated by the salsa I put on the taco. Yes, I forgot to mention that the restaurant has a salsa bar! In fact, the staff forgot to mention it to us and we just remembered the last time when we saw one of the patron going toward it. The idea of a salsa bar is good, but first, tell your dinners and then write the name of the different salsa so people can know what it is as well as the degree of spiciness!

We did not go for dessert, although I wanted to try the cheese and caramel empanada. But the service was so slow that I was thinking that it would take forever to come. So we left...

It is clearly not the best Mexican restaurant, but it is a cheap alternative. Hopefully the slowness of the service was a one off...

Enjoy (I did)!

The Cuban restaurant in Hoboken, NJ

Few weeks ago, I went to The Cuban in Hoboken, NJ. I did not know what to expect as there are already several Cuban restaurants over there. Where La Isla seems to be the authentic cheap establishment, The Cuban seems to be more upscale and offers a contemporary twist to Cuban specialties.

 We decided to go, but not on a week end as this type of restaurant, that is also a lounge, can be packed and noisy: not the best for a romantic diner. They sat us next to the bar, on a high table made of dark wook. Jodi sat on the comfortable leather banquette while I faced her on a high chair (yes guys: leave the choice of the seat to the Lady!). 

The menu provides all sorts of dishes that can satisfy any palate: salads, meat, fish...Appetizers go from $6 to $12, while entrees go from $18 to $26.

At first, they brought us some bread.

As you can see on the photo, it was in a cigar box! The bread was a cheese bread, very light and fluffy that reminded me of a French delicacy called Gougere. It was delicious and I truly appreciated the fact that they were ready to bring us more, without us asking (he he!).

We started the diner with the cheese plate.

I know: this is not very Cuban, but we love cheese! It was in fact some artisan Spanish cheeses such as manchego and blue. They served it with some meat and a delicious lavender honey (Tip: if you do not like strong cheeses, you can counteract the taste with honey, butter or jam).

At the same time, we got the Aguacate Y Tomate salad.

It was composed of avocado, tomatoes, pickled onions, drizzled with sherry oregano vinaigrette. The dressing was perfect and the salad was very fresh. I loved the acidity that the pickled onions added to the dish!

The last appetizer we tried was the empanada.

They propose three types: chicken, beef (ropa vieja) and vegetarian. We went full on vegetarian. It was made of fire roasted vegetables, goat cheese, tomato escabeche. I loved it! the shell was slightly greasy, but the ingredients worked perfectly together, especially the goat cheese and the tomato escabeche.

Then came the entree: it was the Arroz Imperial.

It is a boneless chicken, served with tomato manchego rice, peas, olives, drizzled with aioli (garlic mayonnaise). The chicken was excellent: perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The rice was good too but a bit dry. There was some chicken in it! Eaten with the aioli and the grilled cheese on top, it was succulent.

The last and best part of the meal was dessert...We ordered the traditional Tres Leches.

It was perfect and gooey!

I guess after reading this, you understand that we had a fantastic dinner! It is a great place and there are plenty of dishes on the menu that I would like to try. So I guess I have no other choice than go back...What a sacrifice!  This is a great addition to the Hoboken restaurant scene.

Enjoy (I did)!

 

Afghan Kebab House #1 in NYC, New York

Few weeks ago, we met a lovely couple in a wedding and we ended up (of course) taking about food. They mentioned the Afghan Kebab House as being a good spot to eat some kebab. I love kebab because of the incredible aroma that the spices will give to the meat while cooking.

So we decided to go. We enter in the restaurant; it is dark inside and there is one only guy sitting at a table, waiting for his food. The decor is made of murals and carpets. I noticed immediately that there is no music in the background; the only noise we hear is the one from the construction outside. 

When they give us the menu, I understand from the cover that we are at the Afghan Kebab House Number 1! Yes, there are several in New York City. At the time of writing this post, I count eight of them.

As I would like to try different kebab, I decide to pick the Combo Kebab.

The combo kebab contains three sorts of kebab: 

• Beef Tikka Kebab: chunks of lamb marinated in fresh grated spices and herbs. It was my least favorite. At first, I though the meat will be like eating my shoe, but in fact it was the knife that they gave me that could not even have cut my bread! I barely tasted the spices and herbs. Fortunately, they have some spicy sauce and white sauce on the side to help...
• Lamb Kafta Kebab: ground lamb marinated in spices. This was very good: juicy and very tasty! 
• Chicken Kebab: chunks of chicken marinated in spices. This was also very good, although missing a bit of seasoning. The chicken was perfectly cooked and moist. Again, the spicy sauce and the white sauce saved it!

The dish was served with a salad (I could not care less), basmati brown rice (just ok) and some delicious and crispy Afghan bread. 

We also tried the eggplant dish.

Same as the Kebab, it was served with basmati brown rice, a salad and a piece of Afghan bread.

The eggplant dish reminded me a bit a ratatouille (a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish), although it had chick peas in it. It was just an ok dish for me: I was disappointed about he fact that I could barely taste the eggplant and it was a bit soup-ee. Also, I thought the dish was overpriced ($11.95) for what it was.

Afghan Kebab House was just fine for me. It is not the kind of place I would recommend or dream about...

Enjoy (the post)!

Falafel at Azuri Cafe in NYC, New York

We decided to try Azuri Cafe in NYC, New York as some say that it is the best falafel in the City; better than Taim, Mamoun's, etc...

The place is very small with only 4 tables. We saw the owner there who not only did not say hello, but was very grumpy. Well, we went there for the food, not the owner! Anyway, they play on it as they quoted the NY Times who in 1999 said:

"With just a few rickety tables, Azuri Cafe, a kosher Israeli restaurant and takeout shop, is not the most stylish place around. It's not the friendliest, either. But when you taste the food, you can see where the gruff owner, Ezra Cohen, puts his energy. ".

Then, on their website they wrote: "A place you want to call home"! Really? Maybe for the food, but not for the owner for sure!

The place serves vegetarian as well as non vegetarian specialties. You can find Shawarma Gyro (isn't it kind of the same?) that is made with chicken, beef or chicken shish Kebab (where is the lamb?), chicken liver or falafel. The problem is that they do not describe their menu and a lot of dishes clearly either needed a description or a definition! Considering the personality of the owner, I could not picture myself asking him questions. Especially after I ordered the Shak Shuka plate (I wanted to see if it was the shekshouka) and he responded in a growl that it would take 25 minutes! So we just ordered falafel.

The cook (who was nicer) prepared them. He first fried the falafel. Then, opened a whole wheat pita (we did not have a choice between whole wheat and white as other customers who came after did) and stuffed in it hummus, red cabbage, taboule...and of course the falafel. They topped the sandwich with tahini sauce and pickles.

The sandwich was big for sure. You immediately notice the crunchiness of the falafel. They were very good and I did not detect any greasiness. The sandwich was overall good, but was missing some flavor. 

I definitely prefer Taim not only for the sandwich, but also because their menu is more original with sandwiches like the Shabish that was delicious! So, in the battle between Azuri Cafe and Taim, Taim won!

The owner would have been nicer, it would not have changed my mind...

Enjoy (I almost did)!

Vynl, Disco restaurant - NYC, New York

It has been a while since I wanted to try Vynl located in Hell's Kitchen. The name and spelling was intriguing, and they had truffled mac & cheese on the menu (yes, I just need to see one yummy item to make me want to try...).

The decor is pretty interesting: disco balls on the ceiling, mosaic everywhere, even on the table (ours was a displaying a big Atari logo) and a big bust of Elvis. On the walls, you could see action figures from bands like Kiss, or actors, shows...

There was definitely a disco feel accentuated by loud music: you do not go there for a romantic or quiet dinner!

The service was quick and very courteous.

The menu is a fusion Thai-American that can satisfy meat and non meat eaters! What is great is that they propose small plates so you can taste different dishes and share.

To go with my meal, I went for a milk shake.

I know, I could have gone for some wine but I cannot resist to a milk shake! They propose three flavors: vanilla, chocolate and mocha. I went for the vanilla one. It was a good milk shake with the perfect thickness and enough vanilla taste, thanks to the vanilla syrup they probably pour in it. 

We started with seared tuna sliders.

There were two of them, served with Thai spiced aioli and a cabbage slaw. It was delicious! Although, I would have liked a better proportion between the tuna and the bun. It is a very good alternative to a burger slider. It had very clean flavors and the tuna melted in my mouth.

After the sliders, we ordered vegetable dumplings.

They came with a sweet soy chili dipping sauce. I have to say that I am not a big fan of vegetable dumplings: most of the time, the shell is too thick, overpowering the taste of the veggies. This one was perfect! Light and succulent. Another great dish!

Then came the long awaited Truffled Mac & Cheese.

They served it with a salad. 

To be honest, I did not care about the salad, although it was good to have some greens considering the rest of the meal.

The Truffled Mac & Cheese was made with gemeli pasta, two types of cheese (fontina and parmesan), black truffle and cream. It was creamy and you could taste the truffle immediately. In fact you could smell it. Was it the best truffled mac & cheese I ever tried? No. But it was a pretty good one. I hate when mac & cheese is dry and this one was creamy. The only regret is that they only serve it as a large plate. They would have proposed it as a small plate, I would have tried some other succulent dishes they have on the menu! 

I had a great diner at Vynl and can't wait to go back to try some other dishes such as the fried chicken and waffle or the Kung Pao shrimp tacos!

Enjoy (I did)!

 

The Mussel Pot in NYC, New York - Closed

As you can imagine from the name, The Mussel Pot is mainly about mussels, although the restaurant offers other alternatives for those who do not like it, such as fried chicken, fish and chips...

The restaurant is located in Greenwich Village, on Bleeker. We went there to meet our friends Jen and Chris on a Saturday and the restaurant got reasonably crowded. The setting was modern, with an outdoor space in the back enhanced surprisingly by a small waterfall! The service, although courteous, was very, very slow. At some point, they completely forgot our order and they offered us a round of beers to apologize.

The principle of the restaurant is derived from the Moules Frites (Mussels and fries) concept: mussels are served with French fries; you then either dip the fries in the sauce or in mayonnaise. You would typically drink beer with it.
Few years back, I use to go to a restaurant called La Tour on the Upper East Side that was serving mussels and fries all you can eat. I remember that I went one time with  my Dad and we ordered four servings, each of them made with a different sauce. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed. Today, I enjoy all you can eat Mussels and Fries at Bin 14 in Hoboken (Tuesday night only). At the Mussel Pot, it is not all you can eat and they do not serve the mussels with fries: just with a piece of bread. If you want fries, you can order a side. I was a bit surprised about it, especially considering the price ($20 to $26).


In term of beer, The Mussel Pot has quite a big list of beers from the US, Europe...

They have Amstel, Heineken, Hoegaarden, Sam Adams,...

The restaurant offers close to twenty different types of mussel dishes, inspired by international cuisines: Thai, Italian, American, French...There is only one traditional recipe that is the Provencal one (white wine, shallots, cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil). The rest is pretty interesting, but I am not sure all of them suit to this type of dish.

Anyway, before eating the main course, we ordered some appetizers. We started with a white bean soup served with carrots, leaks and escarole (broad leave endive), celery and croutons.

The soup was good and it had been a long time I did not have escarole. However, I do not think I would order it again: it was missing some pizzaz!

We also shared a caesar salad.

Pretty standard....

For the mussels, I had a taste of different specialties! The first one was the Italian Posillipo.

It was made with  tomato sauce, olive oil, white wine, garlic, and basil. Kind of similar to the Provencal one. The tomato sauce had some chunks of tomatoes. It was ok: I would have liked a bit more flavors.

Then I tried the Valenciana mussels.

It was composed of saffron sauce, fresh clams, shrimp, chorizo, peas, tomato, white wine, olive oil, lemon juice, butter and bay leaf. There was a lot of flavors. Good, but the sauce was also missing flavor.

The last one was the New York.

It was served with buffalo sauce, carrots, celery and blue cheese crumbles. It was my favorite: surprising and delicious; but quite spicy! I am not sure I could have finished an entire pot of it!

Besides mussels, we also tried the fish and chips.

At first, they looked a bit overcooked. But they were in fact perfect! The fish was succulent. I think that, with the New York mussels, it was my favorite dish! They served it with fries and with tartare sauce, ketchup and vinegar.
Of course, we ordered a side of fries as, as I mentioned, they do not serve fries with the mussels.

The fries, served skin on, were just ok. Sorry but I like them crispy!

Then came desserts! Yes, we were still hungry after that. We first tried the Tres Leches.

This was fantastic! It was gooey and had the perfect amount of milk! There was really no problem to finish it!

We also tried the gelato.

They offered to give half chocolate and half hazelnut. I am not sure what the brand was, but it was pretty good and creamy.

We had a nice time with our friends at The Mussel Pot. I am not sure I would go back though or recommend it: the service was slow, the prices a bit expensive for what it was and the food average.

Enjoy (I did for part of it)!

Tony Di Napoli in NYC, New York

It had been a while since I ate at Tony Di Napoli and in the past, I use to go to their location on the Upper East Side, before they close there. So, when my cousins told me they would come to visit us from Europe and wanted to eat in a reasonably priced Italian restaurant, I thought that Toni Di Napoli in Times Square could be a good idea. I never went to that location and, to be honest, I was a bit apprehensive that the quality of the food would not be great considering the location and the flow of tourists. I was wrong!

It is for sure a big place. And noisy. Clearly, the noise level was pretty high service wise, it was perfect: diligent, fast, but they did not rush us at all, giving us the opportunity to take our time to enjoy each other company.

In term of food, it is family style, meaning that each plate if for sharing. It is perfect when you are more than three people.

We started with a salad (Photo above I was in minority, surrounded by women who wanted at least one healthy dish). It was red and yellow tomatoes with mozzarella. The salad had nothing exceptional: some tomatoes were a bit mushy and I would have liked some better mozzarella (it was similar to the one you would buy at the supermarket).

Then we had another special: chicken saltimbocca. Normally the dish is made with veal, but they decided to propose it with chicken. The way it was done is different from the traditional way for sure: chicken, topped with prosciutto and cheese in a sauce that I believe had Marsala and butter. The chicken was served on a bed of spinach. It was pretty good: the chicken was perfectly cooked and moist and the main ingredients paired well together. 

We then went for the traditional meatballs, served with linguine. These meatballs were not only huge, but divine! You could really taste the meat and herbs. The only thing negative was that there was not enough of the great and tasty tomato sauce it came with.

The next dish was also a traditional Italian dish: eggplant parmesan.

I loved it: the eggplant were sufficiently cooked, the sauce was amazing and it was topped with lots of cheese.

After that, we still had a bit of room for dessert. We decided to order the tiramisu.

It was a big piece, sufficient for four people. At first, I was wondering why there was coffee in the bottom of the plate: in fact, the lady fingers absorbed it fairly quickly (with the alcohol that was mixed in it by the way). I think it is one of the best tiramisu I ever had: it was creamy, light and decadent!

That was a great dinner and the food was very good for reasonable prices. This is definitely a place to have in mind. Reservation strongly suggested!

Enjoy (I did)!

Hoboken Burrito aka Mission Burrito in Hoboken, New Jersey

Ok, it seems that this restaurant has two names: Mission Burrito and Hoboken Burrito. Whatever the name is, we were craving for mexican food that day and decided to order from them. It was not the first time and we knew that we would not regret it!

They have a large menu that proposes many standard dishes: fajita, burrito, taco, enchilada...

Each time we can, in a Mexican restaurant, we order guacamole. It better be good, because, not only do we have it as an appetizer, but we always have some in the dishes we order. I hate when they give you some already made one!

I want to taste the avocado and the freshness of the ingredients.

So we ordered some guacamole at Mission Burrito. It came with some tortilla chips.

The guacamole was good. Not the best I ever had, but good. I would think after tasting it that they make it fresh. I appreciated the fact that it was not too salty (happens sometimes with guacamole).

We then had the vegetarian tacos.

It was served with beans, salad, yellow rice, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. All in a hard shell taco. It was good and tasty, but the problem is that the tacos became mushy because of the salad and fell apart.

The last dish was a grilled chicken quesadilla.

It came with salad, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. I loved it! They put a lot of cheese and with the sour cream and guacamole, it was not dry at all. The chicken was nicely grilled, although a bit dry.

If you do not know what to eat and crave mexican food, Mission Burrito is a good, cheap alternative.

Enjoy (I did)!

5 Napkin Burger in NYC, New York

5 Napkin Burger in Hell's kitchen opened many years ago, after the owners of the Upper West Side restaurant Nice Matin, Simon Oren and Andy D'Amico, thought that their signature burger was worth creating a burger place. The burger was named 5 Napkin Burger because the meat was so juicy that you would need five napkins to eat it! Since then, they have opened several locations in New York and are also present in Miami, Atlanta and Boston.

The restaurant in Hell's kitchen is always packed and it is better to have a reservation.
The decor with its white porcelain tiles is supposed to remind a slaughterhouse, especially with the meat hooks on the ceiling. What I like is that they have plenty of booths: yes, I like booths! It is something very rare in France and I always though that they add a nice classic touch to a place. It is also (most of the time), more comfortable than a chair!

The hooks on the ceiling are pretty interesting....

The restaurant serves brunch, lunch and dinner. If you are not a fan of burgers or want to watch you diet, they offer different standard alternatives such as French Toast, omelets, salads...They even propose sushi & maki, but I am not sure I would go to this restaurant for that, especially with all the Japanese restaurants that can be found in the area.

So, their specialty is burgers! They offer 12 different variations, most of them made with a 10 ounces beef patty. They also offer some with turkey, Ahi tuna and lamb.

Their signature burger is the Original 5 Napkin burger:

This is not a small burger! Clearly, to eat it, you are going to need to think you are at the dentist and he/she is asking you to open wide! It is composed of a brioche bread, the grounded beef patty, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and rosemary aioli. I can tell you that they are not cheap on the ingredients and you soon understand why they call this a 5 Napkin burger. The meat was delicious: cooked perfectly (medium that is slightly pink in the center), juicy and had a great taste (yes, it tasted like meat)! The rosemary aioli was very good too! I usually do not like rosemary, but the taste was not too overpowering, making it the perfect sauce for the burger. Then, there were these delicious caramelized onions! The only thing maybe they could have done is to toast the bread.

The second burger I tried was the Avocado - Ranch:

It was made of pepper jack cheese, homemade guacamole, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing on a sesame brioche roll. It was also very good, but I prefer the original. The pairing of the ranch dressing, avocado, cheese, meat and brioche (this time toasted) worked well, with the first two ingredients enhancing the juiciness of the meat. I think that I probably needed 10 napkins to eat it! Similar to the original, they were pretty generous on the cheese! Always appreciated!
Both burgers were served with delicious fries, a bit crispy.

If you are health conscious, you can decide to go for the burger salad...

You can pick between beef, turkey, lamb or veggie patty on top of chopped greens, endive, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, red onion, radishes, celery, blue cheese, pickled onions, red wine vinaigrette and 5 Napkin sauce (similar to 1000 Island dressing). 

At the end of the meal, you can understand that I was a bit full...These burgers are huge and most importantly delicious. Definitely a recommendation!

Enjoy (I did)!

Sri Thai - Restaurant in Hoboken, NJ

Sri Thai is a small restaurant off the main street of Hoboken. I think that with T Thai, it is one of my favorites there. The restaurant is small, a bit dark and the service has always been good there.

The food is also good, particularly the frog legs...Yes, I usually go to to Thai restaurants hoping that they will have frog legs. There are few restaurants in New York that offer them, like Chez Napoleon (50th between 8 and 9th avenue in New York) or La Grenouille, but with more expensive prices. When I was a kid, we use to cook it for New Year, sauteed first and then cooked in a creme fresh, garlic, parsley and lemon sauce (i probably forgot some butter...). People sometimes ask me what it tastes like and the usual answer is "like chicken". No, it does not taste like chicken. It has a blander taste, so seasoning and / or sauces are very important. What is great is that they propose three different frog legs (Kha Gob) dishes:

• Kha Gob Gra Paw: sauteed frog legs with basil leaves and chili.
• Kha Gob Gra Tiem: fried frog legs with garlic sauce.
• Kha Gob Pad Ped: fried frog legs with eggplants and hot chili paste.

I tried all of them and they are all delicious, but I think my favorite is the one with garlic sauce. The frog legs have a quite good size and are not greasy, although I guess that the sauce would hide that. 

But, they also have other great dishes that I also tried, like the curry massaman. I also really like the tofu pad see ew (thick noodles).

They are very tasteful and delicious. The tofu is perfectly done and seasoned.

For appetizer, I am a big fan of the vegetable spring rolls (first photo above). They always come extremely hot though and as it is a finger food...They are crispy and great to start a meal!

Sri Thai is a great little gem in Hoboken with reasonable prices and delicious cuisine. It was not the first time I went and it will not be the last!

Enjoy (I did)!