Dinner at Inakaya in Times Square, NYC, New York

We found Inakaya by sheer coincidence, walking on the side of The New York Times Building in Times Square. From the outside, we already saw that it was an upscale Japanese restaurant. We tried to go a first time, but it was packed and the wait was way too long. So the second time, we reserved a table.

They sat us at the large counter that oversees the kitchen. 

It was full of Japanese elements that were intriguing and integrated well in the decor, highlighting the fact that this was not a usual place.

After we sat, they brought us some wet towels:

And we ordered some green tea.

While sipping our tea, we noticed that the people on the other side of the counter were carrying some sort of wooden peels, similar to the ones that restaurants use to put and remove pizza from the oven.

A couple of minutes later, we saw one of the staff putting a dish on the peel and reaching out across the counter to a patron, who took it from there. That was quite surprising and amusing!

So, it was time to order. We went for classic dishes:

We started off with Robata-yaki or grilled vegetables. The first one was eggplant:

I love eggplant and, when eating in a Japanese restaurant, we usually order nasu (the Japanese word for eggplant), that is eggplant in miso. This dish was really good: simple, keeping the eggplant be the star, it had a nice but not too pronounced char taste.

As you can see on the above photo, the eggplant was tendered to us from across the counter...

The second dish was grilled mushrooms in foil:

Opening the aluminum foil was like unwrapping a gift.

It was extremely hot and, when we opened the foil, there was a wonderful smell coming out from it. This dish was made of three kinds of mushrooms (like the shimeji mushrooms below), cooked in soy sauce.

It was simply made though very successful, the mushrooms having each a different texture. It was so good that when I told Jodi that we should go back and try other veggies, she mentioned that next time, she would like to have this mushroom dish for herself...

The next dish was the grilled squid.

I loved it and if you love squid, this is definitely a recommendation. The squid was tender with a fantastic char. The sauce in the bottom was made with soy, adding a slight saltiness to it.

After that, we ordered three different rolls:

We picked the spicy scallops:

Tuna and avocado:

Salmon and avocado:

Each of the rolls had sesame seeds for a bit of nuttiness and the avocado was perfect (I hate when the avocado is not ripe). The ingredients tasted fresh and it was pretty good, although it was a quite standard dish. I guess next time, we should shoot for more original ones. Because there will probably be a next time! Yes, we liked this place and will probably be back at some point: good food and interesting way of serving the guests. It is pricier than your average Japanese restaurant, but it is justified by the quality of the ingredients.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Korean lunch at Don's Bogam in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

On Christmas Day, we decided to eat in the city before going to see the second installment of The Hobbit, with Jodi's cousins Jessica and Michael, their sons Alex and Brian and their friends Andrew and Manuel. As I was not sure what was open, I went to open table to try to find a good place to go. That is how we ended up at Don's Bogam, a Korean restaurant we passed by several times but never tried before. The name is interesting and I asked the waiter who was not sure how to explain it, so here is my interpretation: Don is the name of the owner; Bogam is an ancient medicine. Therefore, Don's Bogam is Don's medicine.

It is a BBQ and Wine Bar and for sure, you cannot miss the wine part when entering, with its modern L-shape bar, and the dining room sections separated by empty wine bottles.

The main dining room is big and had some warmth thanks to all the wood, from the floor to the tables.

The seating is interesting though, as it is floor level with chairs without legs to be comfortable. Going in and going out was a bit challenging, though entertaining...

They first brought the banchan, these small side dishes that are always exciting to see: you never know what you will get.

It was composed of:

Some Korean zucchini or Chosun Hobak:

Eggplant:

Seaweed:

Soy:

Potato Salad (always surprising to have that!):

Kimchi cabbage:

Kimchi radish:

Spicy squid:

My favorites were definitely the squid and two kimchi, all of them having a nice kick.

Then came our entrees: all of us ordered bibimbap, these rice dishes that come in a very hot bowl. Don's Bogam has a nice selection, either with meat or vegetarian.

Jodi ordered the Dubu-beoseot, made with tofu, mushrooms and vegetables:

On my side, I ordered the Galbi bibimbap, made with short ribs:

The galbi bibimbap had this fantastic smell coming from the meat that emanated from the bowl. The meat, although slightly overcooked, was delicious and tasty. In the bottom, the rice was already burnt, making a crust that was deliciously crunchy.

I loved the galbi bibimbap and the photo below can attest on how good it was:

The food was delicious and everybody liked Don's Bogam. The service though was just ok and I am not sure if it was because our waiter was not happy to work on Christmas Day: we ordered tea and never got it. We asked for an egg in the bibimbap and when the dishes came, he simply say "No, no egg". But, despite that, I would definitely go back! Oh, I forgot to mention that they have a gluten free menu too!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Authentic Mexican dinner at El Maguey Y La Tuna on the Lower East Side, NYC, New York

I was recently invited to El Maguey Y La Tuna, a restaurant located on the Lower East Side that serves authentic Mexican cuisine. As a blogger, I love these press dinners, not only because you get to meet other people who love food, but also because you often meet with the owner or Chef who will give you some information or back stories that you would not have as a regular diner.

I admit that I had no idea what the name of the restaurant was referring to and thought that Tuna was...tuna! In fact, it means "The Tequila/Mezcal and Prickly Pear Plants". It is a family owned and operated business: in the kitchen, Executive Chef Leonides Cortez and his wife, Sous Chef Manuela Cortez. At the front of the house is their daughter Maria who gave us plenty of hints that evening.

It is a medium size place, with a 45 seats capacity that, as Maria mentioned, was designed to make people feel like they are in the family kitchen, a feel perfectly rendered by the terra-cotta floors, the wood and tile tables and the white tile walls, decorated with photos (one of them is Maria's grandmother, overlooking the dining room and emphasizing the importance of family), as well as ceramic from Mexico.

We started off with drinks. I could have gone for a Mexican beer but decided to go for their margaritas that they flavor with fresh fruit puree. 

I ordered the mango margarita that is my favorite flavor. 

It might not have been the best margarita I ever tried, but I liked it, although a bit dangerous because you couldn't taste the alcohol too much making it taste like an innocent drink...

I also tried, out of curiosity the jalapeño margarita (don't think I drank two margaritas: that will never happen!).

I never heard of such a drink and if there would not be jalapeños floating around, I would have never guessed what it was. It was refreshing, not spicy as I would have expected.

We started the dinner with chicken tamales that they made especially for the Holidays as Maria told us.

We had to unwrap it to discover the filling made with chicken and masa (a corn dough), that we ate with green salsa.

I have never been a big fan of tamales and Jodi loves it. It might have been because I never had a good one before. Yes, I liked it at El Maguey Y La Tuna: it had a nice amount of chicken and was tasty with the right amount of green sauce.

The next dish was chicken flautas, also called taquitos.

These little cigars were served with pico de gallo and guacamole. I like that dish with or without guacamole. 

It was not greasy, crunchy and very flavorful. In fact, I preferred them over the next dish that was taquitos al guacamole: corn patties filled with ground beef, also served with guacamole and pico de gallo.

I appreciated the crispiness of the homemade corn patties, but found it less flavorful than the chicken ones.

I should add that the guacamole was quite good, tasting fresh and perfectly seasoned.

Then came the entrees. We started off with Chile Relleno.

it was made of a roasted poblano pepper that was stuffed with cheese and simmered in a roasted tomatoe sauce. They served it with rice and beans.

As well as homemade tortillas.

I like the chile relleno: very flavorful, it had a slight kick that was perfect and for sure a lot of cheese. 

Then came the mole poblano, one of their specialties that is composed with close to 20 spices and takes 2 to 3 days using the original method (much quicker with a blender, but Maria mentioned that it would not have the same taste).

Because it is a complicated dish, it is also made for special occasions. This was served with chicken and, interestingly, smelled of chocolate but did not taste of it! I guess that for a lot of people, including me, a mole is associated with chocolate: we got this all wrong and I am glad I had the chance to try an authentic one.

This was delicious: it had a complex flavor but yet well balanced, perfect with chicken, rice or just eaten with a spoon.

The second mole we tried was a chipotle chile mole sauce:

It was served with pieces of pork. The pork was quite tender, smothered in a thick sauce where I could definitely taste cumin. Maria explained that this is a basic mole and that any woman has to know how to make it to be ready to get married. 

The last entree was the tacos de pescado:

It is on their menu simply because they have lots of patrons from California who asked them for it!

It was also eaten with green sauce. The fish (they use either tilapia or flounder) was fried, giving a good crunch, and had a nice flakiness. It was a delicious dish for sure.

Of course, we had to try some desserts after that. There were two:

The flan:

And the Mexican chocolate cake:

The chocolate cake was good, but my favorite was the flan. I truly appreciated that none of these desserts were too sweet.

But the meal would not have been complete without a Mexican coffee (con leche above and black below).

They were served in authentic Mexican cups.

El Maguey Y La Tuna is a bit off the beaten path but I truly recommend that place: I had a good time and good food. It definitely opened my eyes to the diversity of Mexican food and from now on, I will consider other dishes than the usual tacos, burritos or fajita. If I had to recommend a full meal, it would be: chicken flautas, mole poblano and flan. 

Interestingly, they serve a cheap brunch menu Tuesday to Sunday where, for less than $12 you get a drink and a dish. I'll probably be back soon!

Enjoy (I did)!

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

Pie Face Union Square, NYC, New York

Has my mind been tricked or are there Pie Face restaurants everywhere? Is it the Starbucks syndrome? Well, it is true that the owners have a target to open 60 locations in NYC, but I am amazed by the pace!

So, my last try was at Union Square, where they opened the biggest I have seen so far. 

There, no surprise in term of menu as it is standard. So we decided to share few pies...

The first one was the cheesesteak one:

Pretty interesting creation, marrying the pie concept from Australia with one of the most famous sandwiches in the US! For sure, the presentation was not as nice as for the other pies, but I loved it! It was really like eating a cheesesteak, without the bread. The meat was delicious and tender, the onions soft with a nice sweetness and there was a lot of cheese. 

The second pie was a BBQ pulled pork:

We ordered the small size for that one. It was also very good, although completely overwhelmed by the generous amount of BBQ sauce. I liked it but I am not sure I would have eaten an entire regular size pie. 

We also tried the spinach quiche that was good, but did not have anything that made it unique. 

Last was dessert of course! We went for the cherry pie

And the pear and ricotta tart. 

As I mentioned in previous posts about Pie Face, I love their cherry pie! In fact I love their desserts: succulent, they are not too sweet and the fact that they serve them in small size is perfect to end a meal on a sweet note. I should add that the combination pear / ricotta is fantastic and has an inherent freshness to it. 

I am a big fan of pie face and I guess I have no other choice than trying each and every location...for the blog of course!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Moroccan brunch at Barbès in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

We found Barbès when looking for a restaurant near the Morgan Library as we wanted to see the da Vinci exhibit. I was pretty excited to go to a Moroccan restaurant: I remembered some fantastic vacations many years ago where I spent a week going from Marrakech to Ouarzazate in a 4x4, sleeping mostly in tents in the Sahara desert.

I was wondering if the restaurant was named after the very popular Barbès boulevard in Paris, but unfortunately could not confirm. 

The entrance of the restaurant is a heavy wooden door with a hand of Fatima that can be used to knock. Spiritually, it represents protection. Hopefully, this would provide protection to our stomach as we noticed that the restaurant had a Grade Pending that can mean few things: new restaurant not yet rated, the restaurant disagreed with its grade and filed an appeal, or they really had lots of sanitary violations...

The place had some warmth with its exposed bricks and hardwood floors, and the high ceilings gave a feel of space. 

We started off with some mint tea that they poured from a distance to create some foam on top. Some say it is to bring some oxygen to it.

The tea pot contained approximately four servings.

We opened the top (it was very hot) and a wonderful smell emanated from the tea leaves.

Then, they brought us some pita that was nicely chewy. I do not know if they made it or not.

For the appetizer, we shared the Mediterranean salad:

It was made of zaalouk, roasted eggplant with tomato and garlic.

Hummus (puree of chick peas, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil):

Chakchouka, that is a dish made with peppers:

It was delicious and a great appetizer to share. They tasted fresh and were perfect with the pita. 

Then, Jodi could not find anything that she would like for brunch that day, so she decided to go for the cobb salad. 

For sure this is not your typical Moroccan dish! But at least, know that they offer other dishes in case you are with people who would want something familiar to eat.

On my side, I went for the eggs and merguez.

Merguez are lamb sausages that are quite popular in North African cuisine.  I truly appreciated the fact that they gave four of them as in a lot of restaurants, it will either be two or four very small ones. 

These were delicious: a bit spicy (I used the yolk to offset the spiciness) and not dry, with a nice char on the outside. Serving them with eggs was a very good idea, truly representing the concept of Moroccan brunch. 

I have to mention that they brought me the wrong dish and when I told them that it was the eggs with merguez that I ordered, their reaction was not very customer friendly, questioning the veracity of my comment. They apologized later, but I have to say that this was a bit disappointing.

We skipped dessert as we were going to Lady M after...Would I go back? Probably for dinner to try their couscous or tagines.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Lunch at Telly's Taverna in Astoria, New York

When we got invited to Telly's Taverna, we were thrilled! Jodi used to live in Astoria at the time I met her and this was my first discovery of Queens. In fact, we walked around and even went to her old place after lunch, trying to identify what was new and what was not. 

I was not surprised that it was a Greek restaurant that invited us: Astoria has a large Greek community and there are plenty of Greek restaurants there. 

The first thing we noticed when we entered in the restaurant was the fish display and the grill that was behind it.

They get their fish from a market in the Bronx and it definitely looked fresh.

After passing the first dining room, we ended up in the second one that was pretty large and full of Christmas decorations, with a tree in the back.

We sat close to the window, ready for a feast! But first was a glass of ouzo, a traditional Greek aperitif that is anise-flavored.

I just added couple of ice cubes in it and sipped it, not like milk for sure...

The first dish that came was Nana's green salad, made with chopped romaine lettuce, feta, scallions and peppers.

It was light and refreshing, however, I would have liked a bit more feta in it.

Then came three dips:

From left to right:

• skordalia (potatoes and garlic),
• taramosalata (fish roe),
• tzatziki (cucumber, yogurt and garlic).

We ate them with some bread:

And some pita:

Both were grilled on an open flame, giving them a fantastic char.

I loved the tzatziki, but I admit that I did not really liked the other two dips, the skordalia having too much garlic and the taramosalata having a different taste than the tarama I am used to.

Later in the lunch, they served us some fried zucchini and eggplant:

That were delicious with the tzatziki:

When I looked at the menu before coming, there were couple of dishes that I hoped they would serve and my wishes were realized...First was the saganaki:

It is so interesting how every Greek restaurant makes it differently. This one was made with the cheese wrapped in phyllo and then pan fried. It was heaven! The cheese was gooey with a slight crunch from the phyllo. 

The second dish was the grilled octopus:

It was grilled on an open flame, giving a nice char to it.

It was tender and quite tasty, bathed in olive oil and lemon.

The next appetizer was lima beans baked in tomato sauce:

I loved that dish, it was very comforting, the beans being perfectly cooked and melting in my mouth. The beans were cooked with onions that kind of neutralized the acidity of the tomato sauce and added a slight sweetness to the dish. This is a great vegetarian dish and a good side if you order a grilled fish.

Then came a spectacular piece of red snapper that was simply grilled:

Everything looked beautiful in that fish, from the head:

To the tail:

They deboned it for us:

And brought to the table some olive oil and lemon sauce that they made:

The way the fish is prepared is by putting it in a fish grill so it can be grilled on an open flame and turned without any problem. The photo below shows a swordfish grilled as we were leaving, using the same technique: 

The fish was very good: fresh, moist, flakey, the olive oil and lemon enhancing the taste of the fish. I never think about ordering fish in Greek restaurants, going primarily for the moussaka or lamb Yuvetsi, but, after this experience, I will definitely consider fish! 

Then came dessert: it was a Greek yogurt with preserved grapes:

They did not make the yogurt, but made the preserves that were fabulous: their sweetness complemented very well the yogurt.

Of course, I could not refuse a coffee and got a Greek coffee:

They added some sugar to neutralize the bitterness. It was stronger than regular coffee and there was a thick layer of ground coffee in the bottom. When reaching that layer, you know you have to stop drinking it.

Although I did not like all the dishes, I liked Telly's Taverna: it is a nice neighborhoody Greek restaurant that serves traditional food which I found comforting and flavorful. My favorites were definitely the saganaki, octopus, red snapper and Lima beans. Hey! That could be your next lunch when you go there!

Enjoy (I did)! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We started off with a hot towel for our hands.

Then they served us a glass of wine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then I got another glass of white wine:

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

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

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

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

I tried to capture it, but unsuccessfully...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks to Dark Dining Projects and Camaje for hosting us!

Enjoy (I did)!

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

Il Forno Hell's Kitchen in NYC, New York

Il Forno Hell's Kitchen in NYC, New York

Couple of weeks ago, we wanted to have dinner at L'Ybane (know that L'Ybane closed in 2018), close to Times Square, but the place was so packed that we decided to try Il Forno  Hell's Kitchen, an Italian restaurant that opened recently. 

When we arrived, the place was packed. And then, after 8pm, it was empty. The explanation: early diners eager to find a place to eat before their show.

Il Forno Hell's Kitchen in NYC, New York

The place has an interesting decor: you get the impression you are eating at a terrace of a restaurant in the middle of a village in Italy. Pretty well done!

Il Forno Hell's Kitchen in NYC, New York

Their menu proposes pretty common Italian dishes, such as pasta, risotto and pizette, that are small pizzas, enough for one person. Of course, that does not prevent you from sharing...

We decided to start with the warm caprese salad that was served with burrata instead of the usual mozzarella. 

Burrata Caprese salad at Il Forno Hell's Kitchen in NYC, New York

Besides of the burrata, it was composed of cherry tomatoes and arugula, and dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was good, fresh and creamy, but not worth the $14 price tag considering the quantity they served.

Black label pizza at Il Forno Hell's Kitchen in NYC, New York

Then we ordered two pizettes. The first one was the black label, made with prosciutto black label, mozzarella, caramelized cippolini onions and basil.

Black label pizza at Il Forno Hell's Kitchen in NYC, New York

The second one was the Margherita pizette.

margherita pizza at Il Forno Hell's Kitchen in NYC, New York

In fact, they brought us first on with bacon and we sent it back as it was not what we ordered.

bacon pizza at Il Forno Hell's Kitchen in NYC, New York

The pizette were good, being between a pizza and a flammekueche or tarte flambée. The black label was the best one, having a lot of flavors. The Margherita was just ok, missing a bit of cheese.

margherita pizza at Il Forno Hell's Kitchen in NYC, New York

I have to mention that the food took forever to come and between the wrong dish sent and the wait, it kind of spoiled the experience, regardless of the torrent of excuses from the waiter. That explains also why I skipped dessert that day. So, would I go back? Maybe, but then to try pasta and risotto. For pizza, I would go to Capizzi that is few blocks from there and is far better!

Enjoy (...)!

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Pinche Taqueria in NYC, New York

Recently, we ate at Pinche Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant located few steps from Union Square. It all started in 1973 in Tijuana and now, they have three locations in NYC: 14th, Mott street and Lafayette street. 

It is like most of the fast casual food places: you order at the counter, they give you a number and then bring the food to your table.

Their menu has the standard Mexican dishes: tacos, quesadillas, burritos, tamale, tortas and for the healthiest of us, salads.

We decided to start with guacamole and chips.

The guacamole was delicious and fresh, worth the $4. 29 we paid for compared to Tacombi a la Fonda Nolita that was quite expensive. The chips were good, but I do not think they make them.

Jodi got a black bean taco:

It was served with guacamole, onions and cilantro, on a soft corn tortilla. It was just ok for me; nothing specific to that restaurant, it is just that I prefer vegetarian tacos with more flavor.

On my side, I decided to go with a combination of two tacos: pollo assado (charbroiled chicken) and pescado (fish):

It came with rice and refried beans that seemed to be homemade (they claim that they do not use any frozen or canned food and on that one, I tend to believe it). 

The chicken taco was served with onions, cilantro and guacamole, similar to Jodi's vegetarian taco.

It was good, the chicken being quite flavorful.

The fish taco was served with cabbage and cilantro dressing.

It was fresh, flaky, crispy and not greasy. However, the cabbage was a bit dry.

With our dinner, we drank a Mexican pineapple drink that I love!

The food was pretty decent, at a good price, and I would certainly go back there. However, I hope they will lower the volume of the music because it was very loud and not very soothing. Also, the service was unequal, some staff being very nice and some others less, like this guy who was upset because the dish he brought to us was not ours...

Enjoy (I did)!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On my side, I ordered the merguez sandwich:

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

But one of the sides was burnt! 

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

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

Enjoy (...)!

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Il Colosseo in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York

Last week end, Jodi and I were invited to Il Colosseo (The Coliseum), and Italian restaurant located in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, that opened in 1991, at a time where the area was an all Italian neighborhood. There, we met with Giulio Mannino, the son of the owner, Lorenzo.  He gave us a bit of history about his family who comes from Sicily and explained to us that he worked in the restaurant business since age 14. He also told me that the dishes at the restaurant are straight or derived from family recipes.

When you enter the restaurant, there is first the bar area.

Then, you pass an arch to go tot the dining room with its open kitchen in the back.

There is definitely a feel that it is an old Italian restaurant where you would eat traditional dishes.

Also visible from the dining room is the wood fire brick oven where they make pizza.

Apparently, when they opened, they were the first to have such oven in Brooklyn. 

Giulio decided to make us try different dishes that are on the menu. We first started with the Misto Mare, an appetizer plate composed of octopus, shrimp and baked clams:

The octopus and shrimp (that were of a nice size) were deliciously grilled, giving them a nice char; simply grilled I should say, letting them be the star. The octopus, purchased from one of their friends in Bensonhurst, was perfectly tender that is not a given, and they served the full animal...

However, I did not like the baked clams: too much breading and I could barely taste the clam.

The next appetizer is a classic: calamari fritti or fried calamari.

It was good, maybe not the best I ever had, but good, the calamari itself not being rubbery. It came with a sauce that I guess was marinara, that was a bit watery.

Then, we tried their eggplant pizza or Pizza Melanzane, made in the brick oven.

After Capizzi recently, I am rediscovering eggplant pizza. Often, there is too much breading or the eggplant is cut so thin you cannot taste it. At Il Colosseo, it was big chunks of eggplant, so I could enjoy the texture as well as this particular taste this vegetable has, both smokey and sweet.

The crust of the pizza was nicely charred with a crispy outside and a soft center. There was also a nice amount of cheese on it. So it is definitely a great pizza to try.

After the pizza, we tried the pasta: penne a la vodka.

They gave us each half portions that we had a lot of food to try. I cannot imagine eating a full portion anyway by myself (although...).

Let me tell you: that sauce was fantastic! First of all, there was enough sauce, that is not always the case in restaurants. Second, they make it with fresh tomatoes and a touch of cream, so it is still light but tasty. I could have licked my plate (I think I did...).

The last dish was chicken Francese.

The way this dish is made is by dipping the breast (often pounded to make it thin) in flour and egg, cooked in a skillet and smothered by a light lemon sauce. At Il Colosseo, they dip the breast in butter and sauté it with white wine and lemon. When it came, you could definitely smell the white wine and lemon. The chicken was perfectly cooked and moist and the sauce was delicate, not overpowering. Nice dish if you like chicken.

After this feast, Giulio proposed to have some homemade desserts...How could we say no? We started off (or I should say finished?) with tiramisu.

That was a fantastic tiramisu! It was light and creamy. What is interesting about this dessert is that you will not find one identical tiramisu in pastry shops or restaurants: they all have their own recipe. At Il Colosseo, they add a bit of anisette to it. It was perfect with an espresso:

The second dessert was the Italian cheese cake, made with ricotta, of course.

When I tasted it, it reminded me a bit of a tourteau fromagé, a specialty from the Poitou-Charentes region in France, except that it did not have the thick shell, burnt on top, that the tourteau has. However, the texture, lightness, freshness and taste was very close. This is definitely not your regular cheese cake, the American version being denser. I really liked it, although between the two desserts we tasted, the tiramisu was my favorite.

This was definitely a delicious meal: if you are looking for traditional Italian dishes that will transport you to Italy, Il Colosseo is a good spot for you!

Enjoy (I did)!

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

Mexican brunch at Sabores in Hoboken, NJ

I am not sure how to start this post, the experience at Sabores being so disappointing, food and service wise. And it is not as if we went there right after they opened! 

Before I start with the details, let me give you some information on the restaurant. It is located in the middle of Washington street, and area that has always been tough for restaurants because there is more foot traffic downtown. Several restaurants tried but failed; the last one was Piri Piri, a Portuguese BBQ, unique in Hoboken. Of course, food or service are not the only reason: rent increase is a big factor that led, for instance, to the closure of my favorite Indian restaurant in town: India on the Hudson. 

So, Sabores serves Mexican cuisine. In fact, we were greeted by: "Here we serve real Mexican cuisine", probably a dig to East LA, a popular Mexican restaurant located few steps from it. 

The place is big (high ceilings) and very colorful with dark pink walls.

So, Sabores means "savors" in English: let see how the food measured up! Similar to most of the mexican restaurant we went to, they brought us some tortilla chips and salsa, a little after we ordered.

I guess it is the equivalent of bread and butter, Mexican style! I appreciated to have chips that were not stale as it happened some other times in other restaurants.

Then, we decided to order our favorite appetizer: guacamole!

Nice presentation, however, the avocado was not ripe, making it inedible. Interestingly, the table next to us had the same problem!

Jodi ordered the ensalada verde, made with red onions, tomatoes, avocados, arugula, corn and radish.

The price, $10, was right, but, what should have been the star of the dish, the avocado, was not good, again.

On my side, I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, my favorite Mexican brunch dish!

Huevos Rancheros are sunny side eggs, cheese, beans and salsa on tortilla. I liked it: the egg was perfectly cooked with a runny yolk where I dipped the tortilla. I just would have liked more beans...

Needless to say that the experience was disappointing. Knowing that avocado is used in so many dishes, how can you serve bad ones! Concerning the service, the issue was more inexperience than anything else, so hopefully it will improve as time passes.

Enjoy (...)!

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L'allegria in Hell's Kitchen, NYC, New York

There are times when, as soon as you enter in a restaurant, you get this feeling that you probably should have passed on it. It was what I felt at L'Allegria. The manager was outside and asked us to follow us inside, so far, nothing unusual. But then, he did not even hold the door, called somebody and left. As soon as we got seated, we heard a big noise and it was one of their customers pounding his fist at the table because something was wrong. We were too far to hear what the problem was, but there were four staff members surrounding him. It calmed down quickly, but Jodi and I were wondering what we were doing there! After a while, a waitress came to us, bringing us the menus. At least she was courteous, not like most if the staff that was not making us feel welcome. 

We ordered our food and had enough time to look at the 1970 decor of the restaurant. Yes, it clearly did not look modern! 

They also brought some bread that was most likely made with the same dough as the pizza and cooked in the same oven:

It came with some tasteless olive oil and some balsamic vinegar that had a consistency that made me think that it probably sat in that oil for a while...

We decided to order their Margherita pizza with fresh mozzarella. 

It was a six slice pie that had some cherry tomatoes and fresh basil as well.

What a disappointment: the thin crust was not crispy and was not even at the level of a NYC pizza joint and I am wondering where is the brick oven they advertise!!! Imagine that for the same price, this is what you get at Luzzo's:

Clearly no comparison! 

We also ordered the eggplant parmesan: 

It was good, with lots of cheese and a nice tomato sauce, but a bit pricey. 

This was not a great experience and I would certainly not go back there for their pizza! Hell's Kitchen has so much better to offer that I would never think going back to L'Allegria. For a good Italian restaurant in that area, try Capizzi!

Enjoy (...)!

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Cheap eats: Stromboli Pizza in NYC, New York

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

There, we tried the following pizzas:

Sicilian (we always ask for a corner):

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

Plain:

Pepperoni rolls (a bit too dough-y):

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

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

Enjoy (i did)!

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Pizza at Capizzi in Hell's Kitchen, NYC, New York

I was recently invited to Capizzi, a Pizza and Wine Bar located in Hell's Kitchen, right behind Port Authority. Capizzi gets its name from a town in Sicily, where the owner's grandparents and mother are coming from. The location is definitely not ideal, most of the people going up of 42nd street to find restaurants.

There, we met with Joseph "Joe" Calcagno (left), who explained to us that he wanted the restaurant to feel like home, like it was at his grandmother (Nonna in Italian). 

That is why the wall is full of artifacts coming from his grandma, as well as photos of Joe's family, one of them being 7 years old Joe with his dad Paul. Joe's father and grandfather have been in the restaurant industry, making it somewhat natural to follow their footsteps.

He also placed some elements that remind him his family and childhood, such as the refrigerator that was similar to the one his grandma had. In the back of the room, is the kitchen where you can see them prepare the pizza, throwing the dough in the air to shape it.

Joe wanted the kitchen to be open so people can see what is going on. Looking carefully, there are few things you can notice. First is the wood burning oven that cooks pizza at more than 800 degrees for approximately 2 minutes.

You definitely feel the heat when you are close to it! Second is what is hanging in the kitchen.

Yes, it is peppers that you see drying there. Because at Capizzi, there are plenty of things that are made on premises and not bought dry, such as crushed red pepper.

Or oregano:

Joe told us that most of the dishes of his menu are made from fresh ingredients. He prides himself in buying the best products he can find so his customers can enjoy some great quality food, similar to how it was when he was a kid: what they were buying had to be the best, even if it meant going in different stores to find it. As he puts it: "One bakery might have the best bread, but not the best cake".

After we sat and Joe went to the kitchen, one of his staff member who did not know that Joe was taking care of us, started to describe the menu so we could order. We truly appreciated the fact that he knew the dishes and described it in a way that made us want to order most of it; it is always frustrating when you go to a restaurant, ask questions about the food and realize that the staff has no idea what it is or how it is made. Later, Joe explained that he eats with his staff, meals being a good opportunity to discuss matters of the restaurant, as well as knowing each and every dish.

My drink of choice that evening was their homemade sangria that I was curious to try; it had a nice fruity taste and was made with a blend of wines. Dangerous drink for sure as it is the kind that you would drink like you would drink milk.

So, it was time to try the food! We started off with arancini, that are fried rice balls that are breaded.

There were two kinds: red peppers and spinach & cheese. Both were really good and not dry. I admit that my favorite was the red peppers one, although the spinach one, with all the cheese in it was fantastic too.

Then, we got their arugula salad that is one of their best sellers. It was composed of arugula, tomatoes, goat cheese, walnuts, cranberries, onions and green apples.

Although a bit overdressed (the dressing was made of olive oil and balsamic vinegar), it was a delicious dish, that married sweet and tart flavors perfectly. It was fresh and had a nice crunch thanks to the tomatoes, and mainly to the green apples.

The third appetizer was burrata.

They do not make the burrata at Capizzi and they buy from one of Joe's friends. It was simply dressed with olive oil, so creamy and delicious; the vegetables (tomatoes, peppers and artichokes) as well as the speck were a perfect addition to it. 

Then came the pizza. The first one was the margherita pizza.

As Joe explained, all pizza use San Marzano tomatoes, Mozzarella and Italian olive oil. However, Joe uses American flour, simply because he prefers. He in fact characterized his pizza to be between Neapolitan and American. The margherita was delicious: moist, there was a lot of cheese on it.

The second pizza was made with speck, arugula and four different cheeses: pecorino, provolone, parmesan and mozzarella. 

Similar to the margherita pizza, the outside was puffed up and it had a nice char. The crust had a slight crunch that faded in the center.

The speck was crispy, rendering some additional saltiness to the pizza.

Again there, there was a lot of cheese.

The third pizza was the eggplant parmesan.

I admit that, when Joe asked if we liked it, I said yes, mainly for Jodi as it is one of her favorite, but also to be polite. Well, I was pleased that we got it: it was the best eggplant parmesan pizza I ever had. I know it is a bold statement, but I will explain to you why: most of the time, you barely taste the eggplant, there is too much breading and it is oily. At Capizzi, they roast the vegetables in the morning and then put them on the pizza right before cooking it for two minutes in the oven, retaining the moisture and ensuring that the vegetables on the pizza are cooked. So, there was no breading and the taste of the roasted eggplant came through deliciously.

The fourth and last pizza was made with pepperoni and sausage:

Imagine that Jodi, who does not really like sausage and pepperoni loved it! It was definitely high quality meat: tasty and not oily at all, it had a nice kick. 

For sure, we could not eat all these delicious pizza and brought some home...

But Joe really wanted us to try their homemade desserts and we could not say no (it would have been rude, right?).

It was composed of:

Mini cannoli:

Tiramisu:

Pannacotta:

All of the desserts were really good: light and not too sweet. My favorite was the pannacotta that had a great texture, a bit denser than a flan.

I finished the meal with an espresso:

As well as some homemade lemonade that was nicely acid and not too sweet.

Talking to Joe was a real pleasure because we could feel the passion for what he does and the importance he attaches to the quality of his food. One may think that Capizzi is pricey , but taking into consideration the ingredients used, I do not think so. Think about it: why do we accept to pay $15 for a burger? Because we expect the meat to be of better quality. Same applies to any food and why not to pizza. If you are not ready to pay the price, there are plenty of $1 slice pizza around, but you will get what you pay for and it will not be the same quality as Capizzi.

Enjoy (I did)! 

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

Tabélog US event at Jukai, Japanese restaurant Midtown East, NYC, New York

Last week, I went to an event hosted by Tabélog US, the largest Japanese restaurant review website, to celebrate their new design. 

Courtesy of Tabélog

The statistics are new and can give you an idea of the different cuisines the user on Tabélog US experiments. 

 

The event took place at Jukai, a Japanese restaurant located Midtown East. The name of the restaurant comes from the deep forrest in the bottom of Mt Fuji.

Clearly, to find that place, you need the address as it is below street level, like an hidden gem. As this was an event, I cannot describe its atmosphere or service, although the latter was perfect considering the place was full of bloggers trying to take pictures as dishes from Chef and owner Hirofumi Watanabe were served. Know that the dishes you will see below were prepared specifically for this event.

Present at the event were Takehiro Miyajima, CEO of Tabélog Inc. as well as Taku Niida, Assistant Sales Manager New York Branch of Asahi Beer USA, Inc., who sponsored the event.

The beer presented was the Asahi super dry beer that I drank with my meal.

The first plate served to us was an assortment of dishes beautifully put together:

Going from the left to the right, there was:

Squid with sea urchin:

Pickled mushrooms and egg omelette with spinach:

Pickled onion:

Smoked duck:

Iberico ham and persimmon fruit:

This was a perfect mise en bouche! My favorite was the duck that was fantastically smokey. Then the squid with its slightly crunchy texture (it was raw). Also, pairing the persimmon with the Iberico ham was a nice Asian interpretation of the cantaloupe - ham traditional pairing, delicately merging the sweet taste of the fruit to the saltiness of the ham.

The next dish was beef carpaccio:

I believe that the beef was Wagyu, later used in the shabu shabu they proposed. It had a nice marbling and was perfectly seasoned. 

After that, was served one of my favorite dishes of the event: Salmon marinated in sake.

The salmon was grilled, perfectly cooked and moist with a fantastic char taste. It was served with a grilled Shishito pepper that is a green pepper similar to serrano peppers.

After the salmon, came another fish: Spanish Mackerel with ground radish.

It was ok for me, the fish having a quite strong flavor.

Then came something unexpected:

This was a Jumbo Pacific oyster from Washington State. I guess the "jumbo" preceding the name was quite appropriate considering that it was the largest I ever see, the shell being the size of my hand! Just compare it to the slice of lemon to give you an idea! It was a bit of a challenge to eat, especially with chopsticks, but the taste was fabulous and you could definitely taste that it was fresh. I knew jumbo shrimp, now I know jumbo oysters...

To drink with the oyster, I chose a glass of Hanaabi Junmai Daiginjo sake that left, surprisingly a strawberry aftertaste that was sweet and acted like a palate cleanser.

The last dish served was shabu shabu, a Japanese dish where vegetables and beef are cooked in a broth. They first brought the vegetables:

And the Wagyu beef that had a nice marbling:

Then, they started to cooked the vegetables:

When they were ready, they added the beef:

Once the beef and vegetables were cooked, they put them in a bowl and added a sauce made with oil, sesame, balsamic vinegar that added some flavors to the dish. Et voilà!

I liked it, although few pieces of beef were overcooked. It was very flavorful and comforting.

Then it was time for dessert, or shall I say desserts!

 There were three of them. A Crème brûlée that was perfectly made, with a crispy caramelized crust on top and a well set vanilla cream:

A white sesame blanc-mange that was similar to a custard:

This was my favorite dessert: nice texture, light with the sesame taste coming through, it was not too sweet. In fact none of the desserts were.

The last dessert was chocolate truffles:

These were nice and soft, similar to the truffles you would find in France. Although there, people like to put a bit of alcohol and here, at Jukai, I did not taste any alcohol.

It was a great event! Thanks to Tabélog, Asahi and the Jukai team for hosting us!

Enjoy (I did)!



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

Dinner at Tulsi, Indian restaurant in Midtown East, NYC, New York

Recently, we were invited to Tulsi, an Indian restaurant located Midtown East. I quickly discovered that it was not your average Indian restaurant! First is the team in the kitchen, composed of:

•  Executive Chef Hemant Mathur who is also co-owner. Chef Mathur has an impressive resume, working in restaurants such as Dévi (awarded a Michelin one-star rating in 2007 and 2008), Tamarind in Tribeca, as well as Bukhara  in the Maurya Sheraton Hotel in New Delhi, India. 
• Tandoor Master, Dhandu Ram, who also worked at Bukhara in New Delhi, where he met Hemant Mathur.
• Executive Pastry Chef Surbhi Sahni, who is also the wife of Chef Mathur, known for her incredible dessert creations, such as her Ginger Panna Cotta that was nominated one of the “Best Restaurant Desserts for 2011” by Esquire.

Then I got to meet with Vijay Rao, who is co-owner and we were taken care of by the General Manager Suneel Devgan who did a wonderful job hosting us.

The second hint that Tulsi (meaning "Holy Basil") was different was the menu: clearly not your regular one! For instance, I could not find any Chicken Tikka Masala, that is one of my favorite dishes. Instead, they serve the savory banana dumplings, sea scallops with Manchurian cauliflower & eggplant chutney or lamb chop with south Indian potatoes and peach chutney. Clearly, some mouth watering dishes and I was excited to see what we would get served!

The last important characteristic of this place is its decor: modern, elegant, but not stuffy. When you enter, you end up in the bar area (nice green lighting) with its small lounge.

Then there is the dining room.

We went early because it is the best time to take photos of a restaurant and at that time, we were the only ones, but several minutes after, people started coming and this long table you see was for instance full of patrons avid to taste that food. 

We got seated in one of the "booths" that they setup, giving the impression of privacy to customers, especially those who did not understand that the only separation between them and the next table was a thin curtain.

To start off, I ordered a mango lassi.

Not too sweet and smooth, it was the perfect drink to prepare my palate and eliminate some of the heat few dishes had.

We started off with the appetizers. First, came some street food or chaat:

The first one was Avocado Jhal Muri:

It was made of puffed rice, avocado, red onion for a nice kick and vermicelli noodles. It was delicious: a bit crunchy, thanks to the rice and red onion, and smooth, because of the avocado.

The second one was Papadi chaat:

It was refreshing, with a sweet and savory taste, but I was expecting it to be a bit crunchy and did not really like the texture.

Then, we tried the Manchurian cauliflower:

I tried this dish at The Masala Wala few months ago and was thrilled to have it again. It was fantastic with its sweet and sour taste and a bit of crunch, definitely reminding me of Chinese cuisine. It was Jodi's favorite dish of the evening.

The second appetizer was Haryali chicken tikka:

The chicken, cooked in a tandoor oven was incredibly moist, tender, flavorful and had this nice char all around. I admit that I had difficulties not finishing that dish (it was only the beginning). I am often disappointed by chicken tikka because the meat tends to be dry, but it was definitely not the case there. The pieces of chicken were sitting on top of a delicious tomato chutney that gave an additional dimension to the dish.

The last appetizer was Dilli wali Aloo tikki:

These potato cakes were made, besides potatoes, of yellow split peas, cashews and raisin stuffing. It was my least favorite of the appetizers, being slightly blend if not eaten with the sauce that went with it.

At that point, I ask for a sweet lassi:

It was not as thick than I am used to and had the perfect amount of sweetness.

Then came the entrees. The first one was their signature dish: savory banana dumplings.

These dumplings were stuffed with figs and cashew, smothered in a very good sauce that was creamy and reminded me of the tikka masala sauce. It had an interesting texture that was the result of having figs in it, giving the same sensation as when you eat dried figs. The quinoa was a nice addition, having a bit of cumin in it, a flavor I do not remember having experienced in Indian food yet.

Then came another of my favorite dishes: tandoor grilled lamb chops.

It was a great dish: the lamb was perfectly cooked, with some areas covered with this nice char that I love so much in grilled meat. It was tender and flavorful, the perfect dish if you love lamb. It was served with South Indian potatoes and a nice plum chutney that added a wonderful sweetness to the overall dish.

We also tried the Mangolorean Chicken Curry that was quite spicy, but delicious with a moist chicken that I had difficulties not to eat, despite my mouth on fire:

And some Indian cottage cheese with spinach, similar to Palak Paneer:

That we ate with plain basmati rice:

as well as plain parantha and rosemary garlic naan breads that were very good and fresh.

At that point, I started to get full, but could not resist to try their desserts and was so pleased to see them bringing their Indian bread pudding!

Nice creation considering that bread pudding is not common in Indian cuisine! It was made of brioche bread that was soaked in what I believe was a sugar syrup and covered with some sort of condensed milk and nuts. That was spectacular and we definitely finished the plate! It was definitely sweet, but so good! I wish I had the recipe (wink wink!).

The second dessert was their pistachio kulfi:

It was a delicious ice cream with a subtle pistachio taste that became more prominent when reaching the middle of the pyramid, where a layer of it was present.

To help digest this feat, I ended up getting a Chai tea...

We had a good time at Tulsi: great food and great service for sure. I would definitely come back to that place to try some other dishes. They really succeeded in crafting a fantastic unusual Indian menu.

Enjoy (I did)!

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

Dinner at Kingside in NYC, New York

I recently went for dinner to Kingside with Kenta Hirai, the CEO of Tabélog US, a restaurant review site I have been using to find places to go to whenever needed. The restaurant was in its 8th day of existence, so I was excited to see how it would be, especially considering the fact that the team is the same who made Landmarc a success. I even got the privilege to meet with Executive Chef Marc Murphy who, in impeccable French (he is half French, half American), talked about the menu.

This is an incredible place that, even from outside, looks stunning. Located inside the Viceroy hotel, you can even see the swimming pool if you go downstairs.

When you enter, you have, on the right side, the bar:

Then, you arrive in the large dining room that is dominated by the kitchen in the back:

And a large plaque with the name of the restaurant for those who forgot where they were...

It is definitely a modern and elegant design with a sense of space accentuated by the very high ceilings.

To start our dinner, Kenta and I ordered a Kingside beer, brewed in Elmsford, NY.

We then discovered the New American menu crafted by Chef Murphy, with its French and Italian influence.

It had small and large plates, making us think that it would be perfect to share some dishes instead of eating our own, allowing us to discover more specialties.

We started of with the appetizers. First came the Foie gras:

It had herb breadcrumbs on top that replaced the traditional toast and came with some figs and a fig caramel. Marrying foie gras and fig is pretty common, so I was not surprised by the combination, the figs adding a bit of texture. But replacing the bread with the breadcrumbs was  genius as it gave that nice crunch to a perfect foie gras.

Then, we shared the roasted snails:

That was a nice take on escargots de Bourgogne.

For sure, the best was not the snails, but the butter sauce: I could not resist dipping the bread in it! Interestingly, there was bone marrow in it, but I guess that sauce overpowered it...

The last appetizer was the grilled octopus:

It was served with a potato salad and some chorizo. The octopus was definitely the star of the dish: tender, it had a wonderful char.

For entrees, we started of with the butternut squash nudi:

I expected them smaller to be honest. They were served with hazelnut (nice crunch and nuttiness), shaved parmesan cheese and in a very smooth mascarpone sauce. I loved the combination sweet and savory, the sweetness coming from the squash.

We also ordered the pork belly:

It was served with roasted shallots (nice sweetness) and some escarole. The meat was tender, juicy, the fat having a little crunch because slightly charred.

With it, we got some Mac & Cheese made with fregula pasta, that are pasta from Sardinia with a shape similar to Israeli couscous.

It was delicious, although I would have liked it a bit creamier as I mentioned to Chef Murphy. It was the perfect side with the pork and was very comforting.

Then of course was dessert...We ordered the warm chocolate cake:

It was served with a toasted coconut ice cream. I admit that, after we cracked the top if the cake, I forgot the ice cream to focus on the deliciousness that was under the surface.

It was like eating melted chocolate! Fortunately for us it was not too sweet, so we could concentrate on the second dessert we ordered: the caramel pudding.

That was the best and I could not stop eating it. It was made of caramel cream and pretzel crumbles that made it a sweet and savory dessert to die for! If you go to Kingside, do not miss it!!!

And by the way, they added some Bourbon whipped cream on top...

These desserts were perfect with a decaf espresso.

Needless to say that the little walk I had after this dinner was more than necessary. This was fantastic and surprising, because often, restaurants that just opened have few things to fine tune, but not Kingside. With a start like this, I am sure they will have lots of success.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Restaurant Information

tabelog.us

	* Restaurant Name
	Kingside
	* Overall
	★★★☆☆
	* Neighborhood / Cuisine
	Midtown West / American New
	* Street Address
	Viceroy Hotel New York, 124 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019
	* Phone
	(212) 707-8000

Muk Eun Ji Korean Restaurant in NYC, New York

With days being colder, there are some dishes I really enjoy to eat such as butternut squash soup, ramen or bibimbap. Although, similar to ramen, there are cold versions of bibimbap, I cannot imagine eating a very hot rice bowl on a summer day. 

So, on a Saturday night, as the temperature lowered, we ended up at For bibimbap. We found this place walking through Korea Town, checking menus and ratings. 

It is a big place, with nothing particular in the decor, besides the huge ads promoting their dishes in Koran language as well as English. What I realized is that if is pretty big, with a second dining room on the first floor and a third upstairs. 

To start our meal, they brought us some banchan, these little side dishes that are always exciting to see! And eat...

Of course, they included kimchi (fermented vegetable, here cabbage, usually spicy), my favorite of all! 

It was spicy and some bits had a bite of crunch.

Soy:

Spicy radish (quite spicy):

Dried squid (deliciously crunchy, but a bit fishy):

Potatoes and carrots, apparently boiled:

Cucumber that added some freshness and had a cooling effect:

Pasta salad (what?):

It was very good to counteract the spiciness of some of the dishes!

They also brought us what I guess is their version of an egg drop soup:

Then came our bibimbap. As their selection of vegetarian bibimbap was very limited (only kimchi, so spicy), Jodi ended up with a ground beef bibimbap. 

It was made, besides of ground beef, of vegetables, seaweed, rice and a fried egg. It was just ok, missing a bit of flavor and the ground beef being very dry. Some soy sauce did the magic, but still not a knock off. 

On my side, I ordered the short ribs bibimbap:

The components were the the same as Jodi's, except for the meat. When it came in this pipping hot bowl, still sizzling, the fantastic smell of the meat emanated from the dish. Not only it smelled good, but it tasted delicious! And, contrary to the ground meat, I found that all the elements of the dish were working well together. The beef was probably marinated and the juice that came from it added a nice flavor. 

Another best part was the rice crust that formed after letting the rice cook against the hot sides if the bowl. It was very crunchy. 

Towards the end of the meal, they brought us an egg dish, that seem to be made of a battered egg cooked in a broth. 

I really liked it, especially at the beginning when the egg was creamier and smoother.

Then, surprisingly, they brought us a small bottle of Maeil Biofeel, a drink made with lacto bacillus supposed to improve digestion, boost the immune system and enhance the overall health...

It tasted like any drink similar to this, except that it was more liquid.

This was a pretty good dinner and I loved the short ribs bibimbap that I recommend! I will definitely go back to Muk Eun Ji to try some other dishes!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Revisit: Table Verte, French vegetarian restaurant in NYC, New York

I was recently re-invited to Table Verte, a French restaurant that serves only vegetarian dishes.I am definitely a carnivore and, most of the meals I had when I was a kid, growing up in France, had a dish with either a meat, fish or poultry. My wife Jodi, loves burgers and filet mignon, but have an inclination to order vegetarian dishes. It is with her, when we were dating, that I went to my first vegetarian restaurant: Zen Palate, at their location in Union Square that since closed. Then I went to others, like Gobo or Angelica kitchen, the latter being the worst vegetarian meal I ever had, the food being bland and mushy.  I discovered Table Verte beginning of the year, and it made me realize how we easily get stuck with labels. Think about it: in Italian restaurant, we may order pasta with a tomato and basil sauce. We do not call that vegetarian. A cheese pizza is not called vegetarian. A ratatouille is not called vegetarian. etc. etc. I could go forever with dishes that we love but never think about associating them with being vegetarian. 

Execute Chef Ken Larsen (left) & Sous Chef Matt Roth

So, what makes Table Verte different from other vegetarian restaurants?  Over there, Ken Larsen, the Executive Chef (who lived and worked in France) crafted a menu where he did not try to replace the meat or fish by other soy based proteins such as seitan or tofu. In the years he worked in France, he understood the importance of the garnish on the plate. In France, everything has to taste good: the garnish included. So, he decided to eliminate the meat and make the garnish the star of the dish. He also does not try to recreate a specific dish, but rather be inspired by it and make his own creation.

The difference between my last visit and today was, besides new dishes, that they replaced the a la carte formula by a series of prix-fixe menus. I admit that I prefer when both a la carte and prix-fixe are available, as we sometimes just want to have one dish each. 

So, here we are at Table Verte (the green table), in the dining room, where all tables are...green.

We decided to share some dishes and started with appetizers. We started off with roasted Brussels sprouts with balsamic glazed strawberries.

I rediscovered Brussels sprouts few years ago, after eating a couple in a restaurant, regretting not to have more on my plate. Yes, when I was a kid, I hated it, but it might have been the way my Mom cooked them (Sorry Mom!) or maybe my palate evolved...What was interesting with this dish was the pairing with strawberries, not a sweet and salty combination because strawberries are not that sweet, but rather adding a different texture and maybe a delicate sour taste that made this dish successful.

The second dish was beets with a horseradish sherbet:

Chef Larsen thought about this dish after a trip in France back in August where he tried some crepes with savory flavored sherbets. Although it was very creative, it was my least favorite dish, the sherbet being a bit too icy and not having that much taste.

Then, we got my favorite appetizer: truffled mushroom duxelle.

Chef Larsen wanted to add a spread on the menu, similar to a pâté that is a traditional appetizer in France. The presentation was identical, with cornichons and mustard, but, instead of bread, he made a pâte sablée that is a rich crumbly crust.

The way you eat it is by putting a some duxelle on the pâte sablée, with or without mustard.

I have to say that I loved that dish. When it came to the table, we could smell the truffle, and the taste of the mushrooms was divine.

Then, for the entrées, we picked the eggplant lasagna:

It was made of goat cheese, Swiss cheese, spice roasted eggplant, harissa chickpea ragu and sautéed spinach. The pasta was cooked al dente. Jodi loved it to say the least! I liked it, especially because there was lost of cheese and was expecting a little kick from the harissa, but it was not the case.

The second entrée was Olive Polenta, made with an onion confit (fantastic!), roasted peppers, artichokes and cippolini onions with parsley caper sauce.

The presentation was sensational and it was as if the delicious olive polenta was like a piece of meat, soft, but not too much, perfectly paired with the onions that gave some sweetness to the dish and the haricots verts some crunch. 

These two entrées are the perfect example of dishes that do not need meat or fish and left us satisfied. But of course not enough to skip dessert! We ordered the Banana Brûlée made of French pastry cream, sweet cookies, with a caramelized sugar coating:

If you like banana, you cannot miss this dessert that is between the banana pudding and the creme brûlée.

It was creamy and not too sweet; so good that we finished it!

The second dessert was the tarte au chocolat:

I had that dessert last time, but it slightly changed: the crust was made with raisins this time and you could definitely taste it. 

The chocolate part was rich, dense with a strong chocolate taste and if you wonder how they make it, I know that they replace the butter with avocado that is a perfect substitute and a vegan dessert. 

I had again a nice dinner at Table Verte, a restaurant that more carnivores should know!

Enjoy (I did)!

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