Lunch at Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar in NYC, New York

It has been a while since I wanted to go to Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar; I was curious, probably because of the word Chocolate in the name.  I was imagining dishes made with chocolate like Seppi's, the restaurant that used to be at the Parker Meridien Hotel proposed in its Chocolate Brunch. I was wrong. Only desserts and drinks have this fantastic ingredient.

Anyway, we were there, one week day I was not working, so we could benefit from the lunch prix-fixe at $9.95. The place was nice and modern and the service courteous and efficient.

Before we started, they brought us some bread with some tapenade, a black olive spread that was delicious and not too salty.

I ate it with a sip of Coke...

Jodi decided to order a salad. She ordered the Italian Fruta Mista:

The salad looked fantastic: colorful and very appetizing! It was delicious and very refreshing with all the fruits (mango and strawberries) that paired perfectly with the mozzarella.

On my side, I ordered the prix-fixe for $9.95. For a starter, I ordered the eggplant spread and for the main, a mini panini, Prosciutto Di Parma, composed of prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, aged parmesan cheese and basil. It was served with a salad. When the plate came, I was really surprised by the quantity...

It looked nice, but was quite small. For sure, if you have a good appetite, this is your appetizer! It was good though! The panini was crispy, however, I wish there was more stuff inside as you could barely taste the cheese. The eggplant puree was very good and tasty.

As I was still hungry and wanted to experience the chocolate part of the restaurant, we decided to order the chocolate molten cake:

It was good and the chocolate inside was gooey. That is what I am talking about!!!

Lunch at Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar was good but clearly not enough for me! Fortunately, we had other eating plans for the afternoon...But this is another story!

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Dinner at Empire Steakhouse in NYC, New York

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

I was invited by Empire Steakhouse for dinner, to try some of their dishes. I have to say that I was really excited about it as I love steaks! I said it many times on this blog: the meat in the US is much better than the meat in France, even meat from a boeuf Charolais! I think restaurants, especially steakhouses pay more attention to serve the best quality ("prime" label) and more and more are dry aging their meat, a process that allows the meat to be tender and with more flavor. I always tell visitors from France that they should go to a steakhouse and each time, they recognize that my assertion above is true.

To give you an idea, Empire Steakhouse has been founded by the Sinaraj brothers who also own Ben & Jack's in New York. They get their meat from local markets and dry-aged them for 21 to 28 days. Too bad I could not see their dry-aging room: I bet I would have drooled all over the floor!!! Apparently, they are serving around 1000 steaks a week!

The decor is different from most of the steakhouses: this 180 seats is not dark and full of leather or dark wood. That's good: at least I can see what I am eating as we say that we eat first with our eyes! I also could have a nice conversation with Jodi without screaming as I noticed that most of the Steakhouses are loud!

They sat us at a table that conveniently overlooked most of the dining room and the restaurant was packed (it was a Saturday evening)! 

They first brought us some bread and butter:

and I ordered a glass of Pinot Noir that is one of my favorite wines when eating a steak, because it is fully bodied and pairs well with the taste of the meat, moreover with stronger flavors like lamb.

For starters, Jodi ordered a Caesar salad.

There was a nice quantity of cheese on it and the salad was not overdressed. So it was a good start.

On my side, I ordered one of my favorites appetizers in a Steakhouse: crab cakes!

The presentation was very nice and the crab cake decent, but not the best I ever had. I thought at that point that they were made with the meat from the claw that is less tasty and has a bit of sweetness (I confirmed it later with the restaurant). So I did not get that smooth taste so particular to crab. 

For steaks, instead of going for their signature dish that the porterhouse is, we decided to order our favorite pieces of meat. Jodi got the filet mignon (16 oz):

And I got the ribeye, bone in (24 oz):

Both steaks were cooked to perfect temperature (medium for Jodi - pink in the center -  and medium-rare for me). They were a bit juicy (I prefer more juice personally) and very tender. But, between the two, I preferred the ribeye (I always do!): it had a nice char, a bit of fat (love it!) and was even tastier close to the bone. With the steaks, we tried their own steak sauce that was pretty good.

For sides, we had the onion rings and cottage fries (that are in fact chips):

It was very good: both were not greasy nor soggy. The fact that they proposed homemade chips (that were crispy by the way) is a nice alternative to fries.

We also ordered some sautéed mushrooms with onions:

This was fantastic and even better than the onion rings and potato chips!

The sides we got were good and they offer a very nice choice; I just wish that Steakhouses put on their menu a killer Mac & Cheese that is the perfect side for a steak, especially if truffles are added...

At this point, we got just enough courage to order a dessert. We decided to go for the key lime pie:

It was served with a nice quantity of homemade whipped cream:

First of all, it was great to have the whipped cream because it cut the sweetness from the pie. I could have eaten that whipped cream, that was very light, just straight from the bowl! 

The key lime pie was light and not too sweet. The crust was like a Graham Cracker crust and was slightly buttery. Good dessert!

So, we had a nice dinner at Empire Steachouse. What is interesting is that the owners worked as waiters at Peter Luger, same as Wolfgang Zwiener, the owner of Wolfgang's Steakhouse, that I visited already. But, contrary to Wolfgang's Steakhouse, they brought with them the basic rules that make the difference between good service and hospitality...

Enjoy (I did)!

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Ramen at East Noodle and Izakaya in NYC, New York

As the weather is still good to enjoy ramen (meaning not in the heat of the Summer!), we decided to go have this delicious dish for lunch. At first, we wanted to go to Ramen Setagaya, even if it had a B rating...As we were there early, we decided to walk around the block. We then saw Ramen Misoya that had miso ramen with corn that, from what I understand, is typical from Hokaido. So we decided to go there instead, despite the same B rating. Again, as we had a bit of time, we walked further and this is how we found East Noodle and Izakaya with its A rating. Imagine that at that point, we had 3 choices and had to decide how to pick; well, it was not that complicated: we chose the restaurant with the highest grade! That is how we ended up at East Noodle and Izakaya.

It is a nice size restaurant compared to the other ones and was not very crowded. 

The decor is very colorful with beautiful lanterns surrounding the counter and dark wood for the floor and furniture.

Jodi ordered the Shoyu ramen, that is made of a pork broth with soy sauce, braised pork, vegetable and a boiled egg.

I ordered the Pork Belly ramen that is apparently very popular there.

The broth was pork based and it was served with pork belly, vegetables and a boiled egg.

In both dishes, the pork was very good, tasty and tender, although I preferred the pork belly that was fattier. Both broth were fantastic: light and not too salty, they were quite flavorful. The noodles were tender and in fact, the one in the Shoyu ramen were more on the yellow side than the other, maybe because they contained more eggs.

We really enjoyed the ramen at East Noodle. I think that it is a good alternative to Ippudo if you go for the food, that is cheaper, and less for the ambiance. 

Last, know that in Japan, they say that ramen is great when you have dinner with somebody you do not want to talk to (they have to concentrate on slurping). Just a little tip in case you end up in with a bad date...

Enjoy (I did)!

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Japanese Burger at Kobeyaki in NYC, New York

A Japanese burger! Doesn't that sound cool? Well, that was something I had to definitely try! In fact, I noticed Kobeyaki few weeks ago, when we went to BRGR.

The place has a nice and simple decor that is a mix between a burger joint and a Japanese restaurant.

The way it works is that you first order the food and then pick it up at the pick up counter.

You can order burgers, rolls, bowls, salad or soups. We were there of course for the burgers! Once it is ready, just pick up your tray full of these nicely wrapped items you just ordered!

Each burger was served with  lettuce, cucumber, carrot, cabbage, scallions and kaiware (daikon radish). Jodi ordered the veggie burger:

It was made of grilled vegetables, portobello, cream cheese, panko, spicy mayo and nori (seaweed). It was good but quite messy to eat as it was kind of falling apart. It was also missing a bit of texture...

I ordered the Kobe beef burger:

It was composed of kobe beef, teriyaki onions, teriyaki ketchup and spicy mayo. I loved it! It was very good, tender and juicy, with some fantastic flavors that were with no doubt inspired from Japanese cuisine!

For the sides, I was a bit disappointed as the choice was limited! The fried item they had was the tempura sweet potato fries.

They were superb: not greasy and a bit crunchy. Interestingly, Jodi who does not like sweet potato ate few of them! To dip them, do not look for regular ketchup or mayonnaise! No, try the teriyaki ketchup, wasabi mayonnaise (my favorite) or the spicy mayo.

The burgers at Kobeyaki are quite good and a nice fusion between a standard dish in American cuisine, prepared with Japanese flavors. Definitely something to try!

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Danish cuisine at Aamanns Copenhagen in NYC, New York

As I mentioned in my bio,  I tend to talk more about food than anything else when I come back from a trip, even if I was astonished with what I have seen...For me, traveling is a whole experience: I will not go to, let say for argument sake, Italy and eat French food or a burger! I will want to eat some local food. Traveling everywhere is a nice wish, if not a dream. But eating different cuisines is not, especially in New York City, where there are so many restaurants that serve food I would have never tried before. For instance, you do not need to go to Ethiopia to eat Ethiopian food! Well, now, you do not have to go to Denmark to try Danish food! We wanted to try Danish food because Jodi has a friend, a fellow artist named Anne (you can check Anne's website here), who lives in Denmark and we were curious about the Danish cuisine. Anne mentioned Aamanns-Coppenhagen in Tribeca; so here we are!

I have to say that I did not know what to expect from that place. This place has a spectacular setting: the ceilings are very, very high and they have an incredible bar with a shelf that goes so high that I doubt anybody would try to get the bottle on top! The furniture is modern and looks a bit like the furniture you would find at Ikea in term of style (well maybe a Scandinavian style?). What I truly appreciated there is the fact that there was space between tables (great, I did not have to hear the conversation of the other guests)!

After we sat, they brought us a bottle of water that had a black stick in it.

At first, I thought it was some sort of licorice to give a taste to the water, but there was no specific taste. So we asked the waitress and she told us that it was Japanese charcoal, used to purify water. I am glad that I did not try to take a bite of it! 

Of course, waiting for the food, I ordered a glass of Aquavit, a snaps distilled from grains or, in Denmark, from potatoes.

Aamanns serves different flavors. I ordered cranberry, but as they were out of it, I ended up with a lemon aquavit. This was good, but strong (it contains approx. 40% alcohol). 

Concerning the food, what I really like about that place, is that they offer a tasting menu for $46 called Taste of Copenhagen ($34 for lunch). As we wanted to try different dishes on the menu, this is what we ordered!

The first dishes were Smørrebrød:

A Smørrebrød is an open faced sandwich. When we asked the waitress what it meant, she said that Smør is butter and brød is bread. It makes sense! So, we had 4 of them (from left to right):

• Salted brisket, horseradish cream, pear and parsley
• Kale “tartare” with endives, apples and walnuts in a creamy vinaigrette
• Roast beef sirloin with crispy onions, remoulade sauce and freshly grated horseradish
• Beet-cured hake, scallions, dill and rosemary

The bread used is rye bread, but not the typical rye bread you find here: it is denser and more like a multi grain rye bread. I really enjoyed the Smørrebrød, especially the layers of flavors. Well, in fact the only one I did not like was the Kale "tartare" one as I am not a big fan of kale...And on top of that, the rye bread is homemade!!!

Then was a Herring tasting. It was composed of:

Herring pickled with juniper berries, black pepper, all spice and bay leaf, with capers, egg, onions and crispy rye bread:

Herring in spicy tomato compote with fresh tomato and endives:

I loved it! The first one was a little sweet, but they smartly put capers on it, that gave some saltiness to the dish. The taste of the herring was less strong than in the second one, where it really came through. I did not find the tomato compote to be spicy personally.

As Jodi does not like herring, they graciously accepted to serve her a fish cake:

This dish, called “Fiskefrikadeller” was a pan-fried fish cake served with remoulade, pickled cucumber on rye bread.  

It was very good! The fish cake was not greasy and was a bit crispy. I admit that I forgot what the fish was...It was a white fish, flaky with a delicate taste, similar to cod.

Then, we got a beef tartare and a pork pâté:

The beef tartare was served with an egg emulsion, tarragon, cornichons, capers, onion rings and crispy potatoes. It was good but a bit bland. I think that the potatoes and capers were a nice addition as it gave some texture, crispiness and saltiness to the dish, that would have otherwise be boring!

The second dish on the plate was the pâté of pork served warm with parsley, aquavit, fresh hazelnuts, pickled apples, celery and watercress. I loved it! It had bold flavors that were fantastic and was rustic at the same time. It was definitely one of my favorite dishes!

Last, we finished with cheese served the Danish way with butter-fried rye bread and a sweet and spicy relish:

Although I love cheese, I was a bit disappointed because I expected some Danish cheeses. Instead, they served us Brie de Meaux and Mimolette from France and a German cheese similar to blue. I think that, as they did not serve any Danish cheeses, they should have proposed a dessert like the rye bread cake that is on their menu. The best part of this was the rye bread that was fried in butter! It was so good!!!

The meal at Aamanns-Copenhagen was delicious and the tasting, a great way to try different Danish dishes, probably a bit elevated for the restaurant, although I cannot tell you if it is like that in Denmark. The food and the atmosphere were nice, but I have to mention that the kitchen was a bit slow...

The real question after this meal is: now that I have eaten Danish food, does that make me a Viking?

Enjoy (I did)!



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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Croque Monsieur at La Maison du Croque Monsieur in NYC, New York

Union Square has lots of cheap and delicious eateries, probably because of the proximity of NYU. Our last discovery is La Maison Du Croque Monsieur, the place of Yves Jadot and Alberto Benenati from La Petit Abeille.

I do not remember that Croque Monsieur was that popular when I was in France. My Mom used to cook it from time to time, very simply, and there were even, sometimes, some variation of it, with Crème fraîche and a slice of tomato. Because Croque Monsieur was a quick and simple sandwich to make, we never put any Béchamel sauce. The original version of Croque Monsieur was with cheese (usually Emmental or Gruyère cheese) and ham. The béchamel inside and outside makes it a fancier version, not to mention when there is béchamel and cheese on top: even fancier!

So, La Maison Du Croque Monsieur is serving a simpler version, as well as some variation of it, using cheese from Murray's. 

It is a small place with two tiny floors. We ordered and then went upstairs where they brought us our food.

Of course, we decided to try the original Croque Monsieur, Croque Mr Henry, made with jambon de Paris (ham), Béchamel sauce and a choice of cheese (we picked Comté  from France).

The second Croque Monsieur was Mr Eduardo (Bresaola, Béchamel, Smoked Mozzarella & Truffle Oil).

I have to say that I preferred Mr Eduardo: tastier, it had fantastic flavors from the bresaola and the smoked mozzarella, with the truffle oil really coming through. The original Croque was good, but the flavors did not stand out. I think it was missing a bit of béchamel sauce and cheese.

We also got one Croque for dessert...The Mr Gonzalo.

It was made of banana, nutella (hazelnut chocolate spread) and mascarpone.

This was succulent! Think about it: banana and nutella are the perfect combination for either a sandwich or a crepe. The mascarpone was kind of non-existent in it, maybe because there was not that much. This sandwich was slightly warm, so the nutella was melting a bit, dripping down on my fingers...A bit challenging to eat, but who cares! 

Even if the original Croque Monsieur was not my favorite, I really enjoyed La Maison du Croque Monsieur! It is an original and very affordable place: $32 for 3 sandwiches, chips and a bottle of water. Not bad!

Enjoy (I did)!

 


And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

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Neapolitan Pizza at San Matteo Pizzeria in NYC, New York

After watching the TV show "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" that took place in Naples, and seeing some mouth watering Neapolitan pizza, we decided to try San Matteo on the Upper East Side. What I did not know, before watching the show and looking on the internet, is that there are certain rules to follow for the pizza to be called Neapolitan. These rules can be found on the website of The True Neapolitan Pizza Association. For instance:

• The dough ball must weigh between 180 and 250 grams.
• ingredients should be flour type "00", sea salt and water with a Ph of 6 to 7 (with a temperature of 20 to 22 degree Celsius). The yeast must be compressed, biologically produced.
• The pizza is created with a single dough ball, with a motion from the center outward, and with the pressure from the fingers from both hands. From the center, the thickness must be about 0.4 cm (+ or - 10%) and the border 1 to 2 cm.

These are just few examples, but there are plenty of rules such as which tomatoes to use. And I do not know why, but knowing this made me look at the pizza differently!

So here we are on the Upper East Side, excited to go to a restaurant that is making such pizza. Walking there, I have to say that we could have missed it, also because we were not expecting such a tiny place!

I liked the place: small with a lot of character, it had some authenticity to it and a rustic feel.

In the back of the room, was the brick oven, another criterion to have a pizza called Neapolitan!

We started off with the burrata:

The plate was very appetizing and had fantastic colors between the green from the salad and the olives, the red from the tomatoes and the black of the balsamic vinegar, that contrasted perfectly with the white of the burrata. If you do not know what burrata is, it is made of mozzarella (outer shell) with cheese inside. Fresh, it is exquisite!

From the discussion we had with the people from the restaurant, we understood that there were shipping their mozzarella directly from Italy!

This burrata was good, but not the best I ever tried for sure. I found that the mozzarella was a bit tougher than it should be. I, anyway, enjoyed it!

Then, we got a pizza! We decided to go with a traditional one: the Margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil).

I could have definitely eaten that pizza myself. Again, the contrast of colors and the blob of the crust made it extremely appetizing. Just look at the crust on the photo below and tell me you would not want a bite of it!

Yes, that crust was fantastic, as was the pizza! It tasted fresh (they put fresh basil leaves) and they were generous with the mozzarella. It was soft in the center and crispy on the outside. Perfect and yummy!

San Matteo is definitely a little gem on the Upper East Side! The food is good and the service courteous and fast. I definitely want to try other pizzas over there!

Enjoy (I did)!

 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

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Bibimbap at Bann in NYC, New York

You know, sometimes you taste a dish and it becomes The Dish you would like to try in many restaurants, to find out which one serves the best, if the flavors can be different from one restaurant to another or simply because you like it! For me, it is all of that for Bibimbap! What is strange is that I do not have the same reaction with fried rice, although Bibimbap could be compared to it in a certain way (I hope I am not offending anybody...).

One of my colleagues, Hamid, suggested to try Bann, a Korean restaurant that also has bar and lounge at the entrance, making it look fancy.

The layout of the restaurant is quite interesting in fact: when you enter, you pass the bar, then the kitchen with its counter, and then you see this big dining room that was very dark.

After we ordered, they brought us the usual Banchan, these small dishes they serve you in Korean restaurants.

I have to say that I was a bit disappointed because usually, they bring you 6 to 8 different small dishes. Here it was only three and only the kimchi was great!

We got ourselves the Dol Sol Bibimbap. Jodi picked the vegetarian one and I got the chicken one.

In fact, mine was similar to the one Jodi got, except that it had chicken. This chicken was moist and tasty and overall, the dish was very good and flavorful. The stone bowl was extremely hot and did its job by burning the rice and creating a crust that was fantastic! 

Outside of Koreatown, Bann is definitely a place to recommend for bibimbap!

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
 

Press Dinner at Thalassa in Tribeca - NYC, New York

If you follow this blog, you will probably think that this is deja vu! No, you are not mistaken: I went to Thalassa already for a press dinner and the review was just ok as there were some mishaps. So, their PR proposed that I come back as they acknowledged that there were some issues that night I went. I accepted of course as, after I wrote my review and posted it, I checked other bloggers' reviews and they seem ecstatic about that place. After all, everybody can have a bad day and I wonder if, knowing that you will serve people who will write about your food, can add a bit of pressure to the kitchen.

As a reminder, when you will read this revisiting post, please remember that the restaurant knew who we were and served us a complementary tasting menu of their choice.

So what makes Thalassa different from other Greek restaurants in the city? It is definitely the fish selection. Anyway, doesn't Thalassa mean "The Sea"?

They have this great fish display where you can see the fish selection and you can order fish by the pound.

In fact, the Chef, Raphael Abrahante, told us that he tries to only buy wild fish as opposed to farm raised. Of course, the price will be different from the market to the plate.

So, here I was at Thalassa, still remembering the place: modern with a spectacular decor designed by a French architect, Jean-Pierre Heim. The bar still looked fantastic with the blue lights and I decided this time to order a ouzo mojito, as we were waiting for other guests to arrive.

The cocktail was pretty good, combining perfectly the anise flavor of the ouzo and the mint. They definitely score some points on the cocktails as I still remember the delicious Greek Pear Martini I had last time.

Once everybody was there, we sat at the table and started our dinner. It seemed very familiar: olive oil, olives, eggplant with roasted red pepper and crostini.

Then, started our culinary adventure that I thought would not stop...

The Cod Fritter:

It was a perfect bite: tasty and not greasy, this is the type of dish I would for sure eat at Happy Hour.

Horiatiki or what any of us would call a Greek salad when ordering in order not to sound ridiculous!

It was composed of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and peppers with Dodonis feta. Light an fresh,  I liked the fact that they removed the skin from the tomatoes, leaving the crunchiness to the cucumbers and peppers.

Pikilia or Mediterranean dips:

This is a great meze to share. They were served with warm homemade pita.

My favorite remains the eggplant dip for sure!

Zucchini and Eggplant chips:

It was fried zucchini and eggplant with Tzatziki sauce (kind on the middle of this veggie tower) and saganaki graviera cheese. I started with the saganaki that was fantastic! I love that cheese, that is a bit salty and has a semi firm texture. The chips were awesome: slightly warm, they are crispy and not greasy. They paired perfectly with the tzatziki sauce.


Next, we got the Bakalao:

Bakalao is cod croquettes with garlic–almond mousse over sliced roasted beets. First of all, the color of the beets was beautiful! Then, the taste of the dish was fantastic: the croquette was perfectly cooked, a bit crispy, with the fish still moist. The beets were a nice pairing with it.

The Octopodi:

This is one of their signature dishes: grilled octopus, extra virgin olive oil & red wine vinegar, gigantes beans. The octopus was amazing: it had a nice char and was very tender, thanks to the technic, that includes massaging from the Chef!

Then we got two ceviches:

The Fluke Ceviche

The Arctic Char Ceviche

The ceviche were very refreshing and had a nice acidity. It was served with fried oysters that were pretty good. The fish was and tasted very fresh and delicate.

The tartare trio:

It was composed of Royal Dorado, Tuna and Lavraki (aka Branzino or Loup de mer - Lean white fish with mild, moist tender flakes) with taramosalata, tzatziki and garlic almond mousse drizzled with truffle oil. It was a nice an refreshing appetizer. The garlic almond mousse was very good, however, I did not taste any truffle oil.

The Main Diver Scallops:

This is another signature dish. The last time, I did not like it at all, but this time, it was a hit! The perfectly cooked scallop was wrapped in kataifi filo with sheep’s milk butter and Kalamata balsamic reduction. The shell was crispy, a bit messy to eat if you like clean bites, but it was so good, with a nice balance between the butter and the acidity of the balsamic reduction. Fantastic!

The last dish before dessert (I started to get full at that point!) was the Branzino (aka Lavraki or Loup de mer):

They brought it whole, so we could see it, before cutting the filets and serving it to us with collar greens.

The fish was perfectly cooked, flakey and moist. It was served with capers that added some saltiness to it. I really liked it, but there were quite few bones...

The feast was not over! After that, came desserts! Know that the Chef has not been trained as a Pastry Chef, that is amazing considering the desserts below!

Valrhona Chocolate Molten Cake:

I love this type of cake, except when the center is overcooked and not overflowing, which was not the case here!

The Mastiha Panna Cotta:

It was topped with fresh strawberries. I loved it! It was so light and not too sweet! Perfect!

The Baklava:

I was disappointed by it: it was unfortunately dry! Too bad as it was the only traditional Greek dessert!

The Ekmek:

Ekmek is Kataifi & Cream with Pistachios wrapped in a Valrhona Chocolate Dome. The dome was a bit tough to break.

But when broken, it was a nice sight! This was a delicious dessert: the filling inside the dome was more like a creamy ice cream with a bit of crunch from the chocolate. One of my favorites!

This dinner was spectacular and night and day compared to the first Press Dinner I attended last year. The fish was really the star! So, I definitely changed my mind on Thalassa! Surely a place to recommend!

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
 

Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria in NYC, New York

I am a big fan of Chef Mario Batali and used to watch him on Iron Chef America. I love his spirit and creativity; he does not seems, at least on TV, to be one of these Chefs who think they are better than everybody else. What he did with Checf Bastianich at Eataly is phenomenal, bringing the best of Italian food in the heart of NYC!

So, this time, we went to Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria. The place is big, with three main rooms. The first one reminds me of Eataly with the high tables where you can have some delicious food:

We sat at the main dining room, that was very classy but had a rustic feel to it. 

Another similarity with Eataly is the way they serve bread, in brown paper, with some delicious olive oil:

Interestingly, they played some Italian opera, that sometimes was a bit too aggressive for my ears, but quite funny considering that I could easily imagine Chef Batali singing it while cooking.

We decided to share some antipasti (from my most to least favorite - clockwise):

• Eggplant Caponatina: eggplants with tomatoes and pine nuts.
• Funghi Misti: sauteed mushrooms.
• Brussel sprouts.

Then, we got the Quattro Formaggi pizza:

The cheeses are: mozzarella, taleggio (one of my favorites!), cacio and ricotta. As you can see on the photo, the way they serve it is different from other pizzerias: usually, the different cheeses are mixed. Here, they stand on their own quarter of pizza! I was at first a bit disappointed as I love when the pizza is overflown by cheese that are mixed together. But, then, I was able to try each of them and it was great! My favorite was of course the taleggio, then the cacio, the ricotta and the mozzarella. The pizza sauce was delicious with a rich tomato taste, and the thin crust of the pizza was splendid.

Last, I ordered a hazelnut hot chocolate with whipped cream and shortbread (was in fact a biscotti):

I loved it! I was scared at first that the hazelnut would overpower the chocolate, but it was not the case: the rich flavor of the cocoa came through and was really comforting. This is definitely a great hot cocoa!

We had a great lunch at Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria: they have a large choice of antipasti that are a nice option for sharing and I would probably go back to try some of their homemade pasta or a different kind of pizza. Note that they offer a large selection of wine and even give some wine classes over the week end.  On Tuesdays, they sometimes host wine and cheese events!

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Lunch at Benoit in NYC, New York

I had lunch at Benoit recently! Benoit is a classic Parisian brasserie that Chef Alain Ducasse opened in 2008, replacing La Cote Basque. What I did not know is that there is an original Benoit in Paris that opened in 1912 by Benoit Matray. This family restaurant was then sold in 2005 to Alain Ducasse. I might have to check that out the next time I am in Paris, although, it seems to be a bit pricey (not that the one in NYC is not)...

I was excited for sure as I recently read some articles about Alain Ducasse who was ranked number 6 Most successful Chef by Forbes in 2012 and number 1 of the French Chefs in revenue: 120 Million Euros, 27 restaurants all over the world and 19 Michelin stars (the second is Joel Robuchon with 75 Million Euros, 16 restaurants and 28 Michelin stars). 

People often say that Benoit is a casual brasserie: I kind of disagree! It is an upscale brasserie with a splendid decor, especially the huge vase in the back of the dining room, the walls covered in mirrors and the old style ads.

While we were waiting for out meal to come, they brought us some delicious  gougères, that are cheese puffs (choux).

These savory delicacies were light and airy. They are a bad idea to serve before lunch, because you can't stop eating them!!!

The traditional bread and butter followed.

So, here are some of the dishes I tried!

The country salad: frisée, lardons, poached egg and croutons.

I am not a big fan of frisée salad because it can sometimes be very bitter, but it was not the case. I liked the light dressing. The poached egg was perfectly cooked and created like a secondary sauce. It was very delicate.

The escargots de Bourgogne:

They were good, especially the parsley and butter sauce that I could just eat with bread!

The special of the day: seared scallops:

I have to admit that this being a special and as I never take notes, I do not remember what the sauce was made of...They were served with salsify, that I usually do not like, but not this time. The scallops had a nice sear and a bit of salt on the outside that gave a little crunch. Unfortunately, I found them to be undercooked inside. 

The cassoulet:

It has been a while since I had cassoulet and in fact, I thought about it thanks to the vegetarian cassoulet I had at Table Verte recently! The way they serve it and the way it looks is very rustic: I love it!

Cassoulet is a traditional dish from the South West of France. It is a slow cooked casserole made of white beans and meat, usually pork and duck. In this one, there was duck confit, pork sausage and pork meat (not sure if it was pork belly).

The dish was rich and earthy. It was definitely slow cooked all together and was not just put together once I ordered it! The beans were melting in my mouth, as did the duck that was delicious and did not have too much saltiness to it. This is the perfect example of a traditional French dish where the taste supersedes the presentation.

Then I could not leave without having the Baba!

Baba is a yeast cake that will be saturated with a hard liquor, usually rum. At Benoit, it is Armagnac. They first bring the cake, pour the armagnac and then put some delicious homemade whipped cream (they leave you the rest of it on the table in case you did not get enough...). This is the second time I have this dessert there and it is fantastic! Definitely a recommendation!

Interestingly and for those with a sweet tooth, they give you a delicious homemade meringue cookie when you leave! What? After all this food?

Benoit definitely met my expectations! Delicious food, great service in a beautiful decor!

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
 

Burger at BRGR in NYC, New York

It had probably been 2 years since I went to BRGR that used to be one of my favorite burger restaurant. You probably wonder why I did not come back if it was so good. The answer is simple: there are so many places that are serving burgers now, that I really wanted to try different ones. So, I was excited to go!!!

The restaurant is still the same: two large tables at the entrance (8 seats), seats at the counter or close to it, and the tables with a very colorful banquette made of cushion that looks like buns. 

Concerning the food, you first order at the counter and then they give you a number to identify where they have to bring the order. You can either pick the burgers they propose, or build your own. For this, you have to pick:

- the patty (grass fed beef, turkey or veggie),

- the bun (brioche or whole wheat),

- the cheese (cheddar, american...)

- the sauce (ketchup, mayo...)

- toppings (mushrooms, onions, pickles...)

Jodi got the beef patty with a brioche bun, cheddar, sauteed mushrooms and pickles.

I ordered a beef patty with a brioche bun, sauteed mushrooms, ketchup and mayo. Believe it or not: I completely forgot to ask for cheese!!!

Anyway, I got some of the burger from Jodi...The meat was very good: cooked medium, it was very tasty and juicy. Unfortunately, the bun, that was not toasted and although very good, was too thick and the proportion bun / patty was at the disadvantage of the beef. 

For sides, we got fries, sweet potato fries and onion hay. 

We got in fact what they call on their menu the trio. It was pretty good and not too greasy. My favorite is definitely the onion hay!

I was a bit disappointed by the burgers at BRGR, not because of the meat, but more the brioche that kind of overshadowed the beef patty that was good. What I like though is the fact that they propose several sides. Not on the top, but still to be mentioned.

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Burger at Colicchio and Sons in NYC, New York

Last year, we went to Colicchio and Sons for Jodi's Birthday and had a memorable dinner there! In my post (check out my review of Colicchio and Sons here), I mentioned this guy at the bar who ordered a burger that looked delicious. So this time, we decided to try it out! 

Imagine this burger, called the TC burger: the blend of meat (apparently secret) is topped with drunken onions (in wine) and aged pecorino cheese, and then gently squeezed between a homemade brioche bun previously toasted. 

The burger was served with homemade BBQ chips and a pickle.

The ratio patty / brioche was perfect and the burger was cooked to the requested temperature (medium) with a nice char outside. When I cut it into two, it rejected lots of juice: definitely not a dry burger and I enjoyed the juiciness of the meat until the last bite (sometimes all the juice is gone and you end up with a dryer piece of meat between your fingers). 

It had fantastic flavors and that day, there was truffle in it (not sure they put some all the time) that we could definitely taste. The meat had a strong taste and did not get overpowered by the aged pecorino or the drunken onions that liberated wine flavors that paired well with the meat. The first bite was divine, as were the ones following it. Quickly, you realize your plate is empty...so sad...

With the burger, were served some BBQ chips that were good, but I wish they were just homemade potato chips; it is just a personal preference though. 

What was great on the plate was the pickle that had a surprising sweetness. It reminded me of an episode of Top Chef where the contestants had to serve a dish where a pickle was the star. CJ decided to serve a burger that was, according to Chef Colicchio not that good. After tasting his, I understand why CJ screwed up...

I would like to mention the service also: I think that Colicchio and Sons knows what hospitality is! The service was courteous, efficient and made us feel welcome. Seems to be the motto there: hospitality! 

To conclude this post, I would say that the TC burger is for me the top in its category (burgers more than $15, this one being $18 at the time of this post). I will definitely recommend it moving forward to the burger fans I know!!!

Enjoy (I surely did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
 

Cheap Lunch at V{IV} A Thai restaurant in NYC, New York

Usually, for a cheap delicious lunch, I am thinking about eating Thai or Chinese as most of the restaurants serving these types of cuisines offer lunch specials or lunch menus that are usually good deals. Viv is no exception, although, entering in the restaurant, you would think that you are in a fancier version of most of the Thai restaurants in NYC or even in a lounge! The decor is splendid with black everywhere: from the walls to the ceiling, to the granite tables. It is a great choice to make the colors of the food stick out!

So I went for the lunch menu that offered an appetizer and an entree for less than $8. What was interesting is that they proposed choices for the appetizers; usually, you only get a spring roll. At Viv, you could get:

Spring rolls:

Edamame:

Or Fried Calamari:

I ordered the fried calamari that were fantastic: not rubbery and not greasy, it was crispy and the sweet chili sauce with it made it scrumptious!

For the entree, I ordered my usual Chicken Curry Massaman:

There was a nice quantity of it and as you can see, they were generous with the avocado that was ripe. The sauce was divine and had just a bit of kick. The only negative was that the pieces of chicken were too big. Otherwise, it was a very tasty dish.

Viv is for sure a great place for a cheap lunch: definitely an address to keep in mind!

Enjoy (I did)!

Brunch at Market Table in NYC, New York

We went for brunch on a Sunday with some dear friends to Market Table in the West Village. This place was packed: that was a good sign! When we entered, we could see the kitchen facing the entrance and there was a fantastic buttery smell coming from it. We sat at our table and asked for some coffee and tea, before ordering what would hopefully be a great brunch!

The menu was a normal size for brunch, that I always appreciate as sometimes you end up with a big menu and do not know what to pick. On top of that, I prefer a restaurant that executes well a short menu than a restaurant that is all over the place and serves a bunch of average dishes. 

I decided to order one of my favorites for brunch: the eggs benedict!

The poached eggs were served with prosciutto on delicious buttermilk biscuits. I can tell you that these eggs were perfectly cooked! I hate when poached eggs are overcooked!

The yolk was perfectly runny! There were also few homemade potatoes that were very good. I have to confess that I was surprised at first by the small quantity of potatoes on the plate. But in fact, the biscuits fill you up pretty quickly.

Jodi ordered the bacon, spinach & fontina scramble with whole wheat toasts.

The eggs were perfect too: moist, not overcooked, they had a nice quantity of fontina cheese in it. Pretty nice dish.

Market Table is a nice choice for brunch, although a bit overpriced for the quantity served (the eggs benedict were $16, same price as the burger). I might go back to try their pancakes or braised duck possole though...Oh, and I forgot to mention that you can leave a comment or note on the notebook they use to bring you the bill!

Enjoy (I did)!

Brunch at Locanda Verde in Tribeca - NYC, New York

Tribeca is a splendid neighborhood in downtown Manhattan: quiet, it is known for its Film Festival thanks to Robert De Niro, celebrities (Robert De Niro - again- with his restaurants) and its luxurious lofts that I unfortunately only saw on TV shows! 

Jodi and I wanted to go for brunch and I got the idea of Tribeca from my last visit there, to review Thalassa (check the review of Thalassa here). I looked up for restaurant and found Locanda Verde, where Chef Andrew Carmellini serves Italian cuisine. It is a gorgeous place with high ceiling in the tradition of Tribeca, wood everywhere and leather banquettes. There was definitely a warm atmosphere mixed with a feeling that it is the hype place to see and to be seen. In fact, couple of minutes after we came, we saw Katie Holmes and Suri!!!

We decided to share an appetizer and then have each an entree. We started off with the Sheep’s Milk Ricotta:

It was served with some toasted bread (burnt orange as they say, but not sure I tasted the orange flavor), truffle honey and herbs. It was very light, refreshing and delicate. You could definitely taste the truffle and I loved the sweetness of the honey that was accentuated by the cheese, ricotta being not very tasty if eaten alone. It was the perfect appetizer to share. A bit more honey would have been better considering the generous amount of ricotta they give you.

Then, Jodi got the zucchini frittata:

It was served with roasted tomatoes and goat cheese. This was just ok for me: the eggs were well cooked and moist, but the zucchini could have been cooked a bit more. I also expected more goat cheese and there was only a tiny portion of it!

I ordered the Soft Scrambled Farm Egg Crostino:

It is in fact scrambled eggs, served on a piece of toasted bread, accompanied by some speck and a salad made with leeks and mushrooms. The scrambled eggs were perfect: not overcooked, they were fluffy and moist. However, the salad was way too salty! A good dish though!

We skipped dessert as we wanted to have it somewhere else...

I enjoyed my dish and the appetizer, but the frittata was just ok. It is a good place though, but a bit pricey, that is not surprising for Tribeca...

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Ramen at Rai Rai Ken in NYC, New York

Ramen being the new trend, I asked around if people knew some good places that I did not know and my co-worker David came up with Rai Rai Ken in the East Village. So here we are, on our way to that restaurant. We passed by Ippudo that is so far one of my favorites for ramen (see the review of Ippudo here): as usual, there were plenty of people lining outside, waiting for a table. We arrived at the address and then I saw, at first, that the restaurant was closed! What a shame! 

Then I realized that they relocated 2 numbers down the street! Such a relief! Well, you know how it is: you have a plan you are excited about (yes, eating ramen is not earth shattering, but still!), and then it falls flat!

We entered the place that feels kind of zen with its wood all over. I like the concept of most of the ramen restaurants I went so far where you can sit at the counter and watch the kitchen.

The place was not that crowded, contrary to all the other ramen places we went to, but we were ready to give it a try! 

So, we started off with the pork buns:

I really liked it : the pork was perfectly cooked and moist and had just enough fat (it was not like Totto Ramen that was mainly fat!). The buns were soft and did their job in allowing me to eat that dish without ending up with sauce on my pants...The pork buns had a lot of flavors accentuated by the particular taste of the hoisin sauce. It was definitely a splendid appetizer!

Jodi ordered the vegetarian miso ramen:

It is a soy bean base broth with fried bean curd and vegetables. She asked, as usual, for a soft boil egg.

On my side, I ordered the curry noodle soup:

It was composed of: pork and chicken broth, in a curry based soup topped with roasted pork, boiled egg, scallion and seaweed. 

The presentation of the soups was fantastic: colorful with the egg (half for me???) standing out! The broth of the vegetarian miso ramen tasted and looked more like a curry infused broth than a miso one. The bean curd was pretty good, especially after being left in the broth for a bit. 

The curry broth was good, but not the best I had so far. It had nice bold flavors for sure. I think the star of the dish was the pork that was here again well cooked and tender.

Last, were the noodles: good and cooked al dente so they can continue to cook in the very hot soup. 

So, it was good: not the best I ever had, but a good alternative if you cannot get a seat at Ippudo.

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to Eat!

Virgil's Real BBQ in NYC, New York

It is no surprise that I love BBQ and when we have people visiting, it is often an option for lunch or dinner. So, this time, we went to Virgil's Real BBQ, near Times Square. The place has the feel of any BBQ places I tried: wood all other and a delicious smell of meat as soon as you enter. It was a Friday night and the place was packed! 

This whole experience started well when they gave us a towel instead of a napkin on the table.

It was definitely promising!

So we ordered food! Jodi got the Mac & Cheese, as I was going for a sampler and we were planning to share a bit.

The Mac & Cheese were so so. The cheese did not have a great of a taste and it was not as creamy as I like...

On my side, I ordered the pick 3 BBQ combo.

You pick 3 BBQ dishes, 2 sides and it is served with corn bread. I chose the BBQ chicken, the pork ribs and the beef brisket. The sides were mash potatoes and a biscuit with honey butter. Let's start with the sides: the mash potatoes were good and dense. The biscuit was terrible and the corn bread had a weird taste: clearly not your traditional corn bread...unfortunately! Clearly not the best choices.

Then the meat: the brisket was good but a bit dry. Fortunately, each table had some sauce, mild or hot to make it better! The chicken was the best part: moist with a nice and tasty skin. The worst was the rib: very dry!

I was disappointed by Virgil's BBQ. I think Brother's Jimmy and Southern Hospitality are far better: better meat and better sides. So, I will forget that one...

Enjoy (the post)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Burger and Barrel in NYC, New York

It has been a while since I wanted to try Burger & Barrel, although more interested by the burger than anything else...One would think anyway that if you have burger in the name of a restaurant, the kitchen will be able to serve an amazing one! So, we were supposed to go to the Angelika Film Center to see the West of Memphis (that I recommend) and I proposed Jodi to go have a burger before the movie. It was late afternoon on a Saturday and the place was packed! The restaurant had a warm atmosphere with an impressive collection of wine bottles on the walls. 

So we ordered our burgers. I went for the Mushrooms and gruyere one. 

It had on top of it some caramelized onions. 

Jodi ordered the vegetarian burger that was composed of a patty made with chickpea. Apparently a recipe of the house!

Both burgers came with two large onion rings and fries. 

My burger was fabulous! Perfectly cooked medium and very juicy! It tasted meat for sure! The bun was a light burger bun, very soft and not toasted. You could taste a hint of salt from either the mushrooms or onions and it was perfect, just enough. I inhaled that burger! 

Jodi's veggie burger was just ok. It reminded me of falafel (normal: it was made with chickpeas), but it was missing some texture (see photo below). 

We finished the meal with a banana cream pie.

It has some chocolate chips on top that I did not really care about. The banana cream pie was made with a thick graham cracker crust (fantastic) and real bananas! It was delish! As a separate note, I am still wondering why the chocolate chip fell off the tart...

I was satisfied at the end of the meal and pretty excited to have found another great place for burgers! Definitely a place to recommend and that I will add to my favorites!

Enjoy (I did)!

Authentic Hong Kong style Dim Sum at the Golden Unicorn in NYC, New York

Our cousins, Jessica and Michael proposed us to go see The Hobbit with their entire family and to eat before in a Chinese restaurant offering soup dumplings. I have to admit that the only restaurant serving dumplings I knew, besides Joe Shanghai, closed, so I did not have any address to suggest. Fortunately, a co-worker from Michael proposed the Golden Unicorn.

I was pretty excited to go there because I love Hong Kong style dumplings, where the staff pushes carts full of dumplings and propose them to you. If you order them, they will put a stamp on a piece of paper so they can keep track of what you eat for the check.

I had the chance to experience it in Hong Kong in the late 90's, for my first lunch there. I like the playfulness of it: they tell you what it is and you order it or not, not always knowing if the dish is what you expect or if you will even like it. Also, the food keeps coming and sometimes, even if you have a lot on the table, you may add a dish that you really like, ending up with too much food...

So, here are the dishes we ordered:

BBQ Pork Buns

Crystal Shrimp Dumplings

Pork Buns

Pork Ribs

Pork Shumai

Shrimp Shumai

Spinach and Shrimp Dumplings

Steamed Shrimp Rolls

Fried Sticky Rice

Sticky Rice

Bean curd rolls

My favorites were any dishes with shrimp, in particular the crystal shrimp dumplings and the steamed shrimp rolls. Sometimes, you are wondering where the shrimp are, but not there! Also, the BBQ pork buns were spectacular! The bun itself was so light and then in the middle, you discover this fantastic pork smothered in BBQ sauce. Last was the sticky rice either fried or cooked in banana leaf: it was so tasty and I love the texture!
My least favorites were the shrimp and spinach dumpling (the spinach overpowered the dish), the bean curd rolls (they had meat in it by the way and we thought they were vegetarian) and the pork ribs that did not look appetizing and were a bit tough.

I really enjoyed that lunch and we had a good time! The Golden Unicorn is definitely a great place for authentic dim sum!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!