Fine Dining brought to you by Delta Airlines

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

This time, the following restaurants will open:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let me know what you think about this initiative!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Recipe: Pearl Couscous Salad

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

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



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

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

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

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

Bon appétit!

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

And remember: I just want to eat!

The controversy surrounding restaurants grades in NYC!

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information about the grades, click here.

Enjoy!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Restaurant Curry in a Hurry: please slow down!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy (the post only)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

What are the best restaurants in the US?

Recently, I came across two different lists of the Best Restaurants in the US. Both of them were done by restaurant critics, food and lifestyle writers, and assorted bloggers, from across the country. One was organized with the help of a famous food blogger, Steve Plotnicki who co-founded the site e-gullet (Opinionated About Dining); the other one from the site The Daily Meal.

What is interesting is the difference in listing. For instance, Le Bernardin takes the first place in The Daily Meal rank but is number 17 in the Opinionated About Dining list. What is also noticeable is that Katz's deli seems better than Del Posto in The Daily Meal list! Did we eat at the same places? Del Posto is way better! I wish they published the survey so we can all understand how this is done!

Opinionated About Dining:

Note: the number at the end represents the score. The results are based on over 70,000 reviews which were contributed by more than 3,000 people.
1. Manresa, Los Gatos, CA 102.06
2. The French Laundry, Yountville, CA 101.94
3. Alinea, Chicago, IL 101.34
4. Per Se, New York, NY 101.19
5. Town House, Chilhowie, VA 100.91
6. Masa, New York, NY 100.76
7. Urasawa, Beverly Hills, CA 100.73
8. Mini-Bar, Washington, D.C. 100.49
9. Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY 100.08
10. McCrady’s, Charleston, SC 99.37
11. Jean Georges, New York, NY 99.06
12. Sushi Yasuda, New York, NY 98.95
13. Komi, Washington, D.C. 98.69
14. Saam at the Bazaar, West Hollywood, CA 98.46
15. Kuruma Zushi, New York, NY 98.33
15. Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY 98.33
17. Le Bernardin, New York, NY 98.28
18. Coi, San Francisco, CA 98.10
19. Corton, New York, NY 97.97
20. Schwa, Chicago, IL 97.74
21. Restaurant at Meadowood St. Helena, CA 97.54
22. Momofuku Ko New York, NY 97.11
23. Providence, Los Angeles, CA 96.71
24. Saison, San Francisco, CA 96.64
25. Cyrus, Healdsburg, CA 96.55
26. Spago, Beverly Hills, CA 96.51
27. Marinus, Carmel Valley, CA 96.46
28. Soto, New York, NY 96.44
29. Peter Luger, Williamsburg, NY 96.43
30. Bouley, New York, NY 96.31
31. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, New York, NY 96.21
32 . Commis, Oakland, CA 96.19
33. The Herbfarm, Woodinville, WA 96.14
34. Guy Savoy, Las Vegas, NV 96.02
35. Elements, Princeton, NJ 96.00
36. Sushi Taro, Washington, D.C. 95.92
37. Charlie Trotter’s, Chicago, IL 95.91
38. Daniel, New York, NY 95.75
39. Quince, San Francisco, CA 95.74
40. Ubuntu, Napa, CA 95.71
41. Sugiyama, New York, NY 95.70
41. Sushi Seki, New York, NY 95.70
41. Uni, Boston, MA 95.70
44. Moto, Chicago, IL 95.61
45. Spiaggia, Chicago, IL 95.40
46. North Fork Table & Inn, Southold, NY 95.33
47. Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA 95.14
48. O Ya, Boston, MA 95.01
49. Roberta’s (Tasting Menu), Bushwick, NY 94.93
50. Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham. AL 94.86
51. Marea, New York, NY 94.84
52. Brooklyn Fare, Brooklyn, NY 94.79
53. Atelier Crenn, San Francisco, CA 94.75
54. Miyake, Portland, ME 94.65
55. Kyo Ya, New York, NY 94.62
55. Craft, New York, NY 94.62
57. American Restaurant, Kansas City, KS 94.60
58. Patina, Los Angeles, CA 94.56
59. Momofuku Ss
60. Hugo’s, Portland, ME 94.52
61. Morimoto, Philadelphia, PA 94.47
61. Michy’s, Miami, FL 94.47
63. Citronelle, Washington, D.C. 94.39
64. Charleston, Baltimore, MD 94.31
65. Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta, GA 94.26
66. Aubergine, Carmel, CA 94.24
67. Niche, St. Louis, MO 94.23
68. wd-50, New York, NY 94.19
69. Sushi Ran, Sausalito, CA 94.18
70. Matsuhisa, West Hollywood, CA 94.15
71. Blue Hill, New York, NY 94.14
72. Volt, Frederick, MD 94.10
73. L20, Chicago, IL 94.09
74. Sawa Sushi, Sunnyvale, CA 94.05
75. Gary Danko, San Francisco, CA 94.03
76. Picasso, Las Vegas, NV 93.94
76. Benu, San Francisco, CA 93.94
78. Masa’s, San Francisco, CA 93.82
79. Momofuku Noodle Bar, New York, NY 93.81
80. Vetri, Philadelphia, PA 93.80
81. Totoraku, West Los Angeles, CA 93.75
82. Canlis, Seattle, WA 93.68
82. Blackbird, Chicago, IL 93.68
82. The Bazaar, West Hollywood, CA 93.68
85. Stella!, New Orleans, LA 93.58
86. Il Grano, West Los Angeles, CA 93.57
87. Quinones Room at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, GA 93.56
88. No. 9 Park, Boston, MA 93.54
89. Inn at Little Washington, Washington, VA 93.45
90. Husk, Charleston, SC 93.27
90. Baume, Palo Alto, CA 93.27
90. Everest, Chicago, IL 93.27
93. Gramercy Tavern, New York, NY 93.26
94. Next, Chicago, IL 93.24
94. Red Medicine, West Hollywood, CA 93.24
96. Sanford, Milwaukee, WI 93.23
96. George’s California Modern, La Jolla, CA 93.23
98. Cut, Beverly Hills, CA 93.19
98. Nishimura, West Hollywood, CA 93.19
100. Castagna, Portland, OR 93.18


The Daily Meal:

1. Le Bernardin, New York City
2. Alinea, Chicago
3. Chez Panisse, Berkeley, Calif.
4. Eleven Madison Park, New York City
5. French Laundry, Yountville, Calif.
6. Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles
7. Per Se, New York City
8. Momofuku Ssäm, New York City
9. Gramercy Tavern, New York City
10. Citronelle, Washington, D.C.
11. L'Atelier de Joël Robouchon, New York City
12. Pok Pok, Portland, Ore.
13. Blue Hill Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, N.Y.
14. Babbo, New York City
15. Franklin Barbecue, Austin, Texas
16. Jean Georges, New York City
17. ABC Kitchen, New York City
18. Peter Luger, Brooklyn, N.Y.
19. Daniel, New York City
20. Cochon, New Orleans
21. Marea, New York City
22. Commander's Palace, New Orleans
23. Girl & the Goat, Chicago
24. WD-50, New York City
25. Animal, Los Angeles
26. Vetri, Philadelphia
27. Katz's Deli, New York City
28. Next, Chicago
29. Bouchon Bistro, Yountville, Calif.
30. Frontera Grill, Chicago
31. Canlis, Seattle
32. Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas
33. Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
34. Le Bec-Fin, Philadelphia
35. Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Va.
36. Zuni Cafe, San Francisco
37. Del Posto, New York City 
38. The Little Owl, New York City
39. Flour + Water, San Francisco
40. Kreuz Market, Lockhart, Texas
41. Husk, Charleston, S.C.
42. Slanted Door, San Francisco
43. Masa, New York City
44. Locanda Verde, New York City
45. Fearing's, Dallas
46. The Modern, New York City
47. Minetta Tavern, New York City
48. Arthur Bryant's, Kansas City, Mo.
49. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, New Haven, Conn.
50. Fig, Los Angeles
51. Lucques, Los Angeles
52. August, New Orleans
53. Roberta’s, Brooklyn, N.Y. 
54. Fonda San Miguel, Austin, Texas
55. Mustard's Grill, Napa, Calif.
56. Osteria Morini, New York City
57. The Dutch, New York City
58. Galatoire's, New Orleans
59. Spiaggia, Chicago
60. Gotham Bar And Grill, New York City
61. Luling City Market, Houston
62. Le Pigeon, Portland, Ore.
63. The Publican, Chicago
64. Spago, Los Angeles
65. minibar, Washington, D.C.
66. The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tenn.
67. Joe's Stone Crab, Miami
68. Al Forno, Providence, R.I.
69. Beast, Portland, Ore. 
70. Herbfarm, Seattle
71. Coi, San Francisco
72. Valentino, Santa Monica, Calif.
73. McCrady's, Charleston, S.C.
74. Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
75. Father’s Office, Los Angeles
76. Ad Hoc, Yountville, Calif.
77. Boulud Sud, New York City
78. Gjelina, Venice, Calif.
79. The Hitching Post II, Buellton, Calif.
80. La Taqueria, San Francisco
81. The Bazaar, Los Angeles
82. Casa Mono, New York City
83. Ben’s Chili Bowl, Washington, D.C.
84. Arun's, Chicago
85. Son of a Gun, Los Angeles
86. Zahav, Philadelphia
87. Palena Café, Washington, D.C.
88. O-Ya, Boston
89. Tertulia, New York City
90. The Four Seasons, New York City
91. Stephan Pyles, Dallas
92. Boulevard, San Francisco
93. Charlie Trotter’s, Chicago
94. Jaleo, Las Vegas 
95. SriPraPhai, Queens, N.Y.
96. The Walrus and the Carpenter, Seattle
97. Jitlada, Los Angeles
98. The Pit, Raleigh, N.C.
99. Michael Mina, San Francisco
100. Bar Masa, New York City
101. La Grenouille, New York City


References:
The Daily Meal www.thedailymeal.com
Opinionated About Dining www.opinionatedaboutdining.com

Restaurant Review: The Clam Broth House (Hoboken, NJ) - CLOSED

Updated on 3/18/12 - The Clam Broth House CLOSED!
I am not sure I am that surprised considering how the food was when I went there! See the original post below!

Original post 10/1/11:
So we went to The Clam House in Hoboken. Or shall I call it The Cr*p Broth House based on the experience I got??? It was bad, bad bad: service, food and noise level! 

I was thrilled to go: first because I LOVE seafood. Second, because when it reopened in Hoboken earlier this year, there have been a lot of buzz. The restaurant originally opened in 1899 and catered to dock workers. Apparently, the restaurant's floor was full of shells. Interesting enough, it was forbidden to women until the 70's. The restaurant closed in 2003. New owners decided to reopen it this year, taking advantage of the status of landmark of the old restaurant.

I looked at the menu the day before and already decided on trying several appetizers instead of having an entree. I could already smell their specialty: the clam chowder! So we showed up to the restaurant and I was surprised to see that it was not that crowded for a Friday night. They apparently have a jazz band on Fridays. Good idea, but unfortunately very loud! When I have dinner and there is a band, I like to enjoy the music and the conversation!

Then, the service was bad: the food took forever to come (remember that it was no crowded) and the waiter keep disappearing! When the food came, I was thinking: I hope it is worth it and at first sight, it looked very appetizing! Well it was not...We tried:

• New England Clam Chowder: homemade, one of their specialties. The cream was good although a little too liquid for clam chowder. In the bottom, there were a lot of clams. Unfortunately, they were too chewy.
• Clams oreganata (gratinees): few clams were a little tough. Not bad besides that.
• Crab cakes (of course): it was served with Chipotle aioli. At first, when splitting the crab cakes, I was pleased to see the jumbo lump crab. But it was totally bland!!! And the aioli was so spicy! So sad!
• East Coast Halibut with Crispy potato pancake, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, capers. The crispy potato pancake was very good. Unfortunately, the fish was overcooked, so dry!

So, imagine: after all of that, the only things I liked were the bread and the potato pancake!!! They should probably change their menu and name to stick to these 2 items! The Potato Pancake House....

Not worth it....

Edison Quick shop: that was some experience!

One of my colleagues, Benny, used to talk about a “sandwich place” near Edison called Edison Quick Shop. He kept saying, “We should go there, you have to try it”! So one time, we decided to go.

From the outside, it looks like any small deli you would find, with “Try our cheese steak” written at the window (let me rephrase: that you could easily find at a gas station). We entered and I have to say that it looked pretty interesting. First of all, you cannot miss the different ways they display their menu: posters, but also paper plates. 

It Is all over the place and with all the choices they have, you could think that they have 20 cooks preparing the food. The menu was huge! Could be funny to see Gordon Ramsey go there to film an episode of Kitchen Nightmare!

Then, you see the tables: no, this is not a communal table you see on the photo! This is not the genre here! In fact I had the impression to be in somebody’s backyard.

So, as I was there, I went for the pastrami reuben. Benny asked, who I believe was the owner, to have some lean meat. He told us that he only serves his reuben with the leanest meat. The sandwich came few minutes after: it was served with some coleslaw that I think was homemade. The meat was definitely packaged slices that you would buy in the supermarket. Clearly, not cooked and cut at the Quick Shop. You could barely taste it, as it was very thin (of course there were several slices) and overpowered by the coleslaw.

According to the cashier (probably one of the owners), the pastrami reuben is, with the cheese steak their specialty. I cannot imagine what the cheese steak tastes like!

So, it was not the best food experience and I am not sure anybody would go there just for the food. This is more a Mom and Pop’s shop that serves quickly made and cheap food. At least the owners were very nice…

When I asked Benny why he brought us there, he said that it was because of my blog and because he wanted me to have some interesting experience. Well, mission accomplished.

Enjoy (meh)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Recipe: Tomato bisque made with coconut milk

Last time, I was wondering what to cook for dinner and decided to try to make a tomato bisque. Now, I should not be using the term bisque as normally, a bisque contains a broth made with crustaceans (crab, lobster...), but it seems that everybody is using this term, probably to give a fancy name to a dish. Think about it: 

"I am going to serve you a tomato soup" - ok

"I am going to serve you a tomato bisque" - oh!

I love tomato bisque with grilled cheese. I even got that served in a wedding cocktail last year in Milwaukee and it was amazing! It is an awesome pairing, especially if you dip the grilled cheese in the soup.

The recipe below is very easy!

For 2 servings:

- 1 can (28 Oz) of fire roasted diced tomatoes (you can fire roast them yourself, but I personally do not have time for that!).

- 1 can of coconut milk.

- 1/2 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce.

- basil

Put the fire roasted tomatoes in a strainer and remove some of the tomato sauce by pouring water over it. Put the tomatoes in a blender and add the coconut milk, Sriracha sauce and some basil. Blend it together.

Reduce on low heat in a sauce pan for approximately 20 minutes. Et voila!

You can replace the Sriracha sauce with cayenne pepper: it is used to give a slight kick to the dish.

Bon appétit!

Brunch at Balthazar in New York: boudin noir and tarte tatin!

Balthazar restaurant is an institution in New York. Located in Soho, it has been opened in 1997 by Keith McNally and co-chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson. The place is famous for its food and for the bakery, with a store located outside of the restaurant. You can even find Balthazar breads and viennoiseries (croissants, chocolate croissants...) in supermarket or other restaurants. I have to say that each time I had some, it was delicious. 

Coming back to the restaurant: the decor is impressive. It is located in an old leather wholesale building; it has high ceilings with fans, and the walls have impressive mirrors. But, it is a madhouse! You'd better get a reservation! Between the tourists who are coming because Balthazar is in all the guides, the people eager to see celebrities and those who really like the food, they have no problem to get customers (waiting inside and outside)! Unfortunately, it comes to a price: they have maximized the space with tables everywhere, sacrificing comfort either for the clients or for the wait staff. For instance, it was difficult for the staff to access our table located in a corner because it was stuck between a large round table and another long table, with no space to go in between. Despite this, the service was very efficient and I have to say, extremely nice.

The brunch menu proposes a nice upscale version of traditional French dishes, such as the salad nicoise that is in France served with canned tuna, but there, with seared tuna.
They of course have a basket of fresh baked breads and pastries from their bakery. Always delicious. You will anyway have the opportunity to try their bread as they bring a bread basket with butter to the table.
The Pain au Levain (sourdough bread) was excellent.






We then tried one of their best sellers: the warm goat cheese and caramelized onion tart. It was served with a salad. We did not know it was coming with a salad and ordered the mixed field greens with vinaigrette, but the waiter warn us that the tart came anyway with a salad. I have to say that I always appreciate that! In a lot of restaurants, they would just let you order.

The salad had sun dried tomatoes and there was also some tapenade (black olive spread) that was delicious. The tart was to die for! It was so flavorful!

Then, I ordered the poached eggs boudin noir. Boudin noir is a sausage of mixed pork meat cooked in blood that gives the black color. Hence the name of blood sausage. It is a traditional dish in France, but I never tried it before.

It was served with two perfectly made poached eggs, potatoes, caramelized onions and frisee salad. The sausage looked pretty good and shiny. But it was a bit tough to cut as the skin was thick. It tasted a bit like a pate with a similar texture. Like pate, I could eat so much of it. I probably left a third at the end.

We finished with an apple tart tatin. This was a deception!

It was like a gelee (jelly) on top and was so sweet. I did not finish it either.

At the end of the day, it was an ok brunch, on the pricey side. I think for the same price I would more go to The Standard Grill and for a less pricey to Marseilles!

Enjoy (meh)!

Incredible steak frites at Le Relais De Venise "l'Entrecote" in New York!

Ok, I admit it: I lived in Paris for years, but I have never been to Le Relais de Venise "L'entrecote" over there! The story of this restaurant and its concept are pretty interesting: in 1959, a winemaker named Paul Gineste de Saurs decided to buy an Italian restaurant in Paris with the intention to use it to showcase the wine produced by his family, Château de Saurs. As he had no experience in the restaurant business, he decided to keep the Venetian decor, add L'entrecote (strip steak) to the name and propose a single item menu: steak frites. Instead of serving the steak with the traditional butter with parsley, he served it with what is still today a secret sauce (I would guess some butter,mustard, taragon and pepper, but would not bet on it!). Few years ago, Le Monde, a French newspaper revealed in an article the secret of the sauce: it contains blanched chicken liver. The owner of the restaurant denied this. 

Since then, the restaurant has been opened in different locations such as London or Barhein. And then New York in 2009, where I had the chance to experience the concept. Now, understand that when the restaurant opened in Manhattan, critics thought it would not last long because New Yorkers like to have choices! In this restaurant, the only choices are the wine, the cheeses and desserts (you can see a sample when entering - very smart)! Otherwise, it is a salad (lettuce with walnuts and a traditional french dressing) for appetizer and steak frites (steak and fries) for the entree.

The waitresses are all wearing French Maids outfits and will only ask you two questions besides knowing if you would like some drinks:

1 - Is it your first time in the restaurant?

2 - How would you like your meat to be cooked? They only offer blue, rare, medium and well done. There is no medium-rare for instance!

They will draw on the paper clothe the tables seats and will mark your choice on it, probably to remember what temperature you would like for your second serving. Yes, you read it correctly: Le Relais de Venise L'entrecote serves a second serving of steak frites! But do not imagine the portions are huge. I see several advantages to this:

1 - The second serving comes warm.

2 - Some people have a small appetite; so it is a win win for the restaurant as they will charge the same amount.

3 -  It gives customers a sense they made a very good deal.

The salad (lettuce, walnut and mustard dressing)

Some may say that the meat is low quality. Those who know me, know that I rarely order steak if the restaurant is not a Steakhouse for two reasons: the quality of the meat is usually low and they do not always know how to cook it perfectly. In New York, Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecote serves a Sirloin (Entrecote is normally strip steak as mentioned before) that was good and cooked as requested. I personally think it was delicious, especially paired with that mysterious sauce. The meat was very tender.

The fries are traditional French cut (shoestring) and were crispy and not over salted. They had a delicious taste mixed with the sauce...

Last, is of course dessert! Their dessert menu is pretty impressive as it contained that day 17 choices! From the simple fraises au sucre (strawberries with sugar) to the vacherin du relais. This one is an interesting tower made of vanilla ice cream, meringue and chocolate ice cream, in repetitive layers, topped with whipped cream and a thick chocolate sauce. This was good but extremely sugary (I believe the chocolate sauce is the culprit)! I could not finish it.

I definitely had a good time in this restaurant that had an authentic brasserie feel. The food was delicious and the service very efficient. The only negative is the fact that it was very, very warm in the restaurant, to the point where it became uncomfortable. That should be an easy problem to fix...

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

References:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Entrecôte
Restaurant site: http://www.relaisdevenise.com/newyork

Awesome BBQ at Southern Hospitality Restaurant in New York City!

If you read my previous posts, you know that I love BBQ. So I really wanted to try Southern Hospitality in New York. I went to the location in Hell's kitchen. I like the place: it had a certain warmth, probably because of all the wood around, from the floor to the high ceiling, with wood letter going all around the restaurant. There was a great photo of Elvis as a boxer, that I guess is from the movie Kid Galahad from 1962. The service was good, but the food took a long time to come to our table!

So, this place is all about BBQ! All the traditional BBQ items are there: ribs, brisket, chicken...They also have the High on the Hog platter that costs $3000! It is an assorted appetizers platter that includes buffalo fried shrimp, fried pickles, hush puppies, nachos, hot wings, cheesesteak rolls. Then, wet and dry Memphis style spare-ribs, baby back ribs, 1/2 BBQ chicken, four sides and corn bread. To justify the price, you get a magnum of Armand de Brignac brut (note that the brut gold magnum costs $700, so not sure what makes the difference between $700 and $3000). Needless to say that I did not go for this....

In term of food, you have many choices:

• For lunch, they have a $14.95 menu (at time of post) where you will choose an appetizer and an entree.
• You can pick from the menu.
• You can choose a combo platter.
• You can pick different items for $5.95 (time of post). This is what I decided to do.

This was a mistake: the food was delicious, but I did not expect, for that price, so much food!!! The waitress should have told me it was too much, but I guess she was mostly concerned by her tip...

I picked the Dry Rubbed Memphis-Style Spare Ribs (two).

I loved it: the meat was so tender and moist! The dry rub was delicious and not too overpowering.

I aslo tried the brisket.

I am not a huge fan of brisket, but have to say that this was awesome! The brisket is usually a bit dry, but this was not!









Then came the roasted chicken. I asked for breast but you can ask for a thigh if you'd like. This was also pretty good, but not my favorite.

They also have some amazing fried shrimp! Yes, at this point, you are wondering when this post will stop. It was a feast so keep reading! So, back to the shrimp: they were fried but not greasy at all and tasty. I liked the fact that it was not baby shrimp...It was served with two sauces: no idea what they were!






Now, let's talk about sides! Remember the lunch menu? Well, they serve the Mac & Cheese, entree portion. This was huge! But so good! These were probably the best Mac & Cheese I ever had! So creamy!

Last were the tater tots: very good, crispy and not greasy!

It was definitely a feast and I loved it! Definitely a great place for BBQ! But do not do what I did...Otherwise you will have tons of leftovers!

Enjoy (I did)!

Great Japanese food at Yeung II in Hoboken, NJ

It as been a while that we noticed this small restaurant located uptown Hoboken. Each time we passed by, I have noticed that it was packed. I love Japanese food and my favorites are the sushi and sashimi. For those who do not know, sashimi is raw fish (you will always have on a sashimi plate a piece of tuna or salmon that are very tender) and sushi is made of raw fish on top of sushi rice. The difficulty in making a sushi is to   put the rice well together so it does not crumbled as soon as you pick it up with your chopsticks. Often, there will be wasabi between the fish and the rice. My least favorite sushi is shrimp: usually cooked, it is too bland. 

So we go there for lunch (all Japanese restaurants have lunch specials that are usually good deals). At first they seem a little stressed out. We ask for green tea and they tell us that the water was not yet hot. Interesting! I guess it does not take that long to boil water, no? Then it took several minutes before they realize that we do not have any menu. After that, everything was fine.

I guess they were a bit late in there prep work and all stressed out! Minutes later, the restaurant was packed and there were a lot of asian customers, that is a very good sign for a Japanese restaurant! But note that they serve also Chinese cuisine; for instance, they have the General Tso Chicken or Lo Mein.

So we went for the lunch specials. They came with a miso soup and a salad.

The salad came first as the miso soup was not ready (what is going on with the hot water today?). It was a nice portion. Of course, the salad was a traditional salad you would have for a lunch special: lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and a carrot and ginger sauce that was very good.

Then came the miso soup that had a great smokey aroma. It was pretty good and...hot.

For the main course, we had the avocado rolls. They were pretty nice. Of course, it all comes down to the ripeness of the avocado and it was perfect.

The Sushi and Sashimi plate was awesome: colorful and the fish tasted fresh (I hope)! It came with 4 pieces of sushi (tuna and salmon of course), 6 pieces of sashimi (tuna and salmon also in the party) and a salmon and avocado roll. The avocado was ripe enough and the salmon delicious!

This was definitely a great lunch for a very good price. I loved it and will probably go back there. You should too!

Enjoy (I did)!

Delicious Tapas at Boqueria in New York City!

So we were craving for tapas and ended up in Boqueria in Chelsea. The place is very nice with a decor that has a modern and rustic feel at the same time. There are two main areas: the bar area where you can just sit on high tables by yourself and look at the preparation of the tapas; and the main room with its large tables and, on one side a wall full of mineral water bottles and a big mirror on the other side. I love the lights that are, on each side of the restaurant, simply bulbs (stylish, do not look for energy efficient ones!).

Boqueria serves either tapas, cheeses and meats or Spanish specialties. We decided to go for tapas. If you do not know, tapas are appetizers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. It is a great way to share plates and a lot of restaurants have borrowed this idea.

Tapas can be served either hot or cold. The traditional items you would find are olives and tortilla that is and egg and potato omelet. The tortilla was the best I ever had: I do not like when eggs are overcooked, but this one was perfect. The eggs were moist and it was very tasty.

It was served with few olives and bread. I have to say that I did not know what to do with the bread at that point!

Then I wanted to try the Cojonudo that is fried quail eggs and chorizo on toast.

This little place was beautiful! It was also delicious. This is an amuse bouche: you have to eat each toast entirely (the yolk is runny). I loved the flavors: first you get the bread and the eggs and suddenly you will  taste the chorizo. My only regret is that the chorizo was a bit tough.

Then we had the croquetas cremosas: creamy croquettes three were with cheese over a truffle puree and the other three were with mushroom and serrano ham over a raisin puree. The truffle puree was great: you could really taste the truffle. However, I did not really like the raisin puree with the croquettes. Standalone was fine though. The croquettes were delicious and flavorful. They were not greasy at all. My favorite was the cheese one.

We finished with Salteado de Setas: sauteed wild mushrooms with Manchego cheese. This was my least favorite. The taste of the mushrooms was a bit off and the cheese was tasteless.

Overall, it was a good meal. I was a bit hungry after this and needed a snack later. For me, this is a great place to try different dishes and enjoy the flavors of the Spanish cuisine. It is especially good if you are with several people so you can try plenty of dishes! Definitely to recommend!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Chinatown Restaurant Week March 9 to March 18 2012

Similar to Restaurant Week, Chinatown Restaurant Week will see restaurants in Chinatown propose prix-fixe dinner for 18.88 (without tax and tip) from MArch 8th to March 18th 2012. 

Participants are listed on the event website www.chinatownrestaurantweek.com. You will find the Peking Duck House (great Peking Duck!!!), Lobster House or Pho Grand.

Enjoy!

Stick & Pop in NYC: what? Cake on a stick?

Yesterday, we were walking in the street, going to Boqueria, when we notice this small store called Stick & Pop. We saw that it was selling some sweets and decided to go back after lunch to grab a treat for later. And we came back!

To give you a bit of history, Stick & Pop has been opened early February in that location, after being an online store (www.stickandpop.com). It has been created by French Culinary Institute graduate, Jacki Caponigro, and design professional, Christy Nyberg. We saw them other there and they were really nice!

To understand what they sell, imagine a candy apple, but instead of an apple, you get cake! It kind of reminds me of the cake bites we ate in Milwaukee (check here), but bigger and with a stick. The size is a close to a golf ball, although Stick & Pop sells small bags with four small sized lollipops. 

What is awesome, is that they do Baby Showers and Weddings, as well as Holiday pops! They also have a Stick & Pop dough kit that allows you to create your own! These pops are so pretty that I am sure a lot of brides are going to get crazy to get some for their wedding!

Now, let me tell you what Pops we got:

We started first with the Griswald: vanilla graham cake with marshmallow center and chocolate chip, dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in graham. As a whole, it looks like this:

Cut in half, it looks like that:

I loved the different layers of the pop!

Then we tried the Teddy Bear: chocolate cake dipped in white chocolate, rolled in multi-colored confetti sprinkles. 

If you love chocolate, the Teddy Bear is for you! The chocolate cake is so good!

There was also the O'Hara: coconut cake with chocolate chips, dipped in dark chocolate and covered with coconut. I am not a big fan of coconut, but I have to say that it was pretty good!

Last, is the almond cake one. I do not have any name, because it was a special one. They proposed us to try it, so I could not refuse!!! This was with the Griswald and the Teddy Bear my favorite too! It was almond cake dipped in white chocolate and drizzled with sugar sprinkles. The almond cake, similar to a paste was incredible!

Cut in half, it looked like this:

I really loved these pops and wish they will expand the choices with things like chocolate and raspberry. These pops are great: pretty and delicious, they are the perfect treat! On top of that, it is not messy to eat, so there is no problem to consume them in the street. Definitely to try!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Reference: stickandpop.com

Fabulous Donburi at Ubu Sushi in Hoboken, NJ!

Ubu Sushi is a Korean-Japanese restaurant located in Hoboken, NJ. This is the place for Donburi, a japanese rice dish (means bowl in Japanese) that I tried few years ago. When I go to this place, it is not for the sushi (i tried them once and they are good), but for this affordable dish that is Donburi. They have different type: veggie, veggie and crab, tofu...

For a drink we got a nice green tea. I love the smoky taste of it.

With the Donburi, came a miso soup. It was pretty good and a perfect way to start.

The Donburi are served with a ginger sauce. I tried to know what was in it, but the waiter said that it was a secret recipe. The only think I could get is that there was carrots in it!

The vegetarian Donburi was made of mixed greens, avocado, cucumber and tofu, over sushi rice.

The veggie-Crab Donburi was made of crab, mixed greens, avocado, cucumber and tofu, over sushi rice. This dish is fabulous! There is a lot of crab with it and the avocado was ripe. When I was a kid, I hated rice salads, but I have to say, this has nothing to do with it! After you pour the ginger sauce and mix everything together, you get an explosion of flavors coming from the crab, salad, rice and sauce. It is amazing! 

If you are in Hoboken, stop by Ubu sushi for a Donburi: you will not regret it!

Enjoy (I did)!

Recipe: Ghetto Garlic Bread from Coolio!

So everybody probably knows Coolio from the song Gangsta's Paradise he wrote in 1995 for the movie Dangerous Minds with Michelle Pfeiffer. What I did not know until I watch Rachel (Ray) vs. Guy (Fieri) on the Food Network, is that Coolio is also a cook. He even published a cook book called 

Cookin' with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price

and calls himself the Ghetto Gourmet. In this book, he will teach you how to be a Kitchen Pimp, explaining what you need in you Pimp-try...

Let me tell you: this guy knows how to cook (taught by his now deceased mother) and he ended up in the finale!

So, I decided to try to cook his Ghetto Garlic Bread, his take on Garlic Bread, made with mayonnaise. I do not have a cook book, so I tried to recreate the quantities.

In a bowl, I mixed:

• 6 tbsp of mayonnaise, 
• 2 tbsp of minced garlic and 
• cheese (depends how much you like).

I spread the mixture on a baguette cut in half and toasted it.

It was good, but if you do not like mayonnaise, I do not think it is for you!

Enjoy (I did)!

References:

Wikipedia: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolio

Asian flavors at China Grill Restaurant in New York - Closed

Ceiling at China Grill, midtown, NYC, New York

China Grill is a pan-asian restaurant opened in the 80's by Jeffrey Chodorow and is now part of the China Grill Management Company that has several restaurants in many cities like New York, Miami, Los Angeles or London. Besides China Grill, they own Asia de Cuba and Bar Basque that are popular restaurants in New York. 

The decor is quite nice: very high ceiling with some big Japanese lanterns (red lightning) and granite walls. This restaurant is serving Family style, but now, they offer smaller sizes, but still pricey. Anyway, if you do not know it is family style when coming, you will know when ordering as I think I heard it five times....

I went with four people, so we ordered several dishes to share.

For the appetizers, we started with the Lemongrass crusted tofu tots served with delicious pickled cucumbers and a kimchee sauce topped with black sesame seeds. That was an original dish! Good and light; I did not taste the kimchee in the sauce and it was not spicy.

tofu tots at China Grill, midtown, NYC, New York

The crab cakes (2) were a bit dry. They were served with a tomatillo-pineapple salsa and mustard sake sauce, but there was not enough sauce. 

Crab cake at China Grill, midtown, NYC, New York

My favorite though for appetizers was the Tempura Tuna Sashimi that was served with a hot mustard champagne sauce. This had great flavors and the tuna was incredibly good and tender.

tempura tuna sashimi at China Grill, midtown, NYC, New York

My second favorite for appetizers was the Chicken satay. It came with chilled sesame noodles and a toasted peanut sauce. Let me tell you: the chicken was perfectly cooked and so moist. It was deliciously paired with the peanut sauce. The noodles were a nice addition to the dish.

Chicken satay at China Grill, midtown, NYC, New York

Then came the entrees. The waiter was serving us, making sure that everybody got his share of the food. He was a little stressed out and we asked him to slow down a bit!

For the main entrees, we had:

The duck two ways: pan seared breast with chocolate-orange sauce and “Moo Shu” style confit of leg with spicy hoisin sauce. I thought it was a great idea, but did not really like the chocolate-orange sauce on the duck (and not because of a salty/sweet thing). Also, the crepes were kind of weird tasting. Besides that, the duck was very good and perfectly cooked and seasoned.

Duck two ways at China Grill, midtown, NYC, New York

We also had the Curry miso black cod with sweet soy glazed Chinese broccoli and yuzu-miso butter sauce. That is when I could not take my photo because the waiter went crazy cutting the fish! It was a nice dish, although not my favorite. The fish was perfectly cooked and moist.

Then was the Miso grilled vegetables and udon noodles served with a spicy hoisin and mushroom sauce. This was definitely one of my favorites! The sauce was for sure spicy, but it was bearable! There was an explosion of flavors between the vegetables, the noodles and the sauce.

udon noodles at China Grill, midtown, NYC, New York

But wait, it is not finished! We also shared some sides! We tried the lobster mash potatoes: where was the lobster???

Lobster mash at China Grill, midtown, NYC, New York

And the avocado fried rice salad: missing seasoning for sure. The sides were not that great!

fried rice at China Grill, midtown, NYC, New York

China Grill is a nice fusion restaurant with some surprising combination worth to try, but still, on the pricey side.

Enjoy (I did)!

My take on the burgers at Shake Shack in New York

Everybody is talking about Shake Shack, the burger chain founded by Danny Meyer (Gramercy Tavern,  Blue Smoke) in 2004. The first experience I had was not very good: it was on a hot Summer day, two years ago. We were walking close to Madison Square Park and decided to try what was supposed to be a mouth watering burger. There was a very long line and considering how hot it was outside, my expectations were high; I manned up. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries. I remember the service was very slow and the kitchen seemed overwhelmed. Then came our order: what a disappointment! The burger was not good at all! The bread was soggy and the meat tasteless. The fries were not crispy at all and had a weird taste. There was clearly something wrong!

Then, end of 2011, Shake Shack opened near Time Square. Each time I was passing by, I saw the long line of people waiting for their burgers. I still heard people claiming that this place was the best burger in New York. So, I decided to give it another chance and went yesterday. Place packed, so no surprise there considering the buzz and location. It was extremely difficult to get a seat and there was no way I  was going to eat outside: it is not a weather for this! We found a spot, but before that, had to look like vultures at tables where people finished or were finishing their meal.

I went for the Shake Stack: a cheeseburger and a mushroom burger topped with lettuce, tomatoes and the Shake Shack sauce. What you see on the photo that seems to be burnt is the mushroom burger (at first, you think there are two patties). What is interesting is that it gives some crispiness to the overall dish and is surprisingly filled with cheese. I did not fully taste the mushrooms, but I thought it was a good idea.

The meat was good, cooked perfectly (medium) and very moist. The bread was a regular bun.

Overall pretty decent.

The fries were good also: crispy and tasty, not too salted. 

I also had a vanilla milkshake: thick but not to the point where you will break your jaw trying to get the milkshake go through the straw. It was a pretty good one.

Overall it was a good burger. But it is not the best for me in the city. If you would like to know which one I prefer, check My favorite restaurants page by clicking here. Opening near Time Square was a very smart idea and I am sure it will continue to get packed and crazy there! 

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat! 

Great Thai Food at Thai Grill and Sushi Bar in New York

If you like Thai food and are on a budget, The Thai Grill and Sushi Bar located Midtown NY is for you! I went few times and each time the food was delicious. They have a lunch special that proposes a variety of dishes both Thai and Japanese. For sure you do not go for the atmosphere and the decor: the walls are weirdly decorated with some paint supposed to complement some artwork in a way that it looks amateurish, if not dirty. Also, the table we were sitting at, with their 70's look, overlooked some posters about labor laws.

Fortunately, the food is good! I always order a Thai Iced Tea when I eat in a Thai restaurant (mainly made of black tea and sweetened with condensed milk). It is so good and refreshing! They served it in a beer glass: it was awesome considering the gradation of colors that is kind of similar to beer.

I then went for the Penang curry that is a Thai curry supposed to be milder than other ones. Trust me it got some heat, but the tea helped cool it. It was delicious and they served a nice quantity of it (with Jasmine rice).

But before that, came a vegetarian roll. Good, not too greasy, but a bit small.

They also have bento boxes, with teriyaki (salmon, chicken...). I did not try them, but was told they were good.

Definitely a good place to go!

Enjoy (I did)!

Reference:
Restaurant site: http://www.nythaigrillsushibar.com/