New York Restaurant Week start Today until August 10th!

This is a reminder that New York Restaurant Week starts today until August 10th!

More information about New York Restaurant Week by clicking here!

Enjoy (I will)!

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

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

In France, it is marked by the following events:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The second dish was the Croque Monsieur.

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

The last dish was the merguez.

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

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!

Urban lobster shack food truck in NYC, New York

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

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

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

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

So, I tried several of their rolls.

The traditional ("Our famous lobster roll").

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

Then I tried the Chef's scampi lobster roll.

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

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

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!

Lime Jungle, Mexican Grill in NYC, New York

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

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

We started our dining experience with Guacamole. 

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

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

We started with a cheese empanada.

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

Then we tried the veggie taco:

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

The other taco we tried was the short rib taco:

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

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!

The Cuban restaurant in Hoboken, NJ

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

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

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

At first, they brought us some bread.

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

We started the diner with the cheese plate.

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

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

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

The last appetizer we tried was the empanada.

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

Then came the entree: it was the Arroz Imperial.

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

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

It was perfect and gooey!

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

Enjoy (I did)!

 

I Just Want To Eat! One Year Anniversary!

A year ago, on July 9th 2011, was born this blog I Just Want To Eat! This past year has been filled with a lot of food memories, good or bad!

Let me start with the good: amazing meals at Morimoto, Colicchio & Sons, Bin 14, Zylo, Dino & Harry, Molyvos, Taim, Morandi...There are so many, that I cannot list them all!

The bad: Curry in a hurry, sonic, Sol Caribe, Zen palate...

This area offers an amazing food scene and I am grateful that I am able to experience it!

I would like to thank (like in the Oscars) my wonderful wife, Jodi, for supporting me in this food quest, but also all the readers, not only for reading the blog, but also for their encouragements!

So, for the year to come: Enjoy (I will) and remember:

I Just Want To Eat!

French Restaurant Week starts today!

This is a reminder that French Restaurant Week starts today until July 15th!

More information about French Restaurant Week by clicking here!

Enjoy (I will)!

Afghan Kebab House #1 in NYC, New York

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

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

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

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

The combo kebab contains three sorts of kebab: 

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

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

We also tried the eggplant dish.

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

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

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

Enjoy (the post)!

Recipe: Brioche with chocolate chips

Chocolate chip brioche recipe

Brioche is a viennoiserie that is similar to Challah bread, where water is replaced by milk, has more eggs, butter and sugar.

The recipe below is very easy to make! 

Ingredients for 12 brioches (approx. 2 pounds):

- 1/2 cup of milk

- 4 large eggs

- 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter

- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 3 3/4 cups of white flour

- 2 packets of yeast (I use active dry instant yeast)

Place in the following order the milk, eggs, butter at room temperature and cut in small pieces, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in a pan. Knead until obtaining a soft dough, and let rise for 45 minutes.

Melt some butter and brush generously the inside and outside of a muffin pan (you can use a bread pan also for cooking the brioche). The butter will prevent the brioche to stick to the pan once cooked.

Put some dough in the bottom of the muffin hole and add some chocolate chip in the middle. This time, I put chocolate chips inside the brioche. You can other wise not put anything or put nutella or jam. 

Cover with some dough and try to seal the brioche (do not worry: it will crack anyway during the cooking process, revealing some chips). Brush the top with an egg wash. Let rise for another 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Then remove from the oven and let it cool. Et voila!

Chocolate chip brioche recipe

Bon appétit!

Happy 4th Of July! Don't get the Crisp!

Hoboken is going to be crazy today as it is the best spot to see the Macy's fireworks! Imagine that people already started to setup their spot in the parks along the Hudson river in this heat!

Smartly, the city allowed some food trucks to settle next to the ferry. Considering the number of people who will come in the afternoon and tonight, they will get some good business! The trucks we saw are:

• Max's: hot dogs and burgers. 
• The Taco Truck: well known in Hoboken! But they had a reduced menu...
• Luke's Lobster: they were not yet ready when we when there! Bummer! It is a perfect day for a lobster roll!

Then there was the Crisp truck, a vegetarian truck that serves Middle Eastern favorites (falafel) with a twist! 

The twist comes from the different ways they serve their food. You can for instance pick a falafel sandwich with the following combinations:

• Mexican: cilantro pesto and avocado, corn, salsa, nachos with jalapeno dressing.
• African: North African peanut sauce, sweet potatoes, corn salad, cherry tomatoes, green onions and habanero harissa.
• Mediterranean: sundried tomato spread, eggplant parmesan flakes and garden greens.
• Parisian: sundried tomato spread, goat cheese, roasted peppers, garden greens and red onions.
• Athenian: herbed yogurt, greek salad and green onions.

We decided to go for the Parisian one.

The sandwich was conveniently placed in a box that allows you to eat it without too much mess, although, making a little mess when eating a falafel sandwich is part of the experience...

They gave us some tahini sauce with the sandwich that I poured as there was no dressing. The tahini was very liquid... What I liked about the sandwich was the sundried tomato spread that was a nice addition. Also, the goat cheese added some extra freshness to a sandwich that could have been, without these two ingredients, bland. The main problem I has was that the falafel where in the bottom of the pita! So first you eat the salad and then the falafel...Too bad! I would have preferred layers of both! The falafel were a bit mushy, but I am wondering if it was not because of the tahini sauce.

Besides the sandwich, they also propose some hummus salad bowls with international flavors:

• Salsa pignolias: pine nuts, salsa, greens and tahini.
• baja fresh: cilantro pesto, corn, salsa, jalapeno and nachos.
• Acropolis: olives, feta, greens and vinaigrette.
• Aubergenius: eggplant, greens, parmesan and vinaigrette.
• Mama mia: sundried tomato spread, roasted peppers, greens and red onions.
• Dolce vita: sundried tomato spread, sweet potatoes, greens and red onions.
• Garbanzo extravaganza: chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, greens and lemon garlic sauce.

We selected the Aubergenius.

It was a bit disappointing: For close to $9, you only get two falafel??? Although I have to say that they were really good: correct amount of spices, crispy and not greasy. Also, there was very little eggplant. At the end, I had the impression I was just eating a salad with some (pretty good) hummus!

On top of the disappointing food, we ordered a passion fruit ice tea and a gaucho mint ice tea: lacking sweetness and taste!

Our bill ended up being $20. For that price, I would go to Mamoun's falafel on Washington street in Hoboken or Taim in NYC!

So, if you go to Hoboken, avoid the Crisp: it is not worth it!

Happy 4th Of July and Enjoy!

Rotondo's Liquor, deli and fine food in Clark, NJ

Recently I was in Clark and we decided to have a quick meal. So we went to Rotondo's that is a deli, a liquor and fine food store.

The place is big, but it is not surprising considering what they sell. I only went to the deli side of it and did not look anywhere else as we were in a hurry. The deli offers already made sandwiches, but you can also make your own. They have a pretty large selection that can satisfy any appetite. They also have bagels, already made salads (potato, macaroni...), chips, fruits, cookies...

I was clearly not on a light lunch mode when I picked the Sonoma sandwich...

It is a triple decker sandwich made with seedless rye, russian dressing, swiss cheese, Roast beef, turkey, ham and coleslaw. On the photo, you only see half of it! It was very good! Although, the roast beef part was quite thin...I loved the different layers. The only thing that I would have changed is probably the bread: I wish they were proposing different types like Italian or baguette.

We also ordered a cheese and mustard sandwich on a whole wheat bread.

This one was pretty straight forward, served with lettuce and tomato. Good, but they put a bit too much mustard.

At the end of the day, Rotondo's is not the best deli ever (in fact, in term of sandwiches, my reference is Sorento's Subs in Freehold, NJ - best subs ever!), but they have some good sandwiches at a very reasonable price!

Enjoy (I did)! 

Laddu recipe

One of my co-workers brought me some laddu for me to try as he knows that I love Indian food (I should say Food!) and sweets. Laddu or Laddoo is a popular sweet in India and South Asia eaten during celebrations or festivals. It is made of little balls (in sanskrit, Laddu means small ball) that are put together, fried and dipped in sugar syrup. The recipe can vary: for the flour, some use Bengal gram, dhal(chickpea), flour ((besan), wheat flour, semolina (suji or rava ), etc...

The one he gave me had almonds and raisins in it! It was deliciously sweet with a bit of crunch! Of course, it was smaller than the biggest Laddu in the Guiness World record: 5,570 kg obtained end of 2011 in India (the previous record was held by a temple in England - 551 kg).

Here is the recipe as he gave it to me:

Cooking time: 11/2 hours

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

• Bengal gram flour ( besan or kadalai mavu):  360 grams or 4 full cups
• Refined sugar: 600 grams or 31/2 cups
• Water: 2 cups
• Rice flour(raw rice): 2 1/4 teaspoon
• Soda bi-carb( cooking soda): 1/2 teaspoon
• Cardamom: 7
• Cashew: 50 grams
• Almonds
• Raisins: 40 grams
• Ghee(clarified butter): 100 grams
• Oil(preferably refined oil): 11/2 litre
• You also need a perforated  ”boondhi” ladle, for frying the boondhi.

Method:

Mix the Bengal gram flour with rice flour and soda bicarb and add some water to make batter. This batter should be similar to ‘dosa’ batter consistency. Set aside.

Take a thick-bottomed vessel and add both sugar and water (2cups). Heat on medium heat to make sugar syrup. You have to keep stirring often till you reach a certain consistency, which can be tested by taking some syrup between your thumb and index finger and spreading the fingers out. If the syrup is sticky and extends like a thread between the two fingers, it is ready. Set this aside. 

Powder the cardamom.

Heat oil in a frying pan on high. When the oil is very hot, take a big spoon of flour batter. Place the ”bhoondhi” ladle over the hot oil, pour one spoonful of batter into the bhoondhi ladle and press down.

Small balls of the dhal batter will drop into the oil. Once they are cooked, remove with another spoon, draining the excess oil. Let the fried batter balls (Boondhi) soak in the sugar syrup. Do the same with the rest of the batter. 

Using a big heavy spoon, pound the cooked mixture to a pulp. Fry the raisins and cashew in ghee and add to the pulp with the remaining ghee. Now you can add the powdered cardamom and the whole cloves, and make round laddus, pressing the pulp into spheres using your hands.

Tips: Making the sugar syrup to the right thread-like consistency is the tricky part in the preparation of laddus. Adding colours and other ingredients like edible camphor, saffron or ”diamond kalkandu”(sugar crystals) is optional.

I did not try the recipe, but will one day!

Enjoy (I did)!

New York City Restaurant Week - July 16th to August 10th 2012

Celebrating its 20th year, here come New York Restaurant Week!

Imagine that after the French Restaurant Week that will celebrate Bastille Day from July 8th to July 15th, right after, you get the regular Restaurant Week! Isn't this awesome? As usual, reservations can be made on Opentable.com. 

As usual, you will be able to eat some delicious food (hopefully!) with a 3 course meal for $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner. Now, be careful about this because sometimes there are some traps! Let me tell you about some disappointing  experiences:

• Beacon: awful service and overpriced as the most delicious items required to pay a surcharge. I also picked the wine pairing and the quantity of wine was ridiculous. We ended up with a bill that was far more than what we expected! On top of this, the food was of poor quality: I think a lot of restaurants sacrifice quality when they should serve their best food so diners would come back!
• Steak Frites: the meat was not good at all! I noticed in several restaurants that when they propose a prix fix or participate to Restaurant Week events, they downgrade the quality of the meat. Last year, I put a steakhouse I love to the test: Dino & Harry (read the post: Restaurant Week - A Steakhouse put to the test!).

The only restaurant where I had a great experience was Fig & Olives! So beware! 

There are over 320 participants this year, including Spice Market, Dos Caminos, Nobu, Tao, One If By Land, Two If By Sea, Blue Water Grill.

Enjoy (I will)!

Falafel at Azuri Cafe in NYC, New York

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy (I almost did)!

Vynl, Disco restaurant - NYC, New York

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

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

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

The service was quick and very courteous.

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

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

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

We started with seared tuna sliders.

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

After the sliders, we ordered vegetable dumplings.

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

Then came the long awaited Truffled Mac & Cheese.

They served it with a salad. 

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

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!

 

The Mussel Pot in NYC, New York - Closed

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

We also shared a caesar salad.

Pretty standard....

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

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

Then I tried the Valenciana mussels.

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

The last one was the New York.

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

Besides mussels, we also tried the fish and chips.

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

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

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

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

We also tried the gelato.

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

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

Enjoy (I did for part of it)!

The Windmill in Hoboken, NJ

When Lucky Burgers closed in Hoboken, I was a bit disappointed: I liked that place. They had good burgers, onion rings and fries and offered different types of sauces such as the chipotle mayonnaise. The Windmill defines itself as a gourmet fast food that serves award winning burgers and hot dogs. 

This chain restaurant originated in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1964 (the restaurant had the shape of a Windmill). It was later bought by Ed and Leo Levine who opened since then several locations in New Jersey.

The location in Hoboken opened in May 2012 and got the visit of celebrities for their Grand Opening: Comedian Artie Lange, actor Danny Aiello and actor Alex Corrado. You can even see them on a big painting in the back of the restaurant, along with Frank Sinatra (Hoboken native), Dean Martin...On the side, you can even see Snookie from the Jersey Shore...

When we entered the restaurant, we saw the owner (second on the bottom right on the painting...) who was very nice. As it was the first time we were there, he told us that we should try the foot long hot dog. In fact, the hot dogs have constantly received awards since 1998 from the Readers'Choice of Mommouth and Ocean County. So I decided to go for it. 

Instead of going with a chilli and/or cheese dog, I just asked for some sauteed onions. I really liked the Hot Dog. The sausage is from Sabrett and had a delicious taste: it was tastier than the hot dogs you would buy from a food cart in the City and even better than the one at Five Guys.

The burger however was not as good as Five Guys.

Don't get me wrong: it was good and the patty tasted like meat, but it was too thin (I should have probably tried the Big Ed who has a double patty) and the meat was not that juicy.

As sides, we ordered onions rings.

They were crispy and not greasy. They were made to order, so very hot. 

Then, they serve crinkle cut fries.

I really liked them: crispy and not too thick (Sorry, I do not like the fries from Nathan's!).

So, if I had to pick, I would go to Five Guys for the burgers and to The Windmill for the hot dogs and sides (Five Guys only offers fries). But I was a bit disappointed by the burger that I heard was delicious and got awards. 

Enjoy (I did)!

Tony Di Napoli in NYC, New York

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!

Hoboken Burrito aka Mission Burrito in Hoboken, New Jersey

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

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

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

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

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

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

We then had the vegetarian tacos.

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

The last dish was a grilled chicken quesadilla.

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!

5 Napkin Burger in NYC, New York

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

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

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

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

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

Their signature burger is the Original 5 Napkin burger:

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

The second burger I tried was the Avocado - Ranch:

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

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

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!