Delicious dinner at Matt & Meera in Hoboken, NJ - Closed
I guess that if you follow this blog, you realized how much I like Matt & Meera in Hoboken! That place is fantastic and serves an amazing food! So we went back for dinner...again...Yes, I would like to try everything on their menu!
We started off with the spiced meatballs:
Spiced meatballs at Matt and Meera in Hoboken, New Jersey NJ
They are lamb meatballs with a flavor profile similar to the meat samosa, lamb burger or lamb dosa. Don't get me wrong: the fact that there is the same flavor profile in many different dishes is not a problem: it shows the diversity in ways of serving this delicious spiced meat! The sauce, although a bit spicy was the star of the dish: thick, tasty with a hint of spice that builds up little by little in your mouth. They serve it with some naan bread (maybe not enough as I wanted to just get some sauce on the bread and it it, meatless). This was a nice twist on Italian meatballs.
The next dish was Vietnamese Spring Rolls.
Vietnamese Spring Rolls at Matt and Meera in Hoboken, New Jersey NJ
These are raw spring rolls. They contained tofu, vermicelli and peppers for a bit of crunch. The sauce was raita. It was delicious and fresh!
The last dish was Singapore noodles.
Singapore Noodles at Matt and Meera in Hoboken, New Jersey NJ
This was my least favorite dish so far: not tasty enough; a bit bland.
I have to say that the more I eat at Matt & Meera, the more I like it! Even if I do not like all the dishes!
Enjoy (I surely did)!
Kentucky Hot Brown at Bar Americain in New York, NY
In my prior post about Bar Americain, I mentioned this amazing dish called the Kentucky Hot Brown that I discovered on Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network. So imagine that when I went back to his restaurant, I could not miss the opportunity to eat that dish!
Before I tried it, I ordered an appetizer...to open my appetite...I went for the raw sea scallops.
They were served with a nice sour orange sauce and plantains. The dish looked amazing! And the combination of the raw scallops and sour orange sauce fantastic! I loved the fact that they put plantains as it gave some delightful crunchiness that elevated the dish a bit.
Then I tried the ricotta crepe, one of the vegetarian dishes on the menu. The crepe was perfect: thin and slightly chewy. The asparagus was crunchy and the cherry tomato sauce was to die for. It is definitely a dish I would recommend.
Then came the long awaited Kentucky Hot Brown!
As the name indicates it, this dish comes from Kentucky! It is an open face turkey sandwich dipped in cheese. And trust me: they put a lot of cheese, soften by a very good bechamel sauce. If you are a cheese lover, this dish is for you, but between the cheese and the turkey, you will need a coffee if you do not want to sleep after that! By the way, I could not care less for the tomato and bacon on top: all I wanted was the bread, turkey and bechamel! I always thought turkey is a bit tasteless compared to chicken, but with the cheese on top, it is divine. This dish is amazing!
For dessert (yes, I did have a little space for it), I first tried the pistachio creme brulee.
It was very good and creamy, served with a chocolate cherry biscotti that was pretty good.
I also ate a key lime tart. It was served with some almond brittle for some crunch and a coconut anglaise sauce.
I saw recently a Throwdown where Chef Flay made one that looked amazing. The crust, made probably with Graham crackers was delicious and buttery. Unfortunately, the key lime part of the tart was way too sweet! So disappointing!
So I had a nice and filling meal this time at Bar Americain. If you go there, try the Kentucky Hot Brown: it is worth the trip!
Enjoy (I did)!
Brunch at 44&X in NYC, New York
Few weeks ago, when my brother visited us for few days, we went to 44 1/2, a restaurant located on 44th street and 10th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen. On our way, we noticed this joint just one restaurant away called 44&X that was packed. So, we decided to go back to the area and try it.
In fact 44 1/2 and 44&X have the same owner, Bruce. The common element of the restaurant was both the modern decor, the impeccable service, and the little muffins they put on the table, muffins that are a bit addictive...
The menu offers classic brunch dishes, so we went straight for eggs!
On my side, I ordered herb scrambled eggs, Vermont cheddar cheese grits and sweet breakfast sausage.
Let me tell you the portion she got as well as my own dish were very generous and I could barely finish (probably also because of the muffins I ate...). The eggs were fluffy and well cooked, although I prefer mine a bit runny. I think the star of the brunch was the cheese grits: it was succulent! They did not cheat us on the amount of cheese and it was deliciously creamy! The sausages were as advertised: sweet and the bacon was fantastic and crunchy. The potatoes in Jodi's dish were just ok for me, but she loved it.
Like at 44 1/2, they put a bit of fruits on the plate, nice way to finish the meal and clean our palates.
So, it was very good and I think that if you are looking for a nice brunch in New York, in a modern setting, 44 1/2 and 44&X are great places located steps away from the noisy Times Square!
Enjoy (I did)!
Hummus Bowl at the Hummus Bar in Hoboken, NJ
How many hummus joints will open in Hoboken??? Well, after I guess a tough competition, two of them already closed: Ibby's falafel and Maoz. I have been a big fan of Mamoun's falafel and was eager to try his competitor, The Hummus Bar, located not far from it! I was more eager when one of my colleagues, Sonnali, mentioned that she went there and had some Indian flavored dish that was apparently delicious. So I was wondering what the menu would be as I imagined before, that a Hummus Bar would simply serve the traditional Middle Eatsern dishes: hummus, falafel, shawarma...Looking at the menu, I realized that it was not the case and that they showcased some interesting combination: Italian, Indian, Greek...
So we decided to try it. We picked two different Hummus bowls. A Hummus bowl is a the equivalent of a plate rather than a sandwich where the bottom of the plate is spread with hummus (classic, black olive and herbs...). You can even decide to replace the hummus by guacamole (not sure I would try that there) or babaganouj.
It was made of avocado, chickpeas, fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, olives, cucumber and pineapple. This was delicious and very fresh. But they could have put a bit more salad in the bowl. The pineapple added a nice sweetness to the dish that matched the acidity of the tomatoes. Delish!
On my side, I ordered the Lamb Tikka Hummus Bowl.
It was lamb marinated overnite and grilled with onions, peppers, tomatoes and spices. It was good and flavorful but they did not use a great part of the lamb. Tasty though. I noticed that it is off the online menu and that they now serve the chicken tikka: it might be better.
Concerning the star of the bowl, the hummus, I have to say that I loved it: it was creamy and delicious, as good as the one at Mamoun's...
I would probably try something else next time as their menu offers plenty of interesting choices and combinations!
Enjoy (I did)!
Blue Sky Bakery in Brooklyn, New York
Blue Sky Bakery is a bakery located in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I did not go there, but one of my colleagues brought some muffins from there! Considering the smell that invaded our workspace, they were just made and in fact they were still warm.
He brought us few different kinds:
- Raspberry and peach,
- Pumpkin, apple and walnuts,
- Blueberry and mango,
- zucchini, cranberry and cream cheese.
I have to say that just reading the labels on the box, you could see that they were made with quite a lot of creativity: they were not your regular chocolate chip or corn muffins! It reminded me of Cupcake wars on the Food Network where 4 bakeries compete to win $10,000; most of the time, the ingredients they have to compose with are unusual and the competitors come up, most of the time, with great ideas!
So I decided to try two of them and cut them in half.
I first went for the zucchini, cranberry and cream cheese.
It was very intriguing: would it have the taste of zucchini? In fact it did not! But I guess the zucchini gave this nice dense texture as well as kept the muffin very moist. The surprise was at the bottom with the cream cheese. Of course, as I cut the muffin into two, there was no surprise...
This muffin is probably one of the best I ever had!
The next one was the peach and raspberry.
Very good too, but not as good as the first one. The cake itself had a lighter texture, closer to what a regular muffin would taste. However, the fruit made the difference! You could really taste a natural flavor: these fruits were not coming from a can!
So, I have to say that I really enjoyed these muffins! Eating regular muffins is going to be tough now that I know that there are some incredible creations out there!!!
Enjoy (I did)!
Help The Victims of Hurricane Sandy!
Hurricane Sandy brought devastation to families, homes and business across 15 states. People need our help, but beware of scams that started to flourish! It is sad to see that some people without any heart or conscience are trying to make a profit of this terrible situation. If you are not sure if a charity is legit, make sure it is a registered public charity with 501 (c) (3) status. You can also check the Charity Navigator.
Below are couple of websites to make donations or volunteer:
Thank you for helping the victims!
Jean-Philippe / I Just Want To Eat
Steak Sandwich at Black Bear Bar in Hoboken, New Jersey
I went to Black Bear for their burger a long time ago and while discussing about it with a friend, he mentioned the steak sandwich that they serve. I did not need more information to be convinced that I had to try it!
So we went there for lunch. The place is a popular bar, located on Washington Street in Hoboken, with two stories and several rooms. What was interesting is the part of the wall that has all these hot sauces:
I did not know there are so many different one!
Anyway, I was there for the sandwich, not the decor or ambiance...I ordered the steak sandwich medium.
The steak sandwich is slice steak, caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms. This thing was huge and had an amazing smell that opened my appetite! Only problem was how to eat it as, as you can see on the photo, there was a lot of meat on the bread. I succeeded to close the sandwich and had a divine first bite! The bread was very soft and, as it had been toasted, a bit crispy, adding some texture to the dish. The steak was very good: tender and juicy. Unfortunately, there was too much garlic...This sandwich was definitely packed with flavors from the onions, mushroom and steak! If they lower the quantity or even eliminate the garlic, it will be a must have!
Jodi ordered a Hoboken Cobb salad.
She asked without meat and ended up paying the full price by the way...The salad was good though with lots of blue cheese...
Although too garlic-y, the steak sandwich was worth it! If I had to go again, I would probably ask them one with no garlic as I am not planning to be victim of a vampire attack...
Enjoy (I did)!
People's Pops at Chelsea Market in NYC, New York
I LOVE Chelsea Market! It is a little jewel in New York City that offers so many delicious choices of food! The last one I discovered was People's Pop. The place is located in the back, where Bar Suzette is located. It is very small but intriguing because of the big ice cube sitting on the counter and the weird flavors they offer, such as watermelon & mint or Apricot & Lavender. People's Pops only make popsicles with fruits naturally grown.
Although I am not really a popsicle guy (I prefer some creamy ice cream), I found it good and tasty for a popsicle. You could definitely taste it was made with fresh apples and it has a nice hint of ginger.
Jodi went for a grape flavored shaved ice cup.
What was interesting is that they shave the ice of a 100 lb ice cube right in front of you!
Enjoy (I kind of did)!
Press dinner and follow up brunch at Jeanne et Gaston in NYC, New York
First, know that the owner and French Chef Claude Godard is a third generation Chef who has the title of Maitre Cuisinier de France. It is an envied title, obtained in a competition and given to a Chef who will follow the motto “to preserve and spread the French culinary arts, encourage training in cuisine, and assist professional development.” This is a big deal and a guaranty to eat some authentic French food!
The restaurant, named after the Chef's Grand Mother Jeanne and his Grand Father Gaston, is of medium size, with a warm ambiance thanks to its bricks and wooden tables.
One of the main feature that will be great during warm weather is the garden.
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| Courtesy of Jeanne et Gaston |
Round 1 - Press Dinner:
So here I am for this press dinner in a French restaurant. I am asked if I will be pickier because the chef is a fellow Frenchman: I do not think so, especially knowing that most of the Chefs try give a modern flair or elevate traditional dishes.
They first brought us some bread and butter:
The bread was a cute little baguette that was warm and delightfully crispy. I would eat that bread at each meal!
It was a wooden plank with different meats and some duck liver mousse. The meats were: rosette de Lyon (cured saucisson or French pork sausage), garlic sausage and prosciutto. For sure, I paid more attention to the duck liver mousse as it was the only part of the dish that was made by the Chef! The mousse was very light and tasty. I think I noticed a hint of alcohol in it...I could have eaten a whole plate of it!
The second appetizer was sea scallops with a creamy polenta and carrot and cardamon sauce.
The presentation was beautiful! The scallops were well cooked with a nice sear and were not rubbery. The polenta was delicious: very creamy and not grainy. It paired well with the carrot sauce. Problem is that I do not really like cardamon and it sometimes overpowered the dish. Without the cardamon, this dish would have been a total hit for me!!!
Then came the first entree: a quenelle in a nantua sauce.
Think about quenelle as a dumpling. This one was a traditional one, made with pike. When I was a kid, the only version of quenelle I knew was the one in a can. In France, you can find a wide variety of quenelle made with pike or chicken and many different sauces. It is only later that I tried a fresh one: much lighter and tastier than the canned one! I think I saw some at Whole Foods even!!!
Anyway, this one was very light and not fishy at all. However, there was at some point some fishy taste in the Nantua sauce (consists of bechamel, cream and crayfish). This was my least favorite dish although I loved the quenelle itself.
The second entree was a roasted duck filet served with red cabbage and grape reduction.
I loved it! The duck was slightly pink and moist. The grape reduction was delicious and not sweet! It was a perfect dish and I would surely order that again! Having red cabbage and a grape reduction was a great idea, far from the traditional sides you would eat with duck.
For dessert, we got a brioche pudding diplomat and a raspberry souffle.
The desserts rocked! I am still drooling thinking about the pudding! It was dense, buttery and served slightly warm, with chocolate valrona ice cream to die for and a vanilla sauce.
The rasperry souffle was a nice change to the regular chocolate souffle. A bit sweet, it had a nice fruity taste.
I almost forgot to mention their nice French wine selection, from Bordeaux to Bourgogne. We were able to taste the following:
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
The second appetizer was sea scallops with a creamy polenta and carrot and cardamon sauce.
The presentation was beautiful! The scallops were well cooked with a nice sear and were not rubbery. The polenta was delicious: very creamy and not grainy. It paired well with the carrot sauce. Problem is that I do not really like cardamon and it sometimes overpowered the dish. Without the cardamon, this dish would have been a total hit for me!!!
Then came the first entree: a quenelle in a nantua sauce.
Think about quenelle as a dumpling. This one was a traditional one, made with pike. When I was a kid, the only version of quenelle I knew was the one in a can. In France, you can find a wide variety of quenelle made with pike or chicken and many different sauces. It is only later that I tried a fresh one: much lighter and tastier than the canned one! I think I saw some at Whole Foods even!!!
Anyway, this one was very light and not fishy at all. However, there was at some point some fishy taste in the Nantua sauce (consists of bechamel, cream and crayfish). This was my least favorite dish although I loved the quenelle itself.
The second entree was a roasted duck filet served with red cabbage and grape reduction.
I loved it! The duck was slightly pink and moist. The grape reduction was delicious and not sweet! It was a perfect dish and I would surely order that again! Having red cabbage and a grape reduction was a great idea, far from the traditional sides you would eat with duck.
For dessert, we got a brioche pudding diplomat and a raspberry souffle.
The desserts rocked! I am still drooling thinking about the pudding! It was dense, buttery and served slightly warm, with chocolate valrona ice cream to die for and a vanilla sauce.
The rasperry souffle was a nice change to the regular chocolate souffle. A bit sweet, it had a nice fruity taste.
I almost forgot to mention their nice French wine selection, from Bordeaux to Bourgogne. We were able to taste the following:
- Bourgogne Chardonnay Kimmerigien 2010, Domaine Brocard
- Jurancon sec 2010, Chateau Jolys
- Fronton classic 2009, Chateau Brouissel
So it was a great tasting and so I decided to go back for Brunch before writing this post, to see if going as any customer would change my mind on this restaurant.
Round 2 - Brunch:
For brunch, Jeanne et Gaston offers mainly French dishes, as well as (very) few classic american brunch dishes, such as the French toast or the burger. They offer a brunch prix fixe for $18 (at the time this post is written) that includes an appetizer and an entree.
Jodi picked the prix fixe and ordered the crispy goat cheese with a tomato sauce for the appetizer and the scrambled eggs with a potato cake, bacon and sausages.
The crispy goat cheese was in fact goat cheese and veggies in a phyllo that is fried and served with a salad with a julienne made of at least carrots and zucchini. It was very good and the phyllo added a nice crispiness to a dish that had a lot of freshness. The tomato sauce was excellent and reminded me of a russian dressing.
The scrambled eggs were fantastic: exactly how I like them! Not overcooked, moist and fluffy! There were herbs in it and I think I guessed some scallion. The potato cake was a nice pairing and was similar to hash brown, but shaped into a cake. Serving the dish with meat was generous, but considering the quantity of food, if they would not have put any, it would not have been a problem!!!
On my side, I decided to order the Jeanne et Gaston burger as I heard it was real good:
First of all, it was well presented and very appetizing. The cheese on top of the burger was camembert that hopefully will not offend cheese lovers...I think brie or camembert are a great way of serving a cheese burger! And they were really generous with the quantity of cheese!
The meat, that sat on a soft bun with a bit of crispiness on the bottom, was perfectly cooked (I asked for medium), moist and very tasty. I noticed the same tomato sauce that was served with the crispy goat cheese appetizer. Delish! I would definitely recommend their burger that is far better than the one at The Spotted Pig and was worth the $18!
Last, the fries were nice and crispy, not greasy. I just wish they had mayonnaise to eat with it...
Conclusion:
I think it was great to go back to Jeanne et Gaston to try their brunch after this fantastic tasting I was invited to. It gives me more reasons to think that this is a place to know. And note that this is one of the best brunch deals in the city!
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Gelato pop at Popbar in New York City, NY
Their gelato is apparently made every day with fresh fruits and ingredients coming from Italy! They have many flavors such as: banana, chocolate, coconut, hazelnut, pistachio, cream, vanilla, peanut butter, ...
They also have sorbet such as lemon, pineapple, kiwi, mixed berries, ...
- pick your gelato or sorbet.
- pick a dip: dark, milk or white chocolate.
- pick a topping: almonds, hazelnuts, granola, shredded coconut, ...
Just looking at the way they prepare it opens your appetite! This was very good! I am not sure I would have called it a gelato as gelato refers more to a soft ice cream. Of course, a soft ice cream would not have worked on a stick...Anyway, the taste was very good, especially the combination of coconut and dark chocolate.
On my side, I picked the Hazelnut gelato, dipped in dark chocolate and with hazelnut as a topping.
I loved it! The taste of hazelnut was very pronounced and it reminded me the pop ice cream I use to eat on Sundays when I was a kid (we only ate ice cream on Sundays, at lunch).
Popbar is definitely a little gem on carmine! I am surely going to go back to try some other pop as the one I tasted were awesome!
Enjoy (I did)!
South Indian Dosa at Matt & Meera in Hoboken, NJ - Closed
Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
I have already written a post about Matt & Meera, an American-Indian fusion restaurant in Hoboken, NJ. Since they opened, I went few times and I have become a huge fan of this place. So, I was somewhat curious to try their brunch menu!
Jodi and I decided to try the dosa, a lentil crepe from South India. The first time I tried it was many years ago in Mumbai, during the Ganesh festival. The one I had was vegetarian and delicious from what I recall!
Jodi ordered the potato dosa.
Potato dosa at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
When it arrived, it looked fantastic! It was served with some chutney, one of them being the tomato mustard chutney that is amazing! It is certainly a big portion if you compare to the knife and fork on the photo.
Potato dosa at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
But not the entire dosa was filled.
Potato dosa at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
The filling in the potato dosa was very tasteful and a bit spicy, with some nice sweetness added by the onions that were deliciously soft.
I decided to go for the lamb dosa.
Lamb dosa at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
I love lamb and it had the same flavor profile as the samosas or the lamb burger that I still crave! It was packed with spices that exploded in my mouth!
Lamb dosa at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
In this dosa too, they added some onions that added not only sweetness but also texture to the dish. I loved it!!!
Of course, we had to finish with dessert. I was intrigued by their dessert menu as I love Indian desserts! We shared the caramel kulfi, that is a kind of ice cream.
Caramel Kulfi mousse at Matt and Meera Indian restaurant in Hoboken, NJ New Jersey
It was succulent with an great caramel taste. The texture was denser than ice cream and a perfect way to end the meal!
That was a great brunch and I will definitely try other traditional brunch dishes that I am sure have a nice Indian twist such as the Huevos Rancheros or the steak & Eggs!
Enjoy (I did)!
Vegetarian dinner at Gobo in NYC, New York
"In the Kingdom of the Vegetarian, the Carnivore is King"
Jean-Philippe - October 2012
I started this blog post with this sentence because I realize that it is easier to be a carnivore in New York than being a vegetarian and forget it if you are vegan! Yes, there are options in the city, but they are still limited and it is easier for a carnivore to eat in a vegetarian restaurant than the contrary. I love meat, from beef, lamb, mutton...But I do not mind trying a meatless dish sometimes, especially if it is different from the usual salads and has some flavors...The first time I tried a vegetarian dish was at Zen Palate, many years ago, at the time they were located at Union Square. Their fake sweet and sour chicken was fantastic! Then I tried Gobo on the Upper East Side. These restaurants show that you can make great vegetarian food! So, I promised Jodi to go back to Gobo for dinner.
We went on a Saturday night. The restaurant was at first not packed, but started to fill up as the evening went by. I like the setting of the restaurant, with its large table at the entrance that gives the impression you eat in someones' kitchen.
Or its communal table...
The menu offers a large choice of dishes in three formats: quick bite, small or large plates. The smaller sizes are ideal for sharing or to try different specialties. So we decided to order few of them.
The green color of the avocado and the sauce was vibrant and the dish looked appetizing. They were served with some sort of homemade chips to give some crunchiness to an heavenly good and creamy dish. The wasabi lime sauce perfectly enhanced the flavors and was not spicy at all.
The second dish was the crispy spinach and soy cheese wontons.
This was pretty good: the phyllo dough added some crispiness to a very soft filling. The soy cheese did not have that much flavor alone, but was well complemented by the sauce and the spinach.
The third dish was the roti canai.
Roti canai is a specialty inspired by Indian cuisine, found in Malaysia and Indonesia. The first time I tried it was a Wild Ginger in Maplewood, a Thai restaurant that is fantastic. The bread (the roti) was served with a Malaysian curry. In fact, we kind of made a mistake by also ordering a slow cook Malaysian curry....
They were both similar and we did not expect it! The protein served with the curry was seitan that is made with soy. It was just ok for me. You could recognize the flavors of a curry and the curry sauce was delicious, but the seitan was not my favorite...
The last dish ordered was the scallion pancakes.
They were served with a homemade mango salsa. I devoured it! Although a bit greasy, it was crispy and delicious with the mango salsa that added some freshness to the dish and was original. This was a hit.
With the meal, I drunk some soy milk, that I love when eating vegetarian...
They served a lot of it for $3!
Although I did not like the curry, the rest of the dishes were very good, especially the avocado tartare and the scallion pancakes. The service was so so: they did not check if everything was ok with the food, if we needed anything and brought us the bill straight away without even proposing a dessert!
Gobo is definitely one of my favorite spot for vegetarian. What about you?
Enjoy (I did)!
Vegetarian food at Angelica kitchen in New York, NY
In search for the best vegetarian place, we ended up at Angelica Kitchen in the East Village, after having heard about it by my wife's cousin, Jessica. As mentioned in prior posts, I am more a carnivore, but I am always interested in trying different types of cuisines.
We went to that place on a Saturday, for lunch. I thought it would be more crowded, but it was not the case.
As the weather was still nice, we needed a nice drink to rehydrate. Jodi ordered a lemonade and I ordered an hibiscus cooler. The lemonade was really good and not too sweet. The cooler was surprisingly good considering that the only hibiscus I ever saw was in a pot at my Mom's place...
We decided to skip the appetizers and ordered Angelica's cornbread.
Forget any reference to cornbread as it does not at all taste like it! The wheat is replaced by rice that make it very dense. It was good, but a bit dry. They give you a big piece of it and we could not finish.
For the main dish, Jodi ordered the wee dragon, half a portion of a dragon bowl.
This dish used to be served in a Chinese bowl (hence the name) and came in a plate. I was not sure how to take the photo as no angle made it look good...The bowl was made of rice, beans, tofu, sea vegetables & steamed vegetables. You just need to pick a dressing to go with it. Jodi picked the balsamic vinaigrette. None of us liked the dish unfortunately: it was mushy and bland. Definitely disappointing.
On my side, I ordered one of the special of the day: Ancho Autumn Equinox, a gluten free dish.
This dish had a nice presentation at least! It was a coconut-vegetable curry served with red bell peppers, tomatoes, yukon gold potatoes, sweet peas, carrots, celery, lemongrass and basil. It was accompanied with tofu, broccoli and roasted yellow squash. This dish had definitely more flavors than the dragon bowl, but it was not as tasty as a curry (even vegetarian) you would find in a Thai restaurant. I at least enjoyed the rice that was a bit sticky, as well as I enjoyed the tofu and squash.
The way the food was, we of course decided to skip dessert and have something sweet somewhere else...
So I was a bit disappointed with Angelica Kitchen. For vegetarian, I prefer Gobo or Zen Palate, or even vegetarian dishes you would find in a Thai or Indian restaurant. It was a miss for me!
Enjoy (the post)!
Lunch menu at T Thai in Hoboken, NJ
This time, we decided to try their lunch menu. Not surprisingly, they offer a menu for less than $8 that features a veggie roll, a salad and an entree. To go with it, I had my usual Thai Iced Tea that is delicious at T Thai.
It was a straight forward salad with iceberg lettuce and tomatoes, served with a peanut sauce. Pretty standard. I was a bit disappointed with the roll: there was no sauce with it and too much wrap around it so I missed a bit the taste of the veggies.
The choice of entrees is pretty standard for a Thai restaurant: noodles, curry or fried rice.
Jodi decided to order the glass noodles with Tofu.
It was a nice presentation with vivid colors between the noodles and the vegetables. The glass noodles were delicious, perfectly cooked. However, the tofu was bland...
On my side, I ordered one of my favorite Thai dish: Chicken Curry Massaman.
It is a curry made with coconut milk, potatoes and peanuts. For $0.50, I got coconut rice. The Curry was pretty good. A bit thicker than usual but very tasty with a little spice building up in the back of my throat! The rice however was disappointing as I could not taste at all the coconut.
We enjoyed the lunch that was at a very reasonable price. Maybe for the service, they could be a bit more gracious though...
Enjoy (I did)!
Fantastic Burger at Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien - NYC, New York
The first time I went to Burger Joint was in 2002. I stayed at Le Parker Meridien for a while and they started to know me. One night, I was going for Pizza and one of the managers who knew me proposed to try a burger. I noticed that the location was where the bar used to be. The place was empty, at the exception of the head of the hotel who sat with me while I was tasting the delicious sandwich! It was the time when Burger Joint was unknown and very quickly, people and the press started to talk about it, making it a madhouse! Imagine that we were there on Saturday at 5:30pm thinking it would be ok and it was crazy! According to one of the wait staff, they make between 1500 to 1700 burgers a day! So, be ready to wait, although, people just come to eat a burger, so it should not take too long!
The restaurant is interesting: few wooden tables and walls and lights covered with graffitis. Dim lights with no windows and posters on the walls. It definitely gives a very casual feel to the place.
The menu is simple: burger or cheeseburger with usual toppings: lettuce, tomato or pickles. On my side, I only have my burger with cheese, mayonnaise and ketchup. Cooked medium. The cheeseburger at Burger Joint was delicious: perfectly cooked, moist and tasting like meat (no filler)! I literally inhaled it!
As a side, we ordered French fries that were like I like them: regular cut with a delightful crispiness! Not greasy at all. Last, I tried a vanilla milkshake: a bit disappointing...The milkshake was already prepared and they served it from a container. It was not dense enough and I doubt that they use real ice cream, rather a milkshake preparation.
Burger Joint is definitely in my top 5 burger places in New York! Their burger is divine, but be ready to be in line before enjoying it...
Enjoy (I did)!
And remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Ramen at Ippudo-NY in NYC, New York
Last Sunday, Jodi and I decided to go eat ramen at Ippudo a Japanese restaurant in New York City I heard about. It is interesting to note that ramen were not that known in France when I was living there: you could find them in the International food section of some supermarkets or in a few Japanese restaurants, but it was not that known. I understand that in the US, students use to eat them when broke; in France, it was more spaghetti... I really discovered ramen bowls when I tried it at Noodles 32 in Korea Town: it was incredibly good! I was sold later on when going to Momofuku Noodle Bar...
So we decided to go early to Ippudo as I knew that it was popular. Know that the original Ippudo opened in Fukukoa in Japan in 1985 and the New York location opened in 2008. Go figure why I waited that long to go there...We showed up at 11:40am and the restaurant was already full. We had to wait for a table for approximately 20 minutes, in the entrance, admiring a wall full of ramen bowls.
While waiting, we could hear people yelling something in Japanese and then people cheering back. We later understood that it was their way to introduce new patrons to the main room. They said in a nutshell: "these are our new guests, please say welcome to them".
They sat us in the first room, in a large table shared with other customers. The room was overlooked by a huge tree made of bamboo and there was bamboo everywhere. I was very excited to try as people around us seemed delighted to eat their noodles. Of course, do not be shy to slurp: it is mandatory! Interesting how when I grew up, we were taught how to eat soup and pasta a certain way, without making any noise. Sorry Mom and Dad...I have to slurp too!
So, I started with Tako Wasabi or raw baby octopus as an appetizer.
Yes, I know, some of you think it is creepy. I wanted to give it a try as I love octopus but never had it raw. I thought it would be a nice training for the day I will eat live octopus (soon)!
It was served with fresh wasabi. So, with the chopsticks, I mixed the octopus and wasabi. Eating with chopstick was a bit challenging as it was small and slimy. But the taste was wonderful with a delightful crunch. I am used to having octopus that was fried, sauteed or grilled, giving a totally different taste. You can retrieve some of the taste but raw has some freshness you will not find when cooked.
For the ramen, I asked the waitress which one was the most popular and she mentioned the Akamaru Modern.
Jodi ordered the Wasabi Shoyu Ramen that is their vegetarian alternative.
As Jodi was not sure how spicy it would be, so she asked for the wasabi on the side.
Now, know that the quantity they serve is big and that there is a lot of soup. You can ask for extra noodles for $2 (Kaedama), but I have to say that I was full, especially after having eaten some of Jodi's dish...
At the end of the meal, they brought us some green tea: it was a nice way to end this meal and clean our palates!
I really enjoyed (yes I did!) Ippudo! They serve great food full of flavor and I can't stop thinking about that soup...because as you know: I Just Want To Eat!
Enjoy (I did)!
Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ - Is the Cake Boss overrated???
Who does not know the Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro? His show on TV is very popular and there is always a very long line in front of his bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey. But know that if you live in Hoboken, you can skip the line: just show an ID that proves you are living there. My first experience with Carlo's Bakery was so so: couple of years ago, I bought a cannoli and did not like it. I thought at that time that it might have been because I did not eat it right away and put it in the refrigerator for few hours. Then, one of my colleagues brought a tiramisu and a chocolate cake at work: I loved the tiramisu but the chocolate cake was way too sweet. So we decided to try again.
The Cake Boss is known for his insane cakes that he is building on his show. For sure they look spectacular, but I am not sure they taste that good considering the amount of fondant and rice crispy treat he puts in it.
When we were there, it was packed! The problem is that we could not go around and look at the cakes and cookies. So we had to blindly ask for a cannoli and a red velvet cupcake. Maybe they should let less people enter in the shop to allow their customers to look around!
Let start with the cannoli: the shell was a bit stale and the filling was a bit tasteless despite the chocolate chips. I clearly prefer the cannoli at Giorgio's in Hoboken (see the review of Giorgio's here).
The Red Velvet Cupcake was also very disappointing! First, there was not enough frosting: you need to keep a certain ratio cake / frosting. Anyway, the frosting had a very weird taste. The cake was also not good and dry. Clearly not to recommend! For cupcakes, Sweet Bakery in Hoboken is far better with a delicious and moist Red Velvet Cupcake that I would not stop eating (see the review of Sweet Bakery here)!
So, I guess all the buzz around Carlo's Bakery is because of the TV personality rather than the cakes...This was a forgettable experience!
Update: Here is the review of the Cake Boss Cafe at Port Authority NYC!
Update: Here is the review of the Cake Boss Cafe at Port Authority NYC!
Enjoy (the photos)!
Lombardi, the oldest pizzeria in the US - NYC, New York
It has been a while since I wanted to go to Lombardi's Pizza, the oldest pizzeria in the US, located in New York City. We went last Saturday and the place was not packed, until 12:30pm where patrons started to come and even had to wait outside! I guess this place is in all the guides, explaining the sudden rush!
We saw two dining rooms there: the one at the entrance, with its bar, and the one in the back. We got seated in the first one. It definitely had a rustic and traditional feel with its brick walls and the white and red table clothes. The service was quick and courteous that is sometimes missing in popular restaurants!
This was the first time I tried this! It was interesting: the color of the drink itself was like crystal and had of course a strong vanilla taste thanks to the syrup. But the best was when mixing the whipped cream with the drink. It added more sweetness to it. Delicious, but not a drink I would crave!
Then we ordered a pizza: small size (6 slices) with wild mushrooms and homemade meatballs (beef and pork).
The pizza, cooked in a coal oven, smelled amazingly good! The crust was thin and crispy with a nice char in the bottom and the sides.
Each topping was $3 and they put a lot of it! The meatballs, although small, were moist and tasty.
They also did not cheat us on the wild mushrooms. Another thing I appreciated was the amount of basil they put on the pizza: usually, you get few leafs. At Lombardi's, they put a lot. This gave additional flavors to this great pie!
I definitely liked Lombardi's pizza! It is definitely a place to visit, with or without the title of oldest pizzeria in the US!
Be careful though: it is cash only, like when they opened...
Enjoy (I did)!
Then we ordered a pizza: small size (6 slices) with wild mushrooms and homemade meatballs (beef and pork).
I definitely liked Lombardi's pizza! It is definitely a place to visit, with or without the title of oldest pizzeria in the US!
Be careful though: it is cash only, like when they opened...
Enjoy (I did)!
Press dinner at De Santos in NYC, New York
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| Courtesy of De Santos |
I have been invited to a press dinner at De Santos, a new American cuisine restaurant in the West Village. I was very excited as it was the first invitation of that sort and intimidated at the same time, not knowing how it would be and who would be there! Plenty of questions came through my head: how will it be? Who would be there? Can I stay true to myself judging a restaurant who, in fine, invites me?
The answer to the last question is yes! Restaurants need people to comment on them to improve and it is pretty courageous to invite critics and bloggers to review your restaurant! The only important thing I need to do is to honestly mention that I was invited in my post so you understand that the food served to me was probably more carefully prepared and the service would be on his toes as the wait staff knew why people at the table were doing there!
So, the dinner was at 7pm. As I always try to be on time, I came a bit early. I noticed in front of the restaurant a person talking photos with a small camera and immediately thought that it was one of the people invited. I later learnt that it was Marc Shepard whose blog, New York Journal, has been around for a while. I respectfully let him take his photo of the restaurant and then took mine.
I like the fact that the restaurant is in a townhouse. As I mentioned when going to Vetri in Philadelphia, it gives the impression to go a friend's place. The place was welcoming and bigger than what I expected: bar at the entrance, main dining room, then a second dining room next to a garden. The last intriguing room is a former speakeasy located downstairs, called the Janis room, used for private dinners and live performances. The name comes from Janis Joplin, one of the celebrities who lived in the building that is packed with memories, but hopefully no paranormal activity...
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| Courtesy of De Santos |
We sat in the dining room on a large table. What was great was to put a face with a name like Malini from the Restaurant Fairy or Bradley from Amuse * Bouche, blogs that I read often!
Anyway, back to the restaurant! We had the chance to meet with the Executive Chef, Angel Vela who worked at Pastis and came on board to reinvent the menu. He told us that his inspiration was to create a simple and basic menu. Trust me, what we tasted was far from that!
So, it was time to start to try the food from De Santos! They handed out a menu composed of three appetizers and three entrees. Portions would be smaller to accommodate a tasting (I am relieved)!
Warning: as they dimmed the light and I never take photos with flash, the photos are not as clear as I would have liked. The actual dishes had vibrant colors...I may have to rethink my strategy moving forward...
We started of with the Tuna Tartare:
The tuna was sitting on avocado and had some soy ginger vinaigrette on it. I love the combination tuna / avocado: it gives some additional freshness to the dish and one complement very well the other! It was good, but I would have liked more acidity.
Then we got the Truffle Mac & Cheese:
Truffle Mac & Cheese is definitely a dish that appeals to people as it is an elevated version of a comforting food! This one was good: you could definitely taste the truffle and the bread crumbs added a nice crunchiness to the dish.
The last (!) Appetizer was the Beef Carpaccio:
The carpaccio was served with some homemade potato gnocchi and a truffle cream. This was my favorite appetizer! The gnocchi were light and not potato-y. The sauce was also light and tasty. Loved it!
For the first entree, we got a Grilled Ribeye Steak:
The steak came with roasted potatoes and haricot verts. I loved the steak: it was cooked medium rare and had a perfect char. I was really surprised as I typically would never order steak in a restaurant other than a steakhouse! What I did not like however were the haricot verts, but I guess it is a question of taste: in France, we would cook them longer, making them soft and the taste is slightly different. These were slightly cooked and crunchy, but had an off taste for me. Having just the potatoes would have been perfect!
The second entree was the Scallops:
They were served with a wild mushroom risotto and the garnish was parsnip chips. When I saw the dish, I thought it would be the perfect dish for Gordon Ramsey to review as in his show, Hell's Kitchen, people always screw up on the scallops or on the risotto! Serving the two together was a great idea, although I loved the risotto that was cream with a bit of crunch and very tasty, I did not like the scallops that were a bit rubbery and very salty. However, the surprise was the parsnip chips that were fantastic! The scallops would have been better, it would have been a killer dish!
The last entree was the rack of lamb:
If you follow this blog, you now know that I love lamb. So I was excited to try that dish. The sides were a potato au gratin and a goat cheese salad. The potato au gratin were similar to the gratin Dauphinois that you can eat in France, where potatoes are thinly sliced and layered. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned. I also liked the salad that added some freshness to the dish and a Mediterranean flair. But, the main focus of the dish was the lamb: it was perfectly cooked for me, meaning medium rare, and juicy. They removed the fat and meat from the bone (frenched it), but I could taste a bit of the grilled fat that has some crispiness but also a delicious taste.
Last came the desserts. At that point, I started to be a bit full, but could not resist...The first desserts was a Dulce de Leche crepe:
This crepe was fabulous! Thin and soft at the same time and not too sweet. I devoured it!
The second dessert was a banana cobbler. The photo is not that great so I will not publish it. It was good, but not as good as the crepe!
So, I had a great dinner there! Not everything was perfect, but it all depends on anybody's taste! I would definitely go back. They have a nice menu that is more for carnivores and features a lot of classic dishes that have been elevated for fine dining.
Enjoy (I did)!
Ken and Cook in NYC, New York
A particularity I noticed in the decor is the two telephone booths that reminded me of what you see in very old movies! I should have tried to use them just to see if they were working...
First, they served us some delicious bread with some olive oil.
The bread was fresh and crispy! I have to say that I love dipping bread in olive oil! It is a great and healthy alternative to butter, not that I am a healthy eater...
As we were going for a day full of food, Jodi decided to go with the bibb salad.
It was a nice quantity and was well made, although a bit overdressed, with nice croutons.
On my side, I started with oysters.
Ken & Cook has a raw bar and for brunch, they propose blue point oysters for $2 a piece.
The oysters were very good and of good quality! They were served with a fantastic grapefruit sauce that provided a nice acidity to complement the oysters.
I then had fried chicken.
It was served with a biscuit and a honey based sauce (ranch dressing based maybe?). The presentation was beautiful with some fried lemon that was only for decoration (I tasted it...). It was also a nice portion with several pieces of chicken, with bone and boneless. The breading was perfect, not overcooked and not greasy. The chicken was moist and incredibly tasty paired with the sauce! Then there was the biscuit that came with it: warm and delicious! This was a succulent dish and I would just go back for that! One of the best fried chicken I ever ate! As an anecdote, the first time I had fried chicken was at KFC in...Paris...I went a couple of times with my friends after seeing a movie. I never went to any KFC in the US, but after trying this fried chicken at Ken & Cook, I doubt I would have the same experience...
I certainly recommend this restaurant for brunch and may come back. However, the food took a bit of time to come after we ordered, although there was only one couple besides us in the restaurant. Also, with an entree, you get a free drink for lunch: the waiter did not tell us, but told the other table. I did not care at that point, but I think it is something they should mention systematically to their clients!
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!