Dinner at Nobu in Tribeca, NYC, New York

We were very excited to go to Nobu in Tribeca! We wanted to treat ourselves in the restaurant of Japanese Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, whose partners include Robert De Niro (yes, I am talking to you!). He created dishes inspired from his background but also from his experience in South America (Peru and Argentina). 

Having a reservation was a bit of a challenge for the week end and we got one at 6:15pm on a Saturday. From outside, the restaurant was very discreet. Inside, it was very elegant with its earthy tones and Japanese aesthetics. The place started to get busy pretty quickly. We even saw Matt Dillon who was having dinner and were wondering if we would see other actors as we went there during the Tribeca Film Festival. No luck. 

The menu was pretty extensive, showcasing traditional Japanese dishes like sushi and sashimi. For sure, having sushi and sashimi at Nobu might be good but we felt that we would miss the whole point of this culinary discovery.

We decided to try the following dishes:

For appetizer, we ordered the Spicy Miso Chips with Bigeye Tuna:

The scale on the photo is close to what we got! It was small and clearly more an Amuse Bouche rather than what I would call an appetizer. It would have been better with at least 4 pieces! It was good though, a little on the sweet side, it was not as spicy as it advertises. 

Then we got the Kumamoto Oysters with Maui Onion Salsa:

The presentation was very nice with the oysters presented on crushed ice. The scale on the photo was again close to reality: small. The problem is that I could barely taste the oyster: the onion salsa was good but too overpowering for my taste.

For entrees, Jodi ordered the Fish and Chips Nobu-style:

And I ordered the black cod with Miso:

Clearly, between the two, the black cod with Miso hit the mark! The fish was perfectly cooked, moist and flaky. It had some sweetness to it that was enhanced by the miso. It is definitely a dish to try if you go to Nobu. The Fish and Chips Nobu-style was, however, disappointing. I think we were expecting something better than just fish tempura with soy sauce. They could have done so different, maybe with some  sweet and sour sauce or wasabi. It was not even the best tempura we ever tried. I think the only thing I liked in that dish was the yuca fries...

I also ordered the Live Octopus Tiradito:

Contrary to what I thought, the octopus was not alive, just fresh... It was like a carpaccio with thin slices of octopus and lime, too much of it in fact! The octopus was tender and very good, but the lime overpowered the entire dish.

As we were still hungry (crazy, no?), we ordered two additional dishes:

Jodi went for the avocado tempura:

The avocado was too ripe and had barely no taste to it.

I ordered the creamy spicy crab:

This was the biggest disappointment of the dinner: I love crab and, although this dish has a lot of it, it was smothered in fish eggs and green onions, so I could not taste any of the crab meat! 

Not discouraged by the previous dishes, we decided to try dessert. Jodi ordered the Milk Chocolate Coconut Cake:

I liked it: light and tasty, it had a nice coconut-y taste that paired perfectly with the chocolate.

On my side, I ordered the Banana Soy Toban:

it was composed of caramelized bananas, roasted pecans and malaga ice cream, that tasted like rum/raisin ice cream. I enjoyed it: not too sweet, it was very comforting. 

I was so disappointed by our experience at Nobu! For most of the dishes, it missed the mark in term of taste, although I recognize that the presentation was fantastic and they showed some creativity. I definitely prefer Morimoto that offers a far better experience to its diners, at a better price (oh yeah: Nobu is definitely pricey)!

Enjoy (...)!

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Hot and Cold ramen at Ramen Takumi in NYC, New York

As I thought my frenzy for ramen would have to be put on hold as the temperature rises, my cousin Jessica, who follows this blog and has given me some good addresses, mentioned the cold ramen. I was a bit intrigued by it as I always imagined that dish very hot. So when we went to Ramen Takumi, located nearby Union Square, in Greenwich Village, I decided to try. Well, remember: Ramen means Noodle Dish in Japanese. 

So we went there and as most of the ramen places, it was busy and the service was pretty fast. That day, exceptionally as one could say, I passed on the appetizer and went straight to the ramen! 

Jodi ordered the Shio Ramen:

The Shio Ramen broth, lightly salted, was served with two pieces of pork was were phenomenal (tender, tasty with a bit of deliciousness people call fat...), bamboo shoots, a salt flavored egg (half, perfectly cooked - soft yolk), seaweed, scallions and noodles (of course!). It was a very good dish!

I ordered the Hiyashi Ramen-Natsu:

This cold ramen dish was composed of the same pork Jodi had in her ramen (remember: phenomenal!), bamboo shoots, half salt flavor egg, cucumber, pickles, corn, pickled ginger, crab meat and noodles. In the bottom, there was a dark broth that I guess was made out of miso. This is where I realized that ramen does not mean noodle soup but noodle dish! The noodles were very good, cooked al dente, and it did not bother me at all that it was cold. It was refreshing in fact! I would definitely order this one again!

I have to say that I liked that place: the food was good and tasty. Prices wise, it is a bit more expensive than most places, with ramen dishes averaging $12.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Lulu's Bakery in Queens, NYC, New York

David, one of my coworkers, brought some pastries from Lulu's, a bakery located in Queens. It was a box full of fresh mini size pastries. So, as I am fully dedicated to this blog, I had no other choice than trying few of them...

The first one was the Lulu's, a cream puff that is the specialty of the place.

The shell was very fresh and well cooked (when slightly overcooked, it can overpower the entire pastry), and the vanilla bean cream inside was very light.

Then, I got an eclair:

The top was made of some delicious dark chocolate and the inside was a vanilla cream. The shell was similar to the Lulu's. I really liked it, because of the combination of the chocolate glaze and the vanilla cream that complemented well.

The last was definitely for chocolate lovers. I call it the Dark chocolate cream puff!

It was smothered in a dark chocolate and had a very dark and dense chocolate cream inside.

I have to say that I really enjoyed the three pastries from Lulu's bakery that I tried: they tasted fresh, made with quality ingredients and, most importantly, were not too sweet, allowing people to eat several (plenty?) of them. A good address for sure!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Buns at Baohaus in NYC, New York

Baohaus is a hole in the wall located in the East Village that serves Bao, these steamed bread-like buns that originated in Chinese cuisine. Interestingly, I discovered them in Japanese restaurants and was persuaded they were from Japan...But no, they are definitely not!

The place, opened by Eddie and Evan Huang is tiny!

You do not go there for a romantic dinner or to hang out; it is more grab, eat and go, except later in the evening.

The menu offers several types of buns as well as rice dishes for reasonable prices. But, if you have a good appetite, 4 to 5 buns will be necessary to satisfy it...Each portion is one bun, allowing to try few of them.

Here is what we got:

The Uncle Jesse (front) and Broccolini BAO:

The Uncle Jesse consists of organic fried Tofu, served with crushed peanut, cilantro, Haus Sauce, and Taiwanese red sugar.

The Broccolini Bao was a tempura Broccoli, served with Zha Jiang bean paste, shitake mushrooms, and daikon.

These were vegetarian options. My favorite was the Uncle Jesse that was a bit crunchy on the outside with a nice spicy sauce.

The Birdhaus:

Fried chicken with Haus Seasoning Salt, cilantro, crushed peanuts, and Taiwanese red sugar. This was my favorite one! The chicken was a bit crunchy, cooked all the way through and still moist. I could have eaten an entire bucket of it!

The Haus Bao and the Chairman Bao:

One was made with pork belly and the second one with beef cheek. It was tasty but on the dry side. I enjoyed it anyway!

The buns were very good, as bit sticky as most of them are...

I enjoyed it and my favorite was the Birdhaus (fried chicken). It is an interesting place, that proposes some cheap alternatives, but I am not sure I love it to the point where I would brave the line of customers. Maybe I should try again..What do you think?

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Cheese Fondue at Vintner Wine Market in NYC, New York

Fondue is an awesome dish when the weather is not too hot: not only it is good, but it is perfect to fill up your belly on a cold day! 

I went to few restaurants that serves it: Artisanal and Kashkaval where I sure enjoyed it! Walking in Hell's Kitchen, we noticed Vintner Wine Market (also called Ninth Avenue Vintner). It is a small and quaint place that sells wine, beer (they have a huge selection) and cheese from all over the world: France, Italy, etc. 

When we saw that they had cheese fondue on their menu, we definitely had to try it! 

We went for the Swiss one as it is more traditional.

The fondue took almost 25 minutes to come and was served with bread, slices of apple (never tried it before) and some spicy salami. 

The fondue was pretty good: the cheese was creamy and smooth, and you could taste a bit of the alcohol. I liked the combination of apples and cheese, but also to stack salami with either bread or apple. 

This place is fine for a quick bite, but for sure, you would not go for the presentation: the bread was cut too big and they did not core the apple!!!

It was also a bit uncomfortable to eat as the tables were small and very close to each other! Each time people next to us stood up, I was imagining ending up with cheese or wine on me!!!

Despite this, I will probably go back for some cheese...

Enjoy (I did)!

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Dinner at Courgette in NYC, New York

We went out one evening with my colleagues, to a restaurant called Courgette, located Midtown, next to the Dream Hotel. Courgette: what an interesting name! It means zucchini in French and my compatriots and myself found that it was a funny name for a restaurant and associated it with either vegetarian cuisine or a cuisine offering different variations of this green veggie. We were wrong: not only it was not vegetarian, but there was not even one zucchini on the menu!!!

It is for sure a nice place: the bricks and wood give it a warm and rustic feel. There are four areas to eat:

The bar, wide enough so you can feel comfortable:

and adjacent to the section where they cut meat:

The main dining room with its small communal table and then two different dining rooms, a small one well lighted, where the main attraction is the fish display:

And a dimmer one that can accommodate large groups.

The menu, elaborated by Estonian-born, Michelin-starred Executive Chef Andrey Korobyak is not French, contrary to what the name of the restaurant suggests: the restaurant website qualifies it as New American and for the most part, it is Italian, serving classical Italian dishes such as bruschetta, burrata, pasta...

We started off with sharing appetizers. First were the bruschetta:

Traditional bruschetta with herry tomatoes, olives, sun dried tomatoes, onions and basil:

Mozzarella, Prosciutto and Pesto Bruschetta:

King Crab with Piquillo Pepper Bruschetta:

I thought it was a perfect appetizer to share because there were two good size bruschetta so we could split them for four people each. Like any bruschetta, it was a bit messy to eat...

Then we tried the burrata salad:

It was served with cherry tomatoes confit and a pesto sauce that paired perfectly with the soft and creamy taste of the cheese. I loved it but would have liked some toasted bread with it.

The last appetizer was the scallops:

The two sea scallops were served each on a bed of truffle mash potatoes that had mushrooms I believe it was morel) in it! It was divine: the scallops were perfectly seared and cooked, not rubbery and the mash was scrumptious with the mushrooms adding some bite to it. Definitely recommended!

Then, I ordered a Baby lamb with salsify, eggplant puree and morel mushroom sauce.

The dish was ok for me: the lamb was a bit overcooked and dry and was topped with a chicken mousse that was bland. Also, the morel sauce did not have that much mushroom taste. I liked the eggplant puree though!

I was able to try the ribeye with truffle fries and bearnaise sauce:

First of all, the presentation was beautiful and very appetizing. My friend Malika ordered it medium well, that I would normally consider a culinary blasphemy !!! It was pretty good though although I admit that the meat was not of the quality of a steakhouse (the price was not either anyway)! The meat had enough fat and a nice char on the outside.

The fries were like I love them: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, cooked perfectly all the way through. Dipped in the sauce, it was delicious. 

We skipped dessert as we were all full. It was definitely a great dinner and I recommend Courgette if you want to have a nice fine dining experience.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Dinner at Nice Matin in NYC, New York

After a wonderful day walking around in the City, from the East Village to the Upper East Side, via Central Park, we decided to have dinner at Nice Matin. I went there few years ago and I remember that I had a good dinner. So, why not go back!

First, let me give you some information on the name! Nice is a city located South of France, in the Cote D'Azur. It is known for many things such as the boardwalk (La Promenade Des Anglais) or the flower market. "Nice Matin" is the main newspaper of the city, hence the name.

To give this market feel, they even have a small market on top of their door!

A good reason to know Nice Matin is their burger! Even if you never went there, you may know it! It is the 5 Napkin Burger! Yes, the burger at Nice Matin was so popular that the owners decided to open a burger place where this burger would be the signature dish: that is how 5 Napkin burger started!

The place is nice, with a clean and bright decor, accentuated by the yellow formica tables!

They started off bringing bread,

and butter.

Then, I ordered the escargots (snails):

They were not the traditional Escargots de Bourgogne, cooked in butter, with garlic and parsley. It was made of butter, breadcrumbs, garlic and fines herbes, a blend of herbs made mainly of parsley, chives and tarragon. The presentation was very nice and surprisingly, there were 2 snails in each little compartment. It was good, but I prefer the more traditional recipe or to say it better, it would have been better without the breadcrumbs. It did not prevent me from dipping bread in the sauce though!!!

For the entree, I ordered the Moules Provençales (Mussels Provençales):

It was served with French fries:

There was for sure a nice amount of mussels and they were of a very decent size. They were perfectly cooked and seemed fresh. The Provençal sauce was composed of tomato sauce, basil, garlic, shallots and dry chili pepper. It was delicious: tasty and homey, it was not spicy even with the chili pepper. 

The fries were very good too and I dipped them in the sauce! They were crispy outside and soft inside as I like them! Clearly better than Pommes Frites!

Jodi ordered the salade niçoise:

It was served with sushi grade tuna that was pan seared. It was composed as well of anchovies, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, olives, radicchio, beans, cucumber, fennel, zucchini, red onion and potatoes. The sauce was conveniently on the side.

The presentation was definitely beautiful with all the different colors. The tuna was excellent and definitely good quality. Know that it is an elevated version of the salade niçoise, because normally, it is made with canned tuna...I doubt you can find sushi grade canned tuna!!! So, it was definitely a good salad and I would think that the price was justified by the use of prime ingredients, especially the fish.

We skipped dessert as the day was full of food stops (yes, I was able to resist to the urge to order the chocolate hazelnut mousse or the butternut brown sugar crème brûlée).

I noticed that the restaurant has a prix-fixe menu and calculated that adding what I ate with a dessert would be 50 cents more than the price of the prix-fixe. So I guess it is not that interesting! Anyway, it was a good dinner in a nice setting. Definitely a nice French restaurant to know on the Upper West Side!

Enjoy (I did)!



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Neapolitan pizza at Numero 28 in NYC, New York

I did not realize until recently how many pizzerias making Neapolitan pizza there are in NYC! Lots of pizza places yes, but Neapolitan, no. So, we were looking for a pizza place downtown and found Numero 28 whose name comes from its location on the Number 28 of Carmine street. 

Similar to many pizza places we visited, it has a rustic feel that makes you immediately comfortable and confident that you have found the perfect place for your meal.

Sadly, the brick oven was located in the room next to the dinning room; having it visible by the patrons gives an additional dimension to the experience as it is always fascinating to see the pizza going in and then out, bubbling and hot.

They did not have burrata as an appetizer, thus we decided to order two pizzas. In fact, they serve pizza in three sizes: small, medium and large. So the two pizzas we ordered were small size, that corresponded to 4 slices each.

The first one was the Margherita.

Margherita is made with tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil.

The pizza was delicious: the tomato sauce was fantastic and they were generous with cheese. The crust was pretty good and crispy with a nice char.

The second pizza was 5 cheese pizza:

The 5 cheeses were Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano, Fontina and Provolone. In this one too, there was a lot of cheese.

Unfortunately, I think it was a bit overcooked: the cheese was not gooey but a bit hard. It was decent though.

The pizza was good at Numero 28, but clearly not as good as the one we had at Lombardi's, Pulino's or San Matteo.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Noodle soup at Omen in NYC, New York

Jodi and I decided to go to Omen in Soho, following a strong recommendation. Well, they have noodles and in the past year, we have been hooked on trying ramen or any sort of noodle soups! And it seems that Omen is making its own noodles! So we could not miss an occasion to try! 

The decor was nice and elegant, but we did not see any masks on the wall (Omen means "mask" in Japanese).

We did not check the menu in advance as we usually do and only realized, once there, that it was a bit pricey. Well, we were there and maybe the $20 for the noodle soup would be worth it! So we both ordered the Omen noodle soup. I have to say that it took a bit for the food to come.

The soup was composed of 3 separate dishes to assemble: soup, noodles and vegetables.

When it came, I was surprised by the amount of food: enough soup (that was miso), but not enough noodles and definitely a tiny portion of vegetables with no protein at all! What a disappointment! 

So, we first put some sesame seeds in the soup, then put the noodles and then the veggies.

The noodles were good, very soft. However, the tiny portion of veggies kind of made it boring. 

Well, it was definitely a very sad soup and a disappointment, although I liked the playfulness of the dish. I do not know if the rest of their food is better, but I would certainly not recommend the noodle soup! And by the way, we were still hungry after we left!!!

Enjoy (...)!



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Brunch at Nizza in Hell's Kitchen - NYC, New York

I noticed Nizza few times while walking in Hell's Kitchen and always thought that it would be nice to try it. We ended up there really by chance as we originally wanted to go to another restaurant across the street, that, although we had a reservation, was closed when we arrived! 

It was early and the place was not that crowded. At first, I did not really think about it, but, after looking at the menu and one particular dish that I will describe later, I realized that Nizza means Nice in Italian. Nice is a city South of France, that is close to Italy, that I visited often when I was a kid, to see some Family. But, despite its French translation, Nizza is still an Italian restaurant that serves pizza, pasta...

The place is nice, yellow being the main pattern to the decor, with an amazing bar.

After we ordered, they brought us some delicious focaccia bread with olive oil.

The bread was light, airy and fresh. I could not stop dipping it in the olive oil!

Then, we shared the Gorgonzola crostini:

They were served with dolce latte and a fig jam. It was very good. The bread, that was toasted, had a nice crunch and the Gorgonzola cheese paired very well with the fig jam.

Jodi ordered the Socca:

Socca is a thicker version of a crepe made of chickpea. This is the dish that made me do the link with Nice; although it originated in Genoa, in Italy, you cannot visit Nice and not have Socca! At Nizza, it was served with two over easy eggs, Swiss chard, onions and fontina cheese. I liked it. It is different from the Socca I know, because I use to eat it simply with salt and pepper, but I liked it wen mixed with the eggs (especially the runny yolk) and the cheese.

I ordered the Eggs Benedict:

It was composed of 2 poached eggs, toasted focaccia, Italian ham and parmesan cream sauce. That was fantastic! The eggs were perfectly cooked, with a runny yolk where I delightfully dipped the focaccia bread, adding to the bite some very good ham. 

We skipped dessert as we had to go see a movie, but had a very good brunch at Nizza. In fact, I was very happy that the other restaurant ended up closed....

Enoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
 

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A Taste of The Cake Boss Cafe at The Port Authority of NYC, New York

I am not going to lie: I am not a big fan of the Cake Boss. I think he is very talented in making these elaborate and artsy cakes, built mainly with rice crispy treats and fondant, but except for a tiramisu, I have always been disappointed when I tried something there (see the review of Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ).  So it appears that now he is going mainstream by opening cafes in NYC! I saw a first one next to Guy Fieri's restaurant on 44th and then, he got the genius idea of opening a place on the corner of 42nd and 8th (Port Authority). At the beginning, similar to his shop in Hoboken, you could see staff at the door to regulate the traffic of customers, but it does not seem to be the case anymore...

For sure, they designed the place around his TV personality.

The place offers a large choice of pastries that look pretty good but are a bit overpriced ($2.50 for a mini cannoli for instance). I wanted to surprise Jodi so I asked them if they had anything with coconut as it is her favorite flavor. Unfortunately, they had nothing! Interesting as coconut is pretty common nowadays!

So I ordered a linzer tart and a chocolate brownie.

I chose the raspberry linzer tart instead of the nutella one as I wanted to try the more traditional one, although I think it is a great idea to propose a nutella version of it. The cookie itself was good, but the raspberry jelly was a bit too sweet.

The chocolate brownie was disappointing: it was not as fudgy as it should be and I think I can make a better one with a Betty Crocker mix!!!

This was a disappointing experience and you could really taste the fact that the product they offer is manufactured and not made anymore by the hands of a passionate pastry Chef. Sorry Cake Boss, but I am still not convinced!

Enjoy (the post)!

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Burger at Black Bear in Hoboken, NJ

I went to Black Bear Bar last year to try their steak sandwich (check out the review of the Steak Sandwich at Black Bear Bar). This time, it was burger!

A lot of time, when we think burgers, we think chains or restaurants who only serve burgers, like 5 Napkin Burger, 5 Guys...But sometimes, bars offer a delicious option as this fantastic sandwich is the perfect bar food.

I might have gone a bit overboard while there as I ordered the deluxe burger that is on the brunch menu. It is composed of: bun, lettuce and tomato, beef patty, ham, bacon, egg, spicy sauce and onion rings.

It is not easy to eat and you have to imagine that your dentist is standing next to you and asking to open your mouth wide! It was good, especially when biting the yolk that I would have liked runny.

I liked the different flavors, making each bite slightly different from the other, because of the different layers. However, I wish the meat was juicier, that is the only, but very important negative there!

Jodi went for the Black Bear burger:

She asked for sauteed mushrooms and American cheese. The burger was good, but, this one too, not juicy enough.

Black Bear Bar is a nice bar with a large choice of dishes on its menu. The food is decent, but it is not where I will find the best burger in Hoboken!

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
 

Dinner at Ben & Jack's Steakhouse in NYC, New York

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

Following the review of Empire Steakhouse few weeks ago, we have been invited by the owners, the Sinaraj brothers, to try their sister restaurant, Ben & Jack's Steakhouse, located in Murray Hill. I was for sure excited: steaks are for me what shoes are for Jodi!

I was also curious to see what the difference would be between the two Steakhouses. Well, Ben & Jack's has definitely more a steakhouse feel than Empire Steakhouse: dark wood and dimmer lights were no stranger to that feeling. We were greeted by Jack Sinaraj who chatted a bit with us. He told me that the two restaurants share the same menu, so I asked him why they did not call Empire Steakhouse, Ben & Jack's and his answer was so true: calling it the same would have made it seems like a chain and they consider they are more a family restaurant, "hard working family". I understand the thinking as I never went to The Capital Grill because it is a chain and its name makes it look like it, although I heard several people talking about it very positively. I think that, when people think about chain steakhouses, they do not associate them with quality. 

When we sat at our table, we recognized certain items, such as the bread and butter:

Or the Steak sauce with the name of the restaurant on it:

I decided to drink a Pinot Noir, my favorite wine with steak:

As an appetizer, Jodi ordered the Caesar salad that she liked last time:

The salad was again delicious, with lots of parmesan cheese and crispy romaine. It was also not overdressed.

I decided to go for the Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Cocktail as I tried the Maryland Crab Cake last time:

The crab was on a piece of lettuce presented on a bed of ice.

They also brought some tabasco and horseradish with crackers, to get some kick. The crab was fresh and well cooked. I preferred this appetizer over the crab cake as the lump meat is more delicate and tastier than the claw meat.

Then, we got our steaks!!! Jodi ordered her filet mignon, medium:

And I ordered a Ribeye, medium-rare:

These pieces of meat were huge: the filet mignon was 14 to 16 ounces and the Ribeye between 29 and 32 ounces. The Ribeye, served bone-in, had this delightful meat smell and a nice char on the outside. It had a nice amount of fat that I did not neglect, as well as the meat next to the bone that had a bolder taste...It was perfectly cooked, juicy and tender (the knives they give you are not these heavy steak knives some steakhouses use, but the meat was so tender that it was not a problem!). 

The filet mignon, although tender, was slightly overcooked and not very juicy. Between the two, the ribeye was clearly the best!

To go with the steaks, we ordered some mash potatoes:

And the sauteed mushrooms that we liked last time:

Both were excellent: the mash was light and well seasoned; the mushrooms were perfectly cooked and tasty, with some pieces of onions here and there. Last time, we tried the onion rings and cottage fries, so I have to say that they offer nice alternatives for sides (although I still missed my Mac & Cheese...).

Then, came the time to order dessert...Believe or not, after this feast, we still had room to have dessert! We ordered a tiramisu:

And a Crème brûlée:

The tiramisu came with the fantastic homemade whipped cream we had last time:

We definitely enjoyed the tiramisu: very good and light, it paired well with this heavenly delicious whipped cream (there was a lot of it). However, I did not like the Crème brûlée that had not set properly.

To accompany our desserts, we got some tea and espresso:

We definitely had a good time at Ben & Jack's Steakhouse and here again, the service was exceptional. If you go there, I definitely suggest the ribeye that was spectacular!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Japadog and Pommes Frites in East Village, NYC, New York

Hot dog and fries. Isn't it a good combination? Yes, I think it sounds (and hopefully tastes) good. We have been passing by St Marks quite a few times recently and when I saw that Japadog and Pommes Frites were so close, I convinced Jodi to go to both places. 

So, on a Saturday, we started our Food excursion (these two places were not the only one that day...) with Japadog, specialized in Japanese hot dogs. Well, after the Japanese burger at Kobeyaki, why not!

The place is pretty colorful! 

You first order your food at the counter and when it is ready, they will call your number. 

When they call your number, you get your hot dogs and then put whatever toppings you want, especially if your hot dog comes naked.

Jodi decided to get the veggie dog:

The sausage was quite good for a vegetarian one!

On my side, I went for the Yakisoba that has soba noodles and is made with the arabiki dog (sausage made from coarse ground pork).

I also tried the Terimayo that is composed of Teriyaki sauce, mayo and seaweed. It is their signature hot dog.

Between the two, I preferred the Yakisoba: tastier and more flavorful. On the second one, the seaweed were a bit too overpowering and...sticking to my lips!

Japadog was good and original, but it stops there for me. I liked it, but not to the point where I would have to definitely go back!



Then, after Japadog, we decided to go to Pommes Frites that is around the block from Japadog.

I had high expectations about that place! Imagine that: a place that only serves fries! If you only cook one item, it must be really good!

So we entered the place that is quite small, with just few seats.

Interestingly, every table or counter has a hole to hold the fries:

So, we ordered at the counter and could not miss the giant fryers:

So, there, you pick your fries and then decide what kind of sauce you would like with (you can either get the sauce on top of the fries or separately.

They have tons of mayonnaise: pineapple, roasted garlic (that would be aioli), sweet mango chutney...for a fee.

We decided to try the poutine:

Poutine is a Canadian specialty made of cheese curds and gravy on fries.

We also tried regular fries:

Both costed us $10. It was a lot of food! The poutine was good: a bit salted because of the cheese and very hot.
The fries were salty too and not that great in fact! I was a bit disappointed because they were not very crispy like good fries are.

I am not a big fan of Pommes Frites. The concept is fun, but their fries are definitely not up to the par with Minetta Tavern that has the best fries I ever had! Try the ones at Minetta Tavern and compare them to Pommes Frites: you will understand what I am talking about!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Dinner at Ember Room in NYC, New York

When I want to try some food, I can be pretty persistent! Yes, this is third attempt to dine at Ember Room in Hell's Kitchen. The first time we went, the place was packed and the wait was 1 hour: Too bad, we were hungry and passed. The second time, we had a reservation for lunch but found the restaurant closed: I guess this time, they passed on us! So the third time, we had a reservation for dinner and, as we say, third is the charm!

Surprisingly, the restaurant was not as packed as before. They sat us in the room upstairs, that is more quiet in fact. I liked the decor with the dark wood, the weird ceiling decorations that looked like hearts, that made me think I was somewhere else!

The waiter greeted us and ask us if we ever came there. As we said no, he told us that the restaurant was owned by Chef Kittichai. Chef Kittichai! What you do not remember? He is the partner of Spot Dessert Bar, this fabulous dessert place on St Marks that serves spectacular desserts, mostly traditional with an Asian twist (check here my review of Spot Dessert Bar, but do not drool on your computer!).

One of the dishes I really wanted to try there was the Chocolate Ribs:

I know, it sounds weird and fewer attempts to try dishes where they mixed chocolate with meat were unsuccessful (for instance, the duck with chocolate sauce at China Grill). There, it was delicious: the chocolate was not overpowering and had a subtle, but definitely present taste. The ribs were fantastic: tender, they fell off the bones, so there was no need to eat with my hands (although I would have had a good excuse to lick my fingers...).

Jodi decided to go vegetarian and got the naked veggie burger:

A veggie burger is naked when there is no bun. The veggie patty was made with different kind of vegetables like peas and carrots and was smothered with the "Ember sauce" that tasted like a spicy BBQ sauce. It was served with a mixed salad, onion rings (very crispy) and tofu fries. I liked the veggie patty: very tasty with a bit of texture. However, the sauce was quite spicy and they should probably warn their customers so they can ask to have it on the side. I was not that thrilled about the tofu fries that were a bit bland. Jodi loved them though.

On my side, I ordered the Ember Room original Lobster Roll:

The lobster roll was pretty good: served with a salad and fries, it was made of celery, mango and chunks of lobster. The mango gave a refreshing taste to the dish and some sweetness, but I wished the mango were more ripe. I liked it, but it is far from being as good as the Red Hook Lobster Pound!

For dessert, we got the Lemon mille crepes cake:

This dessert was pretty good: light and not too sweet, it was made of layers of crepes with some lemon cream (more like a mousse in fact) in between each layer. It is definitely a dessert to recommend!

We had a delicious dinner at Ember Room and were glad that we gave it another chance! It is definitely a good address to know in Hell's Kitchen for an original meal!

Enjoy (I did)!

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

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

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

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

I ate it with a sip of Coke...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!

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Dinner at Empire Steakhouse in NYC, New York

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

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

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

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

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

They first brought us some bread and butter:

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

For starters, Jodi ordered a Caesar salad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We also ordered some sautéed mushrooms with onions:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!

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Ramen at East Noodle and Izakaya in NYC, New York

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!

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Lunch at Midtown Philly Steaks in Hoboken, New Jersey

Why aren't cheesesteaks as popular as burgers? I do not know! Because cheesesteaks are fantastic, as long as, for me, they meet three criteria:

• Soft bread,
• Tender and juicy meat,
• Lots of cheese.

I have been a big fan of cheesesteaks after I tried them at Geno's in Philly (check out my cheesesteak experience in Philly).

So we went to Midtown Philly Steaks on Washington street for lunch. The place used to be another cheesesteak joint called Philly Cheese Steak Hoboken. I never tried it, but decided to try the new one.

The place is small, with only 6 seats.

Two of the seats overlooking the street.

The menu offers cheesesteaks, but also chicken, salads and hoagies.
We therefore decided to try their cheese steaks

and a hoagie:

The two sandwiches, that were big, looked fantastic and very appetizing. They were made with the same soft bread. 

The cheesesteak was definitely a good choice and met the three criteria I mentioned above: soft bread, tender and juicy meat and lots of cheese. Each bite was melting in my mouth, that is great, because with either tough meat or bread, the experience would not have been pleasurable at all. 

The hoagie was the Sinatra hoagie, made with Genova salami, ham, provolone, Iceberg lettuce, tomato, Raw onions, olive oil and oregano. It tasted very fresh and all the colors of this sandwich made it look spectacular. I liked it although I would have liked a bit less iceberg lettuce. 

Midtown Philly Steaks is definitely a place to have in mind: they serve great sandwiches for a reasonable price (less then $20 for 2 sandwiches and 1 soda).

Enjoy (I did)!

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Japanese Burger at Kobeyaki in NYC, New York

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

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

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

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

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

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

I ordered the Kobe beef burger:

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

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

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

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

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!