Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, NY
Smorgasburg: weird name worth knowing. It is the perfect place to indulge, with lots of vendors selling various kinds of food that would make any food lover drool. The last time my nephew came for a visit, we went to the location in Williamsburg. This time, we went to Park Slope to show my cousin Sandrine Brooklyn and one of its flea markets.
Smorgasburg: weird name worth knowing. It is the perfect place to indulge, with lots of vendors selling various kinds of food that would make any food lover drool. The last time my nephew came for a visit, we went to the location in Williamsburg. This time, we went to Park Slope to show my cousin Sandrine Brooklyn and one of its flea markets. I admit that, while the ladies were interested with the market itself, I was more interested in the food...Not surprising I guess.
What I like about this place is the multitude of food stalls that offer different kinds of cuisine: BBQ, Mexican, Asian...
Here is what we ate:
Asiadog:
For a taste of hotdogs with an Asian twist. Jodi ordered a veggie dog with The Sidney topping that is Thai mango relish with cucumber, red onion and cilantro (she asked without peanuts):
This was pretty good and I could barely taste the fact that it was a vegetarian wiener! I loved the sweet and salty flavor and the mango and cucumber had a nice freshness.
Rice and Miso Everyday:
We ordered the basic rice ball with black sesame:
It was served with nori (seaweed). I liked it: it was not dry, simple, with the sesame adding a nice nutty taste.
Lonestar Empire:
This one served a smoked angus brisket sandwich that was amazing: the meat was literally melting in my mouth. This was probably the best brisket sandwich I ever had!
The angus beef is rubbed with salt and pepper and is smoked slowly for up to 16 hours over mesquite wood coming from Texas.
Et voilà!
Porchetta:
There, I got a pulled pork sandwich that was a bit dry:
Milk Truck Grilled Cheese:
We tried their grilled cheese with mushroom: simply delicious!
And a vanilla milkshake that was too milky.
Takumi Taco:
Jodi ordered a veggie taco with guacamole that was pretty nice and very refreshing.
The Good Batch Ice Cream Sandwich:
Yes, we still had some space for ice cream...Jodi got the Goodwich that was oat chocolate chunk cookie, sea salt, fudge and vanilla ice cream.
Sandrine and I got the vanilla nutella that was a butter cookie, vanilla ice cream, nutella chocolate ganache and toasted hazelnut.
This was fantastic! A bit too sweet after a while, but a great way to end our delicious meal at Smorgasburg. If you love food, Smorgasburg is definitely a destination to know.
Enjoy (I sure did)!
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A day in Coney Island
One of the things my cousin Sandrine wanted to do was to go to Coney Island, so we hopped on a train on a Saturday morning, our food destination already decided...After 45 minutes of train from Port Authority, here we are, in a place totally different from Manhattan. And outside of the train station, here it is: Nathan's, the hot dog institution.
One of the things my cousin Sandrine wanted to do was to go to Coney Island, so we hopped on a train on a Saturday morning, our food destination already decided...
After 45 minutes of train from Port Authority, here we are, in a place totally different from Manhattan. And outside of the train station, here it is: Nathan's, the hot dog institution, home of the July 4th Hot Dog Eating contest. Know that this location is the original Nathan's that opened in 1916.
Yes, you guessed well: it was out first destination. You cannot go to Coney Island and not go to Nathan's to eat a hot dog or two...It is truly American.
The place was crowded, so we had to organize ourselves: Sandrine and I were to order the food and, while we waited for it, Jodi took care of the ketchup and mustard, but most importantly, to find us a spot outside (there are no tables inside).
I should mention before describing the food, that we had breakfast in an Italian joint right before taking the train, so the girls were not that hungry. Sandrine got a hot dog with sauerkraut, as well as fries.
First, we got drinks: the homemade orangeade (I did not really like it):
And the homemade lemonade (decent):
Then, I got two hotdogs that I shared with Jodi (let's say that the sharing part was more a 90%-10% in my favor):
The first one was a chili dog:
The second one was a hotdog with onions and sauerkraut:
I also got some fries:
I'll start with the latter: Jodi and I disagree on Nathan's fries. She thinks that they are the best and I disagree; I prefer thinner and crispier fries, similar to the ones served at Mac Donald's or...Minetta Tavern (I know, I went from fast food to Michelin star...).
Concerning the hotdogs, I liked them, although I admit that a hotdog is a hotdog and you rarely find the same diversity you would find with burgers. Anyway, we had a good time there and were glad to go there and get some of Coney Island's typical experience at Nathan's.
So, after our meal, we walked around Luna Park, that is a magic place, some of the attractions being very old, giving the impression we travelled back to the past.
Then we had a walk on the boardwalk:
Then, we saw this:
As soon as we say Coney's Cones, an ice cream parlor that opened in 2011, we could not resist (we also had to rehydrate anyway and ice cream is always my preferred choice for that!).
They have plenty of flavors there and if you are not into ice cream, you can go for cotton candy, marshmallow sticks or popcorn. I decided to order a vanilla milkshake, my favorite.
That was not my best choice: although I could see the vanilla beans, they should have added some vanilla syrup to get more vanilla taste.
The girls went for: Soft served ice cream.
And vanilla ice cream:
I should have gone for that instead of my milkshake...
This was a great day and we really had a good time. Coney Island is definitely a nice spot, not too far from the city to enjoy the sea and some casual food.
Enjoy (I did)!
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The Seed, a vegan event (August 9th and 10th 2014) in New York, NY
Yeah, I know: you are probably wondering what the heck I was doing at The Seed, a two day event currently going on in the city. The goal is to have people who embrace a vegan diet, vegan curious and vegan skeptic to meet and discover what being vegan means, either via listening to over 30 speakers or trying some food.
Yeah, I know: you are probably wondering what the heck I was doing at The Seed, a two day event currently going on in the city. The goal is to have people who embrace a vegan diet, vegan curious and vegan skeptic to meet and discover what being vegan means, either via listening to over 30 speakers or trying some food.
So, I got invited to that event, and went, decided to explore some of the food presented there. People often think that vegan food is tasteless and boring and, coming from a country where butter is widely used in cuisine, I was in that mindset few years ago, until I tried some vegetarian restaurants that served vegan dishes, like the regretted Table Verte that had this fantastic chocolate tart, completely vegan and gluten-free, made with rice flour and avocado instead of butter. Or Café Blossom on Carmine where I was invited recently. I will be honest: this event did not convert me, but convinced me more that, if some food was served to people without mentioning that it was vegan, they would love it, like these delicious bean and rice chips (my favorite was the ranch one) or the Love Beans chocolate spread. If you are interested in going, you can get a 50% discount if you enter the code seed50 when ordering your entrance ticket on the ticketing site.
Here is some of the things we saw and tried:
Ortaggi - dairy free and organic frozen snacks made with vegetables, herbs and fruit juice.
Red pepper and peach:
Avocado and cucumber:
Whole Foods - Basil, Kale and walnut crostini:
Nicobella Organics:
Dark chocolate, maple coated pecans and sea salt:
Ginger and green tea dark chocolate:
This Pie Is Nuts - various pies:
Vegan Divas - Brownie:
Fairy Bites - Chocolate chip cookies:
Beanfield - Bean and rice chips:
Nacho:
Ranch:
Treeline cheese:
Love Bean - Chocolate spread:
The Regal Vegan - Faux Gras:
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Revisit: Taka Taka in New York, NY
Taka Taka characterizes itself as a Mexican Sushi and Japanese Tacos joint. I guess you understand: this is a Mexican / Japanese fusion restaurant with a very interesting menu, branching out to these two distinct cuisines. It is not our first time there (previous review here) and we were looking for an original place, close to the heart of Tribeca, to celebrate my cousin Sandrine's visit.
Taka Taka characterizes itself as a Mexican Sushi and Japanese Tacos joint. I guess you understand: this is a Mexican / Japanese fusion restaurant with a very interesting menu, branching out to these two distinct cuisines. It is not our first time there (previous review here) and we were looking for an original place, close to the heart of Tribeca, to celebrate my cousin Sandrine's visit.
Another originality of this place is its conveyor belt or kaiten sushi. It is like a fun way to eat: dishes with a number will pass in front of you and you decide to pick them or not. The number refers to the menu on the table set, so it quickly becomes a game. First you will look at what is passing by and then quickly try to know what it is, and then, it will be the reverse: you will be waiting for that number 5 to come. But do not worry: if you really want a roll, you can just ask them and they will make it for you.
Each plate has a color that corresponds to a price, so be careful: it can be a fun game, a pricey game...
To start our dinner, we decided to order some mocktails. Sandrine and Jodi got Kiiro that is tangerine juice, basil and a touch of lime.
I ordered the Gogo, a mango frappé with macerated blackberries:
I preferred the Kiiro that was an interesting combination, very refreshing, over the Gogo that was a bit difficult to drink because it was too thick.
So it was time for us to try some of the dishes. We decided to go exclusively with the kaiten sushi and passed on the menu. This is what we got (read: number - outside / filling):
05 - Seaweed / crab, cream cheese, avocado with chipotle:
15 - Tampico dressing / crab, salmon skin, cucumber, chile serrano and sriracha sauce (this was quite spicy!):
17 - Fresh tuna / avocado, cucumber, asparagus with jalapeño dressing:
19 - Spicy tuna / shrimp, baby spinach, masago and guacamole:
01 - Seaweed / lettuce, avocado, cucumber with tampico dressing:
07 - Rice and sesame seeds / salmon, cucumber and cream cheese:
10 - Shrimp with chile piquin / mango, cucumber, fried plantains and avocado:
06 - mixed sesame seeds / sweet potato tempura, zucchini, avocado with tempura drops (one of my favorite ones):
03 - Cucumber / banana, tomato, asparagus and avocado:
We could not get this last one from the conveyor belt as we kept looking and it never came. So, we ordered it and it came fairly quickly, meaning that you are not bound to whatever is created by the Chef.
For dessert, we got the fried ice cream that was fantastic and decadent. Think about it: fried ice cream!
This was a fantastic meal and I am glad that we got to get Sandrine discover this place. Next time we go, we will go for their menu as I believe it is where you see the fusion in all its splendor.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Restaurant Week: David Burke's Fishtail in NYC, NY
We took advantage of Restaurant Week to enjoy a delicious dinner, at a discounted price at David Burke's Fishtail. It was on my list for a while, being a fan of Chef Burke and looking at his mouth watering food photos on Instagram with always a bit of drool. For sure, we had to book quickly and used Opentable as this place was a popular spot for Restaurant Week.
We took advantage of Restaurant Week to enjoy a delicious dinner, at a discounted price at David Burke's Fishtail. It was on my list for a while, being a fan of Chef Burke and looking at his mouth watering food photos on Instagram with always a bit of drool. For sure, we had to book quickly and used Opentable as this place was a popular spot for Restaurant Week.
We got our reservation at 7:30pm and I thought the odds were against me as there were issues with the subway and I was worried that they would not hold our table, Jodi having to come from downtown by train. I arrived on time, explained the issue and reassure me that there was no issue. It would have been such a bummer to have to come another time, especially as my mind and stomach were prepared for a nice meal there.
So, Fishtail is all about fish (you can get a steak if you want, but it is not the point) and everything in the decor will remind you that, whether it is the walls that mimic fish scales
Or the art.
The restaurant has been built in a townhouse, with the bar on the first floor
And the dining room on the second floor.
You can also have a glimpse at the kitchen, on the first floor, where all the magic happens.
For restaurant week, they offer a menu for $38 that includes any appetizer, entrée or dessert from their regular menu. I love that, because it means that you will get dishes that are served on a regular basis and not created for that event, totally embracing the spirit of Restaurant Week. I guess the catch is in the quantity, but, at Fishtail, you will not leave hungry for sure. Well, at least I did not. Know that, similar to many restaurants, some dishes require to pay a supplement.
They started off bringing us some bread and butter.
In fact, it was not bread there, but a delicious popover, freshly made.
For her appetizer, Jodi chose the burrata with watermelon, tomatoes, prosciutto and crushed olives.
This was a very refreshing dish with different flavors that works perfectly together, such as the watermelon and the olives, or the watermelon and the burrata that was delightfully creamy.
On my side, I ordered David Burke's own pastrami spiced smoked salmon.
It was served with horseradish crème fraiche, mustard oil, watercress and blinis. That was delicious: if you like smoked salmon, you will definitely enjoy it, whether it is the smokiness of the fish or the spices used. I truly appreciated the fact that the taste of horseradish was not too pronounced and did not overpower the dish.
For her entrée, Jodi ordered the grilled mahi panzanella.
It was composed of mahi mahi, sourdough, basil, garlic and tomato. The presentation was beautiful, but unfortunately the fish was slightly overcooked. This dish was definitely not as good as the one I chose: nori & mustard crusted tuna.
Served with soba noodles, I thought the plating was beautiful. Nori is seaweed and I was scared that it would overpower the tuna; it did not and the fish, with this interesting crust was sublime. I asked for medium rare and it was perfect. I also liked the soba noodles that were delicious and a perfect side to this dish.
For dessert, Jodi ordered the salted caramel and peach parfait.
The presentation was great. The caramel came on the side and they poured it in the middle of the parfait. On top was ginger oat crumble that was delicious, but I admit that the best for me was the caramel that was delightfully buttery, as well as the homemade whipped cream.
On my side, I got their take on peanut butter and jelly: peanut butter and jelly mousse bar.
Now that was very good, the dessert being well balanced between the peanut butter and the chocolate ganache. It was also not too sweet, that was perfect after such a feast.
That was a delicious dinner, that made us want to go back another time, outside Restaurant Week. The only negatives were the noise level and the fact that they crammed in tables, so we were a bit in the way of people, a location a bit uncomfortable, especially as, each time somebody was passing next to us, I was scared they would knock down something...
But I enjoyed (I did)!
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Private screening of The 100-Foot Journey at The NiteHawk Movie Theater in Brooklyn, NY
This week, I was invited to a private screening of The 100-Foot Journey, the new movie from director Lasse Hallström, who also directed Chocolat in 2000, that will be released in Theaters on August 8th. I would say that I went there as a moviegoer, food lover and...Frenchman. The food part was not only the movie, that certainly makes you want to eat the dishes cooked in the plot, whether they are classical French, Indian or fusion, like the Boeuf Bourgignon à la Hassan.
Courtesy of DreamWorks Studios
I Just Want To Eat wrote:
"An immersion in the culinary world, when the ugly is soon replaced by the passion for food".
Je Veux Juste Manger said:
"I am hungry!"
"A lovely comedy that makes me hungry!"
Jean-Philippe
This week, I was invited to a private screening of The 100-Foot Journey, the new movie from director Lasse Hallström, who also directed Chocolat in 2000, that will be released in Theaters on August 8th. I would say that I went there as a moviegoer, food lover and...Frenchman. The food part was not only the movie, that certainly makes you want to eat the dishes cooked in the plot, whether they are classical French, Indian or fusion, like the Boeuf Bourgignon à la Hassan. It was also the fact that it took place at the Nitehawk movie theater in Brooklyn, where one can enjoy a meal while watching the movie.
I never went to this kind of movie theater and was a bit excited.
The theater is organized in a way that you have two seats sharing a small table where you get a menu, as well as some paper and a pencil to write down what you would like to order.
As this was a special event, we were served a beverage and some flavored popcorn inspired by the theme of the movie.
Representing France, we got a glass of Domaine Du Pre Barron Tourraine Sauvignon Blanc
And herbes de Provence popcorn.
Representing India, we had a Kingfisher beer
And some curry popcorn.
The popcorn was really good and my favorite was the curry flavored one that was more flavorful. You might think that it is a weird combination, but it works!
We also decided to order from the menu. I should mention that prices were reasonable and they have a nice selection for brunch or dinner. We ordered two snacks:
Tater tots with a cheese sauce and scallions:
Chorizo and goat cheese fritters:
I admit that I was surprised by the presentation (real plates and silverware) and the taste that was pretty good. I was glad I ordered these dishes as, as we were eating in the dark, a salad would have probably end up on my pants...
We also tried their delicious lemonade.
So, back to the movie:
My take as a moviegoer: it is a comedy and, although they use few clichés like any movie of this genre, it was very entertaining, refreshing, with few moments of sadness.
As a food lover and blogger: just to think about all the dishes they are talking about in the movie makes me drool. I met few Chefs and could see the same passion for food that transpires in the movie: Hassan and Marguerite are passionate about food, while Mrs Mallaury's main goal is to get another Michelin Star. Having a Michelin Star can be everything for a Chef. Sadly, back in 2003, Chef Bernard Loiseau ended his life after a newspaper rumored that he was to lose one of his three stars.
As a Frenchman: food is very important in France and the French are very proud of it, sometimes lacking the curiosity to try other cuisines, especially in small towns. I think this transpires well in the movie.
Here is the synopsis, courtesy of DreamWorks (http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/films/the-hundred-foot-journey):
In “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) is a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. Displaced from their native India, the Kadam family, led by Papa (Om Puri), settles in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France. Filled with charm, it is both picturesque and elegant – the ideal place to settle down and open an Indian restaurant, the Maison Mumbai. That is, until the chilly chef proprietress of Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin starred, classical French restaurant run by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), gets wind of it. Her icy protests against the new Indian restaurant a hundred feet from her own escalate to all out war between the two establishments – until Hassan’s passion for French haute cuisine and for Mme. Mallory’s enchanting sous chef, Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), combine with his mysteriously delicious talent to weave magic between their two cultures and imbue Saint-Antonin with the flavors of life that even Mme. Mallory cannot ignore. At first Mme. Mallory's culinary rival, she eventually recognizes Hassan's gift as a chef and takes him under her wing.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Don Coqui, Puerto Rican restaurant in Astoria, NY
Astoria surely has some great gems that should not be ignored, and Don Coqui, a Puerto Rican restaurant is one of them. I discovered it last Sunday when we went for a tasting for dinner. This huge place is a restaurant and lounge with multiple rooms:
A first one, small, at the entrance, with a nicely furnished bar:
Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!
Astoria surely has some great gems that should not be ignored, and Don Coqui, a Puerto Rican restaurant is one of them. I discovered it last Sunday when we went for a tasting for dinner. This huge place is a restaurant and lounge with multiple rooms:
A first one, small, at the entrance, with a nicely furnished bar:
The lounge with its impressive lighting:
The two dining rooms that can cater approximately eighty guests each:
They set the mood with not only Latin music, but also a blue lighting in the dining room that kept the lounge-y feel.
Don Coqui opened in February 2011 in Astoria (they have several locations such as The Bronx or New Rochelle that is their flagship). The restaurant got its name from a small frog that makes a sound like "coqui, coqui", that is quite a funny anecdote.
The menu, crafted by Executive Chef Jack D'Angelo, had so many mouth watering dishes that I admit that I was not sure what to order; so we followed the advice of our server, Andres, who was very knowledgable about the dishes, describing them in detail.
I started by ordering a drink. I chose the mango Mojito that was delicious, refreshing and original.
They then brought us some bread, made on premises.
It is like a focaccia with garlic butter that is pressed like a panini. I had to resist not eating too much of it...
For the appetizers, we got a sampler they made for us (so you will not find it on the menu).
It was composed of:
Fried calamari with marinara sauce:
The difficulty with fried calamari is that they are either rubbery and/or soggy, not crispy. There, they were perfect.
Beef empanada with tomato and guava sauce:
Nicely done: the filling was juicy and tasty, and the shell crispy. There was no need for the sauce that I appreciated anyway with the empanada...and the calamari.
Tostones montaditos:
It was fried plantains topped with cod fish, tomato, onion, cilantro and lime. I liked the flavors that were clean and well balanced, a bit refreshing.
I also tried their hot sauce that they import directly from Puerto Rico. At first, I did not taste the heat, but it rapidly revealed itself.
For the entrées, when we thought we would have smaller portions, we saw all these big dishes coming! The first one was the plantain crusted red snapper, served with a yuca mash.
This is a very original dish: they bake plantains, crush them and then use them as breading. This was divine: the plantain crust had a bit of crunch and worked perfectly with the fish that was nicely cooked, moist and flakey. I also loved the yuca mash: prepared with cheese, it had a very interesting texture that I am not sure how to describe, denser than regular mash.
Then we got one of their best sellers: rabo guisado that is braised oxtail.
This is a very comforting dish, with bold flavors, but I admit that it was my least favorite one. Well, my favorite one was definitely the Don Coqui paella!
It was made of rice cooked for more than two hours with mussels, shrimp, clams, calamari, chorizo and chicken, topped with half a lobster.
This was the high point of the meal: the presentation was outstanding, as were the flavors. You could definitely taste the fact that the rice was cooked with the ingredients for a while. I hate when the rice has no flavor, indicating that it has been cooked separately and assembled with the rest at the last minute, right before serving. Quantity wise, it is a huge serving: I cannot imagine how one person can eat that and was surprised to see many customers ordering the paella for themselves: they probably take it home...
I should also mention the abundance of seafood, especially the squid. If you love paella, Don Coqui is definitely the place to go!
With our dishes, we also got tostones, served with a garlic and oil sauce
As well as some sweet plantains.
For dessert, they told us they would bring us a sampler. We did not imagine what was coming.
There were five desserts:
Tres leches:
Cheese flan (my favorite, made with condensed milk):
Chocolate flan:
Coconut flan (Jodi was in heaven):
Chocolate lava cake:
Know that they make all the desserts on premises and they were fantastic! I could have eaten everything but admit that I was full after such a feast.
To finish our meal, they brought us a drink called the coquito, that all customers get (I saw few of them getting more than one...). It is a drink usually served at Christmas time, made with coconut milk, nutmeg and rum. It was very good and a nice way to end this succulent meal.
If you crave Spanish cuisine or would love a paella, Don Coqui is for you: it is worth a trip to Astoria!
Enjoy (I did)!
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Restaurant Week: Hakkasan in NYC, NY
My next target for Restaurant Week was Hakkasan, a modern Chinese restaurant that originated in London in 2001 and opened its doors in Hell's Kitchen in April 2012 and earned a Michelin star. I was thinking that the $38 deal for dinner was a good way to try out that place as, the lack of prices on the menu often indicates a pricey meal...
My next target for Restaurant Week was Hakkasan, a modern Chinese restaurant that originated in London in 2001 and opened its doors in Hell's Kitchen in April 2012 and earned a Michelin star. I was thinking that the $38 deal for dinner was a good way to try out that place as, the lack of prices on the menu often indicates a pricey meal...
This 11,000 square feet place is pretty impressive with its modern decor and deep blue lighting. The photo above is the lounge area and the one below part of the dining room.
Even more impressive is the long corridor at the entrance that reminded Jodi of a scene in The Shinning. Scary!
They sat us fairly quickly at our table and I admit that I really was not sure what to order as lots of dishes seemed very appetizing.
For instance, for the appetizer, I hesitated between the steamed dim sum platter and the fried one. Well, first I did not know what har gau was and discovered later that it was a shrimp dumpling. Then, they had a fried dumpling with duck and, as I love duck, I decided to go with the fried platter.
There were three dumplings: shrimp, mashed duck and pumpkin, scallops. The presentation was beautiful, especially the duck dumpling that had the shape of a pumpkin. They were delicious: slightly crispy and tasty, the dough was perfect, not too greasy. My favorite was the scallop one, then the shrimp and last the duck (I did not get as much duck taste as I would have loved to).
Jodi got the stir-fried mushrooms with lettuce wrap.
I loved that dish, with or without the lettuce that, as the name of the dish suggests, is used as a wrap.
It was full of pistachio and pine nuts that added a nice flavor to it. But know that it was slightly spicy...
For the entrée, I ordered the spicy prawn, served with Lilly bulb, almond and jicama.
I was surprised how much large shrimp were on the plate as I thought that, being a special deal, portions would be small.
I ate that dish with some egg fried rice that was quite good.
Imagine the sauce of the prawn being like a curry, with the spiciness of a curry in fact. Fortunately, mixing with the rice and eating the jicama that not only gave a nice crunch, but had a slight cooling effect that helped. It was so good that, even if my mouth was, at time, on fire, I went back to it.
Jodi ordered a vegetarian dish: three-style mushroom stir-fry with macadamia nuts, water chestnuts and gai lan that is Chinese broccoli.
It was good, but I admit that I found the dish a bit boring, missing texture if not for the presence of macadamia nuts, and taste. She also got fried rice.
For dessert, we shared:
Vanilla ice cream with strawberry sorbet, strawberries, meringue and...black pepper.
Ok, I admit that we did not really taste the black pepper, and I wondered if it was not just simply used to enhance flavors. But overall, it was a delicious dish, the high point being the vanilla ice cream that had a texture very close to a mousse.
We also tried a lemon infused consommé with peach ice cream, a huge cherry, and some fig.
That was a fantastic dessert, well balanced and very refreshing. I could have eaten more of it! Well, I also could have eaten much more of this amazing shortbread!
We had a delicious meal at Hakkasan: the food was succulent, the presentation stunning and appetizing, and the service perfect and courteous. Know that there is loud music there, like in a club, but even with that, I cannot wait to go back there for another dinner, that is what the spirit of Restaurant Week is about: discovering places.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Café Blossom on Carmine, New York, NY
A few years ago, the idea to go to a vegan restaurant would have made me cringe. Today, I am kind of excited at the idea to try some new flavors. So yes, I was excited when I got invited to try Café Blossom on Carmine, especially after reading the statement from one of its founders, Ronen Seri:
My vision for Blossom was to create a place with outstanding food, not just for vegans, but for everyone to enjoy.
Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!
A few years ago, the idea to go to a vegan restaurant would have made me cringe. Today, I am kind of excited at the idea to try some new flavors. So yes, I was excited when I got invited to try Café Blossom on Carmine, especially after reading the statement from one of its founders, Ronen Seri:
My vision for Blossom was to create a place with outstanding food, not just for vegans, but
for everyone to enjoy.
Yes, I am not a vegetarian and much less a vegan, so going to this kind of restaurant can be a real test.
I like the place: simply decorated, I love the contrast of the dark wood with the white brick wall, like the ying and yang.
They push the concept to having a communal table situated right in front of the open kitchen.
The menu offers small and large dishes, some of them looking familiar such as the Caesar salad or the pipette Margherita, but with a vegan twist if I may say: the cheese is for instance replaced by tapioca cheese, bacon by tempeh bacon.
We started off with some drinks. Jodi ordered their belvoir sparkling elderflower lemonade:
And I ordered the house brewed fresh ginger ale:
Then, we shared two appetizers:
The first one was the buffalo risotto croquettes served with pickled carrot ribbons and blue cheese sauce.
There were three croquettes that were divine: think about rice balls made with buffalo sauce that are deep fried and then topped with blue cheese.
This was a very successful dish, very flavorful and I loved the fact that these little rice balls were not dry.
The second appetizer was the taco trio:
It was made of roasted mushroom adobo, corn tortilla, cabbage, huitlacoche, carrot/onion escabeche and micro cilantro. I had no idea what huitlacoche was and later discovered that it was corn mushroom, corn smut or even called Mexican truffle (that's pushing a bit!).
This was a delicious dish: very flavorful, I did not mind at all that it was vegetarian. I love the crunch of the cabbage, as well as the bold flavor of the roasted mushroom adobo. Another great dish!
For the entrées, Jodi ordered the soy bacon cheeseburger:
She decided to have French fries as a side rather than field green: after all, it is a burger.
It was composed of seitan patty, tapioca cheddar, caramelized onions, grilled shiitake mushrooms, soy bacon, lettuce, tomato, chipotle aioli on a sesame bun. I admit that it was a bit messy to eat because of the soy bacon that was too hard and make it difficult to cut through. I also did not like the texture and taste.
On my side, I decided to order the huevos rancheros, curious to see how one of my favorite brunch dishes would end up.
The dish was made of tofu scramble, adobo sauce, tapioca cheddar, black beans, soy sour cream, served on a crispy corn tortillas.
This was a nice interpretation of that dish. Being eggless, it did not have the same smoothness that the egg yolk usually gives, but I found it quite interesting, the tofu being moist and flavorful, perfect mixed with the beans and sour cream. I wonder if the yellow color is coming from turmeric...
Last was dessert. We went for the peach and strawberry crumble, served with vanilla ice cream:
And the New York cheesecake, served with a peach reduction, strawberries and chocolate chips:
The desserts were quite good, especially knowing that they do not use butter. The crumble was the best one, although I would have liked more fruit in it. But the cheesecake was fabulous too, with its crust that was very coconut-ey.
My meal could not be complete without a coffee and, instead of going for an espresso, I went for a cappuccino, curious to see how they would pull it off without milk (they use almond milk in fact). And it worked!
This was a nice meal, surprising in a lot of ways. If you go to Café Blossom, I definitely recommend the buffalo risotto croquettes, the tacos and the desserts. You will not regret it!
Enjoy (I did)!
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Restaurant Week: The Russian Tea Room in NYC, NY
I always wanted to go to The Russian Tea Room, but I admit that I heard so many things about it: food not good and overpriced, and poor service, that it was on the bottom of my list. But then, Summer Restaurant Week happened: it is a great way to try pricey restaurants at a discount (three course meal for $25 for lunch and $38 for dinner), as long as the restaurant embraces the event's purposes and does not cheap out on quality or service.
So I went to The Russian Tea Room for lunch after booking a table on Opentable. I mention it because I looked at the description of the restaurant and it said that the dress code was business casual meaning long sleeve shirts, no t-shirt or shorts. Well I guess that they are more relaxed for lunch, Midtown being full of tourists, because I saw many people wearing these supposedly not recommended outfits.
The decor of this place, created in 1927 by former Russian Imperial Ballet members is incredible, a bit over the top, as if we were transported to the 1900s. There is of course the bright red banquettes that seem to be made of plastic (it is not), the chandeliers, and the multiple paintings on the walls (not sure if there is any space left to hang another thing!).
The first experience on how pricey the place is is the cork fee: one of my friends brought a bottle of champagne from France for a celebration. Apparently, the cork fee was $55! We surely declined.
So, as we were making up our mind as far as the menu goes, they brought us some bread and butter. I admit that I thought that the bread was not that fresh at that point...
Then, I chose an appetizer: goat cheese and mushroom blinchik that is a crêpe filled with goat cheese, wild mushrooms, melted onions, served with a sauce made with lingonberries.
When the dish came, I thought that it was a small portion. Fortunately, it was delicious, goat cheese and melted onions pairing very well together, the later having a nice sweetness. And if you love mushrooms, you will not be disappointed either as they definitely stood out. The crêpe itself was perfect: very thin and well cooked, it was nicely soft. I just wished there was more of it.
For the entrée, I got the chicken à la Czar that is sautéed chicken breast with roasted red peppers and mushrooms in a light cream sauce.
Interestingly, they were not at all consistent with the serving: I got two mushrooms, while one of my friends got plenty.
And in fact I picked that dish for the mushrooms! Fortunately, the chicken was well cooked and moist, perfect when dipped with the cream sauce that was, as advertised, light.
For dessert, I chose the chocolate pyramid, made with bittersweet chocolate mousse and with a raspberry filling:
That was a delicious dessert: light, not too sweet and very chocolate-y. I surely recommend it. I ate it with an espresso that was quite pricey ($8).
Although it was a bit inconsistent, I liked my lunch at The Russian Tea Room: for $25 we got a good deal and had a decent meal. I should mention the service that was quite good. Would I go back outside of Restaurant Week: probably.
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Bacon and Beer Classic at Citi Field, home of the NY Mets
Jodi and I got invited to Citi Field for a Bacon and Beer Classic where visitors got an all-inclusive experience: walking through the stadium, sampling craft beer & bacon-inspired treats by local chefs and supporting local charity, Citymeals-on-Wheels.
I admit that, coming from France, I am not really familiar with baseball. It is not a practiced sport there and is mainly known because of movies or TV series like Seinfeld (I know: wrong stadium!).
So, I was anyway excited to learn a bit about baseball and discover the backstage of this sport, as we were allowed to go on the field, under the stadium, in the tunnel, where photos were restricted.
We saw for instance the players' lounge, the gym, the locker room, as well as the press conference room.
After the amazing tour, we went back to the stadium:
I should mention that we sat a bit in the dugout that is the team's bench area:
So, let's talk about food and beverages: they had more than 80 restaurants and breweries, the first ones proposing dishes made with bacon. So I got to try a bit of everything...Here is some of what I tried:
Sylvia's - Sweet potato and bacon roll.
Big Daddy's - Cinna-Bacon cupcake (cinnamon maple batter, cinnamon frosting and candied bacon):
Duke's - Roadhouse chili (bacon croutons, jalapeño, candied bacon, cheddar, cornbread and chipotle sour cream):
Sweet Dreams donuts - bacon donut:
Mac Bar - Bacon Mac & Cheese:
Delicatessen - The King's cheesecake (peanut butter, candied bacon and caramelized banana):
Blackbird's - Beef and bacon patty:
Whitman's - Peanut butter and bacon burger:
Strip House - Black pepper smoked bacon served with arugula, charred corn and pickled melon salad:
Roni Sue's chocolates - Bacorn (homemade caramel popcorn and bacon bites & chile spiked peanuts) and pig candy (chocolate covered bacon):
Robicelli's bakery - bacon brownie:
South Brooklyn Pizza - Bacon and blue cheese pizza:
Come and Get It BBQ - bacon and chocolate chip cookies:
John's of Times Square - Bacon and cheese pizza:
Rudy's Pastry Shop LLC - bacon cheesecake:
Chef One Corp. - Dumpling and roll:
Black Tree - Whiskey bacon chocolate chip cookie:
Ribs Within - no name...
S. Ottomanelli and Sons - caramelized onions and bacon burger:
And of course, I got some beer...
So, this was a great event: I may not have learnt much about baseball, but I am now more curious. Food wise, this was fantastic: some dishes like the cupcake from Big Daddy's or the smoked bacon from Strip House were amazing, and I have to say, these restaurants and Chefs showed a lot of creativity, especially the ones serving sweets, proving that you can put bacon everywhere! And the fact that charities benefited from it is definitely a plus.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Please note that this event was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!
Parmys Persian Fusion in NYC, NY
Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!
I admit that Persian cuisine is not something that I eat often, having dined to only one Persian restaurant in the city; I went few times though, but not enough to make me a connoisseur of such an exotic cuisine. So I was excited to go there, intrigued by the fusion side of the name.
This small 50 seat restaurant, whose name comes from a Persian princess name, opened a year ago. It is a family business: the owner Amir Raoufi used to work in his sister's restaurants, Ravagh, before deciding to open Parmys with his other sister Mojgan, who is also a Chef.
Menu wise, they specialize mostly in kebabs (meat, seafood or vegetarian), but you can get other dishes such as stews. Before we started, they brought us some bread as well as Persian salsa, made with veggies like carrots, cauliflower and cabbage.
Then, I wanted to try the droogh, a Persian yogurt drink close to an Indian lassi, except that it is made with club soda.
For the entree, Jodi got a koobideh, a minced meat kebab (it was made of beef):
It was served with grilled tomato, grilled onion, radish and basmati rice.
On my side, I got Sultani, that is a combination of barg (marinated sirloin) and koobideh.
This was really good: the meat was flavorful thanks to the spices and herbs used, tender and juicy (the sirloin was perfectly cooked medium). With it, we got some yogurt and mint that I ate with the meat, as well as the rice, that would have otherwise been dry for my taste.
For dessert, we got a sampler:
It was composed of:
Baklava:
Zoolbia:
Bamieh (sort of donut dipped in syrup):
I knew the baklava of course, as it is a dessert present in many cuisines, such as Greek or Turkish, as well as the Zoulbia, equivalent to the jelabi in India or zalabia in North Africa. But I discovered the bamieh that was sublime: it was delightfully sweet, the sugar syrup not only coating the inside, but also present in the inside.
The last dessert we tried was their homemade almond pudding:
It was very good, not too sweet. The only thing I did not really like were the slices of almond that were inside, as they did not give a pleasant texture for me.
We enjoyed our dinner at Parmy where the food was quite good. They have a lunch menu for less than $10 with an appetizer and entree that make it a very affordable experience.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Bobby Van's Grill in New York, NY
Menu wise, there is no surprise: you find the usual dishes a steakhouse proposes, such as crab cakes, shrimp cocktail or Caesar salad. Meat wise, they have the traditional cuts: filet mignon, ribeye, sirloin and of course a sizzling porterhouse.
There is a large amount of steakhouses Midtown: Ruth's Chris, Empire Steakhouse, Quality Meats, Quality Italian, Smith and Wollensky, Wolfgang Steakhouse...No wonder there are so many considering all the businesses located there. Because, let's be honest: steaks are fantastic in the US, but it comes at a certain price and you will not see that many families in steakhouses, especially now, as the price of meat is going up. Whenever I have visitors from Europe, I tell them to try a good steak if they can afford it, suggesting few places I tried and liked. So this time, I tried Bobby Van's with some of my friends.
Established since 1969, this family business has several locations across the US, five being in Times Square. We went to the one on 50th street that opened in 2006. It has all the characteristics of a steakhouse: masculine, warm and noisy. You may think looking at the photos that the restaurant was empty, but in fact, these photos were taken when I left, a little after 10pm; because, believe me, when we arrived, it was packed!
We had a small room reserved for us and we were all thinking: thank God, we will be able to hear each other. When we sat, I noticed that there was a small notepad on the table, wondering what the usage could be at the time of the smartphones and their note applications.
Menu wise, there is no surprise: you find the usual dishes a steakhouse proposes, such as crab cakes, shrimp cocktail or Caesar salad. Meat wise, they have the traditional cuts: filet mignon, ribeye, sirloin and of course a sizzling porterhouse.
As we were choosing from the menu, they brought us a bread basket with a nice variety, as well as some butter. Some say that the bread brought to the table makes the first impression: try in a way and so, for a steakhouse, you always expect one with different breads, breadsticks being a must have (don't ask me why...).
To go with our meal, we decided to order some wine. Red wine of course as pairing with a white wine our steaks would be a blasphemy. We chose a Bordeaux: Chateau Simard Saint Emilion 2004.
It is a wine that has a full and round structure, perfect with red meats, especially my favorite cut: the ribeye.
But first were the appetizers. I ordered one of my favorite in steakhouses: the crab cake.
Served with a mustard remoulade, the crab cake was 5 ounces of deliciousness. You could definitely see the lumps of crab and there was no apparent breading and filler, making it a fantastic appetizer.
Then, I also tried their cold seafood bouquet:
It was composed of lobster, crab and large shrimp. Nicely presented, it tasted very fresh and all the seafood was perfectly cooked.
But then was the plat de
résistance: the steak. I was ready for it!
I went for the ribeye:
It was big and thick. It might not have been the biggest I had in a restaurant, but it was probably a 22 ounce piece. Know that at Bobby Van's, they dry age
their steaks for 28 days, a process supposed to give the meat tenderness and enhancing the flavors.
I asked for my ribeye to be cooked medium-rare and it was perfect. Very juicy and tender, it had a delightful char.
It was so good that I did not even need their steak sauce.
Of course, when you have steak, you need sides and at Bobby Van's, they have a pretty good choice. We tried:
Creamed spinach (my favorite when wanting to eat vegetables...):
Mashed potatoes:
French fries:
Sautéed mushrooms:
Brussels sprouts (another veggie: good diet, no?):
And my all time favorite with a steak: mac and cheese!
The only side I did not really liked was the hash browns that I could not photograph: maybe this was a sign. All the others were really good and comforting with the steak. I was just surprised that they did not have one with truffles as more and more steakhouses are proposing sides like truffle fries or truffle mash. Another classic missing was onion rings, but eh, they still have a large choice of yummy ones.
After that came the terrible choice of having dessert or not...Well, I could not leave without trying one of their signature ones. I chose the pecan caramel fudge pie.
Not only it looked appetizing, but it was sublime, the best part being the caramel that was not too sweet but buttery. I also loved the top that was made with the crushed pecans, giving some texture to the dish. To accompany it, there was nothing better than an espresso.
This was a delicious meal (with great company of course) with a high point on the ribeye that was divine. Bobby Van's knows how to cook the delicious meat they age for sure. And I should mention the exceptional service we had there from Garett. This is definitely on my list of favorite steakhouses!
Enjoy (I did)!
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Frere de Lys, French restaurant on the Upper East Side, NY
Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!
Frère de Lys is a French restaurant located on the Upper East Side that discovered last week end. I met with two of the owners of this place Alexis and Thibault Piettre, who before that worked in other restaurants in New York, before fulfilling the dream to open their own restaurant. Their mother was even there and chat proudly about this adventure. I was intrigued by the name as it seems to be a play on fleur de lys (iris flower), a symbol of monarchy in Europe; According to French historian Georges Duby, the three petals represent the medieval social classes: those who worked, those who fought, and those who prayed (source: wikipedia).
Alexis told me that they are not royalist at all, but wanted to celebrate the renaissance period, their renaissance and as he and his brother have a fleur de lys tattooed on their arms, they thought about Frère de Lys as the name to their new adventure, frère meaning brother in French.
Decor wise, it is a simple place with a lot of warmth thanks to the dark wood of the tables, chairs and long banquette, keeping a touch of modernity.
At the entrance is the bar with its bulbs that give a vintage feel.
Then, the dining room, simply decorated.
With of course a photo of an iris in the back.
Menu wise, do not expect to see a bistro type menu: there are no escargots, no confit de canard and no steak frites. There, the menu has classic French dishes, modernized and sometimes changed with an American twist. Know that we were there for a tasting, so the portions were smaller that what is shown on the actual menu. In fact, they were perfect portions for sharing and trying plenty of dishes and, who knows, their menu may include smaller dishes at some point!
Like any good French menu, it started with bread (toasted and served with olive oil) and wine. I got to try two wines:
The first one was a château de la sèlve palissaire 2012:
The second one was a Domaine du Colombier Chinon 2010:
I went for the Chinon.
Then, we chose three appetizers:
Roasted figs and prosciutto, that is one of their best sellers:
The tiny figs were topped with goat cheese and complimented with arugula, all of this drizzled with a house vinaigrette.
I thought it was a nice pairing and I loved the combination of the fig, with its particular texture, and goat cheese. It was definitely a good start.
The next appetizer was smoked eggplant gratin:
It was made with ricotta and a homemade tomato sauce. Considering the way it was prepared, I would more associate this dish to Italian cuisine. It was very good, letting the eggplant be the star of the dish, and it was very comforting.
The last appetizer was the veggie and quinoa tartine:
A tartine is a slice of bread with a spread or ingredients on top. At Frère de Lys, they propose few of them, with for instance prosciutto or smoked salmon. But we decided to go for the veggie and quinoa as we were intrigued by this vegetarian option. What was interesting with this dish is that it was simple: bread, cucumber and quinoa, served with arugula salad on the side. But as simple as it was, it was very good and filling, the cucumber adding a nice cooling and freshness to the dish.
For the entrees, we picked three:
The pan seared chicken, served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, haricots verts (string beans), mushrooms, tarragon and mustard sauce. This was delicious: the chicken was perfectly cooked and moist, and the sauce delightful but not heavy. The mash potatoes were homemade and I truly appreciated the fact that it was not garlic-ey. The haricots verts were interesting: they were crunchy, that is the way veggies are cooked in the US, but not in France, where they would be cooked longer, until very soft, probably in a bit of butter. The two brothers disagree on the way they should be cooked: Alexis prefers the French way (as I do) and Thibault the way they are served.
The second appetizer was the rack of lamb:
It was served also with haricots verts and sweet potato. The lamb was good, but unfortunately a bit overcooked; I did not really care about the red wine reduction that came with it as the meat was still moist. I loved the fact that it was paired with a sweet potato that was simply cooked in the oven before being sliced in half and served: simple and delicious.
The last entree was a vegetarian dish that was definitely a high point: paleo zucchini pasta.
Imagine zucchini shredded like thick pasta, served with an avocado cream sauce. That was a fantastic dish, between the crunchiness of the zucchini to the richness of the avocado. Full of flavors, this is the type of dish that even a carnivore like me would like.
Last was dessert, eaten with a decaf espresso.
We got a sampler that is normally not proposed on the menu (all restaurants should have a sampler - wink, wink!), with the slices of tarts being smaller than usually served.
We got to try:
The flour less chocolate cake:
The pear and rosemary tart:
The grand-mère apple and honey cake:
All the desserts, made on premises, were really good and not too sweet, my favorite being the last one. But I admit that the pear and rosemary was quite surprising as pear is a common ingredient for a tart, but rosemary is not, and there was just enough quantity to give a subtle taste to the tart.
I was ready to go when they propose a glass of mirabelle from Alsace, the region in France where the brothers are from. I could not refuse...
It is an eau de vie, that is a clear fruit-based spirit (made with mirabelle plum in this case) perfect for the digestion.
Although the dishes were not heavy, I needed a walk after that feast: the food was delicious and well presented. The menu, with seasonal dishes is not large, that is perfect as it is better to have a small menu well executed than a large menu poorly made. I truly appreciated the fact that they had vegetarian dishes that did not look or taste like sides, but really like complete dishes that would satisfy anybody and not just vegetarians. I also loved the atmosphere of the restaurant: with its neighborhood feel, it reminded me some of the small joints I used to go to in Paris, where you feel welcome and in a way part of a family. This is of course thanks to the dynamism and warmth of the two brothers, Alexis and Thibault. Frère de Lys is definitely worth a trip to the Upper East Side! Chapeau!
Enjoy (I did)!
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Sprinkles Cupcakes in New York, NY
If you are a fan of the TV show
Cupcake Wars
, you have probably heard about Sprinkles Cupcakes: one of Judges, Candace Nelson, is with her husband Charles, the owner.
It all started in 2005 with the first store that opened in Beverly Hills: they got sold out the first day in three hours and then sold more than 2,000 cupcakes the first week, starting a success story that continues today, with more than 10 locations in the US and projects to open in London and Tokyo.
Sprinkles Cupcakes is also known for the first cupcake ATM in the world, introduced in 2012, where cupcakes are available 24/7. We did not try the ATM and went straight to the store. It was a week day, the week ends being crazy there.
An allusion to the stars on Hollywood Boulevard
As soon as you enter the place, your senses are overwhelmed by an incredible baking smell that make you want to live there. It is a colorful place for sure...
They did not have it in small size, but, after the first bite, no regrets. Even me, who is not a huge fan of coconut, liked it. One thing that I always look for in a cupcake is the ratio frosting / cake, and this one was perfect.
The cake was moist and the frosting not too sweet.
On my side, I decided to try two mini-cupcakes:
Red velvet:
Banana with chocolate frosting:
Same comment there on the ratio frosting / cake: perfect. I was definitely curious to try the red velvet as it is like The Test: like when you go to a French restaurant and they do not know how to make escargots (I have names...). This one was delicious and my comments are valid for all the cupcakes: moist cake and not overly sweet frosting, allowing you to eat many. The banana one was fantastic and the combination banana and chocolate works perfectly.
Sprinkles Cupcakes is, with Butter Lane and Sweet in Hoboken, one of my favorite cupcake places. I am looking forward to going back there or to try their ice cream and cookie store located right next to it. And, by the way, if your dog also loves cupcakes, they have some for her/him that I did not try...yet!
Enjoy (I did)!
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Joe's Shanghai in New York, NY
It has been years since I went to Joe's Shanghai, having tried their midtown (food just ok and poor service) and their Chinatown location. But, after trying the soup dim sum at Red Farm, I wanted to go back and see how these restaurants measure up against each other.
We went on a week day and showed up a bit before the opening as, each time we passed by, there was a long line, this restaurant being recommended in a lot of guides. Surprisingly, there was barely anybody, so we got a table right away.
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Paname, French restaurant in New York, NY
Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!
Paname, that means
Paris
in slang, is a French restaurant located Midtown East, opened a year ago by Chef Bernard Ros, a veteran of the New York food scene, known not only for his cuisine, but also his mentorship in the industry, helping people get jobs or training them, solely for the love of food. The adventure started in 1967, when Chef Ros came to Montreal for the World's Fair. He then decided to go visit New York...and never went back to France, working in many restaurants, before opening Meli Melo and then Paname.
Chef Bernard Ros with the "Marilyn Monroe's legs"
I spoke at length with him during my dinner at Paname and truly felt that he was more interested in making his customers pleased with the experience at the restaurant, serving them classic bistro dishes, reinvented, at low prices, creating a loyal clientele, instead of one time diners.
Chef Ros goes everyday to the market to pick ingredients, putting an emphasis on the quality of the meat and seafood he will serve. If you go to Paname, you will definitely see him (he is there 7/7) going from table to table, to ensure everything is fine.
Menu wise, you will find classics, but as I mentioned before, reinvented. For instance, there are escargots (snails), but not cooked the usual way, with garlic and butter. Also, everything is homemade, including the desserts, that can be a challenge for a Chef, but not for Bernard Ros, as you will see in this post.
We started our meal with an amuse bouche that was made with gorgonzola and a tomato coulis, a perfect combination.
Then, I tried few appetizers:
Tomato and mozzarella:
Grilled portobello mushrooms with mozzarella:
Homemade pâté with cornichons:
Escargots de Bourgogne with Russet potatoes:
The first thing I noticed was the presentation and then, the originality of the escargot dish: it was definitely a different way of preparing escargot, like a twist to stuffed vegetables, a French classic, where the snails replaced the ground meat. On the plate were stuffed potatoes and zucchini.
Also, the pâté had this rustic taste, full of authenticity.
For entrees, I tried:
The paella Valenciana:
You are right, it is a Spanish dish, but it seems that customers love this special, so it is often proposed. It was prepared with seafood (a lot, such as calamari, clams, shrimp and mussels), as well as chorizo and chicken. Delicious dish, very appetizing with all these vivid colors.
The sautéed cod fish à la niçoise with a tomato fondant:
I really liked it: the fish, sitting on top of smooth mashed potatoes, was perfectly cooked and topped with a sort of stew made with roasted tomatoes, peppers and a black olives (the
à la niçoise
part of the dish) that was sublime, giving another dimension to the dish.
Last was the bouillabaisse, a fish stew that comes from the city of Marseille in the South of France, where I was born!
When the dish came to the table, it had this wonderful aroma and I could not wait to taste the broth that was delicious and very flavorful, perfectly seasoned. It was composed of mussels, clams, baby scallops, shrimp and cod, accompanied with a garlic aioli (on two pieces of toasted bread, as well as on a spoon, to mix with the broth)..
That was very good and very comforting, definitely a dish I would recommend, even in Summer time.
Then, it was time for dessert. At Paname, they have classic ones, such as crème brûlée, tarte tatin or mousse au chocolat. I did not eat the latter, but Bernard Ros, showed me how they served it and it was amazing: not served in the usual bowl, it was truly artistic.
I tried the flourless chocolate cake that was probably one of the best I had so far. Prepared with some Valhrona bittersweet chocolate, it was dense and very chocolatey.
Last were the homemade crêpes, made with Grand Marnier and served with almonds.
The crêpes were thicker than what I am used to, making them a bit heavier. However, I truly appreciated that they put the right amount of alcohol and the added texture of the toasted almonds.
Last were cookies:
I should mention that I drank a glass (or two) of Côtes du Rhône with my meal.
The short walk after we left was welcome...Paname is a nice place to go to, simple and unpretentious, where the passion of its Chef and owner really reflects into the dishes. And with a $35 prix-fixe with an appetizer, entree and dessert, you cannot go wrong!
Enjoy (I did)!
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Per Se in New York, NY
We dreamt about going to Per Se for a while and decided, for our wedding anniversary, to go there instead of traveling. It was worth it. Acclaimed Chef Thomas Keller and his crew, led by Chef de Cuisine Eli Kaimeh are like magicians. They not only make disappear your appetite and a large sum of money from your bank account, they also erase any memory or reference to any good meal you had before going to Per Se. Yes, after dining at Per Se, any good restaurant will be like going to MacDonald's after tasting the burger at Minetta Tavern. This team shows so much technique and artistry that we were blown away.
Before I talk about the food, let me tell you a bit about this restaurant. Located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, the American Chef Thomas Keller opened Per Se in 2004. It soon received the accolades of critics and easily gained three Michelin stars, reaching the top of the New York dining scene and being constantly mentioned in best restaurants ranking, including world best.
Arriving at the restaurant, my heart was beating faster from the excitement to finally go there. We sat few minutes in their anti chamber of heaven, looking at the blue doors that are a reference to Thomas Keller's flagship The French Laundry in California (the dining room has 62 seats like The French Laundry - another reference?).
Then, it was time to start this culinary adventure. We were warmly welcomed by the staff and got seated at a table overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park, the latter reminding me that I would probably need the gym later on...
To make sure everything was at its place, they brought Jodi a little stool for her bag...
I started by ordering a glass of wine picked from their impressive list displayed on an IPad.
I went for a glass of Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py, 2012:
We made our choice from the menu. Per Se proposes two prix fixe for $310 service included: the vegetarian menu (Jodi's pick) and the Chef's Tasting, each of them having 9 courses. For each course, you have two choices, some of them including an up charge, as prepared with luxurious items such as foie gras, caviar or truffles. Know that the menu will change on a daily basis, although some of the dishes, search as the first course I got seems to be a recurring choice.
So, let's see what we got!
Amuse-Bouche:
For Jodi, it was a cone with Belgian endives, grapefruit and cream cheese:
For me, a cone with marinated salmon and cream cheese:
Cheese gougères (choux pastry mixed with cheese):
I love when they bring amuse, because not only it opens your appetite, but it also contributes to the excitement of the whole experience.
First Course:
For Jodi - Meyer lemon-lime sorbet, served with Rocky sweet melon, Hass avocado puree, Yarrow blossoms and finger limes:
For me -
Oysters and Pearls
Sabayon of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and white sturgeon caviar. This dish is very often served on the menu apparently and, after the first bite, I understood why: what is surprising about it is how well these ingredients worked together, texture wise, flavor wise and temperature wise. The sabayon was hot while the caviar and oysters were not; it was sweet, while the caviar was slightly salty. I really loved that dish that was like bringing the appetizer and dessert together.
Second course
For Jodi - turnip "Bavarois":
Composed of Stonington nori, compressed nectarine, Persian cucumber and charred hearts of romaine lettuce.
For me - Hudson Valley Moulard duck foie gras:
At that point, I had a choice between a salad of marinated tomatoes or a foie gras for $40 supplement. I did not think twice and went for the latter. It was served with a confit de canard sauce, oat Streusel, stewed blueberries, fennel bulb, amaranth and black winter truffle, as well as the most delicious brioche ever, drizzled with coarse salt:
Funny enough, I was half way through the brioche when they removed it from the table, causing my heart to drop, but it was to replace it with another one. Well, they could have left both on the table: they would not have made it that long there...
There was also some salt for the foie gras brought to the table, coming from different countries such as a sel de Guérande from France or the black salt from Hawaii.
I did not use the salt as I thought the dish did not need any and was perfect as is. The only regret is that, although it had the visual of truffle, it did not have the aroma.
At the same time they brought us the second course, they brought some butter and bread. The first butter was a honey butter, shaped like a beehive:
The second one was from a farm in Vermont where they have only ten cows:
It came with a small bread:
But then, before the third course arrived, they came with a beautiful bread basket:
Jodi chose the pretzel bread:
While I chose the mini-baguette:
All these bread were deliciously fresh and crunchy when expected.
Third course
Jodi - Griddled corn cake:
Served with Brentwood corn relish, pole beans, tomatoes, quail eggs, mâche (green salad) and black winter truffle.
For me - Crispy skin Mediterranean lubina:
Served with Rick Bishop's snow peas, green market radishes and horseradish crème fraîche. Lubina is in fact sea bass; that was definitely the star of the dish: it was perfectly cooked and that crispy skin was succulent. I also appreciated the fact that the crème fraîche was not overpowered by the horseradish.
Fourth course
Jodi - English pea "flan"
It was served with morel mushrooms, asparagus, heirloom carrots and garlic scapes.
For me - Butter poached Nova Scotia Lobster:
The dish was composed of the lobster, greek bottarga (salted, cured fish roe called
poutargue
in French), avocado squash, cranberry beans, stonecrop and garbanzo beans vinaigrette. Just the presentation was amazing, from the plating to the popping colors. But the best was of course the flavors that were like a concert in my mouth, the bottarga adding a subtle bitterness and the avocado some richness to a perfectly cooked lobster.
Fifth course
This was a long awaited course: the truffle course. For Jodi, it was a pasta course and she had the choice between basil agnolotti and the gnocchi with truffles. For me, it was either the fricassee of Salmon Creek Farms' pork belly or the tagliatelle with truffles. Each truffle dishes required a supplement of $125. I admit that we hesitated a bit and then went for it, thinking that we would probably regret not having them and, as it was a special occasion...
The black winter truffles, that are from Australia, came in a box. When they opened the lid, our noses got invaded that this fantastic smell so characteristic of these ugly fungus. They shaved them generously on our plates, making us wonder how they know when there have to stop.
So, the dishes were:
For Jodi - russet potatoes gnocchi with parmigiano reggiano (parmesan) and black winter truffles (of course):
For me - hand cut tagliatelle with parmigiano reggiano (parmesan) and black winter truffles (of course):
Do not think that we left the shavings that were on the side of the dishes: for that price, we surely ate them!
It was delicious: not only because of the truffles with their pungent aroma and wonderful taste, but also because the creamy cheese sauce and the pasta were scrumptious. We definitely did not regret the extra cost.
Sixth course
For Jodi - Croustillant de pommes de terre:
It was served with ruby beets, French leeks, Spring onions, mustard cress and "bordelaise".
For me - Marcho Farms' "selle de veau" (veal loin):
It was composed of Oregon morel mushrooms, good nugget potatoes, Tokyo turnips and brown butter jus. The veal loin was just ok for me, as I did to really like the texture, but, with all the components of the plate, it made it successful, especially the morel mushrooms and the brown butter jus.
Seventh course - cheese course
For Jodi, Moses sleeper cheese from Vermont (it is close to a French brie), with walnut "melba", heirloom cauliflower, stonecrop and Royal Blenheim apricot compote.
For me, Consider Bardwell Farm's "pawlet", with Hadley Orchards' Medjool dates, Jingle bell peppers, glazed broccoli, petite parsley and "Romesco":
It came with a tiny garlic ciabatta bread:
I did not know what pawlet was, but I really liked this soft and buttery cheese from Vermont.
Eight Course - Assortment of desserts
That is when the madness started: desserts were coming one after the other, each one more exquisite than the other.
First, Jodi got a Victoria sponge cake with blackberry jam, vanilla and white chocolate buttercream and green market berries.
For me, a strawberry soda, lemon verbena pastry cream, champagne granité and French meringue:
Then, Jodi got the fig ice cream with a rose geranium gelée:
And I got a toasted almond ice cream with a garniture from Montélimar, a city in France known for its nougat.
For our anniversary, they brought us a dessert made of white and dark chocolate mousse inside:
And when we thought we were done, they brought us some more. For Jodi, a dessert called "Loma Sotavento", made with salted caramel, peanut "Nutella" and red verjus jelly.
For me, a chocolate mint made with a Valrhona chocolate ganache and with an "After Eight" and mint tea purée.
And when we thought we were done, they brought us some more (I think I already said that...)! First were chocolates:
They came with this big box full of different chocolates, the top row being dark chocolate, the middle row white and the bottom row milk chocolate.
I picked:
- on the left, an olive oil and rosemary white chocolate where these two surprising ingredients burst into my mouth delightfully.
- on the bottom right, a vanilla bourbon milk chocolate.
- on the top right, a Mats brothers Madagascar dark chocolate.
Few minutes later, came a semifredo cappuccino and donuts, a dessert from The French Laundry:
And what I would call a magic box:
It opened, revealing some more sweets!
In the bottom were chocolate truffles:
In the middle, macarons:
On top, some nougats and caramels:
And then for home, some shortbread cookies with chocolate in the middle.
It was as if the dinner was ending with fireworks. We left full, not only in our bellies, but full of memories: we will remember that dinner for sure. Everything was on point and the food was spectacular, not only taste wise, but also the way it was presented, each plate used to serve the dish looking as if it was custom made.
This is definitely a restaurant I recommend for a special occasion if the price is not an issue. Chapeau Per Se!
Enjoy (I surely did)!
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Le Bernardin in New York, NY
Before stating that you definitely do not like fish, go to Le Bernardin, the three Michelin starred restaurant of Chef Eric Ripert and Maguy Coze, located in Midtown Manhattan. This place, opened in 1986 is the pinnacle of seafood in America and kept a solid reputation all these years. There is no doubt Chef Ripert is talented, crafting an elegant and tasteful menu that even the most skeptical will rave about, but, behind the scenes is one man, an incredible fish butcher by the name of Justo Thomas, who takes care of more than 1,000 pounds of fish per day, requiring three people to replace him when he is on vacation! Thanks to his craftsmanship, you will not find one bone or fish part that you cannot eat, filleting fishes to perfection and ensuring you have the best quality on your plate, making the whole experience there unforgettable (I just drooled by the way just thinking about it).
We went there for our wedding anniversary, for a first celebration (yes, we had two!). I do not really remember the decor, three years ago, when we went for dinner, right before their renovations, adding a lounge to the restaurant, where I believe you can just walk in and have a more casual experience than in the dining room (Gentlemen, jacket is required). The decor is classy, modern and warm, with a beautiful painting in the back from Brooklyn artist Ran Ortner representing the sea, dominating the entire dining room.
As we were still deciding what to pick from the menu, they brought us an amuse bouche.
It was composed of:
Goat cheese and beet in phyllo:
Oyster from Washington State with sea beans:
Carrot and ginger soup with a tuile:
That was a great way to start, my preference going to the soup because I thought that it had complex flavors. Even Jodi, who does not like carrot loved it.
Then, they brought us some bread and butter.
There was a large choice of bread for sure.
Jodi picked the pretzel bread
And me, the sundried tomatoe and fennel (pretty good).
We opted for the prix fixe dinner, the tasting menu looking good, but having plenty of dishes that Jodi would not like. For $135, you get three dishes and a dessert. Pricey, but totally worth it.
The first dishes were in the section
Almost raw
. For Jodi, it was the striped bass:
It was a wild striped bass tartare, Jicama salad with a champagne-mango emulsion. For most of the dishes, the sauce or emulsion was put at the end, poured slowly by the wait staff, like a ceremonial gesture.
It was served with some toasted sourdough bread.
I got the yellowfin tuna that was layered over foie gras and toasted baguette, with chives and extra virgin olive oil on top:
This was a nice take on surf and turf, and it worked! Similar to a carpaccio, I loved the combination of fish / foie gras, with the added crispiness from the baguette.
The second dishes were from the section
Barely touched
. For Jodi, it was the white tuna or escolar poached in olive oil and served with niçoise olives, grilled maitake mushrooms and a citron (lemon) vinaigrette.
For me, the king fish and caviar:
It was served with brioche bread.
Similar to Jodi's first dish, the light marinière broth was added at the table.
Et voila!
This was a fantastic dish: the king fish was sliced like a sashimi and not at all overpowered by either the broth or the caviar that gave a very slight saltiness to the dish.
Then was the last dish, from the section
lightly cooked
. Jodi ordered the crispy black bass, served with wood ears mushrooms and water chestnuts, and bathed in a black truffle hot and sour pot au feu:
She was a bit disappointed, especially after she tasted my dish...I tried it and liked it, the fish skin being deliciously crispy and the fish being perfectly cooked, but I have to agree with her that we could barely taste the truffle.
So, on my side, my last dish was spectacular! It was a surf and turf made of white tuna (escolar) and kobe beef.
There were three elements to the dish:
The escolar with its soy-lemon emulsion:
The kimchi and Asian pear:
The kobe beef:
That was the best dish of the evening and, considering what we had so far, it is a pretty big statement! The escolar was so good, with its nice grilled taste, it was literally melting in my mouth. So was the beef that was tender and juicy (I drooled again!).
Last was dessert. Jodi ordered the S'mores (smoked Madagascan chocolate crémeux, Graham cracker sablé, Tahitian vanilla ice cream) that she inhaled:
And I ordered the banana, a dessert composed of a roasted banana mousse cake and ice cream, Piedmont hazelnuts:
I loved it: it was quite light and delicate, not too sweet, perfect if you love banana!
But it was not the end. They brought us a small plate with, from left to right, a cherry chocolate (that had peanut in it), a salted caramel (my favorite), a peach pate de fruit and black currant financier:
I should of course mention the wine. I went for a glass of Meursault "Les grands charrons", a Bourgogne from 2011.
With its medium-bodied flavor, it was perfect with the fish.
Dining at Le Bernardin was a sublime experience: the service was outstanding and the food beautifully presented and delicious. Yes it is pricey, but this is the kind of restaurant where you will not be disappointed. So I guess there is no need to ask me if I would go back: you know the answer!
Enjoy (I surely did)!
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Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY
As we were craving Mexican food, we decided to go to Empellon Taqueria, located in the West village; a place whose staff has definitely a sense of humor...
Big place with beautiful mural on the wall.
That day, they were hosting a birthday party and I did not had time to have a look at the menu crafted for the event, but noted that this could be a good place for a group meal.
To start, we went for the guacamole and chips.
The guacamole was definitely freshly made as could attest the chunks of avocado, chopped onions or fresh cilantro.
I truly appreciated the fact that they put the jalapeño on top, so if one does not like it, it is easy to remove them.
It was perfect: well seasoned, served with delicious tortilla chips.
For her entrée, Jodi ordered the mixed mushroom tacos (she chose to get two instead of three, that are the two sizes proposed).
This was a delicious dish that I recommend if you love mushrooms, because they put a lot of it and it is not mixed with any sauce or ingredients that would overpower the entire dish, letting the mushroom be the star.
On my side, I was first set for tacos, but changed my mind when I saw that they were serving a churro French toast. Yes, you read that right and I was sure the combination of a churro and a French toast would be divine: I was not mistaken.
First of all, it was a perfect French toast: the bread that was like a brioche or challah was perfectly soaked, and the churro created a crust that was delightfully crispy. It worked so well that I did not need to add any butter and maple syrup.
This was a fantastic brunch there, all the dishes being very good and the service perfect. I am still ecstatic about the churro French toast that I definitely recommend. I will definitely go back as I saw some tacos I definitely want to try. I really enjoyed: oh yes I did! Sorry, I just drooled all over my computer...
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!