Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

Last Friday, I was invited at Ted's Montana Grill, one of the outposts of the restaurant chain created in 2002 by the entrepreneur and philantropist Ted Turner and George W. McKerrow, a famed restauranteur, who opened decades ago the LongHorn steakhouse. This place opened to celebrate one of America's emblematic animals: the bison. 

Bison at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

This animal definitely makes me think about all the Western movies I saw when I was a kid in France; movies with John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Lee Van Cleef... 

Anyway, the place is located Midtown, across from the Radio City Music Hall, opened in 2006. It is fairly big, with very high ceilings and some booths on the side.

Dining room at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

There, they follow the philosophy of its owners: sustainability. No frozen food or microwaves, beverage coasters that are 100 percent biodegradable and recyclable, made only with timber from reforestation programs; at lunch, recycled brown butcher paper covers each table to reduce laundry costs and water waste. But is the food good? That is what we would discover there.

I always look at details in restaurants and at first, noticed that they just bring the salt in its original package rather than using a salt shaker.

Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

Then, they did not bring the usual bread basket that you would expect in this type of restaurants. Rather pickles!

Pickles at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

At first, I was a bit disappointed as I love bread. But then, I was thinking: that is good, because that way I do not stuff myself with bread before the food comes.

As I was planning on having a steak, I decided to order a glass of wine. I picked a Pinot Noir, Belle Glos "Meiomi", Sonoma Coast 2013:

Pinot Noir, Belle Glos "Meiomi", Sonoma Coast 2013 at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

As appetizers, we chose first the salt-n'-pepper onion rings:

Salt-n'-pepper onion rings at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

These delicious onion rings were served with a horseradish sauce that paired very well with it. I truly appreciated the fact that the large onion rings were not greasy, deliciously crispy and that the onion was cooked inside. It was interesting that they proposed this dish as an appetizer rather than a side, as it was perfect with my steak.

I also tried the crab cake, my favorite appetizer when I go to a steakhouse.

Crab cake at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

This was a good crab cake, as I could definitely taste the crab (I hate when the only taste you get is from the fillers, but here, as you can see on the photo below, it was all crab, with big lump). Serving it with guacamole was a nice idea as it added some freshness.

Crab cake at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

For our main dish, Jodi decided to go for a burger. She picked the Avalon, choosing a beef patty over a bison one (they give you a choice between the two not only for sandwiches, but also for steaks):

Avalon burger at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

Just looking at the photo above makes me salivate...This was a fantastic burger, made of melted Gruyère with a hint of Bleu cheese, crumbled bacon and sweet caramelized onions, roasted garlic aioli and baby arugula.

Avalon burger at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

The first bite was divine: the meat was tasty, juicy and perfectly cooked medium, smothered in the generous portion of cheese, but not overpowered by it. I also loved the sweetness of the onions. This is definitely a good burger and probably one of my favorites. As Jodi was full, I got to eat half of it, so I was in heaven!

On my side, I ordered the beef ribeye (here again, I had a choice between beef and bison, but I love beef):

Delmonico ribeye at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

At $30 a piece, it is a very good deal as, most of the time, a ribeye would cost approximately $45 and up, the size of it being much larger (this one was 14 oz) and often wasted. It was perfectly cooked medium rare, very tender and very juicy.

Delmonico ribeye at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

It was served with mashed potatoes, like a delmonico steak should, that were to die for. I believe that they put cheese in it, giving a nice texture to it.

Mash potatoes at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

The second side was the roasted mushrooms:

Roasted mushrooms at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

Simple, but delicious.

Of course, we could not leave without trying some desserts...The first one was spectacular: strawberry shortcake.

Strawberry shortcake at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

There is no way somebody can finish this dessert alone and it is definitely meant for sharing. It is composed of shortcake in the bottom, smothered with fresh strawberries, two scoops of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream and topped with some shortcake. Looking like a tower, you just want to eat it as quick as possible, so it does not fall on the table.

The second dessert was a banana foster sundae:

Banana foster sundae at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

This was my favorite dessert, as I love any dessert made with banana. It was composed of caramelized banana, Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream and some sublime candied pecan. I really liked the fact that it was not too sweet and glad that I got some fruit for dessert...

This was a fantastic dinner and I will definitely go back for the burger or steak. Our waiter, Jarmake, did an excellent job making us feel welcome and had a good knowledge of the dishes. Yes, he probably knew that I was there for a review, but I observed and saw that he was no different with other customers.

No Kid Hungry campaign at Ted's Montana Grill in New York, NY

I should add that Ted's Montana Grill is participating in the No Kid Hungry campaign. Imagine that $1 feeds a kid for up to 10 meals! This is a noble cause and if you donate $5, you get a $5 coupon from the restaurant for your next dining experience. As the campaign says: "Do good. Dine out".

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post, the photos or the blog, please feel free to share or post a comment! Merci!

Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

Located on the Lower East Side, Sugar Sweet Sunshine is a bakery that two friends, Peg and Deb, opened end of 2003. They succeeded two give to the place the 70's / 80's feel they wanted to create, adding to the flower power, the power of sweets. 

Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

Their signature pastries are cupcakes, but they also have different versions of pudding, as well as layer cakes or pies. 

Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

Jodi was torn between the coconut cream pie and the coconut cupcake. She chose the latter.

Coconut cupcake at Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

Well, that might have been a bad choice: she did not like it and me neither. The yellow cake was good, perfectly moist, but the buttercream icing did not taste good. If you add on top the unbalanced proportion icing / cake and the fact that there were not enough coconut shavings, it was a disappointing cupcake.

Coconut cupcake at Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

On my side, I decided to try some of their pudding. What is great is that you can get different sized, going from small (a shot) to large. 

Pudding selection at Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

I decided to try two:

Banana pudding at Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

A shot of banana pudding:

Banana pudding at Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

And a shot of chocolate Bomb pudding:

Chocolate bomb pudding at Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

It was made of chocolate cake, chocolate pudding and chocolate whipped cream. 

The chocolate pudding was just ok for me, missing some taste and being mostly some cake that was a bit dry; but I loved the banana pudding that was fantastic! Not too sweet, there were lots of banana slices and Nilla wafers in it. I was glad that we got to get at least one item we liked!

Would I go back to Sugar Sweet Sunshine? Well, I admit that I was a bit disappointed and the only reason I would go back would be for the banana pudding. For cupcakes, I would pass and go to Butter Lane or Two Little Red Hens.

Enjoy (the banana pudding)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it or to write a comment!   

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

Menu at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

It has been a while since I wanted to go to Peter Luger, the famous Michelin star steakhouse, considered by many the best in the country. We have been talking about going there with my friend Benny for the past seven months and we finally set a date. Of course, I called the restaurant to make sure we would get a table on a Saturday and the only time they propose was 4:45pm. It is quite a early dinner, but heh, what wouldn't we d to get to that place?

Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

I heard so many different things about Peter Luger: some people said that it was not worth it, that the service was disappointing and the staff rude.

So here we are, Benny, his wife Rufina, Jodi and me, five minute before the time of the reservation. And guess what: we found a spot for the car right across the street, as if all the odds were we us, especially as their parking log was already full. When we entered, we were greeted by the manager and they brought us to our table on the second floor.

Dining room at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

It was not full, making me wonder if their insistence to give a reservation at 4:45pm was not a way to have customers during a time slot that is usually not crowded. Anyway, we were there. The room was freezing as if they were keeping meet inside, except that the meat was us. After few people complained, they simply stopped the air conditioning, allowing the room to warm up.

Our waiter greeted us with their famous homemade steak sauce that you can buy in supermarkets:

Steak sauce at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

As well as some bread and butter:

Bread basket at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

To go with our steaks, we went for their house wine, a cabernet sauvignon:

Cabernet Sauvignon at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

For appetizers, we decided to order the sliced tomato that was recommended by our friend Letizia.

Sliced tomato at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

It is a pretty interesting recommendation as you would think it is just a tomato. But it was a very good tomato, very tasty, perfect with or without their steak sauce (the waiter recommended to eat it with the sauce).

Then, we got the extra thick slices of bacon:

Slab of bacon at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

We decided to order two to share (you order by the slice) and they looked like boots. This was deliciously fatty and smokey, a heart attack on a plate for sure.

Then, we got our steaks. The signature steak at Peter Luger is the porterhouse (one side tenderloin and one side strip steak, separated by a T shape bone), that you can order for one, two, three or four people, rib steak and sirloin, all of them being USDA prime grade and dry aged on premises. As we were the four of us, we decided to order:

The porterhouse for two:

porterhouse steak at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

The ribeye:

ribeye steak at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

The lamb chops that they gracefully split for us:

Lamb chops at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

The meat came on very hot plates and was still sizzling. It had this terrific aroma that made me want to just dig into it, without even waiting for the sides to come. Each dish was perfectly cooked medium and the meat, that had a nice char, was so juicy and tender that I was in heaven.

Porterhouse steak at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

I honestly could not decide if I preferred the ribeye or the porterhouse...

For sides, we ordered onion rings that were not too greasy and delightfully crispy:

Onion rings at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

French fries that were cooked all the way through and a bit crispy on the outside, lightly salted:

French fries at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

And creamed spinach, that was my least favorite, because there were not enough cream in it:

Creamed spinach at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

Although we were full, we could not resist having dessert. Rufina ordered the chocolate mousse with schlag, that is their homemade whipped cream.

Schlag or whipped cream at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

Chocolate mousse at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

The chocolate mousse was sublime: it was shaped like a cake, with an oreo cookie crust that was so good, I could have eaten all of it if it was mine...and if we did not order their Luger's Special "Holy Cow" Hot Fudge Sundae:

Luger's Special "Holy Cow" Hot Fudge Sundae at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

This was huge and "Holy cow" was definitely what came into my mind when I saw it. It had shlag on it that was dense and perfectly sweeten. There was so much that we had to dig through to get to the ice cream and fudge. I had to finish it, so Jodi could get some fudge: yes, I sacrifice myself!

schlag or whipped cream at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

They also throw some chocolate coins on the table: we tried to use them to pay the bill, but they unfortunately did not accept them...

Chocolate coins at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

This was a fabulous dinner, not only because of the company, but also because that meat was fantastic. I definitely disagree with people who say it is overrated and it is for me one of the best steakhouses I have tried so far: well they served steaks for more than 125 years, so they better be good at it! And the service was very welcoming, contrary to what I heard. So, I am now looking forward to go back to try their burger!

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it or to write a comment!   

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Spiegel in New York, NY

Spiegel in New York, NY

I was recently invited to Spiegel a café located on the corner of 2nd and 1st avenue. There, restaurateur Shmulik Avital and Executive Chef Dario Tapia (formerly at Westville and Maison Kayser - that promises some great pastries), crafted an international menu with Mediterranean influences. The name is an homage to Sam Spiegel, the film producer known for movies like Lawrence of Arabia, On the waterfront or The Bridge on the River Kwai, Shmulik being a huge old movie fan. 

Dining room Spiegel in New York, NY

Spiegel is a small place, with only 31 seats, that will at some point expand with a wraparound outdoor café. The centerpiece of the dining room is definitely the 19 seats white oak U-shaped bar designed in a way to ensure a maximum conviviality, regular bar accessories, such as the tap or the espresso machine being setup lower, so they minimally obstruct the view, as well as an opening on the kitchen in the back, that not only allows customers to see what is going on there, but also allows the Chef to see what is happening in the restaurant.

Bar at Spiegel in New York, NY

Food wise, the menu is international. I admit that this categorization is a bit confusing for me, but, after looking at the menu and tasting some of the dishes, I would call it new mediterranean. You will soon discover why!

We first started with appetizers. 

Stuffed mushrooms, made with cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Stuffed mushrooms at Spiegel in New York, NY

Stuffed mushrooms at Spiegel in New York, NY

I do not know if it is the case, but I thought it could be interpreted as a nice lox and cream cheese take. First of all, it was fried and anything fried tastes divine and comforting. The most surprising part here was the delicious smokiness that came through.

Then, we tried the zucchini fritters, a dish composed of feta and dill and served with arugula salad and tzatziki.

Zucchini fritters at Spiegel in New York, NY

Another comforting dish for sure, nicely crispy and very addictive. I definitely recommend these two fried appetizers.

The last one was the baked feta, that was served with Moroccan tomato and pepper sauce, eggplant, kalamata olives.

Baked feta at Spiegel in New York, NY

That was a very original way of serving feta, the cheese complementing perfectly the bold flavor of the tomato, pepper and eggplant sauce.

We then tried two salads:

The kale salad, composed of kale, radicchio, alfalfa sprouts, hard-boiled egg, avocado, roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, golden raisins. The vinaigrette was made with pomegranate.

Kale salad at Spiegel in New York, NY

I admit that I was a bit apprehensive to try that salad, because I am not the biggest fan of kale. But, in fact, I really liked it, the sweetness coming from the raisins and pomegranate giving another dimension to what could have been a boring salad.

Then came the Spiegel chopped salad, composed of cucumber, tomato, red pepper, onion, celery, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, chickpeas, heart of palm, avocado and fried halloumi.

The Spiegel chopped at Spiegel in New York, NY

I admit that I did not really care about this one as I am not a salad guy and could not taste the halloumi....

For the entrees, we started off with the grilled salmon that had definitely an elegant presentation.

Grilled salmon at Spiegel in New York, NY

That was a very good dish composed of crispy potatoes (I wish I had more!), roasted fennel, warm tomato chimichurri, arugula and crispy garlic. Of course, the star of the dish (after the potatoes) was the salmon that was perfectly cooked.

Then came the schnitzel plate, that was accompanied with jasmine rice and...tahini. Yes, you read well: schnitzel and tahini; what a surprising combination! And it works!

Schnitzel at Spiegel in NEw York, NY

The last entree was the couscous, a dish I was thrilled to try.

Couscous at Spiegel in New York, NY

This was a totally vegetarian dish and it might be a great idea to propose meat like chicken or merguez as a supplement, so it can be shared by vegetarian and meat lovers. The way it was presented is as you can see on the photo, meaning, the veggies and couscous came together and not separate as it is usually served in Moroccan restaurant (did I mention that the owner's mother is from Morocco?). Nice dish for sure.

You may think that we stopped there, but, before dessert, at the same time our dishes were served, we got to taste several side dishes:

Moroccan carrots (made with ras el hanout - a spice blend that I use when I make couscous):

Moroccan carrots at Spiegel in New York, NY

Marinated beets (nice cumin taste):

Marinated beets at Spiegel in New York, NY

Broccoli (well, not just broccoli: they were smothered with tahini):

Broccoli at Spiegel in New York, NY

And when we thought, again, that was it, we got to try some burgers...The first one was The Kipling, probably as an homage to the writer.

The Kipling burger at Spiegel in New York, NY

The Kipling burger at Spiegel in New York, NY

It was made with the same sauce that accompanied the baked feta: Moroccan tomato and pepper. 

The second burger was The Classic:

The Classic Burger at Spiegel in New York, NY

The Classic Burger at Spiegel in New York, NY

If I had to pick, I would choose The Kipling as my favorite as more flavorful and a bit more original, the difference being the sauce. Concerning the sides, I think they were there arbitrarily to allow us to try all of them. With the burgers came some crispy fries, as well as a delicious Israeli salad.

Then finally, came dessert. This was long awaited as the pastry Chef, Dario Tapia used to work at Maison Kayser. Well, our expectations were met! First came a delicious mousse au chocolat:

Mousse au chocolat at Spiegel in New York, NY

Mousse au chocolat at Spiegel in New York, NY

A flan:

Flan at Spiegel in New York, NY

And a very good apple tart that had a nice hint of cinnamon. 

Apple tart at Spiegel in New York, NY

All these desserts, although classic, were well executed and a great way to end a delicious meal that I enjoyed in company of my fellow bloggers. Would I go back to Spiegel? Certainly and I would be curious to try their brunch as I already eyed their Tunisian sandwich or their vegan omelet that seems similar to a soca, a dish made in Nice, South of France. So if you go, I might be there!

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this blog, this post or the photos, please share it or post a comment! Merci!

Treat House in New York, NY

Treat House in New York, NY

In Europe, we do not know Rice Krispies treats; we know the Kellogg's cereals, but it stops there. I tried them for the first time when Jodi made them for me and loved it, although very sweet and sticky to the fingers and teeth. But I guess it is what is fun about these treats!

Treat House in New York, NY

So, we saw The Treat House in an episode of Serious Sweets and decided to add it to our wish list. Few months later, here we are, on the Upper West Side, in front of the store, ready to indulge with these decadent cubes. The size of it is perfect so you can try several.

Treat House in New York, NY

The owners, Chris and Jennifer Russel, Wendy Israel (Pastry Chef), and Michael Trenk, decided to partner with The Food Bank of New York, giving 10 cents from each treat sale and a dollar from each T-shirt sale. So you indulge and give back to the community at the same time.

Treat House in New York, NY

We decided to get our treats and eat them there, in the small area in the back of the store. We chose four treats:

Treats at Treat House in New York, NY

Caramel and sea salt:

Caramel and sea salt treat at Treat House in New York, NY

Pina colada:

Pina Colada treat at Treat House in New York, NY

Chocolate Hazelnut:

chocolate hazelnut treat at Treat House in New York, NY

S'mores:

S'mores treat at Treat House in New York, NY

These treats were delicious: gooey, delightfully sweet, dense and packed in flavor.

S'mores treat at Treat House in New York, NY

My favorite was the pina colada that had this delicious pineapple and coconut taste, then the salty caramel and the S'mores. I was a bit disappointed with the chocolate hazelnut one, probably because I thought I would find the same taste as Nutella. But overall, these treats are the perfect guilty pleasure for adults and children. Good job Treat House!

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it or to write a comment!   

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Bamboo 52 sushi bar and lounge in New York, NY

Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

I did not know what to expect when I went to Bamboo 52, a Japanese restaurant located Midtown West: it was my first time there and I simply found it on Opentable, looking for a reservation for a large group. 

I immediately understood when I entered that it was not just a restaurant, but also a lounge, thanks to its neon and fluorescent lighting. 

Dining room at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

The place is big, with a garden in the back and a small room that is probably used for private parties when needed. 

Sushi bat at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

So it is a lounge and, therefore, they have a nice selection of alcohol, from Sake to draft beers. I decided to have a Yuengling, an all American beer from the Yuengling Cie, established in 1829 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Ok, I got fooled by the name...Anyway, it was a nice beer...

Yuengling beer at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

For the menu, no surprise: they serve sushi, sashimi, rolls, etc...with of course a lunch menu that is reasonably priced, especially considering that they offer a glass of sake and dessert with it, items that we did not get a chance to enjoy as we were running out of time (it took a while for the food to come). Not that they reminded either that we had these included when we ordered our drinks or at the end of the meal when they cleared our tables...I guess that is the only disappointing part of this whole experience, the food being quite good. Is it exceptional? Definitely not. I would say that the main advantages of this place are: can accommodate large parties, the lunch menu (especially if you get everything...) and the lounge. 

There, I tried:

Salad with sesame seeds at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

One of their bento boxes, that came with a salad that would have been boring if not for the sesame seeds on top that added a nice nutty flavor. What I like is that you pick the food that will go in the bento box, each time between two choices. For instance, chicken or salmon teriyaki; California or spicy tuna roll. 

Bento box at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

I decided to pick:

California roll (over the spicy tuna roll):

California rolls at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

Shrimp shumai (over the chicken shumai):

Shrimp shumai at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

Salmon teriyaki (over chicken teriyaki). 

Salmon teriyaki at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

That was good, nothing out of the ordinary that would make this restaurant stand up to the competition, but good.

Rolls at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

I also tried some of their specialty rolls, such as The American Dream, made with spicy lobster, yellowtail, jalapeño, scallop, tobiko and honey wasabi sauce. 

The American Dream roll at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

Or the Dinosaur, made with salmon, tuna, white tuna, kani, avocado, cucumber, wrapped in soy paper. 

Dinosaur roll at Bamboo 52 in New York, NY

The rolls were delicious and the fish tasted fresh, but I am still upset about the fact that they did not honor their lunch menu! 

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it or to write a comment!   

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Becco in New York, NY

Becco in New York, NY

Opened in 1993 by Lidia and Joe Bastianich, Becco is one of those Italian restaurants where your palate will transport you miles away, on a culinary trip that you will never forget. Reservations are necessary for this hotspot located in restaurant row, in the heart of the Theater District. Becco means beak in english, hence the bird on their logo. I am not sure if it is a reference to feeding us, but, after reading this post, you will probably check when you will be able to go there!

It is a fairly big place and I counted three different dining rooms. One of them had a rustic feel with its pans on the wall.

Becco in New York, NY

But the most surprising was the one where we sat, in the back: it was as if we were in a backyard, thanks to the windows on the ceiling that let the sun come to the room. A room nicely decorated, with an impressive display of wine bottles.

Dining room at Becco in New York, NY

At Becco, Executive Chef William Gallagher crafted an interesting menu, elevating some traditional Italian dishes. They have the great idea to offer for lunch the Sinfonia di Paste or pasta symphony, an all you can eat pasta made of three preparation of the day for $18.95 with a Caesar salad or an antipasto misto (marinated and grilled vegetables). If you do not feel only eating pasta, you can pick and entree and, for $9, you can try each of the three pasta. That is certainly a good deal!

So, after we sat and while we were trying to decide what to get, they brought us some olives

Olives at Becco in New York, NY

A bread basket (the focaccia and bread sticks, homemade, were delicious):

Bread basket at Becco in New York, NY

As well as a spread made of white beans, carrots, roasted red peppers, oregano, turmeric and olive oil.

White beans spread at Becco in New York, NY

That was like an Italian hummus, as the waiter put it and was divine on a piece of focaccia; it was dry, comforting and a nice way to start the lunch.

White beans spread at Becco in New York, NY

Jodi decided to go for a special of the day: pan seared tuna with some greens.

Pan seared tuna at Becco in New York, NY

It was a perfectly cooked fish, fresh, with a nice red color.

On my side, I decided to order the Fegato, Pan-seared calf’s liver with caramelized onions, bacon and crispy polenta, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and Aceto di Balsamico (balsamic vinegar). I decided to accompany it with the three pasta of the day, that were:

Farfalle with tomato sauce and basil:

Farfalle with Tomato Sauce and Basil at Becco in New York, NY

Swiss chard ravioli:

Swiss chard ravioli at Becco in New York, NY

Linguine with mussels:

Linguine with mussels at Becco in New York, NY

These pastas were sublime: perfectly cooked (the farfalle were soft, the linguine al dente), they had so much flavor that I was tempted to go for a second serving. My favorite was the linguine, then the farfalle and then the ravioli. The only complaint is that they put all the pasta onto one plate: it would be great to have a plate split in three different sections so the sauces do not mix.

After this, came my entree: the calf's liver.

Calf liver at Becco in New York, NY

This was a huge plate: there were two thick slices of liver (I am more used to thinner slices, but still, perfectly cooked, not dry), as well as some polenta sticks under that were crispy on the outside and soft in the inside, not bland as polenta can sometimes be.

Calf liver and polenta at Becco in New York, NY

Last was dessert. Yes, I am sure you are wondering how we still had space for it. Well, they were proposing a sampler and I could not resist...

Dessert sampler at Becco in New York, NY

It was composed of:

Banana bread pudding:

Banana bread pudding at Becco in New York, NY

Italian cheesecake (made with ricotta):

Italian cheesecake at Becco in New York, NY

Chocolate mousse cake:

Chocolate mousse cake at Becco in New York, NY

Panna Cotta:

Panna cotta at Becco in New York, NY

Pear sorbet:

Pear sorbet at Becco in New York, NY

I love when restaurants propose samplers as, often, I am not sure which dessert I should order, several being mouth watering. At Becco, for $7.50 per person, you get five different ones. Ok, the portions are small, but still, this is a good deal and a perfect way to finish a meal. My favorite was the pear sorbet, then the cheesecake, panna cotta, chocolate mousse and last the banana bread that did not taste like there was any banana.

This was a fantastic lunch: the food was delicious and the service impeccable. Becco is definitely a restaurant to know for some great Italian food and delicious pasta.

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it or to write a comment!   

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Buddakan in New York, NY

Buddakan in New York, NY

Buddakan was on my list for a while and I was thrilled when Jodi picked this restaurant for her birthday (ok, I did not tell the restaurant it was her special day as she hates it when they come with a cake and sing...).

Buddakan in New York, NY

As soon as we entered, we were amazed by the impressive decor of the venue.

Buddakan in New York, NY

Buddakan in New York, NY

I am not sure if they did that on purpose, but they walked us all around the main dining room before bringing us to the table, allowing us to see how this more than 250 seat restaurant was organized.

Buddakan in New York, NY

So we sat at a table and I truly appreciated being able to talk without screaming to Jodi, until they started to lower the lights and put some loud music. I think that was the only negative of the whole experience. I should have known had I looked at the history of the place: it was opened in 1998 by acclaimed restauranteur Stephen Starr (Morimoto, Fette Sau...) who is a fan of music and decided to name the restaurant in honor of Nippon Budokan, an indoor venue in Tokyo where artists like Bob Dylan, Cheap Trick and Ozzy Osbourne performed.

Buddakan in New York, NY

The menu, crafted by Executive Chefs Yuang Huang and Brian Ray is Chinese, but with a twist. We decided to start with some appetizers. First was the tuna tartare spring rolls:

Tuna tartare Spring rolls at Buddakan in New York, NY

This was a very interesting dish, combining the lightness and freshness of the tartare that had a slight kick with the crispiness of the roll.

Tuna tartare Spring rolls at Buddakan in New York, NY

The second appetizer was the hoisin glazed pork belly:

Hoisin glazed pork belly at Buddakan in New York, NY

The pork belly was served with soft steams buns that were very light, soft and slightly sticky.

Steamed buns at Buddakan in New York, NY

And the pork belly smothered in this wonderfully sweet hoisin sauce:

Hoisin glazed pork belly at Buddakan in New York, NY

What we did was to put some pork belly, cabbage and shallots in a bun, et voila!

Hoisin glazed pork belly at Buddakan in New York, NY

Then, we got some entrees. Jodi ordered the wild mushroom chow fun that was succulent, the chow fun being perfectly cooked and very tasty, and with a nice quantity of mushrooms.

Chow fun at Buddakan in New York, NY

On my side, I chose the black pepper beef that was a ribeye steak sautéed in a wok and accompanied with a bird's nest (well more like a cracker than a real nest):

Ribeye steak at Buddakan in New York, NY

The presentation was amazing and the way you eat that dish is by mixing the steak and onions with the nest that you pulverize with your fork. This is a dish I recommend: original, the ribeye was perfectly cooked and tender. Knowing that ribeye is my favorite piece of meat, I could hear angels singing behind me after each bite.

As Jodi loves sugar snap peas, we ordered some as a side:

Sugar Snap peas at Buddakan in New York, NY

They were served with soy tapioca and mushrooms. Although I am not the biggest fan of sugar snap peas, I really liked that dish.

Of course, we could not finish our meal without any dessert! We ordered their best seller: the crying chocolate.

Crying chocolate at Buddakan in New York, NY

Served with a Vietnamese coffee ice cream, it was made of malted chocolate ganache and when we ate it, we could see it crying, the chocolate slightly dripping from the top to the bottom.

Crying chocolate at Buddakan in New York, NY

It might have been the most ordered dessert, it was not my favorite. The almond bread pudding, suggested by our waiter, was fantastic!

Almond bread pudding at Buddakan in New York, NY

Served with a whiskey ice cream, it was topped with caramelized bananas and bathed in a butterscotch sauce. Imagine that Jodi, who does not like almonds loved it (so I had to share...). Not overly sweet, it was divine and I certainly recommend it.

Almond bread pudding at Buddakan in New York, NY

After this feast, a nice walk was necessary. Despite the night club atmosphere, Buddakan is definitely one of the best Chinese restaurants for that category: the food was delicious and the service excellent. I definitely have this restaurant on my list of must do.

Enjoy (I sure did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it  or to write a comment!   

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

Americans love their meat and I admit that the meat here is better than Europe, prompting me to always advise my fellow Europeans coming for a visit to give it a try (and I am not only talking about burgers). Some of my detractors say that it is because of hormones, but there are more and more restaurants serving grass fed beef, responding to the concerns of consumers.

Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

This time, I was at Quality Meats, a steakhouse located Midtown, part of the empire of Alan Stillman who also owns Smith & Wollensky. There are plenty of items in the decor to remind you where you are, whether it is the cow head or white tiles representing a slaughterhouse, to the bulbs held by butcher hooks.

Bulbs and butcher hooks at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

The place is big. At the entrance is the bar area where butcher's artifacts are on display:

Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

Then, the dining room with two distinct sections decorated in a modern and warm way.

Dining room at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

I went there for lunch. The menu proposed some classic appetizers you find in steakhouses (Caesar salad, crab cakes, shrimp cocktails...), steaks of course, a signature burger, as well as a salad that is kind of a make your own: first you pick your mix (classic, Mediterranean, roasted beets,...), then you pick your add on (roasted vegetables for vegetarians -good idea-, lobster, scallops, tuna, filet mignon...). So, if you are vegetarian, you still have some nice choices there and do not have to chose a boring salad.

Menu at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

As far as the meat is concerned, they have some classic cuts (filet mignon, ribeye, sirloin and porterhouse) coming from the only two meat purveyors in the City: Strassburger Meats and Pat La Frieda. So I was ready for a feast. As it was hot outside, I decided to order one of their homemade lemonades, composed of Jalapeño, mint, cucumber:

Lemonade at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

It definitely had a nice cooling effect, thanks to the cucumber and mint. However, I could not taste the presence of jalapeño. I found it odd that they were serving it in a plastic cup rather than in a glass...

Then, they brought a brioche bread and butter.

Brioche bread at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

Let me tell you: this is dangerous, because it was so good that I imagine patrons would eat bread instead of their meal.

Brioche bread at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

Very light, it had some coarse salt on top that was delightfully good. I could not stop eating it.

For appetizer, I went for the crab cake:

Crab cake at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

It was served on top of a slaw made of radish, onions and fennel that was quite refreshing. 

Crab cakes at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

That was definitely a good crab cake, made of big chunks of crab and, in fact, tasting crab and not fillers like bread crumbs. I definitely recommend it.

For the meat, I went for the porterhouse, cooked medium rare:

Porterhouse at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

The meat was tender, had a nice char and was cooked to perfection, but I thought that it was not as tasty as the porterhouse at Ruth's Chris or Dino & Harry's. 

Porterhouse at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

The ribeye might have been a better choice... With the steak, I tried their homemade steak sauce that was deliciously sweet.

Steak sauce at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

To accompany the meat, were waffle fries that were fantastic: crispy, they were drizzled with parmesan cheese.

Waffle fries at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

Waffle fries at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

The second side was buttered edamame:

Buttered edamame at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

This is the kind of sides that make you think you can have some healthy food with your steak. That would probably be true without the butter I guess...It is like having spinach...creamed...Ok, I exaggerate a bit: it is on the healthy side and I liked it as it was very tasty and a nice accompaniment to the steak.

Last was dessert: it was a chocolate brownie cake, served with a praline custard, fresh berries and yogurt ice cream.

Chocolate brownie cake at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

The brownie was ok, being a bit dry and I did not really understand how all these components were working together: it was too much on a plate. I enjoyed the custard and berries though: they could perfectly be a dessert on their own.

I finished of course with my usual espresso:

Espresso at Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

If you ask me, Quality Meats is just ok. Would I go back? I think that, for the same price, I would prefer going to Ruth's Chris, The Old Homestead, Ben & Jack's or The Empire Steakhouse. As you can see, there're plenty of alternatives to that joint. But if you really need to go, get the crab cake and skip the porterhouse.

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it or to write a comment!   

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

"You need to try that restaurant: they serve great kebab". That with these words that my friend Benny convinced me to go to Nargis Café, a crowded restaurant located in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, few steps from Brighton Beach. I am not sure I should classify this restaurant as Uzbek, just because its owner, Chef Boris Bangiev, was born in Uzbekistan: that would be such a shortcut! No, the restaurant serves Central Asian dishes from countries like Uzbekistan, Georgia...

Dining room at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Entering in Nargis Café is like traveling miles away: not only does the restaurant display an authentic decor with its carpets and decorations on the walls, but you will hear most of the crowd there speaking Russian. 

Dining room at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

To give you a bit of history of this place, let's go back to 2007, when the adventure started. At that time, Nargis Café was a tiny place, that slowly expanded over the years, taking over a flower shop (interesting considering that Nargis means flower), and later, a dry cleaner. The place can now accommodate, with its terrace, close to 150 guests. We went on a Friday night and it was packed, with lots of people waiting outside in a very good atmosphere. 

Food wise, we were there for a feast! Before going for the kebab, made on wood coal, we decided to get some appetizers. The fresh salad with feta cheese was a nice refreshing way to start. 

Feta cheese salad at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

We eyed the eggplant dishes that came next. The first one was the fried eggplant salad, made with roasted pepper, red onions, garlic and cilantro. 

Fried eggplant salad at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

The second one was the Bojon, a fire roasted eggplant spread. 

Fire roasted eggplant spread at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

It was delicious: comforting, you could really taste the eggplant and it was succulent with their homemade bread. 

Bread at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Bread at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

But the best appetizer was for me the samsa or steamed meat dumplings that were served with sour cream. I could not stop eating them!

Steamed meat dumplings at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Steamed meat dumplings at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Then, we got our kebab. 

Kebabs at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

We picked:

Chicken:

Chicken kebab at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Beef:

Beef kebab at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Veal liver:

Veal liver kebab at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Salmon:

Salmon kebab at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

They were all good, having a nice flavor given by the wood coal and a very slight char. The meat was not dry and guess what: my favorite was the veal liver. I also liked the salmon, especially with its pomegranate sauce that gave a nice sweetness. 

We also tried the lamb chops that were to die for: I love the strong taste of lamb and was not disappointed. The chops, that were frenched, also had a nice char and were quite juicy. 

Lamb chops at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

We asked for some vegetables and rice pilaf, the national dish in Uzbekistan. 

The last dish was the lamb shank, prepared in a red wine sauce with mushrooms, and served with mash potatoes and fried onions. 

Lamb shank at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

This is one of their specialties that they do not put on the menu and keep as the special. This is another great choice if you like lamb. And that sauce...it reminded me a dish called viande aux olives that my mom used to cook. 

As if it was not enough food, we ordered some sides:

French fries with herbs:

Fries with hens at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Potatoes with mushrooms and onions:

Potatoes with mushrooms and onions at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

If I remember, this last dish is Georgian. I loved it. 

Last was dessert and, unfortunately, I had an issue with my camera and cannot show you all the photos. Too bad, because they were exquisite. Know that not all of them are made on premises. My favorite was the Nargis Napoleon, a layered cake made with puff pastry and a phenomenal cream. I also tried the lava cake that was just ok, as too over cooked and therefore without a liquid center. With our desserts, we got some incredible jam. 

Jam at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Clockwise from the top right, there was: pumpkin, fig, sour cherry and I cannot tell you what the last one was. It seems it is a sort of white raspberry that they import from Asia. 

The most surprising was the pumpkin jam that I never heard of. I liked it: sweet, it was a bit crunchy with an interesting texture.

Pumpkin jam at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Last, I should mention their homemade fruit juice that was perfect with our meal.

Homemade fruit juice at Nargis Café in Brooklyn, NY

Needless to say that we left full: it was not only a great dinner because of the company, but also because of the fantastic food served to us. Nargis Café is definitely worth a trip to Brooklyn!

Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

Times Square is not particularly known for its restaurant scene, most of the places there being average and betting more on one time customers rather than pleasing the crowd and having them to come back. There are exceptions, but they remain exceptions and I always suggest people to walk a little further, in Hell's Kitchen or the Theater Row, in search for a better place to eat. But this may change with Urbo, a 26,000 square feet giant that opened a month ago right on the corner of 42nd and 8th. Strange name for sure, Urbo is the contraction of urban and bohemian, the urban part being Times Square and the bohemian part the different world you step in as soon as you enter in the restaurant. 

Times Square, New York, NY

At first, you cannot not notice the open kitchen with its fire coming out of their grill.

Kitchen at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

Kitchen at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

Kitchen at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

On the left, overlooking that same kitchen is the bar, with a water tank in front of it (is it water or some alcoholic drink? I will never know, but I still doubt). 

Bar area at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

You will also notice the short wave radio that is used as a stand by the hostess.

Short wave radio at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

The menu is New American with some staples like the burger, the short ribs or the pulled pork sandwich, as well as some interesting dishes as you will see in this post. They also serve sushi, sashimi and rolls.

The first time we went, Jodi ordered the mozzarella panino, a succulent vegetarian sandwich made with mozzarella, tomato, arugula and pesto.

Panino at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

It was definitely a good choice, with the right amount of pesto and a delicious crunchy bread that made this more than just a sandwich.

On my side, I ordered the Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Sandwich:

Pulled pork sandwich at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

That was a fantastic sandwich: often, you will get the pulled pork on the bun, with sauce on top and so, you can still taste if the meat is dry. At Urbo, the meat, perfectly shredded is mixed with a delicious sauce, before being put on the bun. I literally inhaled it!

Homemade chips at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

The potato chips were good, but a bit too thin and a tad greasy. I in fact ate the ones on Jodi's plate rather than the ones served in a paper bag with my sandwich as they were a bit crushed...

The second time we went, they slightly changed the menu, that is not surprising considering that they are quite new and are probably fine tuning it. We started off with local nectarines and fresh ricotta:

Nectarines and ricotta at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

First of all, the presentation was beautiful and a bit artisanal as they used a slate instead of a plate that let the color of the nectarine pop. It was a perfect combination, the fruit having a nice sweetness that paired perfectly with the slightly mild taste of the cheese.

Then, Jodi ordered the goat cheese ravioli:

Goat cheese ravioli at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

The dish contained four large ravioli that were made on premises and were accompanied by portobello mushrooms, fennel and eggplant ragout. It was a successful appetizer: the ravioli had a little bite to it and, with the ragout, it was very hearty and comforting. I also appreciated the fact that they put lots of cheese in the ravioli. It was delicious, but not as much as the free range chicken that followed!

Free range chicken at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

The thick slice of chicken breast was served with corn, chanterelles and a confit leg to die for! That chicken was so good: perfectly cooked, moist, with a slightly crispy skin that was deliciously salty.

Free range chicken at Urbo in Times Square, New York, NY

This is definitely a dish I recommend if you like chicken.

Our meals at Urbo were fantastic: it is great to have such a place right there in Times Square, where not only prices are reasonable, but the food is divine. I will for sure go back there and already eyed their burger...I should also mention that the service was excellent.

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this blog, this post or the photos, please share it or post a comment! Merci!

ABC Cocina in New York, NY

ABC Cocina in New York, NY

You may know ABC Home and Carpet: located near Union Square, buying a pillow in this expensive home furnishing store may cost you an arm and a leg. Well, it is on their ground floor that ABC Cocina is located.

ABC Carpet and Home in New York, NY

This innovative Latin restaurant is another step in the success story of Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the French Chef who gave us Vong, Spice Market or Jean-Georges. 

ABC Cocina in New York, NY

This restaurant is impressive: high ceiling with lights that seem to be there as an extension of the store, very trendy. 

Dining room at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

Dining room at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

Open Kitchen at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

We went for brunch and it was crowded. So I strongly suggest having a reservation. 

Don't be fooled by the menu items: seasonal, they are definitely familiar, but the Chef adds its own twist to make it his own. The principle is similar to restaurants like Spice Market: it is family style, with a choice of small and large dishes to share, that will come as they are ready. They suggested three dishes per person, not including dessert. We decided to go for four dishes and the dessert, thinking that we could order more if need be. 

Strangely, after we ordered, the waiter asked us if we wanted bread. We said yes, surprised by the question, and wondering if they would charge us for it. 

Bread basket at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

In the bread basket, was some delicious focaccia that I enjoyed dipped in olive oil, that was a better alternative to the little bottle with an orange liquid in it that was on each table.

Habanero pepper sauce at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

It was a homemade habanero pepper sauce...

Our first dish was the Spring pea guacamole:

Spring peas guacamole at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

It was served with a large tortilla and some tortilla chips that were homemade. 

Tortilla chips at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

The presentation was beautiful, with all these different greens. It was a delicious guacamole, freshly made, and I loved that the added crunch that the peas were adding. 

Spring peas guacamole at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

Then we got the ham & cheese fritters:

Ham and cheese fritters at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

There were five of them, small, so I was a bit surprised when the dish came.

Ham and cheese fritters at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

Fortunately, they were good: crispy outside, delightfully greasy and gooey as advertise. 

Ham and cheese fritters at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

The third dish was the grilled maitake mushroom with goat cheese and Fresno pepper vinaigrette:

Grilled Maitake Mushroom at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

This was fantastic: not only presentation wise, but taste wise, the two main components pairing perfectly together, the star being the mushroom that had this nice charred taste. 

Then was the charred octopus, served with market potatoes and a grilled ramp vinaigrette:

Charred octopus at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

I love octopus and my craving was definitely satisfied: tender, it also had a nice char taste. I did not really care at that point about the potatoes. 

Charred octopus at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

The last dish was our dessert: the churros with an apricot cajeta (Mexican thickened syrup). Normally, it is a pineapple cajeta, but I guess they were out of it. No big deal: these churros were divine.

Churros at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

Freshly made, they had a nice crunch and an addictive taste that make them one of my favorite guilty pleasures...

My drink of choice for this brunch? Espresso!

Espresso at ABC Cocina in New York, NY

The brunch at ABC Cocina was fantastic. Yes it is on the pricey side, but it is definitely worth it and I can't wait to go back and try some other mouth watering dishes. 

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it or to write a comment!   

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!  

Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

This week, I got invited to a media event at Claw Daddy's, a restaurant located on the Lower East Side that serves Cajun cuisine. As Jodi does not like seafood, I proposed to my friend Benny to join the party, making his wife jealous that she could not come with us as she also loves seafood...

Fishnet at  Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

Trap at  Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

This place, that opened in January of this year, is fairly bright with its floor to (high) ceiling windows, simply decorated with fishermen objects, reflecting the theme of the restaurant. 

Dining room at Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

Tables are communal, that can be fun considering how the food is eaten and there are few hints that it is going to get messy: first are the paper rolls on the table as well as the paper tablecloths. 

Tables at Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

Then, they bring you a small paper box with gloves (that of course made people laugh and joke about things that have no place in this blog),

Glove at Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

A bib, that people wore without any shame,

Bib at  Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

A wet towel to cleanup. 

Seafood display at  Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

In the back of the room is a small display, where a lobster definitely caught my eye. Yes, I love seafood and particularly lobster and was thrilled to hear that our tasting menu would include a lobster roll. I LOVE lobster rolls and always recommend people coming to visit us from Europe to try one. In France, it would still be considered crazy to serve lobster like that. I can hear my fellow Frenchmen saying: "Quoi? Un sandwich au homard? Ils sont fous ces 'Ricains!" ("What? A lobster sandwich? They are crazy these yankees!"). 

Lobster at  Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

To start with, I had a choice between wine or beer. They have a nice selection of beers there, but I admit that I always enjoy a cold glass of white wine with seafood. I chose a dry Riesling that was perfect. 

Dry Riesling at  Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

Then, came wings and popcorn shrimp. 

Wings and popcorn shrimp at  Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

The Cajun style wings were definitely my favorite: crispy, not greasy, with the meat inside still juicy. The popcorn shrimp were good too, similar to the chicken, not being greasy and a bit crunchy, the shrimp itself being perfectly cooked. 

Lobster roll at  Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

Then came the lobster roll. It was half a portion as we were trying few dishes. I literally inhaled it because it was so good, the sauce the lobster was bathed in was not overpowering and perfectly seasoned with probably cajun spices.

Lobster roll at Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

Then came the long awaited Louisiana boil:

Louisiana boil at Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

I admit that before going to Claw Daddy's, I did not know that a boil is a social event where shellfish is the centerpiece, usually cooked in a large pot with different ingredients and seasoning. At Claw Daddy's, they serve different kinds: lobster, crawfish, shrimp, crab...You can also order a combination such as crab and shrimp or lobster and crawfish. For this event, we got clams (huge), shrimp (fantastic, large, perfectly cooked), crawfish (I did not like) and crab (good). We also had to pick a sauce, as well as how spicy it would be, the spiciest being called...insane! It is made with scorpion pepper that is one of the most piquant pepper. I did not try it and went for a mild sauce, picking the butter cheese sauce (made with parmesan and butter), over the garlic butter one, too afraid the garlicky flavor would repel vampires for an extended amount of time.

Louisiana boil at Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

When the dish came, it was not served on a plate, but in a plastic bag and you simply throw the shell in a bucket.

Louisiana boil at Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

The first thing you see when you open the bag is the crab and then, you get this divine aroma and a bit of steam that convinces you at that time to put the bib on and use the gloves (there are no forks or knives, probably only brought on demand).

Louisiana boil at Claw Daddy's in New York, NY

I should also mention that there were potatoes and corn in the bag. I liked that dish and it was fun to eat it, although I was worried at first as I was wearing a suit, the event being after work (no, I did not end up with sauce on my shirt thanks to the bib). As I mentioned, I did not like the crawfish, but loved the shrimp, crab and clams, the first two being definitely my favorite.

Claw Daddy's was definitely a novelty for me as it was my first seafood boil and I loved the low-key, humble atmosphere of the place, as well as the fact that it was communal. I would definitely go back to either get another boil or try their Po'Boys. Please know that, if you are vegetarian, they have a very limited number of options.

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this blog, this post or the photos, please share it or write a comment! Merci!

Restaurant Week: Ça Va Todd English

Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

For our last Restaurant Week experience, we booked a table with OpenTable at Ca Va Todd English, a brasserie located in the Intercontinental Hotel, few steps from Times Square. There, the American Chef crafted a menu with modernized brasserie dishes, such as the escargots farcies or the steak frites with herb-onion butter. 

Decor wise, nothing really worth noticing, besides the small room on the right side of the entrance, with its large table, overlooking a bunch of culinary utensils. 

Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

Yes, the main dining room had a hotel feel rather than a brasserie one, probably because of the striped banquettes...

Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

Food wise, they proposed for the $38 prix-fixe a very interesting menu. They first brought us a mini-baguette with butter and some mustard.

Bread at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

For appetizer, Jodi went for the gazpacho, the chilled tomato based soup that is perfect for the summer. 

Gazpacho at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

It was served with a sherry foam and garlic croutons (more croutons would have been perfect). It was a decent soup, although a bit of heat started to build up slowly after a couple of spoons, offsetting the cooling effect of the dish. 

On my side, I went for the escargots farcis. 

Escargots farcis at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

The presentation was fantastic, like an art project. Some escargots were served in the shell for presentation purpose, and others were not, so do not imagine that I got only two! It was composed of fennel, crisp ham and sea beans. I loved it, not only because of its visual or originality, but also because of the flavors that were well balanced. 

Escargots farcis at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

For her main dish, Jodi ordered the Flétan aux tomates oubliées, or, translated, halibut with forgotten tomatoes. 

Flétan aux tomates oubliées at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

The dish was composed of heirloom tomatoes, green zebra tomatoes, arugula and sunflower pesto. I only tried the fish that was perfectly cooked, focussing mainly on my own dish that was the tournedos de boeuf. 

Tournedos de boeuf at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

​I know: I broke my rule that is to not order meat if not in a steakhouse...Well, I surely did not regret it. These beef medallions were served with king trumpet mushrooms, bone marrow bordelaise, summer truffles and mash potatoes. The meat was perfectly cooked medium and very tender. 

Tournedos de boeuf at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

​The mash was creamy and for sure, there were lots of mushrooms that not only gave a nice flavor to the dish, but also an incredible smell, especially emanating from the summer truffles. Great dish!

For dessert, Jodi got the pain perdu au chocolat blanc or white chocolate bread pudding. 

Pain perdu au chocolat blanc at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

​It was served with rhubarb and huckleberry, as well as a cream cheese frosting ice cream. It was a delicious dessert, the white chocolate not that present though, but I did not miss it. 

On my side, I ordered the friandises pour l'entracte that was a set of cookies and chocolates. 

Friandises pour l'entracte at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

There were quite few cookies there:

Chocolate chip:

Cookies at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

​Macadamia nuts:

Cookies at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

As well as a quince pate de fruit that I loved. 

Chocolates and pate de fruit at Ça Va Todd English in New York, NY

​This dinner was delicious and the dishes so creative and wonderfully plated that we definitely want to go back there. Oui, Todd English, after this dinner, ça va!

Enjoy (I did)

Restaurant Week: David Burke's Kitchen

David Burke's Kitchen at the James Hotel in New York, NY

After our delicious meal at Fishtail by David Burke, we decided to go to DB Kitchen, another restaurant from the famous Chef. Located in the James Hotel, it has two floors: the bar on the second floor and the restaurant on the first one, where you will be "welcomed" by a pig, setting the tone for the theme of the restaurant, a theme emphasized by the barn roof and the multiple photos of people at the farm. The theme is quality food, with fresh ingredient whether vegetables or meat (and no, they are not farm to table per Se). 

Similar to Fishtail, they propose an extensive menu where most of the items are included in the restaurant week deal, some of them with a supplement as they do not want to sacrifice on quality. For instance, the ribeye was available for an additional $35 and I bet it was good! 

Dining room at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

They first brought us some delicious brioche bread, carrots and grapes as the bread basket.

"Bread basket at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

They served it with butter, in an artisanal way:

bread and butter at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

For her appetizer, Jodi ordered the burrata and squash carpaccio. 

Burrata and squash carpaccio at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

The presentation was beautiful and it was a very original dish, quite refreshing, some freshness added by the little balls of cantaloupe and honeydew. 

I ordered the baby octopus salad. 

Baby Octopus salad at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

Nice dish, although the octopus was a bit too charred. It was served with baby beets, potatoes, orange, fennel and almond, the addition of the latter ingredients giving some color and freshness, and elevating the dish a bit. 

For her entrée, Jodi chose the burger. 

Burger at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

​Well, that was a great burger: the meat was fantastic, juicy and tasty; the bacon gave some delightful smokiness that paired well with the slight sweetness of the house made steak sauce.

Burger at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

They were also generous with the cheddar cheese that topped the burger. 

Fries at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

It was served with fries served with jalapeño and cheese, that were the part of the dish I did not really like. 

On my side, I decided to order the short rib that was delicately set on top of homemade wild mushroom cavatelli pasta (so good) and topped, at the table, with a truffle mousse that gave an appetizing aroma to the dish. 

Short rib at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

For dessert, Jodi got the coconut trifle, a toasted coconut cake served with a cream cheese mousse and a peppered pineapple jam. She loved it!

Coconut trifle at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

​On my side, I ordered the Chocolate hazelnut crunch bar:

Chocolate hazelnut crunch bar at David Burke's Kitchen in New York, NY

Served with a vanilla ice cream and raspberry ganache, it was a very good dessert, rich and a bit crunchy, perfect for chocolate and hazelnut lovers.

I loved my dinner at David Burke's Kitchen: similar to Fishtail, they serve the regular menu, enticing customers to come back for more. The food there is delicious and we had a perfect service, the staff being not only friendly, but knowledgeable about the dishes. Chapeau David Burke!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Restaurant Week: Le Périgord in New York, NY

One of the first things I do for Restaurant Week, before looking for the menu, is to look for the cost. Opentable has this $ sign that goes from $ to $$$$, the latter meaning expensive. So I decided to apply a filter and picked Le Périgord, a French restaurant located Midtown East, that has been on my list for a while now. 

Périgord is a region in the South-West of France, known for its cuisine often made of duck or goose, such as confit or foie gras. Well, Interestingly, the family who started the restaurant are not from there! George Briguet, who opened the restaurant in 1964 is from Switzerland and his wife, Marie‑Thérèse, that I met after our meal, from Brittany. 

This is an old school place: fresh flowers on the table, white tablecloths and upholstery on the walls that transported us back in time.

Menu wise, they only brought us the Restaurant Week menu and I wondered at that time if it was some kind of profiling, restaurant bringing usually the regular menu as well as this one...

They first brought us some bread

And butter.

I admit that I was disappointed with the bread: it is a French restaurant bon sang! I mean serve a good baguette, not a bread that seems to have been store bought and is not what you would expect for this type of restaurant. For her entrée, Jodi ordered the salade mélangée that is baby mixed green salad and goat cheese.

On my side, I got the pâté du Chef:

It was served with ratatouille

And celery remoulade.

This was a really good appetizer: the pâté was delicious, as were the ratatouille and celery remoulade. I was please to have a dish composed of three classics, instead of just having the pâté with bread (and you know what I thought about the bread). For her entrée, Jodi ordered the salmon. It was cooked with a lemon saffron sauce and served with vegetables.

I did not like it, the salmon having a fishy taste. However, my dish was divine: it was the veal kidney with mustard sauce.

I was in heaven! The kidneys were perfectly cooked, smothered in a delicious sauce. I realize, writing this, that it sounds creepy, but no, this is not an episode of Hannibal, although sometimes Jodi calls me Dr. Lecter, because of my love for creepy meat. The dish was served with a nice risotto, that is a change, as I usually see potatoes served. For dessert, Jodi ordered the ile flottante or floating island, a classic French dessert made with egg whites and crème Anglaise.

On my side, I went for the chocolate mousse with Grand Marnier.

Both desserts were a bit disappointing, lacking some "oumf" that would make them memorable or at least delicious. Jodi was not as lucky as I was for her meal at Le Périgord. I am glad, at least, that I tried it during restaurant week, as I was always curious about that place; but it did not entice me to go back, the restaurant missing the charm that would attract a young crowd hungry for French cuisine. Enjoy (...)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment!  And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Restaurant Week: Porterhouse in New York, NY

There is no doubt what Porterhouse, located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, is serving: steaks, steaks and steaks. 

With seafood, but steaks. It has been a while since I went to a steakhouse for restaurant week, as I typically tell people to avoid these types of places during that period, the quality of the meat being often sacrificed. I even did a test with my favorite steakhouse in Hoboken, Dino & Harry's: while the steaks have always been sublime, they were not good for Restaurant Week (see the post here). Why did I change my mind? Because my friend Julien convinced me that I would not be disappointed at Porterhouse. 

So, we booked the place on Opentable for a Sunday, for lunch. We arrived a bit early and got seated fairly quickly in this incredible 140 seat place that overlooks Columbus Circle.

To give you am idea of the place, it all started in 2006, when Chef Michael Lomonaco took the bet to replace Jean-Georges Vongerichten's V Steakhouse place by a more traditional and more successful restaurant. The decor, designed by Jeffrey Beers (The Wynn in Las Vegas, DB Bistro Modern in NY) is very elegant with its leather banquettes, polished designed and the restaurant feels roomy. Contrary to most of the steakhouses, there is a lot of light, thanks to the large windows. 

So we were there for the Restaurant Week menu that was printed on the bottom of the regular menu, replacing their business lunch and eliminating the awkward moment when you ask for it and can see in the eye of the waiter an expression that says "I should have guessed". 

Right after we ordered, they came with a bread basket that had three types of bread: French white, raisin-pecan and whole wheat. 

Jodi went for the French white

While I went for the raisin-pecan. 

Some say that you can judge a restaurant by its bread: it started well!

For her appetizer, Jodi ordered the soup of the day: a gazpacho. 

It was a fairly large plate of a delicious and refreshing chilled soup, perfect for the hot weather. 

On my side, I ordered the classic Caesar salad. 

Wow, that was a salad! It was, again, a large quantity and they were very generous with the amount of cheese on top. And yes, I ate all my salad. 

Then, came the steak frites that we both got. 

When I ordered, I asked the waitress what cut it was. She simply said "the tender", repeating what was written on the menu ("The butcher's tender"). So I asked if it was a tenderloin and she said yes. 

When the steak came, it had this V shape characteristic of a hanger steak and the taste too. I would have known, I would have asked to have it medium-rare cooked instead of medium, as it is a tougher meat. It was anyway quite good, the meat being juicy and tasty, with a nice char. 

It was normally served with a wine sauce, that we asked on the side (if you do not like it and your steak and fries are smothered with it, your dish is spoiled). We also tried a delicious béarnaise sauce. 

With the steak were served some French fries that were very good: thin cut, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and not greasy. 

Last was dessert. Jodi ordered the raspberry and passion fruit sorbet

And I ordered the flourless chocolate cake. 

The latter was the best: very chocolate-y and moist in the center. But don't get me wrong: the sorbet was really good; you could definitely taste the fruit. 

This was a delicious lunch and it for sure made me want to go back to try their steaks. Porterhouse is definitely a place to know to enjoy a good meal in an incredible setting. 

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment!  And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Dovetail in New York, NY

Chef John Fraser, the owner of Dovetail, is no stranger to me. Well I do not know him personally and would love to meet him; it is more that I have a personal story related to one of his restaurants that unfortunately closed few years ago: Compass, located few blocks down from Dovetail. That is where Jodi and I went for a drink on our first date. We went back few times to celebrate our anniversary or other occasions, always having a great experience there. Anyway, Chef Fraser has an impressive resume: he worked at the famous French Laundry and Taillevent, an award winning restaurant in Paris. I was so thrilled to see how he works his magic.

So, this time I was at Dovetail, located few steps from the Museum of Natural History. I like the place: the decor is simple and elegant. I went with some friends on a Monday night and, to my surprise, the restaurant was packed. 

Menu wise, they offer seasonal dishes. For dinner, you have a choice between the vegetarian menu and the Chef's menu. I went for the latter. 

To accompany the meal, we decided to order a bottle of red wine. A Crozes Hermitage 2010. 

At first, they brought us some amuse. It started with truffled arancini, rosemary crackers and white cheddar corn bread that were all very good and a great way to open our appetite. 

Then, they brought us a delicious leek panacotta topped with honeydew. 

I think the most difficult part of eating that was the tiny spoon they give you...

For the appetizer, I decided to try the steak tartare that one of my friends recommended.

I rediscovered steak tartare during my last vacation in France and started to really enjoy it. This one was prepared with preserved eggplant, brown butter and capers. It is not your usual steak tartare, served with an egg on top, often a quail egg in elegant restaurants. If you always wanted to try, but found that raw ground meat does not look appetizing, you may want to try it as it does not look exactly like a steak tartare, the ingredients being mixed together, the sauce hiding the raw meat color (and the dimmed light helping even more). It was really good and original. They were served with some very thin crackers for added texture and I truly appreciated the fact that it was well balanced, the capers standing out from time to time. The second course was a vegetarian dish. I went for the ricotta royale with Summer truffles.

This was my least favorite dish, missing some freshness and I was expecting that the summer truffles would be tasty, with this pungent taste so particular to this fungus, but it was not the case. I should mention the nice presentation of this colorful dish, especially the peas.

For the third course, I went for the Colorado lamb.

I love lamb and was very excited when it came as I could smell it and admired the plating that made that dish very appetizing. If you love lamb, I really recommend this dish: it was served with peas that were crunchy and tendrils that I did not really like, served like small quenelles.

The meat was cooked perfectly (I asked for medium), being slightly pink n the center, tender and juicy, with a bit of fat that was delightful. After that fantastic dish, here comes again the all spoon! It was for a watermelon sorbet topped with Korean chili flakes.

It was like a palate cleanser, very refreshing. I did not find any particular taste to the chili flakes. For the last course, dessert, I ordered the soufflé.

In lots of restaurants, it takes 15 to 20 minutes to prepare a soufflé and they often ask you to order it right away or mention it on the menu so you are warned that it takes some time. At Dovetail, it takes 9 minutes. It is served with a macadamia-pineapple ice cream and a caramel sauce very buttery, not too sweet.

That was a fantastic soufflé: perfectly cooked, with the outside a bit crunchy on top and the inside deliciously liquid and very chocolate-y. I loved the combination caramel / chocolate (and even ice cream), that make this dessert delightfully decadent and a must have. I then finished my dinner with a decaf espresso:

And some petits fours: coconut macarons, tamarind pates de fruits and green tea and chai chocolate:

This was a great dinner: the food was well presented, delicious and the service perfect. No wonder why this restaurant has one Michelin star and I would not be surprised that they get a second one ! Chapeau Chef! Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Verde Vita Toscana in Hoboken, NJ

When Choco-Pain opened downtown Hoboken, it was like bringing a bit of France to the city: delicious bread, pastries and viennoiseries, made traditionally and tasting like it should. I hate when I buy a croissant and it is not buttery! So, we were wondering when they would open Uptown. But no, it did not happen yet. Instead, Verde Vita Toscana, an Italian café opened few month ago, replacing a beauty salon, with the great idea to get its bread from Choco-Pain!

It is a great place with a very European feel and a relaxed atmosphere: ceramic tables, brick walls and a long counter where one can sip a delicious espresso with a croissant. 

Besides this, they sell different olive oil

As well as pasta

Cheese

Jam, honey, etc. You might want in fact to enjoy some samples that they setup during the day for the pleasure of their customers. 

We only went there for breakfast and met each time with one of the owners who is very welcoming. The second time we went was when my cousin Sandrine was visiting us. 

There, we tried:

The espresso and tea. 

I liked the fact that they serve the espresso like in Italy, with a glass of sparkling water. 

The chocolate croissant (well, you know what I think about Choco-Pain at this point). 

The tartine avec du beurre et de la confiture or bread with butter and jam. 

The jam was an Italian fig jam that was sublime: not too sweet and really tastes of the fruit. I, of course, loved the fact that they put lots of butter...and, again, the baguette was from Choco-Pain, so I will not comment how good it was (I guess I just did...). 

Verde Vita Toscana is a great place to relax and enjoy some delicious food in a decor that will make you think, for a moment, that you are in Italy. I can't wait to go back and try some of their lunch items. 

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Bareburger in New York, NY

As my cousin Sandrine was in New York, she could not leave without having a burger. This time, we proposed to go to Bareburger, at their location in Hell's Kitchen. I heard a lot about this place that serves organic meat, but never went before, so you can imagine my excitement. 

I was surprised to see that it was full table service, more used to the fast casual restaurants, where you order at the counter, get a number assigned to you and, they either yell that number when your order is ready or bring it to your table. No, at Bareburger, you can sit and relax. 

Decor wise, there is a play on words between bare and bear that translates not only on the walls, but also on their packaging. 

Menu wise, they have a large choice of dishes, whether appetizers, entrées or desserts. If you do not want a burger, they have a large choice of salads for instance. And, if you are vegetarian, they have a black bean patty or, again, salads. 

For burgers, you can either order one of their specialty ones or built your own. We went for the latter. 

To build your own, you pick the bun, the patty, the "bacon", the cheese, the toppings and the sauce. So, I had a beef patty on a brioche bread, with grilled onions, sautéed mushrooms, brisket as my "bacon", sharp cheddar cheese, ketchup and mayo. 

When it came to the table, it looked very appetizing. I always cut my burger into two so it is easier to grab and I immediately saw that the meat was perfectly cooked medium and juicy. The first bite was divine: the meat tasted like...meat, and had a delicious char created from the cooking process. The brisket, however, was just ok, a bit dry.

The brioche bread was also perfect: soft and not dry, that is important as you first bite on it. Jodi ordered the black bean patty, multi grain roll, baby spinach, sautéed mushrooms and cheddar.

I tried it and it was decent (I prefer beef patties...). Ok, I admit that I forgot what Sandrine had, focussing mainly on my dish....But it looked like this:

With our burgers, we got the onion ring and fries combo:

They were just ok and not as good as the parmesan panko crusted zucchini sticks:

This was a good meal and I love the build-your-own concept. Another great burger place to add to my list! Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!