The quattro formaggi was delicious, perfect for cheese lovers as they are generous with the quantity of cheese they put on top. I also loved the crust that was thin in the center and puffed up on the outside, with a nice char and crunchiness. I retrieved these characteristics with the calzone that was different from the one I am used to and was in fact my favorite.
We went on Martin Luther King's Day, after enjoying some Japanese food at Sushi Dojo Express in the Gansevoort Market and trying the croissant-donut at The Donut Pub. The place was packed, so, we had to wait in front of the cake display, that was literally torture! They sat us after 15 minutes, in one of the tables next to the windows. While we waited for our desserts to come, I admired the European feel of the place that I found too crowded, the space having so many tables that it was difficult to circulate.
Those who think that going to Heartland Brewery is only for the drinker of beer is wrong. The food there is pretty decent: not your fine dining experience for sure, or a place where I would go all the time, but good enough for a nice casual dinner, where American staples meet international dishes, on the menu, but also on the plate.
We saw the episode where L'Apicio was featured and immediately booked a table. It was few weeks ago, my bookings being already full. So, when we arrived, I remembered two things: first, they use a nice amount of heat in their cooking, the Executive Chef being from Texas and marrying Texan flavors with Italian ones, hence the label Italian-inspired. The second one was that the pork chop is their specialty.
I cannot resist fried chicken. The first time I tried it, I could hear angels singing. Yes, fried chicken is a very comforting food that I never had in France. Well, there is the escalope panée (breaded veal cutlet), or poisson pané that was the quintessence of frozen food, but I do not recall poulet pané or breaded chicken.
As we were craving Mexican food, Jodi and I decided to try Añejo (aged in Spanish), the small plate restaurant where Chef Angelo Sosa, a runner up of Top Chef Season 7, crafted an elegant menu, elevating some traditional Mexican dishes. This place, opened last year, is an offshoot of the location in Hell's Kitchen. I do not know if the decor is the same, but the location in Tribeca is gorgeous: exposed brick, reclaimed wood, crystal chandeliers and Mexican art.
Located in TriBeCa, The Odeon is a French restaurant. I am not sure I would call it a brasserie, although the decor reminds me of one (besides the low light at dinner time), and the small brasserie menu they offer (I did not see the usual escargots or steak frites though, but they had the confit de canard or duck confit, as well as the soupe à l'oignon or French onion soup that I chose to start with.
At first, when the steaks came, they looked overcooked and dry, but, when cutting them, the juice oozed from the meat that was perfectly cooked, tender and delicious, especially the ribeye that was heavenly fatty. I do not like pepper sauce and was glad that we ordered béarnaise, although the steaks were succulent without it.
This was fantastic, especially the rice that was heavenly crunchy. It was definitely a dish I recommend.
On my side, it was the Kobe style potstickers that were also very good, the dough being as I like, meaning thin and a bit crunchy and charred on one side. The pork filling was very tasty as well. I guess it was a good start!
The clam chowder was very good, quite smokey considering the generous amount of bacon there was in it. The salad was also good, the goat cheese deliciously counterbalancing the sweetness of the beets and chutney.
For the entrée, Jodi went for the salmon that was grilled with lemon and thyme, and served with white Tuscan beans and arugula.
Donuts are becoming more and more popular, to a point that I wonder if they are not the new cupcakes. There has always been traditional donuts, like the ones sold at Dunkin Donuts for a cheap price. And then, gourmet donuts with joints like The Doughnut Plant (I love the tres leches) or Dough (especially their Nutella one), without forgetting the Cronut from Dominique Ansel that is incredible.
So, let's talk about the food. their tasting or kaseiki is something new that they have launched this year. Know that the menu, based on seasonal products, may vary. In this menu, Chef Ko took traditional Japanese dishes and elevated them, adding some ingredients from other cuisines, such as cumin, creme fraiche or orange juice.
Before going to see the last installment of The Hobbit trilogy with Jodi, her cousin Jessica with her husband Michael and their boys Alex and Brian, and our friends Andrew and Miguel, we had a request for bibimbap. As the movie theater was in Times Square, Koreatown was the best destination. I searched for the best places for bibimbap there and found Seoul Garden, a fairly big restaurant located on the second story of a building.
Prepared by Chef Gary Sikka, the food was delicious and, according to my Indian friends, fairly authentic. The only negative that day was the private room, that, can hardly accommodate the 10 guests they advertised...But hey, the food made us forget that. At Mint, they offer a large menu that would satisfy the vegetarian as well as the non-vegetarian with so many mouth watering dishes that it is hard to choose.
So, Winter Restaurant Week is back! As soon as I knew, I went on Opentable and made a bunch of reservations. The first one was for Blenheim, a farm to table restaurant located in the West Village. Farm to table is a growing concept, more and more popular in the health conscious circles. The restaurant gets its name from the township in The Catskills where the farm is located. There, they grow vegetables and herbs, have maple trees (they make their own maple syrup) and let animals roam free for the satisfaction of their customers.
If you follow this blog, you probably know that I love ramen, this Japanese noodle soup dish that has been very popular the past few years. There are lots of great places in New York, and the first restaurant where I tried ramen was Momofuku Noodle Bar, one of the places of the famous Chef David Chang. Then, I took few classes at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City, where they taught how to make broths and various dishes with noodles. That is when I decided to try to make my own version, based on what I have eaten so far. Here is what I did:
