The Darby
The night I went here I was looking to have an early night. After a couple drinks and some '90s music couldn't bring myself to leave the dance floor. When you haven't heard Spice Girls in ten years it's impossible to say no to belting it out a little. Also conveniently located down the street from my apartment, however it is apparently a pain to get in. As three girls we didn't have a problem though. I would definitely go back.
Morimoto
Be ready to drop some money at this one and make a reservation in advance if you want to have dinner there. We did the Chef's tasting menu for $125 a person (not including drinks) but it was totally worth it. They also completely accommodate both gluten and shellfish allergies. I did miss out on wagyu beef because it came with lobster but the rest of my dishes were amazing. Check out below to see what we ate!
The first item was a tuna tartar with wasabi, sour cream, seaweed paste, chives, avocado and rich cracker dipping sauces. You used a little scraper tool to scrap off some of the tuna, dip it in soy sauce and then dip it in one of the six tasting sauces. Very simple but very delicious and obviously an awesome presentation.
Next was suzuki white fish with aioli, ginger, garlic, mushrooms and olive oil which was probably the tastiest thing on the menu other than my yellowtail fried rice. The sauce was so thick texture-wise, yet light taste-wise. I don't like mushrooms and still loved this dish.
The first warm dish was Bana Cota (Anchovies, Garlic, Chives, Lemon and Olive Oil) with mortadella peppers, tomato, radish, pancetta and crostini for dipping. The presentation of this was amazing too and the bana cota just bubbled away inside the candle. It had been made in such perfect proportions that the anchovies weren't overwhelming at all.
Due to my shellfish allergy the next plate was a simple smoked salmon ravioli with sweet yam broth. Everyone else got an oyster. This dish felt like a replacement and wasn't anything special.
The sushi plate consisting of toro, barracuda, smelt, yellowtail and mackerel was some of the best fish I've ever had. The toro literally melted - I didn't even have to chew. DELICIOUS.
My main dish was yellowtail fried rice which is what I had instead of the wagyu beef and lobster tail. At first I was bummed that I was missing out on the wagyu until I started eating this. It tasted similar to bibimbap but not spicy. They bring it to your table with the fish piled on top of the rice mixture and then mix it in front of you. Smelled amazing. Tasted even more amazing. Slipped straight into a food coma after this dish.
The final plate was dessert which was a pot de creme with Okinawa dark sugar, passionfruit caramel and sweet soybeans encrusted in sugar. It was good but not necessarily my favorite. I'm not a big pot de creme fan but it was a good mixture of flavors. Not too rich.
Overall an amazing experience and I would definitely go back although I probably wouldn't pay to do the chef's menu again.
Westville
This little place in Chelsea is becoming very well known for their brunch which has a slightly Latin flair. We went there for dinner, waited forever for a table because the place is tiny, and then had brussel sprouts with bacon, onion and lemon and almond crusted trout over lettuce with chipotle mayo dressing, sliced pear and lemon for dinner. We sat at the bar and the waiter was super sweet and friendly which definitely added to the experience. They were out of a couple of things on the menu but we were also there late so might not always be the case. I liked my food but probably don't need to go back here.
Photo Credit: Westville Website
EAST VILLAGE
Paprika
This place has been on my list for awhile now and so I just put my foot down and forced my roommate to go with me on a Monday. I had the handmade pappardelle with braised oxtail ragu and the baby tuscan black kale salad with Grana Padano, pickled red onions and almonds. The pasta was good but nothing special, however the salad was one of the best salads I've had. We split it so it was a relatively small portion - next time I'll get my own! The ambiance is very cute; this would make a great date restaurant and on Monday's the bottles of wine are 50% which was a great deal. I would totally go back thanks to the attentive service too.
Photo Credit: David S on Yelp.com
UNION SQUARE
Lillie's
I've already mentioned Lillie's on the blog before as a great place to grab happy hour drinks. This time I returned to test out their brunch. The service was awful and the food was not very good at all. I had the chicken pot pie with organic roasted chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, and peas. It's prepared in a creamy bechamel sauce and topped with a puff pastry. I really disliked this presentation because the whole point of a pot pie is the pie part! Instead it was just like a stew with a piece of soggy bread on top. Not impressed. I think I'll just stick to drinks here.
UPPER EAST SIDE
Taco Taco
This place looks like a whole in the wall dive and it had the delicious food one would expect from those sneaky divey places. I ordered the tacos suadero which was tGottino
Another place on my wanted list and boy oh boy did it perform. It's impossible to get a table so be prepared to sit at the bar in this tiny restaurant. There were five of us and so we just ordered dishes to share. I didn't eat a single thing I didn't absolutely love except for the shaved brussel sprouts which didn't have any taste to them. I will DEFINITELY be back and also a great date option as well.
Pesto di Noci - walnut pesto parmesan & thyme on crostini
Pesto di Parma - pearls of prosciutto, sage & parmesan on crostini
Carciofi E Mentuccia - slow cooked artichokes, mint & pecorino on crostini
Cacciatorini - salami marinated in oregano & olive oil
Cavoletti E Pecorino - shaved brussel sprouts, pecorino & walnuts
Rabbit Pot Pie - braised rabbit baked in pastry
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