Weekly NYC Blog Post - 6.13.2012

CHELSEA

French Roast
My friend said this was the late night highlight of most of her weekends and it was late night on a Sunday so we tracked this place down to give it a try.  We ordered the mac n' cheese, the French onion soup and the asparagus ravioli with cherry tomato, asparagus and parmesan.  None were particularly good.  I also wasn't that inebriated so maybe that's a requirement?  I also felt like it was REALLY expensive for what you got!  Checking this off the list for good.

Photo Credit: French Roast Website

Snap
The more I go here the more I like this place.  It is RIGHT down the street from me so extra points for convenience and it's not very expensive which is additional points.  Just a great place to watch sports, be fratty, and drink pitchers of beer.  There is never a line yet it always feels full and they have hockey which is not always a given.  I like the attitude there although the line for the bathroom gets a little annoying.  Secret loophole is to go to the bar next door which is miserable and no one goes to.  Hopefully they don't notice you do it :-)

Photo Credit: Snap Website

EAST VILLAGE

Hearth

Went here for my friend's quiet birthday dinner and decided to splurge on the tasting menu and a $200 bottle of amarone which was INCREDIBLE.  I think our waiter was impressed.  The restaurant itself is dark, red and very romantic.  Great date spot!

 Photo Credit: Hearth Website

First up on the tasting menu was fava bean salad with spring onion, pecorino toscano and parsley.  Not quite enough toast to go with all the beans but the olive oil they were doused in was so flavorful. 

 

Next was the porcini trifolati with ricotta sformato, gremolata and grana padano.  I HATE mushrooms which is pretty much what this dish was but as always I insist on at least trying it.  Turns out it was delicious.  The mushrooms were crispy and covered in herbs and the cheese added another layer of texture so I actually ended up thinking it was pretty good.

The olive oil poached swordfish with freekah, pickled ramps, snap peas and trout roe with not quite flakey enough but the sauce was great.  I do like my fish drier than most people though so it could've just been me.

The pappardelle with pork ragu, rosemary, peas and ricotta was obviously a huge hit with me considering this is one of my all-time favorite dishes.  The pasta was very fresh, there was plenty of ragu which is a major plus and the ricotta was soft and sweet.

Next up was the Colorado lamb with roasted lamb, spiced-smoked rib, merguez sausage, peas, carrots and cilantro which was very good but not spectacular.  Too much "extra" not enough meat.

Our first dessert dish was poached rhubarb with rhubarb soup, frozen yogurt and pistachio which was a little too much on the rhubard (the soup was kind of weird) but the yogurt was refreshing.  A for effort though!

This raspberry bomboloni was the BOMB-oloni (sorry had to do it).  It was so soft and melty and sugary.  A delicious end to a lovely dinner.  I left the restaurant feeling VERY content.

Pomme Frites
Another one that's been on my list but it's just a French fry place so I've never had an excuse to go.  Finally happened to be in the area when I was in need of a snack.  When you walk in you order a size of fries (the smallest one is a lot even for two people FYI) and can then taste-test a bunch of different sauces.  My favorite was the curry ketchup.

Wine Bar
They sure snagged a popular name for a bar!  This place was adorable.  It's right at 2nd and 4th in the East Village and we were able to walk right up and snag an outdoor table where we sat and drank $36 bottles of great wine and people-watched.  Such a relaxing evening!  The waiter let me try multiple wines before selecting one that he had recommended.  Also when our third friend appeared he made a huge effort to find them a chair.  Love this place - would definitely go back.  The interior also looked really cute.  Great place for a casual Friday with friends or a laidback date.

Photo Credit: Wine Bar Website

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

Prudential Center
Every mother needs to brag a little so I have to start this with "GO KINGS!"  My beloved L.A. Kings finally made it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1993 and were playing the New Jersey Devils so I clearly had to go to a game.  Below are photos from the Prudential Center for Game Two of the series.  I splurged on seats obviously - Section 6, Row 10, Seats 12-13 which are on the left side of the section.

LOWER EAST SIDE

Stanton Social
I've heard rave reviews about this place and never manage to go so when I heard some friends were gathering there for brunch I jumped on board.  It's tapas style so we had an assortment of things.  The boys were starving so I didn't manage to get photos of everything.   Below are photos of the ricotta fritters with raspberry jelly which were buttery soft, sweet and delicious (very rich) and the breakfast bruschetta with soft scrambled eggs, ovendried tomatoes and asiago.  The bread was a little soggy and it could've used more cheese/tomato but overall was very good.
 

We also had the Stanton Social sliders with double smoked bacon, egg and cheese on a buttermilk biscuit which wasn't very good.  A little too McDonalds for my taste.  The croque monsieur 'satays' with mini brioche, country ham, gruyere and muenster were good although really rich.  Lastly the blueberry buttermilk mini muffins were very good and very small.  Watching the boys eat them was kind of hilarious.

Overall I'd have to say that I was somewhat disappointed after hearing such great things.  Maybe I ordered the wrong stuff or went in with expectations that were too high?  I don't know.  I can say that their bloody mary is terrible and their other drinks aren't much better.  I opted for a Brooklyn Lager because even their beer selection left something to be desired.  It's too bad because the waitress was nice and the restaurant is very cool looking but no need to go back.

Photo Credit: Stanton Social Website

Sweet n Vicious
Back again because I LOVE this place.  And who knew that the best part about it I hadn't even yet uncovered!  MARGARITAS!  No joke the margaritas here are amazing.  Very alcoholic yet you can't taste a thing.  Not too lemon-limey and all blended together with the ice to ensure it's freezing cold delicious.  Only problem is trying to pace yourself when you are drinking this out on their awesome patio!

MEATPACKING

Gazzetta
So I have a major propensity (it's my word of the week) for people in costume so when we were wandering in the direction of the West Village we ran into this crew of characters and followed them to Gazzetta in Meatpacking.  The best part?  They ordered rose!  Hilarious.  The place seemed pretty cool with outdoor seating and delicious looking food so I may need to hit this place up at some point!

Photo Credit: Gazzetta Website

WEST VILLAGE

A.O.C.
I went to A.O.C for drinks having heard that the food isn't that spectacular.  Our goal was to find somewhere nice in the West Village where we could sit outside without eating.  Fedora was the original destination but it was stuffy and crowded on a really hot day.  We wandered around and then passed this place and saw that they had an open-door wooden patio with a small bar that had four stools.  So we decided that was perfect and enjoyed a couple glasses of rose with a view of the back patio.  Another great place for a date or for an Italian-inspired evening with friends.

 Photo Credit: AOC Website

Bleecker Heights Tavern
Not that I don't love Village Tavern with all my heart but I needed a break this week and this place had been suggested to me for hockey games (can you tell it's ruling my life right now?).  For those that are too lazy to figure it out you have to go INSIDE Five Guys and walk to the back and walk up the stairs to get to this "speakeasy" bar.  Not a speakeasy AT ALL - much more standard dive bar.  Simple beers on tap, small crowd, intimate setting, dark.  I liked it.  I'm actually going back there today.

Photo Credit: Bleecker Heights Tavern Website

Blue Ribbon Bakery
For those loyal readers you'll remember that I first went to Blue Ribbon Bakery on New Year's Day for brunch.  Big night so the food tasted good but a little bit like dried cardboard.  So I was excited to try it out again with a clear, clean palate.  I ordered the French toast deluxe (because you have to - why get it if you don't go all the way?).  I'm pretty sure they douse this in crack not powdered sugar because I couldn't stop eating it.  Multiple friends started tasting it and they couldn't stop eating it.  Magically delicious.  And they have good bloody marys.  And the waiter was sassy in a good way with a nice tie - all high marks - highly recommend.


Fat Cat
So we went to meet up with friends at this place and when you first arrive you walk down a flight of stairs and pay a $5 cover for the music.  I FULLY anticipated this would be a tiny, dark, eight booth jazz bar with fancy drinks.  Maybe it's the name that made me think that.  So when I turned the corner and saw a massive underground basement filled with every type of bar game there is I was SO surprised.  It looked like a guy's dream bar.  We didn't stay for long but they did have PBRs which I noticed before I left!  I'll have to check this place out again.

Photo Credit: http://www.daniellarobin.com/

Slice
This place piqued my interest on another one of those days when I was trying to get into Red Farm.  It looked really cute and smelled amazing so when my cousin was in town on town we decided to hit it up.  We started with the antipasti platter which had artichokes, peppers, etc.  It was delicious.  Then we had the Goat Cheese pizza which was SO good.  I haven't had this good of pizza in awhile (not counting the deep fried pizza in the LES).  I'm in big trouble now that I know about this place and it's so close.  They also had a reasonable craft beer and wine selection and outdoor seating without a wait.  Will definitely be back.

Photo Credit: Slice Website

 

Weekly NYC Blog Post - 5.16.2012

Sorry this post took so long to publish.  I finished the entire thing and then it deleted itself so I had to start from scratch.  You better read it lol because I'm so angry that I had to do it over!

CHELSEA

Cookshop

One of the stops on the food map when my parents came to visit.  I wanted them to have a NYC brunch experience and Cookshop seemed like just the place.  We were all hungover so Dad and I went straight for the AWESOME bloody marys.  Definitely in the top five in NYC so far.

Photo Credit: Google Maps

For starters, we had the grapefruit brulee with creme fraiche and brown sugar which was refreshing with a perfect balance of sweet and sour.  The grapefruit was so ripe that it almost threw of the balance towards too sweet but turned out to be just perfect.  The brulee twist was also interesting because it made it crunchy yet juicy.  Very good.

 

The pulled pork croquettes with cheddar polenta and spring onion salsa verde was just okay.  I felt like it was a lot of polenta and very little pork.  Also sort of lacked a defining taste.

 

The cookshop scramble with caramelized onions, creme fraiche, chives on a buttermilk biscuit with applewood bacon was delicious.  Everything came together to make it crispy yet soft, salty yet sweet, and toasty warm!  Love this!

This was actually what I ordered but I ended up foisting it off on Dad and eating his scramble instead.  The Label Rouge Pheasant Hash with two poached eggs, natural jus, oregano, caramelized onions and potatoes had nothing about "spicy" in the description yet it was REALLY spicy.  I didn't like it AT all.

Overall I'd come back in a heartbeat for the bloody marys but the food was somewhat underwhelming.  The patio seating looked really nice though!


EAST VILLAGE

Hop Devil Grill

Randomly ended up at this bar because I was looking for a place to watch the hockey game.  It's big, not too crowded and the wait staff is SO nice.  My friends were absolutely obliterated by the time we got there (I met up late) and our waiter was still so nice even when they were yelling and doing weird acrobatic moves...  He also recommended the crispy pork shoulder taco when I got hungry.  I was skeptical because it didn't seem like the type of place you order Mexican food.  Turns out it was one of the best tacos I've ever had.  I'd totally come back to this place.  If they will let us in haha.

Photo Credit: Hop Devil Bar Website

Jewel Bako
A coworker of mine suggested this place awhile ago and I thought it would round out the restaurant offerings for when my parents came to visit.  The place is really small and really cool-looking so I highly recommend getting a reservation!  The sushi was fresh and delicious although not anything super outstanding in terms of rolls.  I'd probably go back if I was in the area and looking for sushi since I feel like good sushi is hard to find.

 Photo Credit: chopsticksny.com

GRAMERCY

Gramercy Tavern

Back to Gramercy Tavern because it's Mom's favorite place and she wanted Dad to try it out.  I have mixed feelings about this restaurant.  The decor is beautiful and the service is impeccable but I find the food to be a little under-whelming.  As you've probably seen from previous posts I definitely lean more towards weird, inventive dishes which is why I always find myself ordering a lot of appetizers instead of an entree.  For this meal, it was a prix fixe menu so I'm going to hit each dish quickly since there's a lot!

Photo Credit: playco.wordpress.com

Smoked Trout with cippollini purée and pickled onions - The fish was super fresh and literally melted in my mouth.  The pickled onions added the perfect amount of bite to the dish.  This one was definitely the winning appetizer.

Open Ravioli of Beef and Carrots - This was my other favorite appetizer mostly because of the inventiveness of the dish.  It was all the components of ravioli just without the closed pasta.  It was maybe a little too soupy and the carrots were a little too soft but overall I thought this was tasty too.

Beef Carpaccio with celery and anchovy aioli - This was my least favorite.  I felt like the beef didn't really taste like anything and was then just covered up with random greens to hide the lack of interest in this dish.  Not a fan.

 

 Pork Loin and Belly with caramelized onions, baked potato and prune sauce - The pork was chewy, I hate the krispy things and the prune sauce was flat.  Not good.

Duck Breast & Confit with asparagus, rhubarb, pine nuts and ten grains - I liked what the rhubard did for the duck and the meat was well cooked but while it tasted good it wasn't very inspiring.

Roasted Lamb with green garlic, spring onions and ruby crescent potatoes - This dish was absolutely delicious and was by far my favorite entree.  Again something I feel like I've seen on other menus though.  They just really need to find dishes that set them apart.

Fudge Brownie Sundae with salted cashew ice cream - The description sounded like I'd love it.  The result not so much.  First of all I hate mascarpone which is what the white balls are.  There was hardly any ice cream and the brownie was dry.  One bite and I pushed this aside.

Selection of Ice Creams with buttermilk, coffee, and butter pecan - this on the other hand was delicious.  Some of the best coffee ice cream I've ever tasted.

Overall I think this place is very nice but a little touristy and a little underwhelming in terms of whimsy.


  
LOWER EAST SIDE

Second Floor on Clinton (above Barramundi)

I've been to Barramundi a couple times but this was my first time on the hidden second floor.  You press an elevator button in the wall and they buzz you up.  You can't be in a group of more than four and sit together so keep that in mind.  The drinks are REALLY expensive.  I don't know.  It was fine but there are other places I'd go back to first.

 Photo Credit: Second Floor Website

WD-50

I love this place.  I don't know how else to start.  They recently changed their format so that you have to do the tasting menu which was totally fine with me!  The restaurant itself isn't anything crazy but I almost liked that because all the focus is on the food.  The waiter was also very proficient and helpful.

  Photo Credit: WD-50 Website

Red Snapper Amuse Bouche - Great start to the dinner!

 The first real plate was scrambled egg ravioli with charred avocado and kindai kanpachi.  It was incredible.  The egg was flavorful and soft, the fish tasted like it'd just been caught and the charring of the avocado added a whole new dimension to the taste.

Next up was the pickled beef tongue with fried mayo, tomato molasses, onion soil and romaine.  What could be more inventive than fried mayo? tomato molasses?  I don't even know what onion soil means?!?!? The beef tongue was so high in quality I might as well have been eating filet.  The sweetness of the molasses with the fried edge of the mayo made this a well balanced dish.

The Mediterrean bass with artichokes, bamboo rice, halva and chicory was another phenomenal dish.  I highly recommend eating the fish WITH the skin - it adds a whole new dimension of crispiness and savory.  Another winner.

Last dish before dessert was the lamb loin with black garlic romesco, pickled ramp and dried soybeans.  The garlic romesco had a bitterness that when paired with the sweetness of the lamb was amazing.  I'm literally in heaven right now reliving this meal.

Dessert was "French toast" with brown butter ice cream and raisin puree.  They might as well have called this "gourmet churro" because that's what it tasted like. The crust was perfectly toasted with a warm, buttery inside and the ice cream was so fresh and smooth.  A perfect end to a perfect meal.

I think it's pretty obvious from my write-up that I would eat here every day if I could.  This place may have taken ABC Kitchen's incumbency as favorite restaurant in NYC...


MEATPACKING

5 Ninth

I swear I must have walked past this restaurant a dozen times and never known it existed!  The inside is adorable - a totally awesome date spot if you are looking for one with a cute little patio in the back.  It wasn't difficult to walk up for brunch and they had plenty of seating in the garden.  We did the unlimited brunch drinks which I recommend against because the bloody mary was almost unbearable to drink and the mimosas were glorified orange juice but my spinach and goat cheese omelette was heavenly.  I don't know who they gave egg so much taste!  I would definitely come back and try this again - maybe for dinner this time.

 

Photo Credit: 5 Ninth Website

Dos Caminos

I went to this restaurant in Meatpacking before I had even moved to NYC and I remember the margaritas being fabulous.  They are still just a fabulous and just as deadly.  The interior of this place is so fun and our waiter was really hot so I was already having a great time upon arrival.

Photo Credit: Dos Caminos Website

The food just made it better!  We started with the roasted plantain empanadas with cotija cheese, black beans and chipotle aioli.  The empanadas were buttery soft and sweet on the inside with just enough aioli to add some kick.  Very rich though so I suggest sharing!

My main dish was the Dos Enchiladas with roasted chicken rolled in corn tortillas, chihuahua cheese, mole poblano and tomatillo verde sauces.  I'm not huge on mole so I requested just tomatillo sauce.  Again delicious and a fairly large sized portion which was nice since this place isn't cheap.

And of course I had a Calle Fresca margarita with cazadores blanco, mango, cucumber and an ancho salt rim to top of a great start to a Saturday night!  I will definitely be back.

Standard Grill

You may have read my post from my dinner at the Standard Grill months ago when I had some of the best lamb chops of my life.  Brunch here was just as good!  The Bloody Mary makes the top five list and the homemade fettuccine with ragu all bolognese was some of the freshest pasta I've had.  It could've used a little more sauce though..This place continues to amaze me!

 Photo Credit: Standard Grill Website

MIDTOWN EAST

LAVO

I'd been to LAVO in Vegas and LAVO Brunch here in NYC so I thought I'd seen everything.  Turns out not so much.  We ended up here late late night and it was packed but not annoyingly so.  We also got in without a problem but I think that may have been because our crew had some regulars.  Not sure what to say besides you'd best be in a dancing mood when you get here.  It was tons of fun.

 Photo Credit: LAVO Website

TRIBECA

Weather Up
Originally I was annoyed to make the trek down here to meet my roommate and her friends but the place was very cute and the drinks were delicious.  They even have special ice cubes?  I taste-tested everyone else's drinks so I'm not sure how much they cost.  The atmosphere was a little austere for me but I would probably come back if I was in the area again.

Photo Credit: NYMag.com

UNION SQUARE

Pure Food and Wine

After eating at Candle Cafe (which I review farther down) I thought I would never want to eat at a vegetarian restaurant again, but PFW is one of my friend's favorite restaurants and she convinced me to go.  So glad I gave vegetarian a second chance - this place was delicious and the patio is so romantic and beautiful I could've spent all day sitting there.

Photo Credit: Forbes.com

For dinner I went with the pear ravioli with smoked long pepper mousse with preserved lemon, truffle honey, almonds and shaved perigord.  The sweetness of the pears and honey was just perfectly balanced by the tartness of the lemon.  I only wish the portion had been bigger because I gobbled it down quick.  Also the ravioli had such an air of freshness that was delightful.

My friend ordered the cauliflower cous cous with cumin scented persimmon dolmas with pistachio, almond, dried fruits, mint and Moroccan tomato jus.  I don't even know what all that means I just know that she finally moved her plate in front of me because I kept sticking my fork in it.  All those flavors were a lovely assault on my mouth.   YUM.

Dessert was just as incredible especially the ginger cheesecake which was sweet, soft and perfectly paired with the toffee.

The dark chocolate semi freddo with chocolate cake, passion fruit gelee, coconut cream and passion fruit sorbet was also good but not as amazing as the other dishes.

Overall love this place and hope they update the menu with new stuff soon so that I can go back and sit on the patio!


UPPER WEST SIDE

Candle Cafe

So as I sort of referenced above, this was my first time trying out a vegetarian-only restaurant.  I decided to go 50/50 on playing it safe versus being adventurous.  My adventurous dish was the citrus-herb marinated seitan skewers with chimichurri sauce.  It tasted just like meat which I thought was CRAZY!  However, you could still tell it wasn't real meat due to the texture but only barely.  Overall I was kind of impressed although I still wouldn't say I liked it that much.

My safety dish was the grilled kale salad with haricots verts, beluga lentils, red onions, turnips, avocado, sunflower seeds, spelt berries and chive vinaigrette which was honestly kind of soggy and dull.  The menu description sounded delicious but the end result was not.  I lost interest after a couple bites.

My dining partner ordered the southern plate with barbequed seitan, macaroni & cheese, chili, coleslaw, and cornbread and I tried the BBQ seitan and it was TERRIBLE.  So gross.

Overall I'm glad I put myself out there and tried vegetarian but I thought the place was really expensive for what you got and clearly I'm a meat eater.  On a final note they have amazing lemonade though!

Ditch Plains

We randomly ended up here on our trek to lay out in Central Park on the weekend and I have to say I love the Aussie feel of this place.  I also loved the Bloody Mary (top five) and the jalapeno cheddar tater tots.  They are really filling and you get a ton of them though so I recommend sharing.  This would be a great birthday brunch place.

Photo Credit: Seamless.com Blog

WEST VILLAGE

Cowgirl 

I continue to try to get into Red Farm and the wait is always SO long.  Lucky for all the restaurants nearby they get the spill off!  We ended up at Cowgirl which is one of the most fun looking restaurants I've seen.  In fact at first I thought it was a vintage knick-knack shop!

 

Photo Credit:  newyork.grubstreet.com

For dinner I ordered the Chicken Fried Chicken which is apparently their specialty.  It had a similar consistency in terms of the breading to fish n' chips which was good but different.  If you are going to eat here I recommend throwing the calorie-counter out the window since they sauce up everything.  I thought the meal was good but not a place I'd need to go back to.