Daily Archives: June 22, 2015

NYC – 6/2/15 – Marea

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Before switching jobs I was able to get to Marea for lunch much more frequently than I can now. My mind was evidently so focused on the fusilli that I didn’t even take a picture of my first course. And while it was a fantastic crudo, I can’t even recall which one. The fusilli remains probably my absolute favorite dish in NYC. I rarely order pasta when dining out, and certainly never crave it, but this one I do. Constantly. As a challenge to myself I am going to try my best to order something different when I return for brunch this sunday. Something tells me I won’t be successful.

Fusilli – durum wheat pasta, red wine braised octopus, bone marrow

Chicago – 5/31/15 – Au Cheval and Next Tapas

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Au Cheval 
This will officially be my last blog posting that includes Au Cheval. Why? Because I love it too much, visit too often, and while I can look at this burger all day every day, I’m guessing some of my readers may become a bit bored with it. Chances are it will remain my favorite burger anywhere and I will be eating them just as often though!

Next Tapas
After the outdoor preview two nights prior I was very much looking forward to this menu. While I have liked and appreciated every Next menu for different reasons, I can admit that there are only a few that I have loved enough that I immediately wanted to repeat.  This is definitely one of them.  The contrast of the more simple dishes, like the absolutely perfect tortilla, with the very complex, such as the patatas bravas, was fantastic. I never cease to be impressed!

anchoas y aceitunas
coliflor asada con chorizo y coca cardona
hongos y cebolla


mejillones enlatados
pulpo y berenjena

  
cerdo y romesco
cebollas a la parrilla


yema de huevo frito

aceitunas de albert adria
brandada crujiente

datiles con jerez y chocolate

pomelo quemado y pinones

un plato de jamon iberico de bellota

esparragos y sepia

patatas bravas

chuleton
tortilla

gambas con fresas y habas

  
caramelo de aceite de oliva

chocolate con arandanos y avellana

fartons

tarta de queso

Chicago – 5/30/15 – Bom Bolla, Broken Shaker and Formentos 

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Bom Bolla
On a day that felt more like the end of November instead of May I trekked to the new cava bar Bom Bolla in Wicker Park.  With a group of friends I could see this as a fantastic sunday funday location.  I definitely enjoyed the different cava’s that I tried but have to admit that after having such an amazing pork bocadillo the night before at Next, this one was a disappointment.  On a different day I might have liked it more without the comparison.  But definitely order the marcona almonds!  I thought they couldn’t be improved upon, but everything truly is better fried!


Shrimp with tomato & horseradish
Grilled pork shoulder, preserved lemon, manchego bocadillo

Pork fat fried Marcona almonds

 Broken Shaker
The Chicago location of the Miami import Broken Shaker recently opened in the Freehand hostel.  Having visited the Miami location fairly recently I was curious as to how the concept would translate without the cool outdoor space.  I think they have done an excellent job however of maintaining the same vibe within the constraints of a city location.  While walking in seems perhaps a bit too similar to the Ace next door, when you actually get to the bar it feels entirely different and far removed from your physical location. This will definitely enter my regular rotation for future visits.

Bitch Don’t kill my Vibe – lemongrass reduction, aperol, shaken with tropical juice and vodka
Gin tonic from the market – shaker g&t with market fresh botanicals, built on beefeater gin and lillet

Formentos
Pickled vegetables are one of my absolute favorite things. If on any restaurant menu, it is guaranteed that I will order them. Case in point, I had an assortment of pickled vegetables the previous night at Parachute and would have the off-the-brunch-menu pickles at Au Cheval the next day. It doesn’t matter what vegetables are pickled but classic giardiniera is the best. So any restaurant that begins the meal with a bowl of this has already won me over. The shrimp scampi was perfectly done and sometimes it is just great to have a well executed classic. I can’t even think of the last time I have had it in a restaurant but now need to rethink how I have been making it at home. Looking back at my pictures I can’t believe I ate all of the enormous lamb t-bone, but I could never leave lamb unfinished! And what a better ending than my favorite cake, carrot cake? I didn’t necessarily think about it at the time, but one of the reasons that I enjoyed this meal so much was that it was perfectly composed of some of my all time favorite foods. Food aside, it was a pleasure to see some familiar faces. I unfortunately don’t remember my server’s name, but she did a very graceful job of dealing with the extremely difficult patrons sitting beside me. And while I love the cozy ambience of the dining room, I hope to return before the end of summer to take advantage of the patio!

Giardiniera

Roasted heirloom beets – orange, castelrosso, pistachio
 Shrimp Scampi

Lamb T-Bone – lupini beans, Gaeti olives, green garlic

Carrot cake

 

Chicago – 5/29/15 – Next outdoors and Parachute

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Next
I’m so happy I managed to make it to Next on one of the very few beautiful June evenings there have been in Chicago. Such a great idea to have the separate outdoor tables and menu to go along with the Tapas menu. Exceptional as always! I could drink these G&Ts all day. And while it doesn’t look like much in photos, the bocadillo is definitely one of the best things I have had this year. If you haven’t been yet, get there before the Tapas menu ends!
Gin & Tonic 
cold octopus and celery salad 
iberian ham with tomato 
porkbelly and manchego sandwich 

Parachute
I loved my first visit to Parachute and was looking forward to a return visit. The bing bread was just as good as I remembered and if not for the earlier trip to Next I would have eaten a full order on my own. Unfortunately I have no recollection of what our last two courses were and the photos are useless. I really hope this Estela plating trend stops. I just don’t get it and I have no idea why so many chefs are copying it.

c&k immature brandy, yujacha, lemon, egg white 
baked potato bing bread, bacon, scallion, sour cream butter 
house pickles, kimchi, chili chayote, watermelon radish zuke 
ceviche 
pork belly and mung bean pancake, kimchi, black garlic, hen egg, pineapple 
  

NYC – 5/24/15 – Spyglass Rooftop, Extra Fancy and Maison Premiere

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Spyglass Rooftop
While the drinks are overpriced, it is hard to beat this view!

Extra Fancy
Frozen G&T. Enough said.

Maison Premiere
This may be the best outdoor dining space in the city. You truly feel like you are somewhere else. Unfortunately as it was so dark my photos are as well and I can barely decipher what we had. But regardless I’m just very proud of myself for ordering oysters a few weeks after a horrific bout of food poisoning. Definitely looking forward to getting back here a few times this summer!

              

NYC – 5/23/15 – Clocktower

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I’ve been a fan of Jason Atherton’s for quite a while and so was quite excited to try Clocktower soon after it opened.  In general out-of-town chef’s who open restaurants in NYC when not living here just don’t make it and I’m usually not sad to see them go.  But I certainly hope that Clocktower sticks around for a while.  There were some service issues with the timing of courses but as I was there so soon after opening I forgive them!  I’m generally not a fan of cocktails with savory components but these were some of the best that I have had and actually some of the best cocktails overall that I have had in NY in recent memory.  While the starters and salad were great, and the cote de boeuf amazing, its oddly the green bean and foie gras salad that stole the show for me.  A completely standout side dish that should be its own starter!

Los Pollos Hermanos – Del Maguey Vida mescal, Olmeca Altos blanco, herb infused agave, lemon juice, chicken stock, egg white
Give Peas a Chance – Beefeater gin, yellow Chartreuse, salted pea cordial, lemon juice, mint, Butterfly absinthe, egg white, flora

Warm white asparagus, slow-cooked egg, chicken thigh, chicken cornflakes

Roasted sea scallops, ragout of line caught squid, cepe, bacon, celery root puree

English breakfast radishes, salad leaves, cucumbers, feta and pistachio puree

40 day dry aged cote de boeuf 32 oz, green bean and foie gras salad, bone marrow jus, potato gratin

  
Strawberries and cream, vanilla custard, olive oil cake, verjus sorbet

Mignardises

Chicago – 5/16/15 – Sixteen

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Sixteen is yet another Chicago restaurant that I had been trying to get to for ages and I’m still bummed that I missed some previous menus that looked amazing. It really doesn’t get better than having such a fantastic meal while gazing at some of my favorite buildings in the city. I could never get tired of this view. The theme of the spring menu is Food in Progress: Assessing an American Food Revolution. The menu presentation with the seed box, filled with small bites, was absolutely adorable and just so much thought clearly went into the structure of the menu and the theme of every course. I haven’t transcribed the whole thing here but I even mores regret missing the architecture menu!


    
Spring Pea in its Shell, Green Strawberry Almond and Mint
Soy Bean Panna Cotta, Pine Nut, Tomato Hearts

  
Veiled Green and White Asparagus with Blood Orange and Curry

Comte Flan with Chive Flowers, Morels and Asparagus Soup

Barley Porridge, Escargot, Mustard Greens and Juice

Carolina Gold Rice Congee, Sorghum and Country Ham

Abalone, Dulse, Sea Grape and Dashi

Potato soufflé with Sturgeon and its Caviar

  
Wild King Salmon, Crushed Favas, Fava Leaves and Shiso

Loup de Mer in Whey, Wild Dill and Fennel, Clam and Parsley-Horseradish Emulsion

Smoked Squab with Sour Cherry and Sorrel

Porcelet, Roast Brined Carrot, Buttermilk and Ferns

Grass-fed, Dry-Aged Beef Ribeye, Fermented Ramps, Sprouting Alliums

Cheese
  
Mandarin and Avocado Sorbet with Freeze Dried Mandarin
Pistachio and Yogurt Cake with Blueberry and Lavender Jam

Creme Fraiche Panacotta with Rhubarb Compote and Buttermilk Chip
Toasted Milk and Strawberry Ice Cream, Poppy Seed Sable with Fresh Anise Hyssop

Pineapple, Verbena Mousse, Coffee Jelly and Salted Caramel

Chocolate Cremeaux with Sesame Cake, Blackberry and Sudachi

Chicago – 5/15/15 – Embeya and Intro

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Embeya
As frequently as I am in Chicago there are still restaurants that I have always wanted to go to but somehow never seem to have the time for. Embeya has been on my to-do list probably since it opened but it took the relaunched version with Mike Sheerin at the helm to get me there. An absolutely lovely lunch and perhaps our only complaint was that the broth of the mussel dish was under seasoned.

Tete charcuterie Sai Krok Isan – pineapple, green garlic, cilantro
Charred baby carrots – cured ham, togarashi, yuzu vinaigrette, mint
Green papaya – cucumber, Chrissy shallots, Thai basil, mint
Steamed mussels – spot prawns, halibut, lemongrass-lobster broth
Chicken thigh – steamed cabbage, roasted potato, soy-mirin jus
Yuzu semifreddo – sake soaked strawberries, angel food cake
Ganache – whole wheat graham cracker,miso-caramel ice cream

Intro
For those not familiar Intro is sort of a long term pop-up concept where the chef rotates every few months. Erik Anderson was the second chef in residence at Intro, and while I generally avoid opening nights of anything, we planned our trip around this dinner. The last time I was in this space was in the L2O Laurent Gras days and remember it as a dining room out of a tv show…so sophisticated and modern and just perfect. So it was certainly very strange to be back with taxidermy on the walls! But if I avoided the comparisons I did like the decor. I’ve previously loved Erik’s cooking and this meal was no exception. And while the entire meal was great, the foie tart was so memorable that I’ve almost totally forgotten about all of the other courses.



Island Creek Oyster – Gueuze
Preserved Foie Gras Tart – Salted Strawberries – Hazelnut Milk – Radishes
Pike Boudin in Onion – Lettuce – Snap Peas – Ramps – Egg Yolk – Smoked Lamb’s Tongue
Roasted Poularde – Lobster – Morcilla – Fava Beans – Madeira and Black Truffle Sauce
Roasted Hay Custard – Fresh Creme – Maple Syrup
Bourbon – Tea Baba

NYC – 5/13/15 – Shuko

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A multitude of fantastic reviews have already been written about Shuko and as I wholeheartedly agree with all of them I won’t bother repeating what has already been said. As suggested by others we opted for the longer Kaiseki menu for the first visit. I look forward to returning to try the shorter omakase menu. Unfortunately no menu and most of the courses came so quickly that I wouldn’t have been able to keep up even if I was writing them down.

   
                                               

Berlin – 5/10/15 – Dachgarten and Horvath

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Dachgarten
I booked lunch at Dachgarten as it affords entry into the Reichstag building and certainly seemed easier than trying to figure out how to register to visit otherwise. It is quite the production to get through security and into the building but certainly worth it as the dome is stunning. Lunch was quite good although the prices a bit steep.  But consider it the price of admission!

Green rooftop salad – smoked ricotta, cucumber, green asparagus, peas, avocado, wid herbs 
Unfortunately I don’t recall all of the ingredients to this dish!

Horvath
I admittedly ended up at Horvath by default as it is the only Michelin starred restaurant in Berlin open on Sundays.  Whatever the reason I’m quite glad to have visited.  It was a bit of a hike from public transportation and sits along a canal on a slightly difficult to find street.  The space was quite cozy and almost felt sort of tavern-ish which was the perfect atmosphere for such a chilly evening.  Every course was accompanied by a small card listing the name of the dish and ingredients.  I’m actually not sure if these were provided to all tables, or only to me as an English speaker.  Either way it was a cute touch and I’m happy to have the detailed description as I am writing this.



broccoli | mustard seeds | garlic
steamed broccoli from the “keltenhof”, white chocolate cream with camelina oil, roasted garlic, sprouted mustard seeds

mushrooms | celery | malt
bread cream, well-hung sour cream, burnt celery root, king oyster mushroom cooked and baked, poppy-seed oil, reduced celery root juice

trout | eggplant | pork chin
raw “lunenburger hiade” trout filet, grilled eggplant with ham-caramel sauce, pork chin and mustard pickle compote, cucumber-yoghurt emulsion, grated iceberg lettuce, cress, smoked greaves

parsley | egg yolk | radish
duck lard emulsion, poached egg yolk, juice and oil from the garden parsley, in beer marinated black radish, frozen radish, wild herbs

veal | root vegetable | chervil
roasted veal “tafelspitz”, root vegetable with meat aspic, pickled flamed yellow carrot, beaten egg bouillon with chervil

hazelnut | molasses | brown butter
salty hazelnut cream, roasted hazelnuts, molasses aspic, sweet hazelnuts and root vegetables, hazelnut oil, fluffy chocolate, nut butter ice cream

Berlin – 5/9/15 – Tim Raue and NENI

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Tim Raue
Some friends had been to Berlin a few weeks before me and Tim Raue was their favorite dinner of the trip.  While I was visiting for a much shorter period of time and could only fit in 2 of Berlin’s 2* restaurants, I was certainly looking forward to this one and it exceeded my expectations.  I love encountering things I haven’t seen in other restaurants, such as the very cool tables with inlaid linen tablecloths – the perfect way to make a white table cloth completely modern.  Beautiful plates and plating and an overall absolutely delicious dinner.  I could go into much more detail, but suffice it to say this will be my first stop on any future trips.

Unfortunately I did not write down descriptions of all of the initial courses.

Green asparagus
violet | coriander
boiled green asparagus, butter & green thai chili, coriander coconut cream, mango

Pikeperch
kamebishi soy 10y | leek & ginger
steamed pikeperch, butter, spring leek & young pickled finer, stock of 10 year aged kamebishi soy sauce


Langoustine
wasabi | caantonese style
stock made from fish sauce, mango & carrot, langoustine turned over in starch flour and deep fried in wok, marinated with wasabi mayonnaise & deep fried green rice

Pork chin
papaya | nuac mam
smoked pork chin, jus from smoked paprika, nuoc mam jelly, carrot raw & cream, pickled papaya, sour tomato, trevisano salad, basil

Manny’s beef
beetroot | morel
manny’s dry aged beef shoulder, morel stock, braised beetroot, as jelly & meringue with morel mash, pearl onion pickled in port vinegar, green thai pepper

Strawberries
pondicherry pepper | basil
raw gariguettes strawberries, woodruff jelly & woodruff meringue, rhubarb-strawberry stock, ice-cream, pondicherry pepper oil


  
And my favorite wine of the evening

 
NENI
I’ve switched the order of lunch and dinner here because I just couldn’t start this post looking at this meal. Its rare that I have a meal that I would describe as horrid and leave hungry. NEHI is located on the top floor of the Hotel Bikini and was close to my hotel (and appeared on a recent Eater heatmap) so I decided to check it out for lunch. When I got on the elevator and it was full of tourists, I should have been tipped off that this would not be good. Ufortunately the only thing NEHI has going for itself is the gorgeous view. For the only time on this trip I felt like I was being ignored by waitstaff as I was alone. I received most of my food before I had even received my drink which is an immediate indicator that nothing is prepared to order. The salads were so horribly overdressed that they were literally swimming in liquid and one of my dishes was entirely forgotten but appeared on my bill. I left here starving, and went back to my hotel where I had some absolutely amazing hummus.