Monthly Archives: July 2015

NYC – 7/5/15 – Marea and Eleven Madison Park

Posted in New York by

Marea
I swore that I would order something other than the fusilli on my next visit but then I just couldn’t make myself. I did try the other pastas ordered at the table and of course they were all fantastic. Someday I swear I will deviate!

Seppia – cuttlefish tagliatelle, soffrito crudo, bottarga di muggine  
Polipo – griddle octopus, smoked potatoes, pickled red onion, radish, chilies, tonnato  
Fusilli – durum wheat pasta, red wine braised octopus, bone marrow  
Tortelli – potato and ramp ravioli, soppressata, peas  
Garganelli – tuna ragu, guanciale, broccoli rabe pesto  
Tagliolini – Manila clams, calamari, white wine, hot chilis   

  

Lounge at EMP
I have been meaning to plan a return visit to EMP for quite some time. But with every new accolade it receives, I seem to become less interested as I don’t think it lives up to the hype. While the voting system of the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants is questionable at best, and I want US restaurants to do well, when EMP ranked at #5 this year it seemed a bit of a joke. So hoping that the experience would make me realize I had it all wrong we decided to stop in the lounge for a light dinner.

There seem to be dozens of servers at EMP and while I don’t know what the actual ratio is to diners, my perception is always at least 2:1. When you scan the dining room (still my favorite in NY) they seemed to be lined up around the perimeter just waiting for something to happen. So it was entirely unexplainable that we sat in the lounge for going on 10 minutes without anybody coming over and thus had no menus. One member of our group ordered a wine by the glass that was entirely too warm, and while she probably should have declined it when she was poured a small taste, shouldn’t a restaurant of this caliber serve wine at the correct temperature? Then several accompaniments arrived with the cheese but none were explained and we were left wondering if they really were meant for the cheese or for the foie. And the foie in no way compared to the one had a day prior at Per Se. Many of these things I would overlook elsewhere but at this level I admittedly nitpick because I have much higher expectations. And while we were in the lounge, I expect the service to be equal to that in the dining room. This is the 5th best restaurant in the world? Definitely not.

 
Marinated Foie Gras with Chamomile, Orange Blossom and White Asparagus  Butter Poached Lobster with Dandelion and Ginger  Selection of Local Cheeses with Rhubarb Jam and Sorrel Relish    

7/4/15 – Per Se, Elephant Bar at the Nomad Hotel, Dead Rabbit, and Batard

Posted in New York by

Per Se

The 4th of July is perhaps my favorite day of the year to be in New York. It is so quiet and basically empty. No battling hordes of people to get anywhere and you can drive through the city with amazing speed. What better place to end up for a maximum feeling of peacefulness but the salon at Per Se for lunch? Even with rain outside this is still one of my favorite views in NY and each time I’m at Per Se I feel like I am somewhere other than NYC. Consistently perfect. Beautiful plates and I still think the best service in the city.  I love the extras in the salon such as the salmon cornets (which will always be one of my absolute favorite bites) and mignardises.



“Terrine” of Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras
Squire Hill Farm’s Currants, Market Fennel, Spiced Walnuts and Orange Creme Fraiche
Served with Toasted Brioche

California Candycot Salad
Chanterelle Mushrooms, French Breakfast Radishes, Petite Basil and Riesling Emulsion


Elysian Fields Farm’s “Cote D’Agneau”
Squash “en Persillade,” Jingle Bell Peppers, Garlic “Confit” and REd Wine Vinegar Sauce

Grilled Fillet of Gulf Coast Amberjack
Celery Root “Pastrami,” Poached Bing Cherries, Mustard Cress and Miso-Mustard Butter

Wolfe Ranch Bobwhite Quail Breast
Caramelized Shallots, French Leeks, Flowering Watercress and Stewed Black Mission Figs 
I wish I could remember what this one was!
 Coffee & Donuts
 Mignardises

 Elephant Bar at the Nomad

Unfortunately the Nomad Bar decided to close this year on July 4th which nearly derailed our entire day as we were counting on an afternoon hot dog.  At least the cocktails are the same at the Elephant Bar.

Dead Rabbit

Congrats to the Dead Rabbit on your Tales wins this year!  Always one of my favorite places in NY and if it wasn’t so far out of the way I would be here far too often.  I seem to have missed quite a few drink pictures, or they went down way too quickly.  Cannot wait for Greenriver to open in Chicago!





Batard

I have been meaning to get to Batard since it opened but sometimes it takes out-of-town guests to give you a push.  We arrived early for cocktails after reading about their collection of vintage glasses which were absolutely beautiful.  Such a lovely summer menu and the perfect amount of food.
Hamachi – fennel, passion fruit vinaigrette
English Pea Tortellini – burrata, caraway, pesto
Grilled Swordfish – melon, castelvetrano olives, warm ginger-citrus vinaigrette
Selection of cheeses

NYC – 6/26/15 – Rosie’s

Posted in New York by

This new restaurant from Marc Meyer and Vicki Freeman occupies a fantastic corner and the retractable doors make it perfect for summer dining. While the marinated sea scallops were in desperate need of salt, the house made tortillas were quite good. Definitely a solid choice for this neighborhood.
  Marinated sea scallops, lime, green chile, cucumber  Grilled cactus, little gem lettuce, onions, jalapeño, tomato, queso blanco, lime, olive oil   Pickled vegetables & red jalapeños
Grilled tortilla, green chorizo, avocado leaf black beans, queso oaxaca, charred tomatillo salsa  

NYC – 6/25/15 – Pearl & Ash

Posted in New York by

Consistently my favorite pre-show at Bowery Ballroom dinner stop. While everything was fantastic, the long beans are the dish that I oddly can’t stop thinking about. However one of the more off-putting service experiences I have had in recent memory. Our server tried very hard to push us into ordering a few more plates. I often ask if I have ordered too much or too little when doing shared plates, but this night had not even asked. I would welcome a helpful comment if I had under ordered but when the customer says no the sales pitch needs to stop, which it did not. And ironically after being told we didn’t order enough, we never received one of the dishes we did order!
  heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic scape  hamachi, jicama, ricotta, arugula  
  long beans, kale, peanut, bbq sauce  bavette, cauliflower, fava beans  Blueberry, corn, lemon verbena  Waffle  

NYC – 6/22/15 – Le Bernardin

Posted in New York by

How can you possibly have a bad day when you have lunch at Le Bernardin?  Each time I am able to pop into the bar for lunch, I feel quite fortunate to live here.  If I ever move this will be near the top of the list of things that I will greatly miss.  Always impeccable.

 
Hamachi – hamachi tartare, cucumber, lemon-citrus emulsion
 Salmon – barely cooked organic salmon, pea puree, yuzu butter sauce
 Sorbets

NYC – 6/14/15 – Fuku

Posted in New York by

I seem to suffer the same problem with every restaurant that requires you to physically wait in line. By the time you stand on the sidewalk for what seems like hours, too frequently in blazing heat (because who would do this in summer?), you are hungry, thirsty, inevitably need to use the restroom, and at this point will eat almost anything. It’s adding insult to injury when the restroom is out of order by the time you finally make it inside. The sandwich was certainly enormous with great crunch. But my chicken seemed to be tough and I had a very difficult time taking a bite without pulling the whole sandwich apart (I will note my companions did not have the same problem). As other reviewers have said the fries were abysmal which I just don’t understand. They don’t need to be the best, but there is no excuse for fries this bad. While others have surprisingly loved the salad, all I can say was that it was better than the fries.  I will give it another shot on a weekday when hopefully the line will be shorter.


  

NYC – 6/13/15 – Santina

Posted in New York by

As many reviews have said, Santina is the hit of the summer.  Its definitely my favorite opening this year and I will continue to visit frequently.  Hence this may be the last time I add it to the blog otherwise the entires will become far too numerous.  The food is consistently fantastic but on this visit, despite being one of the first parties in the restaurant at 10:15 am, we were seated at the worst possible table right by the entrance to the kitchen and bathrooms.  Perhaps a minor detail, yet no need for that when the dining room is completely empty.  I somehow didn’t take a photo, but a big thank you to the kitchen for the pannetone french toast.  We didn’t even think to order it but it was some of the best french toast I’ve ever had!


Giardinia Crudité

Salmon Affumicato Cecina

Arugula Fig Salad

Shrimp Zingara with a poached egg

NYC – 6/9/15 – Contra

Posted in New York by

Yet another restaurant that had been on my to-do list for ages but with too much time spent out of town I had never made it here.  But with a set menu, at a very reasonable price point, it seemed like the perfect spot for my birthday dinner. A perfectly sized menu and perfect for the season. I’m sorry it took me so long to get here!



lettuce, tarragon, ramp

snap peas, fresh cheese, herbs

squid, asparagus, walnut
 scallop, sorrel, sea beans
 beef, pistachio, broccoli rabe
 peach, honey, occhipinti olive oil

strawberry and corn

Morristown, NJ – 6/6/15 – Jockey Hollow

Posted in Morristown, New Jersey by

I have no idea how many times I have driven by the Vail Mansion in Morristown and somehow never even noticed it. I suppose that is because it sits slightly back from the street but I am kicking myself for being so oblivious.  I remember making a mental note when Jockey Hollow opened but then somehow forgot about it. Perhaps a bit late, but I am so glad I finally made it here.  Such an absolutely beautiful building that it has been impeccably restored and is being utilized in such a fantastic way. I hope to check out the downstairs menus on a future trip although it will be difficult to miss out on the upstairs dining room. I do love how occasionally things come full circle. Many years ago I had lunch at L’Impero (and then Convivio) quite frequently as I worked only a block away and loved the brief escape into tudor city.  So its no surprise that I would love a place where Chris Cannon, Ron Morgan and Chef Kevin Sippel have been reunited from those days.  And its no surprise that all of the pastas were amazing.  But actually everything was!  Such a completely pleasant surprise to be in NJ and not feel like you are in NJ at all.



Yellowtail Toro Crudo – red radish, toasted quinoa and white asparagus

Scrambled Hen Egg – American caviar and accoutrements

Spring Pea Raviolini – carbonara, pea tendrils, smoked speck and king crab

Lamb Neck Casoncelli – wild ramp pesto and pane mollica

Duck Liver Agnolotti – fava beans, pecorino and mint gremolata

Monkfish Porchetta – pancetta, bean salad and adobo crema

Dry Aged Prime Sirloin – brussels sprouts and bone marrow au poivre

Buttermilk Spring Chicken – country ham, ragusano wild lettuces

Pavlova – cardamom rice pudding, rhubarb compote and rhubarb sorbet

Bayley Hazen Blue Cheese – cornmeal fritter, maple walnuts, huckleberries and frisee