Monthly Archives: December 2015

NYC – 11/14/15 – Bruno

Posted in New York by

I went into Bruno frankly not expecting to like it very much.  I am very particular about pizza crust and from all accounts this wasn’t of the type that I favored.  Perhaps because I had such low expectations I actually did enjoy this pizza.  The toppings were delicious and while not my preference, the crust was a very good version of what it was aiming to be.  But reference to Bruno as a pizzeria is somewhat misleading in that it takes away from the rest of the menu.  And it was the other dishes that I was very impressed by.  On my next visit I will likely skip the pizza altogether as there are just too many other good dishes.  My only criticism is that the very bright lighting may be great for food photography but creates a very harsh ambience. And I must agree with Pete Wells that the seating is beyond uncomfortable.

Celery root – cured salmon, autumn olives, lovage, skyr, rye Duck liver mousse – quinoa, quince, kamut crackers

‘Nduja pizza – spicy pork, cauliflower, Dorset, tomato
 Local squid – hatch chile, charred onion, wild sumac

NYC – 11/12/15 – Momofuku Ko

Posted in New York by

While I probably will not make a list of my favorite dining experiences of 2015, if I were to do so this dinner would easily be in my top 5.  This was my first time sitting at one of the two tables instead of the counter and certainly some of the presentations are just far more impressive for a larger group.  There was not one course which I did not absolutely love which is consistent with previous visits.  Our essentially second course could have been a meal in itself and if it had ended at that point I would have gone home very happy.  If there were not any witnesses I probably would have eaten the guinea hen to the point of making myself sick.  Food aside I just love the entire environment of Ko 2.0.  I am often down on friendliness of service in New York restaurants but Ko embodies the concept of hospitality.  Now that I am somewhat thinking about my favorite experiences of this past year, the stand outs are the ones that not only have amazing food and impeccable service but also have figured out, for lack of a better description, the ‘it’ factor in hospitality.  I am definitely looking forward to many more visits in 2016.

a blank canvas
 vegetable roll.  pommel soufflés.  lobster paloise.  millefeuille.
  black bass, madai, uni, mackerel, chickpea, finger lime, bonji, shiso, sudachi
   razor clam – apple, basil
 siberian sturgeon caviar – radish, potato
 sourdough bread & radish butter
 halibut – cauliflower, hungarian pepper
guinea hen – matsutake, black vinegar
   celery root – white truffle, tandoori
 beef – daikon, scallion
 foie gras – lychee, pine nut, riesling jelly
 carrot cardamom – meringue
 pistachio – apricot
chocolate – fernet branca
  

NYC – 11/11/15 – Gabriel Kreuther

Posted in New York by

I had been meaning to get to Gabriel Kreuther since it opened but too often when I am in midtown and able to dine out for lunch I default to Le Bernardin.  But upon finding myself 2 blocks away with a lunch break it seemed like the perfect opportunity.  The autumn salad was beautiful and I’ve since tried to replicate the aesthetic at home.  As they always are, the tart flambeé was very tasty (although it admittedly did not sit very well in my stomach).  The space is more beautiful in person than it appeared in photos and its great to have another option in an area of the city that I find myself in often.

Autumn salad – sunflower seeds, pomegranate vinaigrette
 Tarte flambee – hen of the woods mushrooms, comte cheese, chive, nutmeg, onion

NYC – 11/9/15 – Gotham Bar and Grill

Posted in New York by

It has been an embarrassingly long time since I have been to Gotham Bar & Grill and I need to make much more of an effort to visit my old favorites and New York classics in 2016.  I went for the burger which was perfect and one of the few where I actually ate the entire bun and didn’t feel like it was too much.  But as good as the burger was, it may have been overshadowed by the seafood salad.  It is not even something I would typically order and I can’t recall why I did this particular day.  The seafood was cooked perfectly and the portion size was substantial.  The refreshing vinaigrette perhaps made it seem to be more of a ceviche than what I traditionally think of when I hear ‘seafood salad’ and was probably why I loved it so much.  Definitely a dish I will be returning for very soon.

Cider tree- mount gay black barrel rum, calvados, apple butter, allspice dram, cinnamon Seafood salad – scallops, squid, spanish octopus, lobster, sweet shrimp, avocado and lemon vinaigrette
 Gotham burger – plymouth tomme cheddar, vermont bacon-onion jam, lemon aioli, kennebec french fries

NYC – 11/6/15 – Lupulo

Posted in New York by

Lupulo has quickly become one of my favorite new places.  Proximity to where I often workout does not hurt as I am typically starving when I walk by.  But everything on the menu is fantastic and the red snapper I could easily eat everyday (and if it were less expensive I would double order).  My only criticism is that I don’t really love anything on the wine’s by the glass list and think the selections could be improved.  Nonetheless Lupulo will remain in heavy rotation!

Red snapper cru – red snapper, coconut milk, kaffir-lime broth, fermented serrano, benne seeds
 Pato coracoes – grilled duck hearts with pickled mango, shishito peppers, pimenton
 Beterrabas com hortela e coco – roasted and smoked beets with mint, coconut

NYC – 11/5/15 – Barbuto

Posted in New York by

What a completely amazing day to be dining outdoors in November in NYC.  Barbuto truly is a classic that never disappoints and still the chicken by which all others are still measured.

gin martini and negroni
 pollo al forno – jw chicken & salsa verde
 pizza stagionale – dates, speck, balsamic, trevisano & point reyes blue
 bucatini alla carbonara – pancetta, farm egg & black pepper
 manhattan

NYC – 11/2/15 – Le Bernardin

Posted in New York by

There is no better way to forget about an unpleasant morning doctor’s appointment than to stop at Le Bernardin for lunch. Consistently impeccable and always my favorite lunch in NYC. As an added bonus I made two new friends sitting at the bar, something that rarely ever happens in a city where everybody tends to keep their heads down.

Aristocrat – Ransom Old Tom Gin, La Quintinye Vermouth Royal, Le Bernardin Grapefruit Cordial, Ginger Basil Reduction   
 Yellowfin Tuna – ultra rare seared tuna, spiced herb salad, citrus-soy-ginger dressing 
 Striped Bass – black striped bass, fennel and leek compote, bouillabaisse broth 
 Sorbets 
 

Lisbon – 10/31/15 – Cantinho do Avillez

Posted in Lisbon by

Ending my weekend of Jose Avillez restaurants was Cantinho do Avillez and not to take anything away from Belcanto but this may have been my favorite.  I can’t recall the name of my first cocktail or the ingredients but it was essentially an adult Orange Julius which remains my favorite part of going to the mall to this day.  The head cheese was hands down my favorite head cheese dish ever.  I wasn’t so sure when I ordered about the mustard and pickles sauce but it was completely fantastic and the most memorable dish of this trip.  And surprisingly the black pork one of the best pork dishes I have had in ages.


Head cheese, mustard and pickles sauce, capers and shredded egg
 Baked ‘Nisa’ cheese with ham and rosemary honey

Alentejo black pork, French fries, coriander and garlic ‘farofa’ with black beans
   Fruit salad with mojito foam  

Lisbon – 10/30/15 – Cais da Pedra and Belcanto

Posted in Lisbon by

Cais da Pedra
I am certain that I have never even thought about ordering a burger outside of the US because it just screams American tourist.  But when a well known chef opens a well reviewed burger place with a lovely waterfront location that happened to be in the neighborhood I had already found myself in that day, I figured I might as well try it.  Surprisingly this was a very good burger.  It was more well done than I would have preferred but far exceeded my expectations.  I won’t be making this a habit by any means but I would certainly return to Cais da Pedra.

 Seabass tartare with ginger and apple, wasabi avocado cream, frisee salad
 Cais da Pedra burger, “Queijo da Ilha” (typical cheese from the Azores Islands), lettuce, caramelized onion, cherry tomato jam and basil

Belcanto
Next up on the Jose Avillez list was Belcanto, the first Michelin 2 star restaurant in Portugal.  Unfortunately I have no descriptions of the dishes as I assumed I would receive a menu at the end of the meal as the table next to me had.  But mine was evidently forgotten and I did not realize it until I was several blocks away in pouring down rain.  This was an absolutely lovely meal which included some more contemporary takes on classic Portuguese dishes and aside from the missing menu, service was impeccable.  I recognized the chicken skin from Mini Bar although at Belcanto it was a slightly fancier version.  My only small quibble is that I am tired of the el Bulli olives appearing on menus of so many people who have worked there.


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Lisbon – 10/29/15 – Henrique Sa Pessoa @ Mercado Da Ribeira, Mini Bar, and Bastardo

Posted in Lisbon by

Henrique Sa Pessoa @ Mercado Da Ribeira
Da Ribeira is exactly what a food hall should be and puts anything in the US to shame. It is extremely spacious, the seating is plentiful, there is real china, silverware and glassware and the tables are cleared and cleaned for you when you are finished. The food and beverage options are fantastic and each ‘stall’ is a beautiful open kitchen. I decided to go with Henrique Sa Pessoa’s contemporary take on Portuguese cusine. Easily the best meal I have ever had in a food hall and a great start to the trip.
 Saladinha de polvo

Tataki de salmao


Mini Bar
Jose Avillez is perhaps the best known chef in Lisbon and of his restaurants my first stop was at Mini Bar.  The influence of Chef’s brief time at El Bulli was certainly evident and I could have made a meal of the various snacks.  I managed to limit myself to a few but could have easily eaten 20 more of the chicken skins.  Unfortunately I got distracted by work and did not keep track of what my cocktails were but they were lovely nonetheless.

 Caipirinha
“Roasted chicken” with avocado cream, cottage cheese, piri piri and lemon

Bruschetta with foie gras confit, parmesan, honey drop fig and balsamic

Tuna tartar temaki cone with spicy soy

Vietnamese pork sandwich

Bastardo
In all of my travels I have only had dinner at a restaurant in the hotel where I was staying once (excluding places like the Inn at Little Washington where dining and lodging go hand-in-hand).  It was only by coincidence that I had booked the Internacional Design Hotel and then read a review of its restaurant Bastardo that sounded intriguing.  I loved the colorful and mismatched aesthetic of the dining room (which was perhaps even better at breakfast during daytime hours) and creative touches like the Lego breadbasket and the placemat which read “On this magic placemat calories don’t count.”  After a late dinner it was lovely to just walk up 2 flights of stairs and be in bed.


Rabbit escabeche, red onion, potato and rosemary
Octopus, pork, sweet potato and red pepper

NYC – 10/24/15 – Felidia

Posted in New York by

A New York classic that I have somehow never visited in all of the years I have lived here.  Sometimes it is necessary to have family visiting to get me to the east side.  I made an excellent choice with the tutto crudo and the photo does not do it justice as it was an extremely beautiful plate.  But my favorite touch of the meal may have been the honeycomb that was brought out with my cheese course.  Entertainment for the adults as well as the kids.


Tutto Crudo – shaved raw tuna, salmon, branzino, vegetables, puffed rice
 Vitello – veal tenderloin, sunchoke, leeks, castelmagno cheese fonduta, hazelnut, white truffles
 Cheese

Morristown, NJ – 10/23/15 – Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen

Posted in Morristown, New Jersey by

I can’t believe that I find myself trying to talk anybody into heading into the depths of New Jersey for dinner.  Continuously fantastic and worth the drive more so than perhaps anything else in the state.  We ended up with quite a lot of food on this visit and I am proud of my dining companions who aren’t quite the professional eater that I try to be.  Thank you Chris James for the fantastic cocktails.  When I ask to be surprised with something gin based as my first drink and get my absolute favorite, the Last Word, it was obviously going to be a good night.  Congratulations on the well deserved recognition from Esquire magazine!

Braised Octopus – tomato asopao, green olive gremolata
 Autumn Salad – roasted root vegetables, almond cracker, brown butter gastrique
 Hand Cut Sirloin Tartare – potato rosti, cornichons, egg yolk
 Fusilli Pasta – spicy sausage, broccoli rabe, controne beans
 Arancini- mortadella, pistachio, pomodoro sauce
 Caramelized Squash Crostino – gorgonzola and ricotta, toasted pumpkin seeds
 Yellowtail – chicken skin, scallions
 Cheese Plate – robiola fiorita, gorgonzola dolce, pecorino grand cru, castelrosso
 Charcuterie – spicy sopressata, prosciutto, bresaola, pickled vegetables
 Desserts (unfortunately missing descriptions)
  
 Banana Hammock
  

NYC – 10/17/15 – Sadelle’s, NYCWFF with Virgilio Martinez and Matthew Lightner, and Nomad Bar

Posted in New York by

Sadelle’s
Another visit and I wish that I could say that the service improved but sadly such was not the case.  Although I did have it much better than the people seated on either side of me who were missing dishes and had to ask repeatedly if they were coming or forgotten.  And not much of a spoiler that on my most recent visit this weekend it is still not good.  As I’ve never had any service issues at any of the other Major Food Group spots, it does baffle me a bit what is going on here.  Growing too quickly perhaps?  But nevertheless I will continue to return because I love the food.  The salads are what I want to eat everyday for lunch if I could.

Beverly – turkey, cheddar, beet, bacon, tomato
Pickles


NYCWFF – Virgilio Martinez and Matthew Lightner
Most of me just wants to say that this was a complete sh*t show, the end.  I was really looking forward to this dinner to have Matthew Lightner back in town and to finally have Virgilio Martinez’s food and maybe decide if I would ever make the trek to his restaurant in Peru.  The NYC Wine and Food Festival (NYCWFF) has been in existence long enough that there is really no excuse for such poor organization and service, especially at one of the priciest events of the weekend.  Of the hors d’oeuvres, we somehow only received 2 and after inquiring several times as the dinner proceeded were told that the kitchen had run out.  When the number of guests are known and the room fairly small, I still don’t understand how this was possible especially as these were not passed hors d’oeuvres.  Our table was ignored by the servers and when we questioned this and complained, the response and lack of even an apology from the organizers was disappointing at best. When paying a lot for a dinner, having to do battle to just get the food on the menu is absurd. I’ve had a good run of events at the NYCWFF but I think this is the end of the road for me.

Tart of Sprouted Grain with garden salsa and smoked clams
Rock of the Sea Razor Clams with avocado cream
Pseudocereals with Andean grains and citrus
  

Marine Soil Scallops with aji amarillo tiger’s milk and seaweed

Porridge of Heirloom Rice and Smoked Fish with mushrooms and sourdough
 BBQ Lamb with petals of beets and rose, aromatic red sauce
 Cacao and Chaco Clay, chocolate ganache, chaco clay and dragon fruit

Nomad Bar
And when dinner is underwhelming and you are still hungry where else to end up by Nomad Bar for my favorite cocktail, Satan’s Circus, plus a hot dog.  I’m not sure how I got by before this place was open.


  

NYC – 10/16/15 – Lupulo

Posted in New York by

How fortuitous that I find myself in this neighborhood very often. There may be a few subsequent posts but this is one that will have to drop off of my blog as I like it too much. All of these dishes I could eat everyday and its a challenge to try other things on the menu.

Pate de Carapau – Portuguese mackerel spread, toast

Salada de Tomate e Requeijao – Eckerton Farms tomato salad, fresh cows milk cheese, opal basil and olive oil

Red Snapper Cru – Red snapper served raw, coconut milk, kaffir-lime broth, fermented serrano, benne seeds

NYC – 10/13/15 – Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop and Seamstress

Posted in New York by

Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop
I’ve wanted to try this breakfast ramen since it was added to the menu but getting to the west side in the morning is not the easiest.  If I could start my day in this neighborhood everyday this would become a very bad habit.  Absolutely loved it!  Although clearly it was early as I have no idea why I did not add an egg.

Breakfast all day ramen – dashi-cheddar, taylor ham, scallion omelet, whole wheat noodle

Pork Buns

Seamstress
I’ve been to Seamstress a few times for their fantastic cocktails but this was my first opportunity to have dinner here.  Surprisingly really great food.  Unfortunately its quite dark so the photography is not the best.  But easily one of the best things about the UES.  And really when was the last time you had a baked Alaska??

Market Pickles

Peekytoe crab salad

Smoked & Fried Yardbird

Wild mushrooms

Fried cauliflower

Baked Alaska