Monthly Archives: March 2017

NYC – 1/8/17 – Pondicheri

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Unfortunately this was one of the coldest nights of the winter and the back of the restaurant apparently has no heat or insulation.  In fairness we were offered a choice of tables and were warned of the temperature issue.  We definitely did not appreciate how bad it was but why not space heaters?   The food was delicious but my enjoyment was somewhat limited.  Everything arrived at once even though it could barely fit on the table and obviously got cold very quickly.  I am looking forward to a return visit but will wait until the temperature warms up.  And a few visits to the bakery case in the front until then.

E100 sour

complimentary ‘chips’

Roghan josh lamb – lamb & root vegetables stewed with coconut, almonds, yogurt, cardamom & Kashmiri red chili; carrot roti & saffron cucumber raita

chicken cooked in 25 spices & masalas with tomato, fenugreek & white poppy seeds

pistachio apricot naan with cilantro chutney
goat & lentil masala samosa

NYC – 1/7/17 – Sugarfish

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I arrived at Sugarfish a bit oblivious as to how ridiculous the lines are.  But luckily it was snowing and I joined the line about 10 min prior to opening and made the first round of seating.  I appreciate Sugarfish as a good stop for lunch after a workout when I am still in gym clothes and want a relatively light lunch.  It is essentially the fast casual version of sushi.  But to wait an hour plus for a text when your table is available, I am baffled.

tuna sashimi

salmon sushi

albacore sushi

yellowtail and hirame sushi

toro hand roll

blue crab hand roll

NYC – 12/30/16 – Momofuku Ko truffle dinner

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One of my earliest NYC food memories is of the wonderful truffle tasting menu at old Alain Ducasse at the Essex House.  At the time I couldn’t afford these types of experiences.  But I am blessed to have an aunt & uncle who prefer French restaurants and every time they came to town would invite me to dinner.  I am often asked how I got so into food.  I attribute it partially to the endless hours that I watched the Food Network in its early years.   But my love for fine dining came from these visits to places like Alain Ducasse, Bouley, and Daniel.

Anyway I have been a complete sucker for truffles ever since.  So there is just no way this could have been anything other than fantastic.  It is difficult to pick favorite courses in this amazing menu by Sean Gray (but I would certainly love if the honeynut squash made a reappearance next winter).  Excellent wine pairings from Chase Sinzer and service from the rest of the Ko team.  I wish I could do this one all over again. ❤


chicken oyster – montepulciano white

lobster – mornay, aragon black

otoro – scallion, dashi

scallop – sunchoke, aragon black



honeynut squash – benton’s ham, aragon black

royale – foie gras, naked pruner, montepulciano white

king crab – tofu, montepulciano white

madai – sweetbreads, aragon black, shellfish

dry aged beef – aragon black, lettuce

clementine

buckwheat waffle – montepulciano white, vanilla ice cream

Hozon blondie to go


NYC – 12/27/16 – Atoboy

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It took me far too long to get to Atoboy but in my defense I knew I would be able to try much more if not dining alone.  Each orders 3 dishes for $36/person which has to be one of the absolute best deals in Manhattan and additional dishes may be added.  Looking back through my pictures I really loved everything.  There has been so much great tartare in the past year and this version certainly goes on the list.  And I can’t even look at the corn photo without getting serious cravings.  If you haven’t been, do not wait as long as I did.

Tartare – beef, oyster, potato


Leek – doenjang, cheddar, walnut

Fluke – moo radish, pomerol, sesame seed

Squid – pork, shrimp, salsa verde

Sunchoke – oyster mushroom, black truffle, orange

Corn – taleggio, bacon, doenjang

Octopus – kimchi, chorizo, parsley

Chicken – spicy peanut butter, garlic

Pork jowl – barley, ssamjang, romaine

Brisket – foie gras, ginger, garlic

NYC – 12/19/17 – Augustine

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I had high hopes for the whisky burger at Augustine based on other reviews but found it to be oddly flavorless which was completely disappointing considering the very high $27 price point.  Thankfully the fries were quite good.  I also did not get the accompanying shot of whiskey that I thought came with it and others at the bar were served.  Such likely would have helped!  The waldorf salad was a bit basic and nothing I would order again considering I have made many far better versions at home.  I love the space and the energy was fantastic.  But in the future I will stick to the lobby at the Beekman (which is gorgeous) or Fowler & Wells.

Waldorf salad – honeycrisp apples, toasted walnuts, celery hearts, Greek yogurt dressing

Whisky burger with single malt scotch braised onions, Comte cheese and pommes frites

NYC – 12/17/16 – Momofuku Nishi

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If only it was easier to find the Penicillin in bars.  It is one of my absolute favorite cocktails and is so hard to find that I have made them at home several times (but once I make a batch of ginger syrup I feel obligated to drink them exclusively).  So when there is a Penicillin on the menu the evening is off to a perfect start.

Everything we had I could eat with great regularity.  In fact at a subsequent visit it was difficult to force myself to order different things.  Looking at these photos I am having cravings for the romaine salad and am going to have to go back asap.


Diver scallops – shio kombu, tiger’s milk, cucumber

Raw beef – watermelon radish, dashi ponzu

Romaine – walnut bagna cauda

Butter noodle – chickpea hozon, black pepper

Fried potato & smoked yolk
Jajangmyeon – pork sausage, chili pan mee, fried egg

Bunt cake

NYC – 12/10/16 – Chaan Teng

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On the occasions when I have tickets to a show the acceptable options for a pre-theatre dinner are slim.  So I was excited by this new entry (on 48th and 9th) from Pichet Ong who has perhaps been better known for his time as pastry chef at the former Spice Market.  Perhaps too excited as I did not realize that they were still awaiting a liquor license.  An unacceptable error on my part, especially when celebrating a friend’s birthday, but luckily there was a liquor store a few doors down.  Service was a bit spotty but I have to excuse it so close to opening.  And while everything was very good, the General Tso fried chicken was the standout with its super crunchy coating.  I have had a lot of great fried chicken this year and this may have been the best.  I also ranked it in my favorite dishes of 2016.  Next time I may just eat the entire order myself.

Walnut shrimp in lettuce – wild shrimp, honey walnuts, sesame, sweet mayo, bibb lettuce

Charred lo mein with egg and chicken – wok charred egg noodle, cabbage, mushroom soy, Cantonese spices

Dry fry long beans & peanuts – long Chinese green beans, Nyonya caramelized shallots, daikon preserve

Half General Tso fried chicken -with broccoli and ChaanTeng original sauce

Chicago – 12/3/16 – Mott Street

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I really enjoyed my previous visit to Mott St. but his time unfortunately not so much.  It was so loud that I could barely hear my dinner companion and by the end of the meal my throat hurt from shouting and I craved silence.  I am able to get past noise issues when the food is worth it, but in this case it just was not.  Not offensive but average.

Cauliflower

Everything wings

Imperial Rolls

(Apologies as have forgotten what this one is)

Szechuan and pepper shrimp

Port Chester, NY – 12/28/16 – Tarry Lodge

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Since my family left Westchester I haven’t had a reason to head back to Tarry Lodge.  But one of our favorite bands playing in Port Chester gave us a perfect excuse.  There were some definite service issues but it brought back good family memories.

Crab with piquillo

Beets agrodolce

Burrata with butternut squash & walnut pesto

Goat cheese with pistacios, red onion & truffle honey

Gnocchi with braised shortribs & pecorino

NYC – 12/7/16 – Momofuku Ko

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Ko continues to be my favorite restaurant in New York and the one always at the top of my list of recommendations for foodie friends from out of town.  I have stopped including in this blog my many visits for the shorter bar menu otherwise you may tire of these posts, but this trip was for the full menu.  I am still trying to figure out why I like the sea urchin-chickpea dish so much considering I dislike urchin and have texture issues so that this dish on paper is something I wouldn’t even want to try.  After much contemplation I think that the olive oil is the magic component.  The ko egg will never ever get old.  Of the new-to-me dishes on this menu it was a tie for my favorite between the sweet potato-brown butter and beef-au poivre.  If you haven’t been yet, GO.

pomme souffle


lobster paloise

chicken oyster

blackfish – barrel aged bonji

sea urchin – chickpea, hozon

ko egg – caviar

sweet potato – brown butter

beef – au poivre

razor clam – pineapple, basil

bouillabaisse – potato, saffron

duck – squash



foie gras – lychee, pine nut, riesling jelly

wild rice – kombu

melon – honey, mint
A

Chicago – 12/2/16 – Oriole

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I am so far behind that since this dinner there have been several additional glowing reviews of Oriole.  There isn’t much I can add to those so to sum it up, I concur and absolutely loved it.  Fantastic food, space, service and wine.  And while often overlooked , 2 amazing bread courses.

Golden Osetra Caviar, coconut dashi, lychee and sea grape

Langoustine spring roll with shio kombu, calamansi and mint

Kampachi nigiri with yuzu kosho and genmai

Beef tendon puffed with wagyu tartare and shaved matsutake

Beausoleil oyster, iberico consomme and smoked finger lime

Cardinal prawn, iberico lardo, meyer lemon and fennel


Jamon iberico de bellota, black walnut, egg yolk and campo de montalban

Sea urchin emulsion with bay scallop, cauliflower and anise hyssop

Capellini, white alba truffle, rye berry and yeast

Sourdough, cultured butter, caraway and local grains

Japanese A5 wagyu, charred little gem, furikake and sesame leaf

Lemon tea sorbet with hibiscus, asian pear and bitter greens

Croissant, raclette, apple butter and cardamom

Pistachio gelato with elderflower and puffed rice

Mignardieses

Pie to go

Paris – 11/26/16 – Dersou

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Dersou has a vibe that can only be described as ‘hip’ even though I hate that term.  The space is minimal, industrial and casual.  The only choice is among a 5, 6 or 7 course menu although everybody I could see seemed to be doing 7.  Each includes a cocktail pairing per course.    The cocktails were all successful and in smaller portions that worked for this format.  I have recommended Dersou multiple times since this visit to friends who I thought would have fun here.  I’m sure the format isn’t for everyone but I loved it.



Paris – 11/25/16 – Pages and La Bourse et La Vie

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Pages
I had an absolutely lovely lunch at Pages.  In retrospect I am not sure i would have enjoyed it so much at dinner.  It has nothing to do with the restaurant itself, but most people seemed to be out to business lunches and so for me it truly felt like a vacation day.  As is too typical I did not take notes but everything was delicious and I always love having a view of the kitchen.




La Bourse et La Vie
It seems that Daniel Rose can do no wrong. As expected truly excellent versions of dishes that I love and could eat meal after meal.

Leeks and hazelnuts

Steak, fries and salad

Paris – 11/24/16 – L’Assiette and L’Arpege

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L’Assiette
L’Assiette is exactly what you expect a French bistro to be. This was a perfect lunch although I did eat my body weight in beans.

L’Arpege
I have been trying to reconcile my experience at L’Arpege with some of the less than stellar reviews and think perhaps I just had more realistic expectations.  Just looking at my photos you can tell that there is no crazy plating, modern technique, nothing that is not what it appears to be.  If anything this is 3 star version of comfort food.  So if you come in expecting something different you will likely be disappointed.  Not that such assumption is not warranted by starts and rankings.  What makes Arpege is personality.  It is a dinner party and there is so much energy in the room it is difficult to not have fun if you give in to it.  Before I even sat down Alain Passard kissed me on both cheeks, complimented my dress, and whispered “I am going to cook for you tonight.”  It was impossible not to be completely smitten and subsequently ignore the flaws.  For me this was an absolute perfect Thanksgiving dinner.