Macondo

I have now been to this spot three times- and have always really enjoyed myself. The drinks are awesome (My friends SWEAR by the white sangria, if that is your kinda thing), the mojitos kick butt, and the cava is lovely and poured tall.

But more importantly, the tapas-style food is awesome. I've tried several veg plates, including the patatas bravas, which are not soggy at all and served with a nice spicy crema sauce. My favorite dish is a quinoa beet salad with mint and a little cheese. The mint flavor is super refreshing, light, and makes for a great flavor to contrast with the brown crunchy grain and the beet. I also really like the flatbread with spinach, cheese, and golden onions. Again, the combo of texture and flavor is incredibly satisfying!!

Friends have tried dishes of fish and meat and enjoyed them all- but I think the creative veg-friendly cuisine is what really impresses me in this spot (and the drinks!!)

Like ALL tapas experiences, always pricier than you think at first. Sigh, what can I say to this other than... tapas, you entice my palate and steal from my wallet!!!!

WD-50

This post is about to break my heart. Wylie Dufresne, of top chef and world fame for his modern cooking- called 'molecular gastronomy'- a weird mash of science and food fiction- did not deliver. Well, not entirely. I was soooo excited to go check this place out- having watched Wylie on TV, and read the NY Times reviews, I knew I was going to have a unique meal. The point, I understood- was to take the ordinary and turn it into something more concentrated and playful... but where did the flavor go? Let me break it down...

The appetizers were by far a highlight- though they took quite some time to arrive. The service was nice, but slow. And we skipped the drinks, as the prices were really stiff.

Ry started off with aerated foie groie with pickled beets and a currant jelly- he declared the beets the best part of the plate, and I agree. They tasted pretty much like... beets. The foie was rich, and came in a sizeable portion. It was good, and 'interesting', says Ryan, though I doubt he would get it again.

I had the famous Eggs Benedict- though mine were technically florentine, since I skipped the bacon and substituted spinach. I must say, this was the highlight that it has been made out to be in so many articles- read this one from the NY times for a run down of the technical process and revelation in form that this dish is: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/dining/reviews/05rest.html

In short, it is pretty amazing. The yolks are turned into a gel- reminding me of the texture of the custard part of a lemon meringue pie- and the deep friend hollandaise was.... well, mind blowing. This dish was definitely pretty awesome, and when the bites mixed together- really exquisite.

For my entree, I had the vegetarian special- a forgettable and bland quinoa-based dish that was super disappointing. It did not do justice to the turnip or other veggies on the plate, and the portion seemed insubstantial. Even the baby bok choy was uninspired. It was dry, and lacked really any flavor.

Ryan had a coconut fish dish that tasted more like hand lotion and also had muted, bland flavors. I felt urges to reach for the salt like never before, and I just couldn't believe this was the guy everybody raves about!!

The best bites of my meal by far were the eggs benedict appetizer and the tiny complimentary dessert of an amazing freeze-dried ice cream rice krispy treat, which was heaven.

All in all, we left shaking our heads, wondering if it was just a mismatch of flavor palates- we like savory, earthy foods- or truly a disappointing meal. I don't know if I can say for sure, but I definitely left feeling let down, hungry, and unsatisfied.

Shang

Last night Ry and I ventured out in the cold and post-snow slush to celebrate what might be considered my favorite holiday: Restaurant Week. This time we tried Shang- Chef Susur Lee's NYC spot at the Thompson Hotel on the LES. After watching him on Top Chef and reading up on the restaurant, I was prepared to try some amazing things, including the dish in the photograph- Singapore Slaw.

Singapore Slaw is a salad with 19 ingredients, and though I could not follow as the waiter rattled them all off, my tastebuds were tickled and thrilled-really- by every last one. I don't know if I can name every flavor I came across, but the basics: a crispy, crunchy mee-krob style noodle, with lots of ginger, plum dressing, daikon radish, edible flowers....and at this point, I'm going to have to cheat and google for the rest.

Ohhhh yes: post, googling, I totally remember tasting the pickled onion, the peanuts, the microgreens, and the carrot.

Ryan ordered the restaurant week menu, and his appetizer was a satay trio of chicken, shrimp, and steak. The skewers were topped with a spicy massaman curry and a mint chutney. Ryan thought it was really good, though he enjoyed the shrimp the least.

For our second courses, Ryan ordered the hanger steak which came with wasabi mashed potatoes. Ryan wasn't blown away, and declared it tasty, maybe a little salty, though not the best he's ever had. I tried the mashed potatoes and was disappointed- they were a bit cold and not creamy.

I on the other hand really liked my entree- cantonese wok fried pearl noodles with vegetables. The veggies were crisp- asparagus and pepper and spicy peppers. The noodles were a little heavy and greasy, but it didn't ruin the overall effect of the dish. (Though between the slaw and the noodles, I waaaaay overate.)

Washed down with some sake for Ryan and cava for me, we finished off with a chocolate cake dessert that was actually pretty tasty for a few bites.

I think next time I'd sit at the bar, have a glass of wine and the slaw, and perhaps sample the sushi or other appetizers...

What's fa Supper?

Supper is a classic NYC restaurant in the fall for me- and one of those spots that is just all about memories. Good memories. And good food. We came here with Ryan's mom & aunt, my grandparents, and lots of our friends. We've had date night here- sat outside when it was chilly with our coats on- inside by the kitchen (and then I spilled water ALL over my friend)- in the back, and in the front.

What's so good at Supper? Ryan is a devotee of the priest stranglers- a handmade pasta that is long and skinny, with fresh tomato sauce and soft ricotta on top. I have tried many different dishes- ravioli with pumpkin and sage, and most recently- a grilled vegetable platter that was just soooo amazing. Everything was super fresh. Roasted beets, red peppers, tomato, eggplant and zucchini. I am also a huge fan of the wine selecetion and the bread and canneloni beans that they serve before your meal. The last time I also tried the grilled polenta with sweet gorgonzola cheese, totally awesome.

I've also had some darn good tiramisu here- this place is what memories and good food are made of!!

Uno, Due, TRE

I met my friend Liz for dinner the other night on the LES by my school. We decided to get some italian at Tre, a cute little spot that carries one of my favorite every-day bottles of red, a negroamaro called Rocca Bella. I'm pretty sure they charged me for a glass ($(8) just shy of what i'd normally pay for a bottle ($11) ... but hey, it sure is tasty. Liz and I started with an item from the "Neapolitan Street Food" section of the menu, all for $6 each. We tried the arancini di riso- fried rice balls- basically a sweet pea and mozzarella risotto fried up. We both agreed that they needed either more cheese inside, or a sauce to dip them in. Some of the other items sounded really great on this menu- mushrooms, crispy artichokes, fried zucchini, etc. But we were not quite hungry enough to explore them all on this trip!

For my entree, I had the fusilli gorgonzola ($14)- which had zucchini and shitake mushroom, and was served in a light (if there can be such a thing) gorgonzola cream sauce. Liz and I agreed this was the winning dish- lots of flavor, just the right amount of sauce, and the mushroom and zucchini really did a nice job complimenting the gorgonzola. Liz tried the homemade gnocchi ($16) which was not as successful. The gnocchi were almost flavorless and somewhat heavy and sticky. The spinach and cheese flavors just didn't make it to the palate. The fresh tomato sauce was nice, but nothing to write home about.

Overall, I thought the restaurant was cute and had potential. I'd probably go back for a glass of wine and to try a few more of the neapolitan street snacks. But I wouldn't send you searching for it if you weren't already in the neighborhood, either, if you know what I mean....

DBGB & Quartino

Ryan and I celebrated my official homecoming last night with dinner at Daniel Boulud's DBGB on the Lower East Side. The place fits its location on the Bowery- lots of raw materials- concrete piers in the dining room, and open kitchen, glass front- and the noise certainly gives the place a buzz. The tables are packed in tight- but booths along the side seemed to offer intimacy for some. The scene reminded me of one of the large food halls in paris, where the waiters buzz around as diners, packed in side by side, well, eat. Gives the place a better vibe for groups, parties, and fun, but not for a romantic, quiet dinner. More sceney and hip, less white linen than its big brother Daniel.

The menu had a ton of choices for meat and seafood lovers- and luckily, one vegetarian option for me. I have to admit, I must have either still been eating meat yet when I looked at the menu, or just didn't pay enough attention, but it wasn't until I was sitting there that I realized my options were fairly slim. Probably not the last time that will happen. I guess I could have asked them to turn out a vegetarian version of one of their other dishes, but I spotted a tasty pasta dish to try, so I went with that. It was really very good- a fresh marinara sauce, with onions and ricotta with lemon. Really clean, nice flavors, and it was a nice portion. (I couldn't finish!). I also had the butter lettuce and chive salad, which was as simple as the name suggests, and had a great 'green' spring flavor.

Ryan tried the tuna crudo, which came in nice size squares with a gingery dressing and cilantro. He then had the 2 sausage combo- and selected from maybe 10 different homemade choices. He went with the Beaujolais-which smelled so good I even tried it! You could taste the wine, and whole pieces of bacon, with a nice smoky finish. The second sausage he tried was the DBGB hot dog- which basically was the finest quality hot dog we've ever come across, garlicky and smokey. It tasted like it came off a camp fire. With a dash of the dijon mustard, nice and spicy- it was delish.

Unfortunately, we just didn't have the appetite to try one of the featured desserts- home made ice cream sundaes. But holy moses they looked good, and I sorta regret not forcing one down.

DBGB is also known for its beer menu, a large variety is on tap, and ryan tried one with his sausages that he really enjoyed.




Before dinner, We popped into this cute looking little wine bar- Quartino. They only serve organic wines, with selections mainly from italy and france. Each serving is a quartino (hence the name). I tried a white falanghina from Italy, and Ryan had a Barbera D'alba from Italy as well. Both were quite nice. I liked the romantic atmosphere and soft light! I'd pop in for a glass sometime again!

Banjara

Tonight Ry & I went to our favorite Indian Restaurant, Banjara. "Loyalty" is not the right word for how we feel about this place- as far as we're concerned, you could close pretty much every other indian restaurant in town. Yup, that into it. We've been coming here for a solid 5 years, pretty much since I left the UWS and the Indian Cafe by Columbia. Never had a bad meal! We make a pilgrimage here now probably every 2-3 months, although we tend to go more as the weather improves...

What we love: the vegetable samosas and the mint chutney. YES.

Ryan: Murg tikka masala- which is a creamy version of the classic. White meat chicken in a tomato/cream based sauce that is not spicy, but very flavorful.. and a side its of naan to dip in the sauce.

Me: Chicken or Vegetable vindaloo, as hot as they are willing to make it for a white chick. Usually they look to Ryan for permission/confirmation that I am not insane. Oh man, over the basmati rice, with a little raita and naan....so good.

A Taj Mahal beer for Ryan to boot, and the meal is complete.

Formaggio Kitchen

Few things get my heart pounding like "Formaggio". I love cheese. I have fond memories of eating cheese on picnics in the italian alps, on the steps of cathedrals, and in some of my favorite restaurants. The sight of many cheeses really just makes me happy. Throw in wine, local organic produce, fresh baked bread, and an impressive selection of fancy cold cuts... well, it took a lot not to buy the whole damn store.

My friend Casey accompanied me on our adventure, and we spent a solid 45 minutes shopping- and tasting! Of course, silly me, I neglected to write down all the names- but a few highlights:

- Sottocenere al Tartufo:

Let's just call it heaven. A soft white cheese with truffles. What more can a girl ask for?? It was divine. I had to buy some of this to bring home...

Comte- a french white, somewhat nutty, not my favorite, but tasty.

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar- this stuff was soooo tasty! The cheese lady was super helpful- and told us about how cabot makes this cheese at one dairy, from one herd. crazy.

We also tried several others- including an incredible blue cheese that is an exclusive import.

I highly recommend stopping by the next time you are in cambridge or on the lower east side of new york. But for everyone else, good news- they sell on their site, too- at: http://www.formaggiokitchen.com/

Allen & Delancey and 'inoteca

So it's been a while since I've properly got my food on. Alas, grad school has sent me into a bit of hibernation. But last night I got a chance to check out Allen & Delancey on the LES. We'd heard it was very romantic, which it was, although for us old farts the music was too loud and totally incongruous with the scene. Sorta hipster rock tracks? There are candles everywhere and library books and black and white photos. Very tiny, so be prepared to get bumped on your way in and out. We had a drink at the bar before sitting down, and my prosecco was not properly chilled- which might sound totally snobby, but folks, at $12 a glass, the least they could do is keep it nice and cold! The menu is quite small, featuring about 4 appetizers and entrees to choose from, but a nice variation in proteins. We shared a salad that had a great tart vinaigrette and some awesome tomatoes, not sure what had been done to them, but I think they had cooked them just enough to soften the skins. Ryan had the beef- he reported that it was well cooked, but a little under-seasoned, and was room temperature when he got it. I had the chicken roulade which was very savory- the chicken was extremely tender and the liver mousse was nice and salty. The chicken was in a very vegetably broth, and the combo reminded me of flavors I had last year at Blue Hill. Overall, I was a little disappointed. The dining room was very noisy, both from music and nearby tables, and the food was good but clearly had some service issues. I was also a little surprised by the mixed crowd- if you would have blidnfolded me I would have thought I was in the mid 50's and not the LES, judging by the number of patrons sporting white hair for the evening.

After dinner we took a spin around the block and came across a cute little wine bar, 'inoteca.

We were too full to sample the cuisine, but we did try several of their wines. The imported cheeses looked great, as did their paninis. Nice casual crowd, and we were lucky to get a seat at the window table. Some fun people watching on Saturday night! I'd definitely go back and check out the food!