Eataly!

Italy is Eataly says just one of the many signs throughout this megastore and restaurant that is perhaps a one of a kind. Mario Batali, famous chef of Babbo, occasional TV chef star, and his partner, Lidia Bastianich, have opened this gourmet grocery, food market, and restaurant to bring not only good food to the city, but also their philosophy- which they have emblazoned everywhere. If the food wasn't amazing and the spectacle mind blowing, I might have found the signage a bit irritating. Every stand had a mantra, advice to spare, and just for a dash of 'authenticity', subtitles in italian. But who cares about the words? Can we get to the good part- the food, the wine, and the food, and the wine, and the food?

Ryan and I decided to head to the heart of the store first for a light lunch. The Piazza, as it is called, is in the central rotunda, and tables- no chairs, just standing height- are spread throughout. We started with wine- I had a glass of barbera d'alba, which was earthy, vegetal, and a little funky, and really wonderful. Ryan had a dolcetta d'alba that was purple in color, and tasted fruity, with cherry and raspberry.

We ordered the meat and cheese plate sampler, as well as a tricolore salad. The salad was delish, with radicchio and arugula, nice and peppery, and topped with shaved parmesan and an aged balsamic vinegar. We tried several types of cheeses, an aged parmesan, a taleggio, and a gorgonzola, as well as a creamy and light fresh ricotta, and Ryan tasted a few types of prosciutto as well. Complimentary loaves of bread and olive oil and honey complimented everything wonderfully.

But can I mention my favorite part??! When it was time to go shopping, we ordered a second glass of wine- to go! I had a really wonderful glass of prosecco and then off we went- glass in hand- to look at all the wonderful items for sale.

The produce section is really wonderful- they carry all different kinds of mini vegetables, as well as lots of harder to find items.


We also picked up some imported olive oil, fresh pasta, house-made mozzarella, a bunch of fresh basil, and my all-time and impossible to find favorite, pecorino peppato- an aged pecorino cheese with peppercorns...

I was too full from our lunch to try the coffee bar, gelato bar, or the bakery, but I will not make that mistake twice. Everything looked so good!! And rumor has it later this spring they are opening a roof top bar... I'll be there!!

Food Hall @ The Plaza

I seem to find myself at the Plaza hotel quite a bit lately, lol. This time, Ryan and I returned to check out Todd English's new venture, the Food Hall. Based on the food halls of Harrods and other European Capitals, this space is more restaurant than lunch counter- but as a theme, it's super fun. First come, first served seats at a variety of counters- including a raw bar, wine bar, sushi table, and grill, offer diners a fun view of the chef's at work. We ended up sitting in the middle of it all, at a communal table. The menu is quite large, and we really wanted a little of everything- artisanal flat breads, pastas, tapas, and more. We finally settled on two menu items and a special. We shared a black truffle, taleggio cheese, and sweet onion flatbread which was outrageously good. My love- our love- of truffles has appeared on this blog before, and the flatbread did not disappoint- thinly shaved slices of truffle melted on top of the cheese and onions- sweet and savory and aromatic. Perfect to share (And fairly priced at $30).



Next up, Ryan ordered the prime rib sliders- which was a large plate, the sliders were not so much bite sized but really decent sized sandwiches- and a plate of three- topped off with a delicious pickle. Ry saved one for a snack later and was quite happy.


I ordered the goat cheese ravioli- served with arugula, roasted red beets, and topped with a little lemon- the arugula and beets were awesome, peppery and sugary and tart, and the ravioli creamy and rich- making for a super well-rounded dish.



Ryan tried a glass of Bordeaux- a 2004 that was really nice.

We enjoyed the atmosphere, we loved the food, and my only regret was being too full for dessert. The couple sitting next to us had "wandered in by chance" and I could only wish to be so lucky for lunch!!

Of final note, a daily happy hour from 5-7 offers several glasses of wine at reduced price as well as a few plates, which seems like a great way to round out an afternoon of shopping or a stop by after the park once the weather gets warm!!

Tea @ the Plaza

What better way to celebrate the holidays than with the perfect NYC afternoon? And what better way to start off a holiday tour than with tea at the historic Plaza Hotel?

It might sound like a silly excuse to overpay for finger food- but Ryan and I- about once a year- really enjoy it. Not to mention how beautiful the classic tea rooms look!!
We started off with teas and champagnes. The tea- we sampled afternoon blends, and even some decaff- and everybody really enjoyed it. I didn't even bother with cream and sugar!



Our plates arrived, and between all of us, we tried three different menus: The classic, The New York, and a special Vegetarian tower for me.

Ryan's classic included a smoked salmon on wheat toast, which he liked, a cold lobster salad with caviar, which was "great- very delicate and yet decadent at the same time". The roast beef was his least favorite, not rare enough for his taste.

The New York plates included several similar sandwiches, but also had a roquefort cheese and grape, and a prosciutto, mozzarella and pesto.

My vegetarian tower had an amazing cucumber sandwich- a tea time classic, but here, more delicate, with extremely thin slices of cucumber and just a bit of cream cheese. A mozzarella and pesto sandwich was light and delicious, and a truffled egg salad was to die for. (Is there anything with truffle that is not??!)

The scones were lemony and raisiny and warm and soft.


But the best part, of course, is the desserts- mini black and white cookies, cheese cake, fruit tarts, hazlenut napoleons- every last one delicious!



After our tea, we headed to Radio City to see the Rockettes, and then to the Tree at Rock Center.

Bar Artisanal

Last night Ryan and I celebrated 6 years together! We have nicknamed our anniversary of meeting/dating the "anniversary of knowing". I feel very lucky to know Ryan....

So, we ventured to Tribeca to check out Artisanal's little sister, Bar Artisanal. Long before this blog, perhaps some three or four years ago now- *gasp* time goes fast- we went to Artisanal with a large group of friends during restaurant week. Friends who have been living in Italy for two years... friends who have been in Florida for a year... Friends we dearly miss! Anyway, sentimental romanticizing aside, we had an amazing time. Artisanal began as a fromaggerie- a cheese shop-and though I can't recall the majority of the food and wine we had, the highlight for me was a "1,000 cheese " fondue. It was a blend of many different cheeses, and it was just awesome. Beyond that, I remember tasty french fare, and mainly just a lot of fun.

So, back to Bar Artisanal. This new spot highlights Spanish wine and food, rather than the uptown spot which is french through and through. We Started off with a glass of Albarino- a citrusy, refreshing white wine ($11)- for Ryan, and a glass of Cava- a sparkling, champagne- like white ($10)- for me. Both are perennial favorites and hit the spot on a humid and muggy night. We didn't try the sangria- which was probably a huge mistake, as it looked awesome- and comes in several styles, including a hot & spicy version ($8/ glass) ! I'll add that to my "next time" list.

We started off with some tapas- small plates- which they offer in both 'classic' and 'modern' versions. We ordered marinated olives($4) and patatas bravas ($7) from the classic side, and manchego tempura ($7) from the modern.

The patatas bravas- basically fried potatoes- are a favorite dish of ours, and I've always seen them before as actual potatoes, but here were french fries. They were really nicely seasoned, salty, lots of pepper, and some herbs, and served with two traditional sauces, one which has a smoky, chipotle flavor, and a second which was an aioli, a creamy garlic- olive oil-mayonnaise. I thought this dish was really awesome and both sauces were addicting- but I wished they were served as potato wedges rather than fries.

The Manchego tempura was really interesting- manchego cheese was shaped into a ball and then batter dipped and fried. Awesome. My only complaint was that they were way over-salted, at least the two I ate, but Ryan did not have the same experience, so this might reflect a heavy hand more than the actual dish. I also thought the fries were salty too, so this might be my one complaint. Then again, I am an exception to most people's taste in salt.... I wonder if the manchego would have benefitted from a sweet sauce of some sort, just to balance the savory and salty flavors of the cheese and the batter. But overall, my mouth is watering recalling this dish, so clearly the saltiness did not ruin an otherwise lovely plate.

I had a glass of red wine, a Tempranillo from Rioja, which, as my husband often forgets, is a region and not a grape or style of wine. The red was really nice- and I received by far the most generous pour of the evening. We did notice that the bar seemed inconsistent- some glasses were quite full, primarily mine, and Ryan's always seemed rather small. The tempranillo had a subtle oak flavor that complimented the tapas wonderfully. Ryan ordered a glass of viura, a white wine also from Rioja- that was very floral and perfumey, but lacked the citrus notes I'd like in a glass of white.

We then split a meat and cheese plate ($25), I mainly eating the cheese.. and Ryan taking on the meat. The plate came with 3 types of meat: Chorizo, salchicon, a dry cured sausage, and lomo, cured pork loin. I DID sneak a bite of the chorizo, which was nice and spicy, like salami. oooh yes. As for the cheese, I asked the waiter to select one cow, one goat, and one sheep, and sort of pick his favorites. The goat was semi-firm, nutty, sharp, and really nice, but the sheep was my favorite- Roncal- and Ryan's. It was not quite as sharp as the goat, but also had a nutty flavor, similar to manchego. The last was definitely a curiosity- a soft cow's cheese that had cayenne in it- Afuegal Pitu. We both thought it was interesting, but not sure that either of us could really say we liked it. I'm glad I tried it, just for the experience!

Finally, we shared a dessert, another classic- churros ($10), served with hot chocolate. I love churros- fried dough- and these were really fresh and tasty. The hot chocolate was also great, I actually poured a little into my coffee!!

Overall, I had a really nice time. We both saw more we'd like to try- Ryan wanted to taste the mussels, and I saw some tasty looking salads, as well as more cheese I would love to sample. Not to forget the sangria!! I definitely see this spot as good for snacking and drinking.... Ole!

Tao

This year for restaurant week we figured we'd check out a "classic" on the NY scene, and finally go to Tao. This restaurant, now in year 10 or perhaps even more, is still as "scene-y" as ever. Thanks to the over the top decor, I can understand why it brings in tourists and B&T folks alike. We enjoyed our pre-dinner cocktails, I was drinking "Taotinis", a raspberry fruity concoction that was both tasty and strong. However, we did not like the rather rough bar bill, or the fact that we had to wait almost 40 minutes past our reservation time. We also did not like the fact that people were obviously skipping us- seriously? Just not cool in this town.

However, seating issues and expensive bar bill aside, we sat down to dinner, and really liked the prix-fixe menu. For appetizers, I had pork pot stickers, and Ryan had crispy tuna sashimi. The pork potstickers were in a really nice spicy and sweet sauce, and I was surprised by the large portions. Ry's tuna was tasty, although I thought the fish itself was overpowered by the "crisp" and wasabi. Our entrees were also quite large, and we ended up needing to take some to go! I had the kung pao chicken, which was tasty, but not spicy enough for me. Ryan had the wasabi-crusted filet, which was cooked to perfection and very tasty, but the wasabi crust was grainy, and luckily easily scraped off.

For dessert, I had a banana bread pudding which was creamy, light, and really flavorful. Ryan had the chocolate spring rolls which were incredibly rich. We enjoyed them both, and again, had food to spare!

Ryan ordered a sake tasting flight that he raved about. I don't drink sake, alas, but will have to trust his opinion.

Our waiter was friendly and helpful, and made me forget a little about the hostess and long wait situation.

The decor is pretty ridiculous, complete with a 15-foot tall buddha fountain.

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves- but found there were flaws to our evening. However, for restaurant week experiences, we ranked it very high, and I think we would both be willing to visit again. This time, we'll know to bribe the hostesses!

Daniel

So, it was a special occasion, and we went all out. For our second anniversary, Ryan and I went to Daniel Boulud's flagship, Daniel. We sorta had a chef crush on him to begin with, and we got to see him in person, which was amazing!! As for the food...

WOW.

The amuse bouche were amazing. The size of pinheads, but more flavor packed in one bite...my personal favorite of the 3 was a leek and mushroom, super creamy soup-type thing. It was basically served in a thimble, but oh what a thimbleful!

For appetizers, we had the artichoke soup with foie gras and sunchoke, and a lobster foie gras in consomme with small strips of duck prosciutto. I thought they were both very delicate and delicious. We also went with the wine pairings, Ryan had some crazy riesling that smelled like a mechanic shop. Ryan swears it tasted good...

For my entree I had a killer piece of lamb. The sauce was... very rich, creamy, and flavorful. Don't ask me what all was in it. There was also a bed of garbanzo beans that were nice and crunchy, which really added to the dish. Ryan had the beef two ways. The short rib was melt in your mouth goodness, and the filet was tender and really flavorful.

For dessert, I had a cheese plate, and Ryan had a chocolate peanut butter ganache, and we have no complaints.

Overall, the setting was gorgeous, the service was great, the food was delicious- and the wine was both wonderful and palate- pushing. Our only complaint was that the pours were a bit small! We will definitely be back someday soon!

Le Veau D'or & Flute

To celebrate my trip home to NYC, Ry and I went to a New York Institution- Le Veau D'or. Started in 1937 and still open, and with original decor, it is like walking onto a movie set. The original owner is still alive and greets you at the door dressed in an impeccable suit and waist coat. His daughter now does the majority of hostessing, and with only 14 tables, every diner receives some personal attention.

As for the wine list, classically french with one bottle representing each region, with a slight emphasis on Bordeaux. We ordered the chateauneuf-du-pape, from the Rhone. I had the endive salad and ryan had the mussels as an appetizer, and then had the steak au poive and rack of lamb for our entrees. The lamb is carved tableside, a great touch, and the food is classic. Recently featured thanks to Julie and Julia, this restaurant is one of few where traditional preparations and sauces are proudly on display. There is nothing nouveau happening here, and that was just fine! I loved the au poive, which was spicy but not biting, and the frites were skinny and delicious. Ryan noted the traditional preparation of the lamb, which came quite rare, so if you prefer your meet cooked, order it medium for sure.

For dessert, we tried the peach melba and the "floating island". Really light, and really tasty. An egg meringue in a vanilla cream with toasted almonds, I really enjoyed every bite.

Following dinner we headed downtown to "flute", New York's champagne bar.

Loved the scene, dark and with plenty of tables for two. We tried two different champagne tasting flights, and had several glasses to boot. My only drawback was that drinks here cost as much as dinner. Definitely a great "classic" new york date!!