The Sage Questions
Date Spot? If you don't mind distended bellies later.
Good for Groups? No
When Parents Visit? No
Cost? 160 prix-fixe lunch, 95 pairing. Dinner ~100 prix-fixe.
Wines under $100? Some wine, sake and beer. Get 1 pairing to share.
Location: 1st b/t 10 and 11
Rating: 4
One of the most decadent, imaginative, and memorable meals I've ever had. There is only one seating and lunch took 3.5 hours, but I'll never forget it. Words fail - so here is the menu. If you get lucky with the website and get a res, GO! Standout dishes starred...
Amuse- soufflé in a tuile with caviar, duck tongue on crispy rice, deep fried sweet shrimp heads
Beau soleil oysters w/hackleback caviar
(potato cake)
Kanpachi sashimi w/white soy sauce
*Fluke sashimi w/spicy bean paste and 2yr aged soy
Raw sweet shrimp w/avocado, blood orange
Uni over homemade tofu skin w/white truffle oil
(Daikon)
Baby scallops w/meyer lemon marinade and freeze-dried soy
(Spanish mackerel)
*Warm octopus w/pickled red cabbage salad w/Kashi croquette
*Puffed egg (French omelet) in bacon dashi broth w/shaved perigord truffle and homemade bagel stuffed with bacon-chive cream cheese
Diver scallops with razor clams, lily bulb, green tea broth
(Halibut)
*Poached escargot w/chestnut dumplings, chestnut chips, brussel sprouts, chive sour cream, apple
*Miso Risotto w/kale, wood-ear mushrooms, homemade guanciale
*Shaved foie gras torchon w/lychee, reisling gelee, pine-nut brittle
*Sweetbreads over almond puree, w/truffled mushroom, potato, and leek terrine
Elysian Fields lamb sous-vide w/lamb rib-stuffed onion
Cheese course (Humboldt fog and another, pork-fat brioche, cantaloupe marmalade)
*Apple sorbet w/toasted marshmallow and caramel sauce, graham crunch (deconstructed apple pie)
Parsnip ice cream, fudge-truffle ganache, hazelnut crunch
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
5 Napkin Burger
The Sage Questions
Date Spot? Casual, Yes
Good for Groups? Yes
When Parents Visit? No
Cost? $15 burgers
Wines under $100? Excellent beer and whiskey selection, some wine
Location: 45th and 9th
Rating: 3
5 Napkin Burger is an excellent spot to go for a casual meal or drink if you find yourself (God forbid) in Hell's Kitchen. The decor is "meat-locker chic", with meathooks and small bistro-style tables strewn about a tile floor. It is warm, and it is loud. The signature "5 Napkin" burger is a ground sirloin burger that is just chewy enough without being dry, and is sublimely meaty. It comes covered in gooey comte cheese and slightly sweet sauteed onions on a big fluffy brioche roll. If you attempt to pick it up, you may need a great deal more than five napkins. My advice? They give you a steakknife - don't be a hero, just use it.
The excellent bar at the back features an arm's-length list of scotches and bourbons, as well as a great many flavored vodkas and local microbrews. Wine is one thing they're a bit light on, but if beer or whiskey doesn't do it for you, they do make a killer fruity cocktail as well.
If you're either in the neighborhood or looking for that next great burger fix, don't miss this place.
Date Spot? Casual, Yes
Good for Groups? Yes
When Parents Visit? No
Cost? $15 burgers
Wines under $100? Excellent beer and whiskey selection, some wine
Location: 45th and 9th
Rating: 3
5 Napkin Burger is an excellent spot to go for a casual meal or drink if you find yourself (God forbid) in Hell's Kitchen. The decor is "meat-locker chic", with meathooks and small bistro-style tables strewn about a tile floor. It is warm, and it is loud. The signature "5 Napkin" burger is a ground sirloin burger that is just chewy enough without being dry, and is sublimely meaty. It comes covered in gooey comte cheese and slightly sweet sauteed onions on a big fluffy brioche roll. If you attempt to pick it up, you may need a great deal more than five napkins. My advice? They give you a steakknife - don't be a hero, just use it.
The excellent bar at the back features an arm's-length list of scotches and bourbons, as well as a great many flavored vodkas and local microbrews. Wine is one thing they're a bit light on, but if beer or whiskey doesn't do it for you, they do make a killer fruity cocktail as well.
If you're either in the neighborhood or looking for that next great burger fix, don't miss this place.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
'inoteca
What a find! 'inoteca is a smallish corner shop in the LES offering Italian wines and small plates. This is a perfect spot to while away a weekend afternoon over a carafe of wine and a plate of meat and cheese. It is fairly crowded almost all the time, so be prepared to wait for a table, or do what I did and have a seat at the small but efficient bar. The menu generally offers small tapas-style plates that are perfect for sharing as well as a selection of slightly-more-robust panini, which would allow you to have a full dinner here if you start in the afternoon and by happy coincidence are still working your way down the wine list that evening. The staff is extremely knowledgable about the reasonably extensive meat and cheese menu, and will gladly translate the rest of the mostly-Italian menu as required.
The wine list is small, all Italian, and all below $50 a bottle. The waitstaff will point you in the right direction and the half-carafes, about 2+ glasses each, definitely encourage sampling. And then more sampling. And potentially a newfound belief that you can speak Italian.
Perfect for spending a lazy afternoon or a light meal - if you find yourself down in the LES pop in for a spell. You'll wish for more such spells.
The Sage Questions
Date Spot? Yes
Good for Groups? Yes
When Parents Visit? No
Cost? $8-15 apps and small plates
Wines under $100? All of them
Rating: 3
The wine list is small, all Italian, and all below $50 a bottle. The waitstaff will point you in the right direction and the half-carafes, about 2+ glasses each, definitely encourage sampling. And then more sampling. And potentially a newfound belief that you can speak Italian.
Perfect for spending a lazy afternoon or a light meal - if you find yourself down in the LES pop in for a spell. You'll wish for more such spells.
The Sage Questions
Date Spot? Yes
Good for Groups? Yes
When Parents Visit? No
Cost? $8-15 apps and small plates
Wines under $100? All of them
Rating: 3
Friday, January 2, 2009
Babbo
What can you say about Batali's flagship except make a res and go immediately. Babbo, in a smallish two-level townhouse in the Village, is always packed, and typically has a several-hour wait for seats at the postage-stamp bar in front. The reservation line is open a month to the date beforehand, so typically you get to spend that time dreaming of calf's brains francobolli and the like while anticipation steadily grows.
There are three ways to go through Babbo - all will leave you very full, and potentially much lighter in the wallet. The first two are the standard paths - one of the two tasting menus (a pasta menu for $69 and a traditional tasting for $79) offer a generous feel of Batali's style and excessiveness (the pasta tasting menu portions aren't that much smaller than the a la carte versions). Budget 2+ hours, and don't plan on doing anything afterwards but rolling home. The second option is to have one each of the Antipasti, Primi, and Secondi. Again, a lot of food, but you will leave very happy. The third avenue, my favorite, is to stick to what made Batali famous - the pastas. We went with a group of 4 and managed to try six different pastas...a sort of do-it-yourself pasta menu that was much easier on the stomach, the wallet, and the schedule.
The only non-pasta dishes we tried were the famous warm lamb's tongue vinaigrette, fabulously tender tongue and mushrooms so flavorful it was a little hard to tell which was which, and a braised fennel salad to whet the appetite. Then came the pastas. Garganelli with mixed mushrooms was wonderfully thin and light, the cigar-shaped rolls delicately holding their form and paired with a simple light cream and wild mushroom sauce. Mint love letters, a Batali signature, didn't disappoint - envelope-shaped pastas with a minty and slightly spicy lamb puree. Sphagettini with lobster was also slightly spicy if a bit ordinary. One slightly down note was the bucatini with guanciale - the guanciale was perfectly cooked but was so delicate it couldn't quite stand up to the amount of fresh parsley in the dish. The highlight of the evening was the beef cheek ravioli, always a crowd pleaser, it gets the full treatment with a braised beef and red wine sauce and black truffles - so every bite explodes in a depth of flavor that just makes you feel decadent. After the last bite we sat quietly for a minute, digesting the food, imprinting the flavor and decadence into our minds, and trying to figure out how old Ryan Seacrest's companion was sitting a few tables away.
Date Spot? Yes
Good for Groups? Not really
When Parents Visit? Yes
Cost? $10-$20 Apps, $20-$25 Pastas, $23-$30 mains
Wines under $100? Precious few, but very helpful sommeliers
Rating: 4
There are three ways to go through Babbo - all will leave you very full, and potentially much lighter in the wallet. The first two are the standard paths - one of the two tasting menus (a pasta menu for $69 and a traditional tasting for $79) offer a generous feel of Batali's style and excessiveness (the pasta tasting menu portions aren't that much smaller than the a la carte versions). Budget 2+ hours, and don't plan on doing anything afterwards but rolling home. The second option is to have one each of the Antipasti, Primi, and Secondi. Again, a lot of food, but you will leave very happy. The third avenue, my favorite, is to stick to what made Batali famous - the pastas. We went with a group of 4 and managed to try six different pastas...a sort of do-it-yourself pasta menu that was much easier on the stomach, the wallet, and the schedule.
The only non-pasta dishes we tried were the famous warm lamb's tongue vinaigrette, fabulously tender tongue and mushrooms so flavorful it was a little hard to tell which was which, and a braised fennel salad to whet the appetite. Then came the pastas. Garganelli with mixed mushrooms was wonderfully thin and light, the cigar-shaped rolls delicately holding their form and paired with a simple light cream and wild mushroom sauce. Mint love letters, a Batali signature, didn't disappoint - envelope-shaped pastas with a minty and slightly spicy lamb puree. Sphagettini with lobster was also slightly spicy if a bit ordinary. One slightly down note was the bucatini with guanciale - the guanciale was perfectly cooked but was so delicate it couldn't quite stand up to the amount of fresh parsley in the dish. The highlight of the evening was the beef cheek ravioli, always a crowd pleaser, it gets the full treatment with a braised beef and red wine sauce and black truffles - so every bite explodes in a depth of flavor that just makes you feel decadent. After the last bite we sat quietly for a minute, digesting the food, imprinting the flavor and decadence into our minds, and trying to figure out how old Ryan Seacrest's companion was sitting a few tables away.
The wine list at Babbo is quite daunting, but the sommeliers are very helpful and pointed us to a 2004 Barberesco for under $100 that was wonderfully drinkable but still able to stand up nicely to the richer pastas. That said, there are about 10 of 500 wines on the list that are under $100, so the choices are limited.
Babbo is simply fantastic. I'm quite shocked that it didn't get a Michelin star in the latest iteration, but I've always been suspicious of those Michelin folks. It remains very near the top of my list of favorite restaurants in the city and one of the best for a special occaision. Go.
The Sage QuestionsDate Spot? Yes
Good for Groups? Not really
When Parents Visit? Yes
Cost? $10-$20 Apps, $20-$25 Pastas, $23-$30 mains
Wines under $100? Precious few, but very helpful sommeliers
Rating: 4
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Elettaria
Small, busy and inventive. Chef Akhtar Nawab brings us new American cuisine with an Indian kick. The smaller bar room in the front is generally very crowded, but isn't a bad place to sit and eat if you can grab precious seats at the bar. The room in the back is too small for the number of tables that they manage to cram in, so unless you snare one of the few booths, expect to be sitting in your neighbor's lap. The food though - wow - Mom never made samosas like this before.
The best way to navigate this culinary journey is to get a whole lot of the small plate appetizers and share everything. Curried rabbit samosas and garam masala spareribs both evoked memories of home-cooked Indian food in a way that I wasn't expecting. Star anise adds an eastern touch to the cod and a hint of cardamom infuses the duck breast - it makes these dishes taste just a little different than what you're used to and what you're likely to find at any of the other dozen new American joints in the neighborhood. Nawab isn't too heavy-handed with the spices, so this isn't at all like a trip to the local curry shop. Instead, what you'll get are brilliantly executed local market favorites with a spin that sets them apart.
Cocktails are killer here, and old school. The Zombie Punch has 3 types of rum and absinthe...they cut you off after 2. Quimby Fizz and Ginger Rogers also harken back to days of yore - when apparently lime curd and egg white were common cocktail additives. As odd as they sound, there is sure to be one that fits you just right. Just be sure you can stagger out.
(Note - a nice place to stagger to is the 8th St Wine Cellar, a little wine bar across the street, great place to start or end the evening).
The Sage Questions
Date Spot? Yes
Good for Groups? Yes, with a reservation
When Parents Visit? If they're adventurous and can deal with noise
Cost? $10-$14 apps, $25 mains
Wines under $100? $12 cocktails and an extensive liquor list
Rating: 3
The best way to navigate this culinary journey is to get a whole lot of the small plate appetizers and share everything. Curried rabbit samosas and garam masala spareribs both evoked memories of home-cooked Indian food in a way that I wasn't expecting. Star anise adds an eastern touch to the cod and a hint of cardamom infuses the duck breast - it makes these dishes taste just a little different than what you're used to and what you're likely to find at any of the other dozen new American joints in the neighborhood. Nawab isn't too heavy-handed with the spices, so this isn't at all like a trip to the local curry shop. Instead, what you'll get are brilliantly executed local market favorites with a spin that sets them apart.
Cocktails are killer here, and old school. The Zombie Punch has 3 types of rum and absinthe...they cut you off after 2. Quimby Fizz and Ginger Rogers also harken back to days of yore - when apparently lime curd and egg white were common cocktail additives. As odd as they sound, there is sure to be one that fits you just right. Just be sure you can stagger out.
(Note - a nice place to stagger to is the 8th St Wine Cellar, a little wine bar across the street, great place to start or end the evening).
The Sage Questions
Date Spot? Yes
Good for Groups? Yes, with a reservation
When Parents Visit? If they're adventurous and can deal with noise
Cost? $10-$14 apps, $25 mains
Wines under $100? $12 cocktails and an extensive liquor list
Rating: 3
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Convivio
This former L'Impero space in Tudor City has recently been overhauled by new owner Michael White, marginally modernized, and re-christened Convivio. The room is slightly darker than before but still is covered with random draperies, and as before more than half the crowd looked to be from the blue-haired set. The service was also a bit stilted - they first tried to sit four of us at a two-top, then replenished our bread three times before our order was taken - but the food certainly made up for it.
The menu is organized as a four course tasting ($59) which seemed quite reasonable. The meal started on an adventurous note, with antipasti that included duck heart salad (a touch gamey but surprisingly tender, and plentiful) and poached veal tongue (mixed reviews here - "bologna with pesto") along with some more standard options. Then came the pasta course, and along with it the reminders of why the chef has been compared to Mario Batali. Fusilli with pork shoulder and a mildly spicy tomato sauce was light enough until you hit the nuggets of meat that melt sublimely in your mouth. The macherroni carbonara was rich without being cumbersome - a light cream sauce nimbly accented with deeply salty pancetta. The tortelli with guanciale was impossibly thin and finished with a pepper and percorino dash that reminded one of L'Impero's now-forgotten spaghetti with salt and pepper - one of the simpler pleasures of days gone by. The only disappointment was a sea bass tortellini which tasted fishy, had a bit of a heavy-handed gremolata garnish, and paled in comparison to the other pastas. The mains had a tough act to follow, but managed to hold their own with a mammoth ribeye steak, a now-ubiquitous braised short rib, and sauteed fresh fish for lighter fare. All were passable, none were particularly memorable. Dessert was included as part of the prix fixe, but as usual will be left to sweeter-toothed reviewers to opine on.
The wine list is extensive but most of the sub-$100 bottles were unfamiliar, generally from lesser-known-to-me areas such as Sicilia and Puglia. No matter, we ended up with a 2004 Gevrey Chambertin in that price range which worked out nicely.
All told, its the pastas that will bring me back. And back I will be.
The Sage Questions
Date Spot? Yes
Good for Groups? No
When Parents Visit? Yes
Cost? $59 prix-fixe
Wines under $100? Several but lesser-known
Rating: 3
The menu is organized as a four course tasting ($59) which seemed quite reasonable. The meal started on an adventurous note, with antipasti that included duck heart salad (a touch gamey but surprisingly tender, and plentiful) and poached veal tongue (mixed reviews here - "bologna with pesto") along with some more standard options. Then came the pasta course, and along with it the reminders of why the chef has been compared to Mario Batali. Fusilli with pork shoulder and a mildly spicy tomato sauce was light enough until you hit the nuggets of meat that melt sublimely in your mouth. The macherroni carbonara was rich without being cumbersome - a light cream sauce nimbly accented with deeply salty pancetta. The tortelli with guanciale was impossibly thin and finished with a pepper and percorino dash that reminded one of L'Impero's now-forgotten spaghetti with salt and pepper - one of the simpler pleasures of days gone by. The only disappointment was a sea bass tortellini which tasted fishy, had a bit of a heavy-handed gremolata garnish, and paled in comparison to the other pastas. The mains had a tough act to follow, but managed to hold their own with a mammoth ribeye steak, a now-ubiquitous braised short rib, and sauteed fresh fish for lighter fare. All were passable, none were particularly memorable. Dessert was included as part of the prix fixe, but as usual will be left to sweeter-toothed reviewers to opine on.
The wine list is extensive but most of the sub-$100 bottles were unfamiliar, generally from lesser-known-to-me areas such as Sicilia and Puglia. No matter, we ended up with a 2004 Gevrey Chambertin in that price range which worked out nicely.
All told, its the pastas that will bring me back. And back I will be.
The Sage Questions
Date Spot? Yes
Good for Groups? No
When Parents Visit? Yes
Cost? $59 prix-fixe
Wines under $100? Several but lesser-known
Rating: 3
Monday, December 29, 2008
A Humble (and Hungry) Beginning
Hi - welcome to my blog. I get asked for recomendations and reviews for places to eat in Manhattan by my friends from time to time, so I figured I'd share with the rest of the class. This will start slowly, but I'll also add restaurants I've visited in the past to the best of my memory. "The Sage Questions" below are meant to address the standard questions my friends ask me. Feedback is very welcome - this is my first try. Thanks.
The Sage Questions
Date Spot?
Good for Groups?
When Parents Visit?
Cost?
Wines under $100?
Rating:
The Sage Questions
Date Spot?
Good for Groups?
When Parents Visit?
Cost?
Wines under $100?
Rating:
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