New Blog Coming Soon!

You may have noticed that I have not posted here for over a week. I am on a summer break. Well, not a break exactly. I am more busy than ever. I am currently building a new blog that will be a lot like this one but better. The subject matter will still be food, fashion, and travel and I will still be the author but somehow I'm envisioning that it will be better. When it's done I'll announce the address here. I am also busy reading Stephen King's On Writing and Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. Sounds more like summer classes, no? And I'm still writing for citybuzz and YMI Obsessed. Are you looking for something fun to do in New York? Are you thinking of restyling your look to be more like a thirteen year old girl from the Valley but don't know where to start? That's what those two blogs are about. Hopefully the new blog will be ready in another week. Until then...

Restaurant Week Midtown Lunch at Anthos

Restaurant week has been extended until September 6th - that's quite a long week. So far I've gone to Aquavit for dinner and Anthos for lunch. Let me clarity: it wasn't just lunch, it was a weekday lunch in Manhattan's midtown during restaurant week (or in this case, the first week of the two months). If you have ever had a meal of this description then you know that it's not just lunch. The saying goes "when in Rome" comes to mind because at lunch in Manhattan's midtown at an upscale restaurant during restaurant week you have no choice but to go with the flow.
Anthos was packed, tables upon tables with just water were jockeying for the attention of the completely overwhelmed waitstaff. My friend and I were on a forty-five minute lunch break along with the rest of midtown's suits and khakis at an hour an hour and a half minimum meal. After a frustrating fifteen minutes with just menus and water we gave in and decided to go with the flow - and by that I mean go all out and have a four course lunch. Here's what I ate.
Seared diver scallops with greek yogurt, strawberry and endive.
Sheep milk ricotta dumplings with spinach, feta, and leek.
Skate wing with couscous, calamari, carrot, coriander, and baby watercress salad.
Roasted peaches with honey ice cream and thyme shortbread.

And that was the two hour lunch. Every course was fantastic. This meal definitely ranks among my top five. And once we set our time limitations aside the service was just fine. This restaurant is highly recommended for lunch or dinner, restaurant week or not.

A Table for Two at Aquavit

"Would you like to be seated in the Main Dining Room or in the Bistro?"
"Whichever is nicer, I guess."
"Both dining rooms are very nice."
"Right. Of course. Then whichever is available."
"Let me check. The Bistro is available for two at 8:15."
This excerpt from my conversation with the reservationist at Aquavit told me two things about the restaurant that I would be dining at with my boyfriend on Saturday night. The first was that I could relax. I would not need to orchestrate this dining experience to make it worth my while. I would not need to know the insider tips to get my money's worth. Both dining rooms would be lovely and all of the servers would be equally knowledgeable. The lighting and the view would be good wherever we were seated.
The second thing that I got from our little exchange is that the service at Aquavit would be such that (even while relaxing) I will believe that everything has turned out so well because of me: that I have come at the right time, asked the informed question, and ordered the right dish. The fact behind my conversation with the reservationist is that there were not any tables available in the Main Dining room on Saturday night just two days prior. And of course not! But, being a trained service personnel, the reservationist guided the conversation so that I would chose the right option, the Bistro, and be satisfied with my choice.
Suffice it to say, once we arrived on Saturday night, the service at Aquavit was lovely. We were seated by a window and given the kind of casual but flawless service that makes me consider becoming a server again. The meal began with a stone slab of bread, crackers, whipped butter, and the most divine salmon mousse I have ever tasted. I am not exaggerating. My boyfriend even commented that he had never seen me eat so much bread, as I piled the mousse onto yet another piece.
Half way through the appetizer I was just about full. I ordered the mussels and they brought me out two dozen with yet more bread. They were good and traditionally made but nothing to right home about.
For my entree I had the cold poached salmon. Now this I would consider jotting down in a letter to mom. It was accompanied by red quinoa, wax beans, and chervil hollandaise. I just looked up the menu online to tell you that because while I was eating it I had no clue what the little black dots were except that they tasted great with the cold fish and the hot hollandaise.
For dessert I made room for a raspberry Napoleon that was exactly what you would expect. I enjoyed every bite of it and one bite of my boyfriends brownie sundae as well.
Overall, the food was very good. Given the quality of the service and the two stand-out dished that we had - my cold poached salmon and my boyfriend's chilled green tomato soup appetizer - I would call this restaurant great.
I did have high expectations based on Marcus Samuelsson's amazing television personality but in retrospect I see that that may have been silly of me. Not yet have I eaten (or worked!) in a star chef's restaurant that really emulated that chef's television personality. And I guess that's a good thing, or else there would be no element of the unexpected at Mesa Grill or Del Posto.
Speaking of star chefs, I'll be having lunch at Anthos on Thursday. Based on the pictures of the place alone I'd say it resembles Michael Psilakis' television personality but little. Though we shall see, er- taste.

Seafood at Le Bernardin

After a day at the beach, I am dreaming of dining at Le Bernardin. Though I have never been there myself (this one is a little out of the price range of a girl like me) I think I know what would be in store for me if I were to have dinner there tonight. Le Bernardin has been named the #1 restaurant in New York by New York Magazine, the New York Times and Zagat’s Guide - not #1 in its category, #1 overall. It has won more James Beard Awards than any other restaurant, ever. And it and has been awarded the highest number of Michelin stars that a restaurant can get: 3.
Now let's put all that aside, because it's possible that all that means little when your talking about actually experiencing food. So here is the real reason I wish I was eating at Le Bernardin right now.
A little while back I had a few telephone conversations with the PR person for Le Bernardin and I learned a lot about the mission of the restaurant. The philosophy of Le Bernardin is that the fish - and only the un-endangered ones - be the star of the plate. As a caveat to that, each ingredient that makes up a dish is treated with equal respect and care even in its supporting role.
I also learned that this focus on seafood began for Chef Eric Ripert long before Le Bernardin's doors were opened, when he was just a boy. His culinary beginnings took place in his grandmother's kitchen by the Mediterranean Sea. And from there, with countless award winning restaurants in between, he has created an ambitious yet uncomplicated dinner menu for Le Bernardin that is broken into three courses: almost raw, barely touched and lightly cooked. I was informed that Chef Eric Ripert’s favorite dishes are the Tuna made of layers of thinly pounded yellowfin with foie gras and toasted baguette, the Crab with stuffed zucchini flower with peektoe, king crab and “fine herbs – lemon” Mousseline sauce, and the Surf and Turf of escolar and seared Kobe beef with sea bean salad and eggplant fries.
Sounds good to me. Especially after a long day in the ocean.

Lunch at Perry St

I prefer haute couture to haute cuisine. No, let me be clear. I adore haute couture. I have a growing distaste for haute cuisine. How could this be? Maybe the discrepancy is based in the fact that I have never been, in the flesh, at a fashion show. I have only viewed them in their photographic and cinematic formats. But restaurants I have been to. Lots of them. And with no shortage of the high class ones. And I am starting to realize that all that immaculately shiny crystal, the attractive but disdainful waitstaff, the new set of flatware every time I even think of taking a bite, that all of that takes away from the joy of eating. And is not the point of a great restaurant to enjoy a meal?
I started on this train of thought after dining for the first time at Perry St this weekend. It was my first ever Jean Georges restaurant experience and it was lovely but all together missing something essential: joy. I wondered later, how can this be? The food was mostly delicious save for an over vinegar-ed sauce on the salmon and - this one is sort of a deal breaker for me - frozen strawberries out of a bag on the sorbet. And this in the heart of strawberry season no less! But I digress. My point is, that the slow cooked salmon itself was wonderful.
And that the chocolate cake was delicious enough to make up for the pre-packaged fruit topped sorbet.
The meal began with a shot of strawberry and basil gazpacho that was inventive and yummy - and free!
And for an appetizer I had an heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad that was beautiful and gone in moments, a true sign that food is well prepared.
But yet, the experience as a whole lacked joy. Why? I think it had to do with the new set of flatware that I received three times during the meal. Does that sound silly? Well I know I wasn't the only patron that felt this lack of that last essential ingredient; a few glances around the room at all the forlorn faces confirmed this. Maybe it was the abundance of white leather. Maybe it was the three course minimum on the menu. Does all of this glitz make a restaurant chic, or does it just make its' patrons feel cramped?
An inconclusive post but certainly a topic I will be exploring more in the future. Until then, I'll keep dining out reporting back here.

An Amazing Meal at Mary's Fish Camp

On Saturday night I went to Mary's Fish Camp in the West Village with a couple of friends. None of us had ever had a lobster roll before and we were going to remedy that matter.
But first we went for the oysters. One half dozen Malpeque oysters... and then there were none.
Next up, the oven roasted Guatemalan shrimp with chili de arbol. At this point, after the appetizers, I thought and even said out loud that this has already been a great meal. I could have stopped right there. But then we would have missed the whole purpose for our visit.
Which was of course the lobster roll. Ah, the lobster roll! How did I go twenty-six years without ever having the pleasure of eating a lobster roll? It was fresh - the chunks of lobster were enormous - yet rich - the mayo and the buttered bun were just fatty enough. It was so delicious, that by comparison the fries seemed completely pointless. How could anything compete with this?
Once we were done, the waitress informed us that both the Florida Key lime bar and the strawberry blueberry shortcake were homemade. Well, who can pass up a homemade dessert? We were sold and we finished off the meal with the Florida Key lime bar. It was sweet, tart, and creamy - just right.
If you are looking for some killer seafood, I highly recommend Mary's Fish Camp - just make sure to bring a thick wallet. We were a little shocked by the hefty bill, but in my foodie opinion, it was well worth it.

Tulio at the Hotel Vintage Park

I just sat down at the restaurant in the Hotel Vintage Park, Tulio. My first impression of it: civilized, cozy, feminine, not modern (just like the hotel it is in). I was drawn here because I took a quick look at the room service menu and saw a single word that immediately caught my attention and with that, I decided that I would have to try the restaurant here before I checked out today. That word was burrata.

I have written about this sacred word before. Burrata is a traditional type of Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. Burrata is maybe the reason why I love Keste Pizza & Vino so much.

Here at Tulio, the menu offered a Beet Salad served with burrata, plums, frisse, and beet vinaigrette. I sat down, read the entire menu just to be thurough, and ordered the promising burrata salad.
What happened once the salad came, and I finished photographing it, can only be described with happy, mumbling, chewing sounds. So I'll leave it at that. And a strong recommendation to visit Tulio if you ever find yourself hungry in downtown Seattle.

The Night I Ordered Five Desserts

Okay, okay, so it was tapas style and I was sharing with a friend so I didn't actually get five regular size desserts. The menu actually instructed that you order at least two desserts per person so I figured five for two people would be a generous portion for each of us. But I did feel like I may have gone a little overboard as soon as the waitress walked away and then when she came back ten minutes later, five not so tiny desserts in hand, I knew I had gone way overboard.

Here's what I ordered for the two of us:

1. Carrot cake with sour cream mouse and apricot carrot compote. This was good but tasted too healthy, and by that I mean it was not sweet or rich the way good carrot cake is.
2. Mango cheesecake with kiwi coulis, mango gelee, and toasted coconut. The kiwi coulis on the bottom was the highlight of this one.
3. Red velvet cake with lavender cream cheese icing. This one was my favorite. The icing was, in my opinion, to die for. And the rich dark cake was the perfect compliment to it. Just right.
4. Sea salt caramels. You can't go wrong.
5. And banana cream bonbons. On the other hand, we could have done without these.
All in all, knocking off the first and the fifth dessert and just having the best three would have been ideal. But, instead, I have a bag of treats for tomorrow.

PS, this was at Purple in downtown Seattle, a beautiful restaurant with a large menu - tapas and otherwise - and food that almost lives up to the compelling setting.

PSS, my apoligies again for the crappy iPhone photos as I am still without my regular camera.

Alphabet City French at Flea Market

What could be better than a four course French meal in an open air restaurant over looking Tompkins Square Park? Well, yes, it might be nicer in Paris but I'll take what I can get here near home. So this is my favorite local French restaurant. It's called Flea Market and it is run by a wonderful couple from France. I love this restaurant because it is really authentic, and the food is really delicious.
I just got back to New York yesterday and after eating not so wonderful food in Sault Saint Marie, Michigan all week, I really wanted to eat a great meal and decided to have it at Flea Market. Here's what I had. My first course: Artichoke and Sweet Corn Soup. Fresh and summery and just right with French bread and French butter.
My second course: Avocado Salad with Endive, Orange Segments, and Cilantro. Really good flavor combination, beautiful presentation.
My third course: Soft Shell Crab a la Provencale with Mesclun Salad. I have to say that this was some of the best Provencale sauce I have had in a long time. I literally cleaned my plate with a piece of bread once the crab and salad were gone - this is a dish I could eat every day.
And the last and most important course, dessert: Creme Brulee. It was my intention to photograph each dish in their uneaten forms but when this one was set down on the table time stopped, I completely forgot what I was doing, and I dug in. A few minutes and a bunch of bites later I realized that I hadn't photographed it and picked up my camera to take this shot. It looks pretty good half-eaten anyway, no?
Hungry yet?

Three Photos Of Michigan

So far, the view on the flight into Michigan has been the highlight of Michigan.
Since landing twenty-four hours ago, we have visited Wal-Mart twice and I have done two new things. The first: I ate something I've never eaten - or even considered - before. This is a deep fried pickle. It was really good.
The second: I crossed the top of an open vertical lift bridge, quite sure death was near, two times, and I have now reached my lifetime quota for that.

Keste Pizzeria & Vino

Awesome, awesome, awesome pizza.
This is what I ate for dinner tonight - an authentic Neapolitan pizza from Keste. This is the special pie. They call the Burrata which is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The cheese on this pizza was flown in from Italy. Our server also told me that burro means butter in Italian. And let me tell you, it is no coincidence that the name of this classic delight shares the same roots as butter. The Burrata is where it's at.

Dinner For Two In Hong Kong

Back in February we went to Hong Kong to see some city lights and eat some food. I made us reservations at Hutong because I read that it is basically a restaurant in the sky. Upon arrival we confirmed this: Hutong is a restaurant on the 28th floor of One Peking Road (yes, that is really the name of the street) in Kowloon overlooking the bay and the neon Hong Kong skyline. Our table faced the view, as did just about every table in the restaurant. We took lots of pictures and I even took a few pictures of pictures being taken - the Hong Kong skyline is just that impressive. It's like Times Square times ten, and that's before you take in the glowing watery reflection.


We started the meal with scallops tossed with pomelo segments and green asparagus coated with white sesame. The scallops were raw and I didn't know what to expect from the pomelo but found it to be just like grapefruit which cut the saltiness very nicely.


For my entree I took our server's suggestion and ordered the Dragon Red which was lobster fried with red pepper and sweet chili sauce. It was delicious but it was really hot (almost too hot for me) and really, really hard to eat (I mean, WAY to hard). They gave me a big wooden spoon and a tiny silver fork to master the dish and my embarrassing performance was not unlike Julia Robert's escargot scene in Pretty Woman, I hate to say. But what I did get up to my mouth I enjoyed very much.


I had a first with the dessert menu; every item on it was deep fried. Not a problem. We ordered two deep fried desserts. This one is the apple spring rolls with apple chips. It was good, but when hasn't deep fried sugar been good?


Before we left for the night I ordered tea and asked for milk and sugar like a good westerner. They brought out a cup of tea, a bowl of honey larger then my cup of tea, the smallest pot of milk I have ever seen, and a slumped over, melted-looking jar holding a couple of sugar packets. I probably should have ordered green tea but then I guess I wouldn't have been able to snap this funny shot.