Restaurant Review: Dirt Candy

While I love to eat most things and try almost anything once, my wonderful mother is the complete opposite. She is a “vegetarian” – which I put in quotes because she does eat chicken, not because she wants to, but she feels she has to in order to maintain a healthy diet (which isn’t true, but that’s another story).

Since my mom is always inclined to accommodate my need to go on dining adventures rather than just out to dinner, during her visit to New York this week I wanted to take her on a dining adventure that might be a little more fit for her. Enter Dirt Candy – one of the only Michelin-recommended vegetarian restaurants in America.

Let me start by saying that I greatly enjoyed my Dirt Candy experience, and so did my “vegetarian” mother. The food was delicious, the presentation was gorgeous, and New York Press was right when they said, “Dirt Candy is a restaurant where meat eaters and vegetarians can order side-by-side and leave feeling like they’ve experienced something special.”

The one hang up I have about Dirt Candy was the “health” factor. I honestly went there thinking that if it’s vegetarian, it must be healthy, but at Dirt Candy this is not the case. Again, the food was delicious, but it was very rich and heavy, and often deep fried. All in all, a great experience, but not one that will fit into your healthy regimen. I actually found this interesting because on their website Dirt Candy explains its name saying, “What is dirt candy? Vegetables, of course. When you eat a vegetable you’re eating little more than dirt that’s been transformed by plenty of sunshine and rain into something that’s full of flavor.”

If it’s so full of flavor, why mask it with heavy cream and breading? That’s just my opinion, though! At the end of the day, I say go for it on your diet day off. Just be sure to make arrangements via OpenTable in advance. There are only about 20 seats in the place and they book up fast.

Here are some pictures of the items I tried and enjoyed (sorry they’re a little dark!). 

THF Two Week Round-Up

After a couple weeks of being MIA (sorry, guys, I have a real job) I thought I'd catch you up on some of my foodie adventures over the past couple weeks. Here's a quick round-up:

Cacio e Pepe: After hearing about this restaurant several times from friends and seeing a special offer for it on Scoutmob (50% off, which is valid until 4/7), we decided to give it a try. We were blown away by the friendliness of the staff, the quality and authenticity of the food, and the portion sizes. Highly recommend for a romantic East Village dinner or even for a group get together (although it's very small, so you should make an OpenTable rez). Our favorites, pictured below, were the special scallops with red and yellow pepper sauce, and the house pasta, which is doused in cheese and peppercorns and served table side from a cheese wheel!

The Orient Express:  @jerpdavis took me here for drinks before dinner on Valentine's day. I tried one house champagne cocktail (La Femme Fatale) and another that the bartender formulated on the spot. This venue is a more casual type of speakeasy - feels very 1920's and looks like the inside of a railroad car. I recommend for pre- or post-dinner cocktails if you're in the West Village.

El Faro: My father has been eating at this restaurant for 40 years and I've been eating at it for 20 (we're originally from NY and ate at this restaurant every time we came back for a visit). It's authentic Spanish food at its finest. Always go for "La Gigante" sangria and the shrimp ajillo. My favorite entree is the chicken villeroy. (All pictured below). Count on leftovers!

One if By Land, Two if by Sea: We went back here to try more desserts. I'm just going to let you know the souffle was not all it's cracked up to be. If you're in the West Village and have a craving, go to Perilla instead. It's my fave souffle in the city.

Poco: Tried this spot for an AYCD brunch. It wasn't what I was expecting, which was Spanish food. The food selections seemed limited and I did not care for the Bloody Mary's. I stuck with Mimosas instead. If you're going to go here for brunch, I suggest a change of plans to Diablo Royale Este on 10th St and Ave A. I have been here for dinner in the past, though, and remember the lobster mac and cheese being really good. They also seem to have good nightly specials.

Marea: I'm new to seafood and LOVED this restaurant. @jerpdavis brought me here for a surprise lunch date last week. I'm sure it's delicious and wonderful for dinner, but I have to say lunch was extremely enjoyable, especially given the light nature of the food and "under the sea" feel of the restaurant. Two courses for $42, plus they have great cocktail, wine and dessert lists. Highlights, pictured below, included @jerpdavis' scallop entree, my snapper entree, and the Caramello dessert.

The Oak Room: After Marea we wanted to find a place for a nice cocktail. First we checked out the rooftop bar at the Peninsula hotel, but needless to say, it was freezing. We'll go back in the summer. Then we went by the Four Seasons, but decided that if we were going to spend $20 on a martini, we'd like to be somewhere a little more exciting. We ended up at the classic Oak Room at The Plaza. I had a feeling when we walked in and saw the crowds of tourists that we were going to be disappointed, but because it's a "classic" and all, I wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately my hunch was correct. After waiting 10 minutes for a table I got a champagne cocktail that was more juice than anything. Overall I understand of the appeal of this place, but from now on I want to stick to our old reliable, Gilt at The Palace.

Eataly: I went on what I call an "overview" trip to Eataly. I say overview because I definitely only scratched the surface of what this place (ahem, Heaven) has to offer. I went with @sonyasaurus with the intention of just having lunch. We did have lunch at the vegetarian restaurant (tried the special of the day: vegetable panini and vegetable puree soup - awesome), but did not stop there. I ended up purchasing fresh butternut squash ravioli and baby Brussels sprouts. Needless to say, @jerpdavis greatly enjoyed his dinner that night.

Riverpark: Our three year anniversary was celebrated at Tom Colicchio's latest venture. Once you get to the restaurant it's as delightful as you would expect, but the trouble is actually finding it! If you're going to go there, tell your cab driver to approach 29th St. by driving north on 1st Ave. He'll see that this end of 29th St. really does go east, and he just needs to drive through the entrance, which is manned by security guards. As for the food, they were only serving the RW menu when we visited, so we're definitely going to go back for the full menu. Likely in the summer when we'll be able to sit outside by the water.

Restaurant Review: Le Cirque

As you may know I went to Le Cirque for Restaurant Week. I hate to say it because Le Cirque is one of my favorite restaurants, but I wasn’t very impressed. I know…how is that possible? To be honest, I don’t think it’s because the food was that bad, but because I went into it with such high expectations.

To Le Cirque’s credit, I could have made wiser course selections. I started with the escargot, ordered the duck for the entrée and finished with crème brûlée for dessert. With the exception of my dessert choice I really went out on a limb, and I wish I had stuck with my old reliables.

Luckily I was with @jerpdavis, who not only eats everything, but just wants me to be happy. When I wasn’t enjoying the escargot we traded appetizers, so I ended up having the pasta instead, which was quite good, but quite “regular.”

When I wasn’t enjoying the duck, @jerpdavis arranged for me to try the chicken instead, which turned out to be delicious (crispy skin - delectable).

Very different from me, @jerpdavis enjoyed everything he tried at Le Cirque. About the escargot he says, "In a departure from true French fashion, the escargot was coupled with delicious Gruyere gnocchi. Served in a red wine sauce, this dish was an excellent change of pace from the typical snails in garlicky oil that you usually get.”

And about his pork steak entrée he says, “The pork steak was tender, beautifully cooked and had the textural assistance of some nuts (pine nuts maybe?). Delicious food all in all, but not the triumph I remembered from my first visit. “

@jerpdavis’ assessments leave me confused about what went wrong. Do I have a hard time with just how much the ingredients in these options were honored?  I usually really enjoy duck, but this dish was particularly “ducky.” It also wasn’t a duck breast – it was completely dark meat, which I didn’t expect or really enjoy.

As for the escargot, I was hoping the escargot itself would be a little more masked since I was still wrapping my head around what I was eating, but it was very straightforward, and I think that was difficult for me. I digress.

For dessert we both hit home runs. My crème brûlée was as delicious as I remembered from my first Le Cirque visit, and @jerpdavis’ chocolate cannelloni was exquisite.

Overall the experience at Le Cirque was OK. The space is truly gorgeous - a perfect balance of playful and elegant. @jerpdavis describes, “Delicious food all in all, but not the triumph I remembered from our first visit. Perhaps it was an off night, or perhaps our culinary exploits in the years since first trying Le Crique have rendered me a more discerning critic. Regardless, an excellent Restaurant Week value in a beautifully bourgeois room with beautifully bourgeois people eating beautifully bourgeois food."

On that note, the staff couldn’t have taken better care of us. We were able to take our time, all necessary adjustments were accommodated and they even placed our wine bottle label on a postcard for us to take home as a souvenir.

Restaurant Review: Momofuku Noodle Bar

Before @jerpdavis headed to Toronto and Chicago for a business trip last week we went to Momofuku Noodle Bar for a little “dinner for two” action. We live just around the corner from this fine establishment so it’s one of our old reliables, but this is the first time I have been there since I started reviewing.

I group Noodle Bar into a group with the likes of Otto,’ Inoteca, Motorino, The Redhead. All very reasonably priced, unique and perfect for out-of-towners. The music at Noodle Bar is excellent – usually an Interpol/Radiohead/Arcade Fire playlist of some kind – making for an energetic and highly enjoyable dining experience.

This restaurant, which does not take reservations, is a little difficult to review because the menu changes so frequently (and because I love anything David Chang ideates), but I will do my best. No matter what, unless you go with the sometimes-available prix fixe menu, I recommend ordering the following:

• A soju slushy (or 5) for each person – highly recommend the Yuzu Palmer
• A “snack” for the table
• One “etc” item for the table
• One “side” or seasonal item for the table
• An entrée for each person (either a bowl or one of the daily specials)
• Soft serve or some other treat either here or at Milk Bar around the corner
• **If you’re extra hungry add another “etc” or “side” for the table**

This week we started out of with the spiced chips snack, which we actually never tried before. They were great, a nice munchie for the table. If you prefer something a little “healthier” go with the pickles, as these are always a winner.

For the “etc” course we switched it up from the usual pork buns (which you have to get if you never have before) and had the shrimp buns instead. They were amazing, but all of the Momofuku buns are amazing (even the vegetarian mushroom ones), so this was no surprise.

I’ll give you one guess what we had for the side. Yes, Brussels sprouts, duh. They were as delicious as expected – I’m really loving the apples/Brussels combo restaurants are dishing these days. I also would have tried the cauliflower, but @jerpdavis isn’t a fan.

For the entrée I went with my usual – the ginger scallion noodles. I cannot get over the flavor complexity of this simple dish – so perfect! I learned this time around that you can actually add things to this dish such as chicken, pork or a soy egg, so I did just that and added shrimp. It was a great addition, but it was the same style of shrimp as in the buns, so we wished we had in fact ordered the pork buns. Oh well, next time.

Mr. @jerpdavis had one of the daily specials for his entrée -  the braised lamb shoulder with fennel, beet and quinoa. I tasted this and thought it was quite good, an excellent use of quinoa and perfect for a winter night.

The only soft serve option at Noodle Bar was pineapple, so we decided to venture over to Milk Bar dessert. I have been looking forward to trying the chocolate hazelnut soft serve for a while, so you can imagine my delight when I was able to swirl that delicious flavor with banana. It was awesome. @jerpdavis also had the chocolate hazelnut soft serve, but swirled it with French toast instead.

If you’re not a soft serve fan, 1) you need to get yourself checked, and 2) don’t worry, Milk Bar has many other delicious confections including, but not limited to, crack pie, compost cookies and birthday cake balls.

Restaurant Review: One if by Land, Two if by Sea

On Sunday evening @jerpdavis and I enjoyed the Restaurant Week menu at One if by Land, Two if by Sea. The menu was very good, don’t get me wrong, but I have to say I was more intrigued by the ambiance than anything else.

Let’s start with the menu, which can be found here in full. We started with an amuse bouche from the chef – a creamy mushroom soup served in a small cup/bowl for drinking. Considering how cold it was outside and how much I enjoy mushrooms this was a very nice start. It could have been a little saltier, but regardless, it was delicious.

Thank you to @plumpdumpling for allowing me to borrow this photo

For the appetizer course I opted for the butternut squash soup and @jerpdavis had the calamari. I enjoyed my soup, but really I need to learn that dishes like this tend to incorporate cinnamon, and I do not care for cinnamon. I imagine that someone who does like cinnamon would love this dish. @jerpdavis’ calamari was also good, but because it contained olives it wasn’t his favorite. Similar situation – if someone who likes olives ordered this, they would probably really like it.

Thank you to @plumpdumpling for allowing me to borrow this photo

As we continued on to the entrée course things definitely were looking up. I ordered the steak option, which was served with a barley so delicious that I actually bought barley at the grocery store last night with the intention of recreating it to the best of my ability. I really enjoyed this course.

@jerpdavis was tempted by the classic One if by Land dish, Beef Wellington, which was on the Restaurant Week menu for a supplemental $30. Yes, this was an expensive decision, but according to him, a very, very good one. I quote: “They don't come much richer than this--a perfectly cooked filet nestled inside a warm, flaky pastry shell. The tender meat mingles with a luxurious foie gras sauce. It's no wonder this dish has been on the menu for almost 39 years."

For dessert we both had the cheesecake, which actually was not pumpkin as the menu above suggests. It was a mascarpone cheesecake topped with what I like to call oat/sugary “crunchies” to replace an actual crust, and it was absolutely delicious. The only thing I did not care for here was the huge amount of spiced wine foam that it was served with. There was just way too much of it – a little dabble would have been just enough. To be honest, if I could channel Cher and turn back time, I would have ordered the Gianduja Mousse instead.

Thank you to @plumpdumpling for allowing me to borrow this photo

If the menu left me with any dissatisfaction at all, it did not matter simply because of where we were. We did move tables once (whatever you do, don’t let them seat you upstairs – it was like a completely different restaurant), but once we were seated at our table looking out at the snowy courtyard, all was delightful. This restaurant is absolutely beautiful, a perfect marriage between old world New York (it’s in what used to be a stable) and modern day New York. To be honest, I expected it to be more rustic and @jerpdavis expected it to be more kitschy, but it was neither. When people say it’s one of the most romantic restaurants in the world they are not kidding – I highly recommend, especially for a special occasion.

In the future I would like to return to One if by Land for drinks and dessert (ahem, chocolate chip souffle). The entrance area, complete with a piano for live music, a decent sized bar and a couple sofa/chair/coffee table arrangements , seems perfect for before- or after-dinner drinks.

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**I want to give a special thank you to @plumpdumpling for allowing me to borrow some of her One if by Land photos to use in my review. Her blog is great - check it out at Donuts 4 Dinner!**

Restaurant Review: Colicchio & Sons / Brooklyn Brewery Beer Dinner

I am a big Tom Colicchio fan and a big beer fan, so a couple weeks ago when I heard about the Colicchio & Sons / Brooklyn Brewery 7-course tasting menu I jumped at the opportunity. When I found out it was only $95 my jump became a leap, and I was on that reservation list like white on rice.

   

On Monday night I was very happy that I took the leap. The whole experience was “on another level,” as I tweeted this afternoon (and Tom Colicchio retweeted!). The event, which took place in the C&S private dining room, was only meant to take 2 hours according to the listing. In fact it took twice that time, and I’m glad it did, for this type of experience is never meant to be rushed. The pairing menu was as follows:

My favorite dishes were the lobster, the partridge and the passion fruit tart. I know, passion fruit tart, you wonder. How could that have been better than venison with black trompettes, Brussels sprouts and black grapes? I remind you, everything was absolutely delicious. The tart stood out to me because never, ever do I order a “fruity” dessert, but somewhere between the perfectly baked shell, the meringue-like filling and the coconut sorbet, I was won.

Something else very special about the dessert course was the beer pairing. I tweeted this evening that “of course my favorite beers are the rarest beers,” and this one is no exception. The Cuvee de la Crochet Rouge was otherworldly, almost wine-like. The only frustrating thing about this course was that the girl two seats down from me didn’t even take a sip of her beer helping before leaving the event, thus a full glass of a beer with only 20 known cases brewed was tossed out. Sinful. Just sinful.

Anyway, of course lobster made it to the top of my list because lobster is my favorite thing to eat. The way the tail and claw worked with the grapefruit was exceptional – not two flavors you would normally expect together. If nothing else, you always know a dish is amazing if you consume every last drop of broth, and in this case I did just that.

My final favorite was definitely the partridge. It was gamey, but the flavor combination of the partridge, sauerkraut and bacon (a very generous portion, I might add) was unparalleled. And that caramelized chestnut. Can I just have a bowl of those for my afternoon snack every day? What a delight.

Also a delight was the beer pairing served with the partridge, Local 2. Trying this beer is proof that you should never judge a book by the cover. It looked like a Guinness, but it was so light and delicious. Rumor has it it’s served at Citi Field, so guess who’s suddenly a Mets fan. This gal.

Finally, I must recognize my favorite beer of the evening, Wild One. It was served with the Turbot and is also extremely rare (only 100 cases brewed). This beer was so delicious and crisp, and was very champagne-like. All I can say is that if the Brewmaster wants to send me a case for Valentine’s Day or my birthday, I wouldn’t hate it.

On that note, I have to give Brewmaster Garrett Oliver props. He struck the perfect balance of educating the group while allowing us to really enjoy the food and discuss among ourselves. I definitely learned a lot from him and plan to visit Brooklyn Brewery soon so I can learn even more.

So as you can see I definitely feel good about the $95 spent last night. I overheard the restaurant staff discussing similar events taking place once each month at C&S, so I highly recommend you check them out, as they are a great value considering the amazing food and beverage pairings. Brooklyn Brewery also does events on a regular basis, so you never have to worry about being short your favorite brew (unless you’re like me and the ones you love are VIP).

**Thank you Brooklyn Brewery for providing some of the images in this post.**

Restaurant Review: Alta

On Friday evening I tried Alta for the first time. Alta is located in the West Village and is one of those restaurants that you wouldn't know it was there if you didn't know it was there. Nestled on the quiet W 10th St. block between 5th and 6th Avenues, this is a restaurant I would define as a "hidden gem" - the type of place you visit for an intimate dinner with great friends.

When entering Alta you're greeted by a long, narrow bar area. On a Friday night it was quite crowded by young professionals getting a head start on the weekend. I imagine that on a Saturday night it's a little more quiet and inhabited by couples. From the bar I tried the sangria, which isn't offered by the pitcher because of its strength. This seemed curious to me at first, but after finishing a glass I could definitely understand why. It was delicious.

(via http://tasteshop.wordpress.com/)

Beyond the bar the mezzanine-style dining room awaits, complete with a welcoming, rustic decor and extremely dim lighting (thus the lack of photos in this post, sorry!). We really lucked out with our table, which was situated in the rear of the first floor, right in front a grande fireplace. Perfect for a cold, wintery night, and even more perfect as the gathering place for four friends eager to catch up after more than 6 months apart. 

Second to the company, the food was the best part about the evening. The expansive tapas menu is just Spanish enough, offering nearly 50 dishes ranging from simple (and non-simple) vegetarian to the most adventurous of ingredients (for me it doesn't get any more adventurous than Sea Urchin). Bottom line: there is something for everyone on this menu, and because it's tapas you're able to try a little of everything. In fact, if you want to try everything you can do so for a whopping $420. The dishes we tried are listed at the bottom of this post.

In addition to the 12 dishes we tried for dinner, we opted in for the beignets and bread pudding for dessert. I did not care for either, and would suggest skipping dessert in exchange for one or two additional dinner items.

All in all Alta was a great experience and a restaurant that I highly recommend. I definitely plan to visit again, particularly with other non-NYC friends or even with my parents.

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Here's what we tried (favorites in red):

• Crostini of house cured duck breast with ricotta, sundried tomato, orange and truffle honey
• Dip duo of smoked eggplant with za'tar and honey, and chickpea with piquillo peppers and scallions 
• Fried goat cheese with lavender infused honey 
• Lamb meatballs with spiced butternut squash foam, toasted sesame seeds and lebne 
• Crispy brussels sprouts with Granny Smith apples, creme fraiche and pistachios 
• Avocado relleno with crabmeat and shrimp frisee, and orange segments
• Seared sea scallops with parsley root puree, apple cider vinegar "caviar," chorizo oil and black olives
• Seared foie gras on pan toasted brioche with mango ginger chutney, Persian pistachios and bee pollen
• Pulled pork empenadas with sweet and spicy cilantro dipping sauce
• Warm crab salad with crispy quinoa and truffle jalapeno emulsion
• Sweet potato ravioli  in a brown butter, hazelnut, aleppo pepper, sage emulsion
• Skirt steak with chimichurri and parmesan potato puree, and haricot vert and tomato salad