It's been brought to my attention that I failed to mention the other people at dinner. (I think the term was "bitch", thanks Josh) so here we go:
Josh: to be fair you were sitting on the other end of the table, but you are by far my most fabulous friend
DR: you and your insatiable love of truffles makes me dizzy.
Alan: I enjoyed sharing pate with you and your command of the french language
Bret: You are the best hairline inspector ever
David: More drunk phone calls PLEASE
Maria: Every day i spend with you is an adventure, I'm glad I was there for the nautical adventure.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Les Halles (Downtown)
So last night was Nadine's birthday. For those of you who are randomly reading this (who are you people anyway), you'll be hearing alot about Nadine, we eat out alot together, she is one of my most precious friends. Yesterday was her birthday so a large group of us went to the Les Halles in the financial district.
Before dinner I must note we went a bar called Pound and Pence on Liberty Street. The thinking behind this was the following, we wanted (Marsha, my other most precious of friends, Nadine and I) to go have some nice happy hour drinks and wouldn't it be ironic if we went to some pub establishment filled with Wall Street types. The bar was actually very spacious and warm. The reason I'm mentioning it is because they have a really extensive gin selection. To know me is to know my love of gin. I sampled a Dutch gin Bols Genever, in a gin and tonic. It was clean and really refreshing.
On to dinner
We were seated in a back room there about ten of us. Nadine, Marsha and I got there and met Nicole and DR inside. Our waiter was french, which i have no problem with (I work with a bunch of frenchies), but I usually expect good service coupled with the haughty attitude. I can take you thinking you're better than I am as long as the service you provide is of high quality, unfortunately that was not the case. Only half of our party had arrived and our waiter was continuing to ask us if we wanted something to drink, even after we had said we were going to wait for everyone else to arrive. Then once everyone arrived our waiter was no where to be found. I ordered my steak Bearnaise with mashed potatoes instead of fries, and they brought it with fries anyway. When I pointed this out there was no apology to be found. I don't mean to sound like a bitch, but i do this for a living, we were a fun and nice group of people, common courtesy should apply. There was visible annoyance when we repeatedly asked for drinks we had ordered and asked for the wine list. Sigh. Someone flunked french waiter school it seems.
The food, I started with escargot, which was delicious. To be fair anything slathered in garlic butter is going to be delicious, but god damn it i love me some escargot. Other appetizers floating around included the crabcake (pretty standard, nothing special), mussels with tomato and chorizo (fantastic) and pate (once again pretty standard, good but nothing earthshattering).
For dinner my steak which i ordered medium rare was pretty unevenly, cooked but otherwise satisfactory, the Bearnaise sauce was a bit thick but had a nice shot of vinegar cutting the fat deliciously. Nadine got a seafood choucterie which was very nice, not particularly my taste but well executed. Nicole had some sort of massive mixed grill plate with bacon, lamb chops, and sausages, which was fantastic. Nothing beats a giant wooden board filled with meat. NOTHING. All around the food was well executed, but I must say I prefer the kitchen at the Les Halles uptown.
In spite of the crappy service and the underwhelming kitchen we had a good time and Nadine had a great birthday which is all that matters. After dinner the four of us (Nadine, Marsha, Nicole and I) headed to Souths to have some birthday pie from the little pie company. Here's what I learned. Pie always tastes better with coffee, that has Jameson and Baileys in it.
Before dinner I must note we went a bar called Pound and Pence on Liberty Street. The thinking behind this was the following, we wanted (Marsha, my other most precious of friends, Nadine and I) to go have some nice happy hour drinks and wouldn't it be ironic if we went to some pub establishment filled with Wall Street types. The bar was actually very spacious and warm. The reason I'm mentioning it is because they have a really extensive gin selection. To know me is to know my love of gin. I sampled a Dutch gin Bols Genever, in a gin and tonic. It was clean and really refreshing.
On to dinner
We were seated in a back room there about ten of us. Nadine, Marsha and I got there and met Nicole and DR inside. Our waiter was french, which i have no problem with (I work with a bunch of frenchies), but I usually expect good service coupled with the haughty attitude. I can take you thinking you're better than I am as long as the service you provide is of high quality, unfortunately that was not the case. Only half of our party had arrived and our waiter was continuing to ask us if we wanted something to drink, even after we had said we were going to wait for everyone else to arrive. Then once everyone arrived our waiter was no where to be found. I ordered my steak Bearnaise with mashed potatoes instead of fries, and they brought it with fries anyway. When I pointed this out there was no apology to be found. I don't mean to sound like a bitch, but i do this for a living, we were a fun and nice group of people, common courtesy should apply. There was visible annoyance when we repeatedly asked for drinks we had ordered and asked for the wine list. Sigh. Someone flunked french waiter school it seems.
The food, I started with escargot, which was delicious. To be fair anything slathered in garlic butter is going to be delicious, but god damn it i love me some escargot. Other appetizers floating around included the crabcake (pretty standard, nothing special), mussels with tomato and chorizo (fantastic) and pate (once again pretty standard, good but nothing earthshattering).
For dinner my steak which i ordered medium rare was pretty unevenly, cooked but otherwise satisfactory, the Bearnaise sauce was a bit thick but had a nice shot of vinegar cutting the fat deliciously. Nadine got a seafood choucterie which was very nice, not particularly my taste but well executed. Nicole had some sort of massive mixed grill plate with bacon, lamb chops, and sausages, which was fantastic. Nothing beats a giant wooden board filled with meat. NOTHING. All around the food was well executed, but I must say I prefer the kitchen at the Les Halles uptown.
In spite of the crappy service and the underwhelming kitchen we had a good time and Nadine had a great birthday which is all that matters. After dinner the four of us (Nadine, Marsha, Nicole and I) headed to Souths to have some birthday pie from the little pie company. Here's what I learned. Pie always tastes better with coffee, that has Jameson and Baileys in it.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Bar Blanc
As anyone who knows me knows, I've been screaming about Bar Blanc for a while now. Having worked with the kitchen staff there before, I've seen first hand how talented Cesar is. I had dinner there last night on a whim. I was in the neighborhood and having dinner with an old friend I hadn't seen in months and we wanted a really nice meal (she's a line cook at 57 restaurant in the Four Seasons http://www.fourseasons.com/newyorkfs/dining/57.html).
The dining room there is gorgeous, very chic, very sexy and very very white. I shudder to think what happens when a patron drunkenly spills some red wine on one of those pristine white leather banquets, but I digress.
The food:
I as per usual wanted the tasting menu, my dining companion as per usual did not. This was unfortunate, but not tragic as the a la carte menu is fantastic. I started with the rabbit and sweetbread salad. The rabbit terrine was a really flavorful and delicious and paired with perfectly cooked sweetbreads. There was a juxtaposition of temperatures the terrine being chilled and the sweetbreads being nice and warm, (the word juxtaposition will always remind me of the pixies and the juxtaposition of loud and soft, which has nothing to do with food but alot to do with my brain). The ricotta on which the terrine sat was creamy and perfectly seasoned, the mushrooms and microgreens finished the dish off perfectly.
For my entree I had the monk fish with an open faced crab meat ravioli and a frothy butternut squash broth. This was seriously perfect, I'm not a huge fan of squashes, and pumpkins (sorry), but the broth was flavorful, creamy and not overpoweringly sweet (which is what i don't like about squashes and pumpkins). It was a perfectly well balanced dish and just as good as the pig I had the last time I was there. My friend had the rabbit fettuccine which was wonderfully savory in the best sense of the word. What does that last sentence mean? Um rabbit pasta good. That's about it. We also got a side of brussel sprouts that made me want to smack my younger self for ever hating brussels sprouts. What a flavorful and delicious vegetable, especially with the hints of garlic and pear that the kitchen adds. Wonderful
As for the booze, I had two glasses of rose cava that I enjoyed thoroughly. Megan had a glass of White Bordeaux that was also really lovely. To know me is to know my lack of wine knowledge. Something that I hope will change in the coming months.
They dessert bombed our table, which I have to say I really enjoyed. What I love about the desserts at Bar Blanc is that they aren't' afraid to be as aggressive as the savory dishes. The salty caramel ice cream with the bittersweet chocolate cake is pretty damn salty. But it works beautifully with the deep rich dark chocolate. The meyer lemon souffle is tart, as is the goat cheese ice cream as are the huckleberries, but the combination of the three create a satisfying dessert that is light and refreshing and a perfect ending to the meal.
Bruni reviewed Bar Blanc today as well, he was slightly less enthusiastic than I am, but only slightly http://events.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/dining/reviews/27rest.html?ref=dining . Of course he's never hung out with the boys in the kitchen there, I figure that has colored my judgement a bit, but I sincerely believe if the boys took Bruni to the Patriot they'd be bumped up by a star at least.
The dining room there is gorgeous, very chic, very sexy and very very white. I shudder to think what happens when a patron drunkenly spills some red wine on one of those pristine white leather banquets, but I digress.
The food:
I as per usual wanted the tasting menu, my dining companion as per usual did not. This was unfortunate, but not tragic as the a la carte menu is fantastic. I started with the rabbit and sweetbread salad. The rabbit terrine was a really flavorful and delicious and paired with perfectly cooked sweetbreads. There was a juxtaposition of temperatures the terrine being chilled and the sweetbreads being nice and warm, (the word juxtaposition will always remind me of the pixies and the juxtaposition of loud and soft, which has nothing to do with food but alot to do with my brain). The ricotta on which the terrine sat was creamy and perfectly seasoned, the mushrooms and microgreens finished the dish off perfectly.
For my entree I had the monk fish with an open faced crab meat ravioli and a frothy butternut squash broth. This was seriously perfect, I'm not a huge fan of squashes, and pumpkins (sorry), but the broth was flavorful, creamy and not overpoweringly sweet (which is what i don't like about squashes and pumpkins). It was a perfectly well balanced dish and just as good as the pig I had the last time I was there. My friend had the rabbit fettuccine which was wonderfully savory in the best sense of the word. What does that last sentence mean? Um rabbit pasta good. That's about it. We also got a side of brussel sprouts that made me want to smack my younger self for ever hating brussels sprouts. What a flavorful and delicious vegetable, especially with the hints of garlic and pear that the kitchen adds. Wonderful
As for the booze, I had two glasses of rose cava that I enjoyed thoroughly. Megan had a glass of White Bordeaux that was also really lovely. To know me is to know my lack of wine knowledge. Something that I hope will change in the coming months.
They dessert bombed our table, which I have to say I really enjoyed. What I love about the desserts at Bar Blanc is that they aren't' afraid to be as aggressive as the savory dishes. The salty caramel ice cream with the bittersweet chocolate cake is pretty damn salty. But it works beautifully with the deep rich dark chocolate. The meyer lemon souffle is tart, as is the goat cheese ice cream as are the huckleberries, but the combination of the three create a satisfying dessert that is light and refreshing and a perfect ending to the meal.
Bruni reviewed Bar Blanc today as well, he was slightly less enthusiastic than I am, but only slightly http://events.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/dining/reviews/27rest.html?ref=dining . Of course he's never hung out with the boys in the kitchen there, I figure that has colored my judgement a bit, but I sincerely believe if the boys took Bruni to the Patriot they'd be bumped up by a star at least.
First Post
Well duckies I've decided to start a blog. Why do this now? Well seeing as I'm in school now I find that I have alot of thoughts (I find blogs about thoughts alot more stimulating than blogs about feelings, not that I don't like blogs about feelings, but everyone knows what I'm feeling most of the time), about resturants, the resturant industry in general, food, food history, food on tv, you get the idea and having a blog seemed a good way to channel all these thoughts.
I'm going to try and post at least twice a week hopefully more, but I make no promises. I'm open to comments and questions, I just want everyone to enjoy this and maybe learn something.
I'm going to try and post at least twice a week hopefully more, but I make no promises. I'm open to comments and questions, I just want everyone to enjoy this and maybe learn something.
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