Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Park Avenue Winter (Spring/Summer/Autumn)

As part of celebrating its appearance on last week's Gossip Girl, this rustic American restaurant (designed by AvroKO, who wondrously transforms its interior every season) offered a complimentary meal to women of any age dressed in a schoolgirl uniform. Needless to say, I dressed appropriately for the occasion and enjoyed a fabulous meal at the Upper East Side establishment run by Executive Chef Craig Koketsu (fans, click here).

Featured Restaurant: Park Avenue Winter (Summer/Spring/Autumn)
Rating:


Park Avenue Winter pays homage to classic, rustic American fare, with its wintry landscape and professionally executed dishes. As the centerpiece of the restaurant, the main dining room is adorned with crystal chandeliers and connected to a narrow hallway leading to a more intimate dining room. Service was unfortunately a bit spotty, but understandably so, since waiters were probably distracted by the large crowds of women dressed up as schoolgirls. It was an admirable, yet almost comical attempt in reenacting the UES scene.

Now to the food. We started off with the house fried parmesan croquettes. These crispy, bite-size delicacies melted in my mouth, with an empowering creaminess of the cheese filling. Great way to start off the night.

For the appetizers, we had the Sashimi of Hamachi and Porcini Ravioli. Adorned with passionfruit, cashews, and thin shavings of black truffle, the sashimi was both refreshing and invigorating.

The ravioli with swiss chard, on the other hand, echoed the richness of the parmesan croquettes, as our palates indugled in the buttery gorgonzola cream.


For the entrees, we both chose to go with fish. I had the Pan-Seared John Dory, lightly seasoned with black truffle and herbs. As expected, the fish was fresh and very tender, but it pales in comparison with the Dover Sole, which was absolutely amazing.
Though the dish was extremely simple -- the dover sole served with a side of brown butter sauce and lemon -- the combination of these flavors were close to recreating those fireworks that Gus the mouse experienced in Ratatouille. The thin, lightly seared skin was full of flavor, while not too greasy, and the brown butter truly perfected the dish.

To accompany the John Dory and the Dover Sole, we also ordered a side of Fried Cauliflower, which was crispy and delicious.
And finally, dessert! I had The Chocolate Cube, which consisted of a tall, pointed cube filled with chocolate cake and mousse and served with chocolate sorbet. It seemed a bit bland in my opinion, as the chocolate flavors gradually became tart.

The Pistachio Brown Butter Cake, however, was much more interesting. The dish was beautifully orchestrated, with a half-moon shaped sugar straw over the cake, red wine pears, and Bartlett pear sorbet. The flavorful pears brought back a rustic, farmstead feel that rounded up our night perfectly.

Park Avenue Winter is not for the faint hearted, especially the Dover Sole with delicious brown butter. With four different looks throughout the year, it is a beautiful space, and I highly recommend it for a special occasion, or even just a fancy brunch (their breakfast risotto is also amazing).

Park Avenue Winter
100 E 63rd St
New York, NY 10065
(212) 644-1900

Sunday, March 15, 2009

New Leaf Restaurant & Cafe

If you've never been to The Cloisters (a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art) located in Upper Manhattan, it's time to make your way up there! An easy subway ride away (190th St stop on the "A"), the Cloisters houses an extensive collection of architecture elements from Medieval Europe. Given that the museum merits its own entry, today's focus is on an eco-friendly, lovely cottage-like establishment nestled in Fort Tyron Park, just a stroll from the museum.

Featured Restaurant: New Leaf Restaurant & Cafe
Rating: ♔♔♔♔

Executive Chef Scott Campbell (formerly of Le Cirque and Union Square Cafe), offers a $18.95 weekend brunch prix-fixe, including juice and coffee, and an extensive variety of entrees ranging from classic omelettes and German apple pancakes to duck confit hash and pappardelle bolognese.

The cozy ambiance and natural lighting fills the dining room with warmth, as tourists and locals sip on their coffee over table conversations. Our friendly waitress eagerly informed us that Dr. Ruth was sitting across the table from us. For those of you who don't know (I had no idea either), Dr. Ruth is quite the well-known sex therapist.

I had the Homemade pappardelle bolognese with smoked mozzarella, which was absolutely fantastic. The aroma of the mozzarella was infused in the pappardelle, which was cooked al dente, preserving a slight chewiness. Although pasta is not traditionally served for brunch, the yumminess was a pleasant surprise.

For our other entree, we took our waitress' suggestion and ordered the Duck confit hash with cheddar grits and field greens. This dish was quite good as well. The duck confit was generously portioned and complemented nicely by the soft hash and poached eggs. The cheddar grits were creamy but not overly so, while the field greens lacked a bit in flavor. Overall, we were delightfully surprised by the lightness of the dish (especially in comparison with the pappardelle).

For dessert, we shared the Warm brioche bread pudding with homemade rum raisin ice cream, which was OH SO GOOD! The bread pudding was moist, but not mushy, and the rum raisin ice cream added a nice kick to the dish.

To finish off (I know, I'm ridiculous), I got a hot Valrohna chocolate to go. I decided to be adventurous and chose the chipotle cinnamon flavor, which you have been forewarned, was extremely spicy. Imagine chewing on hot chile peppers while drinking hot chocolate at the same time. It was definitely an experience, as I sipped on it in both fear and delight on my subway ride home.

"Freshness is flavor - you want to get food on the table as soon as it's out of the ground." - Executive Chef Campbell

New Leaf Restaurant & Cafe
1 Margaret Corbin Dr
Fort Tryon Park
New York, NY 10034
(212) 568-5323

Smith's

Sometimes, there's nothing better than a simple, elegant meal in the ever charming Greenwich Village.

Featured Restaurant: Smith's
Rating: ♔♔

Situated on a bustling street, Smith's (collaboration of Cindy Smith and Danny Abrams) exhibits a clean, chic feel with hints of sultry notes emanating from the interior. Black leather banquettes lined along the wall of the
skinny dining room gaze at the antique mirrored ceiling, evoking a 1920s scene on a first-class railroad car.The main compartment leads to a cozy den in the back room, where patrons sip on freshly made cocktails in an intimate setting.
The menu is simple, with a variety of traditional New American dishes. For the table, we ordered the Fried Burrata and the Mushroom Risotto, which were both quite good. The excellent crispiness of the crust complemented the moist burrata nicely, and the marinara sauce hinted at its older sister, the perenially loved mozzarella sticks.

The creamy Mushroom Risotto, with bacon, parmesan, and pistou, was nicely cooked, but lacked a certain kick to the dish.

For the entree, I had the Sea Scallops with creamed spinach, mushrooms, and artichokes. This was our favorite dish of the night. The combination of the spinach and scallops was absolutely fantastic. I would certainly recommend this dish to scallop lovers.

The Slow Cooked Pork, on the other hand, received much less praise. The pork was on the dry side, and was not complemented well by the fried rice with English peas, which also seemed to lack in flavor.

We ordered the Fried Apple Pie for dessert, which was claimed by the manager the other day to have "reached perfection". It was warm and crisp, but it's got large shoes to fill.

Though there are a few misses and some great scores, Smith's is a great date spot for "in-the-know" couples looking for some elegant romance.

Smith's
79 MacDougal Street
NY, NY 10012
(212) 260-0100

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Basta Pasta

Though the concept of 'fusion' has evolved from being a popular trend to somewhat more of a thing in the past, there are some places that have held their own. Basta Pasta is one.

Featured Restaurant: Basta Pasta
Rating:

A perennial favorite of many of my friends (and their parents), Basta Pasta combines elements of Italian dishes with a unique Japanese twist. The restaurant prides itself in the creativity and caliber of its dishes. Primi piattis include Spaghetti with tobiko (flying fish roe) and shiso and Linguine with uni (sea urchin) in a vodka sauce among others.


The decor is minimalist at best, but simplicity lies at the core of this Japanese/Italian gem. Appetizers range from fresh carpaccios of the day to grilled squid and duck breast salad. The wine list is also excellent. I've been to this restaurant over 5 times, and it has quite remarkably, put a smile to my stomach each time without fail.



The crab meat tartare antipasti is served as a mash of avocado, green apple, Yukon gold potato, and basil aioli with grapefruit jelly and watermelon radish. The crispy texture of the vibrantly colored watermelon radish complements the tartare, and the apple and grapefruit offer pleasant surprises along the way.



The spaghetti with tobiko and shiso is truly an exquisite combination. The shiso refreshes the palate as it lightens the intensity of the tobiko, and you just can't resist the burst of flavor as the tobiko pops in your mouth.

Classic desserts are the parmesan cheesecake and molten chocolate lava cake. My personal recommendation would be to stay away from the Crepe with apple compote and vanilla ice cream :)

That being said, Basta Pasta is one of my favorites in the city, and I would recommend it for a date, family dinner, as well as birthday dinners. (Hint: If you tell them beforehand, a posse of Japanese waiters will serenade the birthday boy/girl with an adorable banjo)

Basta Pasta
37 W. 17th St
New York, NY 10011
(212) 336-088

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Itzocan

Guacamole is one of my favorite things in the world, which lends me to today's entry!

Featured Restaurant: Itzocan
Rating:

This tiny hole-in-the-wall, tucked away in the East Village (only a few steps away from its new popular vegetarian neighbor, Dirt Candy), serves up authentic Mexican dishes ranging from quesadillas with flor de calabaza (pumpkin flower) to traditional mole and spiced mole chocolate cake.

Service was a bit spotty, as we waited over half an hour past our reservation, but the guacamole scored big points.The texture, both creamy and chunky, offered a great consistency that blended perfectly with the freshly toasted tortilla chips. We shared two additional appetizers, the Queso Fundido, a creamy fondue with brie and sausage, and the Sweet Corn Huitlacoche Mushroom Souffle Cake with Truffle Oil, similar to a mousse-like consistency. The entrees were less fabulous, but the pitcher of sangria ($35) was big enough for a table of six. To top it all of, we ordered the mole chocolate cake, which had a hint of Mexican chocolate but not overpowered by the aroma.

Though pricier than expected for a Mexican hole-in-the-wall, I'd recommend Itzocan for a casual, cozy dinner for two to catch up with some tasty Mexican specialties and refreshing sangria.

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
- James Beard (1903-1985)


Itzocan
438 E. 9th St. (near Ave. A)

New York, NY 10009
(212) 677-5856

Frankies 17

[Pictures to come...]

Featured Restaurant: Frankies 17
Rating:

From the chefs, Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo, who own Frankies Spuntino 457 in Brooklyn (not to be confused with Frank Prisinzano, owner of Supper/Frank/Lil' Frankies chain), comes Frankies 17, located alongside the trove of delectable restaurants on Clinton Street.

The atmosphere is both sultry and romantic, evocative of a summer's night in Milan. The menu is simple, yet offering a variety of meats, cheeses, paninis, and pastas. We started off with the local cheese plate ($19), which was lathered with 3 different local cheeses, accompanied by walnuts drizzled with honey. The gorgonzola had a sharp punch to it, and the cheddar, rich and aromatic. Next, we had the Butternut Squash soup, which although cooked well, lacked a creative dimension to it.

For the entrees, I had the Cavatelli with sausage, butter, and sage, which was excellent in my opinion. The cavatelli was cooked perfectly al dente, and the sausage provided just enough flavor to spice up the chewy pasta. We also ordered the Eggplant and Mozzarella Panini, which was quite possibly the best dish of the meal. The superb combination of the crispy bread, steamy eggplant, and melted mozzarella in a marinara sauce was worth of much praise.

Unfortunately, we were too full to enjoy dessert, but I would possibly return to Frankies 17 to try their other paninis and pastas. All in all, a consistent, pleasant meal that voiced its presence in a city brimming with Italian restaurants.

Frankies 17
17 Clinton St.
New York, NY 10002
(212) 253-2303