Blue Hill is nestled on Washington Place off of 6th Avenue. Actually I should probably say Blue Hill is nestled below Washington Place off of 6th Avenue. The restaurant is barely discernible amongst a row of lovely stone and brick townhouses - the only sign of a restaurant is a literal sign, or plaque, reading Blue Hill in stately letters and an awning arching over the quaint brick stairs leading down to Blue Hill's dining room. The dining room is actually beneath street level, but instead of giving the restaurant an eerie basementy feel, it is cozy and almost exclusive feeling - like a kind of elegant old boys club (is that an oxymoron?) but without the inherent sexism. The waitstaff is attentive, if not a bit overly serious, but then again that's probably their perogative. But waitstaff never factors in too too much to my overall rating of a restaurant because really I'm there for the food - unless the waitstaff spits in my food in front of me, I'm not too concerned.
The meal started with, well wine of course, but first an amuse bouche/crudite of sorts. Blue Hill, known for their Blue Hill Farm in upstate NY where they get all their produce and meat, seems to rejoice in proving that pure, unadulerated, local food is tastier (and healthier I suppose) than preserative riddled supermarket food anyway. This seems to be a popular notion these days but Blue Hill undertakes the task with ease and elegance...not that there's anything wrong with screaming "organic" and "local" from the rooftops, but the quality and freshness of Blue Hill's food is so ingrained in the philosophy of the restaurant, there seems no need to announce it or make a big show. Back to the crudites! Now I am not a big vegetable fan so this should mean a lot coming from me - the quality of taste of these lone vegetables was magical...or maybe the taste seemed magical to me precisely because I've been flushing vegetables down the toilet since I was five. The carrot, beet and spinach were crisp, fresh, salty and enormously rich in flavor.
I next had the fennel soup, which was as warming and thick and lovely as a soup can be. I also had a bite of This Morning Farm Egg which was, as you can imagine, extremely fresh, but not for yolk haters, as the gooey yolk oozed about the plate begging to be sopped up with a chunk of hearty baguette.
For my entree I had the grass-fed lamb. I love lamb and this dish was no exception, but it wasn't knock your socks off good like I expected. Meaning there wasn't any "extra" flavor or kick to take it from being delicious to outstanding, like the previous courses. However I ended on possibly the higest note possible. Yes, that's right, dessert! I finihsed with the steamed cheesecake: "..dark chocolate, roasted peanuts & maldon salt" umm how can you go wrong with that??? This was serious cheesecake, not overly heavy like some cheesecakes tend to be, turning your stomach after the first few bites, just the perfect balance between heaviness and lightness and the peanuts (an odd choice I thought at first) added a wonderful salty kick to the dark chocolate. I must also reccomend the Passionfruit Souffle - although I did not taste it due to my aversion to fruit, it received rave reviews from all around the table.
And that folks, was the end to a magical evening!
Showing posts with label West Village Resaurants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label West Village Resaurants. Show all posts
Monday, February 11, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
Rocco: A (for canolis/dessert)
Wow, can I just say that Rocco's has the best canolis I've ever had...I was never a huge fan of canolis until I tried a chocolate canoli at Rocco's. And now I am seriously of the opinion that there are few better desserts. A small chocolate canoli at Rocco's is perfect as an extremely satisfying, but small and not too heavy dessert (well not too heavy for me but I'm a big dessert eater). The filling is not gooey nor is it fluffy, the consistency is more solid, more confection-ey (if that's a word). Have you ever had a real whoopie pie (being from Maine, I've had dozens but upon moving anywehre else in the United States, I find there's a vast shortage of real, homemade whoopie pies, otherwise known as moon pies...but if you call it a moon pie, you've probably never had a real whoopie pie)? Well the filling of the canoli is similiar to the homemade filling of the best whoopie pie you've ever had (in this case, Mrs. Unnold's famous homemade whoopie pies, which I have the recipe for if you're interested).
Alas the picture is not of the famous Rocco canoli but of another dessert there. I forget the name of it, but that's not important because this is just a filler picture until I get a picture of a canoli. Not to say the other desserts aren't tasty, they are very, but they don't have the same jaw-dropping quality of the canolis.
Alas the picture is not of the famous Rocco canoli but of another dessert there. I forget the name of it, but that's not important because this is just a filler picture until I get a picture of a canoli. Not to say the other desserts aren't tasty, they are very, but they don't have the same jaw-dropping quality of the canolis.
Cafe Condesa: A+
Wow, I can't believe it's been a MONTH since I last posted. My excuse is really my puppy, Franklin. And that's not really an excuse but sadly he's pretty much all I think about now. So clearly that needs to change and I need to get some kind of an adult life back...but before I review Cafe Condesa, perhaps a picture of Franklin to get things started??
How cute is he????
Ok also before I start this "review/personal restaurant experience" I have to admit that I've pretty much stopped taking pictures during my meals out. This is due to the fact that I find the flash going off every ten minutes very rude and annoying, and so from now on, unless the mood in the restaurant strikes me as being incredibly casual and the other people in the restaurant are hippies or don't care about being blinded by my flash, I'm going to refrain from taking pictures. Sorry. But I'll try to be better about updating my blog from now on, pictures or no pictures.
Cafe Condesa has been one of my favorite restaurants in the West Village since the first time I took my friend Akeli there on a whim. I don't think I had read any formal reviews of the place but I skimmed a bunch of five star yelp reviews and decided to give it a try. Mostly I was intrigued by the resounding "excellent food at strangely inexpensive prices" sentiment in all of the reviews. I've been to Cafe Condesa four or five times now and I can truly attest to that sentiment. It's not just that the food is amazing (and we'll get to the specifics in a moment), it's that the prices are so low, not only for the West Village, but also New York City in general, that each bite becomes even more heavenly because you can't believe the deal you're getting.
The best appetizer I've tried, and I've tried it several times now, is the baguette and warm brie, drizzled with honey and pinenuts. It's probably pretty difficult to go wrong with an appetizer like this, yet I've never had anything so tasty in all of my life that contained the same simple ingredients of baguette and warm brie. The brie to baguette ratio is perfect and the warm brie itself is just the right temperature and gooiness. The honey is wonderfully sweet and sticky. In other words, I have never ordered this and not gobbled down every last bit of baguette and brie and everyone who has shared this appetizer with me has been equally delighted.
I have two favorite main courses, both fish: Lemon Sole and Striped Bass. To be fair, I didn't get to enjoy more than a couple of bites of the Striped Bass because my sister ordered it and, while she's very generous and I'm sure would have given me as much as I could eat, I saw her face light up in pure pleasure after the first bite and didn't want to rob her of her happiness. Both fishes are cooked perfectly, so that the fish is melt in your mouth but not at all fishy tasting. The sides, "mashed potatoes, spinach and a parsley lemon butter sauce" for the Sole, and "tomato, poblano pepper and capers with plantains and rice" for the Bass, compliment the fishes perfectly.
For dessert I have only tried one: the chocolate souffle cake with (I believe) espresso gelato. Kind of a tried-and-true staple dessert, but nonetheless one of the richest and most heavenly chocolate souffle cakes I've ever had. The extreme richness of the gooey cake, balances perfectly with the sweet lightness of the espresso gelato.
The reason this is the first ever restaurant to receive an A+ is because for once I have found a restaurant in the west village with amazing food where I didn't feel like I was still getting swindled by the price. Too often I end an amazing meal with the sentiment "Wow that was exquisite but I sure am paying for it." At the end of a meal at Cafe Condesa I guarantee the only thought going through your head will be "Can this bill be right??" as you prance out the door, body filled with a delicious meal and pockets filled with enough money for dinner next week at Cafe Condesa.
How cute is he????
Ok also before I start this "review/personal restaurant experience" I have to admit that I've pretty much stopped taking pictures during my meals out. This is due to the fact that I find the flash going off every ten minutes very rude and annoying, and so from now on, unless the mood in the restaurant strikes me as being incredibly casual and the other people in the restaurant are hippies or don't care about being blinded by my flash, I'm going to refrain from taking pictures. Sorry. But I'll try to be better about updating my blog from now on, pictures or no pictures.
Cafe Condesa has been one of my favorite restaurants in the West Village since the first time I took my friend Akeli there on a whim. I don't think I had read any formal reviews of the place but I skimmed a bunch of five star yelp reviews and decided to give it a try. Mostly I was intrigued by the resounding "excellent food at strangely inexpensive prices" sentiment in all of the reviews. I've been to Cafe Condesa four or five times now and I can truly attest to that sentiment. It's not just that the food is amazing (and we'll get to the specifics in a moment), it's that the prices are so low, not only for the West Village, but also New York City in general, that each bite becomes even more heavenly because you can't believe the deal you're getting.
The best appetizer I've tried, and I've tried it several times now, is the baguette and warm brie, drizzled with honey and pinenuts. It's probably pretty difficult to go wrong with an appetizer like this, yet I've never had anything so tasty in all of my life that contained the same simple ingredients of baguette and warm brie. The brie to baguette ratio is perfect and the warm brie itself is just the right temperature and gooiness. The honey is wonderfully sweet and sticky. In other words, I have never ordered this and not gobbled down every last bit of baguette and brie and everyone who has shared this appetizer with me has been equally delighted.
I have two favorite main courses, both fish: Lemon Sole and Striped Bass. To be fair, I didn't get to enjoy more than a couple of bites of the Striped Bass because my sister ordered it and, while she's very generous and I'm sure would have given me as much as I could eat, I saw her face light up in pure pleasure after the first bite and didn't want to rob her of her happiness. Both fishes are cooked perfectly, so that the fish is melt in your mouth but not at all fishy tasting. The sides, "mashed potatoes, spinach and a parsley lemon butter sauce" for the Sole, and "tomato, poblano pepper and capers with plantains and rice" for the Bass, compliment the fishes perfectly.
For dessert I have only tried one: the chocolate souffle cake with (I believe) espresso gelato. Kind of a tried-and-true staple dessert, but nonetheless one of the richest and most heavenly chocolate souffle cakes I've ever had. The extreme richness of the gooey cake, balances perfectly with the sweet lightness of the espresso gelato.
The reason this is the first ever restaurant to receive an A+ is because for once I have found a restaurant in the west village with amazing food where I didn't feel like I was still getting swindled by the price. Too often I end an amazing meal with the sentiment "Wow that was exquisite but I sure am paying for it." At the end of a meal at Cafe Condesa I guarantee the only thought going through your head will be "Can this bill be right??" as you prance out the door, body filled with a delicious meal and pockets filled with enough money for dinner next week at Cafe Condesa.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Deborah: A (for brunch)
I've been having a love affair with Deborah's brunch ever since I passed it on the way to another restaurant and decided to be spontaneous and give it a try. I am so glad that I did; there must have been something in the air that lead me to Deborah that morning. Because there are so many quaint restaurants on beautiful tree-lined streets in the West Village, I never would have tried Deborah out on appearances alone. It's located on Carmine street, one of the more busy/less cutesy streets of the village, down the street from Grey Dog's coffee. It's absolutely nothing special from the outside and someone with refined taste might even find the location and appearance a bit tacky. And that's fine with me - I've never once waited for a table during prime Sunday brunch hour and I can attest to the fact that Deborah's brunch merits an hour wait easily. My point is, I don't know exactly what drew me to Deborah that morning long ago but my standards for brunch are forever changed because of it.
I've enjoyed brunch at Deborah's a handful of times but only snapped up a couple of pictures the last time I brunched there. On this particular morning, my table ordered the Challah French toast with carmalized bananas (and no I did not order this as anyone who knows me well knows that I don't eat fruit) and the Shirred Eggs. Although I didn't enjoy the complete Challah french toast experience, since I could not partake in the carmalized bananas, what I did taste of the french toast itself was excellent: sweet, rich, dense, just enough fluff and just enough sogginess to make a divine bite. And Justin, who devoured the entire plate, can attest that if you like bananas, the caramalized bananas add a heavenly touch.
I've had the Shirred Eggs multiple times, not because the rest of the menu isn't fabulous, but because the Shirred Eggs are so good that it becomes difficult to order anything else once you've tasted this dish (although I could say the same thing about the Ranchero Eggs as well, but that will have to be another post..): " roasted potatoes, cheddar cheese, bacon, scallion, topped with eggs, married in the oven." The flavors truly burst, making this dish feel almost too complex, too flavorful, to be just...eggs. But obviously this is so much more than eggs and each ingredient compliments the ingredient next to it so that I literally had to take a figurative step back after every bite, just to enjoy the medley of flavors in my mouth.
If I haven't convinced you to try Deborah's at this point, then perhaps I should add that the waitstaff is the nicest, most cheerful bunch I ever seen in all of nyc. I'm so glad it's Friday - I'll see you at Deborah's this weekend!!
I've enjoyed brunch at Deborah's a handful of times but only snapped up a couple of pictures the last time I brunched there. On this particular morning, my table ordered the Challah French toast with carmalized bananas (and no I did not order this as anyone who knows me well knows that I don't eat fruit) and the Shirred Eggs. Although I didn't enjoy the complete Challah french toast experience, since I could not partake in the carmalized bananas, what I did taste of the french toast itself was excellent: sweet, rich, dense, just enough fluff and just enough sogginess to make a divine bite. And Justin, who devoured the entire plate, can attest that if you like bananas, the caramalized bananas add a heavenly touch.
I've had the Shirred Eggs multiple times, not because the rest of the menu isn't fabulous, but because the Shirred Eggs are so good that it becomes difficult to order anything else once you've tasted this dish (although I could say the same thing about the Ranchero Eggs as well, but that will have to be another post..): " roasted potatoes, cheddar cheese, bacon, scallion, topped with eggs, married in the oven." The flavors truly burst, making this dish feel almost too complex, too flavorful, to be just...eggs. But obviously this is so much more than eggs and each ingredient compliments the ingredient next to it so that I literally had to take a figurative step back after every bite, just to enjoy the medley of flavors in my mouth.
If I haven't convinced you to try Deborah's at this point, then perhaps I should add that the waitstaff is the nicest, most cheerful bunch I ever seen in all of nyc. I'm so glad it's Friday - I'll see you at Deborah's this weekend!!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Spotted Pig: A-
The Spotted Pig
I decided I wanted to try The Spotted Pig a long time ago but never seemed to get around to it. It wasn't the distance that kept me away (it's a mere 5 minute walk...as is everything in the west village), but the mixed reviews of the restaurant. It seemed that depending on the pull of the moon, you could either have a phenomenal, cozy meal or average food with a side of unpleasantness and over-crowding.
The Spotted Pig is a West Village landmark, I'm not really sure why, but it just is. Apparently it's even somewhat of a celebrity hotspot which has always confused me considering it's outter appearance. I wouldn't use the words shabby or dingy by any means but other than the cute spotted pig painting hanging from the side of the building, it's just a plain looking square box from the outside. Appearances can be deceiving though....
Once inside, I realized that the seemingly small building actually gives way to multiple rooms and floors inside. We were quickly led upstairs to a small, warmly lit room shared only by an odd pair of men eating together - I say "odd" because one was completely blinged out in rapper gear and was glued to his cell phone until he abruptly got up from the table never to return, and the other man never spoke a word and then left when his credit card was denied (I'm pretty sure he went to an ATM and came back to pay but i decided to tune out at that point). In any case, we were off to a good, if not interesting, start. The waitor (an ironically nerdy looking fellow who closely resembled Napoleon Dynamite's brother) started us off with a glass of wine (for me) and a beer (for Justin). I believe The Spotted Pig is known for having a nice selection of beer but because I hate beer I can't really speak to that...maybe Justin can update this entry with his perspective later. We wanted to take our time and have a liesurely meal so even though I had already mapped out exactly what we were getting (choosing the two best sounding dishes from all the reviews I came across), we listened to the specials and told the waitor we needed a few minutes to decide. In this time, I ventured to find the bathroom and took in the upstairs scene of the restaurant. I was starting to understand the mixed reviews and unique appeal of this restaurant. There is a certain je ne sais quoi about the restaurant itself and its patrons...sorry that's not very descriptive but go to The Spotted Pig and you'll see how difficult it is to put your finger on the pulse of the restaurant. The crowd was fashionable and many seemed to be distant ancestors of the modern day hipster. These people seemed to be...dare i say...real hipsters, and that in itself made them not hipsters. I felt as if I were actually in the midst of a genuine artist colony, something I thought only existed in "old new york," rather than the paper mache version found in williamsburg.
We finally decided it was time to order - due to our not-so-ravenous appetites and the not-so-wallet-friendly prices, we spit two items: The Pumpkin Salad and the Sheep's Ricotta Gnudi. They arrived at the same time and we dug in. The Pumpkin Salad combined chunks of warm pumpkin pieces, argula, pecorino and a contrasting pucker-your-lips tangy dressing. The dressing was a bit too tart for me, but I had to appreciate the lovely arrangment, fresh pumpkin and creativity of the salad.
The Ricotta Gnudi on the other hand was pitch perfect. I'd never tasted Gnudi before but had always wanted to and this was a very nice first gnudi experience - I just realized it sounds like I'm talking about adult films...well I'm not, I'm talking about the deliciousness that were these little dumplings filled with ricotta cheese. Gnudi is much lighter than Gnocchi due to the fact that it is filled with ricotta and not made with potato. It was like eating a delicious edible pillow filled with ricotta cheese.
Unfortunately, we did not get dessert here because I was hell-bent on trying Rocco's - A pastry shop famous for their canolis that I walk by almost everyday but for some reason, a reason that goes against my personal love for all things chocolately and sweet, had not yet ventured into. I was bound to change this....tonight!! Stayed tuned for my full-blown Rocco's dessert experience.....
I decided I wanted to try The Spotted Pig a long time ago but never seemed to get around to it. It wasn't the distance that kept me away (it's a mere 5 minute walk...as is everything in the west village), but the mixed reviews of the restaurant. It seemed that depending on the pull of the moon, you could either have a phenomenal, cozy meal or average food with a side of unpleasantness and over-crowding.
The Spotted Pig is a West Village landmark, I'm not really sure why, but it just is. Apparently it's even somewhat of a celebrity hotspot which has always confused me considering it's outter appearance. I wouldn't use the words shabby or dingy by any means but other than the cute spotted pig painting hanging from the side of the building, it's just a plain looking square box from the outside. Appearances can be deceiving though....
Once inside, I realized that the seemingly small building actually gives way to multiple rooms and floors inside. We were quickly led upstairs to a small, warmly lit room shared only by an odd pair of men eating together - I say "odd" because one was completely blinged out in rapper gear and was glued to his cell phone until he abruptly got up from the table never to return, and the other man never spoke a word and then left when his credit card was denied (I'm pretty sure he went to an ATM and came back to pay but i decided to tune out at that point). In any case, we were off to a good, if not interesting, start. The waitor (an ironically nerdy looking fellow who closely resembled Napoleon Dynamite's brother) started us off with a glass of wine (for me) and a beer (for Justin). I believe The Spotted Pig is known for having a nice selection of beer but because I hate beer I can't really speak to that...maybe Justin can update this entry with his perspective later. We wanted to take our time and have a liesurely meal so even though I had already mapped out exactly what we were getting (choosing the two best sounding dishes from all the reviews I came across), we listened to the specials and told the waitor we needed a few minutes to decide. In this time, I ventured to find the bathroom and took in the upstairs scene of the restaurant. I was starting to understand the mixed reviews and unique appeal of this restaurant. There is a certain je ne sais quoi about the restaurant itself and its patrons...sorry that's not very descriptive but go to The Spotted Pig and you'll see how difficult it is to put your finger on the pulse of the restaurant. The crowd was fashionable and many seemed to be distant ancestors of the modern day hipster. These people seemed to be...dare i say...real hipsters, and that in itself made them not hipsters. I felt as if I were actually in the midst of a genuine artist colony, something I thought only existed in "old new york," rather than the paper mache version found in williamsburg.
We finally decided it was time to order - due to our not-so-ravenous appetites and the not-so-wallet-friendly prices, we spit two items: The Pumpkin Salad and the Sheep's Ricotta Gnudi. They arrived at the same time and we dug in. The Pumpkin Salad combined chunks of warm pumpkin pieces, argula, pecorino and a contrasting pucker-your-lips tangy dressing. The dressing was a bit too tart for me, but I had to appreciate the lovely arrangment, fresh pumpkin and creativity of the salad.
The Ricotta Gnudi on the other hand was pitch perfect. I'd never tasted Gnudi before but had always wanted to and this was a very nice first gnudi experience - I just realized it sounds like I'm talking about adult films...well I'm not, I'm talking about the deliciousness that were these little dumplings filled with ricotta cheese. Gnudi is much lighter than Gnocchi due to the fact that it is filled with ricotta and not made with potato. It was like eating a delicious edible pillow filled with ricotta cheese.
Unfortunately, we did not get dessert here because I was hell-bent on trying Rocco's - A pastry shop famous for their canolis that I walk by almost everyday but for some reason, a reason that goes against my personal love for all things chocolately and sweet, had not yet ventured into. I was bound to change this....tonight!! Stayed tuned for my full-blown Rocco's dessert experience.....
Friday, January 11, 2008
Leela Lounge - A
Leela Lounge
1 West 3rd street
I'm so excited about this place Leela Lounge - I had never heard of it before my friend dragged me in last night, weary and hungry. You see, we had made plans longgg ago (read: 2 days) to have dinner and see the movie "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (I know this isn't a movie blog but seriously one of the most gut wrenching and beautiful movies I've ever seen), and I promptly forgot all about our plans, was all dolled up ready to go to my company holiday party when my friend called to say she was headed my way to pick me up for dinner. WHOOPS, so being the good friend I am, I ditched the company party, threw on some jeans and ran to meet her at the subway. This is a frequent occurrence in my life, being slightly schizophrenic, forgetful and spacey; I've been known to book plans for the same night at the same time one right after the other (I'm not actually that popular but that sounded good). So let's get crackin' with this restaurant experience!! Oh and what an experience it was!
Sara (one of my bestest friends since sixth grade - although our friendship was pretty one-sided, her being a mute until 10th grade), and I walked into Leela's because, quite frankly, it was the only GD restaurant we could find within a 5 block radius of the Anjelika. What the hell? Maybe we walked in the wrong direction from the subway but the area seemed completely desolate until...low and behold! We spotted Leela Lounge. Which didn't actually look all that fantastic from the outside but I sure am glad we took a chance and, upon seeing the restaurant down a sidestreet, did that slow, side-step, cautious walk, knowing full well that once we had walked a block in that direction, our lazy asses certainly weren't going to backtrack. I immediately shrieked when I saw the dozens of articles in the window of the restaurant, surely this was a good sign, no?! And then...I saw it...the glowing Zagats rating, get ready for this! It had been rated a Zagats 26!! Sara continued to berate me for my excitement while I muttered like rainman "26, wow 26, that's really good...that's rare, yes very rare...zagats 26."
Now full of hope, but also lacking a lot of time, as our movie was to start in..oh 20 minutes (whoops!!), we ordered quickly: For starters we split something called Corn Palak Kabobs - and you'll even get the description, courtesy of menupages: Fresh hand made Spinach and corn tikkis flavored w/ green onions and garam masala. Served w/ ginger sesame seed chutney. Look, there below, there it is!!
A little blurry, I know but I only had one shot to get a picture of each dish, as the table next to us made me feel self conscious about the flash emenating from my huge Zach Morris camera from 1999. These things were absolutely divine. Sara agreed. The intense flavor contrasted sharply with their outer "dull-looking balls" appearance. Just goes to show you, looks aren't everything (when it comes to food I mean! ha! As if personality counts for anything!). The chutney was also smooth and tangy, the perfect sassy accent to the comfort of the kabobs.
For our main course, I ordered Lukhnawee Ghosht nawabi delicacy: "succulent lamb slow cooked with fresh ground spices and medley of greens". This is one of those cases where the food itself actually is BETTER than the amazing description on the menu. Succulent lamb? Check! Fresh ground spices? Check! And then there was an added bonus of some sort of delightful and flavorful bean dip on the side. Sara, being a vegetarian (don't worry I've already made fun of her enough for this so don't feel the need...although if you want to go right ahead), ordered "Spinach & Cottage Cheese Koftas infused with ginger, fresh spices, cashews & raisins served in a delicious plum tomato sauce". I'm not going to lie, I don't know what a kofta is, but these koftas were awesome - balls with a nice crispy outside and a subtle cheesey inside. The sauce itself tasted like a high class tomato sauce. Just the right mix of sweet and savory goodness, topped off by that amazing bean dip that I got too. Look here's a picture of both our meals:
And here's one of Sara enjoying her Kofta (see how her eyes are closed in pleasure?):
And here's one of me enjoying my succulent slow-cooked lamb:
Alas, we did not have time for dessert as we were already 10 minutes late for the movie but this just gives me a reason to go back again, which I will...maybe tonight!
1 West 3rd street
I'm so excited about this place Leela Lounge - I had never heard of it before my friend dragged me in last night, weary and hungry. You see, we had made plans longgg ago (read: 2 days) to have dinner and see the movie "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (I know this isn't a movie blog but seriously one of the most gut wrenching and beautiful movies I've ever seen), and I promptly forgot all about our plans, was all dolled up ready to go to my company holiday party when my friend called to say she was headed my way to pick me up for dinner. WHOOPS, so being the good friend I am, I ditched the company party, threw on some jeans and ran to meet her at the subway. This is a frequent occurrence in my life, being slightly schizophrenic, forgetful and spacey; I've been known to book plans for the same night at the same time one right after the other (I'm not actually that popular but that sounded good). So let's get crackin' with this restaurant experience!! Oh and what an experience it was!
Sara (one of my bestest friends since sixth grade - although our friendship was pretty one-sided, her being a mute until 10th grade), and I walked into Leela's because, quite frankly, it was the only GD restaurant we could find within a 5 block radius of the Anjelika. What the hell? Maybe we walked in the wrong direction from the subway but the area seemed completely desolate until...low and behold! We spotted Leela Lounge. Which didn't actually look all that fantastic from the outside but I sure am glad we took a chance and, upon seeing the restaurant down a sidestreet, did that slow, side-step, cautious walk, knowing full well that once we had walked a block in that direction, our lazy asses certainly weren't going to backtrack. I immediately shrieked when I saw the dozens of articles in the window of the restaurant, surely this was a good sign, no?! And then...I saw it...the glowing Zagats rating, get ready for this! It had been rated a Zagats 26!! Sara continued to berate me for my excitement while I muttered like rainman "26, wow 26, that's really good...that's rare, yes very rare...zagats 26."
Now full of hope, but also lacking a lot of time, as our movie was to start in..oh 20 minutes (whoops!!), we ordered quickly: For starters we split something called Corn Palak Kabobs - and you'll even get the description, courtesy of menupages: Fresh hand made Spinach and corn tikkis flavored w/ green onions and garam masala. Served w/ ginger sesame seed chutney. Look, there below, there it is!!
A little blurry, I know but I only had one shot to get a picture of each dish, as the table next to us made me feel self conscious about the flash emenating from my huge Zach Morris camera from 1999. These things were absolutely divine. Sara agreed. The intense flavor contrasted sharply with their outer "dull-looking balls" appearance. Just goes to show you, looks aren't everything (when it comes to food I mean! ha! As if personality counts for anything!). The chutney was also smooth and tangy, the perfect sassy accent to the comfort of the kabobs.
For our main course, I ordered Lukhnawee Ghosht nawabi delicacy: "succulent lamb slow cooked with fresh ground spices and medley of greens". This is one of those cases where the food itself actually is BETTER than the amazing description on the menu. Succulent lamb? Check! Fresh ground spices? Check! And then there was an added bonus of some sort of delightful and flavorful bean dip on the side. Sara, being a vegetarian (don't worry I've already made fun of her enough for this so don't feel the need...although if you want to go right ahead), ordered "Spinach & Cottage Cheese Koftas infused with ginger, fresh spices, cashews & raisins served in a delicious plum tomato sauce". I'm not going to lie, I don't know what a kofta is, but these koftas were awesome - balls with a nice crispy outside and a subtle cheesey inside. The sauce itself tasted like a high class tomato sauce. Just the right mix of sweet and savory goodness, topped off by that amazing bean dip that I got too. Look here's a picture of both our meals:
And here's one of Sara enjoying her Kofta (see how her eyes are closed in pleasure?):
And here's one of me enjoying my succulent slow-cooked lamb:
Alas, we did not have time for dessert as we were already 10 minutes late for the movie but this just gives me a reason to go back again, which I will...maybe tonight!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Annisa - B+
After reading about Annisa on The Amateur Gourmet and then reading up on the restaurant on every other website produced out of a quick google search, I considered myself pretty knowledgeable about, not only the supposedly awe-inspiring food, but also its chef, Anita Lo (a formidable chef who kicked Mario Batali's butt on Iron Chef), and the basis of the restaurant (the name Annisa means "women" in Arabic and the wine list "celebrates women in the wine industry"). I have to admit, I was looking forward to my dinner at Annisa the way a 10 year old looks forward to Christmas morning, and truth be told, I now realize that all the build up beforehand resulted in inevitable dissapointment (kind of similar to when I was 10 years old and received a cookbook for Christmas and my sister received a huge stuffed teddy bear...kind of ironic, huh?). This is not to say that I didn't have a great meal at Annisa, however I had placed all my hopes and dreams in this restaurant: I was expecting something magical and instead had a...well a great dinner but no fireworks.
The restaurant is small and cozy, and we were seated side-by-side, a nice gesture that was appreciated as we were able to converse more closely and "ooh" and "ahh" right in each other's ears. The waitstaff was also extremely pleasant, in fact I even commented in the middle of the meal "they're REALLY nice here" after the waitress practically bent over backwards to assure us that "there's absolutely no rush, please take your time" about a dozen times. Being an expert on all things Annisa by this time, I of course knew exactly what I was going to order before we even sat down (umm ok so I knew 48 hours before I sat down...and kind of had my choices written out on a sticky note at my desk two days prior...yep that's kind of frightening actually - oh in fact here's me, pretending like I need to look at the menu!).
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I started with the foie gras dumplings, followed by the Miso Sable. The foie gras dumplings were very good but a little difficult to eat (you have to eat them over a spoon so that the soup within the dumplings spill into the spoon to be later slurped up). As my friend put it "this is the best, and most difficult thing I've ever eaten."
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DISCLAIMER: All photos were taken on an iphone (no flash) hence the dark, dreary looking photos.
The Miso Sable lay atop a block of tofu, the whole thing surrounded by spicy broth. The Sable truly was melt in your mouth, however the tofu didn't do too much for me and I wish the broth had been spicier and hotter temperature-wise.
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My friend's entree, a pork dish with gruyere and millet (a grain), looked delicious and tasted almost as good. The gruyere added a nice touch to the dish, who can resist melty gruyere really?, but I think I prefer the pork chops I made last night :)
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See those delicious looking crusty cubes? That's the gruyere!
Now OK here's where Annisa actually did live up to all my hopes and dreams!! We ordered the goat cheese cheesecake for dessert and OH. MY. GOD. That about sums it up. I would have been fine with JUST the cheesecake, in fact I would have bartered my previous two dishes for two more cheesecakes if I had known how good it was going to be. Here's a picture of pure heaven:
BOTTOM LINE: A solid meal, especially the signature dishes (foie gras dumplings and miso sable), but wouldn't be on my top ten "last meal list" (and yes this means I have a last meal list if I should ever end up death row..knock on wood...too morbid?).
INSIDER TIP: one...wait two..three? words : goatcheese cheesecake!!!!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Mary's Fish Camp - A
First off, I need to make note that I did not have a camera on me during this visit, thus the lack of pictures. However I will gladly take one for the team and revisit and order exactly what I ordered below and post the pics here.
Now for my first restaurant review. Except I think these blurbs are going to be more "personal restaurant experiences" than reviews because until I've eaten at a place several times and fully tested the menu, I don't think a 'review' is quite appropriate. SO! My first "personal restaurant experience"!
One Saturday night Justin and I decided to ditch our cooking plans for the evening and try out Mary's Fish Camp, only a few minutes walk away (yes, I LOVE living in the West Village!!). I have to preface this by explaining that I've been to Pearl's Oyster Bar a couple of times and feel a certain nostalgia/defensiveness when it comes to Pearl's because the owner/chef is from Maine and I am from Maine, WOW! And anyone who is from Maine knows the deep burning pride when it comes to our home state. So I felt like a bit of a traitor going to Mary's, because, as most people know, Mary was a head chef at Pearl's before leaving Pearl's to open Mary's Fish Camp and word on the street is that it wasn't a pleasant parting...although the actual story is probably more complicated!). So, even though I felt hesitant about straying from Pearl's, I was perversely curious about the "bad" restaurant (see how much Maine pride I have??), so we decided to give it a try.
The evening started off by strolling to Mary's, putting our name on the list (we were told the wait would be about 20 mins) and then walking to Les Deux Gamins to have a glass of wine while we waited for a phone call from the host at Mary's (they will call you approx 5 minutes before your table's ready so that you don't have to stand around outside waiting for your name to be called - I also imagine this is to encourage people to walk around instead of crowding inside and outside of the restaurant, as it becomes very cramped and busy during peak hours). Almost exactly 20 minutes later, and one glass of champagne later, I received a call from the host who very kindly told us to swing on by for our table. I'm very sensitive when it comes to politeness/niceness of waitors and hosts and I have to say that the Mary's host (why do I want to say his name was James?? I'm pretty sure he never told me his name so that's kind of creepy) gets an A+. He was the perfect mix of niceness and professionalism.
Now once I entered Mary's, I saw that there is a semi-circular bar that wraps around the kitchen (the bar is like a force field between the kitchen and the small dining area which seemed to hold only about 10 tables, no wonder we heard a 4 top being turned away at 8pm bc "unfortunately we won't be able to seat you tonight as we already have 5 other 4 tops on the list...so you would be seated after we've closed..."). At first I was dreading being seated at the bar. There's just something about being seated at a bar that I don't like. Actually I know exactly what I don't like about it and I'll tell you: it's the possibility of sitting right next to someone who is under the impression that because you're all at the bar it's OK to bombard you with unwanted conversation. Yes, call me anti-social but when I go out to eat with a friend, it's so I can talk to my friend, not to the nosy neighbor next to me. In any case, dun dun dun, we found ourselves being escorted to the bar, quelle horreur!! But you know what?? I actually LOVED being at the bar and, by the end of the meal, kept swinging around and looking pityingly at the folks in their cramped tables. My fear of being talked to by strangers was put to ease as we soon realized that these people were hardcore foodies just like us; they came to enjoy the food and conversation with their friends and hardly even glanced in our direction the entire time (score!!). Also the excitement of being front stage and center was wonderful as we could see the chefs work their magic in the kitchen and had prime access to the lovely servers.
Now for the good stuff! We started out with Crab and cheese gratin...just thinking about this amazing dish is making me long to go back to Mary's and order this appetizer. It was actually, no joke, one of the most tasty dishes I've ever had. Served in a small souffle-esque pot, the flavors of fresh crab and rich cheese melted perfectly together. It was also the perfect amount to whet our appetite for the lobster rolls to come but not so much as to have us wishing we had split one lobster roll. Yes, that's right, we both devoured our huge lobster rolls. And I have to say, as much as I love Pearl's lobster rolls, Mary's were just as good, if not better. In fact they're very similar - a heaping serving of incredibly fresh lobster meat overflowing out of the brioche-esque bun with the perfect amount of mayo-seasoned sauce. Mmmmmmmmm. I actually almost had a panic attack when I realized I had only two bites left. Luckily, we ordered a hot fudge sundae to split which was absolutely divine.
BOTTOM LINE: Get yourself to Mary's Fish Camp and if it's your first time, please please order the lobster roll. You will be in food heaven.
INSIDER TIP: Get there 20-40 minutes before you're acutally hungry and put your name on the list. Then take a walk down beautiful West 4th street and the side streets or have a glass of wine in a nearby cafe. The host will call you 5-10 minutes before your table is ready!
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