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Showing posts from March, 2012

Cookshop

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We celebrated Mrs. T’s birthday with a stroll on the Highline and a little food over at Cookshop.   To begin the Chelsea Mary. Not much different than your regular Bloody Mary this one used vodka, lemon juice, worcestershire, fresh horseradish and Tabasco sauce.   The fresh horseradish was excellent and helped clear up my sinuses a little bit.  For a little appetizer how about some light and fluffy Beignets. These little guys were filled with fresh ricotta cheese from DiPalo’s which simply oozed out of the middle. Onto entrees the classic Huevos Rancheros. This dish was absolutely enormous and so incredibly hot I almost burned my face off. Three baked eggs, black beans, ranchero sauce, Monterrey jack cheese and a lime crème fraiche topped with crispy tortilla strips. This was an excellent version of the classic dish although the amount of beans was a little bit more than needed I would happily order this again. Dessert time with a Sticky Toffee Pudding and B

The NoMad

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Opening night at the NoMad I showed up a little early to scope out the space and have a drink at the bar.  First of all the bar area is downright gorgeous.  Plushy seats, a nice long manly bar top and an exquisite drink list- I foresee many nights in my future here that's for sure. I started with the Lady Johnston- Nicaraguan Rum, Chambrey Dry Vermouth, Velvet Falernum, Lemon and Basil.  The cocktail was superb but my bar snack of Sweetbreads Croustillant with Parsley was even better. This is a holdover I remember from Eleven Madison but somehow they tasted even better here.  Rich creamy sweetbreads inside a salty, crunchy crepe- this may be the best $9 I've spent in 2012!  After the snacks we were seated at our table and started out with the Fruits De Mer.  Mr. T wasn't happy with my choice since he expected a boring old platter.  But then he saw the top tier... And the bottom tier... Let's break it down one by one.  Scallop ceviche with yuz

Hudson Valley RW at X2O

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I took the short train ride up to Yonkers last week to meet my friend and have a nice RW dinner.   X2O is right on the Hudson River and the large windows along the building sides make for an absolutely lovely setting at sunset.   To begin I started with a special Spicy Tuna Roll. I was happy this was the special since the RW roll was tempura and I really wasn’t feeling fried food.   The roll was great.   The fish was obviously very fresh, the avocado was perfectly ripe and although it was a tad oversized I really enjoyed it.   My friend ordered the Roasted Fennel Soup with Crispy Sage and Pumpkin Seed Oil. I personally HATE the bitter taste of fennel so I was excited to see if roasting would mellow that out.You know what- it completely did and added a subtle sweetness that was wonderful! I may be trying to make this at home it was so good. For entrée I had the Honey and Sake Marinated Chatham Cod with Fregola Sardi, Apples and Wilted Arugula. This fish was exce

Neighborhood News

Once again it's an exciting start to the week!  The NoMad is opening tonight in the NoMad Hotel.  Chef of Eleven Madison Park Daniel Humm and his manger Guidara are the partners in this restaurant and if you know anything about Humm and his creative and sometimes mind blowing dishes at Eleven Madison you would be crazy not to be excited about this. Mr. T and I are going tonight so I'll be reporting back soon on the experience. Less exciting but possibly more grand, Vic and Anthony's will be opening tomorrow in the old Angelo and Maxie's space.  I walked by yesterday and took a peek inside.  The whole place looks like something that belongs in Vegas (hence the grand).  I'm interested to see the decor of the back room and how it fits into the rest of the restaurants nearby.  Replacing a steak house with another steak house...We'll see. Last but not least I noticed the Rosticceria at Eataly began selling Brisket Meatball sandwiches as their Thursday special.  I

Beer Flight at Hospoda

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We were enjoying the UES the other day and decided to stop at this Central European restaurant and try out some beers.   The waitress suggested the Pilser Urquell pouring flight to us and we happily obliged.   Here they are in order of serving.   Sweet (all foam) Slice (half foam) Crème (quarter foam) Neat (no foam) Okay I’m going to be totally honest with you I didn’t like this pouring flight. I know it’s their thing but I couldn’t grasp why I was drinking an entire glass of foam? Or even half a glass of foam. I tried to embrace it but in the end the only two I would drink again would be the Crème and Neat. Yes I noticed the different flavors in each but at the end of the day when I want a beer it had better be a beer- not some foam. So unfortunately both Mr. T and I felt the same and ended up heading out before trying any food options.   However I thought the space was really nice and the menu looked enticing so I plan to be back …but I’m stick

Last Meal in Philly- Village Whiskey

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The last meal before leaving Philly Sunday was at Village Whiskey. We got there right before noon and got a table up front. I ordered the Village Burger with Jasper Farms Cheddar and we split some Tater Tots and Duck Fat Fries with Sly Fox-Cheddar Sauce. My burger was unfortunately very overcooked- I had asked for medium rare and it came out well done. I would have returned it but we were tight on time to catch our train. But honestly there wasn’t much flavor to the meat itself anyway.  The duck fat fries were just okay (I like a thinner fry) but the cheese sauce they came with was downright delicious. The tater tots were only okay as well but I couldn’t put my finger on the smoky flavor in there- anyone know? I also thought it was a bit odd how perfectly shaped both the burger and the tots were. It was almost as if they molded each one. For my cocktail I absolutely loved the Champs Elysees and I really wish I could have had one more while I was there but again- sh

Philly Day 3- Kanella & Little Fish

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Saturday morning we awoke- excited for the prospects of a BYOB brunch. We packed up a bottle of sparkling cider and some champagne and headed out. We had made reservation for Kanella and luckily we did as the bright airy space was packed. We got the table, popped our bottle open and waited for the flurry of dishes to arrive. Cyprus Breakfast- two eggs fried in olive oil, halloumi, lounza and bread. Malohwa: pan fried savory puff pastry from Yemen, served with a boiled egg, spicy tomato salad and Greek yogurt. Shaksouka- two eggs poached in a cumin scented tomato and pepper stew served with grilled bread. Greek Salad- romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, olives and feta cheese. Wow- everything was fabulous. My Shaksouka was brimming with zesty peppers and spicy tomatoes, the Malohwa were incredibly flaky and the Cyprus Breakfast was simply awesome. Kanella lived up to each and every expectation I had and surpassed it. If I lived in Philly this would be my go to brunch plac

Day Two Philly Cont'- Barbuzzo and Farmers Cabinet

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After all that food during the day I was surpised to find myself hungry for dinner Barbuzzo. Maybe it was the excitment of just being in another town who knows.  We started with a delicious bottle of Cab Franc and split a bit of everything. Roasted Beet Salad with young goat cheese, grapefruit, tuscan kale, pistachio pesto, sherry vinegar. Caciocavallo stuffed meatballs with house ground shortrib, pork, oregano and calabrian chile. Margherita pizza with san marzanos, house stretched fior di latte, basil and extra virgin olive oil. Salted Caramel Budino with dark chocolate crust, vanilla bean caramel and sea salt. La Colomba Espresso Tiramisu with fresh whipped cream and crushed amaretti. Marcie Blaine Chocolate Tasting –prosecco, moro, balsamico, salted pignoli. Everything was really well done with the airy light meatballs and salted caramel budino being the favorites of the night but I would probably try another place if I was to return to Philly. It