NYC Tastes

There's nothing quite like starting the weekend with a crazy dim sum brunch in Chinatown.  It's loud and raucous with carts clamoring around the dining room and people shouting out orders.  It's a great way to kick off a Saturday morning and this time we enjoyed all the craziness at Joy Luck Palace on Mott Street. Here's a run down of our Saturday morning feast: Fried Tofu Skin Shrimp Rolls- always the first thing that comes to the table.  I love kicking off a meal with these delicious rolls. Spinach Dumpling- I was actually expecting these to be warm but they tasted like they were straight from the fridge. Delicious nonetheless. Crystal Shrimp Dumplings- one of Mr. T's favorite dim sum orders.  I actually don't enjoy the thick outer shell and just eat the inside.  Blasphemous, I know. Pork Sui Mai- these were actually not that great.  The dough stuck to the bottom of the steamer and the just didn't have much flavor.

My final birthday celebration was a solo lunch at Gabriel Kreuther.  Located right off Bryant Park on 42nd Street this restaurant is like a hidden oasis of calm and beauty right in the middle of busy Midtown East.  Long wooden beams surround the main dining area with a bright platinum ceiling and luxurious ivory banquettes dotting the floor.   The menu is described as Alsatian inspired cuisine and lunch offers a two course prix fixe for $58 with the option of additional savory courses at $29 a plate.  My meal began with a classic Austrian Kugelhof; a springy sponge like cake flecked with raisins and citrus.  I'm not a huge bread person but this was incredible.  I loved the light fluffy texture of the dough and the creamy chive butter that arrived alongside could make just about any dish a five star experience. Four small amuse bouche followed including a creamy corn chowder croquette, a crispy scallop chip and green tea black pepper gelee. First Course- Sturgeon & Saue

It's New Brew Friday and today we head east to Connecticut and a brewery making some of the coolest looking cans of beer around Kent Falls Brewing. This beer is called The Unicorns are Making Us Do This; a big hoppy Double IPA that clocks in at 8% abv.  The hops used in this beer rotate with each batch so every release brings a totally different flavor profile.  Luckily the can art stays the same with beautiful sparkling ribbons of color shooting out of an angry looking unicorn.  Kent Falls has a bunch of cool labels and the beer is fantastic as well.  Check out their website to see them all or head up to Connecticut and take a tour of the farm and brewery.  Cheers to the weekend!   Kent Falls Brewing 33 Camps Road Kents, CT 06757

The birthday celebration continued Monday night at Atoboy, a Korean inspired small plate restaurant from Chef Junghyun.  I actually took Mr. T to Chef Junghyun's first restaurant Jungsik  for his birthday about 5 years ago and we absolutely loved it.  Atoboy is like Jungsik's more casual, affordable younger sister offering a 3 course tasting menu for just $39.  Guests choose one plate from each section of the menu and share family style. Scallops~ jicima, sea urchin and gim ($15 supplement for fresh uni) Beef Tartare~ lardo, yeolmoo kimchi and myungran Corn~ taleggio, bacon and doenjang Sunchoke~ oyster mushroom, black truffle and orange Chicken~ spicy peanut butter and garlic Pork Jowl~ barley, ssamjang and cipollini onion Seaweed Rice ($2 extra) Standout dishes of the meal were the Sunchoke, Scallop with sea urchin and Pork Jowl.  The Sunchoke was simple in composition but the citrus from the orange worked incre

To kick off my birthday weekend Mr. T and I stopped into my favorite burger place in the city Minetta Tavern. To be honest calling this just a "burger place" would be a complete injustice. This spot is absolutely gorgeous; classic old school New York City atmosphere with black and white tiled floors, a long oak bar decked out with wood paneling and dark red leather booths dotting the main dining room.   We took two seats at the bar and ordered a round of cocktails and the wonderful Minetta Burger.  I've talked about their famous  Black Label Burger before, but it's the Minetta Burger that keeps me coming back time and time again.  A blend of short rib and brisket, doused with a liberal dusting of salt then layered with thick cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. It has a tender buttery interior with a slight sweetness from the onions and then the salty charred top. This burger is everything I could ever want in a cheeseburger and more .  Of course the long, cris

It was a great weekend to be a foodie in NYC as Taste Talks swept into Williamsburg for the 5th year. The 3 day conference kicked off Friday night with The Tastys at the gorgeous Weylin Theater. Over 25 awards were handed out with top honors going to folks like Greg Baxtrom from Olmstead for Best New Chef East, Kenji Lopez for The Food Lab and Alice Waters for Outstanding Chef overall. There was also a great panel with Claus Meyer (co-founder of Noma) regarding his Brownsville Community Culinary Center which is really helping to change the landscape of that area. Jeremy Oertel of Donna Cocktail Club and Natasha David of Nitecap were slinging incredible cocktails at the Awards After Party...  ...along with some of NYC's best food like meatballs from The Meatball Shop, Fried Chicken from Pies & Thighs and delicious Peanut Butter Crunch ice cream from Oddfellows . Saturday was all about food knowledge with a series of seminars held at the William Vale and Whythe Hote

I thought summer was over last week but then the sun came out this afternoon and it became the perfect day for a poke lunch from Gotham Poke at Madison Square Eats. I always get the Spicy Big Eye Tuna bowl with a base of spring greens and white rice.  I love the spicy sliced jalapenos mixed with the crisp refreshing slices of radish.  Its colorful and delicious; just perfect for enjoying in the park on such a bright lovely day. Gotham Poke at Madison Square Eats 5th Avenue between 25th & 26th Street New York, NY 10010

Today's New Brew Friday we're heading just a few blocks north of Other Half to check out Folksbier in Carroll Gardens. This new little brewery is quite possibly the cutest little log cabin I've ever seen.  It's what I'll refer to as "Brooklyn Rustic" with an open window overlooking a garden out front with a view of brownstones in the distance. Wood panels and picnic tables fill the long tasting room with gorgeous detailing of animals etched onto the tops of the bar stools. The tasting room has a mix of ales, German style pilsners and some fruit forward Berliners on draft.   I tried out Recurring Dreams 6 & 7; both tasty Oat Pale Ales the first finished with Lemon Drop and Wakatu hops and the second with Citra & Mosaic.   Folksbier has a small list of cheese and pretzels just perfect for enjoying alongside some fresh beers. We came here after a particularity crazy release at Other Half and the quiet rustic ambiance wa

The approaching Fall season always makes me think of three things-  food festivals, football and beer. And even though we still have a few weeks of summer left, there's some great events coming up this weekend to start the celebration. All Star BBQ 2016 Taste Talks - This three day conference is coming back to Brooklyn for the 5th year in a row with a weekend full of tastings, food panels and awards curated by the great chefs Wylie Dufresne and Andrew Carmellini.   Friday night kicks off with the Tasty Awards at the Weylin Hotel where some of the biggest industry influencers like April Bloomfield (Spotted Pig), Amanda Cohen (Dirt Candy) and Ken Oringer (Toro) will present awards in 30 different culinary categories.   Saturday the symposium takes places with demos and tastings around sushi, wine and cocktails alongside the Future Food Expo which showcases everything new and exciting in food from around the world.  Sunday the fun continues with the awesome All Star Coo

Now that summer is officially winding down its time to tuck back into big warm bowls of ramen from the Iron Chef himself Morimoto!  Momosan's Tonkotsu ramen is one of Mr. T's favorite bowl of noodles; studded with thick cuts of pork, soft poached egg and a spicy garlic broth. When I'm having a noodle craving I want Momosan's Tantan;  a creamy blend of coconut curry, ground pork, red miso, aji tama and pork chasu.  It's got all that rich meaty goodness of a regular ramen but with a spicy, nutty kick that I absolutely adore. I'm already planning to enjoy the first snow fall of the season slurping down these noodles at their front window. Of course there's no reason to wait that long for a meal at Momosan.  Soft Shell Crab Baos are currently on the menu and those certainly won't last until the winter months. Momosan Ramen 342 Lexington Avenue between 39th & 40th Street New York, NY 10016