NYC Tastes

The newest creation from Dominique Ansel arrived this month and it may be one of his best creations yet- the Chocolate Chip Cookie Milk Shot. It's a cookie loaded up with delicious Valrhona chocolate, shaped like a shot glass to be filled with milk and eaten as some glorious on the go treat.  How is this possible?  The genius is inside the cookie where a thin layer of chocolate poured in the center protects the dough from the sweet Tahitian vanilla milk so it stays dry and intact with each bite.  The cookie itself has this great brown sugar crunch on the outside but stays incredibly soft and buttery on the inside...almost like it's just come out of the oven. Sip, bite, sip...it's such an incredible way to enjoy an old childhood favorite in a completely new way.   And you can get them to go!  I was able to bring one home for Mr. T simply by asking for the milk on the side; something he really should have thanked me for a bit more :)  The cookies go on ...

Ever since my first meal at  Marea  years and years ago I've been a huge fan of just about anything Micheal White has opened.  Obviously this high end Italian cuisine isn't exactly wallet friendly.  So when I heard his newest venture Costata started happy hour I swung by for tasting of crudo at the the bar.  The first a gorgeous Amberjack with calabrian chilies and pickled cauliflower. The small Italian chilies were more fruity than spicy which rounded out the sourness of the cauliflower to perfection.  It was just a bright, vibrant piece of fish. Next up Fluke with sturgeon caviar, garlic chip and creme fraiche. The bartender told me this was his favorite of the crudo and for good reason.  The small balls of caviar on top were just bursting with brine and who doesn't like a little salt on top of such a mild fish. Sea Scallop with celery root and black truffle vinaigrette rounded out the tasting.  I've been having some ...

Mr. T has always been a big fan of Louisiana cuisine like crawfish and jambalaya.  So when Bo's Kitchen opened right in Flatiron touting a classic New Orleans experience we were right on board.  Let's check out the appetizers: Corn and Ricotta Agnolotti with winter vegetables Crispy Alligator with red bell pepper, chili aioli and fine herbs Low Country Ham with house made buttermilk biscuit and cara cara marmalde ...and Hamachi Crudo with apricot jam.   The low country ham and hamachi crudo stood out as the best appetizers. The ham was sliced perfect, extra thin, with a nice sweet marmalade to balance out the salt. It's hard to find this on a menu around town and this was really spot on.  The crispy alligator on the other hand were a bit disappointing...too much batter and an abundance of salt made this taste just like any old basket of fried goods. For entrees we split the crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken...  ....

Is there anything worse than a cold and rainy Monday...ugh!  Days like this make me want to curl up at home and close the shades.  Unfortunately I have to work but I'm definitely treating myself to something wonderful this evening like this Malted Praline Sundae from BLT Prime. This thing is enormous...three huge scoops of fresh vanilla ice cream surrounded by squares of crisped rice and hunks of praline all then drizzled with a salted caramel sauce and a fluffy mound of whipped cream.  It's everything decadent and wonderful in this world and just what's needed for curing those Monday blues. BLT Prime

I was so psyched when I heard Otto's Tacos was doing a special Buffalo Chicken taco last week.  I had been dying to check out this Mexican joint and here was the perfect opportunity.  I showed up late afternoon, happy to see it was quite empty so I could order the off-menu Gorgon.  It only took about 10 minutes for my order which I asked to have wrapped to go so I could share with Mr. T.  I raced home,  excited to try the wonderful tacos but when we opened up the first box I saw total disappointment. I had asked specifically for no cilantro on any of the tacos because of his allergy but as you can see the Gorgon was covered in the green stuff.  It was unfortunate too because I really thought the fried shell was  tasty and I loved the guac and serrano-chili crema on top. Oh well now I had two gorgons for myself so we moved onto the Buffalo Chicken taco. The chicken here tasted like it had been fried hours before and then re-fr...

It's been over a year since Harold Dieterle opened his German Italian restaurant in the West Village. I had planned on going opening week but as life gets busy things just fall of my plate and it wasn't until last week that I finally had a chance to check it out. The cozy bistro was relatively quiet at brunch; a nice change from the craziness some restaurants exude on Saturday afternoon.  I began with one of their brunch cocktails the Cheetah Juice, a flirty pink drink made with champagne, aperol and grand marnier... ...before moving onto the menu which had a wide variety of  options from classic Baked Eggs and Spiced Waffles to Ricotta Cavatelli and a hearty Duck Meatloaf Sandwich.  Everything sounded wonderful but in the end I was feeling like some healthy greens so the Scarlett Butter Lettuce Salad seemed like a perfect choice. Mango, marcona almonds and black truffle pecorino combined with a light almond vinaigrette to make such a delightful salad ...

I was picking up the usual groceries at Eataly when I noticed something different as I walked by the pastry case.  A brand new dessert the Mandorla Tostata. On the outside swirls of toasted almond mousse wrap around a pillowy sponge cake with shards of dark chocolate and whole almonds on top...  ...inside a rich, chocolate center that slowly trickles out into a creamy pool at the bottom just begging to be scooped up with each bite of fluffy mousse.   It's light and airy with a wonderful toasted aroma and flavor.  An excellent new addition to the fabulous dolci at Patisserie Eataly. Eataly