Restaurant Week: Dinner at David Burke Kitchen
July 20, 2011 § Leave a comment
Restaurant Week kicked off last week so Katie and I took advantage of the prix fixe dinner ($35, not including beverages, tax, and tip) at David Burke Kitchen in the mod and fancy shmancy James Hotel downtown. I’ve actually always wanted to try Burke’s dishes – usually characterized as whimsical takes on the classics – and this “urban farmhouse” approach to a restaurant was intriguing. The interior reminded me a bit of Lure Fishbar, basically because we were underground and able to see people walking by above us, but there was a great deal of light thanks to the skylight. I liked that despite the industrial decor, the restaurant actually did have that country barn feel, possibly due to the large butcher’s block table, overflowing with loaves of bread and cheeses and pots of soup broths, in the middle of dining room and the large portraits of the restaurant’s suppliers in their element.
Restaurant Week menu
As usual, we planned our meal to maximize the number of different dishes we’d be able to try. For starters, I ordered the lobster dumpling soup and Katie got the asparagus with crisped prosciutto. I loved the rich, shellfish flavor in the broth, which the waiter poured at the table, and the two lobster dumplings, filled with a coconut fennel cream, were heavenly. I only regretted that there were two of them and Katie and I could only have one each. I have to say, however, that I’m not a fan of cold asparagus, especially if it’s been boiled as opposed to roasted or grilled. The burrata, something that I’ve been wanting to try for a while, was lovely though. Insanely creamy and rich and topped with olive oil and coarse shards of sea salt, it would’ve tasted great with anything.
Lobster soup - lobster dumplings, coconut fennel cream, red watercress
Asparagus and burrata - honeydew, prosciutto, basil
Although one of our starters was somewhat underwhelming, our entrees wowed. The short ribs and cavatelli (kind of a smaller gnocchi), with wild mushrooms and truffle cream, was probably one of the best dishes I’ve had in a long time. The beef was fork tender, the mushrooms added a great earthiness to the dish, and the cavatelli, with its little ridges, did an excellent job of sopping up the savory sauce resulting from the mingled beef juices, mushroom “stock,” and truffle cream.
Short ribs and cavatelli with wild mushrooms and truffle cream
Equally impressive was the enormous pork chop and parsley onion ring dish. At first, I had difficulty cutting into the chop, which made me worry that the meat had been overcooked, but when I took a bite, it was as tender as could be. I didn’t care too much for the mango chutney (I have a hard time understanding pairings of fruit and meat), but the onion rings were well seasoned and incredibly crunchy, and the two little slabs of cumin bacon added a smoky element.
Pork chop, parsley onion rings with mango chutney and cumin bacon
We also managed to get suckered into ordering a side of smoked beef fat and jalapeno French fries for the table. I should’ve regretted it, but they were just too good.
Smoked beef fat and jalapeno French fries
Desserts were solid versions of RW standards: an apple tart and chocolate caramel fudge cake. Nothing eye-opening but nothing sub-standard either.
Apple tart with caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream, and fennel chip
Chocolate caramel fudge cake with salted caramel, goat's milk cajeta ice cream
Oh, and just another note. The red wine that we drank with our meal, Lai Lai Pinot Noir 2008, has since become a favorite, and I usually don’t even like red wine! Even more surprising, instead of coming from Burgundy (which is Pinot Noir’s original home) or California, this wine hails from the Bio Bio district in Chile. Anyway, I just thought it went very well with the food – great flavor and very smooth.
David Burke Kitchen
23 Grand Street
Soho, NY 10013
212.201.9119
http://davidburkekitchen.com
Eating across the boroughs
July 12, 2011 § Leave a comment
Yet another day of traipsing around New York City, this time in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Brooklyn Flea Market in Fort Greene (where I got the first nasty sunburn of the summer).
Asia Dogs: the Vinh (aioli, pate, cucumbers, pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro, and jalapeno) and the Wangding (Chinese BBQ pork belly, onions, and cucumber). The Vinh was the better of the two, since the pickled vegetables balanced out the meatiness of the dog. Plus I love anything with cilantro. On the other hand, the pork belly and accompanying that topped the Wangding was a bit too salty and syrupy for my taste.
Asia Dog
Salvatore Bklyn, makers of the best ricotta (insanely creamy and rich) and olive oil I have ever had. Literally went cross-eyed when I had my first bite. With just-sliced prosciutto and arugula on fresh bread…absolute heaven on earth. I could eat five, no six, of them and consider it a perfect meal.
Salvatore BKLYN
Chelsea Market for more gelato from L’ Arte del Gelato…this time pear and grape sorbet. No, sadly, these cups weren’t all mine.
Gelatoooo
Company Pizza (again) in Chelsea for a relaxed dinner, complete with a whole growler of Allagash White (props to Maria’s boyfriend, Dave, for introducing me to a new favorite beer), veal meatballs, bread and butter, and three different pizzas.
Growler of Allagash
Veal meatballs, homemade sauce, parmesan, and basil with truccio sare bread and butter
Flambe: bechamel, parmesan, mozzarella, caramelized onions, bacon lardons
Boscaiola: tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, red onion, chili
Special of the day: English peas, pea shoots, prosciutto, bechamel (my favorite of the three)
Brooklyn Flea Market
176 Lafayette Avenue (between Clermont and Vanderbilt Avenue)
Saturdays, 10 am – 5 pm
http://www.brooklynflea.com/
Brooklyn Star
July 11, 2011 § Leave a comment
Ack, this should’ve been posted more than a month ago. Chalk it up to summer laziness. Apologizing beforehand for the crappy photo quality, the interior was only dimly lit with candles.
Drinks
A visit to Brooklyn Star, in Williamsburg.
Highlights included strange-looking fried pig tails (of which I couldn’t manage a good photo) that tasted like buffalo wings on steroids. Crispy and fatty with a tang from the hot sauce.
And this: grilled asparagus with fried oysters, duck confit and topped with a poached egg.
Asparagus, fried oysters, duck confit, poached egg
Although I have to say my hands-down favorite dish of the night was the roasted marrow bones with texas toast, grey salt, and red onion marmalade.
God's butter
And to round out our feast, some bacon and jalapeno cornbread, which tasted even better when drizzled in honey. I die.
Yes, we are gluttons
Possibly the shortest restaurant review ever!
The Brooklyn Star
593 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718.599.9899
http://thebrooklynstar.com
My new favorite ice cream flavor
June 26, 2011 § 1 Comment
When it comes to ice cream, I tend to stick to the classics. Rich, bittersweet chocolate, a good tart raspberry sorbet, maybe some creamy, nutty pistachio.
Flavors at L'Arte del Gelato
L’arte del Gelato in Chelsea Market had all of those, but when Laura and I went a couple weeks ago, I found myself drawn to the grape sorbet and rice pudding ice cream. My God. That grape sorbet is my new, hands-down favorite flavor. And that includes the amazing pear sorbet from Bent Spoon in Princeton. You know how grape medicine always tasted absolutely vile? If it tasted like this, I would’ve chugged it all the time. It actually tasted like real grape. Luscious but clean, tart but sweet, with actual grape skins mixed in.
budino di and grape
The budino di riso was the perfect contrast against the sorbet, with its luxurious creaminess. It never occurred to me to “freeze” rice pudding and call it ice cream, but it worked here. And the texture, with all those little pearls of rice, was something new.
Laura raved about her peach sorbet and panna cotta (creme caramel) but I was too blissed out with my own cup of heaven.
L’Arte del Gelato
75 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
212.366.0570
http://www.lartedelgelato.com/index.php
Pizza at Co.
June 22, 2011 § Leave a comment
Somehow, even after our trip to Doughnut Plant, Laura and I still had room for more carbs, so we walked our way over to Jim Lahey’s place, Co., for some thin-crust pizza.
Menu at Company
Although the weather was amazing that day, we opted to stay inside, where it was surprisingly quiet for 1 PM on a Saturday. The interior set up and decor was pretty minimalist, with one large table for communal dining going down the midde.
Interior
To ensure we had a “balanced” meal, we ordered one “Boscaiola” pie, with tomato, mozzarella, pork sausage, mushrooms, onions, and chili flakes, and a green-laden “Popeye,” with Pecorino cheese, gruyere, mozzarella, spinach, black pepper, and garlic.
Popeye
Because I’m a sucker for any pizza with meat and mushrooms, the Boscaiola was my favorite. The sausage tasted very fresh and I liked the not-so-subtle, spicy kick from the generous sprinkling of chili, which was well balanced against the sweetness of the tomato.
Boscaiola
I was actually surprised by how much I liked the Popeye. They really don’t hold back with the spinach, and some of the green leaves became wonderfully crisp from cooking at such high heat, almost like garlicky, salty spinach chips. And though I tend to stay away from too much cheese on my pizza, I really loved the combination of the nutty Gruyere and the sharpness of the Pecorino.
Because the pizza was so delicious, Laura and I actually managed to finish two whole pies, even though our stomachs were to the point of exploding by the end. Luckily, we had an afternoon of exploring the Chelsea art galleries to work it all off.
Co.
230 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
212.243.1105
http://www.co-pane.com/
Lunch at OTTO
May 30, 2011 § Leave a comment
OTTO is probably one of my favorite places to eat in NYC. The service is always friendly, ambiance is casual, and the food is great. Yesterday, I went with a friend and we ordered the classics – spaghetti alla carbonara and the prosciutto arugula pizza – and also indulged in a bottle of 2006 Kuenhof Sylvaner, recommended by the waiter. The white wine was very dry and very mineral-y and went well with our food.
2006 Kuenhof Sylvaner
I’ve always wanted to make spaghetti alla carbonara, but a lot of the recipes that I’ve seen online seem to be modified versions, using cream or bacon or whatever. At some point this summer, I’ll probably be using this recipe, from Batali himself, to attempt a homemade dish. Anyway, the one at OTTO was creamy from the egg yolk and very savory, with lots of crunchy pancetta bits.
Spaghetti alla carbonara
The prosciutto arugula pizza was excellent as well. Whenever I go to OTTO, I always tell myself to try the other choices but never fail to order this one. Something about the richness of the prosciutto against the bitter and freshness of the arugula always pulls me back.
prosciutto arugula pizza
Pasta and pizza, together
Finally, for dessert, we got the olive oil coppetta (possibly my favorite gelato dessert in NYC) and this time, the gelato came with lime curd, tangerine sorbet, a pineapple rosemary marmaletta, and kumquats. I really really love the pop of the sea salt on the olive oil gelato and although I thought I wouldn’t care for the pineapple marmaletta, aside from the gelato itself, it was probably my favorite element.
Olive oil coppetta
So, if you’re ever in the West Village with some friends and looking for a casual place to eat that also happens to have a very, very extensive wine-list, I highly recommend trying OTTO. You won’t regret it.
Study Break: 48 hours left
May 15, 2011 § Leave a comment
Three Little Pigs: pulled pork sandwich, pig dog, and carnitas taco
The Piggery Deli
423 Franklin Street
Ithaca, NY
607.272.2276
http://www.thepiggery.net/
Prune’s open-faced avocado sandwich
May 12, 2011 § 1 Comment
Prune's avocado sandwich
Open-faced avocado sandwich (adapted from The Amateur Gourmet adapted from Prune)
A great, healthy sandwich for spring.
2 slices crusty bread (I used a rosemary ciabatta from Ithaca Farmers’ Market)
ricotta (a little or a lot depending on your taste)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
coarse salt and black pepper
1/2 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
red onion, thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Mix ricotta and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread ricotta mixture on each slice of bread. Layer on slices of avocado, then tomatoes, then red onion. Drizzle with the olive oil, if using. Salt and pepper.
Butter and blueberries: a sign of spring?
April 25, 2011 § 2 Comments
I saw this on Smitten Kitchen a while back and decided that I had to try it for the name alone. Plus, the sun finally came out this weekend, blessing us with 60 degree weather, and I thought a blueberry dessert would be perfect. And since my parents came to visit this weekend, they were able to bring some home for my sisters, meaning I wouldn’t end up eating the entire pan by myself (though I would have no difficulty in doing so, trust me).
Folding blueberries into the batter
Cooling in the pan
I was surprised by the lightness of the cake. For some reason, I imagined it would be a really heavy, dense dessert but this would be a perfect, crumbly, buttery accompaniment with Earl Grey tea for an indulgent afternoon snack, which is exactly what I’m having as I type this in the law school carrels.
Perfect with Earl Grey
Blueberry Boy Bait (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Serves 16, generously
For the cake:
2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (Don’t defrost if they’re frozen, otherwise they’ll get mushy)
For the topping:
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (don’t defrost)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the cake:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract and then the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated and scrape down the sides. Beat in half of the flour mixture, then add half of the buttermilk. Then beat in the remaining half of the flour mixture and the remaining half of the buttermilk. Toss the blueberries in the leftover tablespoon of flour until they are fully coated and then fold gently into the batter with a rubber spatula. Spread batter into the baking pan.
For the topping:
Scatter the blueberries on top of the batter. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the batter.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool in pan for another 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Do-it-yourself granola
April 22, 2011 § Leave a comment
Another unloading-the-pantry recipe. Yogurt and granola always sounds like such a healthy combination, but in undergrad, yogurt for me meant sugary, strawberry goop from the dining hall and granola meant even sweeter crushed Nature Valley bars. No doubt having giant bowls of that for breakfast contributed to the poundage I gained during freshman year. If only I had known how easy it is to make granola at home.
This recipe is simple and versatile; you could probably substitute the honey for maple syrup, walnuts for pecans or almonds, dark raisins for dried cranberries, the possibilities are endless. And I like getting little pops of the coarse sea salt with the overall sweetness so I tend to add a little more, but to each his own. I’ve gotten into the very good habit of making a batch every Sunday morning, which makes the whole apartment smell spicy and toasty, and having a little bit each day for breakfast with some tart Greek yogurt.
Homemade granola
Everyday Granola
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon neutral oil (I used canola)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dark raisins
Preheat the oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, toss the oats with cinnamon and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla until completely combined (I found that microwaving the mixture for about 30 seconds made mixing a lot easier). Pour honey mixture over the oats and mix, using your hands. If you like clumpy granola, gather some of the mixture in your hand and make a fist. Repeat until all oats are evenly coated.
Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet, spreading it out evenly. Bake for 10-12 minutes and then remove from the oven. Flip the granola with a large spatula, add the walnuts and stick the granola back in the oven. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the granola is golden brown. Let cool completely and then sprinkle with raisins. Store in an airtight container.
Notes on Food 