Eats Downtown
May 16, 2016 § Leave a comment
Still catching up on posting…these are from a few months back when I knew I was leaving Cahill and started scaling back on work to take some off-campus lunches and catch up with old friends I hadn’t seen in a long time.
Dinner at Untitled at the Whitney. We started off with Carolina rice fritters that came smeared with chicken liver and pickled carrots and lamb meatballs with peanuts and guajillo pepper. A super fancy, farm-to-table version of bar snacks.
Instead of ordering heavier main dishes, we shared the beef tartare with chestnuts and winter squash; cauliflower, cardamom custard and lemon; and sunchokes with bacon and cloumage cheese, which was my favorite of the three.
And because we’d decided not to drink any booze, we justified ordering two desserts – the hot fudge truffle cake with creme fraiche which I could only handle two bites of, it was so rich, and the ridiculous, giant banana hazelnut praline cake with concord grape sauce. Not bad for a weeknight meal.
I also got lunch with Bert and Artemis at Tribeca favorite, Little Park, conveniently located right outside the Chambers Street subway stop. Here are the charred broccoli with radish, blood orange and pancetta with the roasted carrots with sesame, dukkah and honey. I normally don’t really care for carrots but this was an interesting sweet and savory take thanks to the dukkah, which I’d never really tasted, and honey.
A favorite dish from a previous visit – the crispy brussels sprouts with parsnip and apple cider. These taste a lot like the sprouts from Rouge et Blanc…mainly in that they’re both hella fried and have a nice acidic bite to them. I could eat bowls and bowls of these no problem.
My main of rainbow trout, fingerling potato, dill and celery. A nice, light take on the fish salad combination. Which was good considering I was meeting up with old high school friends at Khe-Yo later that evening.
Aforementioned dinner with Lucy and Steph at Khe-Yo, also in Tribeca, although a totally different cuisine. It was one of the few times I’d ever had Laotian and man, is it addictive (and spicy). Here is the smashed green papaya salad with fried pork rinds on top and their two famous sauces (one of which basically just singes all your tastebuds off if you’re not careful).
A gout-tastic dish of steak tartare hidden underneath just-fried shrimp chips served with bone marrow and a bunch of uni heaped on top (no big deal).
Super succulent, tender and slightly sweet Berkshire pork spare ribs with a smashed long bean salad that I didn’t really care for.
And the day’s special and indisputable show-stopper, half a roasted pig’s head served with accoutrements like herbs, noodle salad and peanuts, all of which you wrap with sauce in rice paper that’s soaked and softened at the table. Unsurprisingly, I was really struggling by the end of this meal and took a painful hour long walk to feel somewhat back to normal.
Eats around town
March 21, 2016 § Leave a comment
Blue Ribbon Sushi at Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place
Favorite dishes – bombolotti all’Amatriciana (sauce of spicy tomato and guanciale) and roasted sunchokes with almonds and brown butter – at Maialino during a leisurely lunch while between jobs
Introducing Laura to Toro‘s grilled corn and bone marrow (look at those gorgeous colors!)
Sadelle‘s pick up (sesame bagel with smoked Scottish salmon, chive cream cheese, red onion, tomato, capers). I was obsessed with their bagels for a while but now the lines have gotten too long and I’m pretty sure they upped their prices.
Matcha latte at Chalait – gorgeously prepared but not sure I’ll be getting on the matcha trend train any time soon
Spaghetti alla vongole at Rafele Ristorante, my parents’ favorite restaurant whenever they come to visit (though we introduced them to OTTO the last time they were here so now they may have a new favorite Italian place)
Lovely Sunday brunch with Bohee at the beautiful Untitled at the Whitney
Booze-free dinner at Balthazar with Cindy (clearly not skimping on French fries though)
Delicious and super spicy spread at Pok Pok lunch (finally tried it after years of wanting to go) with Wes
More Sadelle’s – this time dining in with the full-on smoked fish tower and endless bagels (much better than just picking up)
A day in D.C. and dinner at Proof
April 13, 2015 § 1 Comment
Second day of my DC weekend started off with a frigid visit to the Washington Monument and then some delicious raw oysters and fried seafood at old school restaurant, Old Ebbitt Grill, with Murphy.
Spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the Smithsonian and Georgetown. The Museum of Natural History was holding its annual orchid show as well as photographs from the annual National Geographic competition and I got to take in the Piero di Cosimo – Italian Renaissance exhibit at the National Gallery. Rounded out the day wandering around the intersection of M and Wisconsin and all over campus, which was still beautiful as ever, before heading to dinner at Proof, known for its refined American food and extensive wine list.
Orchids at the Natural History Museum
Monet at the National Gallery
Good ol’ Healy Hall at Georgetown University
At Proof, we started with a couple cocktails (super potent) and their complimentary crackers with house made labneh with olive oil and chives. Deliciously creamy with a bit of tang. Because we decided ahead of time that this would be one of those ridiculous marathon meals, we ordered three appetizers – the sauteed potato gnocchi with pumpkin and wild mushrooms accompanied with brussels sprouts, butternut squash agrodolce, sage, brown butter and parmesan, the crispy veal sweetbreads with hedgehog mushrooms (served atop creamy white polenta, scallions, bacon lardons and a honey gastrique) and then the pan roasted Hudson Valley foie gras on a sweet cherry short cake, pistachio, cocoa nibs and bing cherry jus. The potato gnocchi were golden brown and crispy on the outside with pillowy centers; the sweetbreads were perfectly cooked and tender and the foie gras, the best of these three awesome dishes, had the perfect balance between sweet and savory. Really lovely and could not get enough.
For our main dishes, we ordered the generously portioned sauteed lamb chops with ragout of nutty farro and tender lamb shoulder (served with pistachios, dried apricots, pomegranate, whipped yogurt, almonds and sumac) as well as the roasted Long Island duck breast with smoked ham hock & pumpkin risotto (served with toasted pumpkin seeds, duck cracklings, sage and crispy collards) and paired them with a delicious bottle of Brunello di Montalcino. It was probably too much of a good thing, especially after our three starters, but we just kept eating and eating until we realized we should probably try to save room for the cheese/dessert course.
Instead of ordering something sweet, we opted for a platter of three cheeses – a Jasper Hill cow’s milk cheese that was soft and floral; a creamy goat cheese called Leonora from Spain that tasted of lemon and herbs and finally, one of my all-time favorite cheeses, a pyrenees-brebis, a semi-firm, sheep’s milk cheese with hints of nuttiness and caramel. So amazing and even more enjoyable with a glass of 1990 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes. It was the perfect, not-too-sweet ending to a relaxing, three hour meal and though totally different from the minibar dinner the night before, just as memorable and indulgent.
Southern Road Trip I – Richmond, VA
March 12, 2013 § Leave a comment
Back in late December, our family realized that it would be Katie and my last winter break and decided to go on a road trip to the south, having never traveled there before. Our first stop in Richmond, VA included a visit to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, during their stunning Chihuly exhibit, a long walk through the James River Park System and Belle Isle, and a comforting, uber-rich meal at Tarrant’s Cafe – chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, fried seafood platter, you name it.

Pendleton blankets

Oddly hypnotizing organic forms

The bridge to Belle Isle

Tarrant’s – shrimp and grits
Tale of two museums
January 10, 2012 § Leave a comment
About two weeks ago, I was able to visit two museums that could not be more different from each other. The Museum at FIT was featuring an astounding exhibit of some pieces from Daphne Guinness’s large collection of haute couture fashion (unfortunately photos were not allowed). In addition to being heiress to the Guinness brewery fortune, she has always been known for her eccentric taste, obsession with eye-popping jewelry, close friendship with the late Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow (she bought Blow’s entire collection after her death to prevent it from being fragmented), and penchant for sky-high heel-less shoes.

Photo courtesy of PopSugar
The exhibit itself was divided into six parts – Dandyism, Exotic, Armour, Chic, Evening Chic, and Sparkle – each of which explored a certain aspect of her style. For example, Dandyism featured some of the most beautiful, well-fitted men’s coats (many of them custom-made by McQueen or Chanel) that I’ve ever seen. And there were displays for just her standout shoes, spiky and studded or velvet and everything in between. It was crazy to imagine all of these gorgeous clothes belonging to a single person, but at the same time, you had to at least respect that such a woman didn’t give a s*** about going with the mainstream and dressed however the heck she liked.
Although the exhibit ended January 7th, I’d highly recommend stopping at FIT if you’re close to Penn Station nonetheless. Admission to the museum is free and there is a permanent exhibit called “Fashion: A – Z” which takes you through different styles (from Mainbocher to the latest Givenchy collection) without being boring.
The second museum I visited was the Cloisters (owned by the MET) all the way up at 190th Street. A bit of a trek, for sure, but well worth the 30 minute subway ride. Although I don’t know too much about medieval art and architecture, I found all the different courtyards and displays (ranging only from the 12th to the 15th century) to be awe-inspiring and peaceful when considering how old these buildings were. There was also a monk’s garden, which I can’t wait to see in spring and summer when I visit again, as well as an interesting exhibit called “Game of Kings” about the Lewis chessmen (the oldest chess set known to be in existence).
However, I have to say that my favorite pieces at the museum were the “Hunt of the Unicorn” tapestries, which covered an entire room, as well as the beautifully made Belle Heures illuminated manuscripts, owned by the Duc de Berry and made by the Limbourg Brothers. I’d studied these pieces in my art history classes in undergrad and didn’t even know they were housed at the Cloisters until I looked over the museum map. So it just goes to show that some treasures are much closer than you may think.
Yes, 190th Street is further away than most would like and fashion isn’t something that catches everyone’s eye, but if you have some spare time one weekend, I’d highly recommend visiting either one of these places and maybe, just maybe, you’ll surprise yourself.
Museum at FIT
7th Avenue at 27th Street
New York, NY 10001
212.217.4558
The Cloisters
99 Margaret Corbin Drive
New York, NY 10040
212.923.3700