Pearl Oyster Bar
June 12, 2008 § Leave a comment
I was supposed to meet with a friend yesterday before she left for Paris, but she fell ill and I was left with an open evening after a day-long conference for work. I hadn’t posted in a while so I figured a decent restaurant-outing would be good, plus I hadn’t eaten anything except company logo cookies all day. Got off at the W4th stop in the West Village (near Washington Square Park and NYU, though NYU’s pretty scattered now that I think about it) and walked around until I stumbled on Cornelia Street, between Bleecker and W4, a tiny land quiet little street that’s got three Zagat Surveyed restaurants (including Pearl) and others crammed next to one another.
Those who read Adam Roberts‘ blog may remember the time he cooked his friend’s “pet” lobster, Emma?, and turned it into a lobster roll, modeled after Rebecca Charles‘ invention for the Pearl Oyster Bar, the first in Manhattan and to me, the most delicious. I didn’t order anything else except this dish, which was listed as under market price on the menu (and turned out to be pretty damn pricy)…tricky tricky.
I sat at the bar so I got to watch other people munch on their fried oysters and grilled chicken caesars, but when my order came out, I forgot everything else. The actual sandwich was smaller than I thought it would be, with the bun was lightly toasted and slathered with copious amounts of the butter that nonetheless tasted delicious. It was so stuffed with lobster that I had to eat most of it with a fork, but I loved that wonderful tang from the lemon juice and the hints of celery. Plus, there weren’t any giant gobs of mayonnaise to be found and that’s usually my pet peeve when it comes to mayo-based salads and sandwiches.
The lobster, which can be easily overcooked if one doesn’t pay attention, was succulent and firm (I like a little bite in my crustaceans) and I had to stop myself from wolfing it down the minute the waiter laid the plate down in front of me. Shoestring fries were cast aside since they weren’t anything special.
Lobster roll
Like I said, I only went to try their famous lobster roll, but their clam chowder and fried oysters are highly regarded as well. Though in the end, I think it’s still a better idea to splurge a little on the sandwich than skimp. After all, this was the first of it’s kind in Manhattan, and it’s always good to experience an original.
Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia St.,
New York, NY 10014
212-691-8211
Dim Sum Go Go!
June 5, 2008 § Leave a comment
“Lunch. Dim sum. Find a place. 11:45.”
Basically the message I got from my friend Ameya as I was rounding up a project at work. Dim sum!? To my knowledge, all the good dimsum places were in Chinatown, and I didn’t feel like trekking that uptown since lunch is only an hour. My search on NYMag for decent dimsum places in the Lower East Side gave only a couple names, but Dim Sum Go Go was a critic’s pick and only one stop away on the 4.
We were joined by fellow JP student Andrew Hsu who was in town for an interview and luckily managed to snag the last table in a tiny, barely decorated establishment on the outskirts of Chinatown. Go Go has regular sized entrees as well, but it’s rare to find dim sum on a weekday and they have a surprisingly extensive menu, so we helped ourselves to 9 small dishes, all in the $3 range.
Sesame balls are hard to mess up, and Go Go did a well enough job. These were petite but the outer crust of glutinous rice was thick (I like) and contrasted nicely with the crunch of the sesame-covered outside, and the filling was plentiful and perfectly sweet without being cloying.
Sesame balls
Out of the dumplings, the shrimp and chive steamed ones were my favorite since neither ingredient overpowered the other (a mistake of most dim sum places) and they were encased so perfectly in the rice wrappers. Yet the bites were so small that we barely got to enjoy the dumplings when they already disappeared in our mouths. The snow pea leaf dumplings (the longer ones with green filling) were mediocre to me, but that might also be because they reminded me of jiu tsai (Chinese leeks), which I don’t really like in the first place. Go Go’s pork dumplings were the familiar fried potstickers that everyone loves, and I loved that the juices from the pork spilled out once I bit the crispy exterior.
Other dim sum staples like the shrimp rice rolls, the spare pork ribs, and the shumai dumplings, were satisfactory. Comforting and most times piping hot, they all lived up to the expectations of decent dimsum with the added plus of better presentation than usual. One gripe though: the shrimp rice rolls had too much rice roll, not enough shrimp (which weren’t dry and shrunken, another mistake of dim sum eateries). I like a lot of filling! The spare pork ribs, which are usually drenched in the black bean sauce and then cooked until dry, were tender and wonderfully light and vibrant due to a modest sprinkling of chives and a stayed hand with the salt.
Line of condiments
Dumplings!
Shu-mai dumplings
Black bean spare ribs
Overall, the food was well executed and well made, but service was horribly slow since Go Go, being such a small restaurant, can’t abide by the usual dim sum set up of circulating steam carts. They brought out items one by one, teasing us, and the sesame balls came first. And they’re supposed to be for dessert! However, if you have a decent stretch of time and wish for well-priced anddeliciously light Cantonese food, this is the place to go.
Dim Sum Go Go
5 E. Broadway,
New York, NY 10038
at Chatham Sq.
212-732-0797
Trix, Lucky Peach, and The Financier
June 3, 2008 § 5 Comments
Finally, FINALLY, I got to try the food at Momofuku Ssam Bar today. Ever since it opened, I’ve wanted to sink my teeth into all the pork and offal goodies, but with school, work, etc, there just wasn’t enough time for me to trek to the East Village. But the past is behind me now, and the future ahead looks very bright and Momofuku-filled.
Outside Momofuku
I brought along a friend; for anonymity’s sake and because he absolutely insisted on the nickname, let’s call him Trix. Trix isn’t a schemer or skateboarding champ but rather, the guy who always falls for the ill-conceived prank or reveals confuzzlement when plums are marinated in interesting herbs (ginger?! what!?) He is, however, a good eating companion, and being of Korean descent, I thought he’d appreciate the special twist on Asian food that David Chang’s restaurant applies.
When we got to 2nd Ave and 13th, we didn’t see the restaurant at first. It just had a simple black awning with the tell-tale peach on the door. Momofuku means “lucky peach.” After a quick review over the menu and recommendations, Trix and I ordered the pork buns, the asparagus, banh mi, and pig’s head torchon.
Let me just say straight out that though everything was superb, my favorite by far were the buns. Fatty pork, full of flavor, with refreshing cucumber, hoisin sauce, and a bit of extra kick. Homey, but also, incredibly indulgent, especially when the grease started running down my hands. My only regret was that we didn’t order more.
The asparagus encircled a poached egg, wonderfully runny, and perched on top of a smooth and sweet miso butter which I absolutely LOVED. We could’ve just spread it on fresh, toasty bread and I would’ve been happy since I didn’t care much for the asparagus. It really wasn’t anything special and not as crispy as I usually like mine served.
Roasted asparagus with poached egg on miso butter
The banh mi was excellent simply because it was my first time trying anything like it. I believe the waiter said there was a top shelf ham with chicken liver pate and veal head terrine along with familiar pickled Asian vegetables. And the crackle of the ciabatta that enveloped all this goodness was a wonder in itself. Ah…if you can’t already tell, I love this restaurant.
Banh mi sandwich
Our last dish was the Pig’s head torchon which the waiter insisted we try. My god, has there ever been that much fat in so little a space? And FRIED for crying out loud! I especially liked how the horseradish-y dressing cut the richness of the torchon, and the way the gingered plums balanced with the saltiness. Needless to say, we left Momofuku feeling very satisfied. Thanks to the waiter who gave us such good recommendations!
Pig's head torchon
Since we still had some time afterwards, we headed back downtown where I took Trix to Financier. Well, I wasn’t just going to forget the macaron immediately after I fell in love with it right? And this time, there were BIG ONES! I’m a sucker for pistachio (my sister, Laura, isn’t though. When I brought the 8 pack home, I accidentally stuffed it in her mouth in my eagerness to share the love when I suddenly remembered afterwards that she’s allergic to nuts. She didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day. Most likely because she was lying in bed having difficulty breathing. LOVE YOU LAURA!). Trix helped himself to a pear tartelette which earned his approval. All in all, though, after a hectic day at work, it was a wonderful ending to the day.
Pear tartelette
Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
http://www.momofuku.com/
Financier Patisserie
June 1, 2008 § 2 Comments
Friday, I got off work early, and after spending a couple hours at the Borders on Wall Street studying econ (I’m taking micro at Rutgers this summer), I decided to take advantage of the excellent weather and visit Financier Patisserie for the first time.
There are three locations in Downtown Manhattan, and even though I’d passed one on a previous occasion (when I was lost), it took me 20 minutes and numerous detours before I finally found the store on Cedar Street. The pastries inside looked absolutely delicious, but I really just wanted to take something home with me and a lemon tart probably would not have been a good thing to bring on the train with me.
I opted for their 8-pack of macarons. Before this, I’d never had one before, and i admit with great shame that when I was in Paris last spring, I did not squeeze in the time to visit Pierre Herme’s boutique, the irrefutable god of all macarons. But finally, I am a macaron-virgin no more.
Macarons
The meringue outside gave the cookies a delightfully delicate and crackly texture which countered the moistness of the insides from the ganache filling. However, even though I shared them with my sisters, they became cloyingly sweet after a while and I was left with that characteristic feeling in my mouth from eating too much sugar.
I bought a bag of financiers as well, so I’ll update on that later. But overall, macarons are now a favorite of mine due to their light and airiness for desserts. I’ll have to try the ones at Bouchon and Payard sometime.
Financier Patisserie
35 Cedar Street @ 10 Liberty Plaza
(Bet Pearl and William)
New York, NY 10005
Telephone: (212) 952-3838
Inaugural marathon of a post
June 1, 2008 § 2 Comments
5.24.2008
Cathy, a friend I’ve known since she caught me cheating in Chinese school class (3rd grade?), and I realized after we both got back from school that we had never gone to New York together. Finally, we’d had enough and took a train into the city with a carefully planned itinerary that ended in 50+ walked blocks.
We hit up Chelsea Market, the MoMA, Fishs Eddy, and a few other places, but the best part of the day was, of course, lunch at the Shake Shack.
knives at Bowery Kitchen Supply
As usual, the line was unbelievably long. We waited about an hour, keeping progress by tree trunk and amusing ourselves with the Shacks-ercises. When we finally did eat though, the burgers were amazingly juicy and perfectly seasoned, though I felt a bit let down by the Shack-cago dog. I remembered it being more topping-filled last time. This was my first time trying their custard, and it was almost too rich. We’d finished everything in 20 minutes except the dessert.
Line at Shake Shack
5.26.2008
Memorial Day, I took Laura to two exhibits at the Met, Jeff Koons on the Roof and Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, and dinner at Brasserie Les Halles, Anthony Bourdain’s restaurant before he became famous.
I thought there would be more Koons pieces at the exhibit, though I guess three giant sculptures takes up enough space. I wonder how they moved everything up there. Though the Costume Institute showing did not disappoint. If only I had the nerve to reach over and touch Christian Bale’s actual Batman suit. Plus I felt rather cool when I recognized the custom-made suits and dresses from the Vogue May 2008 photo shoot with Coca Rocha.
Afterwards, we walked around Soho for a while and then trekked all the way down Broadway until Laura couldn’t take it anymore when..aha! We found Les Halles. It was eerily quiet since no one was at work that day, but I felt less guilty about using flash since there weren’t that many people to care.
Let me just say, the onion soup was delicious…but overwhelming. Those who know me know I’m not a big fan of cheese, but Laura, who was additionally hungry due to our long walk, kept going at it until there was barely any left. And that’s a big bowl. I did love my duck confit though, perfectly crispy and just a little fatty. Les Halles handles their potatoes particularly well – my mini homefries and Laura’s mashed potatoes and chips were crisp and lightly salted – and I made a note to myself to try their award-winning fries the next time after hearing the munching of a nearby client who’d ordered the moules frites.
So, that post wasn’t as long as I thought it would be. More later though on my trip to Financier Patisserie on Friday and the discovery of a Koons piece right by the office where I work!
Notes on Food 