Gotham Gal

return to colicchio and sons

I went back to Colicchio and Sons last night and ate in the tap room.  The tap room is the front room, no reservations, and a smaller menu.  Actually, not only is the menu smaller, it is much less expensive.  They continue to change the menu in the tap room too.  The difference is big. 

There is more of a casual feel in the front room that just seem to work better.  The grown up stuffy feel in the back room, imho, is not what people are looking for these days.  The space is so big but perhaps Colicchio should think about turning 80% of the space into a tap room and leave 20% for a fancier menu.  Flip what is happening in there now.

We shared everything.  Starting with a whipped ricotta served with a few roasted vegetables that had just a hint of honey.  With that we had a roasted onion pizza made in the wood fired oven.  Really delicious pizza, crusty on the sides and soft and thin in the middle.  The restaurant does pizza night on Sundays.  Might have to check it out.

For our second course we split a scrumptious baked pasta dish.  Zitti loaded with a rich gooey cheese and pieces of crispy sausage and black kale.  Excellent.  We also had a piece of branzino.  Crispy skin, a tad undercooked but the right size portion with a little bit of a spicy red sauce on the side.

Dessert was fun.  Tubular deep fried cream filled donuts sprinkled with sugar and served hot.  On the side was a gelato ( can't remember the flavor ) but we also had a scoop of caramel butterscotch gelato which was really delicious.  But the best was the rosemary gelato.  The intense flavor of the rosemary was really different and fantastic.

A really nice evening.  Good food.  Not the easiest location, 15th and 10th but I do like the atmosphere...particularly the tap room. 

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Collichio and sons

I was never a fan of Craft Steak.  The food just wasn't that good.  Also, the space is so overwhelmingly huge that there was no intimacy at all.  The fact that Collichio decided Craft Steak wasn't working and changed the whole concept is pretty smart.  He gets high kudos for that.  It is now called Colicchio & Sons.

The space has been given some minor changes that definitely create a more intimate feel.  The wood log wall around the bar area (called the tap room) with tables makes that area into a small cafe.  Smart.  My guess is this area is for the walk in customers.  We sat in the back, and the changes, although not huge, make a difference.  The place is still quite large and unless it is filled, it is quite obvious how many patrons are or aren't there.  That is a challenge on to itself particularly now when people are acutely aware of which restaurants are filled and which ones aren't.

From what I understand, the concept is that every morning, based on the ingredients in the house, the menu is created.  Sort of sounds like Top Chef.  There is no doubt based on the menu that the creativity is there.  The issue is that nothing gets to be served night after night.  Perfecting a dish is kind of an important feature at a restaurant.  I am all for changing the menu seasonally but it is a challenge to change nightly to a restaurant with 100+ seats vs a restaurant with 34 seats. 

The first thing that arrived was the bread.  It appears that they kept the one thing that Craft Steak had going for it.  Their version of the Parker House rolls.  Nice.

We split everything.  In a small pan came 3 butter-poached oysters with a small mound of celery root shaved into a tagliatelle shape ( pasta ) with a dollop of American caviar on top.  The butter dripping in the pan.  A total MO (mouth orgasm).  Creamy, sublime and a tad decadent.  Delicious. 

Our other appetizer was braised white beans served with spicy chorizo, roasted pork belly and pieces of octopus.  Clever, a great combination, a Spanish edge.  Good, well cooked, and good.  Not an omigod but good.

For the main course we opted for one fish and one meat.  For the fish, pancetta wrapped slices of monkfish over finely chopped braised red cabbage with a little black truffle vinaigrette.  The monk fish sliced up like butter.  The dish was beautiful in presentation.  But, the dish was really salty, the cabbage had way too much bite and the vinaigrette was too vinegary.  It looked fantastic but it wasn't.  Great for the photos not for the mouth.

Our meat, not that great either.  2 large hunks of duck that were way too thick.  The duck was roasted and had a spicy kick.  This was served over a sauerkraut with a licorice root and kumquat chutney.  The flavors just mushed today. Also, the cabbage wrapped piece on the plate was inedible.  It just wasn't that interesting.

We did go for the dessert.  A tiny banana-pecan upside down cake infused with a rum caramel and banana sorbet on the side.  Nice, tasty.  They also gave us a treat of chocolate nut covered square pieces of toffee.  Well done.

To sum it up, the constant change is questionable.  Nice job on the reconfiguring the space.  Service is wonderful.  Great wine list.  There is a casual elegant feel which I really like.  I'd figure out the top dishes and stick with them.  The oysters were fabulous but I'd like to come back and see them on the menu.  It appears to be a work in progress.  I hope that they figure it out because I like it there.

Matsuri

Last night we had tickets to see a show at the Highline Ballroom and wanted to eat somewhere near the show.  Matsuri is a block away so we were hoping to get a seat at the bar.  A seat wasn't a problem.  We could have taken over the entire bar by ourselves.

When Matsuri first opened, the place was impossible to get into.  They definitely poured a serious amount of cash into the place.  The bar rests above the open room that has large Japanese lanterns hanging from the ceiling.  Even the walls down the hallway to the bathroom are covered with intricate wood patterns.  Lots of thought was made into every architectural decision.  The sinks in the bathroom are even brilliant.  A large deep sink with 3 separate controls completely temperature controlled.

Keep in mind that when Matsuri opened, the food was excellent.  The small tasting plates were the key.  One was better than the next.  The Lotus Root was a definite MO (Mouth orgasm) dish.  So, what happened?

We ordered a few small plates to begin starting with a bowl of the lotus root.  The lotus root was thick and mealy. Nothing like the good old days.  This dish used to consist of thinly sliced lotus root that had been braised in a spicy sauce covered with sesame seeds.  It was addictive.  I'd usually order another bowl.  The good news is that I have the recipe so I can fill my yearning for lotus root at home.  We also had crab meat shumai which was anything from light.  A heavy duty dumpling that was tasteless more like a small hockey puck.  Our other dish was one of my favorites, roasted eggplant with miso.  The eggplant had definitely been roasted but the miso paste was so thick that there was absolutely no nuance to the dish.  It was like someone had taken the miso out of the refrigerator, brought it to room temperature and just took a knife and slathered it on the eggplant.  The other small dish we had was soft shell crab tempura.  Not crisp, almost hard to cut because more than likely they had rewarmed the tempera from earlier which made is soft and tasteless.  Absolutely disappointing.

Matsuri also does sushi which they still do quite well.  The fish is cut right, it is flavorful as well as ridiculously overpriced.  Certainly if you have a good place where you are buying the fish, which I am sure hasn't changed since the beginning, it is harder to screw up.  No omigods but good.

Although the bar was completely vacant, the restaurant was probably 1/3 filled.  It is kind of depressing to see a restaurant take such a dive.  If they could have kept up the food, my guess is they would still be humming.  Alas.  I wonder how much longer Matsuri will last. 

Mas (farmhouse)

Friday night, we went with friends to see the Knicks/Lakers game and then out for dinner in the post-game.  There was a time in our lives when we were always going to Knicks games but over time we stopped.  The team was so pathetic that we all lost interest.  I have to say,  it was great to be back.  It has become a bit circus at the games.  At every time out there is some form of entertainment from the Knicks City dancers to the Knicks acrobats to the random people in the audience they bring down to try and win something.  It is overwhelming. Yet, the most amazing thing about seeing the game is the physique, grace and intensity of the players.  These guys are just specimens and it is just awesome to watch them play.  Particularly Kobe Bryant.  He is a freak of nature.  

We checked out at half time to go have dinner at Mas (Farmhouse).   We have been back to Mas a handful of times since they have opened.  I have never seen it that crowded particularly in the bar area but Friday night was totally different.  Not only was the place packed, the front bar area was jammed. 

I have always loved the whole gestalt at Mas.  Serious attention to detail starting with the beautiful china that makes one feel as if they are sitting at a dinner party.  Love that.  It is a good place for a date night.

There are a variety of options on the menu.  You can go with a six course tasting menu or opt for 4 courses (one being dessert).  There are 5 appetizers and 5 main courses to choose from but if you like something off of the six course tasting menu, you can choose one of those options too. 

Each plate is proportioned based on how you order.  If you order just an appetizer and a main course, the serving portion will be larger.  If you have a 4 course meal, the portions get smaller, etc.

We happened to be dining with friends who are in the NY restaurant world and with that come benefits.  Good company and a few extra plates sent our way in between what we had ordered.  I learned a great new way to describe those omigod dishes that don't come along often enough.  MO, mouth orgasm. 

As a whole, I have never found the food at Mas one MO after another but there were definitely some highlights.  Sometimes, the nuances to each dish are over thought and are lacking that oomph.  The one dish that was a total MO was the sweetbreads.  It was the one dish we all had which wasn't on the menu.  Pan roasted sweetbreads with a dollop of uni on top.  I can't remember the entire dish but the combo of the flavors and the intensity of uni with the sweetbreads was a MO. 

Every dish is beautiful and the attention to detail, just like the table settings, is impressive.  We were there for about 3 hours.  Had a great evening.  I guarantee, I will continue to return to Mas. 

 

Taboon

Taboon, located in an area that I rarely frequent, was the perfect pre-theater meal.  A tad out of the district but a nice brisk walk after dinner works just fine.   A Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant.  As my friend said, high end Israeli food. 

The big wood burning oven is the center piece of the restaurant when you walk in.  Most everything is cooked in there.  The rest of the place is light, airy, white and simple.  The menu consists of many small plates ( meze ) to start, salads, breads and main courses.  There are even Israeli wines on the menu which is nice to see. 

We shared everything.  Our first course was a variety of small plates.  The special of the night was an octopus dish, roasted in the oven, sliced in half and mixed with apples, anchovies, basil and mint.  Absolutely delicious.  Light and layers of many flavors that work perfectly together. 

We had the winter salad of greens, a few dots of goat cheese, sections of a blood orange, spicy walnuts, haricot verts and a walnut vinaigrette.  Simple.  The other small plate we had was the seafood cigars.  All baked in the oven.  Phyllo dough stuffed with a mixture of seafood, lemon preserve, mint and cilantro.  A bit too garlicky for me but well done.

For the main course, we spit the chicken.  This was really delicious and beautifully prepared.  A chicken breast, roasted in the wood burning oven with rolled chicken pieces on the side stuffed with oregano pesto and preserved lemon all served over a crunchy rice.  Delicious.

We weren't going to do dessert but was just curious.  We had 2 desserts to taste, literally.  The Lava Cake which is a dark molten cake that oozes out once your fork cuts into the dish.  Really dark and rich.  On the side was a small scoop of intense turkish coffee ice cream. The other dessert was a date sponge cake soaked, I mean soaked in Meyers rum.  Didn't love this one.  Very heavy handed.

The service was great, the food was quite good and a nice change of pace.  Will definitely return.  BTW, I did have a glass of the white Israeli wine.  Pretty tasty. 

L'Ecole

Every year, my friend, Helene and I celebrate each others birthdays by planning a special day for each other.  It is a really wonderful way to celebrate the day and certainly it gets harder each year to come up with something good.  Today was her birthday so I did the planning.  I have to say, it was a winner.

We started out the morning being completely luxurious and had 80 minute massages at Bliss Soho.  We literally rolled out of there down the street to L'Ecole for lunch. 

L'Ecole is the restaurant of the French Culinary Institute in NYC.  They are open for lunch and dinner and brunch on the weekends.  The students are the chefs, wait staff and maitre d' for the meal.  Obviously teaches them about working and running restaurants.  They serve a 3 course menu for $28.  Not only can you not beat the price, the meal was absolutely delicious. 

First thing out is the bread basket.  Sliced pieces of fresh baguettes.  Everything is made on the premises.
The service was really attentive and the food came out pretty quick.  The bread came after a little taste from the chef.  I always love that.  In a white spoon was a bite of crab meat with a smoky yellow pepper coulis and a tiny tiny dollop of creme fraiche.  It was delicious and the smoky flavor kicked in at the end which made us both realize that the meal was going to be really good.

For the first course, we both got the same thing.  Frisee salad with sauteed mushrooms, tiny cubes of butternut squash, thinly sliced grilled cauliflower, sliced cherry tomatoes, haricot vert and walnuts mixed with a champagne vinaigrette.  The presentation was so perfect that I wondered if they used special chop sticks to place each vegetable in the right place.  Light, flavorful and a nice combo of vegetables.  Excellent, really.

For the main course, we each did something different.  Helene had the Italian seafood soup.  Calamari, white fish, scallops and shrimp cooked in a light tomato broth with pieces of braised fennel.  Really nice, tasty and light.

I had the sea bass.  A thick fillet of sea bass, crispy skin side up layered over a puree of celery root and apples and cut up broccoli rabe.  On the side was a rich smoked shallot brown sauce which took the dish to another level.  Classic French cooking.

They knew it was Helene's birthday and they went with it.  They brought us out an extra main course, courtesy of the chef.  It was one of the specials of the day.  Ravioli stuffed with chopped radicchio and ricotta topped with a Roquefort cream sauce, sprigs of arugula and crispy Parmesan pieces.  It was delicious.  The Parmesan pieces added a bite that changed the entire composition of the ravioli.  Yum.

For dessert, they really went over the top.  In a large white bowl came the chocolate walnut cake with a dollop of eggnog mousse over the top with a caramel sauce at the bottom of the bowl.  Stuck in middle of the cake is a caramel dripped structure for presentation.  On the plate they wrote Happy Birthday in caramel and of course a candle.  A nice touch.  The dessert was fantastic. 

We also ordered the gingerbread pudding.  The pudding is shaped like a mold, almost hard on the outside.  You crack into and the gingerbread pudding oozes out.  Candied walnuts are served around the pudding with a caramel ice cream on the side.  Sinfully delicious. 

They gave us an extra dessert which was the chocolate porcini cake.  More like a rich brownie.  This didn't do it for either of us.  It almost tasted like a pot brownie but substituting mushrooms for the pot.  Of course, there was the small cookie plate too.  The best thing on it was a housemade peanut butter cup.

I am not sure either of us knew what to expect but we were both pleasantly surprised.  A lot of food for lunch but hey, it was a celebration.  The food was really good.  So good that I'd think about going back for dinner although it is a 5 course meal which is a lot of food.  It was also told the lunch is better.  I might have to find out for myself.

In the end, just when we thought it couldn't get better, they get us each a fresh baguette on the way out to take home.  Gotta love that.

The Palm

Josh wanted to get out of town this weekend so him and his friend drove out to the Hamptons with us for a few days.  It is so nice to be looking at a different landscape for a few days. 

Fred had it in his head on the way out that we should go to The Palm for dinner.  The first time I ever ate at the Palm was when I was living in Los Angeles, my senior year of college.  I had an internship which was part of the curriculum.  Back then we actually got paid for these jobs.  I was working as an assistant buyer at Robinsons in the mens department.  Great semester.  My Mom came out and took me to The Palm for dinner.  I had never been and it was definitely a treat to go.

Since then, I have been to the Palm a few other times in different cities.  Always the same decor, always the same menu.  There are a few restaurants who have had incredible success just replicating their concept across the world.  Think high end fast food.  Nobu, Morton's, The Palm, etc. 

The last time I went to The Palm was probably in the Hamptons and it was easily 4 years ago at best.  My last time ever might have been last night.  Bottom line, except for the steaks which are definitely delicious, the rest of the food sucks.  Nothing as truly changed on that menu in 25 years.  They have added the seared raw tuna with black sesame seeds and nori because that is not a 25 year old dish.  They have also added more fish to the menu but as a whole, the food is way over priced and bland.

We all began with salads.  Josh did the tuna I described which after 2 pieces, he'd had enough.  Just overwhelmingly heavy and not that good.  I had the hearts of palm salad minus the olives and eggs.  Chopped iceberg lettuce with chunks of tomatoes around the edge of the plate and 20 pieces of heart of palm lying down the center.  No dressing, totally bland, mealy tomatoes and just yuck.  Josh's friend went for the Caesar salad which was chopped iceberg lettuce laden with so much dressing he even said you can't eat that much of it.  Fred probably made the right call.  The classic hunk of iceberg with blue cheese dressing on the side.  Did I mention the bread was stale?  That always sets the tone for the type of meal you are about to have.

We all did steak.  Rib eyes and New York strips.  Way too much but that is the schtick.  I remember going to Morton's once in Chicago on a business trip.  The guy I worked for went up and down on his weight like no other.  He was not a big guy and could put away the food.  He begged me to dare him to order the 40 ounce steak.  I refused but he did put down a 24 ounce one which is a ridiculous amount of meat. 

For sides, we had the cream spinach which was more cream than spinach and so much butter it basically tasted like butter.  The mushrooms are okay but again the flavor is not in the mushrooms but the butter. 

One of their schticks is to bring around pieces of desserts on a plate that are the size of your head at the end to choose from.  We went with a piece of the chocolate cake.  The taste brought me back to my childhood where my Mom used to buy the frozen Pepperidge Farm chocolate cakes that we'd keep around in the freezer.  Tasted the same.

We had a fun night but The Palm is so old school that back in the day, it was a treat and fantastic.  Now, to me, it is tired, over priced and just not that good.  As my friend asked me, who we bumped into last night at the Palm, on email after dinner, "how was your meal?  I think that place kind of sucks!".  She hit the nail right on the head.  It sucks.

Recette

I watched the restaurant on 12th and Greenwich close and Recette move in.  I walk the dog past that corner every morning so I got to check daily.  Last night, we stopped over for a late night dinner.  Ok, not that late but 930. 

Keep in mind that the restaurant has only been open for a few days but here are some observations.  The place is frenetic.  So many people in the kitchen and waiters running around like their heads were cut off.  I figure that will eventually work itself out.  There are a few things that need changing.  The noise level is deafening.  There is also no rhyme or reason on how they set up the tables.  It is as if they were just thrown in and pushed around.  Between the tables, the noise and the confusion, the place is vibe-less.  Is that a word?  We both felt as if Recette is a pop-up restaurant tossed into an open space for a few weeks to taste the chefs wares. 

Some mornings I walk by and the place is set for the evenings.  Other mornings, the place is just cluttered with tables.  If they want new patrons to be drawn in from a walk by during the morning, they should have the place set up for the evening from the evening before.  Again, vibe-less.

I will say, the food is really good.  A tad heavy handed but inventive and delicious.  Certainly the nuances of each dish will get better over time although not sure I am running back even though it is literally around the corner.  There is no warmth or feeling of community of patrons.  Weird.

We tried a few things.  Thinly sliced hamachi with a dollop of uni on top, sliced jalapeno and a squirt of blood orange and a leaf of miso.  The flavors all burst in your mouth at once but an interesting combo.  Everything comes at plates, not to big not too small and for sharing if you want.  Roasted ocean trout served over a mixture of cabbage and little bits of bacon and sauteed mushrooms.  Quite good and flavorful.  We also had the pork belly.  A long crispy piece of braised pork belly with 2 deep fried shrimp on top, turnips and a sherry caramel sauce.  We also had a small pot of brussel sprouts that weren't interesting.

Many wines by the glass which is nice too.  The food, really good.  The vibe, none. 

omigod

Perhaps my standards are way too high but I have found it takes a lot for me to have an omigod food moment.  I have found that those moments have been few and far between these days.  My New Years resolution should be trying to find the yum in more things.  

There are times of long stretches where I am just not that "wowed" by the food and I start to seriously wonder about my standards.  Are my expectations just ridiculously high?  Then, I stumble upon an evening where the omigod moment happens and I breath a sigh of relief.  We had that moment the other night at the Breslin.

We went early, as you must if you want a seat.  There is definitely a hipster air going on there and my guess is if you are a regular, your chances of getting a seat goes up but I wanted to return after eating there the first day it opened.  I am so glad I returned.

April was in the kitchen and the place was not that busy as it was January 1st at 6pm.  We began with a salad to share.  She is a master of the salad.  Chopped and thinly sliced brussel sprouts mixed with tiny chunks of Parmesan cheese, pomegranate seeds, shreds of duck breast which was probably left over from the night before and mixed with a simple lemon vinaigrette.  Absolutely fantastic.  Winter ingredients from the kitchen sink. Smart restaurant sense and incredibly creative.  Wow.

We both had a main course and split.  I have been hankering to get back to the lamb burger since the first day.  It is well worth the journey.  Juicy and full of flavor on the right proportioned bun.  The right bun is key.  Fries on the side.  I usually like thinner fries but these were crispy and delicious.  On the side was a cumin mayo that had a nice bite.  You can put it on the burger or just use it for dipping those tasty fries.
The other main was Pork Belly.  A fairly large size of Pork Belly that had been braised in apples, pears and other sweet goodies.  So caramelized that the pork shimmered and of course pulled apart when you sliced into it.  It was served over mashed potatoes and gravy.  Decadent.

At this point we were so incredibly wowed by the meal we felt the need for dessert.  The special drink was warm egg nog with rum on the bottom.  I am a sucker for egg nog.  Ridiculously over the top with calories galore but a once a year treat.  Absolutely delicious.  We noticed that the word treacle was on the menu.  The treacle at the defunct John Dory (RIP) was one of the best desserts ever.  Lemony, rich steamed pudding.  A total wow.  The Breslin was serving a large bowl of frozen custard with pieces of walnuts and a hint of something.  I can't recall now but as Fred said, I can't remember either but damn it was good.

It was truly a relief to finally have an omigod meal out but a total hit was having it on January 1.  I hope the date and the meal is a hint to what is to come in 2010. 

Co. (pizza)

As we all know, pizza has taken over NYC.  No doubt that pizza has comes in many waves over the years.  There was Lombardi's, then there was Rays, then there was Johns...etc (not sure who really came first but you get the idea).  Now there are about 10 new places to check out mostly with thin crusts baked in brick ovens with a gourmet twist. 

I have been dying to go from place to place and really do a tasting in one night but instead I will do it bit by bit.  On Friday night, we went to Co. which is located on 24th and 9th. 

There is a small bar with about 8 seats shaped in a square.  Well done because people who are hanging and waiting don't end up moving into the seating area.  There are communal tables down the center and then around the walls there are small tables for 2 and 4.  Friday night, the large flat screen TV which overlooks the room had a picture of a log burning in the fireplace.  Kind of funny actually but certainly created the ambiance for the calm before the storm on Friday night.

The menu is straight forward.  Pizzas, salads, a soup, a few starters, wine and beer.  We did it pretty straight up and ordered 2 pies.  We had the meatball which included buffalo mozzarella, tomato, caramelized onions, veal meatballs, pecorino cheese and oregano.  It also includes olives but we asked to omit that.   A nice combo of flavors.  Thin crust, obviously all made by hand as each pie is not exactly perfect in shape.  They are not too big either.  It was good.  Lots of flavors on each pizza.  The other one we had was called ham and cheese.  3 cheeses, mozzarella, pecorino and gruyere melted together with prosciutto laid over the top.  Classic Italian tastes on one nice sized pie. 

Nice flavors, good crust.  What I really like it how pizza has evolved in NYC and I am enjoying the evolution.