NYC 2011 Part 2

With my dad in town this time around, we made sure to hit up some of NYC's big hitters including Eric Ripert's Le Bernadin.  Unfortunately there are no photos because this place is not for tourists and I'm pretty sure they would have asked me to stop or leave if i had continually snapped pics throughout our seven course tasting menu.  The Le Bernadin tasting menu focuses on seafood and french techniques which were all beautifully presented with exquisite flavor.  Both the food and service were excellent and my favorite included the charred octopus appetizer which was tender and smokey and the liquid pear bubble in the dessert course which they suggested you let explode in your mouth with a little of the chocolate parfait.

Plate Score: 9.5 (The price hurts a lot even if i wasn't the one paying for it)


Though dinner was fantastic, a 5:15pm reservation would not hold us over till morning so we fixed it with a delivery of this new york solution around 10 :)

For lunch on Saturday, my sister introduced us to Blue Ribbon Sushi on 58th near Columbus Circle.  From what I understand it is of the same caliber as Nobu just not as famous.  Everything on the menu was delicious from the sushi and sashimi to the rice and noodle dishes and dessert.  One of the highlights was the japanese style oxtail fried rice with bone marrow.  So terrible for you but it was so good that it even caught my dad's attention.  He suggested that we return the next day.  

Plate Score: 9.5

On Saturday night I did manage to snap a few pictures from David Burke's townhouse as we were seated, with the exception of the servers, in an area of virtual isolation.  The culinary approach of this restaurant is whimsical modern american.

The parfait of salmon and tuna tartares with 3 sauces and a layer of creme fraiche was beautifully prepared and incredibly fresh

Normally you think about crab cakes in a circular fashion, and when it said "pretzel crusted" on the menu i imagined crushed pretzels would serve as a binder.  Instead I was pleasantly surprised with this rectangular log of fresh crabmeat wrapped with pretzel sticks and dusted with sesame seeds. The sauteed soft shell crab appetizer behind was delicious but a tad bit oily.

This is the lobster "steak".  For $46, it was a great deal with the lobster claw that sat atop of chopped lobster meat packed into the shape of a filet mignon, hence the word "steak".

Dessert were drunken donut holes with chocolate baileys, strawberry daquiri and salted caramel sauces.  The donuts were a tad dense, but who can refuse fried dough?!

"Opera on the park bench"  Do you see it? hazelnut cream cake and espresso ice cream. Perfect

                                                    
Plate Score: 7

Beatrice and Woodsley

On my second visit back to Beatrice and Woodsley, I left disappointed with the food and the interesting service.  Despite the unique interior decoration with floor to ceiling trees, the bathroom was way too confusing and exposed (you'll understand if you go) and the yellow window tint by the front door made the cold and gloomy day look like a spring sunny day.

The food was nothing spectacular as I was confused with the range of temperatures on both the dishes
First up was the "Ninny Nanny"

A fried pasta dough shell (warm) stuffed with lemon zested goat and ricotta cheese (cool), with a buttery wild mushroom sauce (warm), spinach (warm) and sauteed grape tomatoes (hot).  Our waiter tried to make something up after I asked what temperature the dish was supposed to be.  Honestly it's ok to just say i don't know.  

The ninny nanny and the endive salad were followed by the braised oxtail main course.

Fried blue cheese gnocchi and kale (hot), braised oxtail (warm with hot spots) and fried soft boiled egg (cool).  The gnocchi were way to soft and each component did very little to complement each other.

Plate Score: 6.5

Great Food Truck Race!

There are alot of things you could be doing this weekend like the Cinco de Mayo festival at Civic Center Park but if you love food trucks, Season 2 of Food Network's Great Food Truck Race is here in denver today and tomorrow.   Here are the details for the rest of the weekend.  I am still hoping to the see the host Tyler Florence out and about!

Korean style Ribeye tacos from Korilla Bbq

Hodge Podge and Lime Truck attracted long lines in front of Marzycks

        

Cafe Con Leche's Pork, plaintains, black beans and rice