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

Food Trucks

Need something to do/eat this weekend?

If you have ever been to the Justice League of Food Truck parties behind coors field where you can sample items from several food trucks you'll love the 2nd generation of this group collectively known as the Food Truck Warriors.  They are having a kick off party this saturday from 2-9pm.  You can find details here!


Need something to do/eat in a month?

Eat Denver, a group of independent restaurants is throwing a block party by Union Station where restaurants like duo, black pearl, snooze and steubens to name a few will showcase the strengths of denver's restaurant scene.  Tickets are $20 but will guarantee to be a blast.  You can find details here!

TAG Raw Bar

If you haven't been to TAG, you should really do that, and if you want something else from the TAG family of restaurants, you should try Troy Guard's new concept: TAG raw bar.  Located below street level in a tiny space in larimer square, it has a surprisingly small interior with a dozen orange stools at the bar and 2 five tops.  The atmosphere was casual with music from an ipod mix(i believe TLC came up at one point).  We picked two seats at the bar where we could watch the only two chefs and the bartender/waiter command the line. The restaurant focuses on small plates with raw or almost raw preparation techniques.  They change their menu frequently, maybe even daily so chances are you won't find the same stuff if you plan on going soon.  In addition to a free spicy tuna roll (kitchen mistake!) below is a sampling of what we enjoyed last night

Fire and Ice Sushi with Hirasama (yellowtail), Ahi, cucumber, avocado with wasabi tofu foam

Heirloom tomato salad with mache, sesame leaves, shaved ricotta salata and apple balsamic glaze

Perhaps the best dish of the night.  Seared colorado lamb loin with whisky peach gastrique, shaved pecorino and microgreens.  The meat was tender and rare without being gamey.

Duo of Tuna (Ahi and Amberjack) with miso, seaweed and himalayan sea salt.  The fish was so fresh but the flavors infused within weren't necessarily my favorite

"Ceviche Imagination" - changes daily, today it was scallop and ahi tuna with pico de gallo, cilantro and lime.  Incredibly refreshing.

TAG Raw Bar Plate score:  8.5


We wanted little man ice cream for dessert but they closed at 9, so as we fought our way through the hurricane like gusts, we settled on a slice of the coffee kahlua cheesecake from the cheesecake factory.  Delicious!

NYC 2011 Part 1

After a much needed nap from my terrible red eye flight from Denver, i returned to my favorite Japanese noodle house Ippudo with my sister for lunch.  This place is consistently packed with long lines out the door and today was no different.  The noodles are definitely the star, housemade and al dente sitting in a flavorful pipping hot broth of your choice (traditional soy or soy and miso blends) with roasted pork and veggies.   If you like eggs, make sure to add the soft boiled marinated egg for $2!  I was so excited to eat it that I forgot to take a photo....

Ippudo Plate score: 9.5

Japanese is probably my sister's all time favorite so a fusion japanese compromise at Bond St was a good choice on Friday night before I headed to my hotel for the weekend conference.  We shared a few rolls, beef sushi (seared wagyu over rice), sashimi and the two dishes below.

The seared john dory on the right was cooked perfectly surrounded by a light chili lime broth with roasted beets and microgreens. There was no hint of japanese influence there but nevertheless excellent.  The braised short ribs which were oddly pressed into a square ring mold sat atop of columns of daikon radish.  The asian pear puree on top of the short ribs contrasted nicely with the saltiness from the meat.

Another reason I chose this place was for the dessert below, the green tea mille crepe.  As the name suggests, this a multi layer dessert is made with at least two dozen crepes filled with a green tea cream.    I ordered a nine inch one for my sister last year for her birthday from Lady M.  Needless to say she loves it.

Bond St Plate Score:  7.5

Beauty and Essex, according to my sister is NYC's hottest place these days.  She even mentioned the fact that there was champagne in the women's bathroom  on her last visit there.  With a focus on contemporary tapas which is easily my favorite way to dine.  It is so easy to mistake this for something else as you have to walk through a pawn shop to get to the actual restaurant.  The secret entrance leads into a dimly lit restaurant with big velvet couches, ceiling to floor drapes and chandeliers that fill the interior and reminded me of something you would see in one of Chuck Bass' Party (Gossip Girl).  

All dishes were good including the beef tartare, roasted bone marrow, lobster asparagus pizette and a chestnut and ricotta ravioli but won't necessarily bring me back for seconds on my next trip.  The molten chocolate bread pudding dessert was soft and decadent and paired nicely with the mild hazelnut ice cream and was a great end to the the weekend before fighting and running my way through the busy airport at JFK.

   Beef Tartare

                       Roasted Bone Marrow with red onion marmalade, microgreens and toasted ciabatta 

                                           Lobster and asparagus on a cracker thin pizette

                            

Miso-sake glazed sugar snap peas, and chestnut ricotta ravioli with butternut squash sauce and crispy pancetta

Beauty and Essex Plate Score: 8

Fun Fact: Chris Santos is the executive chef of B&E and also a regular judge on Food Network's Chopped!

Affordable times 2

The next time you are at steubens order a side of the crispy brussel sprouts for a cool price of $3.  As the name suggests, the brussel sprouts are fried till they are crispy and seasoned liberally with salt.  It has a strange addictive quality similar to popcorn or in my case kettle corn that keeps you going back for more. The double chocolate cake is not too bad either.

Plate score: 8




I don't profess to know much about cuisine from south and central america but on the recommendation of Best of Westword Food and Drink, i opted for a new gastronomical adventure with venezuelan cuisine at Empanada express.  The original one in Golden consistently garners great reviews so i was hoping the 2nd outpost on 44th and Stuart (1 block East of Tennyson) would measure up.  So I met a friend for a super late lunch or senior citizen early bird dinner at 4:15, depending on how you look at it.  The place is small with a few tables and since we were the only patrons so we decided on "patio" seating given the beautiful, albeit blustery weather.  Our server brought out free samples of yucca fries, a starchy and flavorless root vegetable like a potato sprinkled with white cheese and a few slices of avocado.  He also brought out two squeeze bottles with what looked like a chipotle dipping sauce and cilantro dipping sauce which brought some life to the root veggies and were a great addition to the arepa.  The arepa, if you are unfamilar is a corn cake sandwich (like a pita) stuffed with a variety of fillings.  My arepa arrived fresh with a nice crust finished off on the stove stuffed with shredded flavorful beef, black beans and white cheese.  Served with fresh red cabbage and slices of fried plantains, it was excellent and for a very affordable price of $4.75.  We finished with fresh sopapillas with condensed milk.   I am often criticized for my expensive taste but i can be equally happy with a hole in the wall gem.  This can be a great lunch take out place in the future, i hope it survives.

Plate score: 9