Tuesday, January 17, 2012
“Le Cirque”
Le Cirque has been around for over 36 years and after dining there, I can certainly see why. The dining room was gorgeous and the service was impeccable. We (myself and my 3 roommates) ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir to go with our meal and were thoroughly happy with our choice. The bread basket that came out while we waited for our food was also delicious (full of flavor and still warm from the oven).
Now onto the really good stuff...I had a hard time choosing from the restaurant week menu but ended up with the Artisanal Pasta (with butternut squash and whipped ricotta) for my appetizer. The pasta was beautiful, the squash perfectly cooked and the whole thing complimented by the ricotta. For my entree I had the Merlu demi- Sel (Hake with olive oil crushed potatoes and sauce grenobloise) which was also great. The olive oil crushed potatoes had capers and crunchy-deep-fried croutons which, when eaten together with the fish was fabulous. I felt the fish by itself was a little rubbery; the weakest part of the dish, but not offensively so (I’m really just being nit-picky). I had the Crème Brûlée for dessert with a short of espresso and they were both delightful.
Overall, Le Cirque was a great start to Restaurant Week.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
“Fig & Olive - Meatpacking”
Fig & Olive is a restaurant that prides itself on it’s use of olive oil as the menu’s core ingredient. The space itself is huge, filled with tables, barstools, and shelves displaying olive oils of all sizes and colors. The large space is broken up into sections which definitely makes it feel cozier. Before the meal they serve three types of olive oils with bread. I liked all of the olive oils but we ran out of bread pretty quickly and because service was on the slow side (the place was packed and there didn’t seem to be enough servers).
My roommates and I each got a cocktail. I had the Fig & Walnut Julep (Bourbon, St. Germain, Port, muddled black mission figs, mint and fresh citrus garnished with shaved walnuts) and it was unreal. Probably the best cocktail I have ever tasted.
To start, I got the Yellow Fin Tuna Carpaccio (tuna, balsamic vinegar, cilantro, arugula, tomato marcona almond - Toasted Sesame Oil) and it was very tasty. The flavors were good and I liked the nuts but it wasn’t terribly exciting. For my entree I sprung the extra $7 to get the Rosemary Lamb Chops (Grilled lamb chops smoked a la minute with a bouquet of Herbs de Provence, goat cheese & chive gnocchi, roasted honey eggplant - Rosemary Garlic Olive Oil).
The chops themselves were perfect, crispy around the edges, juicy and full of flavor but the gnocchi was a little dry for my liking. For dessert, I had the Dessert “Crostini” (Amarena cherry, mascarpone, pistachio on shortbread with micro-basil) and I was pleasantly surprised; especially loved the cherry and the micro-basil!
We all agreed that it was definitely a fun experience.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
“Victor’s Cafe”
Victor’s Cafe has been open since 1963 and has been keeping Cuban food on New York’s culinary map ever since. Victor’s had a really fun, Gloria Estefan-party-time-like atmosphere, yet was still very classy. My friend and I went for a couple of cocktails- I had the Dragonberry Mojito which I liked (despite it’s sweetness).
For my appetizer I got the Shrimp Ceviche, which was lovely. The shrimp was the perfect texture and there was a hint of spiciness to the lime-y sauce that I loved. I got Victor’s house specialty the Ropa Vieja (Shredded Black Angus skirt steak simmered in garlic, tomatoes, onions and peppers nestled in a plantain basket) for my entree and it was quite a feast. The skirt steak was so good, just bursting with flavor (though slightly over salted).
My only real complaint would be the plantain basket. The plantains were soggy and, to be honest, not very tasty in general. It also came with rice and beans which were good but it was a very heavy dish and I couldn’t finish it all. I went for a mango sorbet for dessert and it was a good, not too sweet ending to a heavy meal. I had a great time at Victor’s and I’m glad I got a chance to try it.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
“Bar Boulud”
On our way to see “The Descendants,” my boyfriend and I decided to grab a spontaneous Restaurant Week lunch at Bar Boulud (Daniel Boulud’s casual bistro of terrines and pates across from Lincoln Center).
Along with the traditional bread and butter I ordered a very unique cocktail called The Fireside. I cannot find the exact ingredients but it was a bourbon cocktail with Earl Grey tea, old man bitters and sage. It was very interesting, smokier than I’d expected (like it was made with Lapsang Souchong rather than Earl Grey). Anyway, it was better when I started eating my food along with it.
For my appetizer I had the rather plain Salade Mesclun (baby field greens, vegetable crudite tarragon, lemon vinaigrette) but my boyfriend had the Fromage de Tête (Head Cheese) which was the best I’ve ever had. As my entree I had the Beef Wellington and it was SOOO good. I had to hold myself back from licking my plate.
It was my first ever Beef Wellington and I was so happy with it I’m thinking about going back to get it again...Anyway, my dessert the Tarte aux Agrumes (lime tart, almond cream, citrus fromage blanc sorbet), was also extremely delicious and something I would like to eat many more times.
I’ve read reviews about Bar Boulud being loud and bustling, which I can definitely see but we went at the right time of day because it was populated but not crazy. Really, a very memorable lunch (I’m salivating right now thinking about that darn Beef Wellington...)
Thursday, January 26, 2012
“EN Japanese Brasserie”
No, you are not mistaken...I had the privilege of having a 3-course lunch AND dinner on Thursday, Jan. 26...I went with a group of 7 to EN and we were treated to a private room. We took off our boots and stashed our umbrellas to sit in this lovely little room bypassing the noise of the restaurant. What a great way to start a meal. I got the Ginger cocktail (homemade ginger ale with rice shochu “Shiro,” lime juice and soda) and not only was it delicious but it was served in a cool stone cup!
The appetizers were a 3-part presentation, first their Handmade Tofu (freshly-made scooped tofu with wari joyu) which was unlike any tofu I had ever tasted, like egg whites but creamy. My only complaint was the cube-like bowl it was served it (it was way too difficult to scrape every bit of the tofu out of the corners!). The next 2 parts of the appetizer were served together. One being thinly sliced mushrooms with sesame seeds in a delicious white sauce, what perfect mushrooms they were! The other part I didn’t like as much and can’t quite remember the components. Whatever it was, it had a good spicy flavor but the texture was a bit oily for my taste. For my main course I had the Lobster Tempura (with wasabi & yuzu salts) and though there wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy me, the lobster was heavenly.
Thankfully, the entree was served with Onigiri (sticky rice mixed with seaweed) and a wonderful Miso Soup otherwise I may have left EN hungry. For dessert, we each received a scoop of Kisetsu No ice cream (toasted sesame seed ice cream!) that was out of this world. In fact, I would love to stock my freezer with cartons of the stuff. In the end, I was happy to have had the smaller portions because I didn’t feel weighed down, or in a food coma afterwords. A very lovely experience at EN Brasserie.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
“Les Halles - Park Avenue”
I love Anthony Bourdain and I have been wanting to try his restaurant, Les Halles, for a while. My friend met me there for a Parisian lunch, and my last restaurant week experience for the winter session. Sliced baguettes and butter greeted us, as expected and we had a lovely red wine to wet our palettes.
For my appetizer I had the Petatou de Chevre (warm potato and black olive salad topped with goat cheese) which started the meal off in a superior place (I scraped every bit of it off of the plate). My friend had the Crawfish Vol au Vent (Crawfish, Dijon mustard, cream in puff pastry) which is definitely worth trying as well. I decided to go full circle and have the Roasted Hake with Red Wine Sauce (braised French lentils with vegetables and bacon) (I had had the Hake at Le Circle during my first RW ’12 meal).
This time the Hake really was the start of the dish. The edges were crispy and the fish was delightfully tender. The lentils and vegetables complimented it perfectly...again had to stop myself from licking the plate. At this point I’m thinking my best restaurant week experience is coming down to the dessert...I had chosen the Chocolate Pot de Creme and it almost broke my heart that I thought it was just okay. The flavor was there but there was a dry skin on the top of the chocolate that I just didn’t like. Though, once again, I still cleaned my bowl. My friend and I left in great spirits, very satisfied with the portion size and quality of our meal.
Now, for my awards for Restaurant Week Winter 2012...
Best Cocktail goes to...FIG & OLIVE for the Fig & Walnut Julep!
Best Appetizer goes to...(a tie between) LES HALLES for the Petatou! and LE CIRQUE for the Artisanal Pasta!
Best Entree goes to...BAR BOULUD for the Beef Wellington!
Best Dessert goes to...BAR BOULUD for the Tarte aux Agrumes!
Best Atmosphere goes to...EN JAPANESE BRASSERIE!
and finally...
Best overall experience goes to...BAR BOULUD!!!
Yay...thanks for reading!
