Street Food

Although there's not that much variety when it comes to NYC street food, the range in quality is vast.
You basically have Hot Dogs, Pretzel, Toasted Nuts, Meats on Sticks, and your Halal rice platter vendors to choose from.
The bad ones out number the good ones 5 to 1 it seems. I can't understand how the bad ones still stay in business...

Well, I wanted to highlight one vendor in particular.
The vending cart is located on the corner of 45th and 3rd Ave. Right across the street from Riingo Restaurant.
These guys dish up a mighty tasty platter. You get a choice of Chicken, Lamb or Combo. I chose the Combo the other day and was very pleased with the decision.




















The rice is a mix of yellow and white. Perfectly cooked but neutral in flavor. Then in the top left hand corner, you have the shredded lettuce. It is topped with some vinaigrette as it's plated, so the salad is crisp and not soggy at all.
On the bottom left hand corner, they douse a nice helping of homemade tzakiki sauce. Yum.
Then you have the meats poured on top.
The Chicken is chopped up into bite sized morsels and perfectly marinated giving nice flavor and color when heated up on the hot plancha. The lamb is actually whole lamb meat. Not the stuff you get in a gyro but real lamb meat. Chopped up, marinated and very tasty.
This is all made to order and piping hot when you take your first bite into it.
I asked for it spicy so they drizzled some hot green sauce on top and it gave a nice kick to the dish.
$7 for the platter... Not bad. I'd rather pay $7 for a great platter, than $5 for a bad one.

I will surely be back for more from these guys. They are great!

Artsy Sushi

Restaurant Koto in Burlington, VT may not be getting their Michelin stars any time soon, but that is surely not the be all and end all for any restaurant.
I can definitely appreciate their food and care they put into each dish.
Below are some pics I snapped last week when I was up there on business.
I can say, I've never seen anything like that here in NYC...

Voted the most popular by many newspapers and residents, I can see why.
Cleaver dishes, plated with clean and imaginative designs... What's there not to like?
The waitstaff manages to do their best, giving their recommendations of the day.
But the Manager may need a refresher course in hospitality from time to time.
All in all, this place is fun and gives the locals a great escape from the reality from time to time.

City Market (Vermont)

Quite possibly my favorite retail supermarket I've ever been to.
Talk about Organic.
Whole Foods, eat your heart out.
I've never seen that many fiddlehead ferns, or ramps, or organic dairy under a modern supermarket's roof at one time.

This supermarket would surely give the farmer's market in Union Square a run for their money.
Absolutely fantastic!

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Ramen debate

It's not easy to make a good bowl of Ramen at home.
Since most ramen shops make hundreds of bowls a day, what makes it good is the mass production and assembly line methodology of cooking the bowls of noodles.

(left pic : friend's bowl of ramen, right pic : setagaya's ramen)












I was invited to a friend's house for ramen the other day and it was disappointingly bland.
The flavor of the broth was weak. The noodles were over cooked, and the toppings were not seasoned well.
It was clear to me that if she was cooking for 300, instead of 20, the results would have easily been better.

Here is the reasoning. When you cook for 300, it's clearly an assembly line mentality. You have all your ingredients cooked and portioned out. Instead of "a la minute".
You have your timing down and each station will be manned by someone who completely understands what he or she has to do in order to get that bowl of noodles out to the customer ASAP. No mistakes.

Consistency couldn't be more important.

This was not the case the other night. All 3 bowls of ramen shared amongst the guests had different noodle textures. The broth was weak and had no fat. Apparently, all the oils or fat from the pork was skimmed out... making for a boring bowl of noodles. The toppings would have been good on their own, but they totally didn't belong in the bowl. It was missing Harmony. Overall, a D.

So to counter this bad experience, I went to Setagaya Ramen a few days ago and ordered their famous Shio Ramen. I saw the chef time the cooking of the noodles. 1 minute 20 seconds in the pot of vigorously boiling water. He took it out, rung it, and placed it in the bowl with the hot broth and it cooked another 40 seconds while he plated the toppings and served immediately.
The toppings were great and the broth had some character to it. Overall, a B+.

Things you look for in a good bowl of ramen :
1- Hot (Temperature Hot)
2- Well fortified Broth (gotta have depth)
3a- Al Dente Noodles (gotta have bite to them)
3b- Straight or Curl Noodles
3c- Same Noodle thickness or various strains of thick and thin noodles
4a- Toppings (medley)
4b- Chashuu (roasted pork belly slices)
4c- Tamago (seasoned hard boiled egg or poached egg)
4d- Menma (seasoned bamboo shoots)
4e- Scallion (julienned)
5- Oils (must have a pockets of flavor oils floating on the top)
6- Nori or seaweed (goes well with the backbone of dashi broth)

Long Island Daytrip

Went out to Long Island this past weekend and wanted to try the local wines and fresh seafood.
Originally, I had heard the wines were pretty good out in LI, but when you've been to Napa, it really doesn't compare.
Same goes with the seafood. If you've been to Cape Cod in Mass, don't waste your time in Long Island.
The most you'll find there are really annoying Hampton folk and Billy Joel cover bands.

These pics look way tastier than they actually were.

1 more for the Gipper

And yes, good 'ol Dave Chang takes home yet another James Beard Award...
I think that's 3 in the past 3 consecutive years.

This time edging out Jose Andres, Paul Liebrandt, Laurent Gras, and Scott Conant.
Link to Winners of the James Beard Awards 2009

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Presented by Lexus
A restaurant opened in 2008 that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service and is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
Los Angeles
Chef/Owner: José Andrés
Owners: SBE

Corton
NYC
Chef/Owner: Paul Liebrandt
Owner: Drew Nieporent

L2O
Chicago
Chef: Laurent Gras
Owner: Richard Melman

Award Winner Momofuku Ko
NYC
Chef/Owner: David Chang

Scarpetta
NYC
Chef/Owner: Scott Conant

Cabrito - Review

Intro
Cabrito - Highly Unrecommended
50 Carmine St, New York 10012
Btwn Bedford & Bleecker St
Phone: (212) 929-5050

50 Carmine Street has been the home of many locations the past couple of years. My first encounter with the location was the Italian Restaurant 50 Carmine which was pretty solid. The next restaurant that took over the location was BarFry, a fun tempura joint that lasted maybe a year. Now, we have Cabrito a wannabe hip taco joint - a project by the dudes from Fatty Crab. I love Fatty Crab, but Cabrito not so much. Hip place serving overpriced tacos is not my idea of a good time. Overall I give the restaurant an 50/100.

Our Menu
1) Huitlacoche mexican "corn truffle"*
2) Cabrito sour orange, garlic and chili rubbed goat, slow roasted and served chopped with salsa borracha & warm flour tortilla
3) Ensenada-style Fish beer battered and fried

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way * Good ** Great *** What the F – in a good way

Dish Comments
1) Huitlacoche is a fungus grown on corn that has a flavor that is earthy and sweet and tastes like mushrooms. Unfortunately, this was covered in crema, cabbage, and cheese (an immediate uh oh this is going to suck when I saw it), so you can't really get too much of the huitlacoche flavor.
2) Their signature dish is also the namesake. Cabrito is a slow roasted goat, which sounded phenomenal. Problem was the goat meat here was slightly colder than room temperature. In addition, the meat was pretty dry and didn't have great goat flavor. Also, the sour orange did not pair at all with the rest of the flavors. The best part of the dish was the mexican crema (aka sour cream).
3) The fish was definitely colder than room temperature. The flavor was Ok, but cold fish tacos is not really appealing. Plus, this had the same tired accompaniments from the previous dishes - loads of radishes and red cabbage.

Overall Restaurant Experience (50/100)

• Food 6/10 – Eating this food did not remind me of Mexico at all. Plus, most of the dishes had average flavor or were really dry. Corn tortillas did not have great flavor and added to the dryness of most dishes.
• Service 6/10 – Service was slightly below average. The waiter was rushing things and it took him a while to come over to take our order. The food took a while to come out also.
  
• Atmosphere 6/10 – The place was packed on Friday night filled with a younger crowd all dressed up to go out. Music was pumping with I think techno music and it was hard to hear. Couldn't see that well since it was a tad dark so couldn't make much of the atmosphere. Got there at 7:45 and had a 45 minute wait.
  
• Price 2.0/10 – WTF in a bad way. $6 for 1, yes...1 cold fish taco that's hella small. Completely ridiculous. Even the goat entree was hella expensive. $25 for about 3-4 small tacos.
  

Closing Comments
This place looks like it maybe around longer than BarFry judging on the crowd. It shouldn't be though based on the food and service...

Worth Trying

I'm not going to say this is the best drink on earth. That honor still goes to the classic Coca~Cola.
But Red Bull Cola doesn't suck either!
The ingredients on the can will surprise you.
Its actually really tasty.

I'm kinda craving another one right now.
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Slap Chop Rap

Marketing at it's best... Catchy tune don't you think?

Greg Noonan of Vermont Pub & Brewery

After a day of sales meetings, staff trainings, dinner and chit chat, my distributor in Vermont took me to some local watering holes up in Burlington.
I've visited this town a few times in the past and have always enjoyed chatting with the locals here.
Everyone is really down to earth, and genuinely considerate.
I saw people waving cars to pass, and cars waving people to cross at the "busiest" street corner here. I did a double take and thought to myself, both man and car would have cursed each other off while trying to cross if this were NYC.

So as the night progressed, we ended up at Vermont Pub and Brewery(2nd oldest microbrewery in the east coast). This is a place I always come to at least once when ever I'm in town. Devin first told me about this place and it's become a routine of mine ever since.
Well, it just so happened Greg Noonan(owner and brewer) was at the bar last night. He had just gotten back from the Craft Brewer's Conference last week in Boston and seemed pretty happy he went.
The sales rep I was with knows Greg pretty well and introduced me to him.
We chatted all night about his beers and I was absolutely fascinated with his passion and reasoning for his various brews.
It was complete geek talk all night and it was AWESOME!

Among many, Greg has a beer on tap this month called Bombay Grab IPA.
I'm a big fan of hoppy beers and this one totally fit the bill.
Greg uses Simcoe, Cascade and another hop which is not coming to me right now, to make this mouth watering brew.
You get a decent amount of citrus from the Cascade hops and then an onslaught of bitters.
the IBU was 77. Niiiiice!

I highly recommend this place. Great place to hang anytime of the day. Great people working the bars. And not to mention really great bar food.
Oh, and did I mention you can buy Growlers to take home? They run something like $10 a jug.

Here's a cool vid clip I came across... Enjoy

Eggs Benedict - Breakfast of Champions

There is something to be said about the ultra rich breakfast dish, the Eggs Benedict.

I was on business and went downstairs to the lobby of my hotel to scout out any where serving breakfast. The concierge quickly pointed me to the hotel restaurant and I said why not.

I'm batting close to a 1.000 when ordering breakfast at a hotel. Its been always the Eggs Benedict.

I am never patient enough to make it at home. So I crave it when on the road.
You need to toast, pan fry, poach and emulsify. 4 freakin steps all at once so that its warm when you serve. I just can't get that motivated in the mornings. Plus, who can make a good Hollandaise for 1 or 2 anyways. Seriously.

Well, long story short, I ordered one of these badboys Thursday morning and can't stop thinking about it since. It was Delicious!
If you are ever in Burlington VT, hit up the Sheraton Hotel and have an Eggs Benedict.
They do it right up here.

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American Craft Beers are the Best

The spirit and passion of Craft Brewers should resonate amongst us all.
I'm proud to be a supporter of American Craft Beers.

"I Am A Craft Brewer" is a collaborative video representing the camaraderie, character and integrity of the American Craft Brewing movement. Created by Greg Koch, CEO of the Stone Brewing Co. and Chris & Jared of Redtail Media...and more than 35 amazing craft brewers from all over the country. The video was shown to a packed audience of 1700 craft brewers and industry members at the 2009 Craft Brewers Conference as an introduction to Greg's Keynote Speech entitled "Be Remarkable: Collaboration Ethics Camaraderie Passion." As is tradition for the CBC Keynote, a toast to the audience was offered. This time, the beers offered for the toast were all collaboratively brewed craft beers including Isabella Proximus, Collaboration Not Litigation, AleSmith/Mikkeller/Stone Belgian Style Triple, Jolly Pumpkin/Nøgne-Ø/Stone Special Holiday Ale, and 2009 Symposium Ale "Audacity of Hops."

Gelato Showdown - Grom vs L'Arte

Decided to checkout Grom Gelato in the West Village again after Porthos' positive review of the place, but I figured I should do a side by side comparison with my favorite gelateria in that area, L'Arte Del Gelato.

I figured I would pick Nocciola (hazelnut) and Pistachio; two flavors the wife and I consistently had during our two week stay in Italy. These two (along with Stracciatella) were the gelatos we had at least 2-3 times a day in Rome / Amalfi, so figuring we could judge those best.

Different tests, but same results for me. Grom is unrecommended and L'Arte is highly recommended.

First up - Nocciola

• Grom Flavor - 6/10 - An intense hazelnut flavor that unfortunately is marred by a gritty texture. Grom would have the edge here if it were not for the disgusting texture.
  
• L'Arte Flavor - 8.7/10 - A nice hazelnut flavor that stands out above most gelaterias, but nowhere near what Italy does.
  

• Grom Texture - 0/10 - Pretty unpalatable to me. Same comments as my previous review. Ground hazelnuts that aren't strained out...WTF. Kinda like eating the sandiest mussels. I've had Nocciola from many different gelateria in Rome and Amalfi and I've never had a sandy Nocciola gelato before. Also, the gelato doesn't melt as well in the mouth.
  
• L'Arte Texture - 9/10 - Beautiful texture. A nice custardy like mouth feel that melts effortlessly. Definitely similar to what we had in Italy.

• Overall Grom Nocciola - 3/10 - That texture is a complete WTF moment in a bad way - completely unbearable. The price is also slightly more expensive than L'Arte also - about $5+ for two scoops.
  
• Overall L'Arte Nocciola - 8.9/10 - Definitely a solid gelato with great texture and very good flavor. Price is about $4.50 for 2 scoops. An added bonus are the guys manning the gelato's all speak Italian.

Finally - Pistachio

• Grom Flavor - 9/10 - A really intense pistachio flavor that definitely stands out. A tad sweet compared to Italian standards, but still hella tasty.
  
• L'Arte Flavor - 8.6/10 - A sold pistachio flavor that is almost a tad too sweet. More sweeter than Grom actually.
  

• Grom Texture - 7/10 - Decent texture, but not velvety or custardy like L'Arte. Does not melt effortlessly in the mouth. Not sure if it's because of the temperature or not. Also, I noticed there were more tiny holes in their gelato compared to L'Arte...maybe signs of more crystallization?
  
• L'Arte Texture - 9/10 - Same comments as the L'Arte texture for Nocciola
  

• Overall Grom Pistachio - 8.4/10 - Much better than the Grom nocciola, but for some reason - worse than the one in my original memory of the Grom in the Upper West Side.
  
• Overall L'Arte Pistachio - 8.7/10 - Very tasty gelato, although I liked the nocciola slightly better.

I'm glad there are so many gelaterias around that area, but sadly my original Bleecker street favorite Bruno Bakery appears to be closed. Although the gelatos there were much sweeter than L'Arte and Grom, the textures usually rocked there. C'est la vie...

Gramercy Tavern

Gramercy Tavern - Highly Recommended
42 E. 20th St.
New York, NY 10003
(nr. Park Ave. South)

One of the best meals I've ever had in Manhattan.
And I can't believe Monday night was my first time.

It wouldn't be fair if I didn't mention Colicchio in this post. Perhaps this is the place Tom built, but Chef Michael Anthony gets my tremendous praise. His food is so pleasant.
Michael's cooking isn't too gentle nor is it over the top, punch you in the face flavor overload.
Every dish was just the right. Just the right touch.
And while on the topic of shout outs... Danny Meyer gets huge props as well.
Union Square Cafe, Shake Shack, Eleven Madison, and now Gramercy Tavern have all been extremely solid eating experiences. Could this man be the ultimate Restaurateur? At this point, I would have to say so.

I will probably go back in the next few weeks to enjoy a meal in the "tavern" portion of the establishment. It's less formal there and you can order A La Carte as opposed to the fixed menus in the dining room.

- Amuse Bouche Trio **- Potato Grugere, Pork Pate, Foie Gras Custard
- Salmon Duo **- Cured Salmon layed over Salmon Tartare
- Trout ***- Steamed and Smoked with Celeriac and Beets Brunoise
- Striped Bass ***- Steamed over Bokchoy leaves, Turnip Puree and
Fond de Veau (FdV)
- Veal Duo ***- Roasted and Braised Over some Potato Puree and FdV
- Carrot Gelato *- Palate Cleanser
- Rhubbarb Cobbler ***
- Chocolate Mousse ***

Cava **- Spanish Sparkling
Chardonnay ***- Russian River Valley
Moscato ***- Italian
Greek Dessert Wine ***

Vong

Vong - Not Recommended
200 E 54th St.
New York, NY 10022

This place probably was once a very nice place to dine. Before the time Lemongrass, Star Anise, Sichuan Peppercorns were commonly known ingredients in NYC. A leader maybe 20 some years ago.
But last Thursday, I had a lunch meeting with a customer and from the moment we entered the place, it was just a bit out of place/out of date for NYC.
Tradition is good I guess, but something about Vong just didn't vibe well with me.

The space is quite large. The people are very nice and hospitable, but the food tasted mass produced.
The spices were dealt with a heavy hand, and clearly not deserving of the Jean Georges status.
Perhaps I am tooting JG's horn too much, but I expected better from his establishments.

Striped Sea Bass - Overly spiced and salty
Ox Tail Noodle Soup - No flavor
Desserts - They were all pretty average to good.
But not good enough for me to go back again.

Spadaro from Rome, or was it New Rochelle

Based on a recommendation, my friend and I eagerly trekked to New Rochelle to check out a restaurant this past weekend. We waited 2 long months for the gentleman who recommended the place to get back from Europe. He had spent over 40 years of his life living in Rome, so we knew the recommendation was merited.

Ristorante Spadaro - Highly Recommended
211 E Main St.
New Rochelle, NY 10801
Tel. 914 235 4595

It was a great experience. Even with the traffic heading up, it was totally worth it. Ristorante Spadaro totally delivers.
You get everything you would expect from when dining in a typical Roman Trattoria. Great simple foods, warm service, laid back atmosphere where the chef owner comes out to have a glass of wine with his wife (the waitress), and everyone chats (for those who speak Italian) with her 80 year old father who has his beloved Lazio playing in the background on the TV.





















* 2 more reasons to love this place. They carry some really good wines.

Below are some pics from our (3 hour) lunch. That's really the only way to enjoy a good Italian meal. Unrushed.

Hungry Neighbors Rock

My neighbors just picked up a new "Weber" and we are Christening it tonight on the roof deck.
AWESOME!!!

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Pate Ssam

Pork and Foie Pate at Momo Ssam.
Last Thursday, I had a little pit stop at Ssam. I just wanted to throw this in a BahnMi and devour it.
Ideas anyone?
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The Village Tea Room - Review

Intro
The Village Tea Room - Highly Recommended
10 Plattekill Ave
New Paltz, NY 12561
Phone: (845) 255-3434

Went up for a day trip to Mohunk Mountain House with the wife and I ran across this place based on the web reviews out there. Basically, simple food using good ingredients cooked well. Can't get any better than that I guess. Eating outside looking at the mountains also makes everything taste better. Overall I give the restaurant an 86/100.

Our Menu
1) Roasted Vidalia Onion & Ewe's Blue Cheese Sliced Almonds & Sherry Vinaigrette *
2) Salad of Local Organic Tender Field Greens Shallot Vinaigrette **
3) Crisp Roasted Chicken **
House-Made Apple Chutney, Pan Gravy & Scallion Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Murray's Free Range Chicken
4) Roasted Butternut Squash, Sage, Onions, & Grapes *
5) Lamb Sheppard's Pie *
6) Gingerbread Cake **

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way * Good ** Great *** What the F – in a good way

Dish Comments
1) This usually would be my type of dish and I've made something similar before. Unfortunately, there were some things that were a little off - some of the onions should have been peeled a little bit more. Also, the flavors didn't mix 100% well together. With all that said, it was overall pretty good.
2) Simple dish, but works really well. Basically, fresh local field greens that had a yasuda like affect - each leaf had a pronounced flavor. Perfect salad which means greens were still crisp and the flavor was not drowned out by the dressing.
3) Perfectly crisp skin and the legs were juicy, moist and very flavorful. That alone was a WTF moment. However, the breast meat was a tad dry, but the tasty apple chutney paired perfectly and made you forget about the dryness. The mashed taters were also perfect too. Great texture and potato flavor without being watery or drowning in butter. All these NYC restos now are going a little overboard with the Robuchon stlye pomme puree's - way too much butter and losing the essence of the potato.
4) Simple, but delicious. Sweet squash with a nice roasted flavor - great balance between savory and sweet. Onions and the surprising grapes add to the sweetness without being disgustingly sweet.
5) Nice lamb's sherpherd's pie. Nothing to go nuts over, but it does it's job.
6) A great way to end the meal. Huge complex flavor - crispy and caramelly on the outside and inside had a pronounced ginger and cinnamon flavor. Though a wee bit dry, the delicious cream hid that fact. A very surprising and great dessert. Amazing with the great Cochin Masala Chai tea with steamed milk and honey. This place does some solid teas too.

Overall Restaurant Experience

• Food 8.5/10 – Simple food using very good ingredients cooked well. Very solid stuff. Also, they give out some great sesame sticks with a daal dip...hella tasty.
  
• Service 9/10 – The waitress was extremely nice and the food came out in a great time.
  
• Atmosphere 9.5/10 – Can't beat it. Sitting outside looking at the beautiful mountains smelling the amazing food coming out of the kitchen - definitely a serenity now moment. There was indoor seating as well, but the patio was where it was at on a nice spring day. The crowd was all older professors - which makes sense since New Paltz has a college in town. Everyone there was so chill and very happy. We got there at 6pm on a Sunday and were seated immediately.
  
• Price 8.0/10 – A solid value for a filling meal. Dinner for 2 was about $80 including drinks. There was a prix fixe that night for $22 which my wife got - included app/entree/dessert. The chicken dish we had was monstrous and we still had leftovers...roasted chicken, mashed taters, and butternut squash make a suprisingly amazing taco btw.
  

Closing Comments
I wouldn't drive out to New Paltz, NY just for this restaurant, but I would 100% go back if I was in the area. Definitely going to try and go back during the fall to check out the leaves and checkout more of the menu. A know a place is good when I want to make a similar menu and this definitely did the inspiration thing for me.

Bruni strikes again

This time ripping up Inakaya in the NY Times Building. But rightfully so.

Inakaya
231 West 40th Street
212) 354-2195.
www.Inakayany.com

Inakaya is originally a hugely successful restaurant located in Roppongi. This heavily "gaijin" populated area of Tokyo is where a ton of expats go to eat, drink and later hit the clubs in order to meet Japanese girls who love nothing more than to hook up with foreign men.
Many times, American men who come back from their temporary corporate assignments have this misconception that all Japanese girls are "easy" and then go on to believe all asian girls are hoes based on their escapades in Roppongi. Needless to say, that's not the case... Roppongi is simply a location in which the hoes flock to and just about any non Japanese man can get a piece of ass as long as you speak English.

Anywho, I digress. Back to Inakaya.
Although already very expensive in Tokyo, it's even more expensive here in NYC. And the quality no where justifies the price. Many of my coworkers have gone and were highly disappointed.
Basically, this establishment was built on the premis to rip off tourists or expats in Tokyo. But now, the tourists and expats don't need to fly 6,000 miles to get ripped off because they've set up shop here in NYC.

Here are some excerpts from the piece and also a link to Bruni's review.

Food is sidelined at this large and theatrical Japanese restaurant on the ground floor of The New York Times building. It’s an offshoot of a Tokyo establishment and it’s billed as a robatayaki, which means that grilling is its focus.

Much of the space is taken up by a long counter with 30 seats. There are, additionally, three communal tables, and it was at one of these that my friends and I sampled many grilled dishes, like the Japanese eggplant ($5) and shiitake mushroom ($7), that were pleasant enough.

Others, like skewered hunks of juicy, fatty, lavishly salted chicken thigh ($10), were better than that. But still others, like the whole deep-sea snapper, flown in from Japan and advertised as “Inakaya’s pride dish,” were a shame. The small, dry, emaciated snapper ($65) would have been too expensive at half its lofty price.