Miss Shirley's Cafe - Recommended

Intro
Miss Shirley's Cafe - Recommended
750 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD
Phone: (410) 528-5373

Stopped by Baltimore to visit some friends over MLK weekend and decided to check out Miss Shirley's based on a buddy's recommendation. Miss Shirley's has two locations and we visited the touristy Inner Harbor version - not the original. The food was pretty fun and as usual it was great time hanging with our friends Charissa and Bruce. Overall, I give the restaurant an 76/100.

Our Menu

Funky Monkey Bread *
Cinnamon-scented pull-apart with bananas, chocolate & pecans
Extremely decadent brunch type bread. Crisp exterior, but doughy interior bread that had a nice hint of cinnamon and dusted with chocolate. Dipped into chocolate sauce, this was a pretty intense brunch item - bordering more on dessert. Good, but not great - a wee bit too intensely chocolaty for me.

A Cone of Sweet Potato Fries **
The best sweet potato fries. Not greasy at all, but perfectly cooked - crispy outside, sweet, and fluffy on the inside. Great stuff.

Chesapeake Club **
Crab Cake, Shrimp Salad, Bibb Lettuce Applewood Smoked Bacon, Red & Yellow Tomatoes, Avocado, Old Bay Remoulade on Sourdough Toast, Dusted with Old Bay
I'm a big fan of messy sandwiches and this is not for the faint of heart. The first thing the waiter mentioned was this thing is a monster so be prepared to eat. Super sloppy, insanely filling and hella fun. The crab cake, shrimp salad, bacon, and avocado made for heavenly cholesterol-rific sandwich that had a great combo of texture and flavors - creamy, smoky, chewy, and surprisingly amazing shrimp salad - perfectly cooked and nicely dressed. I had to smash the sandwich down in order to eat it.

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
















Overall Restaurant Experience (76/100)

• Food (7.6/10) – Pretty fun brunch items, but the sandwich definitely rocked. My wife's fried green tomato eggs benedict was pretty damn fun too.
  
• Service (8.0/10) – Server was very helpful and pretty enthusiastic describing the food. Food came out at a decent pace.
  
• Atmosphere (7.0/10) – Miss Shirley's in the Inner Harbor is located in an office building, so we sat in the lobby which had high ceilings. Noise level is pretty high there, but I didn't mind so much. The place mainly consisited of very large groups with the smallest being groups of 4. We got there at 1pm on a Saturday and it took about 30-40 minutes to get seated. Place was packed.
  
• Price (N/A) – Didn't pay, since the couple we were with are ninjas with paying the bill but the prices seemed a tad expensive. You do get huge portions though.
  

Closing Comments
I'm not sure if this is a must go place, but if I lived in the area I would probably check it out occasionally for brunch. The sandwich was pretty damn fun though...

dell'anima - another look

Another Friday night and another visit to dell'anima for me and the wife. We've been here a ridiculous amount of times and the food is always spot on. As long as the chef with the Red Sox hat is there, the food will guaranteed to be kick ars.

Our Menu

Lingua ***
cavolo nero, preserved chilies, pimenton anchovy aioli
First dish and it was out of the f'n park - big time wtf moment. The tongue was tender and full flavored and the pepper mayo was so spectacular with the cavolo nero. The texture and flavor combo was out of control good - creamy, sweet, a little spicy, crunchy from the cavolo nero. By far my fave of the night...

MALLOREDDUS **
braised goat, rosemary, pecorinos
Shell type pasta that as usual had the perfect al dente-ness going on. The star for me were the insanely tender flavorful goat that was brought together by the pecorino and rosemary. A great pasta dish and my fave out of the three pastas.

GARGANELLI *
funghi trifolati, lemon, parsley
My wife's favorite pasta dish of the night. Huge mushroom flavor with the lemon brightening up the dish a tremendous amount. As usual, the pasta was spot on.

CASUNZEI *
golden beets, poppy seed brown butter, dried orange, ricotta salata
A good pasta with the sum being much greater than it's parts. The nutty brown butter, sweet dried orange, and salty ricotta salata worked out pretty well.

Mr. (Taco) Bell Has Passed

How many of us had the munchies, sober or not, and Taco Bell cured it so preciously? Yep, all of us. The founder of the Mexican phone company, Taco Bell, has passed. I read that here, and maybe I'll stop by a Taco Hell as a tribute to Glen W. Bell Jr. and his ideas. After all, it's an educational institution. This is where I learned about the Mexican cuisine with such things as Enchiritos, Chalupas, and Mexican Pizza. (How dare you say it's from Italy!)

So, on this Tuesday, January 19, 2010, I will think outside the bun, and it is a Crunchwrap for lunch!!! Now then, do I have 79¢ laying around somewhere?

Ah well, if not, here's a link to a free Fresco Taco.

And don't make fun, man; as we saw in Demolition Man, Taco Bell is high end dining in the future...

Tokyo Underground

Warning : for Explicit Language and unadulterated Food Porn

It's not too often one gets to take a peak into the high-life of the Tokyo underground. But I was fortunate enough to be invited to a private club in the Akasaka district of Tokyo for a night of epic gastronomic adventure. I should actually rephrase that... It was more of a night of bourgeois lifestyle.

I was instructed to meet my contact at the corner of a very public tourist attraction... then escorted into the tiny alley ways of the adjacent residential neighborhood.
Once 2-3 minutes into the maze like alleyway, I spotted a little lantern atop of a railing. We proceeded to walk down 2 flights of stairs and into a mysterious dark lair where the sweet scent of cuban cigars lingered over the open bar kitchen.
I was immediately greeted by a beautiful hostess and seated at the chef's corner. My contact, whom I will call "Mr. S" is a man in his early 40s and clearly enjoys the finer things in life.
Our chef, whom I will call "Mr. K" is a 20 year veteran of the kitchen and has served men such as President Clinton and Chef Joel Robuchon.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited for the night to unfold.
Yah, you may hear about these experiences from friends of friends... and if you're lucky, Bourdain or some other dude on TV will get to film it, but I was living it! That's a score for the Dudesonfoods!

My host and I started with some small dishes to wet the palate. Pan seared crisped smoked cheese, a variety of shiozuke (cured seafoods), raw oyster shooters, then bam! Shirako!
I've had shirako (cod milt) a few times before and it's always been "good". This was out of the world AWESOME!


It was milky, eggy, and garnished with scallions and smoked sesame seeds. The ponzu sauce was stronger than usual (which I appreciated), and over all, an amazingly balanced and delicious dish.
You don't get this caliber of shirako even at top restaurants in Tokyo. I was very impressed with this dish.


Then we moved to some quick nigiri sushi.
A flight of 3 different nigiris came out. 2 were white fish cured in MaKonbu leaves to impart not only the flavor of the sea, but also the transferal of umami to the protein. Spectacular.
The third was a piece of toro that came from the Sea of Japan.
The sinews were carefully removed, leaving only the best "melt in your mouth" piece of fish you will ever have prepared.
Another joyous milestone of the 4 hour meal.


Then came the wagyu short-rib skewers grilled over Japanese Binchotan. The short ribs were cleverly cut so that the customer would also be able to enjoy the tender tendons of the wagyu beef.
What can I say... A5 grade Sendai wagyu short ribs, grilled over 1400 degrees of not only thermal but infrared heat, smoked by it's own oils and served right in front of you. Doesn't get better than that.
Magnifico!!!


Now here's where it gets interesting.
I've heard of intermezzos during an opera, and maybe a 7th inning stretch during a ballgame... but FUCKEN Cuban Cigars to relax and digest so that you can eat more later ?!
This was completely not expected, but graciously welcomed.


Mr. K is also known for his extensive collection of fine aged cuban cigars.
We asked what his most prized possession was, and he said it was a 90 year old aged cigar that probably would make a grown man cum in his pants. This was just outrageous. 90 years! 90 years!

That night, we puffed on some Partagas Cubano Serie D No. 4 that were clearly aged more than 2 years.
This was a moment that not too many people share. First of all, as an American, to get your hands on Cubans is one thing... Then for it to be a reserve label is another. Then on top of that, for it to be specially aged in a humidor that probably costs more than most people's cars is just over the top amazing.
I have never had such a smooth cigar in my life. It made me think what I've been smoking all this time. And to just say it was smooth wouldn't be doing it justice. This cigar was not only smooth, but slightly sweet. You're lips were left with the feeling you just kissed a 20 year old girl.
The draw was perfect, and the smoke had hints of dark vanilla and young oak.
Needless to say, I was feeling pretty damn good during our little intermezzo.
Oh, and did I mention this was paired with a single malt scotch that had a hint of homemade yuzu confiture. The citric essence enhanced the sweetness of the smoke, while the smokey nature of the scotch was the perfect platform for this once in a lifetime robusto.


So our 7th inning stretch came to an end and our next dish came out.
It was a play on an old Japanese dish called Oyakodon.
But instead of chicken, Mr. K used ground up wagyu meat and made it into a meatloaf souffle. It was fluffy with big flavor.

After this quick rice dish, a wagyu beef tongue stew came next.
Mr. K said he slowly stewed the tongue for days in one pot and made a separate vegetable based brown sauce to serve. You could taste the essence of a good mirepoix in the brown sauce.


And finally, the coup de grâce was a Truffled Foie Gras Risotto Omelette. Quite possibly my favorite risotto dish of all time.
This was Mr. K's signature dish and not only Billy Clinton, but also Joel Robuchon are fans of this dish.
Now I've had my fare share of Foie Gras and Truffles in my time, but this was one of those simple dishes that epitomizes what a great dish is.
The dish itself is greater than the sum of each ingredient.
Harmony, Balance, and Power.... These 3 elements were elevated to a higher level.

I know not too many people get to dine like this and it's a tremendous honor to have dined at Mr. K's counter.
So last but not least... I thank and salute Mr. K and Mr. S for one of the most memorable meals of my life. Bravo.

Sante et Bon Vivant!!!

Leftover Magic

I've never been one to turn leftovers into anything other than leftover grub.
But again, the DaVinci of our times... Mr. Jacques Pepin got my brain working the other day when he mentioned something about why not turning your dishes into another meal.

I guess my biggest problem was always not having anything left after the meal to make into something new. : )

















So in a turn of events, I had a few pounds of Grilled Skirt Steaks left from a little soiree that didn't happen. (People just never showed up... bastards)

I sliced up the steaks, got some Parmegiano Reggiano flakes and put together a killer steak sandwich.



















Steak Sandwich :
Kaiser Roll
Parmegiano Reggiano Flakes
Skirt Steak Slices
Homemade Salsa Verde Twist
Grilled Romaine Lettuce

Yum Yum Yum

Kefi - Review

Intro
Kefi - Highly Recommended
505 Columbus Ave, New York NY 10024
Btwn 84th & 85th St
Phone: (212) 873-0200

Met up Mr Risotto and checked out his new digs in the UWS. I'm never in this area, but I was excited to check it out since I've been reading about the transformation of the area with all these great eateries. One place I've been dying to check out is Kefi, Michael Psilakis's casual Greek restaurant. This place was totally in my comfort zone. Everything was properly executed and just delicious. I mentioned to Mr Risotto, if I lived in the area I would go once a week. Overall, I give the restaurant an 86/100.

Our Menu

Grilled Octopus, Bean Salad ***
octapodi stin sxara, revithia, fasolia, tomates liastes
A big time wtf moment. Octopus was so tender and it had the nice smoky flavor from the grill as well. Add the chickpeas and the sun dried tomatoes and this dish just sung. Awesome dish.

Pan Seared Striped Bass, Green Beans, Potato, Capers, Olives **
psari, fasolakia, pataes, kapari, elies
Perfectly cooked sea bass - crispy skin and flaky moist fish. Great flavors with the capers and olives.

Braised Lamb Shank, Orzo *
arni giouvetsi
Lamb had some solid flavors - gamey yet cut by the herbs - parsley, thyme, and maybe rosemary. Delicious stuff. Could have been more tender though imho.

Side: String Beans ***
It's kinda ridiculous that i'm rocking the WTF for a side of string beans, but i'm sticking to my guns. These were delicious and such an eye opener. Quickly blanched - so it's bright and still relatively crispy - the flavor was grassy and covered with a nice garlic oil. I really could eat that side once a week...

Side: Lemon Roasted Potatoes *

Good potatoes, well cooked - nothing amazing, but just solid.

Lemon Sorbet **

Spectacular lemon sorbet. Exactly the right creamy consistency and topped with a candied ginger - it just made the dish pop. And what me thinks was dried phyllo, honey, and ground nuts - kinda like the baklava crumbs - it just totally kicked ass.

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


















Overall Restaurant Experience (86/100)

• Food (9.0/10) – Just really happy with the food here. Everything is executed perfectly. This isn't world changing food, but just really delicious and makes me uber happy.
  
• Service (7.5/10) – Food came out at a decent pace, but our server was rushing everything.
  
• Atmosphere (7.0/10) – Narrow space with incredibly tall ceilings. We sat in the bar area and the place was loud and tables were very cramped. Crowd consisted of families and older couples. We got there at 6pm and had to wait 20 mins for a table for a Tuesday night. The place was absolutely packed.
  
• Price (9.0/10) – About $50 a head including tip and drinks (I had two). Completely spectacular deal and Mr Risotto and I were incredibly happy. Some glasses of wine were in the $7-9 range
  

Closing Comments
Definitely a go to if I'm ever in the area. Clean tasting food that has huge pop. Psilakis is a big proponent of olive oil (no butter) and lots of lemon to brighten up the dish. Really great stuff here. Funny considering this was the dinner after the A Voce Columbus lunch...a complete night and day difference.

Libby's Lunch - Review

98 McBride Avenue
Paterson, NJ 07501-2660
Phone: (973) 278-8718

Stopped by Libby's Lunch after checking out the Great Falls across the street. Waterfalls were kinda nice, but the hot dogs rocked. I was always a big fan of Rutt's Hutt for deep fried Jersey hot dogs, but this place blows Rutt's away. Not only is it crispy on the outside like Rutt's, but the flavor is spectacular - big juicy meaty flavors. Fries in gravy were OK, but Rutt's have them beat here. Looks like this place has been cooking up their dogs since 1936 - totally awesome old school diner feel. Any who - highly recommended if you're ever in the area...

Breakfast Follies

I'm about to hop on a plane to Tokyo and wanted a good breakfast meal to carry me over on the flight.
At the gates at Newark International, they have a pretty large food court (which I should have gone to) and Gallagher's Steakhouse.
I was thinking a sit-down place like Gallagher's would be able to make breakfast, no problem. After all, they even had a separate special breakfast menu.
Well....not the case.
The pic above is their interpretation of a poached egg.
WTF!!!

Lesson learned, corporate chains don't hire real chefs in the kitchens.

Gargantuan 513-Pound Tuna Sold for $177,000

Just as the title says. This happened at Tokyo's Tsukiji market. It's the biggest tuna bought in a decade. Two sushi restaurants purchased the fish. I wonder how much mercury is in that sucker. Story here.

Yakiniku at Home

If you have a hot plate, a portable heat source, and sliced beef, you can pretty much have your own "yakiniku" dinner right at your own dinner table.









I picked up this portable butane cook top from my local asian grocery, and grabbed my cast iron grilling plate, sliced up a few steak quality pieces of beef and plotted right in front of my TV and pretty much dined like I was at Gyukaku, but right at home.

In short, AWESOME!

Brick Chicken

I saw an episode of Colameco's Food Show where he de-bones a whole chicken and pan sears it to crisp up the skin.
It looked pretty darn good so I thought I'd give it a shot. And of course I put my own twist on it.
















First, I picked up an organic 4 1/2 pound bird at the local grocery store.
Rinse clean, remove all innards and pat dry.
Start from the back and run your blade down the middle and start to separate the ribs and inner skeleton from the bird. You're main objective is to keep the skin in tact and keep as much meat in one piece as possible.









Once the inner skeletal cage is removed, all you need to do is remove the thigh and leg bones. Slice along the bone and gently scrape off the meat.
This should take around 10 minutes all together. I'm sure Jacques Pepin could do it in 2 minutes flat... but who's counting right?









When the meat is all separated from the bones, season and place gently onto a hot cast iron plate.
Skin side down for about 8 minutes. You want to let it just cook at medium heat until all fat is rendered out of the skin. The residual heat will cook the protein 70% though. When the skin is nicely browned, flip and let it go for another 2 minutes. Then cut the heat and let it set for 5 to 10 minutes. Remember, carry over heat usually continues for another 10 minutes and tack on another 10 degrees. So if you sense the meat 90% done, it's time to set it aside.
There's nothing worse than over cooked chicken.

During the 10 minute wait, you can work on a sauce.
Obviously you can eat it just as is, but why not dress it up with a simple sauce.
I chose to sautee some onions, some diced up sun dried tomatoes, garlic and reduced with sake.
Hit with some cream and sour cream and you have instant garlic tomato cream sauce.
Bon Apetit!

2009 Year in Review

A little late, but 2009 was a pretty damn good food year so here's a fun look back at all things food for me and the dudes in 2009.

1) Best Restaurant 2009 - La Cuchara de San Telmo
Big time delicious flavors in a relaxed bar environment. This was definitely my happy place and it was so good that we went twice in one day. Next time I'm in Spain, this will be the first place on my list.
Honorable Mention: Moo, Bar Boqueria, Cru

2) Best Restaurant Dish 2009 - Dublin Bay Prawns with Curry, Roses, and Liquorice (Moo)
I've had prawns, lobster, and shrimp from many a restaurant. None has ever come close to this dish at Moo. Perfectly tender shrimp that was exquisitely sweet and the light curry sauce just made the prawns pop! Eff...I want one right now!
Honorable Mention: Ensalada de tomate con cebolla tierna y ventresca de bonito (Bar Inopia), Gambas (Bar Boqueria), Roast Pork Shank with Quince and Chili's (Crispo), Scallops Chanterelle (Cru), Carrillera de ternera al vino tinto - La Cuchara de San Telmo, Smoked Salmon, Truffle Honey, Creme Fraiche (Quimet & Quimet), Tagliatelle alla Bolognese (dell'anima)

3) Best Cheaper Restaurant 2009 - La Cuchara de San Telmo
This may be my fondest restaurant experience of all time. It's cheap as eff, relaxed bar environment, and everyone there is having a blast. What's not to love?
Honorable Mention: Bar Boqueria, Quimet & Quimet, Taqueria y Carniceria Sanchez

3) Worst Restaurant 2009 - Mccormick & Schmick's Seafood
Luckily I haven't had many terrible restaurant experiences in 2009, but the worst of the worst was the chain restaurant McCormick & Schmick's. Overcooked fish, undercooked rice...what more can you ask for?
Honorable Mention: Cabrito (sub par flavor and comparatively higher prices)

4) Favorite Dude's Night Moment 2008 - Sushi Yasuda and L'Atelier Joel Robuchon
After a full omakase meal at Sushi Yasuda which was bite for bite the best meal I've ever had, we decided to stop over to L'Atelier Joel Robuchon for some heavy hitting dishes. I really can't believe we survived, but it was pretty f'n fun.

5) Best Cookbook: On the Line (Eric Ripert)
I know this was released in 2008, but I received it in 2009 and I still love it. Beautiful pictures and really fun getting the inside look of Le Bernardin. The recipes are spectacular as well.

Had some great food experiences in 2009, but none rocked me as much as my visit to Spain. I never thought any food trip would live up to my previous trip to Italy, but Spain definitely takes the cake. Any who, great food and great times in 2009, but looking forward to our Asia trip in 2010. Chili crab...here I come!

A Voce Columbus - Aramis Review

Intro
A Voce Columbus - Highly Not Recommended
10 Columbus Circle 3rd Floor, New York 10019
Phone: (212) 823-2523

Took the inlaws here expecting decent food and a spectacular view. The view was amazing and we got a window seat, but the food was shit...like completely f'n awful. At least the inlaws loved the decor and their dishes were better than my wife and I's, so they did have a good time. Overall, I give the restaurant an 45/100.

Our Menu

Insalata Di Scarola *
escarole, warm pancetta vinaigrette, soft boiled farm egg, pecorino romano
Nice salad. Basically a caesar salad type effect with the egg yolk forming a creamy sauce. Balance between the crisp lettuce, soft egg, and sharp cheese made for a solid combo.

Funghi Al Forno
roasted trumpet royal mushrooms, fonduta, mache, hazelnuts
Solid dish, but completely lacking in seasoning. The combo between the mushroom, cheese sauce, and nutty mache and hazelnuts were spot on after I added some salt and pepper to the dish. Without the salt, it was pretty bland.

Spaghetti Alla Chitarra ---
hand crafted spaghetti, crab, leeks, lemon sea urchin butter
A wtf bad pasta dish. Spaghetti was slightly undercooked and it was completely lacking in flavor. Again, needing salt and pepper. Also, The texture of the pasta was like glue - a complete WTF in a bad way. Again, you need to cook pasta with the pasta water as this will form a free flowing sauce. The combo seemed like it would make sense, but it was just poorly executed. Not enough leeks crab or uni butter to make everything come together either.

Mezzaluna ---
tallegio filled pasta, butternut squash, brown butter, sage
Another WTF in a bad way. The filling had what seemed like 1/100th of a tsp of filling. So, it was all pasta and 0 filling. Then, add the fact that the brown butter was basically watered down butter which tasted disgusting. Again, this would make sense since browned butter would be a great flavor and texture complement to the pasta, but the butter was not cooked for long enough.

Tart ---

Couldn't find the dessert on any menus online for a proper description - I think it was some sort of tart on the prix fixed menu. Either way it was pretty f'n disgusting. A WTF in a bad way - three in a row. Basically, what tasted like dried corn bread topped with unsweeted whipped cream on top. Appetizing ain't it?

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




















Overall Restaurant Experience (45/100)

• Food (3.0/10) – Apps were decent, but the entrees and dessert were completely f'n terrible. The mother in law ordered a branzino with mussels, shrimp, in a tomato broth that was excellent though - but not included in the review since I didn't get to taste much.
  
• Service (7/10) – Server was ok, but the food took a long time to come out. They all had a bit of 'tude there which kinda sucked also.
  
• Atmosphere (8.8/10) – Beautiful place. Huge windows over looking Central Park. High ceilings. Crowd consisted of groups of 4-6 and it was extremely loud in there. Got reservations at 1:30pm and were seated promptly. Majority of the crowd seemed like non NY'ers though. It was packed though...
  
• Price (2.0/10) – About $180 and was completely unsatisfied with the food.
  

Closing Comments
Kinda sad considering I loved the original A Voce under Carmellini. This place just blows hard though. It just shows how important to have a chef with high standards overseeing the quality control is...Obama's favorite chef obviously does not.

Gordon Ramsay's Own Kitchen Nightmare

Old news, but found it funny. Looks like Mr. Gordon Ramsay host of the TV show "Kitchen Nightmares" where he saves failing businesses is having some of his own restaurant problems.

"In the fall of 2008, his London-based Gordon Ramsay Holdings Ltd. breached the covenants on a 10.5 million-pound loan and overdraft facility from Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc. The bank hired KPMG to perform an independent review of the firm, 69 percent of which is owned by Ramsay and 31 percent by his father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson. In late December, Ramsay says, KPMG recommended that the company declare bankruptcy, fire hundreds of people and close all but its best-performing restaurants. "

It looks like he won't go for bankruptcy, but he will be closing some of his restaurants. TV is his thing now any way (aka sellout), but it would be funny to have someone like Marco Pierre White yelling at him and telling him how to turn around his own business.

Bar Artisanal Lamb Burger...

Stopped by Bar Artisanal with some co-workers and although the Artisanal Blend burger is out of this world, I've heard equally good things about the lamb burger.

The lamb was incredibly juicy and had huge gamey lamb flavor. Add the bright arugula, harissa, and tomato confit and you have a spectacular flavor.

Beef Bowl My Way

Simple ingredients put together. 
On a hot bowl of steamed white rice, I have some leftover kimchi stew and seared Kobe beef sirloin in bitesize slices.

Happy New Years!

Happy New Years to all the dudes and dudettes this year! Hopefully, everyone had some good eats for the holidays and wishing everyone even better eating in 2010.

The wife, in-laws, and I went to our friend Cindy and Brian's house for a ridonkuluous homemade Chinese feast for New Year's Eve. Everything was spectacular and the best dumplings I've had state side. And, yes the skins were homemade as well!

Our Menu

• Tea smoked egg, seaweed, cured dry tofu (do gan), pickled cabbage
• Sho Hong Gwa - Pickled cucumbers that were crunchy, sweet, with a little spice
  
• Ma Yo Gee - Amazing soup that had a rich chicken flavor with a slightly bitter Chinese herb thing going
  
• Chou Dofu - stinky tofu; pungent tofu that has a cheese like flavor to it
  
• Nyo Ro Shen Bing - beef pockets with an asian twist
  
• Jo Chai Huh Ze - garlic chives, eggs, rice noodle, and cured tofu
  
• Pork Dumplings
• Seafood Dumplings
• Flan
  

Aldea - Review

Intro
Aldea - Recommended
31 W 17th St, New York 10011
Btwn 5th & 6th Ave
Phone: (212) 675-7223

Took the wife here for her birthday, since the decor and the menu reminded me of restaurant Moo in Barcelona - a favorite of ours. It was a great pick as the modern decor and food impressed the wife...all in a relaxed comfortable environment. Chef George Mendes has some heavy credentials and it shows - from Alain Passard, to Bouley to Roger Verge - the food here rocks. Overall, I give the restaurant an 86/100.

Our Menu

Knollcrest Farm Egg
bacalao, black olive, potato
Nice flavor with the egg and good texture, but the dish overall was too salty. Needed more potato to balance out the salt code and the olives.

Sea Urchin Toast **
cauliflower cream, sea lettuce, lime
Nice piece of uni that was completely elevated by the cauliflower cream and the pungent mustard seeds kinda having a wasabi type effect.

Rustic Pork and Duck Terrine **
muscat wine gelee, arugula
Spectacular in flavor and texture. Huge porkiness and the muscat gelee helped cut the richness The only thing that I could complain about is this may have been a case of too much of a good thing. Intense porkiness and duckiness was great for 5 bites, but after that it was a wee bit too intense - too much flavor and too much fat.

Foie Gras Terrine *
nectarines, cocoa nibs, nectarine sorbet
A decent foie gras terrine, but once you had great ones it's hard to be wowed. Beautiful texture though.

Baby Cuttlefish **
caramelized lychee, mentaiko, squid ink
Incredibly tender cuttlefish with some great flavor...salty squid ink and sweet lychee made for some heavenly balancing

Jardin ***
baby lettuces, young vegetables, flowers, aged country cheese, port vinaigrette
Best salad for me by far in 2009. Each lettuce had purpose and the flavors of each leaf were pronounced. It was a zen like yasuda moment where each fish was completely different and unique. Add the wonderful texture/flavor complements of the brie like cheese, pear, pomegranate seeds, sunchoke, and cumin flavors and you had something magical.

Arroz De Pato **
duck confit, chorizo, olive, duck cracklings
Great rice texture, crispy duck skin with huge flavor. The chorizo and salty olives just made all the flavors pop.

Anderson Farms Lamb **
loin and belly, seckle pear, celery root
Amazing to have the lamb belly as a cut of meat for the first time - fatty and delicious and huge lamb flavors. Lamb loin was perfectly cooked, but you had to cut against the grain to make the lamb tender. Otherwise it was slightly chewy. Still a great dish overall.

House-Made Sorbets *
green apple, blackberry, coconut
Coconut had the best texture and flavor, but it was more like an ice cream. The green apple and blackberry tasted pretty good, but the texture was more like a puree. What I love about sorbets is a nice crisp, but creamy texture. I still enjoyed the sorbet though, but it somehow missed the mark.

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

































Overall Restaurant Experience (86/100)

• Food (8.7/10) – Food had huge flavors and everything was plated beautifully. Definitely reminded me of a lot of restaurants back in Barcelona and San Sebastian.
  
• Service (9/10) – Server was incredibly helpful and actually excited about the food which was kind of refreshing to see. The food came out quick and they cleaned up the crumbs after every dish - my mini pet peeve for expensive restos.
  
• Atmosphere (9/10) – Another flash back to the restaurants of Spain, except on a less grander scale. Minimalist/modern decor - all white walls, blond tables, and white leather chairs. Crowd consisted of primarily couples both in their 30's and 40-50's. Made reservations one month in advance and was seated promptly. Place was still full considering it was a blizzard that Saturday.
  
• Price (8.5/10) – About $180 (tip/drinks included) which seemed good considering how happy and full we were.
  

Closing Comments
Really happy with the restaurant selection although my ordering of dishes needs to change. I tend to go with the heavy hitters in terms of flavor and you can only take so many heavily flavored dishes...ordered a wee bit too much huge flavored dishes and it was a bit too much towards the end. Need to break up the ordering with some crudos or more salads next time. Scores would have been higher were it not for my heavy flavored ordering...also apologies on the camera work as I was still playing with the droid for the first time.