Dear readers,
In honor of our soon-to-open second location in Tribeca, Billy's Bakery will have a table at the Tribeca Film Festival Family Day Street Fair this weekend! Come visit us on Saturday from 10AM-6PM on Greenwich Street between Hubert and Duane. You'll be able to sample our cookies, brownies, blondies, Hello Dollies, and (of course) cupcakes-- all stacked, packed, and frosted by yours truly! (Well, not ALL, but I helped.) More info is available here: http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/events-panels/family-fest/2008_Tribeca_Film_Festival_Family_Street_Fair.html
See you there!
Janine
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sotto Cinque is.... interesting.
It was a blazing hot Saturday evening in New York City, and AV and I found ourselves hungry with no place to go. Naturally, unlike everyone else in the city (sarcasm) we were looking for a restaurant with outdoor seating. A few web searches later, we ended up at Sotto Cinque, an off-the-radar Italian joint on the Upper East Side.
We sat at a table near right at the open front wall of the restaurant, thereby succeeding in our "al fresco" dining quest. AV sat with a view of the Sox/Yankees game playing at the bar; I sat with a view of the street. Everybody wins.
We started with the bread basket, which came with both butter and garlic-chile olive oil. The bread was standard semolina Italian bread, studded with sesame seeds on the crust. It was very standard, extra points for the sesame seeds but an equivalent deduction for the, well, standardness. Sotto Cinque also committed the cardinal sin of restaurants everywhere: giving a table for two three slices of bread. Why make it so one person is forced to lose?
Three is the loneliest number
For an appetizer, we decided to share a side of warm olives (N.B.: this side appeared on only one of our menus, indicating that the other menu was not up-to-date. We pointed this out to the waiter, so ostensibly it will be fixed, but just keep that in mind if you dine at SC). This was a very interesting dish. The olives were indeed warm-- hot, even-- and were presented in a pool of garlicky olive oil studded with garlic slivers. I really liked the green olives here: creamy and satisfying, they melted in your mouth in a beguiling fashion. The black olives would have been the same if they had been higher quality, but unfortunately, they were the plain somewhat icky black olive (the kind that comes sliced in cans in the grocery store). Nontheless, we finished the appetizer throughout the course of the meal. It was a very....interesting dish.
Quite creative
For an entree, AV had chosen the linguine alla pescatore, which came with shrimp, clams, and calamari in a sauce of olive oil, garlic, white wine, and tomato. AV gave this dish the thumbs-up, which leads to my second SC dining tip: pasta really seems to be their specialty, so if you come here, don't stray from the pasta section.
Beautiful pasta
But alas, I strayed. I chose the chopped salad, dressing on the side. The salad had spinach and romaine, red kidney beans (which were, bizarrely, a little too "al dente," if you catch my drift), celery, and capers. The capers were the best part, because I love capers. There was too much celery, so the celery flavor overwhelmed the salad. The dressing was a rather tasty vinaigrette, but nothing could really salvage this salad. It was sort of sad-looking and sort of sad-tasting.
Not great
We planned to go on an ice-cream-finding mission after dinner, so we skipped dessert and skipped out. SC's saving grace is that it's exceedingly affordable-- all the dishes were reasonably priced. And AV really enjoyed his selection, which makes me lean towards three Offset Spatulas. But my own meal was sort of icky, and as a result SC fails my crucial two-versus-three-OS test: Would I return? Sadly, I don't think I would. Two it is.
Sotto Cinque
322 E. 86th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues
212-472-5563
We sat at a table near right at the open front wall of the restaurant, thereby succeeding in our "al fresco" dining quest. AV sat with a view of the Sox/Yankees game playing at the bar; I sat with a view of the street. Everybody wins.
We started with the bread basket, which came with both butter and garlic-chile olive oil. The bread was standard semolina Italian bread, studded with sesame seeds on the crust. It was very standard, extra points for the sesame seeds but an equivalent deduction for the, well, standardness. Sotto Cinque also committed the cardinal sin of restaurants everywhere: giving a table for two three slices of bread. Why make it so one person is forced to lose?
Three is the loneliest numberFor an appetizer, we decided to share a side of warm olives (N.B.: this side appeared on only one of our menus, indicating that the other menu was not up-to-date. We pointed this out to the waiter, so ostensibly it will be fixed, but just keep that in mind if you dine at SC). This was a very interesting dish. The olives were indeed warm-- hot, even-- and were presented in a pool of garlicky olive oil studded with garlic slivers. I really liked the green olives here: creamy and satisfying, they melted in your mouth in a beguiling fashion. The black olives would have been the same if they had been higher quality, but unfortunately, they were the plain somewhat icky black olive (the kind that comes sliced in cans in the grocery store). Nontheless, we finished the appetizer throughout the course of the meal. It was a very....interesting dish.
Quite creativeFor an entree, AV had chosen the linguine alla pescatore, which came with shrimp, clams, and calamari in a sauce of olive oil, garlic, white wine, and tomato. AV gave this dish the thumbs-up, which leads to my second SC dining tip: pasta really seems to be their specialty, so if you come here, don't stray from the pasta section.
Beautiful pastaBut alas, I strayed. I chose the chopped salad, dressing on the side. The salad had spinach and romaine, red kidney beans (which were, bizarrely, a little too "al dente," if you catch my drift), celery, and capers. The capers were the best part, because I love capers. There was too much celery, so the celery flavor overwhelmed the salad. The dressing was a rather tasty vinaigrette, but nothing could really salvage this salad. It was sort of sad-looking and sort of sad-tasting.
Not greatWe planned to go on an ice-cream-finding mission after dinner, so we skipped dessert and skipped out. SC's saving grace is that it's exceedingly affordable-- all the dishes were reasonably priced. And AV really enjoyed his selection, which makes me lean towards three Offset Spatulas. But my own meal was sort of icky, and as a result SC fails my crucial two-versus-three-OS test: Would I return? Sadly, I don't think I would. Two it is.
Sotto Cinque
322 E. 86th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues
212-472-5563
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Dining in the dark at Spice
On Monday night, the madre was still in town and called me up for a last-minute dinner. She met me down at the bakery, and since we're both fans of Thai food, we slogged a few blocks in the driving rain to Spice on Eighth Avenue.
The dining room was stark and very loud, with bizarre spun-sugar light fixtures and a high pressed-tin ceiling. We were seated at a corner table, which was nice because it gave us more room to spread out our wet raingear. Our waiter came to take our order very promptly, so while I knew what I wanted (dumplings, obvi), my mom made a decision on the fly. It's worth noting that it seemed the waiter had a sense of humor-- when my mom ordered a bottle of seltzer, he served it as he would a bottle of wine, showing her the label and offering her a taste, before my mom put an end to the shenanigans.
I selected an order of dumplings and a papaya salad, and my mom ordered a papaya salad and an entree. Unfortunately, both my dishes came during the appetizer course, which messed up the pacing of the meal a bit (especially since I already eat about twice as fast as my mom does). But I tackled the dumplings first. The presentation of these was bizarre: they were served all squished together in a shallow bowl, with the dipping sauce at the bottom. When I peeled them apart, however, they were quite good, with the standard tasty mixed-vegetable filling and the thin translucent dumpling skins. However, I can't quite call these the platonic ideal of veggie dumplings due to the presentation and the fact that, as a result, I didn't have control over the dipping action.
Too bad they're all crowded in there.
The papaya salad was also pretty good. I'm beginning to think that making a decent papaya salad isn't all that hard, but nonetheless, this was a yummy version, with plenty of dressing to lubricate the mix and a pleasant spice that left a lingering tingle in my mouth. My only beef was that there could have been more peanuts and they could have been chopped a little finer. (For the record, Mom liked the papaya salad too.)
Shredded veg
Upon the recommendation of the waiter, Mom had chosen the Spice seafood combo as her entree, which came with shrimp, calamari, snapper, onion, carrot, zucchini, and pepper with chili basil sauce. With a cone of hearty brown rice mixed in, Mom really liked this dish. She especially noted the fact that the calamari wasn't rubbery. Kudos.
Steeeeaaaamy
I had brought Mom a cupcake for her after dinner (red velvet, natch), so we skipped the dessert course and headed back out into the watery jungle that was Eighth Avenue. About midway through our meal, somebody had turned the lights way down, so by the time we were done we were eating in almost complete darkness, which was thoroughly bizarre (perhaps trendy on a nice sunny day, but annoying on the dark and gloomy day that it was). But you don't necessarily go to Spice for the ambiance-- you go for the solid and very reasonably priced Thai food (my entire meal was only $8! Nice!). Now I know why people at the bakery order Spice takeout so often, and I may be inclined to join them in the future. It's yet another solid three Offset Spatula Thai joint.
Spice
199 Eighth Avenue, at 20th Street
212-989-1116
The dining room was stark and very loud, with bizarre spun-sugar light fixtures and a high pressed-tin ceiling. We were seated at a corner table, which was nice because it gave us more room to spread out our wet raingear. Our waiter came to take our order very promptly, so while I knew what I wanted (dumplings, obvi), my mom made a decision on the fly. It's worth noting that it seemed the waiter had a sense of humor-- when my mom ordered a bottle of seltzer, he served it as he would a bottle of wine, showing her the label and offering her a taste, before my mom put an end to the shenanigans.
I selected an order of dumplings and a papaya salad, and my mom ordered a papaya salad and an entree. Unfortunately, both my dishes came during the appetizer course, which messed up the pacing of the meal a bit (especially since I already eat about twice as fast as my mom does). But I tackled the dumplings first. The presentation of these was bizarre: they were served all squished together in a shallow bowl, with the dipping sauce at the bottom. When I peeled them apart, however, they were quite good, with the standard tasty mixed-vegetable filling and the thin translucent dumpling skins. However, I can't quite call these the platonic ideal of veggie dumplings due to the presentation and the fact that, as a result, I didn't have control over the dipping action.
Too bad they're all crowded in there.The papaya salad was also pretty good. I'm beginning to think that making a decent papaya salad isn't all that hard, but nonetheless, this was a yummy version, with plenty of dressing to lubricate the mix and a pleasant spice that left a lingering tingle in my mouth. My only beef was that there could have been more peanuts and they could have been chopped a little finer. (For the record, Mom liked the papaya salad too.)
Shredded vegUpon the recommendation of the waiter, Mom had chosen the Spice seafood combo as her entree, which came with shrimp, calamari, snapper, onion, carrot, zucchini, and pepper with chili basil sauce. With a cone of hearty brown rice mixed in, Mom really liked this dish. She especially noted the fact that the calamari wasn't rubbery. Kudos.
SteeeeaaaamyI had brought Mom a cupcake for her after dinner (red velvet, natch), so we skipped the dessert course and headed back out into the watery jungle that was Eighth Avenue. About midway through our meal, somebody had turned the lights way down, so by the time we were done we were eating in almost complete darkness, which was thoroughly bizarre (perhaps trendy on a nice sunny day, but annoying on the dark and gloomy day that it was). But you don't necessarily go to Spice for the ambiance-- you go for the solid and very reasonably priced Thai food (my entire meal was only $8! Nice!). Now I know why people at the bakery order Spice takeout so often, and I may be inclined to join them in the future. It's yet another solid three Offset Spatula Thai joint.
Spice
199 Eighth Avenue, at 20th Street
212-989-1116
Dumplings & more at Sala Thai
On Saturday, AV and I were searching for-- what else?-- veggie dumplings. We were in his neck of the woods, so we decided to try Sala Thai, one of the Thai joints in his neighborhood.
We arrived around 8 and were seated immediately, which is a huge bonus on a Saturday night. Unfortunately, the dining room at Sala was very, very loud-- conversation, even at a near-shouting level, was difficult. The room was also intensely nondescript, if that even can be possible, like a slightly shabby hotel dining room or a downtrodden airport restaurant. So while we enjoyed the food (read on), I'd definitely recommend Sala for take-out rather than a dine-in experience.
So, on to the food. To start, of course, we had the veggie dumplings (or Gu Choi, according to the menu). When these tiny parcels arrived, AV expressed apprehension-- once again, they weren't the tiny, tan-skinned dumplings we were looking for. But wait! We tried them, and the thin green skins gave way to savory innards packed full of green veggies. The filling was mostly long strands of some sort of emerald vegetable-- bok choy, maybe?-- but was very tasty. The dipping sauce was soy-based and slightly spicy. Overall, these were a winner, definitely craveable if not necessarily traditional.
Beautiful jewel tone
For his entree, AV got the pad thai with shrimp. It was served in a really cool wok-like serving dish and was an ample portion, with noodles, shrimp, diced smoked tofu, and all the rest of the traditional pad thai accoutrements. AV pronounced it a solid version of the Thai classic.
Not bad pad
My selection was the papaya salad. It may not look it in the picture, but this salad was HUGE. Fortunately, papaya salad isn't especially filling, because I plowed through the entire thing. Go me! This was a better-than-average salad, with crunchy iceberg lettuce as the base, an ample mound of shredded papaya, bits of lime, cherry-tomato halves, crumbled peanut, and a soupy dressing covering it all. Tasty and a good value as well.
So much papaya!!
So overall, we definitely enjoyed the food. As I mentioned before, the ambiance was so-so, and the service wasn't great-- while I was finishing my salad, a waiter came by and cleared all the remaining dishes, thereby making me feel like a fat pig by sending the message that I should have stopped eating already. (Note to self: I probably should have.) So if I end up craving those dumplings again, I suspect we'll order in. That way we'll get three-Offset-Spatula food in more comfortable and friendly surroundings.
Sala Thai
1718 Second Avenue, between 89th and 90th streets
212-410-5557
We arrived around 8 and were seated immediately, which is a huge bonus on a Saturday night. Unfortunately, the dining room at Sala was very, very loud-- conversation, even at a near-shouting level, was difficult. The room was also intensely nondescript, if that even can be possible, like a slightly shabby hotel dining room or a downtrodden airport restaurant. So while we enjoyed the food (read on), I'd definitely recommend Sala for take-out rather than a dine-in experience.
So, on to the food. To start, of course, we had the veggie dumplings (or Gu Choi, according to the menu). When these tiny parcels arrived, AV expressed apprehension-- once again, they weren't the tiny, tan-skinned dumplings we were looking for. But wait! We tried them, and the thin green skins gave way to savory innards packed full of green veggies. The filling was mostly long strands of some sort of emerald vegetable-- bok choy, maybe?-- but was very tasty. The dipping sauce was soy-based and slightly spicy. Overall, these were a winner, definitely craveable if not necessarily traditional.
Beautiful jewel toneFor his entree, AV got the pad thai with shrimp. It was served in a really cool wok-like serving dish and was an ample portion, with noodles, shrimp, diced smoked tofu, and all the rest of the traditional pad thai accoutrements. AV pronounced it a solid version of the Thai classic.
Not bad padMy selection was the papaya salad. It may not look it in the picture, but this salad was HUGE. Fortunately, papaya salad isn't especially filling, because I plowed through the entire thing. Go me! This was a better-than-average salad, with crunchy iceberg lettuce as the base, an ample mound of shredded papaya, bits of lime, cherry-tomato halves, crumbled peanut, and a soupy dressing covering it all. Tasty and a good value as well.
So much papaya!!So overall, we definitely enjoyed the food. As I mentioned before, the ambiance was so-so, and the service wasn't great-- while I was finishing my salad, a waiter came by and cleared all the remaining dishes, thereby making me feel like a fat pig by sending the message that I should have stopped eating already. (Note to self: I probably should have.) So if I end up craving those dumplings again, I suspect we'll order in. That way we'll get three-Offset-Spatula food in more comfortable and friendly surroundings.
Sala Thai
1718 Second Avenue, between 89th and 90th streets
212-410-5557
Monday, April 20, 2009
Major tweaks at Convivio
My mom was in town, and as is custom she wanted to take her children etc. out for dinner. The bro was at work, so AV and I headed to Midtown East for some yummy eats. For the occasion, I had chosen Convivio, for its legendary Italian food and its proximity to my mom's hotel.
The Convivio dining room is stark white and plush. The chairs were bizarre: overstuffed silver pleather numbers with a straight right angle that made you sit up church style, shoulders back and chin up. There were plenty of soft textiles in the room, but nonetheless, when our waiter came over to deliver an absurd and overly pretentious dissertation on the menu ("we recommend our menu as a four-course prix fixe" [oh really?]; "Each item is also available a la carte; you'll find each with a price affixed to it on the menu" [unlike at all other restaurants...]; "Don't leave without trying our pastas, because we pride ourselves on our pasta"; etc. etc.), he spoke so softly each of us only heard about a third of his words. No matter. We could read the menu and placed our orders accordingly.
Very shortly, the bread woman (yesssss) came by proferring olive bread, ciabatta, or whole wheat. While my prudent side screamed "whole wheat!" I ended up selecting a fat slice of olive bread, and I'm glad I did. The bread was chewy and substantial, and there were WHOLE green olives buried inside, the perfect addition of squish and saltiness. Yummmm. Mom and AV each had the ciabatta, which also looked good.
A big hunk of yummy bread
Then our first course arrived. AV and I split a dish of the olives, which were whole green olives with the occasional strip of citrus zest. These olives were delectable: plump and juicy and salty and scrumptious. We polished them off easily.
Beautiful fat masterpieces
Mom had chosen the spring vegetable salad, which, coincidentally, was also my entree. When I saw it arrive, I knew I had tweaked-- I had been choosing between the salad and a few other appealing offerings (sauteed mushrooms; straciatella cheese; broccoletti...) but had gone with the salad. My mom enjoyed it, but I found it only okay: the vegetables were shaved thin and interesting, but the whole thing was doused in a very thin soupy dressing that pooled at the bottom of the bowl. The veggies were bitter with very little to temper the bite, and the promised fresh ricotta came slathered on an oiled crouton, so I couldn't even really mix the cheese with the veggies. After seeing my mom's salad, I should have changed my order. Sigh.
Crazy melange
For the entree course, my mom had chosen the rare grilled tuna, which came with artichoke pepperonata, basil puree, mollica di pane (not sure what that is), and lemon. Mom really enjoyed this fish, which was very rare and came with a lot of interesting sauces. Give my mom a good piece of fish and she's a happy gal.
Raw fish and crazy garnishes
AV had selected the cavatelli al forno, with "braised rabbit ragu, fava beans, scamorza, and love." After watching him take two bites, I know AV didn't like this dish. He very, very gamely (so to speak) ate it with a smile to avoid making a scene, until Mom and I called him out on it, at which point he still pretended to like it before ultimately breaking down. His description: Incredibly, hyper-ly oversalted and intensely gamey, like something you'd expect to find at a Montana lodge after shooting and skinning your own dinner. As he put it, it's something you'd like to dip a corner of a piece of bread in and then eat the whole piece of bread, not put away an entire dish of. Good person that he is, AV picked out all the cavatelli and acted happy. Sigh.
Just...too..much
So one winner, two losers-- but there was still an opportunity for dessert to rescue the night. And rescue it did. AV chose the chocolate budino, with "warm dark chocolate, hazelnut gelato, and candied hazelnuts." Both my mom and I had a bite, and this was a fantastic dessert, with the crunch of hazelnut, the cool melt of gelato, and the rich, fudgy baked chocolate cake. Mmmm. I coveted that dessert.
I want this.
But my own selection was yummy as well. I got the brasato d'ananas, which was vanilla braised pineapple, coconut custard, and coconut sorbet. There was a squiggle of bruleed marshmallow on top, which was sticky and sweet. The pineapple pieces were incredibly tender, and the coconut sorbet was cool and smooth. The custard was very rich, which was delicious at first but by the end of the dessert became almost cloying (even though the dessert wasn't especially huge). Still, overall it was a very tasty dessert and a good cap to the meal.
Fruity and sweet
So, my final verdict on Convivio is: for the most part, we ordered wrong. I'm sure with a different selection I would have been much happier, and I'm confident with AV it would have been the same way. I would definitely come back to order something else, and I know Convivio is a good restaurant, but based on my experience I have to give it three Offset Spatulas, with the hope that I can return, re-review, and upgrade the place to at least four spats.
Convivio
45 Tudor City Place
212-599-5045
The Convivio dining room is stark white and plush. The chairs were bizarre: overstuffed silver pleather numbers with a straight right angle that made you sit up church style, shoulders back and chin up. There were plenty of soft textiles in the room, but nonetheless, when our waiter came over to deliver an absurd and overly pretentious dissertation on the menu ("we recommend our menu as a four-course prix fixe" [oh really?]; "Each item is also available a la carte; you'll find each with a price affixed to it on the menu" [unlike at all other restaurants...]; "Don't leave without trying our pastas, because we pride ourselves on our pasta"; etc. etc.), he spoke so softly each of us only heard about a third of his words. No matter. We could read the menu and placed our orders accordingly.
Very shortly, the bread woman (yesssss) came by proferring olive bread, ciabatta, or whole wheat. While my prudent side screamed "whole wheat!" I ended up selecting a fat slice of olive bread, and I'm glad I did. The bread was chewy and substantial, and there were WHOLE green olives buried inside, the perfect addition of squish and saltiness. Yummmm. Mom and AV each had the ciabatta, which also looked good.
A big hunk of yummy breadThen our first course arrived. AV and I split a dish of the olives, which were whole green olives with the occasional strip of citrus zest. These olives were delectable: plump and juicy and salty and scrumptious. We polished them off easily.
Beautiful fat masterpiecesMom had chosen the spring vegetable salad, which, coincidentally, was also my entree. When I saw it arrive, I knew I had tweaked-- I had been choosing between the salad and a few other appealing offerings (sauteed mushrooms; straciatella cheese; broccoletti...) but had gone with the salad. My mom enjoyed it, but I found it only okay: the vegetables were shaved thin and interesting, but the whole thing was doused in a very thin soupy dressing that pooled at the bottom of the bowl. The veggies were bitter with very little to temper the bite, and the promised fresh ricotta came slathered on an oiled crouton, so I couldn't even really mix the cheese with the veggies. After seeing my mom's salad, I should have changed my order. Sigh.
Crazy melangeFor the entree course, my mom had chosen the rare grilled tuna, which came with artichoke pepperonata, basil puree, mollica di pane (not sure what that is), and lemon. Mom really enjoyed this fish, which was very rare and came with a lot of interesting sauces. Give my mom a good piece of fish and she's a happy gal.
Raw fish and crazy garnishesAV had selected the cavatelli al forno, with "braised rabbit ragu, fava beans, scamorza, and love." After watching him take two bites, I know AV didn't like this dish. He very, very gamely (so to speak) ate it with a smile to avoid making a scene, until Mom and I called him out on it, at which point he still pretended to like it before ultimately breaking down. His description: Incredibly, hyper-ly oversalted and intensely gamey, like something you'd expect to find at a Montana lodge after shooting and skinning your own dinner. As he put it, it's something you'd like to dip a corner of a piece of bread in and then eat the whole piece of bread, not put away an entire dish of. Good person that he is, AV picked out all the cavatelli and acted happy. Sigh.
Just...too..muchSo one winner, two losers-- but there was still an opportunity for dessert to rescue the night. And rescue it did. AV chose the chocolate budino, with "warm dark chocolate, hazelnut gelato, and candied hazelnuts." Both my mom and I had a bite, and this was a fantastic dessert, with the crunch of hazelnut, the cool melt of gelato, and the rich, fudgy baked chocolate cake. Mmmm. I coveted that dessert.
I want this.But my own selection was yummy as well. I got the brasato d'ananas, which was vanilla braised pineapple, coconut custard, and coconut sorbet. There was a squiggle of bruleed marshmallow on top, which was sticky and sweet. The pineapple pieces were incredibly tender, and the coconut sorbet was cool and smooth. The custard was very rich, which was delicious at first but by the end of the dessert became almost cloying (even though the dessert wasn't especially huge). Still, overall it was a very tasty dessert and a good cap to the meal.
Fruity and sweetSo, my final verdict on Convivio is: for the most part, we ordered wrong. I'm sure with a different selection I would have been much happier, and I'm confident with AV it would have been the same way. I would definitely come back to order something else, and I know Convivio is a good restaurant, but based on my experience I have to give it three Offset Spatulas, with the hope that I can return, re-review, and upgrade the place to at least four spats.
Convivio
45 Tudor City Place
212-599-5045
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The long-awaited cupcake taste-off; or, Why Billy's is the best
On Wednesday afternoon at the bakery, I received news that the General Manager of Billy's (hereafter known as AV(f), not to be confused with the male AV who makes frequent appearances on this blog) was in the midst of shuttling all around town to pick up cupcakes from all our competitors. We were doing a cupcake taste-off, she announced, and so I gamely prepared my stomach and waited for the cupcakes to arrive.
When they did, we set up the cupcakes on AV(f)'s desk with an unfolded cake box as a makeshift tablecloth. AV(f) had tried to get a vanilla-vanilla and chocolate-chocolate cupcake from each place she visited, the better to compare directly to our v-v and c-c cupcakes (which was, ostensibly, the point of this exercise). The protocol was to work our way through the cupcakes, taking a tiny bite of each frosting and cake combo (and I mean TINY-- there were SO MANY cupcakes), and comment as we went. The results? Well, read on for the most absurdly biased cupcake roundup ever printed!
This spread is what faced us. Daunting.
1. Buttercup Bake Shop
The mangled, messy cupcakes in their box.
Cross-section
When they did, we set up the cupcakes on AV(f)'s desk with an unfolded cake box as a makeshift tablecloth. AV(f) had tried to get a vanilla-vanilla and chocolate-chocolate cupcake from each place she visited, the better to compare directly to our v-v and c-c cupcakes (which was, ostensibly, the point of this exercise). The protocol was to work our way through the cupcakes, taking a tiny bite of each frosting and cake combo (and I mean TINY-- there were SO MANY cupcakes), and comment as we went. The results? Well, read on for the most absurdly biased cupcake roundup ever printed!
This spread is what faced us. Daunting.1. Buttercup Bake Shop
The mangled, messy cupcakes in their box. 
Cross-sectionFrom Buttercup, a bakery started by Magnolia alums, we had a vanilla-vanilla, chocolate-chocolate, and lemon. Our overall impression of Buttercup, aside from the insanely messy appearance since they all got mangled in the box, was "Dry!" The cake of all three was dense and dry, and the frosting was all insanely sweet. I love me a good sweet frosting, and Billy's frosting is definitely sweet, but this stuff was so sugary it crunched in your teeth. The lemon frosting was also sharply, metallically lemony. Not to over-share, but of the billion cupcakes I tasted that afternoon, the only flavor I was burping for hours afterward was that lemon frosting.
2. Kitchenette
Suitably well-packaged
Cross-section
2. Kitchenette
Suitably well-packaged
Cross-sectionThe cupcakes from Kitchenette were alarming. The frosting, for one, was an otherwordly color, and the mishmash of sprinkles on top made it look as though the garnisher had made a mistake. Both the cake and the frosting tasted awful, and the frosting had a weird, rubbery aftertaste. The frosting also smeared EVERYWHERE and dyed everything a garish orange color. No thanks.
3. Magnolia
Securely pacakaged, but a really large box for three cupcakes
Cross-section
3. Magnolia
Securely pacakaged, but a really large box for three cupcakes
Cross-sectionLike Buttercup, Magnolia offered us vanilla-vanilla, chocolate-chocolate, and lemon. I actually liked the vanilla buttercream (it's very similar to ours), and the chocolate frosting was also surprisingly good. But both the vanilla and chocolate cakes were very dry. The lemon cupcake looked promising but was the definite loser of the bunch for me; they used a boiled vanilla frosting flavored with lemon zest, which was just texturally all wrong for me (very slimy), and a very eggy, sharp dollop of lemon curd inside. No go.
4. Baked By Melissa
This was their packaging. They don't have bags, apparently.
Cross-sections, sort of.
These absurd little puppies are all the rage, so we gamely tried them. First off, let it be said that, at $1 apiece, these are extraordinarily expensive. If we priced our cupcakes this way, each cupcake would be $15. But people like small things, and maybe they taste good, right? WRONG! The cake of all three (tie-dye, red velvet, and oreo), was exceptionally spongy-- I called it "the cake that chews you back," since you just kept chewing and the cake pretty much remained intact, like couch cushion foam. There was very little frosting on any of the cupcakes, and it's worth noting that the red velvet frosting was one of the weirdest substances I've ever tasted. To my palate, it tasted of salt; another taster cited candy corn as the signature flavor, while a third invoked anchovies. Not sure if this batch was off, but if not, these frostings have some serious work to do.
5. Sweet Revenge
Great packaging, secure in individual containers
Cross-section
6. Cupcake Cafe
In the package-- a very tall box with two small cupcakes inside
They are quite pretty, it's true
Cross-section
After finding a winner with Sweet Revenge, we moved right along to Cupcake Cafe. I've always avoided this place because the frosting looks like the kind I hate. Well, I was right. One forkful of the vanilla-vanilla made me want to spit it out, and I never, never spit a baked good out. Eating the frosting was like snacking on an oil-infused stick of butter, or perhaps slightly melted shortening. The cake was dense and a little dry, but good lord people, focus on the frosting here-- it's an affront to cupcakes everywhere. Yes, they're pretty, but so are real flowers, and they don't taste good either. Avoid these grease-bombs at all costs.
7. Two Little Red Hens
Chocolate-vanilla in clamshell packaging
Vanilla-chocolate in clamshell
Cross-section
The cupcakes from Two Little Red Hens were huge, almost Crumbs-sized. And while I thought I had survived the Trial by Frosting after eating the offering from Cupcake Cafe, no no-- there was more in store. The vanilla frosting on the chocolate cupcake was foul, tasting like whipped sweet shortening and nothing else. It coated your mouth and made you (me) make a grossed-out face. The chocolate cake was very, very dry, as was the vanilla cake. The chocolate frosting, however, was actually pretty good-- fudgy but light and very smooth.
8. Tribeca Treats
Standard-- packed in a paper bag.
Cross-section
The cupcakes from Tribeca Treats were next. These were, well, standard. As AV(f) put it, they tasted like cake mix done well, almost mass-produced but containing with really good ingredients. The cake on both was pretty grainy and heavy, and the frosting was on the light/buttery side, but neither was offensive. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat these cupcakes, but if someone gave one to me I'd probably eat it. Meh.
9. Chikalicious
Packed in a paper bag, with ticker-tape wrapping between the two of them
Close-up... no cross-section photo, because apparently my sugar-addled brain forgot to take one at this point
The last of the competitors we tasted was Chikalicious. People rave about these cupcakes, so we were eager to try them. The first thing we noted was the lack of structural integrity in the chocolate frosting-- like chocolate pudding, it was dripping everywhere, even though these were the last ones AV(f) picked up on her way back to the bakery. We cut into both of them, and the chocolate cake had good flavor but was a little bit too light to support such goopy frosting. The dulce de leche cupcake was very tasty; there was a scoop of caramel in the middle, which was delicious and rich. I wasn't a huge fan of the frosting, which was too light for me-- almost foamy. But overall these both did have good taste going for them.
10. Billy's!
Cross-section
4. Baked By Melissa
This was their packaging. They don't have bags, apparently.
Cross-sections, sort of.These absurd little puppies are all the rage, so we gamely tried them. First off, let it be said that, at $1 apiece, these are extraordinarily expensive. If we priced our cupcakes this way, each cupcake would be $15. But people like small things, and maybe they taste good, right? WRONG! The cake of all three (tie-dye, red velvet, and oreo), was exceptionally spongy-- I called it "the cake that chews you back," since you just kept chewing and the cake pretty much remained intact, like couch cushion foam. There was very little frosting on any of the cupcakes, and it's worth noting that the red velvet frosting was one of the weirdest substances I've ever tasted. To my palate, it tasted of salt; another taster cited candy corn as the signature flavor, while a third invoked anchovies. Not sure if this batch was off, but if not, these frostings have some serious work to do.
5. Sweet Revenge
Great packaging, secure in individual containers
Cross-sectionAnd then we got to Sweet Revenge. I've been there once before and really liked their "Pure" cupcake (vanilla-vanilla). I'm a big fan of the packaging, the look of the cupcakes, the shop itself, and the owner. But how do the cupcakes taste? We had a Pure and a Dirty (chocolate-chocolate). The Pure, as I had remembered, was intensely vanilla-y, with sweet, smooth frosting and a fine, dense crumb. The Dirty was equally as as chocolatey, and I liked the fudge-like chocolate frosting, even though I had expected it be a bit more like ganache based on its appearance. Overall, these cupcakes were the far and away (non-Billy's) winners-- they're high quality and quite tasty.
6. Cupcake Cafe
In the package-- a very tall box with two small cupcakes inside
They are quite pretty, it's true
Cross-sectionAfter finding a winner with Sweet Revenge, we moved right along to Cupcake Cafe. I've always avoided this place because the frosting looks like the kind I hate. Well, I was right. One forkful of the vanilla-vanilla made me want to spit it out, and I never, never spit a baked good out. Eating the frosting was like snacking on an oil-infused stick of butter, or perhaps slightly melted shortening. The cake was dense and a little dry, but good lord people, focus on the frosting here-- it's an affront to cupcakes everywhere. Yes, they're pretty, but so are real flowers, and they don't taste good either. Avoid these grease-bombs at all costs.
7. Two Little Red Hens
Chocolate-vanilla in clamshell packaging
Vanilla-chocolate in clamshell
Cross-sectionThe cupcakes from Two Little Red Hens were huge, almost Crumbs-sized. And while I thought I had survived the Trial by Frosting after eating the offering from Cupcake Cafe, no no-- there was more in store. The vanilla frosting on the chocolate cupcake was foul, tasting like whipped sweet shortening and nothing else. It coated your mouth and made you (me) make a grossed-out face. The chocolate cake was very, very dry, as was the vanilla cake. The chocolate frosting, however, was actually pretty good-- fudgy but light and very smooth.
8. Tribeca Treats
Standard-- packed in a paper bag.
Cross-sectionThe cupcakes from Tribeca Treats were next. These were, well, standard. As AV(f) put it, they tasted like cake mix done well, almost mass-produced but containing with really good ingredients. The cake on both was pretty grainy and heavy, and the frosting was on the light/buttery side, but neither was offensive. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat these cupcakes, but if someone gave one to me I'd probably eat it. Meh.
9. Chikalicious
Packed in a paper bag, with ticker-tape wrapping between the two of them
Close-up... no cross-section photo, because apparently my sugar-addled brain forgot to take one at this pointThe last of the competitors we tasted was Chikalicious. People rave about these cupcakes, so we were eager to try them. The first thing we noted was the lack of structural integrity in the chocolate frosting-- like chocolate pudding, it was dripping everywhere, even though these were the last ones AV(f) picked up on her way back to the bakery. We cut into both of them, and the chocolate cake had good flavor but was a little bit too light to support such goopy frosting. The dulce de leche cupcake was very tasty; there was a scoop of caramel in the middle, which was delicious and rich. I wasn't a huge fan of the frosting, which was too light for me-- almost foamy. But overall these both did have good taste going for them.
10. Billy's!
Cross-sectionFor the sake of comparison, we brought two of our own cupcakes down from the cupcake case. I must say that I really do like our vanilla buttercream-- it's sweet but not too sugary (it doesn't crunch between your teeth the way Buttercup's does). Our chocolate buttercream is lightly chocolatey and not overpowering (although I admit I like our vanilla better, but I'm always more for vanilla frosting than chocolate). Our vanilla cake was tender and soft and light, and the chocolate cake was light yet still richer than Magnolia's or Buttercup's. Overall, I definitely like our vanilla-vanilla cupcake better, although I still go for a banana or carrot cupcake every time, as I'm a sucker for our cream cheese frosting. But that's a whole other tasting.
The carnage after we had finished
So there you have it. Aside from Billy's, which wins by default, our favorites were from Sweet Revenge and Chikalicious. I liked the chocolate frosting from Two Little Red Hens, but the foulness of their vanilla frosting pretty much cancels that out. Our least favorite were Cupcake Cafe, Baked by Melissa, and Kitchenette. I must say, overall we were surprised at how much we didn't like most of these-- and as you may know from reading this blog, I am a true cupcake lover. It's true we didn't include Sugar Sweet Sunshine or Amy's Bread cupcakes, both of which have stellar reputations, but I will say, from my position as completely, 100% un-impartial reviewer, that if you want cupcakes, you should come and try Billy's. I promise, you'll leave our shop with a smile on your face!
The carnage after we had finishedSo there you have it. Aside from Billy's, which wins by default, our favorites were from Sweet Revenge and Chikalicious. I liked the chocolate frosting from Two Little Red Hens, but the foulness of their vanilla frosting pretty much cancels that out. Our least favorite were Cupcake Cafe, Baked by Melissa, and Kitchenette. I must say, overall we were surprised at how much we didn't like most of these-- and as you may know from reading this blog, I am a true cupcake lover. It's true we didn't include Sugar Sweet Sunshine or Amy's Bread cupcakes, both of which have stellar reputations, but I will say, from my position as completely, 100% un-impartial reviewer, that if you want cupcakes, you should come and try Billy's. I promise, you'll leave our shop with a smile on your face!
Mid-week munchies at Crispo
Last night, I was looking for an easy midweek meet-up spot for a catch-up dinner with SL. We were looking for something close to various subway lines, accessible to both the West side and the East Village. So I chose Crispo, one of my favorite casual Italian places in the city (near the subway at 14th and 8th, in case you were wondering).
Since I was absolutely ravenous, I arrived early and quickly ordered the asparagus, tomato, arugula, and parmesan salad. I wasn't in the mood for cheese so asked if I could have another veggie instead of the cheese; the waitress informed me I could have a different cheese if I wanted, or if not I could have more asparagus or more tomato. I chose more asparagus, placated if not thrilled (although I do love asparagus).
While you wait for my food to arrive, I leave you with this creatively punctuated promotional piece.
My salad arrived almost instantly, dressing on the side as requested. Overall, it was pretty standard, if a bit small. The asparagus was buried under the greens, and there definitely was ample asparagus (tender, well-cooked, and well-salted), although I could have used more greens and more tomatoes. But it was a good salad, and at $8.50, not overly expensive.
The asparagus is hidden. Where-could-I-be?
Despite my vow not to eat any of the bread (after an absurd midday cupcake binge... stay tuned for more information on that), I was still so hungry after the salad that I requested one of their bread baskets. I've liked their addictive, chewy, thick-crusted bread for so long, it's hard to resist... and although this particular batch was a bit burnt on the crust, it was still amazing with some olive oil and salt.
Inviting. Shameful.
SL arrived soon after my salad had been put away, and she ordered a dish of arancini and a dish of eggplant caponata. I'm not a big risotto-ball fan myself, so I didn't try the arancini, but SL professed that they were delicious. I did try the caponata, which was a very good version of the classic-- huge chunks of eggplant, spices, and plenty of olive oil to lubricate the mix. Definitely well done.
Beautiful Italian apps
By the time we left, the dining room was bustling (and very, very loud... they definitely need some acoustical fabrics in there to soften the blow). We paid our reasonable bill and left, albeit with difficulty because the tables were so close together (when I attempted to squeeze past our neighbors to get to the bathroom, my butt knocked silverware off their table. Maybe I shouldn't have had the bread after all...). I really like Crispo because it's very user-friendly-- the staff is nice and accommodating, it's always pretty easy to get a reservation, and I've taken a big group there with great success. The food is highly competent versions of classic, familiar Italian dishes-- nothing knock-your-socks-off groundbreaking, but nothing that will puzzle or disappoint either. Whenever you're looking for a low-key Italian meal and are in the Chelsea/West Village neighborhood, keep Crispo in mind: it's great for a mid-week no-fuss three Offset Spatula meal.
Crispo
240 W. 14th Street, between 7th and 8th Aves
212-229-1818
Since I was absolutely ravenous, I arrived early and quickly ordered the asparagus, tomato, arugula, and parmesan salad. I wasn't in the mood for cheese so asked if I could have another veggie instead of the cheese; the waitress informed me I could have a different cheese if I wanted, or if not I could have more asparagus or more tomato. I chose more asparagus, placated if not thrilled (although I do love asparagus).
While you wait for my food to arrive, I leave you with this creatively punctuated promotional piece.My salad arrived almost instantly, dressing on the side as requested. Overall, it was pretty standard, if a bit small. The asparagus was buried under the greens, and there definitely was ample asparagus (tender, well-cooked, and well-salted), although I could have used more greens and more tomatoes. But it was a good salad, and at $8.50, not overly expensive.
The asparagus is hidden. Where-could-I-be?Despite my vow not to eat any of the bread (after an absurd midday cupcake binge... stay tuned for more information on that), I was still so hungry after the salad that I requested one of their bread baskets. I've liked their addictive, chewy, thick-crusted bread for so long, it's hard to resist... and although this particular batch was a bit burnt on the crust, it was still amazing with some olive oil and salt.
Inviting. Shameful.SL arrived soon after my salad had been put away, and she ordered a dish of arancini and a dish of eggplant caponata. I'm not a big risotto-ball fan myself, so I didn't try the arancini, but SL professed that they were delicious. I did try the caponata, which was a very good version of the classic-- huge chunks of eggplant, spices, and plenty of olive oil to lubricate the mix. Definitely well done.
Beautiful Italian appsBy the time we left, the dining room was bustling (and very, very loud... they definitely need some acoustical fabrics in there to soften the blow). We paid our reasonable bill and left, albeit with difficulty because the tables were so close together (when I attempted to squeeze past our neighbors to get to the bathroom, my butt knocked silverware off their table. Maybe I shouldn't have had the bread after all...). I really like Crispo because it's very user-friendly-- the staff is nice and accommodating, it's always pretty easy to get a reservation, and I've taken a big group there with great success. The food is highly competent versions of classic, familiar Italian dishes-- nothing knock-your-socks-off groundbreaking, but nothing that will puzzle or disappoint either. Whenever you're looking for a low-key Italian meal and are in the Chelsea/West Village neighborhood, keep Crispo in mind: it's great for a mid-week no-fuss three Offset Spatula meal.
Crispo
240 W. 14th Street, between 7th and 8th Aves
212-229-1818
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Hooray!
Dear readers,
Just a quick public service announcement to celebrate the 200th post of Life with Food and Drink! It's been a fun and food-filled journey so far... can't wait to see what the next 200 bring!
Janine
Just a quick public service announcement to celebrate the 200th post of Life with Food and Drink! It's been a fun and food-filled journey so far... can't wait to see what the next 200 bring!
Janine
Stuffed to the gills at Hundred Acres
To cap off a weekend packed full of good food, AV and I wanted a low-key dinner on Saturday night. Once again, I turned to Opentable, and as I was searching around 6PM, I spotted a 6:30 res at Hundred Acres in Soho. HA had been on my radar screen since it opened, not front and center but definitely there. That night, something made me jump at the chance finally to check it out, so I snapped up the reservation, we hopped on the subway, and we were there just in time.
We were seated at a two-top against the window in the front room (they also have a back dining room and a covered greenhouse-type dining area, both of which looked really nice). Especially in contrast to the crowded surroundings of the night before, we noted how much space was in the dining room, both between the tables and just in general. The room itself was bright and inviting, with subtle modern-American-farmhouse decor (especially in the bathrooms). Quite nice overall.
AV ordered a craft beer from HA's short list as we debated which of the many yummy-looking dishes to choose. After we had placed our order, the bread basket came. Once again, following in the tradition of the weekend, this bread was outstanding. The bowl was packed full of half-slices, each capped with a sesame-seed-studded crust. The butter was also exemplary: soft and slightly sweet, which made me suspect they had made a sweetened compound butter of some sort. There was also a small dish of course salt on the table, and the combo of sesame, sweet butter, and salt granules was outstanding.
Sesame bread and compound butter
Just as we were beginning to see the bottom of the empty bread bowl (oops), our entrees came. AV had chosen the burger, described as "pasture-raised beef, Goot Essa cheddar, vidalia onion mayo and fries." This burger platter was a monster. As as it descended upon the table with a thump, we both regarded it with wide eyes. Then AV began the arduous task of decreasing the pile of fries enough to at least reach the burger. He remarked that you know it's a good sign when your plate of fries arrives and you know you won't be able to finish it; though I tried my best to help him out, it's true that there were just too many. The fries were crisp and hot, clearly "not out of the fryer for more than a couple seconds" before landing on our table, in AV's words. And the burger was perfectly cooked and delicious. This was an excellent choice and a huge amount of food-- I honestly don't think the picture quite does it justice.
There is a top bun in there... it's buried
Even though by this point I was pretty much full up on bread and fries (cue the beginnings of a stomachache...), I faced my own dishes. I had selected a bowl of the roasted mushroom soup, which had a touch of black olives and lemon zest. The taste of this was enigmatic-- earthy but bright; you could definitely taste the lemon. It was incredibly hearty, although I did wish it had been a touch hotter. To go with the soup, I had chosen a side order of grilled broccoli rabe, which was absolutely outstanding. Crunchy, charred, and salty, with a touch of oil but still not greasy, it's probably the best broccoli rabe I have ever had. Even if you don't particularly like broccoli rabe, if you find yourself at HA, give it a try-- you won't be sorry (especially at the relatively reasonable price of $6 per side).
Incredible taste packed in a small bowl
Fresh and bright
By the time we had dispatched our entrees, or at least as much of them as we could physically pack in, neither of us could even really think of eating dessert, so we paid the bill and waddled out into the streets of Soho to try to digest a bit. We were both very happy with Hundred Acres: it ably straddles the line between upscale and downscale, comfortable but still high quality. It's a place you could imagine going on a casual weekend night when you're craving fresh, competent comfort food-- in other words, a belly-packing four Offset Spatula destination. Definitely give it a try, but take our word for it: beware the portion size!
Hundred Acres
38 Macdougal Street
212-475-7500
We were seated at a two-top against the window in the front room (they also have a back dining room and a covered greenhouse-type dining area, both of which looked really nice). Especially in contrast to the crowded surroundings of the night before, we noted how much space was in the dining room, both between the tables and just in general. The room itself was bright and inviting, with subtle modern-American-farmhouse decor (especially in the bathrooms). Quite nice overall.
AV ordered a craft beer from HA's short list as we debated which of the many yummy-looking dishes to choose. After we had placed our order, the bread basket came. Once again, following in the tradition of the weekend, this bread was outstanding. The bowl was packed full of half-slices, each capped with a sesame-seed-studded crust. The butter was also exemplary: soft and slightly sweet, which made me suspect they had made a sweetened compound butter of some sort. There was also a small dish of course salt on the table, and the combo of sesame, sweet butter, and salt granules was outstanding.
Sesame bread and compound butterJust as we were beginning to see the bottom of the empty bread bowl (oops), our entrees came. AV had chosen the burger, described as "pasture-raised beef, Goot Essa cheddar, vidalia onion mayo and fries." This burger platter was a monster. As as it descended upon the table with a thump, we both regarded it with wide eyes. Then AV began the arduous task of decreasing the pile of fries enough to at least reach the burger. He remarked that you know it's a good sign when your plate of fries arrives and you know you won't be able to finish it; though I tried my best to help him out, it's true that there were just too many. The fries were crisp and hot, clearly "not out of the fryer for more than a couple seconds" before landing on our table, in AV's words. And the burger was perfectly cooked and delicious. This was an excellent choice and a huge amount of food-- I honestly don't think the picture quite does it justice.
There is a top bun in there... it's buriedEven though by this point I was pretty much full up on bread and fries (cue the beginnings of a stomachache...), I faced my own dishes. I had selected a bowl of the roasted mushroom soup, which had a touch of black olives and lemon zest. The taste of this was enigmatic-- earthy but bright; you could definitely taste the lemon. It was incredibly hearty, although I did wish it had been a touch hotter. To go with the soup, I had chosen a side order of grilled broccoli rabe, which was absolutely outstanding. Crunchy, charred, and salty, with a touch of oil but still not greasy, it's probably the best broccoli rabe I have ever had. Even if you don't particularly like broccoli rabe, if you find yourself at HA, give it a try-- you won't be sorry (especially at the relatively reasonable price of $6 per side).
Incredible taste packed in a small bowl
Fresh and brightBy the time we had dispatched our entrees, or at least as much of them as we could physically pack in, neither of us could even really think of eating dessert, so we paid the bill and waddled out into the streets of Soho to try to digest a bit. We were both very happy with Hundred Acres: it ably straddles the line between upscale and downscale, comfortable but still high quality. It's a place you could imagine going on a casual weekend night when you're craving fresh, competent comfort food-- in other words, a belly-packing four Offset Spatula destination. Definitely give it a try, but take our word for it: beware the portion size!
Hundred Acres
38 Macdougal Street
212-475-7500
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Breaking bread, and more bread, at Blue Hill
It was Friday night, and AV and I had a birthday party to attend later in the evening. But first we needed dinner, so as usual I turned to Opentable to peruse the available offerings. I may in fact have let out an audible gasp when I spotted something rare right there on my computer screen: a 7PM reservation at Blue Hill for that night! Immediately I snapped it up and called them to confirm the res. I'm assuming somebody cancelled or failed to confirm a reservation for that table day-of, but whatever the circumstances, their loss is our gain. We were on.
We made our way to the West Village and found the buried, subterranean entrance to the vegetable mecca that is Blue Hill. Service was top-notch from the moment we arrived-- we were escorted to our table graciously by the host(s) and several other members of our dining room. And immediately we encountered pretty much the only lapse of the night: it must be said that the tables at Blue Hill are extraordinarily close together. We were seated a banquette against the wall with about 6 inches between our table and those on either side. It was such that you basically couldn't avoid eavesdropping on and/or participating in your neighbors' discussions. Thankfully, our particular neighbors (including an older couple, whose choice quotation of the night was provided by the lady to her husband in reference to her dessert: "Much better than your nuts.") were riotous. But you are taking a gamble when you make a reservation-- bad neighbors = bad meal.
Regardless, we pushed on. We made our decisions, placed our order, and immediately dove into the bread basket. While the butter provided was a bit too hard and also unsalted (and unaccompanied by any salt on the table), I'm being nitpicky-- I do declare that the bread in this bread basket is the best in the city. To wit, I reference the thin, crackly ficelle loaves that are stuffed into the upright cylinder that lands with authority on your table. I implore you, ignore the seasoned flatbread in this jar-- think of it as the baby's breath in your bouquet of carnations-- and go straight for a long, slender baguette. Crack open its crust and watch it shatter, giving way to an air-filled, stretchy interior. Slather with butter and gobble. Repeat. I believe at one point in my meal, after I had consumed two full baguettes, I labeled this "the bread that makes you feel bad about yourself," since you eat so much of it and never really get full. But if this is what self-loathing tastes like, I'll have a second helping.
BEST
While our attention was fully diverted to the bread, we were treated to an amuse-bouche. A medieval-torture-device-like contraption appeared with tiny baby vegetables impaled on spikes emerging from a thick block of wood. We rescued the veggies bite by bite and popped them in our mouths; the marinated little bites had great flavor and were impeaccably fresh (not surprising from Dan Barber, of course). A great prelude to the meal.
An artificial forest
After a wait that stretched a wee bit long (cue consumption of second baguette), our entrees arrived. AV had selected the grass fed lamb, with curried chick peas and winter vegetables. I tasted the chick pea mixture, and it was incredibly tasty, spicy and hearty. AV raved about the lamb, which was delicately cooked and sliced across the plate. Definitely a winner.
Lamb 'n' peas
My own selection was the "Eleven winter greenhouse greens and herbs" salad, which came with roasted and confit mushrooms, marinated winter vegetables, lettuce and mustard vinaigrette. This was one of the best salads I've ever had. It was almost preternaturally flavorful, and I kept digging under the lettuce to find bits of the tastiest, most satisfying veggies I've ever encountered. The presentation-- on a slab of slate-- was also fittingly creative for a groundbreaking salad. I could have eaten twelve of these, and if I ever have the good fortune to return to Blue Hill, I will most certainly order this salad again.
There's so much going on here that you can't see...
While we looked at the dessert menu, there was nothing that really jumped out at us, so we paid our bill and headed out to find dessert in the land of gelato (hooray, L'arte del Delato!!). While Blue Hill is certainly not flawless, my gripes are small and relatively insignificant when you consider the quality of the food. With the best bread in the city and one of the best salads I've ever eaten, Blue Hill deserves four Offset Spatulas and a ringing endorsement. If you can snag an elusive reservation, seize the opportunity to taste vegetables that will change the way you think of the food group.
Blue Hill
75 Washington Place
212-539-1776
We made our way to the West Village and found the buried, subterranean entrance to the vegetable mecca that is Blue Hill. Service was top-notch from the moment we arrived-- we were escorted to our table graciously by the host(s) and several other members of our dining room. And immediately we encountered pretty much the only lapse of the night: it must be said that the tables at Blue Hill are extraordinarily close together. We were seated a banquette against the wall with about 6 inches between our table and those on either side. It was such that you basically couldn't avoid eavesdropping on and/or participating in your neighbors' discussions. Thankfully, our particular neighbors (including an older couple, whose choice quotation of the night was provided by the lady to her husband in reference to her dessert: "Much better than your nuts.") were riotous. But you are taking a gamble when you make a reservation-- bad neighbors = bad meal.
Regardless, we pushed on. We made our decisions, placed our order, and immediately dove into the bread basket. While the butter provided was a bit too hard and also unsalted (and unaccompanied by any salt on the table), I'm being nitpicky-- I do declare that the bread in this bread basket is the best in the city. To wit, I reference the thin, crackly ficelle loaves that are stuffed into the upright cylinder that lands with authority on your table. I implore you, ignore the seasoned flatbread in this jar-- think of it as the baby's breath in your bouquet of carnations-- and go straight for a long, slender baguette. Crack open its crust and watch it shatter, giving way to an air-filled, stretchy interior. Slather with butter and gobble. Repeat. I believe at one point in my meal, after I had consumed two full baguettes, I labeled this "the bread that makes you feel bad about yourself," since you eat so much of it and never really get full. But if this is what self-loathing tastes like, I'll have a second helping.
BESTWhile our attention was fully diverted to the bread, we were treated to an amuse-bouche. A medieval-torture-device-like contraption appeared with tiny baby vegetables impaled on spikes emerging from a thick block of wood. We rescued the veggies bite by bite and popped them in our mouths; the marinated little bites had great flavor and were impeaccably fresh (not surprising from Dan Barber, of course). A great prelude to the meal.
An artificial forestAfter a wait that stretched a wee bit long (cue consumption of second baguette), our entrees arrived. AV had selected the grass fed lamb, with curried chick peas and winter vegetables. I tasted the chick pea mixture, and it was incredibly tasty, spicy and hearty. AV raved about the lamb, which was delicately cooked and sliced across the plate. Definitely a winner.
Lamb 'n' peasMy own selection was the "Eleven winter greenhouse greens and herbs" salad, which came with roasted and confit mushrooms, marinated winter vegetables, lettuce and mustard vinaigrette. This was one of the best salads I've ever had. It was almost preternaturally flavorful, and I kept digging under the lettuce to find bits of the tastiest, most satisfying veggies I've ever encountered. The presentation-- on a slab of slate-- was also fittingly creative for a groundbreaking salad. I could have eaten twelve of these, and if I ever have the good fortune to return to Blue Hill, I will most certainly order this salad again.
There's so much going on here that you can't see...While we looked at the dessert menu, there was nothing that really jumped out at us, so we paid our bill and headed out to find dessert in the land of gelato (hooray, L'arte del Delato!!). While Blue Hill is certainly not flawless, my gripes are small and relatively insignificant when you consider the quality of the food. With the best bread in the city and one of the best salads I've ever eaten, Blue Hill deserves four Offset Spatulas and a ringing endorsement. If you can snag an elusive reservation, seize the opportunity to taste vegetables that will change the way you think of the food group.
Blue Hill
75 Washington Place
212-539-1776
Monday, April 13, 2009
The Rereview: A Land upgrade
On a gorgeous Thursday evening, AV and I were searching for a place to grab a quick dinner before a showing of "I Love You Man." I was googling restaurants near the theater on the UES, and lo and behold, I found out that Land Thai Kitchen has a location a mere few blocks from our destination. Now, as you'll recall, my last review of Land was only so-so, but as part of my near-insatiable recent craving for veggie dumplings, I had begun to long for Land's version of the delectable treat. So we decided to give the UES Land a try.
The dining room is bigger and much more comfortable than the UWS location. There's space between the tables, so you don't feel as though you're sitting in your neighbor's lap. It probably helped that the joint wasn't crowded on a random Thursday night, but nonetheless it was a much nicer space to be in.
We placed our order quickly and waited for the food to arrive. (It's worth noting that when I changed my mind about my entree after we had ordered, the Land staff accommodated my switch with ease and grace.) Shortly, our veggie dumplings made their appearance, and this time around they were delicious. AV's theory is that if you know what you're getting, you can enjoy these puppies much more-- they're not dumplings in the traditional sense, and they're a peculiar taste and texture sensation, so if you're looking for classic dumplings you'll likely be disappointed (as we were on our last visit). But as I said, I was craving these little green pouches, and they delivered their soft, peanutty filling deliciously. Mmmm.
Like green hard candies. Except soft. And not sweet.
For an entree, AV chose the wok basil with beef. Last time, this dish burned all the taste buds out of his mouth. But this time around, the dish wasn't overly hot and was duly delicious.
Suitably spicy, not searing.
My own entree (the late-ordered selection, after I had had second thoughts about my previous selection) was the papaya salad. I'm very glad I decided to go ahead with this choice-- it was crunchy and tangy and spicy but not too spicy, as I had requested. Delectable and refreshing.
Papaya on a pedestel
We were in and out of Land very efficiently and easily made our showtime. Given the improved comfort level of the dining room and the spice-tempered deliciousness of our entrees, the UES Land easily trumps its West Side cousin. As a result, I hereby upgrade Land to a solid three Offset Spatula Thai restaurant. I'm sure I'll be back for the veggie dumplings. They haunt my dreams...
Land Thai Kitchen
1565 Second Avenue, between 81st and 82nd Streets
212-439-1847
The dining room is bigger and much more comfortable than the UWS location. There's space between the tables, so you don't feel as though you're sitting in your neighbor's lap. It probably helped that the joint wasn't crowded on a random Thursday night, but nonetheless it was a much nicer space to be in.
We placed our order quickly and waited for the food to arrive. (It's worth noting that when I changed my mind about my entree after we had ordered, the Land staff accommodated my switch with ease and grace.) Shortly, our veggie dumplings made their appearance, and this time around they were delicious. AV's theory is that if you know what you're getting, you can enjoy these puppies much more-- they're not dumplings in the traditional sense, and they're a peculiar taste and texture sensation, so if you're looking for classic dumplings you'll likely be disappointed (as we were on our last visit). But as I said, I was craving these little green pouches, and they delivered their soft, peanutty filling deliciously. Mmmm.
Like green hard candies. Except soft. And not sweet.For an entree, AV chose the wok basil with beef. Last time, this dish burned all the taste buds out of his mouth. But this time around, the dish wasn't overly hot and was duly delicious.
Suitably spicy, not searing.My own entree (the late-ordered selection, after I had had second thoughts about my previous selection) was the papaya salad. I'm very glad I decided to go ahead with this choice-- it was crunchy and tangy and spicy but not too spicy, as I had requested. Delectable and refreshing.
Papaya on a pedestelWe were in and out of Land very efficiently and easily made our showtime. Given the improved comfort level of the dining room and the spice-tempered deliciousness of our entrees, the UES Land easily trumps its West Side cousin. As a result, I hereby upgrade Land to a solid three Offset Spatula Thai restaurant. I'm sure I'll be back for the veggie dumplings. They haunt my dreams...
Land Thai Kitchen
1565 Second Avenue, between 81st and 82nd Streets
212-439-1847
Monday, April 6, 2009
Life's a breeze at... Breeze
Monday night, I met BL for our monthly-ish catch-up dinner. I've had a near-insatiable craving for Thai food recently, so we hit up Breeze, a Thai-French fusion restaurant on Ninth Avenue.
The restaurant is very cool-looking, with interesting light fixtures and bits of decor that brighten the room. Bizarrely, the menus come in CD/DVD cases and the drinks list on an old record, indicating that there's some sort of music theme going on... but that's really the only indication. Otherwise it's just a Thai restaurant.
We placed our order with the friendly waiter, and soon BL's Coconut Chicken Soup emerged. It was hot and steamy, and BL seemed to enjoy it. I only remembered to take a picture halfway through, though, so while it looks as though they only gave him a half bowl, I promise it's just an optical illusion! Mwahahahahahah. Or something.
This dish is half full. Or half empty?
While BL was finishing up his soup, our entrees arrived. BL had chosen Thai style shrimp fried rice. He only ate a bit of this; apparently, it was thoroughly underseasoned and therefore simply "meh."
A dome of mediocrity
My own selection was the tofu/eggplant with Thai basil sauce, which came with a side of standard jasmine rice. I had gotten this once before at Breeze, on an occasion I had forgotten to blog (oops), and it was delicious, so I was psyched to get it again. Especially because I was RAVENOUSLY hungry, which you know always leads to disaster. It was very tasty, packed with yummy tofu and soft, creamy eggplant and some auxiliary veggies like onions and peppers, and I ate the whole thing (see also: "always leads to disaster"). As it turns out it was a wee bit oily, because now I have a pretty powerful ohhh-I-ate-too-much-heavy-food stomachache.
And that was it-- fast in, fast out, we were on our way. And while we didn't have the greatest meal we've ever had, I like Breeze, and I'd definitely go back. It's good Thai food, a bit more creative than usual, in a cool atmosphere, for prices that aren't exorbitant. That to me means Breeze is a classic three-Offset-Spatula joint.
Breeze
661 Ninth Avenue, between 45th and 46th Streets
212-262-7777
The restaurant is very cool-looking, with interesting light fixtures and bits of decor that brighten the room. Bizarrely, the menus come in CD/DVD cases and the drinks list on an old record, indicating that there's some sort of music theme going on... but that's really the only indication. Otherwise it's just a Thai restaurant.
We placed our order with the friendly waiter, and soon BL's Coconut Chicken Soup emerged. It was hot and steamy, and BL seemed to enjoy it. I only remembered to take a picture halfway through, though, so while it looks as though they only gave him a half bowl, I promise it's just an optical illusion! Mwahahahahahah. Or something.
This dish is half full. Or half empty?
A dome of mediocrityMy own selection was the tofu/eggplant with Thai basil sauce, which came with a side of standard jasmine rice. I had gotten this once before at Breeze, on an occasion I had forgotten to blog (oops), and it was delicious, so I was psyched to get it again. Especially because I was RAVENOUSLY hungry, which you know always leads to disaster. It was very tasty, packed with yummy tofu and soft, creamy eggplant and some auxiliary veggies like onions and peppers, and I ate the whole thing (see also: "always leads to disaster"). As it turns out it was a wee bit oily, because now I have a pretty powerful ohhh-I-ate-too-much-heavy-food stomachache.
And that was it-- fast in, fast out, we were on our way. And while we didn't have the greatest meal we've ever had, I like Breeze, and I'd definitely go back. It's good Thai food, a bit more creative than usual, in a cool atmosphere, for prices that aren't exorbitant. That to me means Breeze is a classic three-Offset-Spatula joint.
Breeze
661 Ninth Avenue, between 45th and 46th Streets
212-262-7777
Favorite wine and food aplenty at Cavatappo grill
Many moons ago, AV and I went for a post-Valentine's-Day dinner nightcap at Cavatappo wine bar on the UES. I had a glass of lambrusco bianco, a wine I'd never seen before (lambrusco is a sparkling red wine, and I'd never encountered a white version). It was so delicious, I've been craving it ever since and haven't been able to find it anywhere else. So this Saturday night, we headed to Cavatappo Grill, the restaurant version of the wine bar, to slay (guzzle) my white whale.
The restaurant is small but cute, decorated with a pervasive wine-cork motif. We sat at a small table by the window and pored over the paper-placemat menus. I already knew our wine order, so we asked for a bottle of lambrusco bianco straightaway. The waiter brought the wine quickly; it was, as I had remembered, powerfully delicious: crisp, not very sweet but not bone-dry either, with tiny effervescent bubbles that make it go down like San Pellegrino. Exquisite-- and my new official Favorite Wine. Along with the wine, our waiter brought over a basket of bread and a small dish of olive oil and vinegar. The bread was serviceable, a little hard on the outside (indicating it had been sliced many hours earlier and left in the open air) but good for sopping up the oil. Unfortunately, try as we might (and we did), the balsamic vinegar at the bottom of the olive oil dish was pretty much inaccessible.
Boat of sliced bread
When we were about half a glass in, we placed our order. There was so much on the menu we both wanted, it was difficult to make a choice. But we finally settled, and the food arrived after a reasonable wait.
AV had gone with a starter (not to be confused with an "appetizer," a separate section on the menu) and a side dish. He reported that the fried calamari was delicious, full of lightly fried rings and none of the castoff bits that tend to populate lesser orders of the app. To balance out the meal, he ordered a side of sauteed broccoli rabe. I tried a few bites and it was really good-- not too oily, fresh and green. Overall, two winners.
Bands of gold
And greenery for balance
My selection was a salad of cremini mushrooms, pears, walnuts, fontina cheese, and mixed greens with white truffle oil. It was very, very good. The mixture of ingredients was creative, and the serving size was very generous-- there were even a few cherry tomatoes thrown in for good measure. Especially with the addition of the white truffle oil, this salad was eminantly craveable, something I won't forget for a long time... which presents me with a conundrum: when I return to Cavatappo, do I get this delicious salad again? Or do I order one of the other several items on the menu that I wanted to try? I do not know, dear readers. I do not know.
A bowl of creative deliciousness
Food (and much of the wine) dispatched, we decided to throw caution to the wind and order dessert. We shared the tiramisu, which hit the spot-- creamy and spongy with a strong espresso syrup on the bottom. Definitely not the best tiramisu I've ever had, but at that moment it was perfect.
Sooooooupy
By the time we were done, the place had filled up with happy, chatty patrons, and we paid the reasonable bill and stumbled out into the night. The service at Cavatappo is what one might call "brusque"; the waiters are friendly enough but they're clearly there to get the food to your table in the most efficient way possible. The atmosphere is pleasant, and the prices are reasonable. But if you're there for the food and the wine-- and we most certainly were-- Cavatappo is the perfect neighborhood restaurant. You can get a table on a weekend night with only a few hours' notice, and you can have a very enjoyable meal there and leave happy. So even though it's not the pinnacle of fine dining, Cavatappo Grill deserves four Offset Spatulas and several more visits from this hungry blogger.
Cavatappo Grill
1712 First Avenue, between 88th and 89th
212-987-9260
The restaurant is small but cute, decorated with a pervasive wine-cork motif. We sat at a small table by the window and pored over the paper-placemat menus. I already knew our wine order, so we asked for a bottle of lambrusco bianco straightaway. The waiter brought the wine quickly; it was, as I had remembered, powerfully delicious: crisp, not very sweet but not bone-dry either, with tiny effervescent bubbles that make it go down like San Pellegrino. Exquisite-- and my new official Favorite Wine. Along with the wine, our waiter brought over a basket of bread and a small dish of olive oil and vinegar. The bread was serviceable, a little hard on the outside (indicating it had been sliced many hours earlier and left in the open air) but good for sopping up the oil. Unfortunately, try as we might (and we did), the balsamic vinegar at the bottom of the olive oil dish was pretty much inaccessible.
Boat of sliced breadWhen we were about half a glass in, we placed our order. There was so much on the menu we both wanted, it was difficult to make a choice. But we finally settled, and the food arrived after a reasonable wait.
AV had gone with a starter (not to be confused with an "appetizer," a separate section on the menu) and a side dish. He reported that the fried calamari was delicious, full of lightly fried rings and none of the castoff bits that tend to populate lesser orders of the app. To balance out the meal, he ordered a side of sauteed broccoli rabe. I tried a few bites and it was really good-- not too oily, fresh and green. Overall, two winners.
Bands of gold
And greenery for balanceMy selection was a salad of cremini mushrooms, pears, walnuts, fontina cheese, and mixed greens with white truffle oil. It was very, very good. The mixture of ingredients was creative, and the serving size was very generous-- there were even a few cherry tomatoes thrown in for good measure. Especially with the addition of the white truffle oil, this salad was eminantly craveable, something I won't forget for a long time... which presents me with a conundrum: when I return to Cavatappo, do I get this delicious salad again? Or do I order one of the other several items on the menu that I wanted to try? I do not know, dear readers. I do not know.
A bowl of creative deliciousnessFood (and much of the wine) dispatched, we decided to throw caution to the wind and order dessert. We shared the tiramisu, which hit the spot-- creamy and spongy with a strong espresso syrup on the bottom. Definitely not the best tiramisu I've ever had, but at that moment it was perfect.
SooooooupyBy the time we were done, the place had filled up with happy, chatty patrons, and we paid the reasonable bill and stumbled out into the night. The service at Cavatappo is what one might call "brusque"; the waiters are friendly enough but they're clearly there to get the food to your table in the most efficient way possible. The atmosphere is pleasant, and the prices are reasonable. But if you're there for the food and the wine-- and we most certainly were-- Cavatappo is the perfect neighborhood restaurant. You can get a table on a weekend night with only a few hours' notice, and you can have a very enjoyable meal there and leave happy. So even though it's not the pinnacle of fine dining, Cavatappo Grill deserves four Offset Spatulas and several more visits from this hungry blogger.
Cavatappo Grill
1712 First Avenue, between 88th and 89th
212-987-9260
Friday, April 3, 2009
The Rereview: A birthday revisit at Pera
It was the bro's birthday this past Wednesday (April FOOLS!!! Hahahahaha. No wait, it really was), and for an extra special treat, the Mom came in from Massachusetts to take JT, the bro, and me out to a celebratory dinner. Per my suggestion, we made our way to Pera Mediterranean Brasserie, a place I'd been to with my mom and thought the bro would like.
We were seated at a large table with a great view of the open kitchen (score!). We took our time placing our order, but shortly after we had completed the transaction, Pera's interesting bread basket arrived. I say interesting because the bread is tasty-- almost completely hollow and studded with sesame seeds. But, being hollow, it's almost entirely unsatistfying. The best part of the basket is the tangy, pungent feta cheese that's really delicious ladled into the empty interior of each small pocket.
Bread. It will fool you with its emptiness.
Our appetizers emerged quite promptly. The bro had selected the crispy phyllo rolls, which our waiter described as "Turkish mozzarella sticks." Once the rolls had arrived and the bro had taken a bite, he described the order as "a mild tweak." According to their consumers (JT had one as well), the rolls were okay but not great. Not worth ordering again.
Tweak!!
Mom and I split the Maroul salad, which she had gotten last time. It was a delectable mixture of shredded romaine, dill, scallions, and feta cheese. Light, salty, and tasty, it's a salad worth traveling to.
Crunchy, light, green, and white
After we finished our apps, we sat and waited. And waited. The wait for our entrees stretched on and on, long enough for me to begin picking the sesame seeds off my half-eaten roll. Finally, after our waiter assured us our dishes were coming right out, the entree course did arrive. First up: my mom's fish, the catch of the day. I believe it was dourade, prepared the same way as it was last time, with a green foamy sauce and a fried pepper on top. She enjoyed it, as she does all sea creatures.
Like froth from the sea.
For my entree, I got the grilled vegetable and haloumi salad, which I had so enjoyed last time. This time, I requested the chef go easy on the oil, because it was a wee bit oily last time. I'm not sure if that request was what did me in, but this version of the salad was not nearly as yummy as last time. The cheese, in particular, felt as though it had been grilled many moons ago and sat there for a while-- the edges were incredibly tough and oil-saturated, so much so that I wished I had had a steak knife to cut it properly. Taste-wise, it was still on point, but I was disappointed by the texture.
The cheese looks like chicken
We were seated at a large table with a great view of the open kitchen (score!). We took our time placing our order, but shortly after we had completed the transaction, Pera's interesting bread basket arrived. I say interesting because the bread is tasty-- almost completely hollow and studded with sesame seeds. But, being hollow, it's almost entirely unsatistfying. The best part of the basket is the tangy, pungent feta cheese that's really delicious ladled into the empty interior of each small pocket.
Bread. It will fool you with its emptiness.
Tweak!!Mom and I split the Maroul salad, which she had gotten last time. It was a delectable mixture of shredded romaine, dill, scallions, and feta cheese. Light, salty, and tasty, it's a salad worth traveling to.
Crunchy, light, green, and whiteAfter we finished our apps, we sat and waited. And waited. The wait for our entrees stretched on and on, long enough for me to begin picking the sesame seeds off my half-eaten roll. Finally, after our waiter assured us our dishes were coming right out, the entree course did arrive. First up: my mom's fish, the catch of the day. I believe it was dourade, prepared the same way as it was last time, with a green foamy sauce and a fried pepper on top. She enjoyed it, as she does all sea creatures.
Like froth from the sea. For my entree, I got the grilled vegetable and haloumi salad, which I had so enjoyed last time. This time, I requested the chef go easy on the oil, because it was a wee bit oily last time. I'm not sure if that request was what did me in, but this version of the salad was not nearly as yummy as last time. The cheese, in particular, felt as though it had been grilled many moons ago and sat there for a while-- the edges were incredibly tough and oil-saturated, so much so that I wished I had had a steak knife to cut it properly. Taste-wise, it was still on point, but I was disappointed by the texture.
The cheese looks like chickenFinally, JT and the bro had both gotten the lamb steak special, a fajita-esque sizzling skillet of lamb with a little arugula salad on top. Both consumers absolutely RAVED about the lamb. JT deemed it the best lamb he's ever had. Let's say that this dish produced two very contented customers, including one contented birthday boy, which did my heart good.
Best. Lamb. Ever.
Best. Lamb. Ever.So there we go. Needless to say, we had a Billy's Bakery birthday cake waiting at home, so we passed on dessert and headed home. While the pacing was a bit of a lapse in the otherwise up-to-par service, I will add one thing worth noting: About halfway through the meal, one of the drunk, loud idiots sitting at the table next to us spilled a glass of red wine, which splashed all over my umbrella and my purse. While the drunkard made no effort to apologize, at the end of the meal the manager of Pera came over, gave me his card, and told me if I had any dry cleaning bills as a result to send them his way. Not that I'm going to dry clean my purse (if I knew what other ridiculous crap was all over that purse, I probably would have dry cleaned it long ago, but as it stands... well, meh). But it was a very classy gesture. So while my food was a bit less stellar than last time, the raves from JT and the bro and the extra-mile effort from the manager mean that Pera keeps its four Offset Spatula designation. It's a truly great place for upscale, tasty, generally well-excuted Mediterranean food in a beautiful and buzzing dining room.
303 Madison Avenue, between 41st and 42nd Streets
212-878-6301
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Pony: So close you can smell the bubbles
The infernal green plywood on 10th and 45th is finally down-- which means The Pony is almost ready to go! First glimpses indicate it's certainly a handsome bar, and the extensive craft beer menu indicates they're on their way to living up to their self-designation as a craft beer bar. Management informs me they're aiming for a release mid-next week. Check out the pics and menus below and stay tuned for more dispatches in the near future!
A pretty, rustic exterior
Crafty!
And some bites to match your suds
A pretty, rustic exterior
Crafty!
And some bites to match your suds
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