LWF&D goes to Napa: Soaking up the evening air at Brix

Friday found us motoring north to Calistoga to take in the Old Faithful Geyser and the local Petrified Forest. Suffice it to say that the geyser was a geyser and the "petrified forest" was the lamest thing my mother and I have ever done. By far.

So on to dinner. This evening found us at Brix, a sprawling restaurant by the St. Helena highway. We sat outside on the patio by their incredible gardens, taking in the sunset, the ideal weather, the grape vines, the vegetables... it was pretty much the perfect setting. Oh, and the food was good too.

Mom started with the butter lettuce salad, which she claimed was tasty. It looked simple and fresh from across the table.

Herbs, lettuce, croutons

There was a long wait between appetizers and entrees; our waiter apologized several times and explained that the kitchen had lost the ticket, so as we waited he brought us each a half-glass of zinfandel on the house. It was delicious. Props to Brix for being honest and dealing with a mix-up in a stand-up fashion.

Yummy zin

Once the entrees arrived, we were back to being happy. Mom chose the halibut once again and asked for potatoes instead of the fregola pasta; those potatoes ended up being incredibly delicious, creamy and crispy and completely indulgent.

Can't you tell it was a beautiful evening?

AND they came in a cute mini cast iron pan!

My choice was a combination of sides: warmed spinach with saba vinaigrette and pan-roasted wild mushrooms with fines herbs and shallots. The spinach was pretty standard-- wilted spinach with an occasional sweet kick from the saba. The mushrooms were delicious, though; not as butter-drowned as those at Cuvee but tender, flavorful, and earthy in all the right mushroomy ways. Outstanding.

Green as expected

Brown and umami-rich

Brix was a top contender for the best meal we had. While the food was quite good, it was the atmosphere that was priceless... sitting out on the patio in the delightful early evening, drinking wine and eating fresh food, then strolling through the garden to see where that food came from-- it's a Napa experience that shouldn't be missed.

Brix
7377 St. Helena Highway, Yountville
707-944-2749

Stout. Hmmm.

A couple weeks ago, NR, LM, the bro and I hit up MSG for the Bruins-Rangers game. Jonesin' for some food and drink beforehand, we convened at Stout, just across the street, for some pre-game fuel.

First of all, let me say that Stout is HUGE. It's got two floors, and even just the top floor is larger than you could even conceive of. We were seated in the far, far back, the farthest table from the entry (literally), amidst a crowd of people scarfing chicken fingers and pounding beers.

The fact that Stout is huge is actually really relevant to this review, because on the night we were there, they were not only huge but apparently painfully understaffed. Sure, there were servers running around, but getting served was a challenge at any point during the night. Fortunately, the bro and I, acting as Advance Team and arriving at the table first, decided to order ASAP to get things rolling. A beer and a Magner's, along with a house salad and a Reuben pizza, were delivered in a relatively timely manner.

The salad, a bowl of mixed greens with matchsticks of green apple, some walnut pieces, and a few dollops of goat cheese, was decent, if small. Once I had finished I was still ravenously hungry and debating ordering a second salad. (I didn't, fortunately... you'll see why.)

Decently fresh

When the pizza arrived, NR had joined our crew, and he and the bro split the pizza. It was a thin-crust pizza topped with Swiss cheese, some sauerkraut, and small chunks of pastrami. While ordering the Reuben pizza was a gamble, it paid off-- both NR and the bro enjoyed this concoction. They planned to finish their meal with a chicken pizza, to be ordered the next time we could flag down a server.

Reuben on a 'za

Our first server (ostensibly the one assigned to our table), passed by in a rush-- the bro flagged her down and said we'd like to order some more food whenever she got a chance. She said she'd be back and then promptly disappeared. We did not see her again. Around 15 minutes passed, and LM joined us; finally, after significant effort and frantic glances at the clock, we were able to order some more drinks, the second pizza, a spinach and artichoke dip, and an order of chicken fingers for LM's meal.

Cue another 15-minute lapse; a manager came over at one point to ask how things were going, and we mentioned we were still waiting for our food while trying to make the start of the Bruins game. He disappeared and returned a few minutes later to tell us the food was on its way. Sweet.

Soon a chicken pizza graced our table. In a moment of group foresight, we'd thought to ask for the check at that point so we could pay and dash whenever the food was done. The check arrived, we paid, and a couple of minutes later the spinach and artichoke dip came. Still waiting for the chicken fingers, we mentioned to the passing manager that they'd never arrived. He left and returned a few minutes later to say that the kitchen had run out of chicken fingers. Yes, really. About 30 minutes after we'd ordered them, they had "discovered" there were none left. Oh, and we'd already paid for them, of course, given that we'd paid the bill in advance.

Pizza #2

Not as good as last time, apparently

To his credit, when we informed the manager of this, he was incredibly apologetic, told us he'd take the dish off the bill, and offered us a round of drinks. Since we were under incredible time pressure at this point, we opted for a round of shots. A bit of Patron in our bellies, the bro and I dashed across to the Garden to work out an issue with our seats while LM and NR finished their meals (such as they were).

But that's not all--apparently after the bro and I left, the manager had returned because he had made some mistake on the bill and was trying to get our party to pay more than we had (we'd paid the right amount for the total bill, minus the chicken fingers, including tip). Really? At that point, given our experience, as a restaurant manager, don't you just let it go?

So I'm really mixed about Stout. The service, obviously, was atrocious, but the manager did make a good-faith effort to fix things... until he came back with the bill issue and further mired himself in bad-service purgatory. The food was decent, however, and not overpriced, and the ambiance is enjoyable if you're looking for an Irish pub/sports bar atmosphere. And if you're in the MSG area, your food and drink options are sorely limited. Would I go back to Stout? I'm not sure-- even with our bad experience, I wouldn't rule it out; the bro has been there several times before and has had good experiences previously. So I'll give Stout two Offset Spatulas rather than one, with hopes that if we do ever return, it will redeem itself.

Stout
133 W. 33rd Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues
212-629-6191

Duck and beets with the Bossman

Last week, the Bossman was in town from across the pond, and since this was a rare period for us to spend some face-to-face time together, we celebrated with a dinner at 44 & X.

I was battling a tenacious and mean-spirited cold, so my appetite wasn't what it should have been. In order to get some food in me, I ordered the terrine of roasted beets and aged goat cheese, with wild watercress, blood oranges, candied walnuts, and blood orange vinaigrette. Apparently, I'd ordered this dish in a past visit to 44 & 10, to mixed results. This version was pretty much the same-- sweet, firm beets, cut interestingly Ruffles-potato-chip-style, with a sprig of watercress, a few stewed figs, and a tiny little dollop of piped whipped goat cheese (note: don't think this was actually aged goat cheese... it tasted like fresh chevre to me). The dish is still sweet, but if you're craving lots of beets, this'll do.

Golden and sweet

Bossman ordered the sauteed breast of duck, which came with sweet potato hash, the same stewed figs, and a red wine reduction. He called the duck "fantastic," although he largely bypassed the veggies. No matter-- we had a side of spinach to complement our other choices, and it was predictably green and virtuous.

Duck buried under veggies

Vibrant emerald

No dessert (see "lack of appetite" above), and we were on our way. No change here-- 44 & X maintains its three OS rating as a decent, ever-so-slightly overpriced neighborhood restaurant.

44 & X
622 Tenth Avenue, at 44th Street
212-977-1170

West Side Steakhouse is indeed your neighborhood steak shop

I reported on West Side Steakhouse in its Plywood stage, but it's been fully open for a month or two now. I finally made it over there to check out the goods a couple of weeks ago.

The dining room is spare but comfortable, and the service is efficient but friendly. The bread to start consisted of olive and what looked like cheddar ciabatta; it was quite good, marred only by the rock-hard cold butter (a few minutes of softening would have done wonders for that).

Might also want to get cloth napkins to kick the "paper napkin in a basket" vibe up a notch...

My dining companion ordered the crab cakes to start. They looked slightly on the flaccid and soggy side to me, but he said that although they were a bit doughy they were still quite good and were packed full of crab. They were also made in-house, which is key to getting crab cakes of quality.

Lots of crab here

The crab cakes were followed up by a rib-eye steak, which was also pronounced delicious and was well-cooked. Note that, as is standard at steakhouses, all the meat here is a la carte, so if you order a steak you'll get just a steak unless you order sides separately.

Big ol' steak on a plate

That's where I came in. I ordered a trio of sides, starting with the grilled asparagus, which was surprisingly delicious, attractively caramelized and drizzled with a bit of reduced balsamic vinegar, which took the dish to the next level. I only wish there had been a few more spears here; seven pencil-thin pieces of asparagus is a tiny bit stingy for $7.50.

Asparagus FTW!

My other main veggie was the sauteed mushrooms, which were also quite flavorful due to their garlicky, peppery sauce. These weren't too greasy, which was merciful, and the portion here was plentiful. Note that these were cooked relatively lightly, which means they retained their spongy mushroomness, so if you're looking for the caramelized, almost-burnt mushroom consistency, these aren't for you.

Lots of different types of fungus here

For good measure, the final veggie was creamed spinach. I took a tiny bite of this, and it was rich and tasty. I'm no creamed spinach connoisseur, but this seemed to do the job.

Green plop

While we were there, the liquor license at WSS was pending, so there was neither booze sold nor BYOB allowed. Once the license comes through, I think the addition of alcohol to the mix will add some festiveness to both the food and the atmosphere. In the meantime, however, the food at WSS is surprisingly good and reasonably priced, and it's worth a try if you're looking for a low-key, genuine meal in the neighborhood.

West Side Steakhouse
597 Tenth Avenue, between 43rd and 44th Streets
212-564-4803

Get us to the Greek (food)

Last week, AS and I were on our way to the movies to see Get Him to the Greek. But we needed dinner first--something light and quick and not too fancy or expensive. Since I always, always insist on eating thematically, we HAD to have Greek food. And there just happened to be a Greek restaurant a block from the theater. To Dafni we went.

I'd been twice, one time that was only okay, one time that was great. Which way would the balance tip after visit number three? Read on, gentle reader, read on.

We walked in and were able to get a table without waiting, which was great. A few minutes of menu perusal, a brief ordering dialogue, and we were off to the races with their basket of pita, warm, as usual. Extra points to Dafni for giving an ample amount of pita to a table for two-- no fighting over the "third piece" here.

Pitahhhhh

Our selections emerged promptly. My choice, as usual, was the Islanders salad-- mixed greens, fennel, dried figs, and grilled halloumi. This wasn't quite as spectacular as the last time I dined at Dafni, but it was pretty darn good. The flavor combination is perfect, the portion is ample, and the price is right. What's not to love?

Yum salad

AS chose the pikilia, a selection of three of their appetizer spreads. When the server took our order, AS asked her to choose the three best spreads on the menu. This request was met with a mixture of confusion, horror, and skepticism. Once she was reassured that he'd eat any of the choices on the menu, she reluctantly agreed, thought for a bit, and took the order. What emerged-- we think-- was tzaziki, melitzanosalata (eggplant puree with garlic, olive oil, and lemon), and taramosalata (fish roe with lemon and olive oil), along with three dolmades and a border of grilled pita points. These selections were met with approval, and once again, it was a huge portion for $10.75.

Pretty!

AS also ordered a side of sauteed spinach, which was pretty delicious. And also- again- a hearty portion ($5).

Mountain of spinach

So does Dafni maintain its four Offset Spatula upgrade, or does it revert to its three OS original rating? I declare Dafni is still a four OS restaurant, mainly by dint of its value. You get good food-- sometimes awesome, always at least good-- and lots of it for a very reasonable price. If you can get past the horrendous location on 42nd Street, you'll agree that Dafni is a neighborhood gem that's a great addition to the neighborhood. Oh, and definitely see Get Him to the Greek-- it's hilarious. Oopa!

Dafni Greek Taverna
352 W. 42nd Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues
212-315-1010

Struggling at Landmarc

This past weekend, AV had a good friend from college in town. Since I had not yet met said friend, our big plan was to meet up for dinner at 7. When I called around 3:30 to confirm the location, the two of them seemed to be, shall we say, neck-deep in wings and beer at a bar on the UES. So suffice it to say that the planning of said 7PM dinner did not go... smoothly? I'll spare you the details; let's just fast forward to 7:30, when the three of us gathered at Landmarc in the Time Warner Center. Me: exhausted as all get-out. AV and ER: struggling.

Since Landmarc doesn't take reservations, we were fortunate that there was no wait for a table for three. We collapsed into a table that seemed to be smack in the middle of the restaurant's jet-stream, so AV and I sat shivering for the entirety of the meal. Well, I shivered, and AV eyed the door to the bathroom across the room should an a-la-minute escape be necessary.

We managed to discover the menus, which are folded pieces of paper tucked into the napkins on the table. Our server was friendly and accommodating, and she put up with our antics quite well. After vehemently declining the offer of drinks, we placed our order. A runner then brought a bread basket. ER noted that the bread was not warm. True, but it did come with room-temp (read: spreadable) butter and a bottle of olive oil on the table; given that I wasn't hungry, I took a couple of bites for research purposes, and it was definitely solid sourdough, the type you tend to see frequently around town.

Bread in a basket

We talked, mostly sharing amusing stories about AV while he sat gamely (and rather palely) absorbing the abuse. Our server popped by to let us know that our food was almost ready. And then it arrived. Starting with the poor battered males at the table, AV had ordered an appetizer portion of the Saturday pasta special, which was pasta bolognese. He said it was pretty good, but honeslty I think any carb-based food at that point probably would have done the trick. The only negative of note was that the server offered parmesan, which we all know AV loves, and their response to an eager "yes" was a tiny metal dish of powdered parm-- about two teaspoons' worth. Seriously??? That just won't cut it.

Pasta pre-parm

ER had gone with the Landmarc burger, which one of the reasons we ultimately chose Landmarc as our destination. He had asked to add bacon, a request eagerly accommodated. Sort of. The burger earned raves all around, despite the fact that the pickles crowning the overflowing mountain of accompanying frisee were not nearly pickled enough. The bacon, however, made its appearance in the form of bacon crumbles tucked in another tiny metal ramekin (pernicious little bastards, those) buried under the greens; ER didn't notice it until he was about 3/4 of the way through his burger. Landmarc, listen: if you're gonna add bacon to a burger, it's gotta be strips. I may be a vegetarian, but even I know that crumbles won't cut it, especially if there's not cheese on the burger for the crumbles to stick to. Nonetheless, bacon debacle aside, the burger was a winner.

See that tiny bit of metal peeking out next to the ketchup? Yeah, that's the bacon.

My choice (again, I wasn't hungry, so don't shoot me) was a side of sauteed spinach. This was a pretty small portion for a $6 side, and it came strangely swimming in liquid, which I suspected was chicken broth. Given that I didn't specify that I was vegetarian, I didn't necessarily hold it against Landmarc, but rather instead of inquiring about the liquid and making an obnoxious scene, I gulped the spinach as quickly as I could and then sat with it roiling in my stomach for a while. The spinach had slivers of pretty raw garlic and rings of what looked like shallots in it. It was salty. Not the most successful spinach I've ever had, but then again, I'm not sure anything would have wowed me given that I wasn't hungry.

Meh

At this point, when we were all done, another basket of bread landed on our table, right in front of me, as though it were the entree I had ordered. Whaaa?

No matter. When the bill came, a generous handful of homemade caramels also arrived-- I gulped about four of these in succession, because they were creamy and buttery and just the perfect thing to settle my stomach.

So what's the verdict on Landmarc? Well, I'm not quite sure we gave it a fair shake. Given the sorry state we were in, I don't think even Daniel would have wowed us. I've also been to the Tribeca location a while ago, and it provided a good time. I think, given the data points I have, that Landmarc is a solid place. The burger is good, the other food is hit or miss. But they have a cotton candy machine-- evident in the huge poofs of cotton candy making the rounds in the dining room as elements of dessert courses-- and how bad can any restaurant with a cotton candy machine be? Landmarc is a solid three Offset Spatula restaurant, not mind-blowing, but I'd return if the circumstances merited. And maybe next time I'm not hungry, I'll just skip right to the dessert course.

Landmarc
10 Columbus Circule, 3rd floor
212-823-6123