More deliciousness at Riposo 46

AV and I have been going to Riposo rather frequently recently. It's just an all-around great place: good food, reasonable prices, a nice atmosphere, and delicious wine and beer. Last Saturday, after a successful hike up Bear Mountain (we actually did it! See the following photo for proof), we wanted someplace local... someplace delicious...someplace comforting. And off we went to Riposo 46.

From the top of Bear Mountain... we could actually see the Manhattan skyline in the distance

This time, AV went with a make-your-own veggie flatbread pizza. Our same befuddled and underachieving waiter as last time was unable to answer even the most rudimentary questions about the dish, but nonetheless AV ended up with a winner. It was a vast circle of chewy grilled flatbread covered with caramelized onions, roasted peppers, spinach, and lots and lots of parmesan. I kept stealing bites until AV cut off a few slivers of crust for me to use as "dipping sticks." He's a good egg.

Lots of veggie goodness

My own choice was the same as last time-- the arugula salad, sans grapefruit, plus sauteed mushrooms, all covered in shaved parmesan. It's so savory and filling, and with the dipping sticks I even put the dressing-on-the-side to good use. Another well-executed meal.

Salady goodness

We lingered over our beer and wine and then hit Cold Stone and Starbucks before heading home. Another delightful and relaxing four Offset Spatula weekend evening.

Riposo 46
667 9th Avenue, between 46th and 47th Streets
212-247-8018

LWF&D sucks it up and does brunch

My views about brunch have been well documented; while I definitely respect the institution, and the average brunch menu certainly offers quite a few delicious treats, there's pretty much nothing I can eat and therefore the prospect of brunch turns me into something of a curmudgeon. But sometimes, hypothetically, there may be people in one's life who have differing views from oneself, and sometimes those hypothetical people express a desire to do something that one wouldn't necessarily do on one's own, like, say, have brunch. And sometimes one likes that person enough to suck it up and do brunch.

And so it was, on a quiet, clear, sunny Labor Day morning, AV and I found ourselves at local French bistro Marseille, having brunch at a sidewalk table in the crisp morning air. The meal began with the brunch version of the bread basket, a small plate of sliced multigrain breads and tempting mini muffins, along with a triangle of butter and a ration of jam. AV was a huge fan of the mini muffins, and the tiny bite I had revealed a scrumptious, cakelike interior with all sorts of buttery deliciousness hidden inside. Mmmm.

The carbs

Then for the main event: AV had been craving eggs benedict, and so eggs benedict were ordered. The plate came with a heaping handful of mesclun salad, which AV enjoyed; some home fries, which were average; and two english muffin halves topped with ham, egg, and hollandaise. AV termed it a satisfying brunch-- nothing was standout exceptional, but everything was a solid version of what it was supposed to be.

The eggs

For my part, I had already eaten breakfast and lunch, so I joined the fray with a fruit salad. While at $7.95 this was almost absurdly pricey, I'll admit it was actually quite good. A base of pineapple and tiny mango dices was complemented with an array of fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. There was none of the underripe cantaloupe and honeydew filler that plagues most fruit salads, and all the fruit involved was ripe, sweet, and succulent. Truly well done.

The fruit

And so it was that LWF&D did brunch. Was it the best brunch ever? Don't think so. Was it solid? Definitely. Dare I ask, was it... pleasant? Sheepishly, I admit it actually was-- it was nice to be sitting outside on a lovely morning, nibbling on a fruit salad and partaking in a quintessential Manhattan ritual. I wouldn't say I've become a believer, but sometimes a three Offset Spatula brunch is just the thing for a weekend morning.

Marseille
630 Ninth Avenue at 44th Street
212-333-2323

Visiting Napa while in Great Barrington

I mentioned in my Best Ice Cream Ever post a few days ago that last weekend AV and I enjoyed a quick getaway to the Berkshires in Massachusetts. While that getaway was chock-full of delicious ice cream, it also had regular food-- including a delightful dinner at Napa Wine Bar and Eatery in Great Barrington, just a few steps from the fateful SoCo Creamery.

Napa recently replaced a restaurant we didn't like very much, so its presence in Great Barrington was welcome. And the owners have turned the space on Great Barrington's main drag into a pleasant place to be-- bright and airy, with a ton of space between each of the tables. It reminded me that in Manhattan, there would likely be twice or even three times the number of tables in the same space, merely to make rent. Ahh, the real world.

We started with a beer (AV) and the bread basket (both of us). Two warm white rolls came nestled in a napkin. Crackly outsides gave way to warm insides, and when slathered with butter, it was just the right treat to start off a dinner for two hungry people.

Warm bread in blanket

AV started with the bruschetta, with marinated tomatoes and fennel. He found the fennel to be too strong-- it was a notably anise-y fennel-- but the rest of the bruschetta to be delicious. I eagerly gobbled up the rest of the fennel and the odd tomato he discarded to be enjoyed with my salad.

A tangle of ingredients

Speaking of salad, I had ordered the field greens salad, asking for the onions to be replaced by beets. Even though the roasted beets are obviously a more expensive ingredient than a bit of shaved onion, they didn't charge us any extra, which was quite nice. And this salad was delicious, especially the beets-- tangy and marinated and sweet. AV also ordered the same salad, sans beets and plus onions, which he enjoyed. My only gripe with the salad is that the ricotta salata was in tiny shavings over the top of the greens, which meant it was nearly tasteless. If you're going to put cheese on a salad, put it in thick slabs or crumbles, so at least the tastebuds can get a foothold, you know? Otherwise there's no point.

Onions

Beets

We obviously had other plans for dessert, so we zipped out of there once our food was done. It's worth noting that while it doesn't have Manhattan seating arrangements, Napa definitely does have Manhattan prices-- it's not cheap. But the food was good and the experience was enjoyable, so if you're ever in the area, it's a three Offset Spatula restaurant that's worth traveling to.

Napa Wine Bar and Eatery
293 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA
413-528-4311

Trying the food at Riposo 46

Saturday night, after spending the whole day moving AV's bed, we both needed a stiff drink. Convention dictated we might need some food as well, so we headed on over to our favorite neighborhood wine bar, Riposo 46.

We nabbed a table and eventually were visited by one of the flakiest, most uninterested waiters I've ever encountered. It could not have been clearer that he was a) new to this job, and b) completely unconcerned with his performance in it. We ultimately managed to place an order for drinks and food. And then eventually after that, our drinks appeared-- a frosty beer for AV, a glass of Sofia Coppolo Blanc de Blancs bubbly for me. Yumm.

But we were truly interested in the food this time around. I had ordered a salad, and AV had ventured into the flatbread pizza category. We saw our food appear on the pass, simultaneously noting that our waiter was knee deep in a flirty conversation with a gay couple vociferously holding court at a table by the window. And then we waited. After a few minutes, as the pizza congealed, we considered actually walking over and just plucking the food ourself. But ultimately the cook banged on the dinging bell a few more times, getting our waiter's attention and resulting in a food delivery to us.

AV's margherita flatbread pizza was a pretty oblong shape; it came on a wooden cutting board with a pizza cutter so he could slice it himself. I tried a tiny bite, and it was quite tasty, though I found the sauce to be a little sweet. AV noted there could have been more cheese, but he does love his mozzarella.

A beautiful tableau

My own salad was delicious. I went for the baby arugula salad but substituted sauteed mushrooms for the grapefruit (really don't like grapefruit), which cost an extra $2 but was totally, totally worth it. The salad was blanketed with a flurry of parmesan shreads and tossed in a delicious vinaigrette. Definitely worth returning for.

Sauteed mushrooms + parmesan = so much umami!

After we finished our food, we settled into our drinks. Flaky Waiter asked AV if he wanted another beer, which AV declined. And then he brought it anyway. When I pointed out he had actually not ordered it, FW graciously comped it on the bill. Did I mention his head wasn't really in the game? No worries; we're big fans of Riposo, and the tasty food only added to its appeal. Four Offset Spatulas and a guaranteed repeat visit from these parts.

Riposo 46
667 9th Avenue, between 46th and 47th Streets
212-247-8018

Weird, weird dining at Barcelona

Two weekends ago, AV and I were in Stamford, CT, for the first part of the weekend. On Friday night, we made our way to Barcelona, a new-ish tapas bar around town. We popped in without a reservation and were shown a table immediately. And that's when the fun began.

We were visited by one server and then another... and then another. Each one repeated questions the previous ones had already delivered. I was ravenously hungry, so when one asked whether another server had already "explained the menu" I lied and said absolutely, just so we could get to the ordering quicker. (By the way, in case you were wondering, the explanation likely would have gone something like this: "Our menu is divided into lots of little sections with lots of tiny overpriced dishes. We recommend ordering a bunch and sharing. In fact, we recommend starting with tapas and then ordering main courses and dessert. Plus drinks. We recommend spending a lot of money.") This waitress, now far from enamored with me, finally took our order and departed.

A runner brought us bread, and it must be said that the bread was quite good. It was warm and fresh and chewy and carbolicious. It came with olive oil, which AV pointed out was not as good a choice as butter for this type of bread, but my guess is it's more authentically Spanish. Or something.

Bread, the highlight

Then a runner wielding a pitcher of water came by, spied my empty water glass, and asked if I'd like more water. Uh, yes please. Later he came by and asked again if I wanted more water, and since we were paying the check, I said no, and he poured it anyway. Right.

AV and I both visited the bathroom (separately, of course) before our main courses arrived. The women's bathroom had only one stall but two sinks and a main door that didn't lock. So basically you walked into the bathroom, stood into the sink area, and listened to the poor person in the singular locked stall pee. And then awkwardly avoided each other's gaze as you shuffled into the stall when she emerged. Plus the toilet paper holder was only anchored on one side, so when you tried to rip some off, the whole roll went flying across the room. The whole experience was frustrating.

But that aside, we got our food, and it was pretty good. AV's scallops with farro succotash were perfectly cooked and flavorful, if a bit small.

Pretty

My mixed salad was standard with the praiseworthy addition of some flavorful olives. One of the tomato wedges tasted a little weird, and it was plated on dishes that said "Soho Kitchen and Bar." It's also worth noting that when I ordered a salad the waitress replied, "Did you see our lobster salad?" and was about to upsell me terribly when I cut her off. Yes. It's expensive. I'm a vegetarian. For shame, Barcelona, for shame.

Standard salad, yummy olives.

After our entrees were dispatched, we didn't want dessert; we wanted the check. So we asked for the check. When AV asked the first server who passed by, she replied, "Oh, please, finish your beer," patted AV's shoulder patronizingly, and left. Does that mean we won't get our check until AV finishes his beer? We weren't sure. So we asked the next server who approached, and eventually a check arrived. The runner poured some more requested-denied-unwanted water. I nearly sprinted out of there.

So, in short, Barcelona is a weird, weird place. I don't get it. It tries to be too cute for its own good; why not stick to the one-server-per-table rule that 99% of restaurants follow with good results, or why not anchor your toilet paper holder on both sides. I don't understand. The food is okay, I guess, but it's not worth the experience. Barcelona gets two Offset Spatulas and a huge, huge question mark.

Barcelona
222 Summer Street, Stamford
203-348-4800

A brief interlude at Five Napkin Burger

I'm way behind on posts, so this brings us back a couple of weeks. The bro and I had a catch-up dinner planned, and since my stomach was being supremely uncooperative, we headed to Five Napkin Burger for the bro to grab a burg. We were seated immediately in the noisy, echoing dining room (the place needs textiles). The bro ordered a bacon cheeseburger. I ordered a cup of vanilla ice cream, which was all I could stomach. We waited and talked while our server went completely MIA for an unacceptable period of time. But finally, our meal showed.

The burger: Justly famous, huge, gooey, and accompanied by fresh greenery and good fries. Heartily brother approved.

The burg

The ice cream: Delicious and creamy. It was incredibly standard ice cream, which of course means it was delicious. I suspect it may even have been Breyer's, as you could see the little flecks of vanilla bean. It was slightly melted when it arrived, which was fine. And at only $3.50 for two scoops or so, it's a pretty economical choice.

The ice cream

That's it. Short and sweet (at least for me) and not really meriting a spatula rating, we were in and out and on our way. Such is Five Napkin Burger.

Five Napkin Burger
630 Ninth Avenue, between 44th and 45th Streets
212-757-2277

I'm back! And I bring you ice cream

Dearest readers, I have been shamefully MIA recently-- the last few weeks were a bit rough both health-wise and work-wise, but I'm slowly getting back on track and should be back with reports on the four meals currently sitting in my camera very soon. But in the meantime, I bring you a brief report on the Best Ice Cream I've Had In A Long, Long Time.

I eat ice cream relatively frequently, but usually when I have it I go for frozen yogurt or light ice cream or some watered-down version of the real thing. But every now and then, I get a taste of the true life-- not sorbet, sherbet, granita, or even gelato (which is delicious, don't get me wrong, just not as rich as ice cream), but real, true, honest-to-goodness ice cream. And it's like when you've switched completely to diet soda and then have a sip of full-sugar Sprite-- it tastes impossibly rich and sweet and decadent. Anyway, this past weekend, when AV and I escaped the city for a quick weekend away in Western Massachusetts, I tasted the Best Ice Cream, certainly in a Long, Long Time, but possibly Ever.

It was at the SoCo Creamery in Great Barrington, a place I've been to many, many times throughout my life, even when it was called Bev's in its previous incarnation several years ago. We went after dinner on Saturday night (report on that to come...), and I got my usual soft serve twist with rainbow sprinkles, while AV got a cup of cookies & cream with sprinkles. I tried a taste of his ice cream. Fast forward 16 hours and we were there again, eating ice cream in the middle of the day in an effort to stem the rising out-of-control yearning I had for that cookies & cream. Sitting there, with my own small cup of the black and white ambrosia, I savored each indulgent spoonful. The cream was unbelieveably creamy-- like sticking your tongue directly into a bucket of fresh cream, much creamier even than whipped cream, which I eat regularly. And the big chunks of cookies were judiciously scattered about, taking a suitable backseat to the pure canvas of the cream. I didn't even bother with sprinkles.

Pure beauty

SoCo Creamery
5 Railroad Street, Great Barrington
413-528-9420