Hurley's

Occasion: Lunch with the GC and his underling
Location: Hurley's on 48th between B'way and 8th
Edibles: French onion soup and a chicken, prosciutto and brie sandwich

Musings: GC very kindly offered to take me out for a welcome lunch. I casually suggested the Blue Fin prix fixe as an option but acceded when the guys wanted to go to their hangout, Hurley's, instead. Once there, GC and Underling made a big to-do over the fact that their favorite waitress had returned.

GC started out with his "usual" - a double Johnnie Black on the rocks. Underling ordered a beer. I stuck to iced tea, and felt a little bit like I was in an episode of Mad Men. (I was amazed when Underling ordered a second beer and GC joined him. How do these guys stay awake in the afternoon? Especially GC, whose lunch consisted of French onion soup and chili? I would have been reduced to a hibernating bear after all that.)

No offense to my colleagues, but Hurley's is the kind of place I would never choose to go to, even once. It's not really a restaurant - it's more of a bar that half-heartedly serves some food. The pre-packaged / frozen / reheated / deep-fried kind. About the level of an Applebee's.

My soup was okay. The chicken in the sandwich was dry as a bone and the "prosciutto" was strongly reminiscent of salty shoe leather. The fries had a weird aftertaste, like they hadn't changed the oil in the fryer in a week. How hard is it to make good fries?! Ugh.

I thought longingly of the crab BLT and spectacular sweet potato fries I could have been having at Blue Fin. At virtually the same price. With all the wonderful restaurants in the city, it's criminal to spend your time, appetite and money at a place like Hurley's.

Crispo

Occasion: Post-theatre (The Bacchae) dinner with Elizabeth, Mamie and Abby

Location: Crispo on 14th between 7th and 8th (crisporestaurant.com)

Edibles: beet and goat cheese salad and spaghetti carbonara for me; arugula salad for Abby; a cheese plate, deep-fried risotto balls and roasted brussels sprouts for Elizabeth; shrimp and sausage for Mamie

Musings: Having not eaten since 1pm, I was STARVING by the time we arrived at Crispo - around 10pm. That's my excuse for the gluttony, anyway. (I felt a twinge of guilt when Abby's salad - her lone course - arrived. But just a twinge.)

Lots of good things to report about the meal. I looooved the beet salad. The portion was gigantic and the bold vinaigrette dressing grabbed you by the lapels and gave you a good shake. In a good way.

The carbonara was a little disappointing. They were absolutely on the right track with the poached egg on top, but the pasta was a tad undercooked and the sauce was too thin and didn't adhere well to the pasta. Definite room for improvement there.

A grilled shrimp from Mamie's plate (traded for a forkful of spaghetti) was juicy and flavorful, one of the best shrimp I've had in a while.

Elizabeth's risotto balls were piping hot and full of cheesy goodness. Thumbs up. The maple-roasted brussels sprouts with almonds were a revelation. Earthy fall ingredients in an unusual combination that totally makes sense once you think about it. Yum! I'm definitely making a version of this dish as a Thanksgiving side this year. Maybe with golden raisins and pine nuts....

Luna Piena

Occasion: Dinner with Kathy and Atticus
Location: Luna Piena on 53rd between 2nd and 3rd (lunapienanyc.com)
Edibles: spaghetti and meatballs for me; linguine alle vongole for Kathy; risotto primavera for Atticus

Musings: It was a gorgeous evening, just perfect for the open-air back area of Luna Piena. They've renovated! I almost didn't recognize the place when I arrived.

Despite the unfortunate associations with the Death Star (just up the block), I had a great night. As always, it was fun catching up with Kathy and Atticus. We had a spirited debate about my taste (or lack thereof) in film and made tentative plans to meet up for Psycho at the AMC Village 7 on Labor Day weekend.

Luna Piena isn't anything to write home about but they poured my pinot grigio with a generous hand and the tomato sauce on my pasta was unexpected fresh and bright. A decent choice if you're looking for outdoor (sort of) dining in midtown.

Mia Francesca

Occasion: Karen and Josie's wedding reception!!!
Location: Mia Francesca on N Clark between Buckingham and School in Chicago (miafrancesca.com)
Edibles: calamari and pizza (artichoke and red onion) appetizers; caprese and romaine salads to start; pasta, one with tomato sauce and one with roasted vegetables; sausages with peppers and onions; tiramisu

Musings: Family-style Italian is an inspired idea for a wedding reception. This is food that was meant to be cooked and served on a large scale.

The pizza had a wonderful crust and I happily snarfed down... ahem, four slices. (They were smallish pizzas, okay?) The dinner that followed was uniformly yummy and culminated in our table mowing through our plate of sausage and peppers (genius menu choice, Karen!) and then raiding not one, not two, but THREE other tables for their leftovers. All the more impressive if you consider that, of the six of us, only four were eating that dish - Rebecca keeps kosher and Kristina is a vegetarian. We barely found room for the pillowy tiramisu that arrived last... but managed somehow. Although they must have been feeling overwhelmed, the staff couldn't have been nicer.

All in all, it was a relaxed, jovial, chatty, table-hopping kind of shindig. Warm and unpretentious, like the couple we were there to fête. All the best wishes for your future together, Karen and Josie! Thanks for letting us share in your big day.

Top Chef Masters Finale

Original Air Date: August 19, 2009

1) Rick wins! I was a bit scared that Michael would steal it, but Rick gets the grand prize! A great result since he's performed the most consistently throughout the competition. In this final round, the dish that made me sit up in my chair was his. That cochinita pibil sounded AMAZING.

2) Michael must have grossed everyone out with his behavior the last ep - he won only 15% of the votes in the audience poll. Rick and Hubert split the rest fairly evenly.

3) That was some crazy hair Michael used to have. Ditto Hubert's beard.

4) I loved the idea of the challenge and I thought the twist was great too. My own answers to the challenge (tweaked slightly):

First food memory: Head-on shrimp stir-fried with oil, soy sauce, scallions, ginger and garlic. The best part about eating this dish is mixing the sauce into your rice. The following story remains one of my favorite childhood memories. One day, the shrimp got cooked a little too long and the sauce reduced down to almost nothing. Six-year-old me made a grumpy face. My grandfather jumped into action and proceeded to behead and squeeze out every single shrimp so I could have enough sauce for my bowl of rice. He basically defiled that entire plate of food while the rest of my family looked on in horror and amusement. Yes, I was his little pet.

Dish that made me want to learn to cook: Spaghetti and meatballs. Reading about this "exotic" dish in junky YA novels, I asked my mom to make it. She didn't know how and said, "Make it yourself. I'll help." The rest is history.

Dish that represents my culinary school stint: Salmon tian. It involves layering thin slices of salmon, potato, eggplant, zucchini and tomato (each cooked separately) into a ring mold with some goat cheese before baking. It's absolutely delectable and looks like a work of art when you unmold it, but it's so fussy that you'd only consider making it for special occasions.

Dish that represents my future: Osso buco or venison stew. I love one-pot cooking. Besides minimizing the dishes you'll have to do later (and I do loathe doing the dishes), I like that homey, full-cupboard feeling you get when there's a big pot of something hearty simmering away on the stovetop. I do a lot of soups and stews now, but I'd love to experiment with a greater variety of proteins.

(I admit that the above, if served together, would make a pretty weird meal. There'd have to be some serious re-imagining and editing, no doubt.)

My sous-chef: Mom! She's been with me since the very beginning. Blazes through prep work, cleans up behind me and does everything my way when we cook Western food.

Top Chef Las Vegas Ep. 1

Original Air Date: August 19, 2009

1) I liked how broad the challenge was. I think it makes sense to give the cheftestants a lot of latitude early on to do their thing. Later on, throw 'em some curveballs.
2) Jennifer C. - learn how to pronounce "ceviche," woman! How could you train under Eric Ripert (<bowing down in worship>) and not know that? She also seems really intense and kind of socially awkward - not like Ripert at all. I think she'll go pretty far, though. Unlike Preeti, who can't shuck 15 clams to save her life.

3) There are some real sluggers on this season. In addition to an ever-increasing percentage of restaurant owners and executive chefs, there are three James Beard nominees and a Michelin star recipient! Is it even fair for such seasoned pros to be on this show?

4) Mattin is on par to become this season's Fabio. (Btw, red neckerchief? How is this guy not gay?)

5) I'm glad Jennifer Z. got sent home - I won't have to look at her stretched-out earlobes for the rest of the season. They gave me the willies.

Baoguette

Occasion: Take-out dinner for one, since I was in the area returning books at the Epiphany Branch of the NYPL (conveniently open until 8pm on Mondays)

Location: Baoguette on Lex between 25th and 26th (baoguette.com) [Note: there are two other locations in the city, with more to come]

Edibles: bbq chicken bánh mì sandwich with pickled matchsticks of daikon and carrot and long fronds of cilantro

Musings: Comparable in size and price to a Subway sub, this sandwich is LEAGUES better. Soft yet chewy bread, spicy, tender chicken, some crunch and freshness from the veggies - YUM. Casual food at its very, very best.

Duryea's Lobster Deck

Occasion: Last Hamptons meal before heading back to the city

Location: Duryea's Lobster Deck on Tuthill Road in Montauk (duryealobsters.com)

Edibles: lobster rolls for me and Abby, with sides of coleslaw and potato salad; a burger (sacrilege!) for Jill; corn-on-the-cob and coleslaw for Elizabeth

Musings: It was perhaps not the most healthy or well-balanced of meals (mayonnaise being the base of all 3 items on my plate), but it was absolutely delicious and soul-deep satisfying. But for the limitations of budget and waistline, I'd have lobster rolls every day of my life.

I learned about this place from Montauk natives the day before. Completely beached-out after a few hours broiling under the midday sun, I left the girls happily basking at the beach and headed out in search of shade. I found it at a little health foods store with a backyard area and some umbrella'ed tables. When a nearby mother and daughter saw me struggling to unfurl an umbrella at an empty table, they offered me the third shaded chair at theirs instead. We got to chatting. They were very friendly and gave me all sorts of insider's travel tips, including Duryea's. (Sometime, I hope to make it out to the Montauk library, which they also recommended.)

Trying to find Duryea's involved some hijinks, as our first attempt landed us right back at our hotel. With a little help from BB GPS (good, Gadget!), we managed to correctly navigate the winding, poorly signed roads to make our way there. My Montauk tipsters had not led us astray - well, not figuratively, anyway. For the same price as the previous day's Lobster Roll meal, we got huge rolls filled with hefty chunks of lobster. The homemade coleslaw was also very yummy, so much so that I poached Jill's. I found the sesame bun to be a little stale, but it was only a minor detraction from my very major enjoyment. Sitting at a shady table out on the deck, surrounded by the bay, it was the perfect end to our beach weekend.

Thanks go out to Montauk Mom and her adorable red-headed, college-bound daughter (I didn't even get their names - yikes).

Animal + Backyard

Occasion: Hamptons dinner with Abby, Elizabeth and Jill

Location: Animal + Backyard at the Solé East Resort on Second House Road in Montauk (soleeast.com/restaurant)

Edibles: bbq pork belly sliders, followed by grilled striped bass with creamed corn for me; pig ear chili-lime salad with a fried egg and the sliders for Abby; Jill and Elizabeth shared the deep-fried hominy app, the chorizo and petit basque cheese app and the balsamic pork ribs

Musings: We were so excited to read about chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (two of Food & Wine's best new chefs of 2009, owners of Animal in LA) doing a pop-up restaurant in Montauk. We immediately made reservations.

First, a few sentences about the food before I start my rant on the horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE service.

The sliders had a great sauce and great flavor, but were about 80% fat. Total pork fat aficionado that I am, even I had to do some serious trimming. I loved my main, a luscious slab of bass. The serving size of the creamed corn was pretty stingy considering that fresh corn is practically free right now. Elizabeth and Jill's chorizo and cheese app was good, basically a dish of pizza toppings melted together. Their rib plate provided almost an entire rack; the meat was so tender it literally fell off the bone. Good sauce there, too. Abby's pig ear salad was way too vinegary and a couple of bites was plenty for me.

On to the farcically atrocious service. Pretty much everything that could go wrong, did. I think the fatal flaw was keeping the regular Backyard menu and kitchens going at the same time as the Animal stuff.

There were more than 10 people serving, but most of them spent the evening wandering around confusedly. One waitress in a blue dress was so dazed and out of it, we thought she had to be either stoned out of her mind or actually mentally disabled.

Despite our reservations, we waited half an hour for our table. We sat, completely ignored, at the bar area and had to ask three times before we got a wine list and cocktail menu.

After we were seated, they were, of course, very slow to bring menus and take our orders. Our empty appetizer plates sat on the table, uncollected, even after our mains had arrived. Again and again, we were brought the wrong food - either dishes we hadn't ordered, or additional plates of food that had already been delivered. I watched as the waiter carrying Abby's sliders stood by the computer for five minutes, trying to figure out where to bring the plate. The top of the bun tumbled to the floor, which he didn't notice. It was kicked aside by another waiter and lay in the doorway for the rest of the evening.

They messed up our order and only brought one plate of ribs when Jill and Elizabeth had each ordered one. And this was AFTER we asked them to check the order, after a third plate of sliders arrived at our table. (Luckily, this worked out perfectly since the serving size was so big, something a conscientious server would have mentioned.)

To top it all off, the stoned waitress spilled a entire glass of water on Abby. Not bothering to apologize, she just wandered off. When we complained to the manager, all he had were excuses. No apologies there, either. We walked off incredulous, exhausted, defeated, and out almost $200 collectively.

Undoubtedly the worst service I've ever experienced. I wouldn't eat there again if you paid me. At the very least, Jon and Vinny should issue a public apology to their diners for subjecting them to what I can only describe as a complete and utter clusterf*ck.

The Lobster Roll (a.k.a. Lunch)

(The 50th post! Happy reading.)

Occasion: Post-beach lunch with Abby, Elizabeth and Jill

Location: The Lobster Roll (a.k.a. Lunch) on the Montauk Highway in Napeague or Amagansett, depending on who you ask (lobsterroll.com)

Edibles: lobster rolls for me and Abby; shrimp roll for Elizabeth; fish and chips for Jill

Musings: Redolent of sunscreen and dusted with sand, we arrived. The place is pretty casual - we felt comfortable going in our swimsuits and cover-ups - but we also saw a Maserati convertible in the parking lot. You know you're in the Hamptons when...

While waiting for the food, I amused myself by coloring the paper placemat with the melty crayons provided at the table. Great fun!

The lobster roll was okay, but I've definitely had better; the lobster was pretty shredded and scrap-y. Jill's fish was wonderful, though. A Hamptons institution it may be, but Lobster Roll has a ways to go to catch up to Mary's or Pearl.

Top Chef Masters Ep. 9

Original Air Date: August 12, 2009

1) CJ = tall. Dale = obnoxious douche.

2) Wow, none of the chefs even came close to getting 50% in the blindfold taste test. I can't believe Anita Lo missed hoisin sauce!

3) Michael Chiarello has a serious Mr. Hyde in him. Who would have guessed he's such a drill sergeant in the kitchen?

4) Hubert really shone this ep. His multitude of dishes completely eclipsed his competitors' offerings, Anita in particular. I only wish the show had spent more time on the food preparation stage. Hubert was also very open-minded and warm with his sous-chefs. And he was rewarded with the first 15-star sweep of the critics! I wonder if he'd be available to cater my wedding...

5) Some fashion critique. What was up with James Oseland's weird jacket with those giant brown satin lapels? Loved Kelly's dress with the appliqué swirls (reminded me of fire-breathing Asian dragons) - but only from the waist up. It would have made a better blouse.

Hearth

Occasion: Pig Roast '09 with Mamie
Location: Hearth on E 12th at 1st Ave (restauranthearth.com)
Edibles: first course - frisée salad with gorgonzola, fried shallots and warm bacon vinaigrette; pork terrine with pistachios, served with pickled vegetables; second course - slow-roasted organic baby pig(!!); Swiss chard with breadcrumb topping; cannellini beans with tomato and sage; dessert - blueberry pie with vanilla ice-cream

Musings: Pork extravaganza!! As soon I heard that Hearth was doing this event, I knew I had to go, come hell or high water.

The salad was very strongly-flavored and astringent. It was a good accompaniment to the pork terrine, which was slightly bland. The main course was everything I had hoped for: great sides and a VERY healthy pile of juicy, tender, de-boned pork. Only one piece had skin on it, which was totally unacceptable, so I bummed some extra crackling from the chef. I was very happy indeed...

Everyone there seemed to be having a grand ol' time. The table two down from us, occupied by three cute, foreign-accented guys, asked their waitress for the pig's head. When it arrived, all three busted out their BBs to take pictures, then dove right in with knife and fork. My kind of guys!

Shake Shack

Occasion: Combined review - brunch with Catherine the Sunday before last (8/2) and frozen custard with Sylvia last Saturday (8/8)
Location: Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, at Madison and 23rd (shakeshack.com)
Edibles: double cheeseburger with Catherine; bellini-flavored frozen custard with Sylvia

Musings: Shake Shack (and I mean the original location, not that newfangled UWS one) is a true NYC institution. Yes, the burgers are amazing. But the real experience is waiting in the long-ass line in the shade of the park's trees, catching up with a friend, enjoying the urban outdoors.

Or so you hope. It started to pour just as Catherine and I got to the park that Sunday. The silver lining was that the line was only 5-people long. Unheard of! We got our burgers to go and dashed across the street to the Subway, where we got some sodas for the privilege of using their tables - and their roof! Despite the rain, it was still good.

(If the line is your dealbreaker, you may be interested to know that they have a webcam on the website that shows you the line in real time. As it instructs, plan accordingly.)

I don't get the frozen custard often. Not because it's not good, but because I'm usually torpid from all the fries, cheese and beef. So it's nice once in a while to go for the express purpose of the frozen custard. I had the pineapple-passionfruit years ago and I still remember it fondly. Saturday's bellini was also lovely.

The moral of the story: GO!

Mexican Radio

Occasion: Dinner with Kent

Location: Mexican Radio on obscure Cleveland Place between Spring and Kenmare (mexrad.com)

Edibles: carnitas plate for me; plantain relleños for Kent

Musings: Kent was craving his old neighborhood hangout, and I never need much convincing to try a new restaurant. The service and décor are pretty... well, rudimentary. But I was more than happy with my house margarita and my accurately named gigantic plate of shredded pork, served with tortillas, rice and beans.

I also bartered for a chunk of Kent's relleños. I love me some plantains, but have never seen them prepared this way. They were cheese-y and wonderful.

[Whew! What a busy weekend! I'm now finally caught up on my posts.]

Public

Occasion: Pre-shopping brunch with Abby
Location: Public on Elizabeth between Prince and Spring (public-nyc.com)
Edibles: the fry-up for both of us - eggs (scrambled for me, poached for Abby) on sourdough toast, tomatoes, mushrooms, and bacon for me

Musings: Lovely space. A lot of thought and effort (and money) obviously went into the décor, so I thought I'd spend a little time on it. The theme of the place is "public spaces," including the library....

....the post office....

....valet parking, etc. Pretty cool.

As I was starving at the time, I was a little miffed that they charge for bread. $3.50 for a muffin or scone! On principle, I didn't get anything.

The brunch menu was very eclectic, with such dishes as Turkish eggs (served poached, on Greek yogurt), boudin noir sandwich and venison burger. We both ended up getting one of the more mundane items, the fry-up. I thought it provided decent value at $11 ($13 for mine with the bacon). I'm not usually one to advocate non-functional garnishes, but I thought the plate needed a little chopped parsley or something to bring the separate elements together. (For a place that puts such a high premium on décor, you'd think they'd have fancier platings.)

I'd like to try dinner here sometime.

[Note: Dress shopping for Abby for Karen's wedding was successful! I also talked her into a pair of kicky beige patent ankle boots.]

Boka

Occasion: Dinner with Amy
Location: Boka on St Marks between 2nd and 3rd
Edibles: Bon Chon Korean fried chicken (of course!); scallop appetizer; tuna-kimchi roll; shrimp and crab (called Boston) roll

Musings: We shared the cocktail special which was basically a bottle of soju poured into a hollowed-out watermelon with some watermelon juice and Sprite. It was a smallish watermelon, but the cocktail basically filled it to the brim. Our waiter described it as serving 3-4. We polished it off by ourselves. Let's just say we were pretty giggly by the end.

I'm a little bit at a loss to adequately describe the magnificence of Korean fried chicken. I'll try. It's incredibly crispy, juicy, delicious... nope, words fail me. Just try it. Seriously.

I thought the scallop app was sort of meh. The sushi was not cheap - about $10 per roll - but it was a pretty generous size. Amy liked the kimchi roll better; I liked the Boston roll better. Fun dinner overall.

[Note: By request, I will mention that we went to Bar 82 afterwards and played a game of pool. Amy kicked ass.]

Dos Caminos

Occasion: Snack with Ben and Rebecca, after running into them in Madison Square Park

Location: Dos Caminos on Park between 26th and 27th (brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/dos_caminos_park/index.php)

Edibles: tableside guacamole to share; I had the salmon ceviche with mango salsa; Ben had the Mexican chopped salad with shrimp; Rebecca had the al carbon chicken tacos

Musings: The guacamole app at Mexican restaurants is nothing short of highway robbery. $12 for a dish, the ingredients of which cost $1? And yet I am helpless to resist. Part of the reason is because, for the life of me, I can't seem to make a good guac at home. It's not hard - it only has seven ingredients: avocado, lime, salt, cilantro, tomato, onion, jalapeño pepper. And most shamefully, it's been made right in front of my eyes over a dozen times. Ehh - what can you do?

The salmon ceviche was also tasty. I loved the mango salsa.

As a restaurant, Dos Caminos has its strengths. The food is good, it's consistently so, and the atmosphere is hip. The main minuses are that it's expensive and it's not particularly authentic. I like them for drinks and guac (gritting my teeth a bit over the price) after work.

Scuderia

Occasion: Long overdue dinner with my girls, Abby and Elizabeth
Location: Scuderia on Downing at 6th Ave (scuderianyc.com)
Edibles: shared Piccante pizza (spicy pork sausage, taleggio, rucola) to start; I had the pepper pappardelle with beef cheek ragu; Abby had the panzanella (tomato, cucumber and onion salad with big croutons); Elizabeth had the bucatini all'amatriciana bianca with guanciale and pecorino; shared ice-cream sundae for dessert

Musings: I was so psyched to see my girls that the food could have been terrible and it still would have been a good night. Happily, the food at Scuderia was excellent. The pizza was spicy but not too spicy for me to enjoy, wimp that I am. My pappardelle was fantastic - silky, fat ribbons of al dente pasta mixed with a hearty, meaty ragu. Loved it! Elizabeth's pasta (which I ate about half of) was also tasty, but I missed the tomatoes of a classic amatriciana.

I would definitely go back to the restaurant, but the company really made the night. As we sipped our wine and munched our way through dinner, we laughed, gabbed and weighed in on all sorts of miscellaneous topics. Girlfriends are the best. Ladies, we have to get together more often!

Hallo Berlin German Food Stand

Occasion: great-sunny-day-to-be-standing-outside-waiting-in-a-loooooong-line lunch
Location: Hallo Berlin German Food Stand on 54th at 5th Ave (halloberlinrestaurant.com)
Edibles: alpenwürst and bratwürst with fried potatoes, grilled onions, red and white sauerkraut

Musings: My sister had read an article about an award-winning German sausage truck in midtown and wanted to try it on her last visit. No luck. Not only did we fail to find it (not there on weekends, as I now know), but we also failed to find anyone in the vicinity who even knew what we were talking about. I figured it was an out-of-date article and gave it up as a lost cause.

When I walked past that corner today and spied 1) the long line and 2) the Hallo Berlin logo, it was a "Eureka!" moment. I immediately called my sister in California to report that the sausage truck was not a mythical beast. Next time you're in town, Allie!

The food is the same yummy stuff you can get at their Hell's Kitchen restaurant/bar. Or rather, vice versa, as the truck came first. The service is a little slow - it look 25 minutes for the guy to get through the 12 people in front of me.

Truly awesome specials: the Brezhnew and Honecker Dictators Special (No choice - 1 Berliner knockfrank, 1 bratwürst, 1 small soup) and the Barack Obama Democracy Special (Choice of any 2 würsts and 1 Bavarian meatball).

Follow Me Caffe

Occasion: Dinner with Kathy and Atticus
Location: Follow Me Caffe on 62nd between 3rd and Lex
Edibles: smoked salmon, goat cheese and cucumber sandwich; Kathy had the salad with cumin scallops; Atticus had the spinach-and-cheese crêpe; we all shared the hot fudge brownie with vanilla gelato for dessert

Musings: A cute, tiny place tucked away on a quiet street. By tiny, I mean that the restaurant is literally about 10 feet across and 30 feet deep. But so cute! Perfect for brunch.

My sandwich was a nice, light summer dinner. Atticus' crêpe looked workmanlike. It was Kathy's scallops, though, that had me drooling surreptitiously. I am definitely getting that salad next time. Thanks to Kathy and Atticus for introducing me to this UES gem.

Top Chef Masters Ep. 8

Original Air Date: August 5, 2009

1) Rick Bayless isn't fazed by anything! Offal, vegans, bring it on. Very impressed by his consistency.
2) Anita, on the other hand, woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something. What an ill-conceived Quickfire dish. And she was swearing while she was making it! Also, I don't buy her statement about liking eggplant really oily. (I disagree with James Oseland that grilling eggplant "isn't rocket science" - it's a tricky vegetable to cook. When you start, it seems to be just begging for more oil. Then when it's almost done, it crosses a line and starts to extrude all the oil it sucked up before. It likewise consumes all the seasoning you throw at it, but then ends up tasting like a spice rack because it doesn't have any native flavors for the seasoning to interact with. Quite tricky indeed.)
3) Two nice saves by Michael. I thought his "hamburgese enorme" (sounds dirty, doesn't it?) would be a disaster but he pulled it off. Ditto, that unpredictable quinoa pasta.
4) Art's dish was a mess - like a strawberry ice-cream murder scene. His and Hubert's styles of cooking were probably the most negatively impacted by the restrictions, but still...
5) I love how Gael Greene (and some of the chefs) kept saying "vegans" with the kind of tone usually reserved for "Martians" or "convicts" or maybe some unholy combination of the two. "God knows what they get to eat," Gael exclaimed. HA!! Poor Zooey Deschanel, gnawing on raw vegetables. That right there, my friends, is a life half-lived.

Blue Fin

Occasion: Lunch with Nellie
Location: Blue Fin on B'way at 47th (brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/blue_fin/index.php)
Edibles: tomato and fresh mozzarella salad; soft-shell crab BLT with sweet potato fries; almond cake with stewed plums; Nellie had watermelon gazpacho, the BLT and a white chocolate cremeux with fresh berries

Musings: The Restaurant Week 3-course prix fixe offers great value at $24. You just have to resist all the add-ons they push, the bottled water, wine and cocktails, coffee, etc. I was very pleasantly surprised by how refined and delicious the food was, given the neighborhood.

The salad starter was good. A little stingy with the mozzarella, perhaps, but the basil aioli dressing was fantastic. I tasted Nellie's gazpacho as well, and found it cleverly seasoned - it was distinctly a savory dish but didn't taste salty.

We both agreed that the open-faced BLT was a home run! The battered and deep-fried soft-shell was crispy, but still meaty and succulent. Three strips of perfect bacon, a fat slice of tomato, a few leaves of butter lettuce and sweet garlic sauce. And don't even get me started on the sweet potato fries on the side. Perfection. (I couldn't bear to leave any on my plate even though I was full, so I smuggled the leftover fries into my purse and ate them later that afternoon. Even cold, they were yummy.)

The desserts were beautifully made and presented. The fruits provided a nice acidity to balance the sweetness of the main component. A graceful finish to a wonderful meal.

Carl's Steaks

Occasion: Al fresco dinner with Yining on my building's roof deck

Location: (take-out from) Carl's Steaks on 3rd Ave between 34th and 35th (carlsteaks.com)
Edibles: cheesesteak with grilled onions, mushrooms and provolone; fries

Musings: Greasy, messy.... spectacular. Really took me back to my college days.

[Note: My new office number is an easy mis-dial for Carl's. Hilariously, I get calls at work from people wanting cheesesteak deliveries almost every day...]

Terroir

Occasion: Pre-movie (Funny People) dinner with Elizabeth
Location: Terroir on E 12th at 1st Ave (wineisterroir.com)
Edibles: Serrano ham; boerenkaase (cow's milk) cheese; black cabbage and pork sausage bruschetta; pork schnitzel with German potato salad; beets with orange and ground hazelnuts; olive oil cake with Riesling peaches

Musings: Amazing food!! I'm glad Elizabeth and I finally managed to get in here! We've tried at least two other times - it's always packed.

Very small servings on the ham ($6) and cheese ($4.50). Other items provided better value. Of those, the schnitzel and dessert were particularly noteworthy. The pork was fried to perfection and the German potato salad (with scallions, chopped pickles and bacon!) was a wonderful side. And that cake! It was sort of corn muffin-esque; I think it was made with semolina, giving it that rougher texture, but it was still very light and fluffy. I hate sickly-sweet cakes, but this one was very subtle and the peaches provided some pizzazz. Two thumbs up. I will definitely be back.