This post is just going to be a lot of babble, being that I don't know and can't pronounce the name of most of what I ate last night. But it was so good that it's absolutely worth blogging about.
Moooo. That's how I felt after dinner last night with my friend's extended Chinese family. Instead of the cliche Chinatown destinations, we headed for Bergenfield, NJ to a family favorite where Uncle Francis knew just about everyone there, including the manager and chef. :)
Everything was shared on a big, rickety lazy Susan in the middle of the table. The first dish - first of way way way too many - was a large plate with smoked fluke, spicy cabbage salad, those black ruffled mushrooms, marinated tofu and something I'm blanking on at the moment. The cabbage was delish...in a chili vinegar. That's the only dish I know for sure when it came, since it was first. The rest are a melange of delicious food. We had a bbq-type flavor roasted pork belly that you stuff into these little sesame pockets with some spinach. One of the best things I've ever tasted. It was warm and juicy and delightful. Some sort of funky Asian veggie and mushroom dish, that had a sort of celery-esque flavor. Good stuff. A whole fish in soy sauce with herbs arrived, as did Peking duck, served with the wraps, sweet hoisin sauce and scallions and cucumbers for a DIY wrap. Shaolon Bao (which I've totally misspelled but can pronounce!!) are juicy Shanghai style pork and crab dumplings that you eat in a soup spoon with dark soy and shredded ginger, sipping at the dumpling like a bowl of soup, then eating the whole thing. These things are seriously good shiz-nit. But the piece de resistence, the dish that the owner didn't serve to another customer and only gave us us, was pieces of blue claw crab (in the shell) and rice cake in a pork and black bean sauce.
What is rice cake? It's a cake made out of glutinous rice and sliced thinly into something that resembles thumb-sized noodles. When I first had it, I loved it, and this just reinforced my affinity for this traditional Shanghai food. The crab was yummy and my fingers may still be sticky from picking out all the meat. SOOOOOO DAMN GOOD.
Anyway, we were stuffed, needless to say, and yet there was still a bit more. A traditional rice pudding, which was stuffed with sweet red beans and pieces of fruit embedded in it. I can't really explain what it looked like. It's not creamy and spiced like American rice pudding. Instead it's a glutinous rice-based concoction. I don't know. It was good...and that's that.
Holy food batman. I'm not overly intimidated, but I think I'd struggle to both find this place again, as well as order without my friend's family around. But it sure was tasty!!!!
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Friday, July 6, 2007
Tiny Tartine: Yummy food, tight space
If you haven't yet, try the little BYO in the West Village known as Tartine (W4th & W11th, New York). But be prepared for a cramped space and a few plates bumping your arms as you try to lever a mussel to your mouth.
A tiny little hole in the wall, with maybe 30 seats and a handful of two-tops on the sidewalk, this place produced some seriously taste-good food for really reasonable prices. And my taste buds weren't even poisoned with alcohol, being that I forgot to bring a bottle in my haste to get there! Incidentally, I think there's a wine shop across the street, but we just didn't, for once, want to drink. Still recovering from Camp (see previous post).
I went with my frequent dining pal, Vanessa. With the amount of time I spend with this chick, it's no wonder I'm single!! But hey, what's a best friend for. Anyway, we decided to hit Tartine after delightful manis and pedis this warm Friday afternoon. Suffice to say, now we are both stuffed after dining at this delightful West Village French Bistro.
To start, we had a plate of three "goat cheese croutons", three slices of toasted baguette with herbed goat cheese melted across the top, served with ample fresh basil and some sweet, tangy roasted red peppers. Really great stuff. I could have stopped there and been happy, but where's the fun in that.
For main courses, we shared - yes what is a best friend for - two of them. The Indian curry mussels and the chicken pot pie-like puff pastry, whose name escapes me at the moment. Both were great. The mussels in particular tasted fresh and the broth was a good balance of clinging to the seafood and leaving plenty for dipping the crispy fries or bread in at the bottom. The puff pastry was light and flaky and oozed gravy, chicken and mushrooms, in that order. It was missing some sort of spice...maybe salt?...but since I can't pinpoint what, I'll just tell you that it was good regardless.
Dessert? As if we could fit it. Instead we brought a piece of cake back to take the the movies later. I'll let you guys know what dessert was like later.
Anyway, my only complaint, if I had one, is that the place is just too damn small. The tables are literally on top of each other, so if someone smells, you're screwed. The waitresses seemed harried and weren't super cheery, but also a little unaware of their surroundings. When one of the girls was chatting with a guy at the next table, the plates she was holding kept bumping into my friend's arms. Unnecessary contact and annoying.
So that's a wrap. Try it, but maybe consider sitting outside. Or losing a few pounds first so you're not bigger than a twig :)
Happy weekend!!!
A tiny little hole in the wall, with maybe 30 seats and a handful of two-tops on the sidewalk, this place produced some seriously taste-good food for really reasonable prices. And my taste buds weren't even poisoned with alcohol, being that I forgot to bring a bottle in my haste to get there! Incidentally, I think there's a wine shop across the street, but we just didn't, for once, want to drink. Still recovering from Camp (see previous post).
I went with my frequent dining pal, Vanessa. With the amount of time I spend with this chick, it's no wonder I'm single!! But hey, what's a best friend for. Anyway, we decided to hit Tartine after delightful manis and pedis this warm Friday afternoon. Suffice to say, now we are both stuffed after dining at this delightful West Village French Bistro.
To start, we had a plate of three "goat cheese croutons", three slices of toasted baguette with herbed goat cheese melted across the top, served with ample fresh basil and some sweet, tangy roasted red peppers. Really great stuff. I could have stopped there and been happy, but where's the fun in that.
For main courses, we shared - yes what is a best friend for - two of them. The Indian curry mussels and the chicken pot pie-like puff pastry, whose name escapes me at the moment. Both were great. The mussels in particular tasted fresh and the broth was a good balance of clinging to the seafood and leaving plenty for dipping the crispy fries or bread in at the bottom. The puff pastry was light and flaky and oozed gravy, chicken and mushrooms, in that order. It was missing some sort of spice...maybe salt?...but since I can't pinpoint what, I'll just tell you that it was good regardless.
Dessert? As if we could fit it. Instead we brought a piece of cake back to take the the movies later. I'll let you guys know what dessert was like later.
Anyway, my only complaint, if I had one, is that the place is just too damn small. The tables are literally on top of each other, so if someone smells, you're screwed. The waitresses seemed harried and weren't super cheery, but also a little unaware of their surroundings. When one of the girls was chatting with a guy at the next table, the plates she was holding kept bumping into my friend's arms. Unnecessary contact and annoying.
So that's a wrap. Try it, but maybe consider sitting outside. Or losing a few pounds first so you're not bigger than a twig :)
Happy weekend!!!
Camp Worthington
An aside, if you will indulge me, my two readers...
Camp Worthington Rocks.
Camp Worthington is this delightful summer digression, loaded with food, tea-partay prepster guys and copious amounts of alcohol. COPIOUS. Aside from my beer pong playing (yes, I regressed that many years), we had delish ribs, potato salad to die for - I choose to believe made with Hellmann's REAL Mayonnaise - and my very own Hellmann's Citrus Cake. We ate like kings and queens...burgers on order, lots of ribs, lots of fun. Oh! And the pig. See photo to come. We actually ate this roasted swine. :)
OK, back to the important things...what tastes good in big cities....
Camp Worthington Rocks.
Camp Worthington is this delightful summer digression, loaded with food, tea-partay prepster guys and copious amounts of alcohol. COPIOUS. Aside from my beer pong playing (yes, I regressed that many years), we had delish ribs, potato salad to die for - I choose to believe made with Hellmann's REAL Mayonnaise - and my very own Hellmann's Citrus Cake. We ate like kings and queens...burgers on order, lots of ribs, lots of fun. Oh! And the pig. See photo to come. We actually ate this roasted swine. :)
OK, back to the important things...what tastes good in big cities....
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Bad blogger....
For my two readers, I apologize for the delay. Traveling, work, living life have all gotten in the way of sharing my oh-so-educated opinions on what makes for good food. I do solemnly swear to update soon! :)
Up next: Wildfire Grill in Chicago, a bit about 'Real Food' from my experience here at Hellmanns (yes, I work for Unilever on the Hellmann's brand team), and a little bit about the wallet abuse I suffered a few weeks back at Mangia, a little cafe in midtown, just south of the Park.
Need to catch up prior to the four reservations I already have for restaurant week!!!!
Til then, happy eating! :)
Up next: Wildfire Grill in Chicago, a bit about 'Real Food' from my experience here at Hellmanns (yes, I work for Unilever on the Hellmann's brand team), and a little bit about the wallet abuse I suffered a few weeks back at Mangia, a little cafe in midtown, just south of the Park.
Need to catch up prior to the four reservations I already have for restaurant week!!!!
Til then, happy eating! :)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Refreshments found at Lucy Latin Kitchen
Lucy Latin Kitchen (www.lucylatinkitchen.com, 19th btwn Park and Broadway near Union Square.) is one of those great restaurants to go to with your girlfriends after work for fun food and even funner drinks. Well, it could just be that that's what I did...and what most of the tables around me were doing.
First, the drinks. My watermelon mojito was utterly delish. Sweet but not syrupy, refreshing and not overly mashed. I didn't end up with chunks of mint in my mouth like I did with the mango mojito at Mercadito Grove. Maybe my next blog should be a mojito search. Anyway, Vanessa had a Gingerita that was out of this world. It was uber tasty, with a gingery kick and totally unique taste. Jenn had the frozen Strawberry Pisco Sour. What's Pisco? No idea. But it was an amazing frothy strawberry goodness...with egg whites. Ok, now that is a little weird in retrospect. Regardless, HIGHLY recommend the drinks here.
The food...good stuff, if not super duper out of this world. We ordered a series of 'tasting' options so we could get a good sample. The empanada tasting gave us two small manchego/spinach puffs, a larger crab/shrimp concoction and a larger ropa vieja (old clothes) pocket. They were all fried and quite tasty, not at all drowning in their own oil. The sauces strewn across the plate were great for adding a little extra taste.
The ceviche tasting was also good, though a bit lopsided. By far, the best of the three was the hamachi ceviche, which features a citrus marinade and shredded jicama and green apple. Simply excellent. I could have picked up the little cup and drank the acidic sauce. The red snapper with olives and capers was a little far from what I expect in a ceviche. More Mediterranean than Latin, and it wasn't my favorite. The Rainbow ceviche, an Asian-influenced option, included tuna, salmon and snapper in a soy-sesame-citrus sauce. It was excellent, but paled in comparison to the hamachi. Mwah!
The highlight of the meal may have been the lobster guacamole, worth every cent of the $19 it cost. It felt like a never-ending plate of guac, with large chunks of lobster spread throughout. It was obviously fresh, bright green with plenty of tasty cilantro and lime. The chips it was served with where light and fresh-tasting, not overly oily on the lips. It was simply delicious. I would go back for this in a heartbeat.
We wrapped it up with a side of fried plantains. Instead of the sweet, slightly mushy fruit that I love, these were quarter-inch thick, length-wise slices of not-quite-ripe enough plantains. They were unremarkable, and we could have done without.
All in all, decent food and drinks...a great after work spot. Consider getting drinks and gorging on the guac. It's worth the trip.
First, the drinks. My watermelon mojito was utterly delish. Sweet but not syrupy, refreshing and not overly mashed. I didn't end up with chunks of mint in my mouth like I did with the mango mojito at Mercadito Grove. Maybe my next blog should be a mojito search. Anyway, Vanessa had a Gingerita that was out of this world. It was uber tasty, with a gingery kick and totally unique taste. Jenn had the frozen Strawberry Pisco Sour. What's Pisco? No idea. But it was an amazing frothy strawberry goodness...with egg whites. Ok, now that is a little weird in retrospect. Regardless, HIGHLY recommend the drinks here.
The food...good stuff, if not super duper out of this world. We ordered a series of 'tasting' options so we could get a good sample. The empanada tasting gave us two small manchego/spinach puffs, a larger crab/shrimp concoction and a larger ropa vieja (old clothes) pocket. They were all fried and quite tasty, not at all drowning in their own oil. The sauces strewn across the plate were great for adding a little extra taste.
The ceviche tasting was also good, though a bit lopsided. By far, the best of the three was the hamachi ceviche, which features a citrus marinade and shredded jicama and green apple. Simply excellent. I could have picked up the little cup and drank the acidic sauce. The red snapper with olives and capers was a little far from what I expect in a ceviche. More Mediterranean than Latin, and it wasn't my favorite. The Rainbow ceviche, an Asian-influenced option, included tuna, salmon and snapper in a soy-sesame-citrus sauce. It was excellent, but paled in comparison to the hamachi. Mwah!
The highlight of the meal may have been the lobster guacamole, worth every cent of the $19 it cost. It felt like a never-ending plate of guac, with large chunks of lobster spread throughout. It was obviously fresh, bright green with plenty of tasty cilantro and lime. The chips it was served with where light and fresh-tasting, not overly oily on the lips. It was simply delicious. I would go back for this in a heartbeat.
We wrapped it up with a side of fried plantains. Instead of the sweet, slightly mushy fruit that I love, these were quarter-inch thick, length-wise slices of not-quite-ripe enough plantains. They were unremarkable, and we could have done without.
All in all, decent food and drinks...a great after work spot. Consider getting drinks and gorging on the guac. It's worth the trip.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
New NY Times Darling - Light Horse Tavern, Jersey City
I had a meal last night that makes me not want to eat for a while. Between being SO stuffed and SO SO SO sated and deliriously happy, I want nothing to even try to top it.
Being that I'm playing the B&T gal these days, I thought maybe I should try eating on my home turf in NJ, specifically down the road in Jersey City. At the recommendation of my friend's colleague, we made reservations at Light Horse Tavern (http://www.lighthorsetavern.com/, Washington Ave, JC, NJ) for dinner on this cool Wednesday night.
Seriously. SERIOUSLY. DE-LISH. From the pack of cute guys having after work drinks at the bar to our shared dessert, this place delighted. Shall I share details? Of course.
Melissa and I were very promptly seated at a table upstairs in the loge after grabbing drinks at the bar. The waiter was attentive, save for one lapse during the meal when Meli needed some more wine, and was super helpful with the really freaking good menu. The selection featured anything from a burger to pork chops to halibut...classic American cuisine with polished twists in sauces and sides. There is a regular daily special each week (Wednesday is a giant crab cake with goat cheese ravioli), and a couple of off-page entrees. Now, if I was a real food critic, being paid to do this, we would have ordered a better variety, but here's how it went down:
We settled on the mussels appetizer, a bowl of tender mussels poached in Chimay (a Belgian beverage), shredded shallots and garlic, with tiny cubes of bacon and blue cheese that had melted into the broth. Big enough to share, with two baguette crostinis perfect for dipping, this was one of the best batches of mussels that I've had, surpassing even Monk's in Philly. The blue cheese added a tang to the broth that was unmistakably familiar, but still subtle. Meli and I said that you could have poured us a glass of the broth, and we would have drunk it, it was so tasty.
For dinner, we both had the crabcakes and ravioli. The ravioli were done al dente with delicious seasoning in the cheese. (I need to find a way of making them at home!!) Served with roasted roma tomatoes and a light tangy sauce (described on the menu as horseradish and lemon, but tasting much lighter than that), the enormous crab cake was much more crab than cake. Giant chunks of lump crabmeat melted in my mouth, and the seasoning was just right. Honestly and sadly, I couldn't finish it, though I tried valiantly. SOOOOOO good. It was one of the best entrees I've had in a very long time.
Finally, though we were stuffed to the gills, we ordered one of the specialty of the house desserts, a chocolate chip bread pudding. Soft, smooth and molded into a dainty cup, this silky bite of heaven had chocolate chips melting throughout and a small scoop of caramel gelato on top, with a thin chocolate wafer. We inhaled it, sadly enough. Yes, full as can be, but everyone knows there is a separate compartment for dessert. And this one fit right in it.
The food absolutely fits the restaurant at this place. The gorgeous space with the classic tin roofs, original artwork, large windows and well-spaced tables matches perfectly with the delicious American cuisine. It feels open and airy, but still comfortable with candles twinkling on the tables, bar and antique-looking furniture scattered around the rooms. It just feels good. And tastes good, of course.
Btw, check out the NY Times review of the place at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/10dinenj.html?ref=nyregionspecial2
Being that I'm playing the B&T gal these days, I thought maybe I should try eating on my home turf in NJ, specifically down the road in Jersey City. At the recommendation of my friend's colleague, we made reservations at Light Horse Tavern (http://www.lighthorsetavern.com/, Washington Ave, JC, NJ) for dinner on this cool Wednesday night.
Seriously. SERIOUSLY. DE-LISH. From the pack of cute guys having after work drinks at the bar to our shared dessert, this place delighted. Shall I share details? Of course.
Melissa and I were very promptly seated at a table upstairs in the loge after grabbing drinks at the bar. The waiter was attentive, save for one lapse during the meal when Meli needed some more wine, and was super helpful with the really freaking good menu. The selection featured anything from a burger to pork chops to halibut...classic American cuisine with polished twists in sauces and sides. There is a regular daily special each week (Wednesday is a giant crab cake with goat cheese ravioli), and a couple of off-page entrees. Now, if I was a real food critic, being paid to do this, we would have ordered a better variety, but here's how it went down:
We settled on the mussels appetizer, a bowl of tender mussels poached in Chimay (a Belgian beverage), shredded shallots and garlic, with tiny cubes of bacon and blue cheese that had melted into the broth. Big enough to share, with two baguette crostinis perfect for dipping, this was one of the best batches of mussels that I've had, surpassing even Monk's in Philly. The blue cheese added a tang to the broth that was unmistakably familiar, but still subtle. Meli and I said that you could have poured us a glass of the broth, and we would have drunk it, it was so tasty.
For dinner, we both had the crabcakes and ravioli. The ravioli were done al dente with delicious seasoning in the cheese. (I need to find a way of making them at home!!) Served with roasted roma tomatoes and a light tangy sauce (described on the menu as horseradish and lemon, but tasting much lighter than that), the enormous crab cake was much more crab than cake. Giant chunks of lump crabmeat melted in my mouth, and the seasoning was just right. Honestly and sadly, I couldn't finish it, though I tried valiantly. SOOOOOO good. It was one of the best entrees I've had in a very long time.
Finally, though we were stuffed to the gills, we ordered one of the specialty of the house desserts, a chocolate chip bread pudding. Soft, smooth and molded into a dainty cup, this silky bite of heaven had chocolate chips melting throughout and a small scoop of caramel gelato on top, with a thin chocolate wafer. We inhaled it, sadly enough. Yes, full as can be, but everyone knows there is a separate compartment for dessert. And this one fit right in it.
The food absolutely fits the restaurant at this place. The gorgeous space with the classic tin roofs, original artwork, large windows and well-spaced tables matches perfectly with the delicious American cuisine. It feels open and airy, but still comfortable with candles twinkling on the tables, bar and antique-looking furniture scattered around the rooms. It just feels good. And tastes good, of course.
Btw, check out the NY Times review of the place at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/10dinenj.html?ref=nyregionspecial2
East Japanese Restaurant: So So Sushi Experience
I’m a little delayed with this entry, but alas, here it is.
Sunday afternoon, I ate one of the great guilty pleasures in life – movie theater popcorn –while watching Ocean’s 13. (Though this isn’t a movie blog, I will give a brief overview: funny writing, good comedic timing, cute flick. You don’t see an Ocean’s movie without knowing how it will end. However, the one-liners, delivered in a charming deadpan by attractive people in great clothes…good stuff!!)
But I digress. It’s been so long since I had the popcorn that I can’t recall when they moved the butter to a DIY operation. And DIY I did. Not too much, just enough to get a taste of that so-bad-for-you buttery goodness. Hey, we all have to venture down the truly unhealthy path once in a while.
After the flick, my girlfriends and I made our way to East Japanese Restaurant, a kaiten (conveyor belt) style sushi restaurant at 366 3rd Ave, between 26th & 27th. Review: Eh. The experience is great…attentive wait staff constantly refill your water glass and tea cups, and there is a never a lack of ginger or wasabi, as small vats sit on the table. An array of nigiri and maki, as well as dessert items, roll past on a conveyor that goes by the tables and the sushi bar. As my friend Charlotte mentioned, it’s a fun place to take a sushi newbie.
The rolls are by far better than the nigiri pieces. California, Spicy Tuna, Philadelphia, etc etc etc. Just grab and go. However, the pieces of sushi were on the less fresh side on this particular Sunday afternoon. Not to the point of making me or one of my dining companions ill, but definitely not the crisp flavor that you can find up the street at my favorite sushi joint, Choshi. The best nigiri piece I had was the wasabi masago, which was delightfully, sinus-clearing spicy. I just love the feeling of the little masago-thingamajigs popping in my mouth!!
Price range from $2.25 - $4.50 and the variety is impressive. You end up with a stack of plates that are color coded to reflect the price, so when you’re done, the waitress picks up the plates and quickly calculates your bill. It’s similar to the dim sum method, and nearly as cheap. For three of us to eat until we were pretty darn full, we only rang up a $40 tab…far cheaper than I can rack up myself at some of the showier sushi places. (Note: the do special Tuna and Salmon nights on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, where the fish of the day is even cheaper. If only I lived closer…)
So, for a quick bite, fun little experience and OK, if not great, sushi, stop on in.
Sunday afternoon, I ate one of the great guilty pleasures in life – movie theater popcorn –while watching Ocean’s 13. (Though this isn’t a movie blog, I will give a brief overview: funny writing, good comedic timing, cute flick. You don’t see an Ocean’s movie without knowing how it will end. However, the one-liners, delivered in a charming deadpan by attractive people in great clothes…good stuff!!)
But I digress. It’s been so long since I had the popcorn that I can’t recall when they moved the butter to a DIY operation. And DIY I did. Not too much, just enough to get a taste of that so-bad-for-you buttery goodness. Hey, we all have to venture down the truly unhealthy path once in a while.
After the flick, my girlfriends and I made our way to East Japanese Restaurant, a kaiten (conveyor belt) style sushi restaurant at 366 3rd Ave, between 26th & 27th. Review: Eh. The experience is great…attentive wait staff constantly refill your water glass and tea cups, and there is a never a lack of ginger or wasabi, as small vats sit on the table. An array of nigiri and maki, as well as dessert items, roll past on a conveyor that goes by the tables and the sushi bar. As my friend Charlotte mentioned, it’s a fun place to take a sushi newbie.
The rolls are by far better than the nigiri pieces. California, Spicy Tuna, Philadelphia, etc etc etc. Just grab and go. However, the pieces of sushi were on the less fresh side on this particular Sunday afternoon. Not to the point of making me or one of my dining companions ill, but definitely not the crisp flavor that you can find up the street at my favorite sushi joint, Choshi. The best nigiri piece I had was the wasabi masago, which was delightfully, sinus-clearing spicy. I just love the feeling of the little masago-thingamajigs popping in my mouth!!
Price range from $2.25 - $4.50 and the variety is impressive. You end up with a stack of plates that are color coded to reflect the price, so when you’re done, the waitress picks up the plates and quickly calculates your bill. It’s similar to the dim sum method, and nearly as cheap. For three of us to eat until we were pretty darn full, we only rang up a $40 tab…far cheaper than I can rack up myself at some of the showier sushi places. (Note: the do special Tuna and Salmon nights on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, where the fish of the day is even cheaper. If only I lived closer…)
So, for a quick bite, fun little experience and OK, if not great, sushi, stop on in.
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