ryeandchampagne

Same problem here... damned bot-denying image. Going to try on my Mac at home and see if I have better luck...

Had dinner there last night with a party of 6. Ordered all the starters, except the greens and then had the skate, wild boar and the saag paneer. Unfortunately, I don't have time to go into detail, but the folks that I was with have pretty discriminating tastes and they were thoroughly happy with the meal. Really loved the foie gras terrine (so silky and flavorful), saag paneer, the crab dish, pig's foot and sweetbreads. The only dish that no one particularly cared for was the rice cake - the heavy cumin made it taste like you were eating chili. Tried the Ginger Rogers and the Electric Ladyland - both were very tasty. The ginger cocktail was definitely on the sweet side, but nicely balanced. It'll be one of my guilty pleasures when I'm in the mood for something girly - like the Earl Grey martini that I love so much. Great service, beautiful space... would definitely come back for another meal. It was bustling considering it was only the 2nd night open to the public.

Had a late dinner at Bar Boulud last night. The long narrow space is a bit disconcerting when you first walk in - not what I expected at all. Nothing about the decor really struck me, a lot of blonde wood, sleek and simple. We ordered a degustation of charcuterie to start - I believe we had the grand mere (they were out of the grand pere), one composed of rabbit and vegetables and one made of shredded beef cheek. Oh, and a bit of ham. The grand mere was our favorite. The lapin needed salt and was almost flavorless, while the beef cheek was fine. Maybe I'm being a bit of simpleton, but umm... the ham was ham? We started with a bottle of Cuvee Daniel champagne - so delicious. With dinner we had a wonderful Burgundy - brimming with strawberries. I have no idea what it was. Sorry! We let one of our beautiful and knowledgeable friends handle the wine. Ordered 5 dishes, all of the portions were larger than we expected, which was a nice surprise: Skate: it came highly recommended by our server; a very flavorful and well-executed dish, but not certain I would order it again. Just not my cup of tea, I suppose. I think it was a bit rich for my palate that night. Pasta w/ cuttlefish: for some reason this one jumped out on the page to a couple of us - not sure why, as it is very simple and something you might normally overlook. Anyway, it was very tasty - not too buttery, with the right amount of acid (lemon) to balance. Big portion. Frisee salad w/ chicken liver, poached egg: I just had a small bite of this and it was quite lovely. Again, a larger portion than I expected. Scallops: Only had a bite. Well-prepared and someone mentioned, perfectly cooked. The accompanying red cabbage was especially good. Coq au vin: AWESOME. ORDER IT. EAT IT. BE HAPPY. It was so good we gave some to a neighboring table. It was so good, I wanted to lick the plate. A very generous portion, yet again. I am going back for this dish specifically. One of my friends mentioned that although the music wasn't that loud, it was still hard to carry a conversation across our 4-top. The space doesn't "feel" noisy, though. Hmm. Btw, loved the music that they played. Coolio, Erykah Badu, etc. Being in our late 20's/early 30's, we thought is was fun and a bit nostalgic - not certain what the mostly older clientele thought. For dessert, we had the spiced pear tart, custard cake, coffee/chocolate tart and baba au rum, plus the orange-cinnamon, coconut and pistachio ice creams. I have a harder time talking specifics about dessert - suffice it to say, they were all good. Sorry I don't have more insight than that. Oh, one thing I should mention - sliding your fork into the coffee/chocolate tart is incredibly, devastatingly sexy. Something about the way the tart gives way... the texture, the softness - I can't explain it. They were also nice enough to pour us matching dessert wines - such a nice way to finish our meal. I am so happy that we have Bar Boulud now - I'm usually depressed when I have to think about where to eat when I'm going to Lincoln Center. No more - there's only one place I'll be going from now on. Ok, maybe Bouchon Bakery. Oh, and the bar at Jean-Georges.

Indeed, the word glans does have a *cough* more anatomically-correct definition. However, the pure Latin translation of the word IS acorn. It does put quite an interesting twist on my suggestion though... oh, lord. My bad, guys.

Jupiter's Acorn Walnut Infused Hine Cognac, Yellow Chartreuse, Amaro CioCiaro "Walnuts (genus Juglans) are plants in the family Juglandaceae. The Latin name Juglans derives from Jovis glans, 'Jupiter's acorn': figuratively, a nut fit for a god." A nut fit for a god - I kind of like that. Although I'm also a fan of Nathan's suggestion - Buena Noce.

2 stars is right on for A&D. An amusing subject came up during dinner last week. As a group of us were finishing up our entrees at A&D, we started discussing that as romantic the restaurant's atmosphere is, the rich food is not helping your chances of post-dinner... ahem, fun. If both of you are falling into a buttery food coma before dessert has hit the table - this does not bode well. The hamachi starter is basically the only light/healthy dish on the menu. Even the fish entrees come dressed with rich sauces, etc. And did anyone see the breakdown of the Beef, Cabbage and Onion dish that NYMag did a few weeks ago - holy crap, I almost had a heart attack when I read that. Some things are better left shrouded in mystery. Normally, I order with no regard to calories or fat grams (basically anything with foie gras makes the cut), but sometimes I'll feel like something sprightly - something that makes me feel like I've made a responsible dinner choice. I wonder what all the model types do when they stroll into A&D for dinner... A bar menu might be a nice addition. I've seen quite a few people eating a full dinner at the bar, but it would be a friendly gesture to have a small menu of nibbles for those folks who walk in for a civilized drink or two. My two cents.

A couple of people have recommended a new restaurant on Essex, near Delancey, called Le Lupanar. They are cash only and BYOB at this point in time. I have not had a chance to check it out yet, so the good things I heard about the food is purely hearsay. Might be worth checking out though.

Like BryanZ, I also stopped by PDT on Saturday night - it had been about one month since my last visit and probably 2-3 months since my last "serious" visit. "Serious" meaning going with an adventurous friend and spending enough time there to make a considerable dent in the menu. The staff was kind enough to seat my friend and I at a table right away, explaining that there was a reservation for it in 30 minutes. They offered to seat us at the bar as soon as something opened up. They were even able to accommodate a third person that was joining our party later in the evening, by squeezing in an extra bar stool - I couldn't have asked for better or more gracious service. On to the cocktails. I started with what seemed like a variation on a Jack Rose that was the special cocktail of the week. It was great - I usually don't go for cocktails that sweet, but it was quite tasty. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name or what was in it - sorry! My friend started with a Rye Witch - I'm trying to get him to expand beyond just bourbon Our second round consisted of a Harvest Sling and a Vieux Carre - both lovely. Man, I love Benedictine. We also tried the Paul's Club cocktail - complex with interesting flavors. I could definitely detect the vinegar, but it was well balanced by the sweetness. The Ricard float was a little strong in the first few sips, but it's always nice to have a cocktail change over the course of time. We also wolfed down 2 Chang dogs, which were great. I would have preferred the kimchi puree to have a bit more oomph - it was spicy, but I like my kimchi a bit more pickled and pungent. This visit reminded me how much I like this place. Just my two cents

I've been twice during the past couple of weeks and personally, I like it. Favorite dishes include the bone marrow, raviolo and dorade. I think it definitely fills a void in the LES dining scene. Yes, there's WD-50 (which is lit like a school cafeteria) and maybe Falai, the Orchard, etc. when talking about other "thoughtful" cuisine, but A&D will hopefully will be the hip, sophisticated place that I think Stanton Social tried to be, but failed miserably at. Great atmosphere - it's sexy, without being intimidating or trying too hard. One gripe - I hope they do something with their cocktail menu - the variation on an old-fashioned I had was pretty poor. I switched to wine after that, not wanting to try another cocktail.

I've given EO several tries and it's failed to impress me. First time I went, I had a sidecar that had so much lemon juice, it was undrinkable. I have been served unbalanced drinks during subsequent visits as well - when it's been ten people deep and also when I've been one of the only people there. I haven't been back in a very long time. I think it's just the nature of the establishment - it gets so damn crowded that I'm certain the bartenders don't have the time to give proper attention when mixing. Also, I don't think the crowd that frequents EO is there to really appreciate a great cocktail. I tend to think of EO as a trendy bar that has attempted to create an interesting menu beyond just cosmos. That a true cocktail bar does not make. In my opinion, it's not even close to the same level as Pegu, Death & Co and the like. If people think there's a reason I should give it another go, I'm always open to the idea.

Thanks so much for your exhaustive reviews from BA. I was there last Thanksgiving and it's been great re-visiting some of my favorite restaurants by reading your posts. Although, my biggest regret was not finding out about Casa Saltshaker until I was back in the states - I was so disappointed. Fortunately, this gives me an excuse to go back! If you haven't already, I would consider taking a trip to one of the many estancias out in the country. It was one of the highlights of my trip. I met some amazing people, ate wonderful food and got to horseback ride to my heart's content. There are also some estancias where you can learn to play polo!