anthonybishopric

I think I read this line about nine times before I stopped coming up with witty retorts, none of which will be posted...thanks for that, the great descriptions, and for taking us along on your vacation! I'm full just reading about it. A little drunk too, but mostly full. Thought of you when I took first-timers to Otto on Sunday; they LOVED it. I really hope you'll get a chance to pop in for some Carbonara and a quartino at some point! ← There was honestly no other way to describe it. I was sad that I only had raisin bread next to me, and I felt like it would have been inappropriate to sweep up the sauce with it. It's been a pleasure so far! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

But sweetbreads are the thymus gland! Or the pancreas. But at least you enjoyed them! ← Yeah, I had no clue that's what they were. I definitely *did* enjoy them though!

Tuesday, March 11 Ridiculous, ridiculous day. Started out with Maze for lunch, so I ended up walking through the lower part of Central Park and paid a visit to the Apple store underground. I also did a little window shopping, but I eventually made it to The London. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but when I sat down, the neighboring tables were filled with British people. A nice couple to my right, who were on vacation, had come down to the restaurant for a meal and we ended up gossiping about Mr. Ramsey. Spiced Scallops, Raisin Puree, Cauliflower Smoked Pork Belly, Caramelized Apple, Fingerlings Strawberry Cheesecake, Pistachio Ice Cream Peanut Brittle, Chocolate Balls with Caramel Filling The first two dishes were especially nice. The scallops were very tender, the outer surface characterized entirely by the spiced layering and not the flesh of the scallop itself. The mildly sweet raisin puree gave it a nice balance. The smoked pork belly, which was very different than the belly at Momofuku, was nice and lean, and well matched with the other elements. I did have a problem cutting it though, I think they should have brought a sharper knife for the second course, or at least positioned the plate so that I would be cutting along, not against the fibers. I honestly thought the cheesecake was a bit boring. The strawberry inside the cheesecake was a filling like from a Dunkin Donut, and not very tasty. The grated pistachios added a nice crunchy, fatty texture, but I felt like the ice cream itself could have been nuttier. Overall, it was a good dessert, but I wasn't rolling on the floor. The chocolate balls were nice though, the caramel was nice and creamy, and the peanut brittle was enjoyable. The manager of the restaurant was nice enough to let me see the kitchen, where I played the tourist and douched around a bit. Gordon was out of town, apparently. Oh well, maybe next time. So, I've really been dropping the ball on my designated coffee places. Instead of Sabarsky or Quadrono, I ended up swinging into an espresso shop on Park called Zibetto, who brewed with Danesi. I got a macchiato that reverberated with Italianness. It was sharper and less sweet than other espressos I've had so far. I think this was the tastiest of them too. Then came dinner and cocktails at Tailor. This place took advantage of my sweet tooth in absurd ways. I had the tasting menu, which had several substitutions (I was sad at first because they got rid of the Peanut Butter Foie that I had been looking forward to. They made up for it though) Walnut Tart, Cucumber Veal, Parmesan Balls, Toast Oil Grilled Octopus, Coffee Soil, Marjoram Monkfish, Barley Risotto Pork Belly, Miso Butterscotch Sauce I was really upset because I forgot to take a picture of this one when I got my dish. I got through one of the cutlets when I realized what I had done and tried to clean up the plate to get a good shot. Unfortunately, the stickiness of the sauce got the whole plate dirty, and I couldn't get it together. Grapefruit Foam, Grapefruit Sorbet, Basil Leaves Beet Parfait, Chocolate Cream, Tangerine Puree Cilantro Cotton Candy I also got three of the cocktails: Blood & Sand, Violet Fizz, and South Central. We can thank the first two for the absent Pork Belly photo. I also made it two thirds of the way through South Central before I switched to espresso - I'm such a lightweight that they actually comp'd the last drink, which I thought was very nice of them. Ok, lets talk about this. First off, the walnut tart was a nice introduction to the meal. The watery nature of the cucumber helped offset the rich nuttiness. I was working on Blood & Sand at the time, which is basically one of the tastiest drinks I've ever had. I loved the foam on top, which was made of vosa (sp?) from seaweed, and whiskey aromas that wafted through the foam to mimic an herbal tea scent. Absolutely delicious. Then came veal. This is almost certainly the best small dish I have ever eaten. The texture of the parmesan balls, lightly crispy on the outside, tender and savory veal mixed with what I think was some kind of tapioca, was an amazing combination of textures and tasted marvelous. The vertical orientation of the dish was done on purpose to move from front to back, giving the dish a wonderful timeline. I cleaned off the Blood & Sand in the post-coital moments, totally euphoric. The octopus's long tentacles were a nice transition into meatier territory, but that always present sweet combination was definitely there in the coffee soil. I thought this was very good. One level of meatiness up came the monkfish, which is a richer and thicker aquatic creature than I was used to, and paired well with the creamy risotto. Violet Fizz was out by this point, which did nice things to combine the citrus tastes with cream (I think I had seen the process of integrating citrus and dairy done before, so this was a nice revisitation). The pork belly was great, although I was concerned because I had eaten pork belly at lunch earlier, and they subbed this in place of the lamb. One funny thing about the dish was the butterscotch miso sauce, a flavor combination that Bryan uses in some pork buns he makes for guests. The belly itself was a very good cut with nice even layers of fat and meat. I thought the butterscotch sauce was almost cloyingly sweet though, but given the sugar rush, I was all over it. For desserts, the grapefruit dish cleaned up the richness of the earlier dishes with aggressive "fresh" flavors. The basil leaves accented the citrus well. But what really got me was the chocolate beet parfait. This thing, which looks like a pirate ship to me, was without a question, the best dessert I have ever eaten. Again, a wonderful combination of textures with the beet chips and chocolate cream, the tastes were amazing in union. The vegetal undertones of the beet brought out the chocolate in amazing ways, and a little dip in the tangerine brought a lovely sharp citrus flavor to the dish. Overall, killer. I gobbled up the complementary cotton candy while I was paying the bill too. I was still excited by the herbal + sweet combinations from the other things I had. Full and drunk, I stumbled home. Gracious sakes. Tomorrow: Eleven Madison Park, Gimme! Coffee, Lupa

Monday, March 10 Unfortunately, I didn't get around to doing kyotofu today, so I've done a little switch up. I'm going to do two coffee places tomorrow (Via Quadrono and Café Sabarsky), and I'm doing Kyotofu the day of Jean Georges, to make up for it. I started off the day by going to one of New York's "institutions" for good French eats: Balthazar. I had heard that star siting happens there a lot. Sure enough, Shawn Ashmore (or Iceman, if you prefer) was sitting at the table in front of me. Not that it made the food taste any better. This was probably the yuppiest place I've been in town thus far, the people eating next to me almost identical to some comical stereotypes of wealthy New Yorkers. Lunch was pretty tasty though. Roast Pumpkin Salad Lamb Sandwich, Pomme Frites Black Raspberry Tart Every plate was presented in a very straight-forward way, no fuss. Additionally, everything was just good. Nothing out of control or unexpected, things rolled the way you thought they might, generally leaving me at the end of the meal with "well, cool." Ok, there were two things that did strike me. One, the bread for the lamb sandwich couldn't have been more than an hour old, so the crust was wonderfully crunchy and the matter of the bread warm from the oven. A big plus for a bread hoe like myself. On the negative, the tart crust was kind of tough, but the fruit mix held up on its own. In stark contrast, Casa Mono felt like an assault on all things boring. I got there around 8:45 and the hostess sat me at the bar facing the kitchen. Not only was the attitude here much less douchey, the food was beautiful. Foie Gras, Cinco Cebollas Sweet Breads, Fennel al Mono Quail with Asparagus and Shiitakes If I could redo tonight, I would bring a friend, because a) I wanted to have more from the menu and b) it would have been good to share some of this stuff. The Foie Gras was a cool Spanish take on traditional foie gras and toasted bread, with tons of caramelized onions and other veggies all over the plate (perhaps a little too much). The sweetbreads were not what I was expecting at all. Weighted under a significant amount of breaded matter, I discovered a bit of cow's meat that I had never eaten before; the thymus gland. There's a first time for everything right? The quail dish was my favorite of the three, partially because the tastes were more precisely organized, partially because they left the claws on the bird. All three dishes were extremely good by themselves, but I do wish I had known just what was inside the sweet breads before I ordered. The thymus, which made a surprise appearance, successfully confused me into thinking I was eating a terribly obese quail before my waitress corrected me, was a lot of fat for one meal, especially right after a dish with a hunk of foie gras the size of my fist. Nevertheless, quite good. Then there was dessert. Goodness. Plum Brandy Ice Cream, Arrope, Grated Almonds, PX 2004 Cortada Rounding out the intense Spanish foods was this ice cream sundae, another take on the traditional recipe. Chunks of plum brought home the fruitiness of the ice cream, the almonds performing well as the texture maker, and the Arrope and PX made it very clear that I would not be able to drive this evening (Bryan - well, everyone - makes fun of me for being such a lightweight). The cordata worked very differently from the macchiato I had the day before. The drink definitely had more milk to it, and the espresso itself was silkier. Perhaps a little less concentrated flavor as a result, but it still had a good acidity (low) and worked pretty well with the ice cream, aside from the raging amounts of liquor tended to overshadow it. Tomorrow: Maze, Via Quadrono, Café Sabarsky, Tailor

Sunday, March 9th Today was a very good day for eating. This morning, my aunt, cousin, and I took a cab over to Gramercy Tavern for brunch, which was a real treat. Bryan had described their type of food as "barnyardlike," and on entering that made sense, sort of. I really appreciated the dark, professional feel slammed with buckets full of flowers and colorful decor. The waitress brought us the lunch menus, and I requested to see the cheese menu too, which paid off. Plate of Three Cheeses, Artisan Bread from Balthazar, Honey and Apple Confit Blanking on the names right now, but from left to right, a grainy harder slice, a mild, sweeter and softer cow's cheese, and a slice of sharp, salty blue roquefort. These went very well with the breads we had. Mussel & Fennel Chowder, Saffron Sprinkling Seared Flute on Beets, Lardons and Cream Pork Sandwich The winner here was the pork sandwich, with many parts of the pig present. Bacon, loin, and at least one other, under which crisp greens and spicy jalapeños was incredibly satisfying and savory. My dish, the flute and beets, was visually amazing; the white fish, swimming in a pool of bright violet vegetal matter with swirls of cream running through the red. The fish was extremely well cooked, the outside nice and crispy but still tender, and worked well, especially when you found a little bit of bacon. Dessert was also spectacular. Milk Chocolate Bacon Tart, Creme Fraiche Apple Crisp You can see little chunk-lets of bacon on the tart that added a nice salty, fattiness to it. The creme fraiche provided the light sourness that pulled the whole thing together. I also looooove the way the apple crisp was presented. The tray looks like it's straight from a farm cottage kitchen set; the oatmeal everywhere and warm chewy apples made it the ultimate comfort food. Gramery Tavern rocked. After we got back home, I took a break and then headed out again around 6 to find 9th Street Espresso, located in the middle of Alphabet City. I got there and found the place about half-full with twenty-somethings chatting away. Their logo, a minimalist white-on-black coffee cup on a plate, was all over the place, I was half looking for the merch booth where I could buy a shirt. Macchiato One of the first things I noticed was the total absence of any kind of bitterness. Unlike Starbucks, this coffee didn't actually hurt to drink. Crazy right? Losing the bitterness let me taste the subtleties of the coffee, which were truly excellent. I'm still getting a hang of this, but I could definitely taste ripe fruit and a little chocolate in the back. Really a nice little drink, and a nice cafe. If only I lived here, I would be here all the time. So, amongst all the Momofuku Ko insanity, I thought maybe people would be focusing their energies on getting a reservation, and Ssäm bar would be a little less crazy. Wrongo. Just to sit one, I had to wait about half an hour for the bar to clear out. In the end, it was quite worth it. Sea Urchin, Tapioca, Whipped Tofu, Scallions (The ubiquitous) Pork Buns Rice Cakes, Spicy Sausage The sea urchin dish almost made me laugh when I took the first byte. Four textures, warm sweet chewy tapioca, creamy urchin meat, foamed tofu, and crunchy scallions combined into one bowl was a pretty absurd experience. I'd eat that twice. The pork buns worked exactly how I'd expected them to. Slightly sweet hoisin, fatty, (I'm assuming) sous-vide pork belly in a fluffy bun, they were pretty straight-forward, and pretty delicious. The rice cakes were not, on the other hand, what I was expecting. They were chewier, like an Asian version of Gnocchi, instead of being more like patties covered in sausage. This last dish finished off dinner especially well. Between the pork buns and rice cakes, I had the pleasure of meeting the person sitting next to me, who revealed that she herself was spaetzle_maker on egullet. I had a very pleasant conversation with her about food and my trip; she also recounted not one, but two, experiences at Momofuku Ko, which sounded unbelievably tasty (unreal: frozen grated foie gras with a riesling sauce is on the menu). In general, it was really cool being able to go to Momofuku and basically meet somebody like that, and meeting spaetzle made my evening all the more awesome. Tomorrow: Balthazar, Kyotofu, Casa Mono

Saturday, March 08 I got to my Aunt's apartment late on Friday and still hadn't made plans for Saturday eats, so we kind of winged it. My aunt was nice enough to make a tasty lunch for us, so my first meal on this tour was home cooking! Beef & Parsnip Stew Homemade Walnut Bread with Sunflower Seeds and Cheese Grits Crust The stew was made with a slow cooker, with lots of wine and rooted veggies, and really tasty for a cold and rainy day. The bread was delicious, and the grits made the crust savory, but not so cheesy that it took over the nuttiness of the bread. Thanks Suzanne! On a whim, cousin William and I decided to go to Dévi for dinner. Just as a disclaimer, the lighting was really low, and this was my first shot with this camera in a restaurant setting. Not shown here, I got a "Madras Margarita," basically a mango margarita with cayenne on top. Amuse: a rich spinach potato cookie in a chutney sauce. Bhel Puri The cute ziggurat-shaped mound of puffed rice, potato and tomatoes felt more like a sweet salsa, so it worked well as an appetizer, and got us ready for two big, meaty main courses (again, sorry about the quality. My food photo taking skills are improving already) Chicken Schnitzels (Giant) Coconut Shrimp Biryaani Lots of good spices in the schnitzels, the batter was very rich. The chicken itself was well cooked, although without the batter, the chicken didn't stand out. William's Biryaani was nice with a good textural contrast between the sweet base and the shrimp. By and large, the highlight of the evening for me was the dessert. Fig Cake with Ice Cream Saffron Ice Cream and Cookies My saffron ice cream reminded me of a Turkish-owned ice cream shop near my old house in California, so I got the nostalgia factor going on in addition to the nice, smooth, super creaminess cut by the cookies. Overall, Dévi was definitely not traditional Indian food. It was cool to kind of see some modern influences in the food, especially visible in the presentation. The restaurant itself was packed last night, with many couples sitting next to William and myself, and several parties waiting at the door. Tomorrow: Gramercy Tavern, Ninth Street Espresso, Momofuku Ssäm Bar.

The site momofukuko.com just started redirecting people to momofuku.com. Is something afoot?

So I'm leaving for my trip tomorrow and Bryan has been courteous enough to let me borrow his camera for the trip. That fixes that problem. Just as a side note, I interviewed in San Francisco last weekend for a cool developer position and some of the guys took me out to eat at Cortez. We got lots of small plates which were very tasty, and had some good cocktails too (the basil jalapeño martini stood out). My palate is ready for a week of fine dining, I'd say.

Ok, not sure what I meant by Boba now that I look back. I think I was thinking "Soba Ya," but it came out as a dyslexic kid's embarrassing, total inability to read. Soba Totto looks good too. Will keep it in mind.

The week-long liquid diet after a long European binge doesn't have to be financial - when you reach the saturation point (hopefully not before the end of your trip), the point comes after all that somewhat rich food that you just can't face food any more. I was waiting to bring up the question of whether you're up to this kind of an eating marathon, and if you have an escape plan? This has happened to me on several trips to France, and it's bad when you have a "big" gastronomic restaurant saved for the end and realize that you just can't face any more food. In one case, I had to cancel a 3-star restaurant because the thought of eating another big meal was impossible. On another trip, I had for months carefully researched Michelin restaurants in the region where I was going, and it paid off- the meals were spectacular. Of course, I'm older than you and Bryan, but on that trip, we lasted three dinners, and then had to take a break - completely disrupting our schedule and all the carefully made reservations. Though when I was in my 20's and 30's this was never a problem, because even though I'd wake up bloated, I'd skip lunch and find that my capacity for gluttony would always return just about 2 hours before dinner- thankfully! So in the event that your ability to eat that much food peters out, be sure you have some plans to salvage the "musts" on your list. ← Yes, I did mean to say that his purge was both financial and bloat-related. I've thought of a few ways to take care of this during the trip, and being my first time doing this sort of thing, I am trying to be a little pre-cautious. - Aside from 3-course lunches, I will probably focus dinner w/o the appetizer or dessert and rely on my coffee adventures to fill those holes. This is both for financial and eating related issues. Granted, if I'm hungry enough, I may just go ahead and order the extra plate. I'd say my capacity to eat a lot is pretty good. - I also kind of left the early hours of the day somewhat blank. I think if I start of the day, say at 9 or 8, with a light jog, that may provide the extra metabolic boost to make it through the rest of the day's eating. We'll see if I actually force myself to do this or what. - While it's not classy, and I probably won't do it at more of the haute places, I may box up anything I can't eat and take it to go. I know my relatives in-town wouldn't mind giving up refrigerator space for leftovers from some of these places. Overall, I'm excited to see how this plays out. Thanks for the advice though.

Cheap eats are where it's at. Thanks for the suggestions! I get the feeling that I may only be able to afford iceberg lettuce and saltines for a while after this trip. Bryan did a week-long liquid diet after his European crash course that I found horrifying; I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. The funny thing about that post on chowhound, is that I'm pretty sure Setagaya hasn't changed much at all; people were just slurping up the hype, as it were, when it first opened. laughable ← That's a shame because all I had seen was hype about the place. What do Totto or Boba offer that are particularly cool? Also, if you guys have suggestions about certain dishes at any of these restaurants that you feel are too good to pass up, by all means, please let me know! I've heard rumors of tasty sweet bread at Casa Mono, for example.

Ok, checking out Kyotofu, I'm really interested in the Japanese influenced dessert thing going on. I'll put Tasting Room on hold unless I get the urge for coffee during the off-hours. Olive oil gelato sounds delicious. Consider moving Gramercy Tavern to a weekday so you can eat in the dining room. The Tavern Room is good, but the main dining room probably fits the purpose of your trip a little bit better (plus its about the same price at lunch). Getting a reservation early in the week shouldn't be to big of a problem. I was there today and it was only about half full. ← That's probably a good idea if they're the same price. I'll probably switch Tabla and Gramercy then (but I want it sooner! bah)

Definitely looking into it. I still have a few days that need coffee breaks. Well taken. I mean, I'm pretty much eating for one at all these places, except for Jean-Georges with my Aunt, so hopefully it won't be too bad. Yeah, they're not listed right here, but I'm checking out PDT and Death & Co., among a few places. I've also heard that Tailor's cocktail program is pretty sick, so I'll probably try that out. Kathryn, why would you replace TRW&B? Does Kyotofu have coffee? (not doing tea, really) There we go. I've got Momofuku Ssam Bar on the list too, giving me three "Asian" food places. Bryan asked if I would rather go to Devi than Tabla, which seems more Indian, so I'm also not super positive on Tabla as well. In terms of overall variety, I want to sample a lot of different types of food, but I'm missing out on a few key genres that I wanted to do (eg. Burgers, niche food, etc...) so I'm trying not to overload on any one kind. Yeah, the whole Otto vs. Lupa thing is bothering me too. One suggestion I got was to remove Otto and put a Spanish restaurant in its place; weino suggested Casa Mono, which is looking good. I have heard amazing things about this place. It's not going anywhere. Thanks everybody for your feekdback! I'll report again once more develops.

Here's a different representation of the same schedule, with times, location, etc...

Hey everyone! This is my first post on eGullet, so I'm still getting a feel for the forum business. I want to share with you what I'll be doing for Spring Break this year: a food tour of New York. My roommate and friend Bryan Zupon has inspired me to not only take this trip, but also to document it in some meaningful way. My major goal for this trip is to get a feel for some of the tastier food in the city and to learn more about food and drink in general. I'm excited about being able to post on a forum like this because it will give me an opportunity to get on-the-fly advice and suggestions from people that have more experience with 'fooding,' such as yourselves. Bryan's helped me figure out most of the restaurants I should go to, based on cost and deliciousness. While I'm still in school at Duke University now, I basically have been, and continue to be a computer programmer working part-time or full-time, depending on when you ask. Of course, along with programming comes the need for excessive amounts of coffee. It just so happens that I love coffee but I have been so busy drinking too much of it to really notice the subtleties, so my next goal while I'm in NY will be to find, learn about, and enjoy good coffee and espresso. Here is my plan of attack. I have scheduled two restaurants every day for lunch and dinner, and either between them or before lunch, a trip to a café. Once I get to New York, I'll first set up digs at my Aunt's apartment (she is generously letting me sleep on her sofa during this escapade) and then start eating the next day. My tentative schedule is here. I fly into New York on March 7, in the evening. You'll notice that I haven't scheduled anything for either Saturday, which is on purpose in case Auntie wants to make a meal or go to one of her dining recommendations (last time we went to that revolving restaurant in the Marriot @ Times Square, which just seemed overpriced and slightly nauseating). However, if you guys have suggestions for places to go, help a tourist out. My flight back to North Carolina is on March 16th, giving me 8 solid days of food exploration to have fun with, plus a lunch on Sunday. Between now and break, I'm going to try and get a camera so I can document my journey visually.