HungryHoward

Ryne - Thanks for the report. Great to hear that others continue to enjoy MK. It's disturbing that they forgot your pomme frites. We'll have to get you back soon to enjoy them. (edit for clarity -- HR)

Hmm... we didn't interact with the sommelier. It was a quick review of the Pinot Noirs and our server's recommendations among two bottles. Seperately, in talking with the restaurant manager, we learned that she's headed to Tuscany this week to tour a handful of wineries. I wouldn't be surprised if they bulk up their Italian offerings.

Had a great dinner at MK this evening. Service was strong, food superb and the room was very comfortable and definitely lively. As a disclaimer, my dining companion is one of those "frequent MK diners" who receives the "great seeing you again" and other pleasantries from the servers and manager. Anyway... Here's what we ended up ordering off Mk's current menu: Starters... Both of us ordered the foie gras, "sautéed hudson valley foie gras, roasted pineapple, duck confit and chiles." The dish was superb, and worked well with the roasted pineapple. The duck confit was an interesting accompaniment that wasn't needed and didn't add to our overall enjoyment. We both decided that this was the highlight of the meal. Awbrig, you know where to go now to get your foie gras fix. Entrees... I was very pleased with the venison, described as "roasted venison loin with spiced sweet potatoes, bitter greens and ginger scented red wine sauce." I ordered it medium rare and it arrived perfectly. My dining companion went with the dish titled tuna again, described as "ahi tuna seared rare, sautéed spinach and mushrooms." Nicely prepared and sizeable piece. Of course, the pomme frites are simply to die for. Desserts... Mindy Segal is a goddess. I inhaled the meyer lemon, "a warm lemon meringue bombe, a lemon curd tartlet tropical fruits and mango passion fruit sorbet." Mmm... tartlet. For the other dessest, we queried our server on his preference of the cake and shake or the milk and cookies (volume II). Without a stutter, it was the milk and cookies, described as "a valrhona milk chocolate and peanut butter pan cookie peanut butter ice cream and port wine caramel." Beyond just food, we started with Belvedere martinis and a nice bottle of Pinot Noir from Sonoma. Of course, the vineyard escapes me and it's not on the wine list. There was also the coffee service, which explains why I'm still up typing away and not catching some zzzz's. I look forward to my return visit.

A paltry 22 ...

Tammy / Awbrig -- Thanks for the suggestions. Of course, the frites and the Meyer Lemon are a must. I haven't seen the monkfish on the menu for some time, but hope it's there this evening. That dish, accompanied by lobster meat, was a big hit when MK first opened.

Heading over to MK this evening. Scanning the online menu, looking forward to enjoying the foie gras and the venison -- which I've enjoyed in the past. Or, for starters, may order the caviar parfait, even if it's not on the evening's menu. If you have any other suggestions, let me know. I'll be sure to report back. Thanks.

Mark Bittman actually wrote a pretty extensive article on cooking with his crock pot in the Jan. 29 New York Times. It included recipies for short ribs and a few other items. Unfortunately, the artice is now part of the Times' web site archive as it's more than a week old. But it could be yours for only $2.95.

Hope you all have a great time tonight at Opera. We went back in early December and enjoyed ourselves. While the food was great, the service wasn't as tight as it could have been. I actually think it was a case of "out of sight, out of mind" as we were sitting in one at one of the vault tables behind curtains. Given the size of your party, you'll be out in the main room. In the event you don't order the degustation, here are a few items I'd recommend: pork and ginger dumplings (apps), beef and broccoli, and peking duck entree, which comes with three distinct presentations (breast meat with panckages and plum sauce; cherry-glazed leg-thigh portion; and ground duck meat mixed with chow fun noodles). Can't wait for the report tomorrow...