alacarte

Tried Barca 18 for Sunday brunch. It was not bad, if underwhelming. I really like a lot of the other BR Guest restaurants (Blue Water Grill, Dos Caminos) so I had high hopes for this one too....maybe too high? We started with the "Bacalao Coca," or salt cod pizza, which turned out to be small lumps of salt cod (not the paste I associate with bacalao), slices of red pepper, olives, and surprisingly bland manchego (manchego usually has a wonderful salty, nutty taste) arranged on top of a cold round of fried dough. There's nothing to hold it on to the dough, so the toppings kept sliding off...whoops! Next up: mr. alacarte had the mushroom, cheddar & herb omelette (he pronounced it OK, although it had to be sent back first round because it wasn't an egg-white omelette -- but that happens virtually anywhere). I had the tortilla espagnola, which is sort of like a slice of omelette with potatoes, asparagus, and --unfortunately --blood sausage. Too bad it's not available made to order, because the tortilla was good except for the sausage, which was sweet and reminded me of the Passover meatballs my grandmother used to make. It was also painfully obvious that the service kinks are not yet worked out. The apps and entrees came out at the same time; the appetizer arrived cold; long waits for drinks as well as for bread; our waiter was totally clueless about everything; and the corporate suits from B.R. Guest were clearly present on the floor, making the waitstaff (and me) nervous. Maybe I'd go back in a few months when the menu is (hopefully) revamped and the service is smoother. It wasn't terrible but I'd rather go to Rosa Mexicano next time. edited to add: we had no problem at all getting a seat. At 2pm on a Sunday the restaurant was maybe half full.

Is it terrible that I feel like I've waited so long for it to open...reading about its imminent arrival...then reading glowing reviews from the "soft open," ...calling and being told it's not open yet.... then reading more reviews....that I've since lost interest in going? I'd even forgotten about the place until I read oakapple's post. Soft opens drive me crazy.

This is a regular haunt for me too. Love it. Excellent cigar boureki (those cigar-shaped phyllo dough things stuffed with feta), creamy tarama (Turkish version of taramasalata) and fish kebabs, very fresh and grilled simply and served with lemon and green salad. And yes, the service is among the most pleasant and least pretentious you're going to find in the city. They also have a bizarre weekend buffet brunch that combines Turkish food and the usual scrambled eggs. Go, and ignore the scrambled eggs.

oops! thanks for the correction.

Very nice profile. But why didn't the magazine give the writer a byline?

I'm a fan of Japanese pastry shops and sandwich shops too -- the ones that sell neatly trimmed (read: no crusts) salmon sandwiches as well as sweet buns stuffed with corn, ham, or sweet bean paste. I know there are several in Chinatown, and a couple on 41st Street between Madison and 5th (just below the NY Public Library). My favorite is Panya (at least I think that's the name), on 11th St. between 2nd and 3rd. It's tiny, has a sidewalk cafe, and sells yuzu truffles and other Japanese-styled sweets.

Went to the new Aquavit for brunch this past Sunday. Came away with two thoughts: --I really miss the drama of the old Aquavit space. This is spare, Danish modern, clean, spacious, but also bland and leaning toward sterile. --I need to go to more brunches that don't feature omelettes as the centerpiece. This was really fun, and a refreshing change of pace. The Aquavit buffet brunch (ahem, "Swedish Smorgasbord") encourages grazing. We started with a sampling of herrings in various sauces (mustard, red wine, green tea --I think-- sour cream, etc., all of which reminded me of the herring sampler plate at Ulrika's), followed by cheese and flatbread. Next trip to the buffet yielded a plate full of salmon: gravlax with dill and a wonderful robust honey-mustard sauce, bright red chile-smoked salmon, salmon tartare, smoked salmon salad. I also loaded the plate with tiny waxy potatoes and mesclun salad and beet salad -- a surprisingly good palate cleanser for all that salty salmon. I just picked through the rest of the buffet -- a variety of cold sliced meats, and hot chafing plates full of what looked like a creamy potato rosti, sliced roast beef, and Swedish meatballs. I also passed on a glass of straight Aquavit and a beer chaser, opting instead for a bloody mary spiked with horseradish-flavored Aquavit. Then, of course, was dessert. Most of it was very nice: a teeny shot glass filled with chocolate mousse and crushed pistachios with a single raspberry at the bottom was my favorite. I also liked the lingonberry butter cookies (reminded me of hamantaschen) and a sponge cake with some sort of fruit filling (raspberry? lingonberry? rhubarb? who knows) and a green topping (pistachio? green tea? also unidentifiable, but benign). The worst was what looked like a cookie topped with chocolate and coconut. It might have been spread with unsweetened chocolate, or perhaps something else altogether. If you ask me, it tasted like feet. So my final pronouncement is that Feet Cookies aside, the Aquavit brunch is very successful. And no omelette stations.

Funny you should ask .... I got a spam-mail from David Rosengarten today claiming that he can get some. Link to Rosengarten Report: Clickety.

So apparently the liquor stores I frequent are provincial and behind the curve, eh?? plattetude, thanks for the tip-off on Astor. I'll have to make a quick trip over there!

I read the Bon Appetit blurb in the eG Food & Media section about Navan, a new vanilla-infused French cognac from Grand Marnier. Sounds delish, but apparently no liquor store is carrying it yet, at least not in the NY area. Anyone know the deal on this? When will it be available? Is it available online or through other channels (i.e. served in bars if not yet available to Joe Public?)

No, I can't read Italian, but thanks for the suggestion anyway...

thanks, Sam and Kevin! oh, and Kevin, your eG blog on your year of Italian cooking is one of those aforementioned "resources" I plan to browse through further when I find the time!

Can anyone direct me to a guide to regional Italian cuisine? I'm looking for a quick-and-dirty rundown of what identifies and differentiates Italian food in different areas of the country: not just northern vs. southern, but things like Ligurian, Tuscan, Pietmontese, etc. I want to understand better which foods are used in each region, and why. I've seen some of the overviews on About.com, which are helpful, but I'm looking for something that delves further into the regions and is easy to follow without assuming an in-depth knowledge of Italy and Italian terms (which I do not have). There's lots of great pockets of knowledge in this forum -- which I fully intend to read when I have more time -- but for now I'm looking for something that can get me up to speed fast. Thanks for your help!

Funny, I thought it was "awesome" when it first opened in the early 90s, but last time I ate there (last year?) I thought the food was tired and the restaurant just too damn loud. But maybe it's just a sign that I'm just too damn old. To be more specific -- I can't recall exactly what I had a year ago, but I do remember plaintains (good), rice and beans (too salty) and a fish dish that also was way, way too salty. I do remember that the drinks were large and packed a good punch.

Another vote here for Irving 71, as well as for Whole Foods on Union Square (I was surprised by that too) I also like the espresso at the belgian Leonidas chain, Klatch on Maiden Lane in the financial district, and the Mangia chain.

In NYC, anyplace that automatically adds the gratuity on to your check is a tourist trap. (Per Se excepted from this rule). Out-of-town friends have lamented this phenomenon. My best guess is that this has been implemented for: --the convenience of visitors from other countries that are unaccustomed to our tipping conventions --visitors from other areas of the US that are unaccustomed to the often lofty fine-dining prices here, and don't know or don't want to tip accordingly --because restaurants feel that they can get away with this practice. My advice to out-of-town friends has been to look for the "gratuity added" phrase on menus, signs, etc. Usually the gratuity added is 18% or higher, which is higher than usual. If you see that phrase, FLEE. If you don't see the phrase and notice a hefty tip has been added "for your convenience," cross out the tip and add your own, whatever you think is appropriate. Don't be a total cheapskate if you intend to try this (somewhat ballsy) approach. Point the new tip out to your waiter, explain why you did it, and tell you waiter how fabulous he/she is, and how much you enjoyed the meal and their service. Be lavish in your praise. Then, and only then, should you sign the check. I'm sure the waiters and restaurateurs on the board will shout me down on this approach, but I stand by it!

Here are links to similar complilations: Culinary Online Websites Food Newspapers & Magazines Saute Wednesday -- scroll all the way down to the lower-left-hand side of the page, to the "Food Publications" links.

My first apartment had the same set-up. Can't say that I remember it quite as fondly as Schwartz does his. Half of my closet was dedicated to clothes, and the other half was a pantry. It's a wonder my clothes didn't smell like garlic powder.

I have been coveting anything by Sherry Yard.

I think of eGullet as one big op-ed essay on food.

I love that they have s'mores on the dessert menu.

takeout = virtually every weeknight. The local diner is on the speed dial, and they know us by name. weekends are when I find time/energy to indulge my cooking jones my favorite new delivery find is OTTO! L'Express also is a favorite delivery indulgence. So is 2nd Ave Deli, but I have to allow extra planning time....they usually require about an hour or more for delivery, but it's worth it.

I hate to be a skeptic, but you hear this all too frequently in mergers. The head of the entity being acquired promises to stay, and says that nothing will change. They usually stay on for a year or so (thanks to a hefty retention bonus or other short-term incentive), and then quietly disappear. If nothing changes, I will be stunned. It's too tempting for large corporations like Hershey's to resist the lure of economies of scale that help cut costs (and boost profit margins). If Hershey's adopts a hands-off policy for this successful business with a fiercely loyal fan base, that would be wise. But that's also unlikely. This concludes my lesson in capital markets. I better go find some chocolate to wash away the taste of Econ 101.

probably no implication, is my guess, except that Hershey will have fatter profit margins. ...you'd be surprised to find how many upscale/boutique brands are owned by large conglomerates.

I think the real story here is -- Audrey Saunders is opening her own bar? That's awesome. But if you want to talk about weird drinks, I'll point to the coffee-flavored concoction at Bombay Talkie, which is garnished with Cocoa Puffs....