NY Food Tour / Spring Break '08

[anthonybishopric]

Boba Fett? Boba Fett?

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.

[markk]

- 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.

You can absolutely ask to take home anything uneaten in the classiest and most haute of places; in fact, you'll get a kick out of the "haute" ways in which they package it for you. Don't even think twice about asking.

[Pan]

[...]Try to get to Nyonya on Grand and Elizabeth for the Roti Canai.  With a beer it comes out to less than 10 bucks.[...]

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Toby, do you prefer Nyonya to Skyway? As many eGulleters know, I prefer Skyway.

[anthonybishopric]

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.

[Curlz]

Late to this thread, but I just have to jump in to say that Otto is ridiculously affordable AND dining at their bar is a terrific experience (solo or w/a friend)! And the olive oil gelato is spectacular; there's just no better word for it.

I haven't been to Lupa but at Otto you can get quartinos, carne and/or a cheese plate (with wonderful accompaniments including a truffled honey that I love), a plate of Carbonara (or a bunch of other pastas) for $9, and that gelato, which, btw, has some Maldon sea salt sprinkled on top. Did I mention it's spectacular?!? The ricotta gelato was also pretty great...

Do enjoy your trip; sounds like you're in for a great week! And don't let the process of posting of photos on here discourage you from doing so-you can always add them in after you're home...drinking water and eating lettuce.

[anthonybishopric]

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.

[BryanZ]

I'm so proud.

[anthonybishopric]

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

[Pan]

Anthony, I'm enjoying your photos and reportage very much. Rock on!

[tupac17616]

looks like you are off to a great start. i look forward to reading about the rest of your trip!

[anthonybishopric]

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

[anthonybishopric]

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

[prasantrin]

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? . . .

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.

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But sweetbreads are the thymus gland! Or the pancreas. But at least you enjoyed them!

Edited March 12, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[Curlz]

I cleaned off the Blood & Sand in the post-coital moments, totally euphoric.

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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!

[anthonybishopric]

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? . . .

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.

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But sweetbreads are the thymus gland! Or the pancreas. But at least you enjoyed them!

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Yeah, I had no clue that's what they were. I definitely *did* enjoy them though!

[anthonybishopric]

I cleaned off the Blood & Sand in the post-coital moments, totally euphoric.

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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!

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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.

[BryanZ]

Dude, three cocktails at Tailor. Are you kidding? You're so going to have to cleanse after this trip. I'm very, very impressed. This was your first experience with real modern cooking, right? My contrived attempts excepted by default of course. Do you see the light?

[anthonybishopric]

Dude, three cocktails at Tailor.  Are you kidding?  You're so going to have to cleanse after this trip.  I'm very, very impressed.  This was your first experience with real modern cooking, right?  My contrived attempts excepted by default of course.  Do you see the light?

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I think what impressed me the most is that the food has been both so good and so interesting. For starters, Tailor nuked Maze in both presentation, style and taste, and has been better than almost every place I've been so far (except probably EMP. I was there this afternoon, but even they had "left leaning" [the waiter actually said that] dishes like a halibut with champagne foam). The big challenges to modern cooking are probably coming tonight and on Friday; Lupa & Jean-Georges. Nevertheless, I am thoroughly, thoroughly awed by how good new gastronomy can be.

[anthonybishopric]

Wednesday, March 12

Purging my bank account continued today with wonderful visits to Eleven Madison Park and Lupa. From all the sweet stuff at Tailor I was hoping dishes would stay away from sweet bases. Well, they didn't at EMP, as I got the new tasting menu, which was released on Tuesday, with the wine pairings. It was scrumptious, but like, dessert part XIII.

Panna Cotta, Scallops, Eel

Wine Pairing: Miyasaka, Nanango, Yamahai, Junmai Daiginjo, Masumi Prefecture, Japan

Halibut, Black Trumpet Mushroom, Champagne Foam

Wine Pairing: Oliver Morin, Chitry, Burgundy, France 2006

I actually forgot to take this photo. Needless to say, I was annoyed after I realized. A rough description of the appearance: a wide soup bowl with white halibut in the center with a scoop of dark mushroom puree on top, and champagne foam floating around. On the bottom of the dish was an herby cream with bits of hidden crunchy cauliflower, which were really fun to find.

Seared Foie Gras, Rhubarb, Cookies, Honey, Lemon

Wine Pairing: Château Tirecul la Gravière, Clos du Chateau, Monbazillac, France 2003

Pheasant, Coxcomb, Risotto

Wine Pairing: Nuits-Saint-Georges, Burgundy, France 2004

Four Cheeses w/ Various Jellies

Wine Pairing: Jacques Laverriere, Clos Chatart, Grand Cru, Banyuls, France 1998

I was smart and got a list of the cheeses. From front to back:

1. Adelle, Sheep & Cow, Pasteurized, Scion, Oregon

2. Queijo de Nisa, Sheep, Raw, Nisa, Portugal

3. Pecorino Ginepro, Sheep, Raw, Lazio, Italy

4. Persille de Beaujolais, Cow, Pasteurized, Rhone, France

To begin, I'll mention that I don't know very much about wine, and that these were all a real treat to have. That said, it was easy to tell that these were very good pairings. For the first dish, the balance was perfect, without any one flavor dominating. The Nanago by itself was deliciously silky and cool, and was a great combination with the slightly sweet panna cotta.

The halibut was a fun dish to eat through. The literally covered the entire perimeter of the halibut, so you couldn't see anything on the bottom of the dish. That's why it was so fun to find little creamy hunks of cauliflower every so often. The fish and mushroom combination still maintained the restraint of the first dish, but it definitely felt like an acceleration towards main course.

Number three, the foie gras, was the weakest dish for me. The foie itself was very nicely seared, the inside just firm enough to get on the fork and melt in-mouth, but between the cookies, rhubarb, honey, and my burned out sweet tooth from Tailor, I wasn't prepared for another sweet dish like this before the main course. When the waiter asked what I thought, I suggested maybe moving the foie dish back one place or removing the third strand of rhubarb (it was too much anyway, given the ratio of foie/other stuff I was looking for). If I had eaten this 24 hours before, this most likely wouldn't have been an issue. The Tirecul la Grav¡ère was basically a dessert wine, but I have to admit it was absolutely delicious, had a super rich fruitiness and a beautiful golden color.

The pheasant was really great. Salty and tender, the bird was expertly cooked evenly all the way through, and a very, very thin seared layer on top. I'm not sure whether this was done sous vide, although I'm leaning on yes. The coxcomb wings were visually fun and added a great softness. The pairing was also quite wonderful; the Nuits-Saint-Georges had a smokey, woody smell, and filled my palate with smoke, matching the bird especially well.

The cheese course was a nice round up to everything, along with coffee. My favorites were probably numbers 2 and 4, their jellies being riesling and port respectively.

I really enjoyed the service at EMP, I thought the waiters were very engaging and helped me learn a lot about the food I was eating. Simultaneously, I was a little intimidated by all the Credit Suisse suits in the place, as I had come slightly underdressed, or at least felt that way.

Later that evening, I paid a visit to Gimme! Coffee in Nolita. Attracted by the mythical Clover, I had to pay them a visit. When I arrived, I was the only one in the store, but had a great time talking to the guys that worked there. I got some really cool recommendations for places I could get good coffee in the last few days of the trip too.

Clover

The way this thing makes the coffee is just ridiculous. On the top of the machine there's a circular surface on which you pour your ground coffee. Pressing the go button, after configuring exactly how much coffee you want, at what temperature to brew, and for how long, causes the circular surface to begin to drop, and hot water starts pouring from the above faucet. After it finishes brewing, the platform rises with the now exhausted coffee grounds on the flat surface, and leaves the barista the task of sweeping it with a wipe handle like the kind people use to wash their car windows at gas stations. The coffee is dispatched into a cup placed at the front of the machine. The process can take a variable amount of time, depending on what you configure, but my coffee (12oz, Kenyan) brewed for 30 seconds. The way it came out, the coffee was nice and full, notes of tomatoes and only slightly acidic; basically matching the principle of espresso not to be bitter and unpleasant.

Gimme! specializes in espresso, so the drip machine is there for its purpose, but it's not the highlight of the store. I'm probably going back there on Thursday, so I'll report on lattes, espresso, etc... then.

Finally, the evening heavyweight was Lupa, Italian dining at its finest. On the way out from EMP, my waiter was considerate enough to make a recommendation for my Prima dish, which I followed.

Meats: Coppa Cotta, Testa

Bucatini a L'Amatriciana

Hanger Steak, Swiss Shard, Polenta, Salsa Verde

Panna Cotta, Tangerine, Peppercorns

The meats were very good and contrasted with each other well. The Coppa was hammy, salty and had nice fatty sections. I'd compare it to a softer and slightly sweeter Serrano. On the flip side, the Testa was fleshy and sweet from cloves added.

My bucatini was very, very tasty. The hollow noodles and nice al dente chew were really nice with the Amatriciana sauce. Also thrown in there were some slices of savory seared beef. It was such a classic dish that was done exceptionally well.

The hanger steak beat the bucatini though. The meat was unreal, ultra tender and juicy, and really great in union with the shard and salsa verde. Just setting my knife onto the steak the first time, there wasn't any pressure against it being cut. Again, a super rustic dish that hit home with me.

The panna cotta finished off the day, and totally unlike the panna cotta that started the day, this one had oomph. The tangerine, which had been drawn through some kind of liquor, made the sweet custard curl up into a bitter finish. The peppercorns crashed through the custard in little bursts.

My overall impression of Lupa is kind of similar to Casa Mono. I wish I had brought like, 8 people, so that we could have shared everything. Nothing on the menu looked bad, by any means. I'm really tempted to hit up Otto, but I don't know if I have time.

I have one free spot left for lunch: Saturday afternoon. Where should I go? I've considered these places

-Union Square Cafe

-RUB BBQ

-Shake Shack

-Tiá Pol

-Otto

I'm really leaning on RUB, but I'm not sure exactly. If you guys have any input, please help! I've already gotten help from several people, and these places all came up, but if I'm missing anything crucial here, then this is the opportunity to fix that.

Tomorrow: Tabla, Gimme! Coffee (again, for espresso this time), Setagaya, PDT

edited for spelling, silly mistakes

Edited March 13, 2008 by anthonybishopric (log)

[Swicks]

This is an awesome report, thanks for doing it!

I am supremely jealous and wish I lived closer to NYC and could get one of these tours in....

[weinoo]

My bucatini was very, very tasty. The hollow noodles and nice al dente chew were really nice with the Amatriciana sauce. Also thrown in there were some slices of savory seared beef. It was such a classic dish that was done exceptionally well.

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Great reports so far; I'm wondering if the slices of "savory seared beef" were actually guanciale (cured pig jowl), which is what is classically used in this dish.

[anthonybishopric]

My bucatini was very, very tasty. The hollow noodles and nice al dente chew were really nice with the Amatriciana sauce. Also thrown in there were some slices of savory seared beef. It was such a classic dish that was done exceptionally well.

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Great reports so far; I'm wondering if the slices of "savory seared beef" were actually guanciale (cured pig jowl), which is what is classically used in this dish.

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I think you must be right. I couldn't tell off the bat when I had it, so I made a guess. In any case, it was quite wonderful.

[raji]

I have one free spot left for lunch: Saturday afternoon. Where should I go? I've considered these places

-Union Square Cafe

-RUB BBQ

-Shake Shack

-Tiá Pol

-Otto

I'm really leaning on RUB, but I'm not sure exactly. If you guys have any input, please help! I've already gotten help from several people, and these places all came up, but if I'm missing anything crucial here, then this is the opportunity to fix that.

Tomorrow: Tabla, Gimme! Coffee (again, for espresso this time), Setagaya, PDT

edited for spelling, silly mistakes

You're leaning on RUB because after a week of HAUTE cuisine, you'd like some down home Americana.

That said, I'd recommend going to Daisy Mae's over Rub. Their Memphis dry-rubs are amazing as are all their sides.

Get a mini-ramen at Setagaya and try out Menkuitei on the Bowery just south of St. Marks. Setagaya was always way overrated and has since gone downhill fast.... Prepare to be disappointed!

[anthonybishopric]

You're leaning on RUB because after a week of HAUTE cuisine, you'd like some down home Americana.

That said, I'd recommend going to Daisy Mae's over Rub. Their Memphis dry-rubs are amazing as are all their sides.

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I think you've hit the nail on the head with that assessment. Bourbon peaches sounds hot.

Get a mini-ramen at Setagaya and try out Menkuitei on the Bowery just south of St. Marks. Setagaya was always way overrated and has since gone downhill fast.... Prepare to be disappointed!

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Ugh, I was going to not do Setagaya, especially after reading the thread about how it's pooped out, but it's so close to PDT and Death & Co, it made everything so eeeeassyy. I really shouldn't be slacking off like this though. I'll start off with Menkuitei and move south and see how I feel.

Thanks for the help!

[BryanZ]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Shake Shack for lunch. It's very NYC, or rather it feels like it's at home in NYC considering the concept is roughly Wisconsonian. If you do BBQ, do Hill Country.