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NYC for 1st time: Chef on the loose

gfron1

By gfron1
in New York: Dining

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weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thanks for going on the record, Pan. I usually get a hot dog, knish, and a pastrami sandwich if I'm eating at Katz's. I don't go often, and they're all shareable with my wife, so we get to taste a bit of all the things we like.

 

Nice to meet Ron last night for a cocktail at WASSAiL.  Can't wait to hear his thoughts about dinner at Contra.

Edited by weinoo (log)
  • Like 2

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted

I've enjoyed cider with my girlfriend at Wassail but have yet to have any food or cocktails there. What cocktails do they make well?

 

My preference at Katz's is to get a pastrami sandwich and pickles, and occasionally coleslaw, and I usually get Cel-Ray to drink. If I'm with someone else and we're really hungry, we might try a really juicy brisket sandwich, too.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

If you go to 

Brasserie du Dragon

135-20 39th Ave

Flushing, New York

 

I may be able to get you 20% discount, if you give them constructive comments for their "soft opening".

 

dcarch

All very curious. Did they change names from Deluge? As I research it says they're in their soft opening but the OpenTable reviews go back a few years and people call it Deluge. So what's the story here. Also, I'm having trouble seeing if its a fancy Taiwan-French place or dim sum.

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

A quick comment about Contra before we head out for dim sum. The feel of the place is like mine, maybe a tad bit more casual. Flavors were pretty conservative. Plating was standard for this type of restaurant. We had a really good meal - certainly exceeded Cosme, but fell well short of Empellon. Solid meal for the price ($67). Glad I went, and would recommend, but I don't need to go again as a visitor.

  • Like 1

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted

I've enjoyed cider with my girlfriend at Wassail but have yet to have any food or cocktails there. What cocktails do they make well?

I'm a classic cocktail kind of person. Their bartenders are competent at making most any cocktail.

 

But you can get a good cocktail in many places; the reason to go is for the cider list...the food's pretty good too (though it is vegetarian).

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted

I'm a classic cocktail kind of person. Their bartenders are competent at making most any cocktail.

 

But you can get a good cocktail in many places; the reason to go is for the cider list...the food's pretty good too (though it is vegetarian).

 

You say that like it's a bad thing. :-)

Michael aka "Pan"

 

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Blanca. Grade inflation. 1 Star probably. Bib Gourmand definitely. I've done enough Michelin places to say not 2 star, at least not tonight. Great meal though. Empellon sure captured my heart this week. Its crazy that we didn't do anything less than 4 full meals on any day this week, and I'm still hungry!

  • Like 1

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

12063802_10153602967369845_3786565948626

We did the menu plus tastings plus bread.

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A snack from the kitchen...don't remember. Seemed like an oat cake with nasturtiums and other stuff.

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Asian pear, walnut, black radish. 

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Shrimp, sorrel, matsukake

12189997_10153602967574845_4973554574769

Monkfish, sorrel, celeriac

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Pork, cabbage and mushroom - did not like this at all.

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Almond and grape.

 

Good meal. Doesn't stand out this week in the mix. Pairings were just okay.

  • Like 3

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted

I really wouldn't go by Michelin ratings in New York. I've posted on other boards that, excuse my French, they don't know what the fuck they're doing in New York (for example, there's a long discussion on Chowhound, but I'm not in a mood to link it because of their attitude toward any linking from Chowhound exile boards like Food Talk Central and Hungry Onion). There seems to usually be some place they give a star to that's just insane and would never come remotely close to getting a star if they used their French standards. This year, the one I can attest to personally is Somtum Der, one of the better neighborhood Thai restaurants in Manhattan, but not one that's good across its whole menu, let alone star-worthy. I doubt it would even get a Bib Gourmand if it were transplanted to Paris. They make several dishes very well, but that's not star-worthy. And what makes their having a star even more insane is that Kyo Ya, with incomparably higher ambitions, higher-quality ingredients, and where I had a kaiseki meal a few years ago (with no indication from anyone's comments that I've read that they've deteriorated one iota) that was sublime and redefined the meaning of several dishes for me (miso soup, chawan mushi and claypot rice among them, not to mention sake), was also given but one star. The one star wouldn't be an injustice if Michelin hadn't debased their ratings in New York, but the juxtaposition is ridiculous! I'm happy Somtum Der is in my neighborhood, but nothing I ever have there will be anywhere close to so sublime it redefines an entire category of dish for me.

  • Like 2

Michael aka "Pan"

 

KennethT

KennethT

Posted
Posted

I'm sorry to hear about Blanca... I was there about a year and a half ago (late spring or early summer) and I thought it was the best meal of the year (that I had had). So much of the produce was grown on their property, a range of cooking styles, they do their own dry aging of  game, etc...

 

I agree that Michelin star ratings are ridiculous in NYC, especially when compared to areas like Paris, different 3* in the countryside of France, and parts of Northern Spain - I'm looking at you Can Roca.  Talk about grade inflation - to me, Per Se should have no more than 2* and that's being generous. Daniel should have 1*, but 5 forks and knives (for comfort).

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Don't get me wrong - Blanca was a really good meal. I'm just sayin' that the stars are wrong. There was one dish that was off - the wagyu, and I left needing to go eat another meal somewhere else (as did the couple next to us), but the food and service otherwise were very good.

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Blanca

11010616_10153603782624845_6941162144567

I really liked their kitchen design

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Glass shrimp and plum

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Pancetta

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Baby squid, almond

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Pairing #1 (we were given their house beer when we arrived

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Garbanzo, olive

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Duck resting for later - the very whole duck

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Apple, foie and sunflower

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Pairing #2

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Kobucha squash and macadamia

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Pairing #3

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Lamb carbanara - best dish of the night

12191395_10153603783224845_1548006097749

Agnolotti and plankton - we've moved down on the food chain

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Great beer from Chicago

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Nduja ravioli

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Cheese and lardo

11224775_10153603783439845_6791736604129

Pairing #5

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King crab and bottarga mayo

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Thank god they brought us some pizza dough to eat - we were all getting really hungry.

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Duck, pear and beet molé

10985961_10153603783629845_8616085840696

Paw paw and wheatgrass

12118873_10153603783744845_5406173142215

Pairing #6

12065815_10153603783834845_8728415606023

Wagyu, vincotto - the disappointment of the night. Not tender. 1/3 of mine went back to the kitchen.

12063752_10153603783864845_5683595528655

Pairing #7

11220793_10153603783924845_2666178513594

Sourdough ice cream and yuzu

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Goat cheese and celery

12190785_10153603784034845_9115127669055

This was an odd last bite for us all and no one liked it. Dry, bland cookie. Don't end on a low note!

 

The first bite was meh, the last was meh, and with the exception of the wagyu, everything in between was really good. Super service - friendly and attentive.

  • Like 4

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
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Posted

So let's summarize this first trip ever to NYC:

Cultural exposure - MOMA for 1 hour, Natural History for 1 hour, Historical Society for 90 minutes, Kinky Boots show Stonewall Inn 20 min

 

Meals -

Christina's Polish

Pokpok

Mattie McGhee pop-up at ICC

Momofuku Milk Bar (satellite shop)

Mekelbergs

Cosme

Brooklyn Mac

Shake Shack

Big Gay Ice cream shop

Mok Bar (Chelsea Market)

Judge Roy Bean Public House (only cuz JRB is from our home town)

B Side Pizza and wine

Empellon chef's table

Coatzingo Mexican

Thakali Kitchen

Dosa Delight Indian bakery

Wassail 

Contra

Cafe Noi

Asian Jewels

Blanca

Little Italy Pizza III

Milk & Hops

 

I think we did okay. Off for one last lunch in Astoria!

  • Like 8

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted

Two things really struck me about your Blanca post, other than how disappointing the experience was: (1) How much wine was in those 7 pours, such that you could still hold your camera steady and get really clear pictures of almost everything? (2) Plankton?? People eat plankton? Were you able to isolate the taste?

Michael aka "Pan"

 

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

Two things really struck me about your Blanca post, other than how disappointing the experience was: (1) How much wine was in those 7 pours, such that you could still hold your camera steady and get really clear pictures of almost everything? (2) Plankton?? People eat plankton? Were you able to isolate the taste?

I really don't want people to mistake my comment. Blanca was good but more aligned with 1 star places I've been. And the pours varied since they included beer and sake but I'd say 2 oz. Also, keep in mind that I had been stuffing it in this week so I had a pretty strong resilience to booze at this point. Plus I train at altitude so this sea level drinking is like the minor league to me :)

Edited by gfron1 (log)

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Two things really struck me about your Blanca post, other than how disappointing the experience was: (1) How much wine was in those 7 pours, such that you could still hold your camera steady and get really clear pictures of almost everything? (2) Plankton?? People eat plankton? Were you able to isolate the taste?

And you could definitely isolates the plankton taste. Very dominate.

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted

I figured out a long time ago that you are basically Kerry Beal's American counterpart, you're both human energizer bunnies, so I assume all of that constant going requires a fairly large fuel load. But I'm still pretty damn impressed at the amount of eating you managed to pack into that trip. :biggrin:

  • Like 3

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted

And you could definitely isolates the plankton taste. Very dominate.

 

Could you compare it to anything else you've had before?

Michael aka "Pan"

 

huiray

huiray

Posted
Posted

Glad you had a good time on the whole!

 

For myself, the Blanca meal does seem like very little food on vast expanses of dish acreage...but that's just me.  I do note you had to go for pizza and whatnot after the Blanca meal --- which suggests to me you left hungry. Even the Empellon meal does seem a little skimpy on quantity, also on lots of plate space - but that is what "fine dining" seems to entail. Also, lots of EtOH --- I enjoy wine pairings myself on occasion but generally dislike drinking too much alcohol when eating** - though I do plenty fine with alcohol by itself.

 

How was the dim sum (I assume) at Asian Jewels? Did you do any general walking around?

 

** (As a related BTW and for the record FWIW, I do not like wine with Chinese food and shake my head at those who insist on wine pairings with Chinese food)

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