Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week is held twice a year in summer and winter. Approximately 200 restaurants offer Lunch at $24.07 and Dinner at $35.00. Traditionally, restaurants offered the same meals as other times in cooperation with the Visitors Bureau (NYC & Co). However, more recently, many have begun to offer a “special” menu for this price.

This year, for the first time, we decided to try lunch at a couple of well regarded restaurants we had never been to. We wanted to try both the restaurants and Restaurant Week. Our experience was favorable and we decided that we would try this again in the future.

Lupa

170 Thompson St. (bet. Bleecker & W. Houston Sts.)
212-982-5089

Lupa is a small, modest restaurant in Greenwich Village from the Batali/Bastianich team of Babbo fame. We were particularly interested in trying it because we have never had the patience to get into Babbo.

Appetizer

• Tuna terrine with Peppers and Onions
• Salad (radicchio, arugula)

Both appetizers were good but not exceptional. The tuna terrine was very unusual but lacked any distinguishing character. Chris thought her salad was too salty.

Pasta

• Gnocchi with sausage and tomato sauce
• Tiny Penne with garlic and olive oil

We both LOVED the pasta course. Chris kept moaning about “little clouds” as she ate the gnocchi. The waiter seemed to just try to ignore her. I don’t know what he thought was going on. My penne “alio olio” was just like I like it firm with a little more than a hint of garlic and fragrant with ground black pepper.

Entrée

• Grilled “pousssin” with mushrooms and olive oil and garlic
• Mahi-Mahi with lentils

Both main courses were quite good. I love baby chicken (actually, all well prepared chicken served “on the bone”). It was tender and juicy – but maybe a little boring. Chris loved her fish, but thought the lentils were lack luster.

Dessert

• Espresso
• Biscotti

The coffee was good (that’s important to us) and the biscotti were just right.

Tribeca Grill
375 Greenwich St. (Franklin St.)
212-941-3900

Tribeca Grill is a large restaurant in a converted factory building. It’s quite attractive with a nice bar and comfortable seating. This restaurant is part of the Drew Pieporent empire that includes Montrachet and the Nobus. The draw is the comfortable ambience and celebrity sightings more than the food, which is acceptable. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu and wines and recommended a very nice, and reasonably priced, Austrian White wine to go with the fish. (Hiedler, ‘Gruner Veltliner’, Kamptal, Austria, 2004)

Appetizer

• Mushroom soup
• Shaved fennel and goat cheese salad

Both appetizers were OK but had clearly been made much earlier.

Entrée

• Grilled bass atop a mixture of sweet potato, corn and scallion
• Cheeseburger with Bacon

I opted to go for the burger when I saw one delivered to the next table. It was exceptional. It came with lightly fried onion rings. The fish was pretty good and the veggie combination unusual.

Dessert

• Espresso
• Strawberry mezzofredo

The frozen mousse was interesting.

We go kosher!

We went to Solo with friends last night. It's a highly rated glatt-kosher restaurant. Having grown up with the occasional kosher restaurant (mostly a deli or dairy) I was somewhat skeptical. But, the quality of food at Solo was wonderful. The only way I could tell it was kosher was from the selection of foods - not the preparation. Of course we missed cheese and butter and cream but the dishes we had were wonderful.

I had porcini mushroom soup and a roasted veal chop - both excellent. Chris had a bibb lettuce salad with heirloom tomatoes and grilled Halibut on a bed of zucchini and a side of broccoli rabe. We were good and declined dessert. The wine was a kosher cabernet sauvignon.

Solo
550 Madison Ave.(bet. 55th & 56th Sts.in the Sony Plaza Atrium)
212-833-7800

A Weekend Review

Weekends are often spent in Otis, but with our imminent departure to Florida we wanted to catch up with friends, so decided to stay and enjoy the city this weekend. As much as I like to cook, eating out with friends is great because there's no pressure to cater to individual likes and dislikes - and there are no dishes!


Maya
1191 First Ave.(bet. 64th & 65th Sts.)

212-585-1818

Friday night it was out for Mexican at "Maya" a local destination that serves a youngish hip crowd that can get pretty noisy. A corner table and an early reservation got us in and out before the crush, (this probably means we're not youngish or hip). Paul and I, and our friends Steve and Charlene, had all been there before and agreed that the 'margaritas' hit the spot. We started dinner with the usual guacamole and chips--here the avocado and tomatoes are recognizable and the home made chips are crispy and just the right size for a small scoop. There was nothing not to like about this meal; we all enjoyed a mixed salad with crisp greens, goat cheese and a wonderful balsamic dressing. Charlene raved about her butterflied steak fillet served atop a cheese enchilada with chocolate sauce; Steve's flambe shrimp had just the right amount of spice and was served on a bed of chopped greens; Paul's adobo chicken served on a quesadila was crispy and prepared on the bone the way we like it. My 4 pink perfectly cooked lamb chops came with a mixture of sweet potato and a green sauce that was delicious without being sweet. With our plates practically licked clean none of us had room for dessert. One of the reasons that we like Maya so much is because they serve exceptional salads made with fresh greens, which like many of the items on the menu, are atypical of most Mexican restaurants. If you go and are fond of coffee, I would recommend you pass this up here because it was the worst we have tasted and quite cool.

O.G.
East Village 507 E. Sixth St.(bet. Aves. A & B)

212-477-4649

Should we drive, use public transport or take a taxi? This is always a question when going below 14th Street. However, when going to the East Village, finding a parking spot is especially tricky with no easily accessible parking lots. Our strong recommendation, is to leave the car at home. What started as a quick 15 minute drive, ended with Paul dropping me off and spending 45 additional minutes finding parking! Needless to say, by the time he got to the restaurant it was getting tense. They had told us they would only hold our reservation 10 minutes past the proposed time. Happily, the staff at this cozy, but crowded, spot never hassled us and sympathized with our plight!

Again, we were in the midst of a young crowd, perhaps because now it was after 8:00pm (where are all the people our age anyway?) The good news about waiting is that it gave me time to catch up with Bonnie and Les who we hadn't seen in many months. Like us, they have been bitten by the travel bug and I was eager to hear about their upcoming plans for this summer's adventure in Africa.

O.G. offers a creative Chinese menu focused on dim sum, and there are many items on the menu that look nothing like the fare one might expect at a typical Chinese restaurant. We began our meal with a tasting of dumplings (steamed-- spinach with goat cheese, fried--stuffed with pork). Each had a soy-based dipping sauce and Paul and I both preferred the fried ones. Paul and Bonnie both had the five-spice chicken and it was cooked to perfection. The skin was crisp, it was cooked on the bone and served with the most interesting and tasty little pancakes that are a house specialty. (Have you noticed how often Paul orders chicken?) Les and I picked a different fish; he a glazed barbecued salmon fillet served on a mixture of chopped green veggies; I had the special of the night which was sushi grade tuna served with a coconut dipping sauce accompanied by perfectly cooked broccoli rabe. Again the plates were clean and our only complaint was that the mixed steamed veggies we ordered arrived after the meal was over. We enjoyed them as a pre-desert partly because the dipping sauce again with a soy base was wonderful.

We get trendy in SOHO

On Monday night we stepped out to the trendy "Mercer Kitchen" in SOHO for dinner. The restaurant is in the basement under the hotel. It's attractive with lots of wood & brick and lots of 20-somethings all wearing black (as is the staff). We fit right in! I felt like the waiter looked at us like we were his grandparents.

The food was very good. Overall, the menu was interesting, with a heavy emphasis on contemporary comfort foods. I had a wonderful peeky-toe crab cake with papaya chutney to start and Chris's salad of shaved fennel and parmagian over arugula was fresh with a light vinegrette dressing. For the main course Chris had "slow-cooked salmon served with a puree of parsnips and some interesting mystery mushrooms that were very unusual. I had Niman Ranch pork chops with broccoli rabe and potato gratin that were tasty but unimaginative.

The food was good but we both felt very rushed. We had a 7:30pm reservation and were finished before 8:30pm; this included a cocktail, 2 courses and coffee. Each course came too quickly for it to have been just prepared and was not very hot. Staff seemed overly attentive and were waiting to clear the table as soon as we put our forks down. Before we had finished our coffee, and without us asking, the bill was placed on the table. It seem surprising that with so many empty tables, staff found it necessary to rush us this way.

Mercer Kitchen (a Jean-George Vongerichten restaurant)
99 Prince Street (in the Mercer Hotel)
212-966-545

Friday night dinners at home

Growing up we always had Friday dinners at home and it was my favorite night of the week. My mother went to the beauty parlor for her weekly visit and my father and I ate home alone. He could make all the great things my mother wouldn't eat - spaghetti with white clam sauce, smelly cheeses, squid, octopus and snails. We observed the traditional "Friday fish" meals despite the changing rules. My mother would not eat anything made with olive oil or any smelly cheese (including Parmagian!) or "disgusting" foods. This seemed to be related to her Jewish upbringing and her unfamiliarity with some of the things my father enjoyed eating. However, she adapted to, and loved, shrimp, lobster, pork,(especially bacon) and sausage.

Later, when she was "promoted" to a Saturday afternoon appointment we switched our routine and went to the local Chinese restaurant for "Chinks". While the meals were delicious, I missed my Friday dinners with my father.

Recently, Chris has initiated Friday meals at home. We have a simple, and healthy, meal of soup and a salad and combine it with the latest 'DVD' from 'Netflix". Although, I initially agreed with some reservation, it has turned out to be a great success. Chris is always on the lookout for new soup recipes and makes something different every week. Our latest favorites have been a French lentil soup and a version of hot and sour soup that was definitely 'hot and sour'. Check out recipes on the website and definitely pass along any of your favourites.

Recipes from Cooks Illustrated

Hearty Lentil Soup with Fragrant Spices

Lentils du Puy, sometimes called French green lentils, are our first choice for this recipe, but brown, black, or regular green lentils are fine, too. Note that cooking times will vary depending on the type of lentils used. Lentils lose flavor with age, and because most packaged lentils do not have expiration dates, try to buy them from a store that specializes in natural foods and grains. Before use, rinse and then carefully sort through the lentils to remove small stones and pebbles. The soup can be made in advance. After adding the lemon juice in step 2, cool the soup to room temperature and refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To serve, heat it over medium-low until hot, then stir in the parsley.

Makes about 2 quarts, serving 4 to 6

3	slices bacon (about 3 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1	large onion , chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
2	medium carrots , peeled and chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1	teaspoon ground cumin
1	teaspoon ground coriander
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4	teaspoon cayenne pepper
1	can diced tomatoes (14 1/2 ounces), drained
1	bay leaf
1	teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1	cup lentils (7 ounces), rinsed and picked over
1	teaspoon table salt
	ground black pepper
1/2	cup dry white wine
4 1/2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2	cups water
1 1/2	teaspoons lemon juice
3	tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves

1. Fry bacon in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in lentils, salt, and pepper to taste; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until vegetables are softened and lentils have darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, add wine, and bring to simmer. Add chicken broth and water; bring to boil, cover partially, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 30 to 35 minutes; discard bay leaf.

2. Puree 3 cups soup in blender until smooth, then return to pot; stir in lemon juice and heat soup over medium-low until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons cilantro and serve, garnishing each bowl with some of remaining cilantro.

Hot and Sour Soup

To make slicing the pork chop easier, freeze it for 15 minutes. We prefer the distinctive flavor of Chinese black vinegar; look for it in Asian supermarkets. If you can't find it, a combination of red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar approximates its flavor. This soup is very spicy. For a less spicy soup, omit the chili oil altogether or add only 1 teaspoon.

Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer

7	ounces extra-firm tofu , drained
4	tablespoons soy sauce
1	teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3	tablespoons cornstarch , plus an additional 1 1/2 teaspoons
1	boneless, center-cut, pork loin chop (1/2 inch thick, about 6 ounces), trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch by 1/8-inch matchsticks
3	tablespoons cold water , plus 1 additional teaspoon
1	large egg
6	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1	cup bamboo shoots (from one 5-ounce can), sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick strips
4	ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms , stems removed, caps sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 cup)
5	tablespoons black Chinese vinegar or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar plus 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (see note above)
2	teaspoons chili oil (see note above)
1	teaspoon ground white pepper
3	medium scallions , sliced thin

1. Place tofu in pie plate and set heavy plate on top. Weight with 2 heavy cans; let stand at least 15 minutes (tofu should release about 1/2 cup liquid). Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in medium bowl; toss pork with marinade and set aside for at least 10 minutes (but no more than 30 minutes).

2. Combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water in small bowl and mix thoroughly; set aside, leaving spoon in bowl. Mix remaining 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with remaining 1 teaspoon water in small bowl; add egg and beat with fork until combined. Set aside.

3. Bring broth to boil in large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; add bamboo shoots and mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are just tender, about 5 minutes. While broth simmers, dice tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Add tofu and pork, including marinade, to soup, stirring to separate any pieces of pork that stick together. Continue to simmer until pork is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.

4. Stir cornstarch mixture to recombine. Add to soup and increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens and turns translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, chili oil, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce; turn off heat.

5. Without stirring soup, use soupspoon to slowly drizzle very thin streams of egg mixture into pot in circular motion. Let soup sit 1 minute, then return saucepan to medium-high heat. Bring soup to gentle boil, then immediately remove from heat. Gently stir soup once to evenly distribute egg; ladle into bowls and top with scallions.

A trip to Connecticut

We recently met friends at a family run Italian restaurant in Old Greenwich. The waiter was the son of the Chef and was justifiably proud of his mother's home made pasta.

I started with "carpaccio" with mushrooms and Chris had "caprese". The carpaccio was good. The beef fresh and finely sliced with a light truffle oil. Good, but not great. A description that would also fit Chris' mozzarella and tomatoes. Both of which were undistinguished.

For a main course, I had the cavaletti with sausage and mushrooms. It was excellent. There really isn't anything better then 'home made'. Chris wasn't so lucky with a veal chop "capricciosa". It is one of her (and my) favorite dishes. They only had the veal cutlet on the menu but were happy to make it to order. Unfortunately, it was poorly prepared, slightly overcooked with a little too much dressing on the salad. For dessert we shared a "tartufo" which was the usual commercial variety. We were very disappointed after having had a wonderful home-made one in a restaurant in Pittsfield, Mass.

Applausi Osteria
199 Sound Beach Avenue
Old Greenwich, Ct 06870
203-637-4447

Overall, the restaurant was just OK and I thought the prices were a bit high. I usually don't talk about prices because everybody's expectations and receptivity are different but I generally expect resaurants out of the city to be a little cheaper unless they offer exceptional food or service. This is a very ordinary looking place with no special attributes with prices comparable to the city (about $150 a couple without wine despite some having only pasta and sharing desserts). We probably won't have a problem not going back for a year!

The food may have not been especially outstanding, but the company was great and we managed a meal before the power went out in that part of Connecticut.

It may occasionally be worth it to go to the west side

As I’m sure you all know, it is much easier (and faster) to go North and South in New York than to go East and West. This means it takes twice as long, and costs even more, to go cross-town. That’s why we only go to places on the Westside where we can walk. Fortunately, it is also true that all the good things (stores, restaurants and museums are on the Eastside along with the most interesting people). This is, of course, where we live. As a general rule, except for Theaters and the Museum of Natural History, there is never any reason to go to the Westside. Unfortunately, because Christina is from the west (New Jersey) she doesn’t understand these verities and is constantly finding things to do on the Westside – but I’ve been able to beat her down. (He only thinks this is true! C del) By the way, as all New Yorkers know, East and West only apply above 14^th Street. Below 14^th Street is downtown and East and West don’t really apply in the same way. This is fortunate because Scott lives in the West Village.

Some of you may be carping, “Didn’t you come from Riverdale in the West Bronx?” While this is true, I was born and grew up in the East Bronx and east and west don’t apply the same as they do in Manhattan. It is easier to go cross-town so there is more intermarriage.

All of this is by way of introduction to some comments about a new restaurant we went to last night:

Red Cat

227 10th Ave. (between 23^rd & 24^th Streets)
212-242-1122

It took us over an hour to get there so it had a high bar to cross. (We took the bus!) We went there because we had enjoyed their other restaurant, the “Mermaid Inn” in the East Village. The restaurant is in a high-ceilinged location in the art gallery section of Chelsea. There is not much other nightlife in the area yet, but the Red Cat appears to be very popular with the “thirty-something” crowd - so we fit right in! The staff was friendly, accommodating and attentive. The menu very interesting with a sort of American, French, Asian fusion twist. I ordered Pirogues (small potato dumplings) and Chris had grilled sardines. I thought both appetizers were OK, but not outstanding. The strong taste of the sardines overwhelmed the accompanying beans which floated in oil and the Pirogues seemed to lack zest. On the other hand, the waitress brought us a complimentary plate of tempura fried green beans with mustard dipping sauce which was outstanding. Our main courses were outstanding also. I had Muscovy Duck with root vegetables accompanied by some interesting wild greens and Chris had Artic Char with grilled vegetable and spicy sausage. For wine, we enjoyed a nice California sangiovese (2002 Enesse). We finished our meal with coffee, but the desserts we saw passing by looked interesting. Traveling home took us half the time (so we may try something else on the Westside! C del –m seems highly unlikely! Pdel)

Canaletto

I really screwed up! We went to our favorite local Italian restaurant tonight because I had dental surgery (an implant) and could only eat soft food. Pasta was perfect. Unfortunately, we forgot our “Restaurant Challenge”. Now we can’t go back for a year – and all I had was a bowl of pasta.

Canaletto
208 East 60th Street
212-317-9192

Fortunately, I was able to have the great breadsticks (best in the City) as well as the Pasta with Tomato-Basil Sauce. Christina had her favorite Veal Milanese - a butterflied, breaded veal chop with tri-color salad on top. It’s really good, with a fresh salad and not at all oily.

Other favorites that I won’t be able to have for a year include Osso Bucco and roasted chicken with garlic and oil.

Overall, Canaletto is a wonderful neighborhood, and family place, where you always feel welcome. They are full, or almost full, every night with local people. The Maitre D’, Brad remembers everybody and they still follow the old traditions and buy you a drink after dinner.

The Restaurant Challenge

As we enter our fourth year of retirement we are looking for new ways to challenge ourselves. One thing that we find most difficult is to meet our personal commitment to keep an (interesting, amusing and current) on-line journal. As part of that commitment we have set ourselves the challenge to never go to the same restaurant twice during 2006 - and to write about it. While this sounds easy in New York, the restaurant capital of the world, the hard part is in knowing that we cannot go back to any of our favorites more than once. We hope that you will visit the site, check out where we've been and perhaps send us some of your all time favourites so we can try them out.

January 3, 2006

One If By Land, Two if by Sea
17 Barrow Street (There is NO sign on the door.)
New York, N.Y. 10014
212-228-0822

This is one of the most romantic and beautiful spots to enjoy dinner on a special occasion.It is in a revolutionary era carriage house with high beamed ceilings and a piano player. We were there for Chris' birthday (don't ask how old) with Scott and Jory. The place was still decorated in seasonal splendor and our drinks at the bar were perfectly made by a knowledgeable, friendly bartender who was not put out by Chris's exacting drink requirements!

Dinner was good but a little uneven, appetizers included oyster chowder, a light and flavorful gnocchi, wild mushroom tart (just ordinary) and an exquisite pomegranate-glazed smoked salmon presented like a rose on a bed of greens. For the main course, two of us had their signature dish, individual Beef Wellington, which was good, as was the lobster. The venison with boar sausage was by far the best, served on a bed of white beans, but the accompanying potatoes again were just ordinary. The meal was complimented by two terrific wines from a very extensive wine list: Australian Zinfandel, ",,,,,," and a French Burgundy (unfortunately neither of us took notes but we'll get better at this as we move along!)

Although we decided to pass on dessert feeling our pinched waist bands, they presented Chris with an ice cream assortment which we all shared. This is one of the more expensive spots to break some bread, but well worth a trip for a special occasion. Since we are operating under our "challenge" rules this will be the last time we are here this year.

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