Brunch Cowboy

Seeing as tomorrow is a holiday, I will most likely revert to my Sunday eating schedule: brunch & dinner. If I do sleep late, and therefore combine breakfast and lunch into one gluttonous meal, I will most likely head to Cowgirl Cafe (Hudson and West 10th). I will not go to celebrate the history of America--the wild west and/or women's liberation (was there a time when "cowGIRLS" weren't allowed to exist?)--but, rather, I will go to celebrate the historical day I happened upon the Cowgirl Cafe brunch.

It was a little over two weeks ago, a sunny Saturday, and I was very much in the mood to get a bite to eat outside and people-watch. I had been to Cowgirl for margaritas and maybe a Quesadilla or two but never in the hours before noon--margaritas before noon would actually be a little embarressing--thus I took it upon myself,and my friend, to give it a try. We chose a table under an umbrella--I highly advise this route because when the summer sun pops through it becomes hot as blazes--and plopped ourselves down unsure of what the brunch menu would hold.

While it may seem obvious that a restaurant with Cowgirl in the title may relate to a region in the USA, namely the Southwest, I had never paid the name much heed and had always assumed it was Mexican. I think a large part of my oversight is that I do not often find Southwestern food in New York and therefore forget what a wonderful hybrid of cuisines is found in that region--spicy Mexican inspired dishes alongside hearty comfort food.

What most excited me at Cowgirl, once I got a hold of the brunch menu, was that all the egg dishes were served with a buttermilk biscuit and your choice of cheese grits or potatos. The egg-plus-biscuit combo was a genius solution to the brunch conundrum that requires you to pick between eggs and a delicious bread product (i.e. pancakes, french toast, waffles). Although not particularly sweet, the biscuits cake-like appearance and formidable size, made it feel more special than plain old toast and therefore I went ahead and ordered the "Cowgirl Crazy Mixup"--scrambled eggs with jack cheese, bacon, tomatoes, sweet onions and topped with a tomatillo avocado salsa--and chose the cheese grits. I was not disappointed. The eggs were moist, and the ingredients very uniformly spread throughout the mix--no huge mounds of cheese clumped together, as sometimes happens with omelettes and scrambles-- the buttermilk biscuit was warm, fluffy, and even bigger than I had imagined, and the cheese grits tasted like the real deal. My friend, who had spent four years in the south during college, declared that Cowgirl's grits were the best he'd ever had. In fact, after his own half-plate serving, he shyly asked if he could have some of mine.

This scramble was "crazy" in the pop-culture sense of being "crazy good" or "crazy flavorful," maybe even "Crazy, Sexy, Beautiful" if I were to get musical about it--Remember what a big hit that was? Needless to say, I adored my meal and the meal of my friend. He ordered the "Ranch Handler" which consisted of eggs any way you want them, 2 pancakes, meat of your choice and either potatoes or cheese grits. The eggs didn't really interest me because I'd had my fill, but the blueberry pancakes (you can also have plain or banana-pecan) were calling my name. The tops were the mahogony color of the pure maple syrup that accompanied them but the insides were warm, bready and choc-filled with blueberries. They were also half an inch thick--cakes in a pan indeed! In addition to all of the food on both of our plate's Cowgirl also included a little dish of fruit salad with each meal. Having this fruit salad in addition to the heart-attack inducing meals we were consuming was a little bit like ordering a diet coke in the throes of a McDonald's value meal, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

As if the satisfying food and outdoor seating was not enough, Cowgirl was also a great bargain (dishes range from $8-$13). I want to go back as much as my biggest pair of jeans will allow me and I highly advise you try it too. Giddy-up folks!

Revelation #2

Go-Lean Crunch Cereal is a benevolent dictator. It is benevolent in its mission to help you "go-lean" but it forces you to do so by causing extreme discomfort/fullness that prevents you from eating for the rest of the day.

Good Eats

Today is the first day of summer and I'm walking with a little more bounce in my step. How can I not when this morning my normally dour fruit stand guy smilingly tells me that the peaches are sweet and then gives me a free banana? I have packed a delicious summer lunch for myself--an improvisation of a salad nicoise--and I have a new restaurant that I love.

A VOCE (41 Madison Ave, corner of 26th St.)opened in March of '06 and received accolades all around, including three stars from the star-stingy Frank Bruni. It is the first restaurant of Andrew Carmellini, formerly a protegee of Daniel Boulud, and it is hopefully just the beginning for him.

The ambiance is sophisticated but not too starched. And, although the restaurant is huge, the noise level is low, like an undulating murmer. In fact, once you are seated at the large wooden tables it is easy to feel like you are having your own dinner party.

The service is also extremely friendly and knowledgable. When I asked the waitress for a particular glass of white, she countered with another suggestion and she was completely right. It was clean, crisp and exactly what I had wanted.

We started off with the ricotta cheese spread and toasted sourdough that our waitress advised us to get instead of the normal bread and olive oil. The cheese spread is an appetizer so you have to pay for it, but each warm dollop of ricotta, mixed with herbs and olive oil is quite worth it. For appetizers, we split the duck meatballs and the octopus. The duck meatballs with a dried cherry mostarda are a signature dish at A VOCE and they certainly are unique and delicious but I found them a little too sweet and, dare I say this about meatballs which are inherently little pieces of fat, too rich. In all fairness though, I wasn't in such a meatball mood so I may be making criticisms that I will later regret--my friend certainly did not agree with my criticsm. What I was in the mood for, however, and what I will be in the mood for anytime Andrew Carmellini wants to make it for me, was the octopus. These pieces of octopus were large and IN CHARGE. The inch high chunks of octopus commanded over the plate, with watercress and a diced fruit salsa giving them tasty support. The Dish was a special and I only hope they may add it to the menu full time because this was the most inventive and fresh preparation of octopus I've seen in New York.

For our main courses we ordered an assortment of "half orders" of pasta and one "half order" of shrimp. I received my enormous All-Clad skillet of grilled shrimp and immediately wondered if the portion size had been dictated by Tony Soprano. There were four huge shrimp tales and my order of "Grandma's Ravioli" included seven good size meat raviolis--It almost seemed like the "half-order" might be a joke. All kidding aside though, it made me like this restaurant even more. Instead of falling into a certain formula of upscale dining, teensy plates=more thoughtful preparation, Andrew Carmellini is forging his own trail, unafraid of shaking up the status quo--the Isaac Mizrahi of the food world if you will. The aforementioned "Grandma's Ravioli" was definitely yummy but I thought the meat was just a teensy bit overcooked. The shrimp scampi ravioli was a great summer dish and you could very much taste the shrimp and zucchini but I don't if my palate was ready for the scampi aspect within the pasta. The potato gnocchi in cream sauce, with proscuitto and spring peas was better than all of the aforementioned pastas: small, flavorful little circles that were surprisingly light for gnocchi. But the BEST pasta dish, hands down, was a farfalle special. These farfalle were long elegant versions of the typical bowtie shape, more an ascot than a bowtie. The elegant pasta was intertwined with mushrooms, and snowpeas and enveloped in a light cream sauce. I was truly jealous of my friend for having ordered this dish and if it is on the menu again (it is a special)I will order a full order, maybe two.

I love A Voce. I want to go on a date there, take my parents there and have a nice quiet meal by myself at the bar. All very different situations but A Voce, with its welcoming staff and appealing menu, is perfect for them all.

Revelation #1

Fat Free Cool Whip could be a stunt double for Marshmellow Fluff. Try some cool whip with peanut butter and you will see what I mean.

Coffee Shop

Last Sunday I went to a very late brunch with my friend at COFFEE SHOP in Union Square. I have walked by it maybe 1,000 times and had drinks there on a couple of occasions but would never think to eat there. In fact, I have often even forgotten it existed while referencing my mental Zagats. Therefore, when my friend suggested a meal there, I took it as a sign that I was meant to dig deeper into my subconscious dismissal of the restaurant as a whole.

When we got there the hostess was perfectly nice and seated us at a table outside. Shortly thereafter our model waitress approached us and asked us if we would like a drink. Strike 1: At a restaurant named "Coffee Shop" waitresses should not be models, they should look like they have tasted the food and should make you think "hey, I don't mind if I do have a dessert, I'm lookin' good!"

After the aforementioned model situation I ordered a salad. Strike 2: They could not add grilled chicken to a green salad. I could order a "Moqueca Stew" but they would not add grilled chicken to lettuce. I ordered the Sesame Chicken and Bok Choy Salad. Yes, I know it is Brazilian. Strike 3. RiDICulous! You canNOT take the All-American image, an institution really, of a coffee shop and make it Brazilian. It is not campy or cool to have a brazilian menu assigned to the title "Coffee Shop"--it is misleading and false... and dumb!

Because I feel so strongly that this is a crime against the coffee shop genre, I will proceed to a Strike 4--The food. My salad came out and the pieces of chicken were as small as my molars (some of molars are still baby teeth!) and were dry. It is one thing to offer you only one salad involving chicken but it is quite another to then skimp on the chicken--like going to a movie only to be allowed to watch the previews.

In synopsis, I am now freed of any guilt about my dislike for Coffee Shop. And more importantly, I have a new appreciation for the simplicity of the REAL coffee shop.

Hungry vs. Helpings

Jalapeno poppers are not on the South Beach Diet. Inherently I know this, but at midnight at the WHITE HORSE TAVERN (West 11th and Hudson) I chose to ignore this nugget of information and am now wondering how the South Beach Diet will work for me.

I started this diet on Tuesday, post Morandi, and I was plugging along quite well until I went out to meet a friend on Thursday. At the beginning of the diet I made one caveat, that I could still have alcohol. In this mindframe I decided to go to WINEBAR (2nd avenue btwn 3rd and 4th) with aforementioned friend. We had had a particularly pleasant experience there a couple of weeks back so it was with happy assuredness that we chose this spot once again. And it was delightful once again.

First of all, we all know how impossible it is to land a table outside once the warm weather rolls into New York, add a trendy neighborhood (in this case the East Village) and you are surely signing up for at least a 20 minute wait. But both times I have been to Winebar I have been seated right away and, to follow in this same thought, I have never been hassled to leave.

We had the olives which are marinated in olive oil and served with mini toasts. I avoided the toast but did partake in the olive consumption with gusto. The olives are so flavorful and not over-marinated to the point where you are left with a thick slick of olive oil on your fingers. The other dish was a cheese platter. There were about six different types of cheeses with two triangles per cheese. I am unsure as to whether they customize the amount of triangles for the size of the party, but for two people there was surely an ample amout of cheese--along with almonds and quince paste--which is satisfying since at $21 it costs a little more than the average cheese plate. We enjoyed both of these plates over a crisp white Semillon ($36). I highly recommend this place for a first date.

After a brief stop to meet friends at THE SPOTTED PIG (West 11th and Greenwich St.)--which I found out has a happening bar scene, particularly on Wednesday night--three of us ended up at THE WHITE HORSE TAVERN in search of a burger. It is here that my South Beach Diet arrived at some further caveats. A cheeseburger? Totally fine if I did not have it served with a bun! Jalapeno poppers? But of course, how could I not accept a vegetable just because of the way it was prepared! It was a glorious feast and at the time I was quite happy for my clever thinking but the next day I realized two things: 1) Maybe the alcohol caveat was not the wisest choice 2) I need to avoid The White Horse Tavern--one of my favorite haunts--for the duration of this diet.

The Second (or 5th) coming of McNally

Having just spent more than an hour trying to soften lentils to no avail, I understand that cooking can be hard, but for Keith McNally and Jody Williams two restaurant veterans, this should not be so. MORANDI's arrival on Waverly Place was talked about among the food world much like a Spielberg film in the movie world. Who would take the starring role? Jody Williams. What has she done recently? Gusto Ristorante. What would be the theme? Italian. Oh, and how the world responded to the news it would be Italian: McNally is trying a whole new approach!

Well he is and he isn't. Yes, the ambiance is quite rustic and the menu as well as the servers are Italian but unfortunately, Morandi seems to be the older cousin--I say "older" because it is more dimly lit, a little quieter and, quite frankly, the waiters are older -- to Pastis.

The meal started out quite well with a sampling of the different fritti (fried) options including fried artichokes, fried seafood assortment and fried stuffed olives (I am starting the south beach diet very soon). Everything that was fried was done expertly so with a thin coat of breading that you could actually realize was breadcrumbs rather than the tomb-like encasing that some restaurants showcase. While the fish was some of the best fried fish I've had in awhile--not soggy and very fresh--the clear standout was the artichoke dish. Quite literally I could have choked as a result of the rapidity with which I enhaled those mini heads. The leaves were so delicate and sweet, imagine the texture of the caramalized part of a creme brulee, and yet I still found my normal excitement when I got to the heart. If I were an artichoke I would most certainly want to be this one--no fussing with the annoying leaves and butter sauce to get to the good part-- desirable both inside and out!

Moving on to the main courses. A friend's seabream appeared at the table looking as though it had been hit by a tomato, olive, and potato hurricane and no one had been able to clear the wreckage. Granted, this type of fish should use flavoring but this "braise" was just unkind. Another friend got the octopus (this is starter but she tried it as her main) and she remarked that it was over-peppered and when I bit into it I also found it over saturated in olive oil--quite a disappointment as the fish itself I felt had promise. In the midst of all of the overdressed and over garnished fish, though, was my delicious branzino. The whole fish was simply grilled and served with radicchio (over-peppered but I wont get into this again) and simply a summer delight. Light, moist and with a hint of lemon I would recommend it to any and all visitors.

The pasta, tortellini with guinea hen and porcini mushrooms, pulled my party back into disappointment--mushy inside and too much butter-- and the risotto with mushroom,sage and blueberries and the meatballs resuscitated us but not in a let's-go-back-again way.

The highlight in the dessert area were the gelato crepes with berries. I liked that the berries were present in conjunction with a berry type syrup which flavored the crepe and gave the crepe/gelato combo a little more oomph.

So, here we are with a new McNally restaurant that is mediocre on food, high on ambiance and most definitely destined for success--Pastis's cousin indeed.

Hamptons Eats

It is a strange thing to go out to the hamptons before Memorial Day weekend, really only to be described--however cliche it may seem--as the calm before the storm. In my one past experience at the famous THE LOBSTER ROLL a.k.a. Lunch, I had remembered long waits and harried servers but on Saturday when our large group of bachelorette celebrants arrived for lunch the hostess seamlessly led us from doorway to table in less than 2 minutes.

Once seated, the service was efficient, friendly and accommodating--the waitress brought me an entire plate of pickles when I asked if it would be possible to give me one on the side. I ordered a salad for the table to share, nothing fancy and not worth explanation, and a lobster roll with fries. I would like to say here that were more restaurants named after a particular dish I think my life and the overall anxiety I feel in the ordering process would be greatly diminished. The roll aspect of the lobster roll was perfection, a lightly toasted hotdog roll that was dense like potato bread but still moist and with plenty of butter. The lobster salad, however, had too much mayo and was not meaty enough--think square cut potatos in minestrone soup size rather than beefy clawmeat. With a dish that serves as the restaurant's namesake, they should know to celebrate the lobster's fresh taste instead of supressing it with too much sauce. The fries where ridged and big and reminded me of what fisher price would envision if they were to make a fast food themed toy line but even after a heavy handed treatment of salt I found that they still lacked character.

Overall, I think the food was perfectly good, but my feeling is that if they are trying to go for the roadside shack mentality than they need to deliver on the unspoken promise that a shack experience will leave you thinking that you couldn't have gotten a better (insert whatever food you would like here) at any other place.

Dinner brought our intimate group of 12 to PACIFIC EAST, which is normally a hopping Japanese/fusion restaurant in Amagansett. On this pre-season night, however, it was practically empty. No matter to us, as we were planning to make our own party and were almost assured of doing so after consuming a fair amount of champagne prior to landing on Pacific East's shores. The table was perfect for a group of girls and the menu had something for everyone but I was not overly impressed by the food. I know, I live in the city and I am very spoiled but East Hampton is even more expensive, and all I hear about these days is how chi chi chefs have relocated to cash in on the crowds. My tuna tartar was not very flavorful and although the texture was good--not to mushy--and the presentation quite pretty, I was hoping for more in a $17 appetizer. Same with my black cod. Good, and definitely more good than bad, but it was slightly overcooked and unexciting-- like an Uncle Joey instead of Nobu's and Buddakan's Uncle Jesse. Bright notes were the sushi and sashimi and the delicious side of bok choy that we specially requested and was, very nicely, made for us. The desserts were good as well but unfortunately for readers interested in a good, accurate description, the saki bombs were better, or rather, more powerful.

I hate to sound like Debbie Downer in these reviews but I can't help but feel that when the crowds drop off in the Hamptons, so does the kitchen's (Pacific East more than The Lobster Roll) attention to detail.

New Horizons!

I've tried to write this entry 3 times and it keeps shutting down on me so I'm gonna keep this short and sweet! Over the past two days I've stumbled upon places that were not on my master list..and oh what fun it is to go into uncharted--well actually my restaurant list is in a word document and more of a list than a formal gridded chart-- territory!

YESTERDAY
First, lunch: NEW PASTEUR-Vietnamese- (Baxter St. btwn Bayard and Canal St.)
-Shredded pork roll (shredded pork and lettuce wrapped in rice paper): dry and practically pork-less.
-Vermicilli soup with shrimp: clear and tasty broth, not enough vegetables but boy oh boy DELICIOUS shrimp..they were fresh, very succulant and a nice size...I want ten plate fulls of just this shrimp.
Bill: $10 including tax & tip

Dinner: PALA-Pizza/Italian-(Allen St. btwn Stanton St. & HoustonSt.)
-Glass of Spanish White
-Spinach Salad with grilled octopus and grape tomatos--great! octopus was really well cooked, a little charred but fresh and not slimy.
-Beef Carpaccio Salad-with arugula and parmigian regiano-- equally delicious as previous salad (maybe more so actually), very well dressed, not soggy and the carpaccio was a delight.
*This is primarily a pizza place and the pizza looks AMAZING, I will definitely be back here..I'm thinking with a large boisterous group and this time a bottle of red.
Bill: $43 for two people

Dessert: SUNDAES & CONES (E. 10th st)
-One magnifico scoop of cookies and cream in a sugar cone. The ice cream was creamy and chock full of cookies--whole chunks of oreo to be exact.
* I also sampled Green Tea- too much of a sweet aftertaste.
Bill: $2.75

TODAY
Lunch: TASTY DUMPLINGS (45 Mulberry St)
-kimchi--suuuuper spicy. marinated in a chili sauce. The kimchi itself was crunchy and surprisingly not water ladden considering it had been marinating in the mysterious chili liquid for what I assume to be awhile (I was the only one who ordered kimchi in the span of about 10 customers).
-10 boiled pork and chive dumplings--good and an amazing deal at $3 but they did not wow me. I'd say they were pretty on par with other good dumplings I've had.
Bill: $6 for dumplings,kimchi and a can of coke

I think out of all of these places, the ones I am most excited to try again are Sundaes & Cones and Pala. I love ice cream more than I love my favorite jeans (this is a direct correlation bc the amount of ice cream I tend to eat, makes it so that I can often not fit into said jeans) and I really am dying to try more flavors. Pala is on the list bc the salad ingredients were fresh and promise to provide an interesting pizza. I would go back to New Pasteur to try another shrimp dish, but probably not before I give some other places around there a try..I mean there must be good shredded pork rolls AND shrimp somewhere!

West Village Neighborhood Restaurants

Lately I have been lazy. Too lazy to cook and too lazy to wander outside of my neighborhood footprint for a good meal. It all started when I ordered in brunch last Sunday from WESTVILLE (W. 10th off of bleeker). I woke up craving eggs with some sort of meat/cheese combo and rather than dress myself to go pick up the sausage and cheese (I had eggs in stock) I decided to test out the delivery capacities of Westville. I have never had brunch delivered to my house before and am still pretty embarressed about having done so--am I rewarding myself for simply waking up?--but last Sunday my rumbling stomach could not wait for anything. I ordered a special scramble with prosciutto, mozzerella, tomatoes and herbs and it came in about 5 minutes and was piping hot. Menupages.com has many naysayers about Westville's quality of delivery but I found it to be quick, easy and attractive (this last descriptor pertains to the delivery man who I may or may not have tipped 50%). The mashed potato concoction as a side to the scramble was rather bland (it needed a lot more salt) and the diet coke came in one of those tiny glass bottles that I finished in two gulps--why the soda is so small when the meal is so supersized I have no clue
--but I was still happy for the robust meal in such a short amount of time.

The next night I was meeting a friend for dinner and I suggested FLOR'S KITCHEN (Waverly Pl. btwn 6th and 7th Ave.), a Venezuelan restaurant, because I walk by it everyday on my way to/from work and I have always thought it looked like a "best kept secret" type of a place. Unfortunately, it falls more into the "average neighborhood restaurant" category than anything else. There are two outside tables prime for people watching and the ambiance is very relaxing but the tuna ceviche (with avocado, chopped onions and avocado in a chipotle broth) tasted like a watery salsa with chunks of fish and the shredded beef in the arepa was extremely tough--and not shredded--and the corn pocket tasted stale. I will, however, say that the Shrimp entree was fresh and the rice was fluffy, light and moist. The check was not as fluffy and light as I expected--$50 for the arepa (size of a deck of cards), ceviche (in ramekin dish), one glass of sangria and one glass of inexpensive red wine.

Wednesday found me at AGAVE (7th ave btwn Charles and W.10th), where I split fried calamari, shrimp tacos and sangria with a friend of mine. I was very excited to taste the sangria and compare it to Flor's Kitchen and was thoroughly disappointed. It was terrible I tell you! It tasted as if someone had sweetened grape juice and then dumped a boatload of sprite into it. On a trip to the bathroom I learned from a plaque on the wall that the restaurant was given the award for "best margarita 2006" from Citysearch--which apparantly had given them free license to serve non-award winning sangria. That being said, the food wasn't half bad. The calamari, was cut into big pieces and served with two different types of dipping sauce, avocado and chipotle and was satisfying eventhough it should have been more crispy. The shrimp tacos were quite good all around. The tortillas were soft and enclosed crisp corn, and juicy shrimp. In each bite you could taste the ingredients which is rare in restaurant tacos that are often doused in mayo-type creams.

If you would like to have a long dinner outside than Agave's service will suit you just fine. It is slow, bordering on non-existent. Our waiter, whose name was Kevin but spelled Keyvan, was at the same time aloof and snobby--he did not bring us chips and salsa, did not fill our waterglass and did not try to interact with us in anyway
--and proved to me that I am right to think that people with phonetically spelled names are inherently difficult. I think the way to go at Agave is to sit at the bar have a margarita and the shrimp tacos and call it a day.

The New Meal Plan

For all intents and purposes I am now on the four meal a day plan. This plan was not a conscious decision like the five small meal a day plan that is touted by many a starlet, it is more the result of me deluding myself into thinking that I can eat a meal at 5pm and then not eat for the rest of the evening. I have never--except the first 6 years or so of my life which I don't really even remember--eaten dinner regularly before 8pm, so why do I think now that it will be possible? (I will keep this as a rhetorical question because the answer is that I have no willpower and that is not something I like to admit outside of parentheses)

I'll start with my two "dinnners" on Sunday because both places deserve to be mentioned. My first dinner (roughly 6pm) was the special from BALUCHI'S which includes, an appetizer, a main course, and sides of naan, chutney and raita all for roughly $14. The amount of food is a damn good deal and the chicken curry is tender, delicious and plentiful. Mix it with the basmati rice and dip your naan into the sauce and you will feel as though you are eating a home-cooked meal from which should follow some good tv and a nap. Note: Skip the chutney because it looks like marmalade but tastes like gelatin mixed with a mango rind and assaulted with cumin, however, don't shun all sides because the raita isn't bad.
Second dinner (10:30pm) was a Grandma Slice from BLEECKER STREET PIZZA. Their grandma slices, with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzerella and spices are surprisingly light and I highly recommend them to anyone in the neighborhood..with the exception of cheesy pizza lovers who may be disappointed by its favoritism of sauce over cheese.

Monday night was a Mets game, so I'll leave the amount of dinners out because who counts vending stand visits as legitimate meals anyway?

Tuesday night: #1 "I'm on a healthkick dinner" (5:30pm) consisted of Luna Bar and fruit #2 "I am watching copious amounts of television and the applebees commercial is making me hungry dinner"(10pm) was flour tortillas with melted cheese and Haagen Daz chocolate sorbet--which, by the way, is rich and excellent.

Tonight I actually did have two dinners out at restaurants which, I hope, will be the climax of the four meal trend. First was a group dinner to FUSHA (6pm) a truly fushion place consisting of Japanese, Chinese and Indian food (with french music playing in the bathroom). I had the Sashimi Salsa (I know, I know..Mexico too?) which was a ceviche of sorts--crabmeat, yellowtail, octopus,shrimp and lots of peppers--which would have been a success had it not been for the overspicy sauce which numbed my tastebuds to the fresh fish, an assumption I am willing to make based on the side order of tuna sashimi which was superb.
The second stop was AOC (on Bleecker) where I tucked into a delicious PMT (prosciutto,mozzerella, tomato and basil--which was cruelly ignored in the acronym) sandwich. In my mind's eye I was envisiong a pannini but my mind's eye is not in charge of the bread supply and therefore the sandwich came on a baguette--a delicious warm on the inside crunchy on the outside baguette-- that sprayed crumbs into my literal eye in retribution for second guessing its supremacy. What I love about AOC is that no butter is spared in the creation of its dishes and this sandwich was no exception. The butter and the basil mingled to make a more lardy version of pesto, which melted into the warm bread and smothered the delectable PMT in the sandwich. The fries there are also top notch, salty, big but not too big--think the size of what Nicole Kidman's pinky looks like-and with the proper ratio of crunchy and a bit soggy. I'm more of a soggy fan myself, but I appreciate the equal opportunism of textures.

Tomorrow is a new day and my heart as well as my waistline believe that it will mark my return to the 3 meal a day plan, let's hope my appetite agrees.

Back From Sabbatical

It would seem from my nonexistent posts that I did not eat out during the entire month of March and half of April but looks can be deceiving (and bloggers can be lazy) and, in fact, I have tried some new places with mixed results. A quick summary:

1) CACIO E PEPE--Italian-- (2nd Ave btwn 11th and12th)
The pasta was crunchy enough to possibly send me TO al Dente, the salmon was way too fishy ( read: it had gone bad), and the osso bucco had to be sent back. This being said, however, I have heard so many good things about this place that, silly me, I will go back and give it another shot. Especially since I went on the night of the blizzard before St. Patty's Day and I'm hoping, for their sake, that the chef didn't make it in that day.

2) BOMBAY TALKIE--Indian-- (9th Ave. btwn 21st & 22nd)
Delicious. All around a great experience. The Nan was bigger than my head, light, doughy and flavorful. Beggars' purses a must, and very plump shrimp in the Five Spice Shrimp. Cheap, delicious, and sleek new york ambiance to boot. Great place to go out for a fun meal before heading out on a Saturday night. Or for an early weeknight dinner.

3) SORREL--New American-- (605 Carlton Ave., Prospect Heights)
The deal is a $25 price fixe (although there are also A La Carte options if you so desire) and the food generally falls along the lines of Appetizers:fresh and satisfying, Entrees: overcooked and confusing (I had two different types of sauces to dip my fish in, one olive tapenade and the other a mango marmalade compote--dont get me wrong I love them separately but together its kind of like daniel bolud and chiquita banana are sharing my plate) and Desserts: back to satisfying. I highly recommend the blinchiki (i.e. crepe) filled with ricotta cheese. We did have a fabulous $28 bottle of Cote De Rhone and the wine and the great conversation between friends made overcooked lamb (I tried my friend's) forgivable.

Now to today:

4) WESTVILLE--American-- (10th right off Bleeker)
Capitalizing on the Noreaster I figured I'd give this much talked about restaurant a go. Since I only live a block away it was a win/win for me--I assumed that everyone was safely tucked in their apartment, thus there would be no wait or if there were to be a wait I could return to my apartment and tuck back into the bed that I had been loathe to leave. There were three people waiting outside which was not a positive sign but I walked in and low and behold a table for two was available!Side Note: The three scaffold huddlers outside came inside shortly thereafter so don't feel badly for them. Especially since one of them ordered an egg and asparagus dish that I think I should have ordered.
On to what we ate. I got the special eggs "Scramble #2" which included chorizo, mushroom and chipotle sauce, I added gruyere for a dollar extra and it was a wise choice. It cut down a little bit on the chipotle. Fries came along with it color and texture like McDonalds fries--before transfats got sucked out--but a little meatier and a little bit lacking in salt. I also got a slice of toasted "health bread" on the side which defintiely tasted healthy, brown with lots of seeds. My friend got the Breakfast Burrito and the blue ribbon for ordering correctly. Her dish, from the ingredients to the presentation, was just a lot more exciting than my order. In the wrap was proscuitto, arugula, goat cheese and egg whites (she substituted the normal eggs for the whites, which I usually shy away from but in this case it actually ended up improving the dish by allowing the cheese and arugula to take center stage). We also ordered a plate of sauteed tomoto cherries which were really delighful. The vibrant red tomatoes set against the pretty platter made the think of one of the pictures in the Barefoot Contessa cookbook. This brings me to their market vegetables. They have an incredibly wide range of fresh produce which you can buy either as individual plates ($5) or as a combo platter where you get 4 for $13 (A steal because they really load them on) We had a homemade oreo to finish things off..think devil dogs with crunchier outsides and that same deliciously fake cream that is in oreos.

I cannot say enough good things about this meal (eventhough the burrito was better than the scramble, the scramble was 10 times better than you would get at another restaurant) but I have been put in a pickle now that I have tasted the forbidden fruit and must deal with the fact that I will never again be able to walk in and get a seat. Well, there is always delivery.

WELCOME!

My friend tells a story of her grandfather winding his way through the narrow aisle on the airplane, waiting through a five person line and finally getting into a stall only to forget to lock the door. Upon being faced with the inevitable walk-in, let's just say he was in there long enough to have a new thread of bathroom-goers, he does not shrink in embaressment, our shout out in rage, instead he smiles, shrugs and bellows "Welcome!"

So to those of you who came here by word of mouth not knowing what you would find, I offer a hearty "Welcome!" and I hope you enjoy the site.