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.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
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!
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!
Monday, May 7, 2007
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.
--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.
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