Friday, June 22, 2007
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.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, June 11, 2007
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.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
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.
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.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
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.
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.
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