Cranberry Beans

Some cookbook I read had a bit where the author waxed rhapsodic over fresh cranberry beans, so when I saw them at Fairway, even though I had no idea what to do with them, I bought a pound. This recipe from Epicurious convinced me they'd be tasty with a basic vinaigrette. They were a joy to shell and it took <10mins to cook them, so even though it was a late weeknight, I still had a tasty nibble at a reasonable hour.

I have all the ingredients to follow the Epicurious recipe and I might do that with the other half. For tonight's nibble though, I tossed them with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, olive oil, and sherry. To me they taste like a cross between white beans and chickpeas; it doesn't matter much if it's healthy and fast, right? Read More......

Dinner at the CIA

When someone asks you, would you like to go to dinner at the Culinary Institute of America, the correct response is, "Yes." For years, I've wanted to go, but given that it's two hours outside NYC and I don't have a car, the logistics never worked out, until my friend Paul organized a trip to American Bounty.

I'm not sure if the service was impeccable because we had a large group or because it's always like that, but it was. The waiter was knowledgeable about all the dishes and was able to make suggestions about pairings. I started with a blanc de noir at the bar - I was so excited they actually had one labeled as such on the menu! And even the rosemary bread was delicious.

I had the daily preparation of foie gras, which was served with a sweet potato puree. I had a taste of the foie gras to start and then took a taste of the sweet potato. Both were delicious, but it didn't work for me until I took the final bite and put them both on the spoon at the same time. I could no longer taste the special flavor of the foie gras - but the combination was spectacular.

I generally find entrees less interesting than appetizers and I'm afraid that was true of the simmer short ribs. I can only describe it as monolithic - tasty and well-prepared, but ultimately not particularly interesting.

I had the gingerbread cake for dessert, mostly because I wanted to see how the CIA did caramel. It was fine, although not quite as much of a knockout as the foie gras. Unfortunately, I think 4 hours round trip is a bit much for even that foie gras. Read More......

RW Winter 2009

This was a very low-key Restaurant Week for me. Early in the week, my parents and I had theater tickets, so we ate at Blue Fin. I was somehow less impressed this time: my mother's tuna and fluke chirashi was an interesting presentation, but nothing to come back for, and her wild striped bass amounted to fish with tasty mush. I had a craving for oysters, so I had their "east & west" selection, of which I enjoyed the east. The crispy skin salmon also amounted to fish with tasty mush; I ordered it specifically because I wanted to try their brussel sprouts, but can't remember it, which probably says it all. This was the meal that made me realize I'd rather eat my own home cooking than go out, at least some of the time.

I've already mentioned how Esca fixed that misconception.

In years past, I've never been able to get a reservation for Asiate for RW, but when we went on Friday, it was half empty. The service was good and the views magnificent, but the food was adequate for the environment. The first taste of the chestnut puree? soup? made me gasp, it was so delicious, but there were so many mushrooms and the duck confit somehow didn't integrate well. My companion had the tuna tartar starter, which seemed to involve a salad, which he left. We both had the beef tenderloin - does it always come with two different cuts of meat, prepared differently? I chose the creme caramel for dessert, mostly because it came with citrus and I was curious how that would work, but I think my uncle's flan is better. I was jealous of my companion's raspberry chocolate cake, but I'm not convinced it was much better. I was initially excited to hear they are continuing the RW menu for the rest of the year, but I'm not inclined to go back, unless circumstances bring me to the neighborhood. Read More......

Weird Food Ideas

I often get notions of foods I'd like to combine - and Pinch & S'mac lets me indulge them. It's a very clever little semi-fast food restaurant, combining a pizza by the inch concept with custom mac & cheese. I enjoy their preset combinations - my friend ordered "parisienne" mac & cheese with brie, figs, shiitakes, and rosemary, while I had the "cajun" with cheddar, pepperjack, andouille sausage, green pepper, onions, celery, and garlic. Mmm...


My friend looked a little dubious when I suggested a pizza with hot dog and either chilis or broccoli, but she indulged me and even offered that it was pretty good afterwards. I thought the crispiness and slight bitterness of broccoli would be a nice foil to the roundness of the hot dog flavor. Next time though, I'm definitely trying the hot dog with chili. Read More......

RW Summer 2008, pt 2

It's taken me so long to write this post about Bar Boulud, I've actually been back twice!

I took a summer Friday to take care of some renovation-related things at home, but even my sister who works all the time took lunch off when she heard I had a reservation for Bar Boulud. The lunch was magnificent. Charcuterie is their specialty and mine was delicious - but my father's carrot soup was intriguing - it had a strong cumin flavor and the flavors were so well blended, it no longer tasted carrot-y. I had a ricotta and chanterelle ravioli for an entree; I'm not a fan of mushrooms and I believe ravioli should always contain meat, but the flavors blended so well, I didn't care. Dessert was a hazelnut mousse. Mmm..

My mother liked the restaurant so much, we went back for dinner for my brother's birthday. Turns out they always have a prix fixe and I think this might be the best fine dining/pre theater deal in the city - $42 for an exquisite, impeccably served 3-course meal. The carrot soup and the charcuterie were less transporting the second time, but overall the meal was delicious and delightful.

Did I mention Bar Boulud is across the street from Lincoln Center? We ended up going there before the opera and once again, the food delighted. I had a taste of my mum's head cheese, which was fantastic, and I had the skate. Both highly recommended.

They have tasting flights on their wine menu, which I don't think I've seen in fine restaurants before, and their sommelier is friendly and helpful. My mother keeps encouraging me to go there on my way home from work - and maybe I should. Read More......

RW Summer 2008, pt 1

I used to get very excited about Restaurant Week, guessing which restaurants would be participating and making reservations even before the list was published, but after 8 years, I've been to a lot of the interesting restaurants and let's face it, there's a lot of chafe. By the time this summer's RW started, I'd only made one reservation, but somehow, I still ended up at four different participants.

* Blue Fin was one of those restaurants I'd always avoided, assuming that a hotel restaurant in Times Sq couldn't be all that good, but I was pleasantly surprised. I'd go back for RW, and not just because the mixed drinks are delicious.

* While I enjoy red meat, I rarely go to steakhouses - I enjoy innovative cuisine more than large quantities of food - but my friend Kat had a reservation for Kobe Club. I ordered the RW menu, which could be upgraded from the hamburger to the wagyus, and she had the tasting menu, meaning that we could taste everything they offered, but still spend a little less than the usual. Well, not that much less. The dishes were interesting and side by side, I could taste the difference between the American, Australian, and Japanese wagyus, but for that amount of money, I'd rather go to Le Bernardin. The wine list is very interesting.

* I wasn't particularly excited about Grayz, but I needed a same-week lunch reservation in midtown west. I'd never have gone there otherwise. It's on the site of the old Aquavit, where I'd had my first disappointing RW meal, and I'm a big believer in food karma. After all that, it turned out to be better than expected. We started with a spicy tuna-kampachi tartare with a lovely presentation: there was an arrangement of tuna in the middle, held together with tortilla chips, with an artful scoop of tomato salsa on the side. The entree was short rib croque monsieur, which was too much of a good thing, alas. The black forest parfait was delicious. I was ready to go back the next time I needed a nice restaurant near work, but then they gave us a $25 coupon for our next visit, which sealed the deal. To me, that's what RW should be - an introduction to a restaurant you've never been to before, but might return if you like it.

I'll save the other restaurant for its own post. Read More......