Archive | January, 2011

Albert Hall Tavern- Back For More

11 Jan

After the fantastic first impression at Albert Hall Tavern on Friday, Mike was raring to try it and I couldn’t wait to go back and have a full meal. We didn’t have dinner plans for Sunday night, so we set a date to check out their dinner menu.

The staff said to choose our seat, so I picked the table next to the shelf of books in the corner.  We enjoyed checking out the titles on the shelf throughout the meal, most of which were cookbooks.

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The decor inside is cool, but completely unidentifiable.  They have old pages of books (or catalogs?) glued to the wall in a pretty cool way (the shelves with the books was all old cookbooks).  Then there are Victorian looking pictures of women (mostly) on the wall.

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It looks pretty eclectic and interesting, and I enjoy the black and red motif.

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The menu is quite eclectic, and I have trouble putting my finger on how to describe it.  Our waiter went with “avante-garde gastro pub.”  I’ll go with it.

They actually didn’t have many things on the menu, including some of the things I was dying to try (from the Bar and Pasta section).  They were also OUT of the hamburger, much to Mike’s dismay.  Turns out they had a run of people from the Javitz Center and were plum out of burgers, and many of the beers we were hoping to try.  Oh well!  Can’t blame them since they have only been open one week!

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When we asked about the interesting “specials” section, the waiter informed us that they would actually be doing all-day breakfast since this neighborhood is lacking in that (You can say that again!)  I guess this is all a work in progress.  I look forward to seeing how it changes and what they add!

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We decided to split a number of things to try as much as possible.

First we tried the tuna tartare with a quail egg.  This was a great combo of flavors, however, I found it a bit over peppered.  It distracted from the mild flavors of the tuna.

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I did enjoy the quail egg, however, and wished there were more than one.

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Our next order was by recommendation of our awesome waiter, James.  (If you go, ask for him. He’s awesome and you can tell he really loves food).  He told us that the mussels with charred rosemary and black garlic was really great.  He explained that black garlic is grown in caves so it doesn’t turn white and that the rosemary was charred and then steamed to release the flavors.  (I really appreciated his passion for talking about food).

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The moment I tried these ridiculously fresh tasting mussels, I was sold.  The broth was absolutely FANTASTIC.  We had one full clove of the black garlic and it was insanely good.  I honestly wanted to bathe in the broth.  We made no hesitation of asking for crusty bread (which, smartly, comes from Amy’s Bread) to soak up as much of the sauce as possible.  I wish it came with and we didn’t have to ask for it, but these are the little kinks that I’m sure they will figure out very soon.  The cook later told us that people threatened to chop off arms if the bussers tried to take the empty dish away before it was cleaned of all its sauce.

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Next up, the chef brought out duck rillettes with figs.  This was delish.

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The fig was a perfect foil for the duck, which was almost like pulled duck that then got packed back together.  When we asked the chef about it, he said he wanted to go back to the French basics, had some extra duck, so brought it to us off the menu.  (A FANTASTIC chef that sees the opportunity in doing this… and delivers a great dish).

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We opted to split the 12 ounce Ribeye.  The car was delicious, and I like that they put nice sauteed onions on top.

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It came with 3 sauces.  The white sauce tasted like a bernaise, the dark brown like an au jus, and the light brown one was delicious, yet I couldn’t put my finger on it.  The waiter informed us that it was an au poivre.  I always think of an au poivre as being overly spicy, so much so that it distracts from all over flavors.  This, on the other hand, had  a perfect sweetness to it that brought out everything that is fantastic about steak.

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We also ordered a side of barrel roasted winter vegetables.  Who knew vegetables could taste THAT good? (And I love veggies)  These were just perfect.  Incredibly flavorful.  I had to wonder where this guy buys his veggies.

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After this incredible meal, I couldn’t wait to try dessert.  This, however, was where the magic ended.  Since the chef is making everything himself, he hasn’t gotten to desserts yet.  I was thisclose to offering to bring over some confections for the next few weeks because… seriously… dessert is IMPORTANT!  (Note: if anyone from Albert Hall is reading, the offer still stands.  I make a mean meringue.)

I am THRILLED to have this place right around the corner.  There are no go-to places in this neighborhood and I love that they have a great draft beer selection.  Mike and I have already discussed about heading there once a week.  From start to finish, it just felt comfortable and homey there.

Beyond the fantastic food, the staff is wonderful.  Our bartender on Friday took great care of us and our waiter was impressively informative (even if it was steering us away from the food that wasn’t stellar) and we really enjoyed chatting with him.  We even chatted with a chef for a bit on the way out and found out that he sources his food from all the great local butchers and farm stands in the area.  We also agreed with his statement that he was surprised that there aren’t more restaurants in this area with all the fantastic ingredients available so close.  He even commented about how much he enjoys getting meat from my favorite butcher on the corner, Esposito’s Pork Shop.

Overall, this place has been fantastic from top to bottom so far.  I look forward to their expanding menu, when they open up the private room in the back for suckling pig roasts, and eating and drinking here much more often.

Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

Albert Hall Tavern- A new, fantastic arrival

7 Jan

There are VERY few places that I dine at and then run right home to blog about.  In fact, this may very well be the first time (I left this place 15 minutes ago).  Albert Hall Tavern is located at 508 9th Ave (between 38th and 39th Streets).  Their site (www.alberthalltavern.com) isn’t yet live (which is hardly surprisingly, since they have been open less than ONE WEEK).  Their phone number is 646-490-4803, however, if you want to get in touch.

I live in a neighborhood that isn’t well known for go-to dining establishments.  Sure, there are delicious places in Times Square, and there are a number of Hell’s Kitchen restaurants that are go-to, but the area on 9th Avenue near Port Authority isn’t exactly known as a mecca for cuisine.

So when Mike and I noticed that a new tavern was opening up in a space that was recently a short lived velvet rope night club (non-sensical for this area), we checked out the menu.  It looked great.  Some really delicious sounding dishes (bone marrow, short rib ravioli, a Thursday special just called “pig”) and a nice looking inside (that we could see when we peered through the window) made us both say to each other, “we need to try this place.” (They opened on New Year’s Eve.)

So tonight, when my coworkers wanted to go out for happy hour, I suggested we try the new place. When we walked in, it seemed a little fancy, but with a great draft beer selection and some good rock music (the kind you just love to sing along to) playing. 

We quickly noticed that they had an interesting selection of beers, most of which we couldn’t pronounce, but sounded promising.  Our bartender (Brian, I think) mentioned that he appreciated our selections and quickly poured us our taps.  We all tried our beers and made various “wow” type sound.  We all mentioned how much we were each enjoying our various selections, however, one stood out;  Adam chose a German wheat beer, Weihenstephan.  Turns out, it’s the oldest brewery in the world (nearly 1,000 years old!) We all wound up ending with this beer and enjoying it thoroughly.

We also asked for the bone marrow appetizer, which included beets and braised beef.  (SOLD!)  It came and we all managed to give the bones extra scrapes, and commented on how delicious the braised beef was.  It was heavenly.   From start to finish.

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We struck up a conversation with our bartender about visiting the south (where he’s from) and I think we were all taken aback by how “at home” we immediately felt in this place.

One of the managers came up to us soon after and brought us artichoke dip, compliments of the chef.

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We were immediately impressed by the (obviously) homemade potato chips on top.  While we all wanted to dip them, they were too fragile, so they acted as a perfect crunchy topping as we ate this with our forks. 

I was thoroughly impressed.  As someone that LOVES artichokes and has eaten artichoke dip in many restaurants, I was really intrigued at how fresh the artichokes were, how unique this dip was, and how it didn’t have any of that mealy texture that is so popular in artichoke dip.  I’m not sure there was spinach in this.  It just tasted like fresh artichokes and cheese.

FAN. tastic.

We wound up chatting with the manager and the owner, and found out the future plans include making the back into a “game room” where they plan to serve whole suckling pigs to private parties.  They plan on making brunch a big deal in the next few weeks and plan on being open for lunch soon. 

I was so impressed by this place.  Fantastic beer selection, the food we tried was unique and delicious, and the staff was so hospitable and friendly.  It’s the kind of place I can see finally becoming my neighborhood go-to. 

They have shrimp by the pound where you can get a whole meal for about $10.  And we were advised to try their oysters.

When Mike got home from work, I actually debated turning right around and going back for dinner.

I’m sure I will be back soon.

Go. Now. Before the secret is out.

 

 

 

“You might be a Foodie if…”

3 Jan

On New Year’s Eve, a good friend asked me if she was a “Foodie.”  She had recently been asked and just wasn’t sure how to answer.  (Mind you… she is the local Pampered Chef dealer).  I think “Foodies” have gotten a bad reputation of being snobby/pretentious/judgmental.  I think this is unfair.  (Those are “Food Snobs” in my book.  The people who judge you for not knowing what a “mise en place” is or who think it is impossible to have delicious food off of anything but their very expensive, brand new cookware.)  I have even shied away from calling myself a “Foodie” for a long time because I’ve always thought that this carried with it the notion of being an expert.  Having met lovely, novice people who I can only define as Foodies, I am going to redefine the term in my own head.  Foodies love food.  Period.  (In my humble opinion.)

So while I am by no means in charge of knighting Foodies, here is my stab at a light-hearted list.  Please feel free to add your own in the comments.

You might be a Foodie if… you drool over William-Sonoma catalogs

You might be a Foodie if… you DVR Julia Child episodes on The Cooking Channel (every day at 2pm EST!)

You might be a Foodie if… you plan your weekends around your dinner reservations

You might be a Foodie if… you have a folder on your iPhone 4 just for “Food” apps

You might be a Foodie if… you look forward to the special New York Magazine Food Issues (“Best of New York,” “Eat Cheap,” and “Where to Eat”- 1st issue of the year, OUT NOW!)

You might be a Foodie if… you have run out of kitchen gadgets to covet

You might be a Foodie if… you can have conversations about food for longer than most people can talk about television shows

You might be a Foodie if… the idea of roasting/eating a whole pig sounds AWESOME

You might be a Foodie if… you watch Goodfellas and it makes you want to cut your garlic with a razor

You might be a Foodie if… you forego touring the Hollywood Walk of Fame on your trip to LA in order to attend a Food Festival, in the sun, on a blistering 100+ degree day

You might be a Foodie if… Iron Chef inspires you to have your very own “secret ingredient” nights

You might be a Foodie if… you have cooked a recipe multiple times to get it perfect (even if it tasted great the first time)

You might be a Foodie if… your Google Reader is filled with more food blogs than news and gossip sites

You might be a Foodie if… you watch a television show or movie based in your local city and can name all the restaurants in the background

You might be a Foodie if… you think the Quickfire Challenge winner’s plate is hotter than Padma

You might be a Foodie if… a butchering class sounds like a good way to spend a Friday night

You might be a Foodie if… the best and most romantic anniversary gift you ever received was a KitchenAid

You might be a Foodie if… you have multiple battle wounds from hot oil splatters

You might be a Foodie if… you run Pampered Chef Parties (Abby)

Now let’s hear from you, Nommers!