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Top Noms of 2014

1 Jan

Every year, we compile our favorite meals of the previous 12 months.  (For previous years, check here: 2013201220112010, and 2009). It is always hard to choose the best, and this year especially so when 2013 ended with our number one meal of all time at Alinea in Chicago, and then 2014 started with the previous #1 (and still #1 in NYC), Eleven Madison Park for the second time.   But enough about previous tops, and onto the tops of 2014:

As for great food that weren’t specific restaurants, I had an incredible experience at the New York Magazine Taste Event, getting to sample a bite from some of the best restaurants around the city. My favorite recipe that I shared (and have now baked over and over again) was the Nutella Stuffed Salted Chocolate Cookies (note: I have since removed the caramels and find the recipe is perfect even without this extra indulgence).  And then my favorite day of the year is the day we went on a veritable treasure hunt around NYC to #followtherabbit to get free cronuts and cookie shots from Dominique Ansel in honor of his cookbook launch.  What an amazing time!

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As for our top 10 Restaurants of 2014…

#10: The NoMad Bar

We had a great meal at The NoMad (#5 on the Top Noms of 2013) and we were excited to see that they launched a slightly more casual (and very sexy) “Bar” version.  We have since been back a few times and each time we enjoy the food and the cocktails, which are very expensive but some of the best in the city. It’s hard to beat as a place to impress guests or a date.

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#9: Carbone

We had heard the rumbling about the new restaurant from Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick, Carbone. The buzz about the Veal Parm was especially loud, referencing the ridiculous price ($54) and the equally ridiculous deliciousness.  The veal was certainly delicious, but it was actually the amazing pasta dishes that pushed this into the top 10.

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#8: Brunch at DBGB

We were surprised at how much we enjoyed brunch at DBGB, though I really shouldn’t have been since I have always been a big fan of David Boulud restaurants. We have enjoyed ourselves at many including Boulud Sud (#6 on the 2012 Top Noms List) Daniel (#3 on the 2011 Top Noms List), Cafe Boulud (#5 on the Top Restaurant Week list), and Bar Boulud (a favorite brunch spot).   Our brunch at DBGB was with a big group and everyone left raving about the food, and the French Toast was the best I’ve ever had.

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#7: Root & Bone Opening

We had a great time at the pop-up preview of Root & Bone in 2013 and then visited the new permanent location in the East Village during the first few weeks of opening.  It was opened by Top Chef alums Jeffrey McInnis and Janine Booth and brought us the fried chicken that no one can stop talking about. I loved the corn dish (which combined “Grilled Sweet Corn Cob… Husk and All” with cornbread butter, giant hominy, and popped corn) though I’ve heard that it’s not as consistent from other reviewers. I also adored the short rib meat loaf. I loved that the menu had a lot of memorable dishes that were a little bit different.

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#6: Bodega Negra at the Dream Hotel

Another surprising meal was at Bodega Negra in Chelsea.  Perhaps it’s because I don’t get to eat Mexican food very often due to my allergy, so this was novel.  But the dessert alone put this squarely in the top 10 and it was an incredibly memorable meal. (Video of the dessert’s metamorphosis here)

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#5: Decoy: Peking Duck Dinner

I love a Peking Duck dinner. Something about that crispy duck with all the fixins wrapped in the little pancakes just make me happy. But this dinner was pretty epic in that not only was the duck dinner included, but also 4 small plates, 2 main dishes, and 1 fried rice or side dish.  The grilled wagyu beef pieces are still a taste memory stuck on repeat in my brain and it’s a great meal to share with food loving friends.

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#4: all’onda

A restaurant I have recommended again and again is all’onda. Eater called it the biggest restaurant opening of 2014 and we could not disagree.  Each dish was very unique and had a special flare to it that everyone really enjoyed.  We loved the sea urchin pasta (which I think has gone off and on the menu a few times depending on availability) and I still think of the arancini balls with beautiful squid ink rice.

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#3: Sushi Nakazawa

What a surprise! Mike made an impressive choice for my surprise birthday dinner and our meal was fantastic from start to finish.  A whole lot of chef chosen sushi in the Omikase, with the uni that will forever leave me chasing that uni dragon.  Do yourself a favor and make a reservation, be sure to watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi before you go, and then visit this restaurant to taste what Chef Daisuke Nakazawa learned after a 10-year apprenticeship at one of the best sushi restaurants in Japan.

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#2: Per Se

After quite the exciting meal at The French Laundry during out honeymoon, it was hard to resist trying Per Se on our first wedding anniversary. I was excited just to be in this NYC institution, and I could not wait to wrap my tongue around the Oysters and Pearls dish again, a tiny bowl of heaven that is famous in both locations.  While still not as great as other restaurants we have loved, it was undeniable why this is commonly referred to as one of the best (and most special) restaurants in New York City. The meal was perfect (just like our French Laundry meal) but not quite as creative as some of our favorites.  Still #2 for the year!

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#1: Liquid Art House

The surprise of the year. I went to Boston on business but was able to spend my first night in the city with a good friend.  A quick search of top restaurants in the city near the Boston Back Bay station led me to Liquid Art House.  The space opened in May of this year and it was incredible and impressive with art hung like a gallery.  The food is also a work of art on each plate.  Usually you expect food that beautiful to be more aesthetic than substance, but the food absolutely, 100% delivered.  Each flavor was incredible and the ingredients were so fresh.  I was actually suffering extensively from morning sickness during this meal, but I managed to enjoy every single bite. I wish I had room for dessert, because I can only imagine what creations they came up with, but I left this meal in awe of how much I enjoyed it. I also just found out that Chef Stacy Cogswell from the current season of Top Chef (the Boston native) just came into the kitchen under Executive Chef Rachel Klein.  Since we do love our Top Cheftestant restaurants, I look forward even more to bringing Mike back to try this place as soon as we can make a trip back to Boston.

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Another incredible year of eats!  I cannot help but reflect back on how fortunate we are that we get to live this life.  We joke that our biggest fear for our baby is that he will not love food. But I have to think that can’t possibly be feasible with us as parents. We just love this way too much.

Thanks for another great year!

Onto the adventures of 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brunch at DBGB

18 Nov

My sister was on a quest to find a brunch place on the Lower East Side that could accommodate a semi-flexible birthday brunch of about 10-15 people.  That’s no easy task in the LES.  Lots of places are great, but very small, or very quickly booked up weeks in advance.

But I was thrilled when she booked at DBGB, a Daniel Boulud restaurant.  We have dined at a few of Chef Boulud’s restaurants and they have always been especially great and high on the list of reliable favorites.

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The space is quite large, with a big bar and lots of beer selections.

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We sat right below this beauty, which made me want to immediately book a Whole Hog Feast for the near future.  The mirrored panels around the restaurant are also printed with great quotes from famous food lovers (everyone from Wylie Dufresne to Homer Simpson).

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When we were getting ready to order, Mike spotted an old high school friend across the room, who happened to be the general manager of the restaurant. He said hello and two things immediately went through my head…

“Wow! Small world.”

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“Man… I hope this meal isn’t shitty. I hate having to pretend to like a place because we know someone there.”

Thankfully, the latter turned out to be nothing to worry about. In classic Chef Boulud style, the food was a notch above great.

And Mike’s old buddy sent over a few very nice extras for us, including a starter of Viennoiseries (French for pastries from Vienna) with butter and jam.  This included a madeleine on top, which was surprising but incredibly delicious.  All the pastries were very, very good, but the highlight was actually the raspberry jam.  That was some incredible jam.

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DBGB features their different variations of sausages prominently.

The table tried the Vermont Sausage with pork & cheddar link, hash browns, and red onion crème frache. Everyone enjoyed.

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And the Thai sausage.

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Everyone loved the Thai sausage (sadly, I couldn’t try due to my allergy), which had pork, lemongrass & red curry links, green papaya, basil fried rice,  and chili sauce.  There was even a perfect little quail egg on top.

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One person got the Vermont with 2 fried eggs, a lovely breakfast.

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I got to try a bite of the Eggs Florentine with creamy spinach, hollandaise, english muffin with Jabon de Paris.  This was sensational.  All the components seemed simple but the taste came together in the most spectacular way. (The hollandaise was on the side for this one, per my mom’s request, and I thought it was a perfect hollandaise)

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The Oeuf Forestére was two eggs “en cocotte” with wild mushrooms, gruyère, fines herbes

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“Le Bucheron” with two eggs any style, toscane sausage, smoked bacon, home fries, a house-baked croissant

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An omelette (not sure which kind)

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The Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

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Mike got (surprise) the buger. Specifically The Frenchie: 7 oz beef patty with confit pork belly, arugula, tomato-onion compote & morbier cheese on a peppered brioche bun with cornichon, mustard & fries.  He said it was very juicy, and I stole quite a few great, crispy fries.

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He also got a side of the Brussels sprouts with bacon, which were perfectly cooked and just the right amount of crispy and sweet.

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I got the French Toast.  I hardly ever get french toast but this one was listed with roasted plum compote and it was just calling my name on this day.  Usually french toast suffers from being tasty on the outside and then just bread on the inside.  This suffered from no such problems. In fact, this was hands down the best french toast I’ve ever had.  The outside was crispy and slightly bruleed, and the inside was like the best combination of bread pudding and creme brulee.  It was so tasty and so perfectly textured, with the absolutely awesome roasted plum compote that I just wanted to lick off the plate.

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I also go a side of the house smoked bacon, which I ordered extra well done (I love bacon crispy) and this did not dissapoint.  Great bacon.

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And since it was a birthday celebration, we got some desserts for the table to share.

We split the Cranberry Cream Cheese Sundae which came with spiced cranberry compote, linzer crumble, orange marshmallow, toasted pumpkin seeds, and whipped cream.  I usually don’t like cranberries all that much, but this was awesome. The ice cream tasted like cheese cake and the cranberries were just the right amount of sweet.  And the orange marshmallows were a great part of the full sundae.

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We also tried the chocolate bourbon sundae with brownie bites, chocolate sauce, bourbon gelée, candied pecans, and whipped cream.  This had great flavor, and the bourbon gelée was a great pop of flavor, and I absolutely loved the candied pecans in this sundae.

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We also decided to split the Baked Alaska around the table, which had pistachio & vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet, and fresh meringue flambéed with kirsch.  What we were not expecting was that Mike’s friend, the GM, actually flambéed this tableside for us.  It was quite the spectacle (check ou the blue flame in the picture below).  It was delicious and always an impressive dessert.

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My sister was thrilled with her birthday brunch and all of us left very full and very happy.  I will absolutely go back there any time I’m in the neighborhood and want to get together with friends to do that Whole Hog Feast.

I was very happy to be able to honestly tell the GM at the end that our meal was really fantastic.  A step above your typical brunch.

Happy Birthday, Stacey!

Total Nom Points: 8.5 out of 10

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New York Taste Event 2014: Thanks NY Mag!

17 Nov

My job has a lot of perks.  Because we work with a lot of magazines and websites, we get to take advantage of some of their more exclusive events.  Usually the events are more like big parties, which are fun but not really my thing.  But when New York Magazine (which also happens to be the only magazine I read as a consumer, every issue) invited me to their annual TASTE event, I was thrilled.  They even let me take a Plus One, so I had to invite fellow food lover and blogger, That Lori, of Stuff I Ate, to join me.

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I’ve always wanted to go to TASTE, seeing as though it features a taste from some of the best restaurants in NYC, including some of our favorites, all’onda, Barbutobetony, Butter, Gramercy Tavern, and NoMad.

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The event was in a space called The Waterfront Building on 11th Avenue between 27th and 28th Streets.  It was built in 1891 as the Terminal Stores building and it looked (and looks) like a medieval fortress.  Rail lines ran right into the building from the Hudson river docks and when it was built, it was the only building with direct access to the river, the road, and the rail.

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It was a great space for this event; long and narrow with enough room to get around (though when the masses came in, we were certainly tripping over each other (and the poorly placed floor lights).   Though it certainly felt crowded at times, we never waited more than a few minutes for any food (though by the final hour, most were out of food… not that we could eat any more at that time anyway though!)

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As we walked through the event, I kept noticing that they had great music on. I was actually surprised when we got to the end and it was a live band.  They sounded like a recording.  Great band.

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But now onto the food!  I was impressed to see many of the celebrity chefs working their booths, including Alex Guarnaschelli at Butter and Dale Talde at Talde.

One of my favorite celebrity chefs, Jonathan Waxman, was behind his Barbuto table.  As soon as I lifted my duck liver pâté crostini with apples and saba up to take a picture, Chef Waxman immediately laughed at me and said I was being cute by taking a detailed picture.  I blushfully told him how much I loved his chicken at Barbuto and he told me that he hopes I loved his duck liver even more.  I’m not star struck by many people, but for some reason, Chef Waxman turned me into a giggling little girl.

And yes, his duck liver was superb (though blurry in this picture, seeing as though I was giggling…)

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Here were some of my favorite bites of the evening:

Truffled hummus from Claudette.  I would never have thought to bump up hummus by adding truffle, but this was spot on.  From now on, if I want to make my hummus a more elegant meal, I will be adding truffle salt.

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And while we’re on the topic of truffles, Toloache was serving a beautiful slice of raw tuna with quinoa, avocado aioli, and fresh slices of truffles. It also had a spicy sauce on top which they (kindly) left off of mine.  This was so fresh and just popped with flavor.

 

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The Writing Room was serving a chicken liver mousse with green apples.  The mousse was so fresh and the apples were a great foil for the richness.  A very enjoyable bite.

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Sadly, there was so much food that by the end, I just couldn’t fit another bite.  But I just loved the look of these lettuce cups with egg from Tao.

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But my favorite bite of the evening was squash with pistachio and truffle from Piora.  It was so good, that Piora jumped right to the top of my list for next restaurant I want to try.

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My favorite dessert was the chocolate lollipops from Wallsé. They were so rich and had such amazing flavor.  I went back for one more at the end of the night, but no surprise, there were none left.

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I loved this event and even if I don’t get the opportunity to go as a guest next year, I think it will be worth it to pay for it and bring Mike.  It was an absolutely delicious and fun evening.

Thanks again, New York Magazine!