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Restaurant Week – Winter 2015: Pera

3 Mar

Restaurant Week is back in NYC.  It started a couple weeks later than last year, but it came just in time, as we have all worn thin with the freezing cold and need an excuse (any excuse) to brave the cold for good food.

The first stop this year was Pera, a Mediterranean restaurant near Grand Central and the Library/Bryant Park that I have passed many times, but have never had a good excuse to try.  Restaurant Week provided as good an excuse as any to have a meal there with my sister.

It was quite crowded, but not at all loud.

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We were provided with two Restaurant Week menus as well as the regular menu.  How these were different, I am still not sure:

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We started with the Crispy Portugese Calamari, which also came with sliced sausage. It was also supposed to come with a paprika yogurt and hot peppers, but since both my sister and I share the same peppers allergy (capsaicin to be exact), we had to forego those parts. But it was quite tasty without, both the calamari itself, which was fried a bit heavy but not at all greasy, and the sausage slices.

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My sister chose to go with the pan-roasted Atlantic salmon with grilled vegetables and eggplant ragu.  I think the ragu was kept off due to the peppers allergy, but she enjoyed the dish.  I tried a bite, and even though I’m not a salmon fan, this was pretty good.

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I got the Wild Mushroom Bucatini with porcini cream sauce, swiss chard, oyster mushrooms, and parmigiano reggiano.  While it photographed quite poorly, it was actually quite tasty.  Nothing too memorable, but it’s hard to go wrong with bucatini and mushrooms.  I did have the distinct feeling, however, that I could have just as easily made this myself.

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Dessert was a sampler of 4 treats (even though the menu listed it as a trio).  We had a piece of baklava, a mini apple tart, dark chocolate mousse in a dark chocolate cup, and I think a coffee mousse.  All were good, but nothing outstanding.

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Overall our meal here was pretty good, but I wasn’t really blown away by anything. This Restaurant Week experience didn’t give me motivation to want to come back again, but it’s a solid choice.

Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10

nomscale- 06.5

 

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NYC Restaurant Week Summer 2014: Bread and Tulips

3 Sep

Mike and I had to kill some time in the city (so weird that we don’t live right in it anymore!) before meeting up with someone, so we chose Bread & Tulips for our Restaurant Week dinner. I had passed by a few times and always meant to stop in, so this was the perfect motivation to finally do so.

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The space has a really nice feel to it, with clean white subway tile and some rustic influences. It was dark, however, so apologies in advance for the lack of light on the pictures.

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I was impressed that the menu included Gluten-Free spaghetti.

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And they included a card to come back and have a drink on them after dining with them for Restaurant Week, a really nice touch to bring people back.

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The bread was rustic and incredibly tasty.

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We started with the housemade meatballs with san marzano tomatoes and ricotta.  Really tasty little balls of meat.

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We also got the gorgonzola figs with rosemary and honey.  These were delicious.  Little mouthfuls of sweet that really started the meal well.

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For our entrees, Mike got the Flatiron Steak Tagliata with roasted garlic potatoes.  This was good but not outstanding.

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I got the housemade papparadelle with braised leg of lamb and grana.  It was quite delicious, however, I was hoping for more lamby flavor.

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For dessert we got a chocolate & hazelnut mousse cake with hazelnut gelato.  It was good but very rich.

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We also got the vanilla bean pana cotta with seasonal fruit.  This was tasty but a bit weird. The texture just wasn’t right.  It was very, very soft and wet.

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We were given two little almond cookies at the end of the meal, which were very good and a nice touch.

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Overall, I didn’t love my meal. It was good but not great.  I felt like we got a good meal for the price, however, I’m not sure how I would feel if I paid full price for it.  I would go back to try them again, but I’m not in any rush. Though that free drink ticket sure has some allure for an afterwork treat!

Total Nom Points: 5.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 5.5 out of 10

 

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NYC Restaurant Week Summer 2014: Blue Smoke

2 Sep

Another work lunch just happened to be during Restaurant Week, so we decided to go to Blue Smoke BBQ in Flatiron. While they were serving the RW menu, most of us actually wound up ordering of the regular menu since their everyday menu is actually quite affordable for the quality of the food.

One thing on their RW menu that is always a hit with everyone is this chicken.  Great, crispy skin and tons of flavor.

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I got the vegetable special which was actually super weird… it was shaved root vegetables with a creamy sauce. It tasted good but the plating left a lot to be desired…

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But I also got their mac and cheese, which might be one of my favorite things on earth, so I was a happy camper.

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Overall, I always really enjoy Blue Smoke, whether at the restaurant or at Citi Field, and it’s a great catered lunch for work meetings, however, I’m not sure if I can say that it’s the best option for Restaurant Week.  It saves a bit of money, but their regular menu is very affordable. I would say just head here any time you are looking for good BBQ, regardless of Restaurant Week.

Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10

nomscale- 06.5

 

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