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Valentine’s Day at Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse

15 Mar

The first time Mike and I celebrated my birthday as a couple, he took me to Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse (on 9th Ave near 34th Street, also locations in Bayside and on West 56th Street).  I have been to some of the best steak restaurants in the city, so I was slightly skeptical when he was taking me to one that was not only right near my apartment, but also right near Penn station… not exactly a hot bed of great food choices.  My skepticism was soon relieved, however, as we had a fantastic meal there.  The most memorable part was the king crab legs.  Wow were these good! The BEST I have ever had.

So when Mike suggested we go back for a simple Valentine’s Day meal, I was totally game.  Uncle Jack’s also had been running a promotion that if you friended them on Facebook or added them on Twitter, they sent a $25 gift card. Score!  We were both more than happy to be fans after our last great meal.  I was also sent a “Lifestyle” card where I earn points for eating there.  It also happens to still be very close to our new apartment.  So… great last experience + gift card + rewards card + close to home = Valentine’s Day winner! They also didn’t have any crazy upcharged menu for the holiday AND promised a “free gift for the ladies” for dining on Valentine’s Day, so really this was the clear winner.

They do not have menus, however, they do have a big chalk board with all their main meals.  We were VERY sad to see that king crab legs were not on the menu, but our server quickly cheered us back up by informing us it was on the Specials menu.   

Score!  These were REALLY good, but not quite as good as last time.  Perhaps it was due to the seasonality.  We certainly enjoyed every last morsel, however.

Choosing the steak was tough. I was really tempted to go with the Kobe (compared to other restaurants, it was much more affordable), however, I’m still not convinced if the big upcharge for Kobe is worth it.  I keep saying I should try it, but I chicken out when I try to determine if double the price is worth it.  So we went with the “signature dish”: The  for 2.  I do love me a porterhouse. It’s hard to beat a steak that has BOTH New York Strip and Filet in one. 

This steak had the most amazing char I think I have ever tasted!  Throughout the meal, Mike and I were both trying to determine which of the two types of steak we liked better, but it was futile as they were both just SO GOOD.

We went with creamed spinach on the side and they really do creamed spinach right. Big fan! 

The worst part about the meal is when we had scraped every single last piece of edible material we could off the bone.  If I could have picked it up and noogled it, I would have!

And what would a Valentine’s Day be, especially at a steakhouse, without dessert? Unfortunately, the dessert menu is not posted online… so I’ll have to do this from memory.  I’m sure the menu had much better titles, and now that it’s a month later, I probably don’t remember as clearly… but here we go.

Mike went cheesecake.  It was exactly how I like cheesecake.  Not just thick cream cheese, but a little bit of a sour taste and more fluffy.  And the chocolate covered strawberry was definitely a great touch.

I went with, what else? the chocolate souffle cake.  I honestly can’t remember if this center was perfectly gooey or just okay… I believe at this point we were two bottles of wine in plus an amaretto for dessert (Hey! It was a holiday!) so the memory is a bit fuzzy.  I wish it were more memorable either way… but I don’t remember being at all disappointed.

We were promised a “special gift for the ladies” since it was Valentine’s Day.  Mike was hysterical as he asked for this and I received a little box of Russel Stover’s chocolates.  A nice little touch Uncle Jacks. Bravo.

Uncle Jacks also has some other interesting specials that I really would like to try if I had more money and wasn’t now on Weight Watchers… (wait! NYC Nom Nom is on Weight Watchers?! Oh yes… more on that later though.)  On Tuesdays they have half priced bottles of wine (all bottles if you’re a “Lifestyles” member, which you can sign up for on the site). Wednesdays are “Wine Tasting Wednesdays” when they do free tastings at the bar for two hours in each location (with complimentary fruit and cheese platters!).  Then Thursdays are “Ladies and Gents Nights” where they have complimentary tastes of “manly drinks” (scotch, port, whiskey, and bourbon) and “girly drinks” (cocktails and martinis) while serving their signature appetizers between 5pm and 7pm in NYC (6pm and 8pm in Bayside).  Wow! How great does that sound?!  I’ll have to check it out more and try to be good.  I love that they do these fun promotions.  Someone on their marketing team is quite creative.

Trust me, this place is great. Even without all the fun specials, it’s worth it. The fun specials just add more fun!  Try it… you won’t be disappointed.

Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

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Post Valentine’s Day Brunch

16 Feb

On the way to see Coraline on Sunday, Mike and I decided to stop at the new diner type place that recently opened up one blow from my apartment.  It’s called The Highline Cafe (in honor of the new park that is opening up around 2010).  We first stopped in at around 2am after going out on New Year’s Eve.  The burger and fries tasted DELICIOUS (though there may have been other factors involved) so we decided to try them again for brunch.

They have a $13 brunch prix fixe that includes a drink (we both went for Mimosas), coffee/tea/soda (we both went for coffee), and an entree off the list.  Mike chose a chicken and avocado sandwich.  It was a bit better than basic, but not amazing. 

I went with the “Classic Eggs Benedict” which was served on an english muffin or “potato cake” with spinach or canadian bacon and hollandaise.  I proceeded to check to make sure there were no peppers (I’m very allergic) and inquired if a “potato cake” was like a “potato pancake.”  The waitress proceeded to tell me that it was nothing like a potato pancacke… it was shredded potatoes with onion, seasoning, and salt that was flat and fried.  It sounded suspiciously like a potato pancake to me, so I ordered it and hoped for the best.  The first plate that came out had delicious looking homefries laced with death (aka green peppers).  When I pointed this out the waitress apologized for being “on auto-pilot” and I’m sure proceeded to spit in my food (just kidding) before scraping off the potatoes and replacing it with the mixed greens.  While she was replacing the potatoes, we were left with plenty of time to examine the “hollandaise” sauce. 

Now I’m not sure what this yellow chunky sauce was exactly, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t hollandaise.  It did add a little moisture and salt to the otherwise overcooked poached eggs, however, so I went with it.

At this point, I would like to draw your attention to the brownish thing underneath the eggs and canadian bacon. Now, if you are thinking it looks suspiciously like a potato pancake, I would have to agree.  It also tasted suspiciously like a potato pancake (though a little chewier than I’d prefer).  But remember, it is certainly NOT a potato pancake.

The best part of the meal was definitely the mimosas, which were served with very fresh squeezed orange juice.

Overall, it was a fair meal.  We’ll go back, I’m sure, since it’s so convenient and 24 hours, but overall, it’s not exactly a destination restaurant by any means.

Total Nom Points: 5 out of 10

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Valentine’s Day Surf and Turf

16 Feb

This year for Valentine’s Day, Mike and I decided we would cook together (one of our favorite activities).  We decided on Surf and Turf and went to Chelsea Market, one of my favorite places in NYC. 

Chelsea Market was the old Nabisco Factory. Now it is home to multiple bakeries, food stores, wine merchants, and restaurants as well as the home of a few marketing companies and Food Network TV studios. 



(<— LOOK! DEATH!)

I love the look of the building.  It’s industrial and artsy at the same time.  They left certain pieces from what it was and made it into something completely reimagined. 





There are many performers that entertain there as well.

While walking around the market, we spotted Whitney Port (from “The Hills”/”The City” on MTV).  She had the longest, thinnest legs I’ve ever seen.

Mike and I went specifically for The Lobster Place.  They specialize in wholesale to some of the best restaurants in Manhattan, but they also sell to commoners like me.  After a lap around the store (and our comments in stereo: Sara- “It smells like Maine” and Mike- “It smells like Boston”), we decided on a half pound of jumbo scallops and a 1.5 pound lobster (live).  We proceeded to name the lobster “Whitney Port” in honor of our celebrity spotting.



On the way home, Mike and I stopped at a Meat Market and bought a very large flank steak and some pancetta.  As soon as we got home, we set the steak to marinate in soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey, vinegar, and oil.  A few hours later, we whipped up the scallops in butter, garlic, and shallots.  It was tasty! So tasty, in fact, that I forgot to take pictures.  But we did pop the wine that we went on an adventure to find. This is a wine from 1990 and it is just very, very good.

Next up we started boiling the big pot of water for Whitney and then browned the pancetta for the brussel sprouts.  We originally fell in love with a similar recipe that we ate at Babbo, and then saw Guy Fieri cook a similar version on The Food Network.  We altered it slightly, however, and loved it so much last time we made it that we added it to the Valentine’s Day meal. 




While the Brussel Sprouts were baking, we started the steak on the grill.  We proceeded to set the fire alarm off, almost burn the steak, then threw WAY too much oil on the grill top (my fault) to prevent the other side from burning.  WHOOPS! It unfortunately turned out a bit tough, but delicious. (And even better the next day when the meat had time to absorb more of the marinade and garlic!)

Of course, we set Whitney to boil as soon as we could, and then I hacked her to pieces.




The completed meal was absolutely delicious!  Yet again, somehow, the brussel sprouts still prevailed as the highlight.  Go figure!


After dinner we went to see Guys and Dolls on Broadway (good, but not great… though definitely a classic).  Our plan was to go to Marseilles on 44th Street and 9th Avenue for dessert.  We went in around 10:30pm and there were at least a dozen empty tables with no one waiting.  The hostess proceeded to inform us, however, that they were booked solid for the next hour and we were welcome to take a seat at the bar (the seats were a single on either side).  I asked her if she was kidding and she regretted to inform me she was not.  We incredulously left and decided we’d be better off with dessert on the couch.  We picked up 2 pints of Ben & Jerry’s and I have decided that their Pumpkin Cheesecake may just be my favorite ice cream ever.  It’s on Limited Batch right now, however, so I will shed a tear when it is gone.

All-in-all, it was a fabulous Valentine’s Day!

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Here are the recipes from the evening:

Steak Marinade:

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds flank steak

Blend, Spear steak with fork, Marinate for many hours (we did 4, but I think it would benefit from at least 8), and Grill.

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Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces pancetta, big dice
  • 1-2 pints Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium pan over medium heat cook the pancetta. Remove from pan, reserving a little of the pancetta fat in the pan. Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and cook over medium heat to begin to brown. Dress with balsamic and olive oil, a little salt (pancetta are salty) and pepper. Place into the oven and roast, tossing a couple of times, until nicely caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Put the pine nuts in a small, dry, saute pan and toast over a low flame, tossing a couple of times, just until lightly browned, 3 or 4 minutes. (we used some oil to prevent burning, but it probably wasn’t necessary)

Once the sprouts are ready, remove them from the oven and put into a big serving bowl. Add the pancetta and pine nuts. Toss and check for seasoning. Serve.

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Lobster

Boil water with salt
Put lobster in head first for about 8-10 minutes per pound
Remove and hack (or if you have nut crackers, skip the hacking)

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