Search results for 'brussel sprouts'

The Mark Restaurant by Jean Georges

12 Jun

We had friends in town and decided to take them for a quick tour of the The Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art at 81st St and 5th Ave) before heading to The Mark (a Jean Georges restaurant) for lunch. The Mark is in The Mark Hotel on 77th Streetn between 5th Ave and Madison Ave. For some reason, even though this is a Jean Georges restaurant, it was never on my radar. We walked in and it was beautiful. Modern with a very New York feel. DSCF7987

The decorations were both of the floral variety…

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And food…

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With lovely treats under cloches all around us.

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Even the table decorations were smart and elegant.

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I especially loved this salt bowl with a mini spoon.

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I started with butternut squash soup with mushrooms and chives. They served this at the table…

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…then poured the soup over the top.

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It was absolutely delicious.  Full of squash flavor without being heavy.

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The table also tried the peekytoe crab cake with pink grape fruit, avocado, and ginger.

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Due to peppers, I couldn’t try this, but everyone “mmmm” and “ahhhed” around the table when they took a nibble.

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And the sauce it came tasted great.

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One person ordered the Croque M, which came with Flying Pigs Farm (a local farm) Ham, comte, and gruyere cheese.  I’ve had a number croque madame style sandwiches, and my bite of this one topped them all.  Great tasting and textured bread with a perfectly cooked egg and fantastic gruyere. A really stunning version of this dish.

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Someone else ordered the roasted turkey sandwich with avocado and chipotle dressing.  They said it was a really fantastic sandwich.

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I went with the tagliatelle with caramelized brussels sprouts, basil pistachio pesto and parmesan.  This was exceptional.  Great, rich cheese flavor mixed with the sweetness of the caramelized brussels sprouts and the fantastic pesto on the thin, perfectly al dente pasta was really fantastic.  

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After such a feast, we decided to split dessert.  So we tried the butterscotch pudding with crème fraiche, caramel and sea salt.  The pudding itself had great flavor, but the salt on the top pushed this dessert into a new place. Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

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I have no idea how this restaurant was not on my radar.  What struck me most about this restaurant is every individual flavor and ingredient was so obviously the freshest and best version of itself.  You can really tell when places you exceptional ingredients. And The Mark used them exceptionally well.  It was one of the best lunches I have had in NYC and I highly recommend it if you’re going to The Met or in the area. Heck, this place is worth a special trip to the Upper East Side just to try it.  

Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

 

 

 

 

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Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune

11 May

I really love books written by chefs about their adventures in food. Anthony Bourdain was my first and made me fall in love with reading about the inner workings of restaurants and chefery.  I read somewhere that HIS favorite food book was Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton and I quickly made the purchase on my Nook (ps- I love that thing… never thought I’d want anything besides a real book, but I have read more in the 6 months I’ve had it than the entire last 3 years combined).

I absolutely loved the book, and was especially excited to read the section about her starting a restaurant in NYC.  A restaurant I had been meaning to go to for quite some time: Prune.

We were going to go for Valentine’s Day, but then I was called out to LA for a work meeting, so we had to cancel that reservation. A few weeks later, on an idle weekend with nothing to do, we made our way down to the East Village and put our names on the list for brunch.  They don’t take reservations for brunch, and I was expecting a long wait. We decided we would stroll the neighborhood for a bit, but when they told us it would be just 45 minutes, we made it a quick stroll.  We came back 20 minutes later and were seated less than 10 minutes after that.  Lovely!

What I first noticed was that Prune is SMALL.  Even smaller than what I imagined from what she described in the book.

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We started our brunch with cocktails.  While Prune is known for their Bloody Mary’s, I don’t drink vodka (long story) and I’m allergic to peppers… So that pretty much eliminates me from the Bloody pool.  I went with some refreshing, citrusy cocktail that I can’t remember a thing about, other than that I really enjoyed it.

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Mike, on the other hand, was all over trying one of these famous Bloodys.  The menu of Bloody Mary’s is quite big and quite original (scroll down to the bottom here to see).  Mike chose the Chicago Matchbox, with homemade lemon vodka, pickled brussels sprouts, baby white turnips, caperberries, green beans, and radishes.

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 It was beautiful, and he was a big fan. He never really drinks Bloody Mary’s, but after this one, he has been trying more and more.

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For noms, Mike got the steak and eggs, which was a 7 oz. prime newport steak, grilled with parsley shallot butter and 2 eggs (he went sunny-side up) witha toasted english muffin and potatoes rosti.  This was SO good. The steak alone could rival any of the best steak restaurants in the city. Everything was cooked perfectly.

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I chose the dutch style pancake.  It was one individual pancake cooked in the oven, with pears, served with canadian bacon and potatoes rosti.  This thing was DELICIOUS.  The pancake was super fluffy with a bit of crisp on the outside.  It was sweet, but not too sweet, and had great flavor with the batter and the pear.  I thoroughly enjoyed this… probably more than any other pancake I’ve ever had.

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We walked away from Prune incredibly impressed.  The atmosphere was great, the drinks were great, and the food was great.  I love brunch, but find a lot of times it’s all the same. Here, it was brunch anew.  I cannot wait to go back and try more!  

Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

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Boulud Sud

28 Feb

In an effort to make our way through The Platt 101, New York Magazine’s  list of Best Restaurants in New York (2012 edition), we made a New Years Day reservation at Boulud Sud.  This was my fifth restaurant in the Daniel Boulud empire (having been to DB Bistro, Cafe Boulud, Bar Boulud, and Daniel), and I can’t help but love each and every place.

Walking in, the space is very modern and bright with an open, bustling kitchen that somehow managed to operate quietly.

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Boulud Sud focuses on Mediterranean flavors.  Both the bread and oil hinted at this, and I had to keep reminding myself that I shouldn’t fill up on it, even though it was quite delish.

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I ordered a cocktail:  The Spiked Apple, which came with Glenkinchie 12 year old scotch, spiced apple cider, allspice dram, and lemon juice.  It was served in a giant, hollow, round ice cube and was absolutely delicious.

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We went with the three course prix fixe for $44.  Mike started with the octopus appetizer that came with ictrus pieces, marcona almonds, arugula, and vinegar. It was quite delicious, but it couldn’t compete with the octopus at Kefi (though what could?)

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I started with the soup, which I think was sunchoke (the menu posted online is different from what we had)

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It came with croquettes that were light, yet crunchy, and went very well with the soup.

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While awaiting our next course, Mike looked at me through his glass and I cracked up.  The glass made it so he had a little face inside the glass.  I just love this picture.

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Mike went with the lemon-saffron linguini with razor clams and shaved bottarga (fish roe).  This was bursting with flavor and typically wouldn’t be something either Mike nor I would order. But it was very enjoyable.

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I got the chestnut ravioli with celeriac, black trumpet mushrooms, and castelmagno (an Italian cheese).  I really enjoyed this.  I wish it had more chestnut flavor (I always want more chestnut flavor) but the raviolis were delicate and had great flavor.  They were also cooked perfectly.

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And it was super pretty.

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Mike and I can’t pass up an opportunity to order brussels sprouts (I’m still pissed off that I spent over 20 years of my life without brussels sprouts).  These were very similar to the ones we make with pancetta, and the roasted hazelnuts added a great smoky flavor and crunch. (But I still like ours better…)

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I was actually most excited about Boulud Sud because of all of the wonderful things I heard about the dessert (in fact, just found out that Ghaya Oliveira was nominated for a 2102 James Beard Award for Best Pastry Chef).  Mike got the Fromage Blanc Tart with plums compote and lemon sorbet.  It was like a light, flavor-filled cheesecake.  Delish.

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I got the dessert that was recommended by everyone on Foursquare and photographed on every food blog: The grapefruit givre (with sesame halva, rose loukoum, and grapefruit sorbet).   It was just as beautiful as everyone said.

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The strings on top was the halva and then below was something that resembled heated sugar (like a creme brulee top).

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As you dug into it, it was layer upon layer of treats in a frozen grapefruit.  It was unlike anything I have ever had (and something I would probably not have ordered for myself had it not been so highly recommended) and it was stupendous.

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Overall, our meal was spotless, service was great, and we had some really unique and fun dishes.  I was totally full and felt like I had eaten at one of the better restaurants in NYC for $44.  I call that a good value!  Go and get that grapefruit thing… you won’t be disappointed.

Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

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Eataly’s Birreria: Oktoberfest and Birthdayfest

23 Feb

It’s Eataly Week!

In the last few months, we went to Eataly twice, for two different occasions.

The first was Oktoberfest, which we got exclusive tickets for from Gilt City.  The package included a meet and greet with Joe Bastianich, a tour of the  brewing facilities with brewmaster Brooks Carretta, a brief lesson on brewing, a reception with communal antipasti and beer, a seated family-style Oktoberfest supper with Italian Alpine fare and beer pairings, and a six-pack of beer for each guest to take home.

The brewery at Eataly is a small room where they put together some very different microbrews.  The brewmaster, Brooks, was very informative not only about the brewing process, but also about what makes the Eataly microbrews unique and talked about what new batches were coming up.

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We tried a few beers, and very much enjoyed them.  The Thyme beer was especially delicious.

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Then Joe Bastianich came in and welcomed us to Eataly/Birreria and basically told us to have a good time.

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We sat back down and started chowing down on some great Oktoberfest items.  We especially enjoyed the whole roasted maitake mushrooms, pecorino, sardo creme, and roasted brussels sprouts. Awesome.

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Then a few weeks later… we were back.  My sister has recently expanded her food horizons.  She was the kid that ate chicken nuggets and Kraft macaroni and cheese growing up.  The idea of a mushroom, sausage, or basically anything with unique flavor was repulsive to her.  So when I found out that she was opening up her food spectrum, I was quick to suggest Birreria as a great place to try some new things.

We started with the charcuterie and… gasp… Stacey ate meats.  CURED meats!  I was shocked.

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We ordered the maitake mushrooms again, because they were so good the last time.

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And we got the fried shiitake mushrooms with sage. I LOVE these mushrooms. They are incredibly delicious.

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We also ordered the the pork shoulder which is made with beer and apricot. It was tender and just plain delicious.

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We ended with the bisteca con salsa verde, which was a skirt steak with salsify, green onion, and salsa verde.  It had great char on it, which a touch of salt that just made it stand out.

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I love Eataly. And I really love Birreria.  I haven’t had a bad bite there, and everyone that has been there with me has really enjoyed it. Plus… it’s the first place I saw my picky little sister eat a mushroom.  A true game changer.

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

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Chrismukah Dinner

9 Feb

For Chrismukah (our annual family celebration) this year, I decided to try to make Grandma’s brisket again.  I had tried one time before, and it wasn’t QUITE right.  So I called up my aunt to get the low down on the recipe.

We started by browning up some onions.

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Then we put slits into the pot roast and put in slices of garlic.  (I think our meat was not exactly the best cut for brisketing… but it was all Whole Foods had that day).

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Then we browned the meat.

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And set it up to cook on top of the onions for a good long time topped with ketchup , red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and a bit of water.  We covered and simmered it, removed the liquid as it formed (from the onions breaking down) leaving about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of liquid in the bottom (because, to quote my aunt quoting my grandma, “You want a pot roast, not stew meat”).  I cooked it until fork tender.  And it was close… but still not quite right.  I think the cut of meat was definitely a big part of the problem.  Well… guess I gotta try again!

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Mike set to making some latkes.  He went ahead and grated up the potatoes (one of my LEAST favorite jobs).

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And fried them until golden.  They tasted great at first, but we put them in the warming tray to keep them warm and they were never quite the same. Bummer.  Note to self: Always fry latkes to order.

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We also made our famous brussels sprouts and some roasted cauliflower.

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While I wasn’t 100% happy with how it all turned out, luckily, the family thought it was great (or they at least told me it was).  I looked at it as a learning experience!

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Kutsher’s TriBeCa

30 Dec

I don’t know a single Jewish family from the east coast that hasn’t at least heard of Kutsher’s, a “summer camp” for adults located in the Catskills (think “Dirty Dancing”).  It used to be the place to go, but it has long lost its luster, though not its notoriety.  So when the Kutsher family decided to open up a restaurant in TriBeCa, with the promise to make family-style Jewish food more sophisticated, I was curious (if not excited).  It opened just a few weeks ago, but we made our reservation for the week between Christmas and New Years with one of our favorite couple friends, E and K.

We decided to split the “crispy potato latkes” with “local apple compote” and sour cream.   It was listed on the menu as “For the Table,” so I was quite underwhelmed when 3 very, very tiny latkes came out… for four of us.  Of all the things to skimp on, fried potatoes are a strange choice.  But they were good… not great… but good.  The apple compote tasted quite fresh.

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We also decided to split the Jerusalem artichokes, which came with lemon, garlic, parsley, greens and shaved parmesan.  The parsley was crisped and this whole dish was delicious. I could have eaten every bite myself.

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E & K both ordered the wild mushroom and fresh ricotta kreplach which came with walnut pesto, olive oil schmaltz and fresh black pepper sheep’s milk cheese.  Kreplach is basically the Jewish version of a dumpling.  They both enjoyed it.

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Mike chose the grilled Romanian steak which was a prime skirt steak with caramelized onions and a roasted garlic & wild mushroom knish.  The steak was perfectly steaky.  Could rival a steak house in NY.

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I went with the red wine braised flanken style short ribs. These came with schmaltz mashed potatoes and glazed root vegetables.  Schmaltz is rendered fat, and basically just makes everything taste better.  These melted in my mouth.  Amazing flavor, cooked to perfection, and just overall fantastic.

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For sides, we got the schmaltz fries (these were just okay).

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The pan roasted brussels sprouts with rosemary.  (Delish)

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And the quinoa varnishkas with torn pasta and wild mushrooms.  Usually this would be kasha varnishkas… which is a type of buckwheat with bowtie pasta.  Kasha is something that is pretty bland, but I really enjoy it.  The quinoa actually made it more bland, so we didn’t particularly love this, but it was good.

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Most of the food was far above par. The service, however, was pretty bad.  Our waiter rushed us through the entire meal.  He came back every 2-3 minutes for our order, even when we were clearly looking at the menu.  Our apps were barely cleared when the entrees came.  Then when it came to paying the bill, he must have stopped by at least half a dozen times in less than 10 minutes.  It was downright uncomfortable.  We were in and out in less than an hour… it was a sour spot on an otherwise great meal.

I would probably give it a few months to even things out and this seems to be the place where it helps to know what to order.  Here is my advice:  Artichokes app, steak, short ribs, and brussels sprouts.   And next time I want to have room for dessert!

Overall, most of the food was very good. I look forward to going back once they have their sea legs.

Total Nom Points: 7 out of 10

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Maialino

29 Dec

I have been hearing about Maialino for a long time now, and I feel like the last blogger on earth to have stopped by.  During Christmas time, I make it a point to look for reservations that I ordinarily couldn’t get at any other time of year. While tourists flood the city in the week leading up to Christmas, Christmas eve and Christmas day usually leave the city blissfully empty.  I’m not great at planning 28 days out (the point at which Maialino reservations open up) but I am quite good at looking on OpenTable.com for the following day. To my surprise, Maialino was had a reservation open for a 1:30pm brunch (linner?) on Christmas Eve.

The restaurant is rustic and relatively casual.  It’s decorated in a way that makes you feel instantly at home, and the service adds to the warm welcome.

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We started with the Carciofini Fritti, which is fried artichokes with an anchovy bread sauce.  Artichokes are one of my favorite foods in the entire world, and these did not disappoint.  The anchovy sauce added a delicious salty flavor to it without overpowering the artichoke flavor.

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Full disclosure… it was at this point that our waiter took me entirely by surprise and asked me if I was a food blogger. Flustered, I blurted out that I was. I always feel bad when a restaurant knows that I’m going to be writing about them… some don’t like it and just get annoyed that I’m there… and others go out of their way to make it better since they know I’ll be writing. Maialino took the latter approach… which wound up being quite fortuitous because we tried things that we would not have otherwise.  They did send it over “on the house,” which was very, very nice of them.

Starting with what we ordered, we chose the Contadino, which had 3 of my favorite things: poached eggs, brussels sprouts, and squash (buttercup squash to be exact).

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I love brussels sprouts and can’t believe I spent so much of my life without eating them. I always prefer them halved and browned, but the leaves of the sprouts in this dish still tasted very full and had great flavor.  I don’t know how much the squash added to it in terms of flavor, but it made for a great sauce when mixed with the eggs.

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Which, by the way, were perfectly poached. Mmm mmm mmm.

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We also ordered the namesake, the Maialino pasta (Malfatti al Maialino).  I was a bit confused because the description said it was suckling pig ragu and arugula, and we saw no arugula.  UPDATE: I found out that the pasta we received was actually the Bombolotti all’Amatriciana. This was right above the Mailalino pasta on the menu, and I may have pointed since my Italian pronunciations leave something to be desired.

BUT, I have to say, the guanciale in this pasta were otherworldly.  We will have to go back and try the Malfatti al Maialino soon!

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With these 2 dishes, they nicely sent over a sample of the thick cut black pepper bacon.  This was a moment where I silently said my thanks to the food gods.  This was tender, full of flavor, and tasted exactly like heaven should taste.

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Damn was I glad we got to try this. It was our favorite part of the savory meal (and the rest of the meal was great).

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The chef, Nick Anderer, came out to greet us and make sure we were enjoying everything.  He was very kind and seemed genuinely happy to be talking with us.  We complimented him on the amazing meal and when he asked if we had room for dessert, we couldn’t say no.

He picked out some for us to try, and it’s a good thing he did, because I would probably have not ordered these items and they wound up being absolutely awesome.

We started with a duo of gelati, with salted caramel on top and stracciatella di mandorl (which was, if I remember correctly, an almond ice cream with a coffee swirl through it).  It was served with a chocolate biscotti. Both were sensational.  Strong, delicious flavors melded into a perfectly creamy cup.

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We also tried the brioche caramellato, which was a toffee glazed brioche that tasted a lot like a cinnamon roll in all the right ways.  I LOVE toffee, and this did not disappoint.

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The final item that came out was something I would NEVER have ordered (and looking back, they weren’t on the menu to order!): Zeppoles.  They came with an apple cider reduction sauce.

WOW. I wanted to drink (or bathe in) that sauce.  I wound up eating a good amount of it by the spoonful and drizzled it on both the ice cream and the brioche. It was THAT GOOD.

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And the zepoles? These were NOT your NJ Carnival Zepoles. These were airy, light, perfectly cooked warmed donuts that could rival the beignets at Cafe du Monde (one of my favorite places) any day.

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I also ordered a capuccino, which was just beautiful (and delicious).

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I was impressed. It is rare that a place lives up to the hype, but Maialino was definitely one of the best. I would love to go back for every other meal they have a menu for just to be able to try new things each time.  The service was impeccable (even before they learned my dirty secret) and we didn’t have a bad bite.  We did, however, need a pusher to roll us out when we were done.

Word to the wise: Get the bacon… and the desserts. All of them.

Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

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Corner Shop Cafe

20 May

At a recent food event at Albert Hall Tavern, we had the good fortune of meeting the couple behindIf You Can Make That You Can Make This.  We decided to get together to try another new restaurant in the West Village, Corner Shop Cafe, on Broadway and Bleecker.

It was well decorated in an appealing and different way.

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I especially enjoyed the tin ceilings.

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First order was a cuban sandwich.

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It was good, but nothing special.

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We ordered the brussels sprouts, which sounded similar to our favorite preparation method, however, these were very dissapointing.  A little too oily, a little undercooked, a little low in flavor.

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There was also an order of grilled salmon nicoise with a poached egg.  I’m not a salmon fan, unless it’s in the form of lox, but I was told this was also just average.

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We also ordered the mac and cheese which was truffled with peas and prosciutto.  We also found this to be just average.

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Overall, I think the word “average” completely sums it up.  Great location.  Great look and feel.  Great idea.  Average execution.

Total Nom Points: 5.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 5.5 out of 10

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Jonathan Waxman’s Barbuto

4 Apr

While Mike and I watched Top Chef Masters last year, we really had a fondness for Jonathan Waxman.  We were thrilled to learn that he had a restaurant in the West Village which was quite reasonably priced.  Barbuto is located on Washington Street at West 12th Street and has big garage doors that must be awesome in nice weather.

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There is also a nice open kitchen.

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I also appreciated the logo, which had an adorable cartoon dog, and was on all the plates.

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The menu changes often and tailors to what is freshest.  As I looked through, there were far too many things that looked far too good.  We then saw a note in the bottom left corner that said that a tasting menu was available for $65 per person.  As far as tasting menus go, that seemed like a steal.  When we inquired about it, we were informed that the tasting menu includes 2-3 dishes from each section… and then the waiter went on to tell us that it was a LOT for two people and he wanted to make sure we were aware that we would probably be overwhelmed with the food quantity.  Seeing as though we hadn’t eaten that day, and it’s hard to resist TOO MUCH food, we went for it.

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There was also an extensive wine menu and our waiter guided us in a direction that I’m still not sure how to pronounce, but it was FANTASTIC.

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Our first course was the salumi, which had prosciutto coppa, cacciatorini and rosemary focaccia.  Very fresh. Very delicious.

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Next up, we were delivered the bruschetta which came with butternut squash and marinated gorgonzola.  MMMM this was good.  Great combination of flavors.

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Our final antipasti was the cavolini crudi, which was shaved brussels sprouts with pecorino, lemon, and breadcrumbs.  While this was DELICIOUS (and the vinaigrette impeccable), we both agreed that we enjoy our brussels sprouts roasted rather than shaved.

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Our first pasta was lumaconi alla cavolfiori.  Lumaconi is “snail shell” pasta that looks like opened shells.  It had a GREAT texture and ours came with roasted cauliflower and cream sauce (they, thankfully, remembered to hold the chilis!)  I’m always concerned that when a dish loses peppers that it will lose its substance.  But this was great even without the spice.

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Our second pasta was the gnocchi con zucca which came with roasted fall squash and sage.  The squash here was SO. GOOD.  And I really liked the gnocchi.  It was slightly browned and had a great texture, with awesome pecorino cheese and a delicious sauce.

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Our first main course was pollo al forno which was a roasted chicken with salsa verde.  We heard good things about this chicken, and it was VERY GOOD.

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Ok… not Zuni good… but still very good.  Though I think I’m always a wee bit let down when I get chicken on a tasting menu, since I don’t think chicken is ever really special enough (and I make a damn good roast chicken myself, thanks to the Zuni recipe).

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Our second entree was coda di rospo, which was seared monkfish with bacon and savoy cabbage.  I LOVE monkfish, and this was one of the best I had ever had.  It was seared and cooked perfectly and the slight sauce on it was awesome.  And it all went so well with the delicious cabbage. 

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We also received sides, and I was very happy to see that we got the roasted brussels sprouts and colatura (anchovy sauce!)  The salty anchovies with the brussels sprouts was very good.

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Our last side was crispy potatoes with pecorino and rosemary.  It looked like these were hit with a hammer and then roasted to perfect crispness. 

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Our dessert was a hazelnut torte of some kind with chocolate sauce. I don’t remember the specifics, but I remember thinking that it was very good, but not GREAT.  I kind of wanted just a little more texture in this.  But I enjoyed it.

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Overall, as far as tasting menus, especially at a celebrity chef restaurant, I thought this was incredibly affordable and did an amazing job of showcasing the REAL menu by picking selections from the actual menu.  While I do love the specialness of getting a tasting menu to try out some things that you can’t get a la carte, there is something comforting about knowing that the menu is good enough to be its own tasting menu.  Nothing was earth shatteringly delicious or original, but it was all cooked and flavored perfectly. 

I can’t wait to go back.

Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

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Colicchio and Sons: Tasting Menu + Wine Pairing

11 Mar

Mike and I perused our Grubbit List in search of where Valentine’s Day (well… weekend) would take us this year.  We continued the tradition of totally splurging on food for special occasions (rather than expensive gifts).  We decided on Colicchio & Sons as we have been watching Chef Tom for years on Top Chef he was a 2010 James Beard Outstanding Chef.

Our reservation was for 6pm, and when we arrived at 5:45pm, we were informed that the dining room didn’t open until 6 and were invited to take a seat at the bar.  It wasn’t that full, however, it took a good amount of time to get a drink.  This was really the only misstep of the evening.

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We were the first seated and I was impressed by the expansive space, including a huge glass wine bar separating the dining room from the more casual Tap Room.

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The space appeared to be all about the vertical lines and columns.  Reaching up into space.  Even the candles were designed with this aesthetic.

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The back of the restaurant had a huge mural on the wall. We’re pretty sure it’s supposed to be the Highline, but we could be mistaken.

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(Enough about the decor… what about the food?!)

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The menu had many enticing options.

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And I was very tempted by the roasted pork with crispy brussels sprouts.

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But we decided to go whole hog and get the full tasting menu… WITH the wine pairings.  OH BOY.  (They had a VERY heavy pour on the wine pairings… it was about 3/4 of a glass each time… times 8 courses and I can’t remember the cab ride home… WHOOPS!)

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We were soon greeted with the most fluffy, buttery, warm rolls.  They were in a little skillet pan and topped with sea salt.  Before we knew it… they had vanished.  But another tray replaced it almost as fast as the first one disappeared.  The butter with it was surprisingly bland, but it was the perfect temperature.  And the buttery rolls more than made up for it.

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First up was the cauliflower panna cotta with nantucket bay scallops & black truffle.

(Wine: Blain-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 2008.  Very nice on its own.  Even better in combination with the earthy truffle flavors).

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The crunch and sweetness of the apple on top was a nice add on, and I liked the layering of the cauliflower on the bottom.  This dish was a perfect mash of flavors.

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Our next dish is probably the most amazing thing I have ever eaten in my life.  And I have eaten some AMAZING things!  I couldn’t believe how good this was, especially after the description of duck egg, confit gizzard, & parsnip.  There were rich, savory notes with sweet, creamy texture and the crisps on top.  Holy crap this was good.

(Wine: Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris 2008.  I was in love at first sip.  I will be ordering a case of this.  It had a very honey flavor and was absolutely perfect with the dish)

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I wish licking the plate was not so frowned upon at restaurants…. so I went with the next best idea.

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Next up was Hawaiian blue prawns with pork ballotine and artichoke salad.  The prawn was sensational.  Full of flavor.  Mike even called it “the best prawn EVER!”  I’m not quite sure where the artichoke part came in, but I still very much enjoyed it.

(Wine: Lopez De Heredia Rioja Blanco Crianza Vina Gravonia 2001.)

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Pancetta wrapped monkfish with black truffle and beets was served next.  I love monkfish, as I think it tastes a lot like lobster, and the beets and pancetta were a great foil for this.

It was around this time that Mike mentioned that we had not needed salt yet.  Impressive for salt lovers like us!

(Wine: Jean Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Bourdots 2007)

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Next up was red quail with canterelles, bok choy, and licorice jus.  I was nervous about the licorice, as I’m usually not a fan, but this really came together.  There was a nice helping of quail (unusual) and the chanterelles were plentiful.

(Wine: Bodegas La Cartuja Priorat 2009.  It was very aromatic and perfect with the quail)

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The roasted wagyu sirloin was served with a bone marrow beignet (a bone marrow beignet!), salsify & truffle syrup.  The steak was perfectly cooked with char and the little crunchies on top were delish.  The bone marrow beignet was a fried mush of deliciousness that just exploded in your mouth.  More please!

(Wine: Paverno Vaona Amarone Della Valpolicella 2006)

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I was not familiar with salsify, besides that it was a vegetable, and I still can’t say I know what it tastes like.  But it created a lovely pillow for the perfectly cooked steak.

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I was actually bummed when the food was over and dessert was coming.  Dinner was such a satisfying set of dishes that I was scared dessert wouldn’t be as good.  Luckily, I was wrong.

The vanilla creme fraiche panna cotta with citrus, Prosecco grapefruit, and persimmon sorbet was PERFECT.  I thought this would be bland, but it was complex and had great flavors without being at all overpowering.  A great dish to serve after the steak.

(Wine: They replaced the wine originally listed with a Moscato d’Asti Cal Du Sindic 2009.  I was THRILLED as the original list was champagne and I’m not a fan.  This was DELICIOUS and perfectly sweet without being too much.)

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Last up was a chocolate souffle with a milk chocolate-earl grey parfait and cinnamon custard, candied cashews, & milk chocolate ice cream.  Honestly, the souffle was sadly a bit overcooked, but the flavors were delicious.  I also think it was hazelnuts instead of cashews, but who’s counting?  All the little pieces around it were VERY good, but I honestly did prefer the panna cotta.  According to my notes, in the picture below, the milk chocolate earl grey parfait is on the bottom, the cinnamon custard is on top, and the chocolate ice cream is in the middle.

(Wine: Broadbent Malmsey 20 Year Maderia… which I think was a port… but like I said… fuzzy)

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As I love at the end of the meal, they brought us out some petit fours.  These were shortbread with berry and dark chocolate filled with something something something and something something something.  Yeah… the 3/4 pours of wine with each dish make my brain as fuzzy as this picture.

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But I do remember thinking that the texture in this filling was perfect enough to take a (blurry) picture of.

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Then came something that put this dining experience over the edge… they sent us home with muffins for the morning!  How adorable.  And OMG were these good (and I don’t use an awful phrase like “OMG” lightly people).  I was hurtin’ when I woke up the next day after all that wine, and these muffins were like a little piece of heaven.

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Overall, Colicchio and Sons was one of the best meals I have EVER had.  Mike and I ranked it as number 2 on the list of all-time favorites (narrowly beating out Bottega (in Napa), Momofuku Ko, and Le Bernadin, while falling JUST short of WD-50 (since that was such a unique dining adventure).  I’m sure the healthy pours of the sensational wine helped lubricate my love for this place, but I thought it was absolutely sensational.  Not a single bad dish in the tasting and some that were SENSATIONAL.  I think the duck egg, confit gizzard, & parsnip dish alone deserves 10 Nom Points.

Total Nom Points: 9 out of 10


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