Tag Archives: brussels sprouts

Restaurant Week Summer 2013: The National

17 Sep

I somehow forgot to post this during Restaurant Week.  Whoops!

We visited The National as one of our last New York Restaurant Week stops during Summer 2013.

They had a nice looking Restaurant Week menu…

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…but Mike got lured in by The “Ugly” Burger…

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…and the Summer Squash Fritters (black garlic!) So I went Restaurant Week and he went burger and squash fritters.  We’re a good pair like that.

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I really like the space. It feels like my Grandparent’s kitchen nook if they had to expand it to a restaurant.

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We started with some very well prepared cocktails.

I got the Venetian Royal with Villa Sandi Prosecco, Thatcher’s Blueberry Liqueur, and Tarragon Blueberry Syrup.

Mike got the NTL. Mule with Russian Standard Vodka, Stirring’s Ginger, Luxardo Maraschino, Barritt’s Ginger Beer, Angostura Orange Bitters, Fresh Ginger and Lime.

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I liked that Mike’s was in a copper mug.

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I began the Restaurant Week menu with the pea gazpacho.  This was made with sugar snap peas, pistachio, and lemon.  The pea flavor was pronounced and smooth and the pistachio was a great compliment.

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The fried squash itself was tasty, but the black garlic sauce is the stuff that dreams are made of.  I think black garlic may be one of my favorite flavors in the universe.  This was absolutely fantastic and I want to pour it on everything I ever eat for the rest of time.  We lopped up every drop with the bread on the table.

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Mike’s burger was, indeed, ugly.  He says it was juicy and bacony.  Delicious.

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And his fries were very well crisped.

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We also threw in a side of brussels sprouts, because we cannot ever resist them. Especially when they are labeled as “crispy.” (These were also labeled with cider and mustard).  These were some awesome brussels.  They were, yes, very crispy.  The cider and whole grain mustard was also a great compliment to the sprouts without being too mustardy.

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Back to the restaurant week menu, I got the mahi mahi on coconut basmati rice with asparagus and sweet and sour sauce.  I couldn’t have the sweet and sour sauce, but it wasn’t at all missed. This fish was cooked perfectly, had great flavor, and the fluffy coconut basmati rice was great.  The best way I can describe this is that all the flavors were just shiny.  Each one broke through and went so well together.  A great fish dish.

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For dessert, we split my Restaurant Week selection of Whiskey Chocolate Mousse with hazelnut feuilletine and passion fruit sorbet.  I just looked up “feuilletine” and it is defined as a delicate cookie crunch. Sure enough, inside the chocolate square you see here was a layered delicate cookie crunch with mousse and a nice whiskey flavor.  The passion fruit sorbet was a bit strong for the whiskey flavor, but I still really enjoyed this dish. The chocolate sauce was rich and very, very nice.

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I loved this meal.  I am not surprised after watching Chef Geoffrey Zakarian cook on TV many times.  Everything he makes just looks so good and with the flavors I enjoy, so it was great to be able to taste it.  I have been to The National for brunch in the past, and it was very good, but this was an even more impressive meal, especially since it was (mostly) off the Restaurant Week menu.

Highly recommended.

Total Nom Points: 8.5 out of 10

nomscale- 08.5

 

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Tenpenny- A surprisingly great meal near Broadway

23 Apr

We live near Broadway, so we go out in the area more than most.  The Broadway/Times Square area is not known for having great food. There are some gems, but almost the entire area is over priced, over crowded, and underwhelming.

We were looking for another hidden gem so I pulled open my Immaculate Infatuation app and found their recommendation for Tenpenny. They had a reservation at the right time (and wound up being pretty empty at the early, pre-theater hour we visited) so we went for it.  It is also within walking distance of Grand Central station, so it’s located near a lot of places where I am frequently asked to find restaurants.

Tenpenny is located in the Gotham Hotel on 46th Street. The restaurant has a great feel and you certainly wouldn’t believe you’re right in the middle of all the city action here.

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There is a skylight in the back that offers a lovely NY high rise view and lots of sun light on a nice day like when we went.

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Immaculate Infatuation also had mentioned crispy artichokes (which are one of my favorite foods ever), however, they were not on the menu this time. ::sad face::

The bread was a really nice crispy crust and fluffy inside. And I really enjoyed the garlic and rosemary sliced into the olive oil. (The other was red pepper flakes, so I had to stay away).

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We tried the OPP or “Other People’s Pinot.” It was a Pinot Noir and we really enjoyed it.

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It was from a winery called Mouton Noir and I really enjoyed the cap.

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We decided to start with the crostini and we tried the smoked salmon & dill creme fraiche crostini and the crispy pork belly, spiced yogurt & fuji apple crostini.  The smoked salmon and dill one was okay (though I’m not a huge fan of salmon) but I really enjoyed the crispy pork belly.

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The bread on both was fantastic and I really enjoyed the pork and apple combination on the second one.

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Mike went with the Lamb Porterhouse which was cast iron seared Colorado lamb with house butter. It had a great lamby flavor that we both really enjoyed.

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I chose the Heritage Pork Rach which was house brined, pan seared, and served with bourbon pork jus.

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There was a really nice sear on the chop and it was surprisingly juicy and tender all throughout. The bourbon jus was also a really great compliment.

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It also came with a small onion tartlet that I really enjoyed. The onions were perfectly caramelized and the pastry itself had great flavor.

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Tenpenny serves their entrees as mostly just the meat, so you do need to get a side on its own (which definitely puts the meal further into the pricey category). We chose the brussels sprouts. They were delicious and the way we like them (with pork) but weren’t as crispy as we like. We are quite particular about our brussels, however!

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We then decided to try some dessert, and we started with 2 glasses of after dinner drinks. I chose a dessert wine and Mike got a port.

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Mike chose the pecan pie with cinnamon gelato and caramel sauce. This was quite good.  The pecans were nicely cooked without being over sweet, and the  pastry was a nice compliment to the sweetness.

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I went with the chocolate caramel mousse with espresso anglaise and toasted hazelnuts.

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The mousse was the perfect texture with the crisp chocolate on top and cookie-like crust on the bottom.  Really nice dessert and looked beautiful.

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Overall, Tenpenny was a great find. A bit expensive (especially since the entrees don’t really come with any sides), but the quality is there to make it a worthwhile place to eat and worth the midtown price tag. It’s hard to get away from a costly meal in that area of town, but with the others being much lower quality, I think Tenpenny is a great place to go.  All our food had great flavor and was cooked and presented with obvious care. It’s also just a nice place to spend an evening. We sat and leisurely enjoyed our meal and drinks.

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

 

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Chez Sardine

20 Mar 3photo 1

I’ve been reading about Chez Sardine for a bit, and it’s one of the “hot” restaurants that everyone keeps talking about. I heard it’s very hard to get a seat there, so when we stopped in one Sunday evening, I was shocked when they had 2 seats for us right at the bar. Shocked and excited! 1photo 1a

We started with some lovely cocktails that were perfectly mixed.

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And then looked up to notice that we had some company.

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I really loved sitting at the bar.

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Watching them prepare these works of art was a highlight of my (fantastic) meal.

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We began with an amuse bouche which had a bonito flake.

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We started with the east coast oyster with apple and chive oil. It was a very nice combination, but the more I have raw oysters with something, the more I realize that I just love a good ol’ raw oyster with nothing else.

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We next tried a special which was like a bumped up eggs benedict, made with a pork (pork belly or bacon… not sure) and a slow cooked egg on an English muffin with foie gras. This was rich and delicious.

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We were watching them make some things in the kitchen and one really caught our eye. So much so, that we added it to the order: Sushi rice balls. They were supposed to be with avocado, spicy mayo, and tobiko.  We asked if they would replace the spicy mayo, and they wound up giving us a yogurt sauce that was to die for.  It went so well with everything! And the rice balls come with pieces of crudo (sashimi?) with many different types of fish. All were great. And the rice balls themselves were heavenly. What could possibly be bad about fried balls of rice?

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We tried the brussels sprouts with apple and brown butter. I loved the apple flavor with the crisp of the brussels. These were perfectly cooked so they were soft but crispy.

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We next tried the roasted pork belly with slow cooked egg and cabbage (I can’t believe we had 2 pork and egg dishes… but it was great!). This had a brilliant smokey and sweet flavor, with a perfectly cooked egg. And the little onion crispies added perfect texture.

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Our meal ended with a lovely pana cotta (maybe?) with Rice Krispies on the house. I don’t remember the exact details, but I do remember commenting that it was a great way to end the meal with a perfect combination of textures.

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I absolutely loved our meal here. From start to finish, each dish was great and each had a unique quality about it that was really lovely. I would come back in a heartbeat and would love to try their brunch. Hopefully soon!

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

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