Tag Archives: chef’s menu

Top Noms of 2013

13 Jan

2013 was truly the best year of my life.  And most of my best memories of the year include (or entirely revolve around) amazing meals.

It was really tough to narrow it down to the top 10 this year with so many amazing meals, so I’m cheating a bit.  (To see the Top Noms of years past, check these links: 201220112010, and 2009)

Second Runner Up: After a lot of buzz and rumors of impossible reservations, we were lucky enough to walk in and get a seat at the bar at Chez Sardine.  This sticks out in my memory both for the amazing, creative food and for the fun of watching them construct it while peering directly into the kitchen from our bar seats.

Chez Sardine

First Runner Up: After two amazing meals at WD-50 (still in the top 3 of all time meals) we were excited to try Chef Wylie Dufresne’s more casual new restaurant, Alder.  Our entire meal was creative and great, but the chicken liver toast was a huge stand out that I still think about all these months later.

Alder: Chicken Liver Toast

#10: Our honeymoon was filled with a bunch of absolutely amazing meals, but our meal at Le Pigeon in Portland, OR really stood out for its freshness and unique use of ingredients. The trout lox paired so incredibly well with the raspberries. An unexpected match made in heaven.

Le Pigeon: Trout Lox

#9: We couldn’t wait to try Betony when it opened since it was from alumni of one of our absolute favorite restaurants, Eleven Madison Park.   We fell in love with the “Tuna Melt” with melted fontina cheese and there was sculptural beauty (and flavorful beauty) in the Marinated Trout Roe. Any other year this could be a #1 restaurant, but not in 2013.

Betony: Marinated Trout Roe on a puffed rice cracker with cucumber

#8: While we couldn’t take pictures of the Brooklyn Fare Chef’s Tasting menu, you will have to trust me that it all looked and tasted delicious.  We were very excited when they opened up a grocery store near our apartment in Manhattan and can’t wait to try their restaurant.  The Uni with White Truffle was so incredibly amazing and made me fall in love with uni (after a lot of “what’s the big deal?” in the past).

Brooklyn Fare Chef's Tasting

#7: For our date anniversary dinner, Mike took us to Del Posto, where we enjoyed the beautiful place almost as much as we enjoyed the near flawless meal.  It has certainly earned its stellar reputation as being a top restaurant in New York.

Del Posto: Lobster

#6: In what world does The French Laundry in Napa Valley, CA come in as #6 for the year?  I still am in a bit of disbelief that we didn’t love this famous restaurant even more.  In the end, it was probably one of the most perfect meals I’ve ever had, but it just wasn’t surprising.  But the oysters and pearls have truly earned their place in culinary history.

The French Laundry: Oysters and Pearls

 

#5: Coming back from the honeymoon, we had one last hurrah at The NoMad in NYC.  We tried the famous chicken, which had the audacity to not just be perfectly cooked with impeccably crispy skin, but also stuffed with foie gras and black truffle.  It was every bit as good as I hoped it would be, as was the rest of the meal.

The Nomad: Roasted Chicken

#4: Blanca was another Chef’s Tasting menu that didn’t allow us to take pictures of the meal (bummer), but this private room behind Roberta’s Pizza in Bushwick, Brooklyn offered surprises around every corner. There were more than 25 meticulous courses, including a stand-out king crab with plankton butter sauce and not a single bad dish in all 25.

Blanca: Chef's Tasting

#3: Anytime someone asks where they should go in NYC if they want a nice meal, I recommend Colicchio and Sons.  It never fails to impress and we went back to see if the Tasting Menu could live up to our opinion from the previous time.  Each dish built upon the last and they were all expertly crafted. I have especially fond memories about the uniqueness of the potato bavarois dome with Hackeback caviar and vodka cream with homemade potato chips.

Colicchio & Sons:  Tasting Menu

 

#2: A huge surprise was how much we fell in absolute love with Canlis in Seattle, WA during our honeymoon.  Every dish was great and service was so warm and so welcome.  It’s hard to pick a favorite part of this meal, but I still remember how much I enjoyed their preparation of foie gras with homemade brioche to spread it on.

Canlis: Foie Gras

#1 (THE #1): I was so excited to finally try Chef Grant Achatz’s Alinea in Chicago, IL at the very end of the year.  Every moment of this meal was special and fun and incredibly delicious. Even if it hadn’t been as entertaining and creative, the taste of the food alone would have made this the meal of the year.  The rest, and especially the cleverness, made this the meal of a lifetime.  The best meal we have ever, ever had.  The white truffle risotto that they brought out as a special treat was hands down the most amazing thing I have ever eaten.  It is worth a special trip to Chicago just to have the good fortune of eating here.

Alinea: White Truffle Risotto

 

Alinea: Scallop

 

We are so incredibly fortunate.  Thank you, 2013.

 

 

Date-iversary 2013: Del Posto

7 Jan

We have been celebrating the anniversary of our first date for 6 years now. Every year we trade off our anniversary and Valentine’s Day and choose restaurants to surprise each other with.

This year, we had to rename our event to our Date-iversary, since our real anniversary is now our wedding date. (Awww)

But the tradition will not go away! Now we just have one more day to celebrate (and eat)!

This year, Mike chose Del Posto as our date-iversary meal.  Del Posto is famous for being one of the all-time best in NYC and is owned by Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali.  I had been there once before for lunch (and thought it was good but not great), but he hadn’t been yet. I was excited to go back with my honey.

They offer a 5 Course Tasting menu, which we opted for, at $126 each as well as a Captain’s Menu with 8 courses at $179.

The restaurant itself is stunning.  Sweeping interior with very dark wood and cream accents.

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And I especially love the circular balconies on the 2nd level.

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Everything is set formally yet modern.

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And there are little statement pieces throughout, for instance, this pitcher. (So not my style, but I loved the aesthetic in here)

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The lower level has the wine cellar, private rooms, and some restrooms.  The stairs that connect the two levels are equally stunning.

 

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And I love the collection of old globes under the stairs.

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We sat our table and started with cocktails. They were strong but very well done.

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Our amuse bouche were a collection of truffled goodness, including mini lobster rolls (top right), celery root parsnip soup with a truffled rim (botttom), and dried rice pasta puff in parmesan (top left).

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The rim of dried truffle on the soup made for quite a decadent few sips.

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And just in case lobster isn’t good enough on its own, adding truffle ain’t so bad!

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The bread basket had 4 different breads, each better than the last, with lardo and butter.

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The lardo was nice in small doses, but I preferred the very creamy, flavorful butter.

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Our first course of the tasting menu was Truffled Beef Carne Cruda with Grana Padano and Watercress Buds.  The beef carpaccio was seasoned perfectly and all the flavors and textures went very well together.

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Our second course was Charred Octopus with Umbrian Garbanzo, Celery Hearts & 25 year Aceto Tradizionale (Balsamic Vinegar).

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The char on this octopus was really flavorful and I really enjoyed the warm octopus and beans with the cooler and crisp greens. The sweetness of the balsamic was really nice on the dish.

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There is no way to photograph this next dish nicely, so you’re just going to have to trust me that this Luna Piena (moon shaped pasta) with Castelmangno & White Truffle Butter was out of this world.  What it lacked in color it had in flavor (in spades).  The truffle was fantastic and the pasta really tasted like pasta. (While this seems obvious, I’m always saddened when pasta tastes like nothing)

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We then had Traditional Del Posto Garganelli Verdi al Ragu Bolognese.  The pasta was green from spinach and the bolognese was lamb and veal.  All the flavors were rich and hearty.

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Next was the Lobster with Artichoke, Almond, Basil Salad, & Gangerine Essenza.  The lobster tail was from Maine (and finally tasted like it!)  I absolutely loved loved loved the sauce on this. It perfectly complimented the dish without taking away from the delicate lobster flavor.

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Next was labeled as follows: “Veal & Beef: Cosa Viene Prima? – Rocky Mashed Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts & Barolo Fondo”

Cosa Viene Prima translates to “What came first?”  While the usual end of this question is the chicken or the egg, in this term, it referred to the fact that it was beef wrapped in veal (or was it visa versa?) and it was served tableside with jus.

Very nice, meaty dish, with some mild offal flavor and nice richness.

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They then changed out our napkins very formally.  Funny that both Mike and I recognized this.  Fancy service is still so surprising.

We then moved into the sweeter courses with an intermzzo of Sfera di Caprino with Celery, Fig Agrodolce & Celery Sorbetto.  This was a sphere of goat cheese in a bread crumb crunch.  I usually really dislike celery as a flavor, but this was light and it all went very nicely together.

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While we decided not to do wine pairings for this meal, we sipped our cocktails throughout and then went for some dessert wines.

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Both were really fantastic.

And then it was time for some celebratory desserts (sorry about the photos, lighting was very tough in here).

We had a Tartufo al Caffe with Dark Chocolate, Sant’Eustachio Coffee & Candied Bread.  I really enjoy a tartufo. Something about breaking through that outside shell to the ice cream inside fills me with childhood joy. It helps that this was a deliciously executed version.

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Also included in the tasting was a Butterscotch Semifreddo with melon Agrumata & Crumbled Sbrisolona.    I loved the fruit with this and the butterscotch semifredo was fantastic.

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There were also a few extra desserts, including this apple fritter, which I absolutely loved.

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And this fun grater box with candies below and petit fours above.DSCF2892

Very whimsical, and nice bites of everything.

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And at the end they sent us home with a specially printed menu and a box of treats for the next day.

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Overall, our meal was fantastic.  Great execution, excellent flavors, very well paced, and it built from start to finish.  Each dish was unique and very tasty and felt classic yet somehow fresh.  You really can’t go wrong at this New York institution.

Total Nom Points: 9 out of 10

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Top Noms of 2012

26 Dec NOM NEW YEARS

2012 was an amazing year. We went to some incredibly restaurants this year, so narrowing it down to 10 will be very tough.  It was also an amazing year personally, since Mr. and Ms. Nom Nom got engaged in Maine (where we had quite a few of our Top Noms this year!)

For the Top Noms of years past, check out the posts from 2011, 2010, and 2009.

The Top Noms really comes down to the meals that we found most memorable and enjoyable when we reflect on the past year. It’s hard to compare brunch to dinner in a ranking, but I always think about this as what I would recommend to my friends when they ask me the best places we ate this year, overall.

Away we go:

#10 – Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune was an awesome brunch.  I was dying to go after reading her book, and it lived up to all the expectations and hype (and totally worth the wait). We really need to get back there for dinner.

#9 – Gramercy Tavern was a really great experience. It is known as a top place in New York and it did not disappoint. It didn’t have a dish that really wowed me, but it was a totally solid and great meal.

#8 – Our meal at Sublime in Gladstone, NJ was incredibly surprising.  The apple crisp was out of this world.

#7 – Hugo’s in Portland, Maine was an awesome meal. The tasting menu with the wine pairings really made for a special birthday treat.

#6 – We had a great meal at Boulud Sud while trying to make our way through the Platt 101 of top restaurants in NYC. Everything was memorable, but I can’t stop thinking about the grapefruit dessert that was unlike anything else I have ever had.

#5– While we can’t remember every detail of our meal at Girl & the Goat, it made enough of an impression on us that we had to include it. That Pig Face alone was Top 10 material, maybe of all time!

#4 – Arrows in Ogunquit, Maine was an amazing dining experience. We went because we enjoyed watching the two chefs cook on Top Chef Masters and wound up thoroughly enjoying our meal.  We were impressed with the creative dishes and great flavors.

#3– Anita Lo’s Annisa was a long anticipated meal that lived up to everything we hoped it would be. The dishes tasted so rich and were made with such love, it was hard not to enjoy every single bite.

#2 – Michael White’s Ai Fiori was our first Valentine’s Day stop this year. The pasta was out of this world, and can you really top scallops and bone marrow? Two of my favorite things in one dish.

#1 – Our meal at Eleven Madison Park (Part 1 and Part 2!) was the best one we have ever had ever! It was an adventure, a journey, an experience, and one delicious meal. I can’t imagine anything better. And it got the one and only 10 out of 10 Nom Points in NYC Nom Nom history.

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Special mentions go out to Cannibal for the awesome Pig’s Head, Smush for a great take on dessert, the pasta with the roast drippings (Tajarin with Sugo d’Arrosto) from Manzo, Eventide in Portland Maine for the awesome new take on the lobster roll, and the Tap Room at Colicchio and Sons for continuing to impress everyone we bring there. We also had quite an amazing time at our “secret” Chef’s Table at SD26, since we got to watch them cook while having a chef’s selected meal. I went back with coworkers a few months later, and it managed to impress the hell out of them, too.

What a year!