Tag Archives: ma peche

Ma Peche and Momofuku Milk Bar

31 Jul

 

I had a very good experience last time I was at Ma Peche, and it’s hard to believe it has been nearly 2 years and I still hadn’t taken Mike.   We had night plans in the neighborhood, so we made a reservation.  It wasn’t an easy task avoiding peppers last time, and this time proved to also be quite a challenge. Luckily, our waiter was helpful (if not a big miffed that I had such an obviously annoying request).

The menu has been changing lately, so here is a view of the menu that night:

DSCF8602

 

The space itself still has that kind of awe-inspiring look to it.  It just looks very grand and yet very welcoming.

DSCF8604

 

Mike started with the steamed bun that had lobster, maitake, and chicarron.  It was tasty but not memorable.

DSCF8607

 

We then tried the foie gras and it looked absolutely beautiful and tasted almost as beautifully!  It came with malt, papaya, and brioche and the papaya was just about the most perfect foil for foie gras I could ask for.  Yum.

DSCF8608

Can’t help but love the sense of design on the plate too.

DSCF8610

 

We then had the striped bass with mushroom, miso, and bone marrow.  It was quite tasty, though I’m not sure if I loved the bone marrow with fish combo.

DSCF8612

And the duck, with orange, pistachio, and rutabega. It was cooked perfectly, though I would have loved a bit more crisp in that skin and some extra sauce.

DSCF8616

 

And then we went upstairs to Milk Bar and tried ourselves some blondie pie (good but not great) and a milk shake that I cannot recall.  It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that I don’t find anything I’m especially enamored with personally. I don’t know why, but I’m never as impressed by Milk Bar as I think I’m going to be. Pity.

DSCF8617

Overall, I would say my previous meal at Ma Peche was definitely better than this one, but you just can’t beat the impressiveness of this David Chang establishment.  I’m surprised I don’t hear more about it, since it’s in an area severely lacking in interesting places to dine (sans tourists). As for Milk Bar, I think I’m still in search of “my dessert” there.

Ma Peche Overall Nom Points: 7 out of 10

Milk Bar Overall Nom Points: 5.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 5.5 out of 10

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top 10 Noms of 2010

31 Dec

I had a blast doing the Top 10 Noms of 2009 last year and referenced it many times throughout this past year.  2010 was a fantastic year in so many ways.  I mean come on… I was on TV for my baking!  I feel very accomplished after this year, in part due to how much I have grown this blog.  I also lost a lot of weight without sacrificing my love for food thanks to Weight Watchers.  Granted, I’ve fallen off the wagon a bit these last few months, but hopefully the new year will bring me luck in jumping back on.  It is a pleasure to have this little outlet outside of my “real job” to contribute to.  So without further ado, here are the top 10 Noms of 2010:

10. The Popover Cafe is a surprise to the top 10.  My sister had been raving about it, and I recently found out it’s a favorite of my cousin’s, but how good could a little cafe be?  Turns out… great.  It was just excellent comfort food with damn good popovers.  And I LOVE popovers.  Head to the Upper West Side for this gem of a brunch place.

9. When Mike’s family took us to La Masseria in Times Square after a Broadway show, we weren’t expecting much.  We live in the neighborhood and egotistically assumed that if we hadn’t heard rave reviews, it couldn’t be a TOP NOM.  Boy were we wrong!  The food was simply excellent.  Elegantly plated, fresh ingredients, and excellent preparation.  A contender to my usual Theater District Italian favorite, Becco.

8. We had the pleasure of dining at Ilili during Restaurant Week (it’s 2nd post in the Restaurant Week Wrap Up).  While most restaurants participate in Restaurant Week in a half-assed way, Ilili did an amazing job of letting us sample most of the menu and we found some INCREDIBLE dishes.  I have been back a few times since and can’t wait to go back again.

7. Lori and I took ourselves to Ma Peche for our birthdays.  You all know how much I LOVE David Chang, but I had heard mixed reviews about his newest establishment in midtown. The whole meal was really different and delicious, but this gets a top nom for those incredible crunchy noodles that I still dream about every day.

6. Ippudo is probably the restaurant I tell the most people about.  The ramen is just so spectacular that I can’t get enough of it.  I’m not a huge broth person, but I even slurp up every last drop of broth after eating the delicious noodles at Ippudo.  It’s SOOO good.  This place may have single-handedly ruined my diet… well… except for the Maine vacation(s).

5. The #5 spot goes to the full adventure of Nomming through Maine (Portland Day 1, Portland Day 2,Acadia/Bar Harbor Part 1, Acadia/Bar Harbor Part 2, The Coach Stop Inn B&B, Moody’s Diner & Young’s Lobster Pound, and Midcoat Maine).  The top Noms on this vacation were definitely the lobster at Beal’s Lobster Pier, our delicious meal at Primo in Rockland, and especially our FANTASTIC meal at Fore Street in Portland.  If you were wondering why Portland was named “America’s Foodiest Small Town” by Bon App in 2009, go to Fore Street.

4. I’m thrilled that Lincoln Ristorante got enough buzz that I decided to take a chance and schedule a reservation for 2 weeks after it opened for Mike’s birthday.  The food is sensational, but the ambience just sets it far above and beyond most places.  It’s a very special place, and if you want a special meal, go to Lincoln immediately.  And get the gnocchi side.

3. Another Nom that happened at the end of 2009 but didn’t make it onto the blog until 2010 was Bottega in Napa Valley. It did make it onto last year’s top 10, but it’s worth repeating.  Mike and I have the propensity to be celebrity chef sluts, but boy were we glad that we were when we opted for Michael Chiarello’s hot spot.  From first bite to last, this place was one of my all-time favorites.  It’s a meal I will always remember.

2. My birthday dinner at Le Bernardin was one of the best meals I have ever had.  Every detail was attended to and the service was impeccable.  The food was sensational with wine pairings that put this place off the charts.  I was so impressed with all the depth of flavors in these dishes.  Another very special place that really makes you feel like your are fortunate to dine there.

1. My love for David Chang was furthered by our opportunity to finally dine at Momofuku Ko.  To dine at Ko, you need to catch one of the handful of reservations that come up online about a week in advance.  It’s not an easy task (though much easier now than it used to be) and I was even more thrilled to learn that they were now accommodating allergies, so I wouldn’t be wasting my time and (large amount of) money by not being able to eat most of the food.  This restaurant is why chef tasting menus exist.  We had no idea what was coming next, but we got to watch it all unfold in front of us at the little intimate restaurant where the chefs prepare everything within 5 feet of your seat. If you have the opportunity to go, don’t miss it.

Honorable Mentions go to:

  • Uncle Jack’s on Valentine’s Day for having dependably great steak
  • Zuni Cafe for inspiring us to make the famous chicken at home on many occasions.  (This special chicken will actually be served tomorrow at the annual Chrismukah Family Celebration.)
  • LA Times Food Festival for allowing us the opportunity to finally try The Nom Nom Truck
  • Nanoosh for having one of my new favorite lunches, their Garden Salad, which keeps me coming back
  • 5 Napkin Burger for having burger eggs benedict for brunch
  • Father’s Office which is Mike’s choice for “Best Burger of 2010” (I’d have to agree with him)

What a year it has been!  Happy New Years Nomming everyone and here is to more wonderful Noms in 2011!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

More Birthday Catch-up: Ma Peche

22 Nov

Lori and I come within 2 days of sharing a birthday.  We have made a tradition out of going out to celebrate each other each year since our fateful meeting.  (In fact, it was one of those birthday celebrations where I met Mike… and the rest was history).  This year we decided to try the new David Chang‘s new midtown restaurant: Ma Peche (on 56th Street between 5th and 6th Aves).

The restaurant is in the Chambers Hotel (and you have to kind of walk through the lobby to get to it).  The room has very high ceilings with an huge space and what appears to be a very small kitchen.  You can see the kitchen area below, lit up towards the right of the picture.

The drink menu didn’t leap out at me, but I eventually chose the Ampersand and Lori chose the Moscow Mule.

Both were quite good, but nothing to write home about.

I was VERY excited about the men, however.  The Prix Fixe wasn’t that enticing…

But I couldn’t wait to try the pork & duck terrine or the crispy pig’s head or the pork ribs or the striped bass or the steak frites or the cavalo nero…

I honestly didn’t know how I was going to decide.  And then… the bomb hit.  The waitress informed me that 99% of the menu had peppers in it that couldn’t be changed.  Now… I didn’t have this problem even at Ko where they make the menu for you and serve whatever they have that day… but here at Ma Peche, I was SOL.  We kept asking for certain dishes and basically were told over and over again that it would kill me.  DAMN.

I couldn’t stand the idea of Lori missing out because of me, however, so I encouraged her to get the crispy pig’s head.  I actually risked it and took a little bite. It was delicious, but definitely something I couldn’t eat without pain.  It was worth it though.

We split the scallops with papaya, soy beans, and poppy seeds.  It was a beautiful plate and we thoroughly enjoyed.  The parts apart were good, but once you combined it all together into one mouthful, it was fantastic. There was also a hint of salt that brought it to a new level.  I do have to say, however, that I definitely prefer my scallops seared.

To give me an entree option, they actually had to go off the menu and gave us a crispy rice noodle with vegetables.

The noodles were cool spirals and weren’t so much crispy as they were chewy.  But in an AWESOME way.  The sweet potato was pretty bland (which was sad since I LOVE sweet potatoes), however, the corn in this was SO. FREAKING. GOOD.  I actually would go back here JUST for this.  I find myself craving them now.

The steak with rice fries was a fantastic dish.  The fries were more like flash fried rice balls and I LOVED them.  I thought they tasted like popcorn and I couldn’t get enough.  The beef was also fantastic and had the perfect flavor.

For dessert, we went to the offshoot of Momofuku Milk Bar.  It’s a carry out dessert place and we decided we would grab a bite and eat it in the hotel lobby.  They had a large assortment of delicious look cakes and we couldn’t wait to try a piece.  Lori blogged about our visit as well.

I was especially excited to try the Apple Pie Cake… I was just curious how you could make a pie into a cake.

What we didn’t know, however, is that they don’t sell these cakes by the slice.  Only complete.  Le sigh.

Luckily, all was not lost.  They also sold cake balls!  They basically enrobed those cakes in chocolate shell.  Nom Nom Nom.

I also couldn’t resist trying the soft serve.  It was salty pistacchio caramel and that sounded just too good.  I expected more, but I liked the kinda of sweet, kinda salty flavor.  Lori wasn’t a huge fan.  It was definitely polarizing.

The cake balls were good, but not as good as I had hoped.

The apple pie was certainly my favorite though!

Overall, the food was innovative and fun to eat.  I wish I could have tried more, however, what I did get to try was fantastic.  I was not impressed with Milk Bar, but it was satisfying.

Ma Peche Overall Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

Milk Bar Overall Nom Points: 5.5 out of 10

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,