This particular post is merging two different outings on one place and that’s the Little Owl. I decided to write about this place all in one shot since it develops a fuller picture on their lunches (and I do admit that I’m missing out on the dinner portion but I have yet to find a person or friend to eat there with me).

On a side note, if you would like (and I know you want to after seeing the food porn two posts ago) to read my burgers and shakes article from Gotham Digest, I suggest you to click here.

Back to the Little Owl. I remember reading from Grub Street’s post that the Little Owl was serving lunch. To me, that’s a huge deal since I can’t find any friend who can and willing to eat there for dinner. Don’t ask me why but it happens to be that way. Since Helen’s interning nearby (always up for good food) and it’s her last day there [insert wailing cry] we coordinated to have a bittersweet lunch there.

The Lunch Menu

Reading the entire menu, everything sounds delicious but what I felt a bit carnivorous that day that I urged Helen to share their signature meatball sliders and a burger with me. We added something not as meat-intense by throwing in the ricotta cavatelli since she asked me, “What is it?” (It’s a cylindrical-shaped pasta with ridges, by the way.) I ordered it for the sake of answering her question by seeing it and trying it.

Bread & Olive Oil

After ordering our food, we’re graced with plates of sliced bread and a fruity olive oil. The bread’s fine but I do like the olive oil more.

My Share of Ricotta Cavatelli & close up

We’re technically served one long plate containing our shared appetizers (in other words, the kitchen split everything neatly for us) of the ricotta cavatelli and the sliders. Since I brought my macro lens only, you’ll get individual shots. Anyway, the cavatelli was really good. The slightly tangy tomato broth infused with the salty, slightly smoky bacon bits made it a really tasty sauce that we mopped the remnants with our bread for this light, faintly chewy pasta. The fava beans add a slight crunch to the dish.

Meatball Sliders

The meatball sliders were incredible. What’s so memorable about them were the delicious garlic buns (as I found out from a friend of mine, Kathryn told me there’s a recipe so you can make it at home).

The buns tasted so foccacia-like that I was swooning over it like a madwoman. The meatballs were delicious and juicy that its juices were dripping down my hand. I wish I was motivated enough to cook. Baking is another story since I love sweets and tend to make them more often. I’m diverting from the subject here…

After finishing our appetizers, we’re presented with the cutest little things in the restaurant. No, I’m not talking about babies or pet-able animals. I’m talking about this [points down].

Awww…!

These tiny condiment bottles were given to us since we ordered the burger and our waiter asked if we would like any ketchup or mustard. I don’t really mind having all of them, so we just said, “We’ll have each of them, on the side please.” So, we’re given these newborn condiments. Too cute.

The BURGER (halved)

Since we told our waiter from the beginning that we’re splitting everything, the kitchen even halved our burger so cleanly that I would never get that kind of cut on my own. So, we get the innards shot of a medium-rare burger right from the start. Awesome. The plus is that tastes as good as it looks. Juicy burger that’s well seasoned and the over the plethora of toppings that would spew out if you pile it on (as you see from Helen’s incident here). Did I mentioned there’s cheese and BACON in there. Yeah, that’s an awesome burger. The spiced fries were a tad crisp and very well seasoned but I wished it’s crispier.

The check

We ran out of time and have to skip dessert. Helen had to make an important phone call to her supervisor so, we really had to go back to work. We asked for the check and amusing to us, they use gently worn paperbacks as the check holder. It’s cute and useful.

Things around me at the bar

I went there on my own last week again since I was dying to try their dessert. The last time I went there with Helen the neighboring table had the most luscious looking crisp that my mind screamed “I WANT!” so I had to go back. I didn’t have reservations during that time and I’m eating alone, I don’t mind eating at the bar.

Pork Cutlet; different views

Innards

I ordered the pork cutlet since the waiter described this dish different from any other restaurant because it has scrambled eggs with it. Unusual as it sounded, I ordered it for the sake of curiosity. It tasted very good. The thin, breaded, fried pork cutlet was slightly crisp and very tender. The tomato sauce lightened the dish by bringing the tart, bright acidic flavors of the tomato. The scrambled eggs with what seems like romaine lettuce and chunks of potato work well, despite the fact it’s a bit too wet due to the greens. Not bad but I like the burger more.

Dessert Menu

I finally got what I came here for DESSERT. I kind of wished I wasn’t eating alone so I could have split desserts and get to taste more since I was indecisive between two or three desserts. But I made the decision of sticking with what I wanted in the first place, the crisp.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, close up

The good thing is that the kitchen was flexible with the gelato (it’s from il laboratorio del gelato) flavor you want to top the crisp with, which I chose pistachio, since they ran out of vanilla. Eating the pistachio gelato alone, it tasted very good and buttery which is the essence of pistachio, but I wasn’t too thrilled with the slightly gritty texture of the nut. As a whole, the crisp was delicious. I loved the sweet and tart flavors of the strawberry and rhubarb with the butteriness of the topping. Just don’t let it sit out too long (like I have with taking a ton of photos of it) before the topping gets a bit mushy from the filling’s moisture content.

Sinatra has my check

I was full and I had to go back to work so I asked for my check. Again, it’s presented with a paperback but it’s about Frank Sinatra. I really like this idea.

Address:
Little Owl
90 Bedford Street
New York, NY 10014

I’m slowly getting back into the groove of writing my belated posts to you since I’m currently “researching” my article. In other words, eating stuff, taking photos, etc. So, here’s food outing that occurred two weeks ago.

Helen and I were chatting online during the morning at work, scheming what we want to eat for lunch. A while back I mentioned about a ramen place that opened in the East Village and I wanted to check it out. Since Helen loves noodles, she jumped at the chance and agreed to eat with me at Ippudo!

Ippudo!

Interior photos

As we’re escorted to one of their communal tables, we sat down and soaked in the atmosphere of this place. It’s quite chic for a noodle bar compared to Ramen Setagaya that I went to the past winter. The interior’s done in black and red with a sprawling bamboo tree sculpture.

“Extras” sign & Menu

The first thing that shot out from that table was the “Extras” sign that indicated that they serve braised pork belly. I don’t know about you but if you ever had braised anything, it almost always tastes awesome and succulent. So we’ve split an order and we had our own bowl of ramen.

PORK BELLEH

When the pork belly arrived a minute before our ramen, I was shocked to find that the portion of pork belly was minuscule. I guess when they mean “extra” it’s just a small side of a chunk of fatty pork goodness. When I ate my half, I craved for more.

Helen’s Kakara-men (bowl, picking up the ramen, and her spoon of food)

As you have seen from that plodge of food porn above, that Helen’s bowl of Kakara-men. Looks luscious, no? I didn’t try her noodles since I have my own bowl of ramen. However, I did try her the broth. It’s well seasoned, a bit thinner in comparison to mine (which I will talk about in a bit) and a tad spicier due to that little mound of hot pepper sauce on top. Not bad from the broth, I guess with her noodles, vegetables and seaweed it’s pretty darn tasty.

Bowl of Shiromaru NY & Shio ramen

When I got my bowl of Shiromaru NY it looks relatively small compared to what I had at Ramen Setagaya and a lot less noodles since I see mostly broth with a thin slice of roast pork, scallions and what looks thinly sliced mushrooms on top. Anyway, when I took my spoon and tried a sip of the broth I was amazed how rich and silky it was (from the pork bones since it’s tonkotsu soup), also it wasn’t ridiculously salty like I had at Setagaya. Picking up my chopsticks and lifting the long strands of noodles, it looks promising. Taking a bite of the thin noodles they were firm, almost al dente. The cabbage that’s in this bowl gave it a nice, sweet crunch and with the soup it created a wonderful flavor sensation in my mouth. Sure, the price tag of $13 is a bit much for a bowl of soup and noodles but it’s New York.

Pinisi’s window

After Helen and I finished our ramen and paid the check, we wanted dessert. I remembered that Pinisi was close so we walked over there for dessert.

Ooooh…cupcakes

Since we’re indecisive about what to get for dessert (except maybe have one of everything), we ended up getting our own cupcake. Helen gotten the red velvet cupcake and I gotten myself the tres leches cupcake since the girl who worked there recommended it and it sound different compared to any other bakery I’ve encountered. I remembered a while back Robyn touted their red velvet was awesome, and indeed it was when I tried Helen’s. Soft, light and tender with their rich and slightly tart cream cheese frosting…man, I was happy. When I tried my tres leches cupcake, I thought it’s fine. It’s very moist because of the milks and the cake is tender but I’m not too fond of it. It tasted like it’s missing something but I don’t know what exactly.

Addresses:
Ippudo
65 Fourth Avenue
New York, NY 10003

Pinisi Bakery
128 East 4th Street
New York, NY 10003

Hey Everyone!
Probably most of you know that I’m writing for Gotham Digest recently and I’ve been busy with their stuff along with my day job, hence my long absence prior to the BBQ Chicken post before. So, I’m skipping a few things that you might have seen over the course of weeks that I’ve posted on my Flickr photostream since they’re for Gotham Digest. You may look through my food porn about burgers and shakes and cupcakes just to wet your whistle on what I’ve been doing (I’ll link those articles once they post).

MACARONS!

But…you may certainly read my macaron article that’s posted there. Go and read it!

Forty Carrots’ Yogurt

And my fro-yo article’s up, too (click here to read)! I urge you to go and visit Gotham Digest to support them and me (or I’ll lose this gig).

This is one of the rare posts that is SHORT. Yes, I know I usually write Bible-length posts but for once I’m keeping it short because my mind’s getting a bit burnt from writing the articles for Gotham Digest. I’m not complaining. I’m just tired. Also the time lapse from eating here was three weeks so my memory’s dissipating about the food. I just hope you’ll tolerate with this very short post.

Whenever I’m at work, I usually chat online with Kathy and Robyn talking about various things about our lives and most of the time about food. Since Kathy (back nearly three or so weeks ago) was finally free from her former, hellish client and wanted to have lunch. All three of us talked back and forth what the heck we want to eat. Since Kathy’s had a major craving for fried chicken and Robyn didn’t want to trek out far from her office at Serious Eats, we decided on going to BBQ Chicken. I brought Helen along since she can do lunch with me from her internship at Cornell Hospital.

BBQ Chicken

We ended up sharing the family pack which includes four tender, buttery biscuits and two sides.

Platter of fried chicken…NOM.

This platter of chicken was fried in olive oil, giving it a different flavor to any other fried chicken I’ve ever encountered. Perhaps fruitier? I’m not really sure. The chicken was crisp and crunchy while the meat was moist and tender. As we ate on, we’re getting pretty stuffed and made Robyn eat the extra piece to the point that she’s stuffed to this state.

Spicy Creamed Corn & Pepper Munchers

As for the sides, we ordered a bowl of spicy creamed corn and a plate of pepper munchers. The corn was thick, creamy, and unexpectedly spicier than most of us have anticipated. But we appreciated the slight burn that it imparted to our palates to contrast the sweet corn.

The pepper munchers were not remotely close to what any of us were expecting. I thought it would be small jalapeño peppers that’s stuffed with cheese. But it’s just a fried nugget of sorts that’s filled with diced potatoes, jack cheese (at least it tasted like it) and specks of peppers.

Once we’re done, we’re stuffed to the gills with fried food. Not exactly a nutritious meal but it was pretty tasty and relatively inexpensive. The problem is, I took another long lunch and I have to haul my ass back to work in the Upper East Side.

Address:
BBQ Chicken
232 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10010

As some of you might know, I’ve done a few things for the upcoming debut of Gotham Digest. No, they’re not ready yet until May. If they’re up and running, I’ll let you know and show some love and support to me and my freelancing employer!

Frozen yogurt was the chosen topic by the assistant editor so I’m out to try out five different places for fro-yo. Since I wasn’t able to stomach all of that. I invited Helen, Ariel, Seungmi, Julie, and Joo He on this fro-yo expedition of finding the best.

THE WINNER!

Since I’m not going to kill you with a ton of critiques (and I don’t have the energy to write it), the best tasting one was Flurt. The pleasantly tart yogurt flavor lasted on my tongue for a good minute and the toppings were good but regret having the mango since it wasn’t ripe enough.

A bucket fro-yo from Red Mango

I do like Red Mango’s toppings (especially the mochi) but their yogurt flavor sucked. The tartness diminished within 2 seconds on the tongue.

Forty Carrots’ fro-yo

But one I should mention that is pretty good and they serve ginormous portions for a small is Forty Carrots in Bloomingdales. For five bucks, they will give you a small bucket of creamy yogurt and it will fill you up pretty well if you didn’t have lunch like I did.

That’s it?!

Other places weren’t memorable. I did try Pinkberry for the first time, just for the sake of wanting to know what’s so great about it. I would have never thought they would be so skimpy with the fro-yo. The flavors were decent at best. The tart flavors are kind of strange to me. I consider it the Starbucks of fro-yo - seriously overrated and they’re on every block in Manhattan. We’re being invaded by mediocrity.

Moving on…after eating out all the fro-yo places most of us (as in Helen, Julie, and Seungmi) stuck around for dinner at Taïm. It ended up being our dinner spot just because it’s cheap, filling (despite being stuffed with fro-yo), and most importantly, serving the tastiest falafels I’ve ever eaten in the city.

FRIES!

Helen and I split a large bowl of fries served with garlicy, saffron aioli. The fries were tasty, hot and nicely salted but they were soggy. If they were crisp, I would fall off the barstool and roll in a fit of happiness (or insanity, if you want) after biting into my first…

SABICH!

Sabich! ZOMG! That was insanely good albeit a messy sandwich. Stuffed within this pillowy, warm, chewy pita were slices of fried eggplant, sliced hard boiled egg, Israeli salad, and some amba, tahini, and other tasty stuff drizzled in this densely packed pocket. I never felt elated from eating a sandwich like this in a long while.

Harissa Falafel Sandwich

Helen, Seungmi, and Julie all had the harissa falafel just because, I praised it so much while we’re waiting on line to order the food. This was their first (and arguably, best) falafel sandwich they’ve eaten.

Cold drinks

I should mention that Helen and I tried their iced teas. She got the brown sugar lemonade which was sweet, lemony with slight hint of molasses from the brown sugar. My ginger-mint lemonade was refreshing and it’s great with the heavy sabich.

After dinner, we all walked over to our subway stations (around Union Square area), hugged each other for a farewell and bid each other goodnight. I passed out on the train ride home since I’m exhausted from walking around for the fro-yo and I’m in a food coma.

Addresses:
Flurt
284 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10010

Pinkberry
7 W 32nd Street
New York, NY 10001

Red Mango
63 W 14th Street
New York, NY 10011

Taim
222 Waverly Place
New York, NY 10014

WEEE! I finally ate here!

After much delay due to odd circumstances and events in my life, I finally made it to Babbo! After hauling my butt from Tailor (as you read from the previous post) with Helen in tow, I’ve rushed over to Giulia and Robyn finding out the status of our endangered table. What happened during the time I was finishing up the pre-dinner at Tailor, Giulia called and left me with an urgent voicemail indicating that the maître d’ will let our table go since the full group didn’t show at the reserved time. When I spoke to her, she said I have to deal with the stubborn man and demands me to get the table stat, since she’s starving.

Finding out that our table is still safe, we’ve checked our coats and got escorted upstairs to the second floor away from the loud, harried diners of the ground floor.

Interior photos of 2nd floor

Despite the fact that the second floor is relatively quieter, it’s still frazzled with a ton of lively conversation with groups of diners who are generally of an older age than all of us. Nevertheless, we’re here for the highly touted food and good company.

Plate of Chickpea Bruschetta and my own

While we were deciding what we want to eat, a server brought us some unremarkable bread, and a complimentary amuse, the chickpea bruschetta. These two-bite toasts were delicious - nutty and slightly tangy with the spices they were marinated in. After noshing our bruschetta we discussed at great length what the heck we all want to eat, decided, and ordered.

Now here’s our antipasti, also known as appetizers:

Grilled Octopus

Helen ordered the grilled octopus with “borlotti marinati” and spicy limoncello vinaigrette. I had grilled octopus before but I never had one quite like this. It was so tender and it doesn’t even taste like seafood - more meat-like (chicken?) than anything else. The borlotti beans were creamy and acidic. This was delicious.

Wild Arugula with Parmesean

Giulia had the wild arugula with Parmesan salad because she’s following her Roman Catholic heritage of not eating meat on Fridays, which we all respected despite of our grumbles. It’s a hefty portion of spicy, mustardy greens with a balsamic vinaigrette topped with large ribbons of Parmesan cheese. It’s good but it’s just a basic salad.

Warm Lamb’s Tongue Vinaigrette with Chanterelles and a 3-Minute Egg

Robyn ordered the lamb’s tongue vinaigrette under one of the many dishes I’ve mentioned that I heard or read that is tasty. I honestly never had tongue before since well, it sounds a bit…weird. Anyway, this was delicious! The tongue was served warm and it’s so tender and silky from the poached egg Robyn mixed in. The vinaigrette cut through the gaminess of the tongue, and the chanterelles brought in a delicate, nutty, fruity flavor.

Pig’s Foot “Milanese” with Rice Beans and Arugula

I got myself the pig’s foot “Milanese” mainly because I love pig’s feet. My mom made on several occasions in my life stewed pig’s feet and I loved it’s fatty, gelatinous texture with pork flavor. Same thing applies to this dish except it’s even better with the crisp, crunchy, deep-fried crust. Contrasting the heaviness of this dish was the tart, sun dried tomatoes, as well as the peppery arugula. The rice beans brought some substance and creaminess this dish. Gah, I love it…

Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage

Giulia had planned on getting the mint love letters for a while because of its uniqueness of having mint and pasta together. The pasta was cooked al dente. The shredded, mint filling was a refreshing breath to the pasta. I don’t exactly love this dish but it was different than any pasta dish I’ve encountered so far.

Beef Cheek Ravioli with Crushed Squab Liver and Black Truffles

Robyn had the beef cheek ravioli. This was an ordinary sounding dish but it was outstanding. The perfectly cooked pasta filled with a smooth puree (practically) of beef that it feels like it’s melting in my mouth. The squab liver was used for the sauce, which added richness to this dish.

Chianti Stained Pappardelle with Wild Boar Ragu

Knowing Helen is not exactly the most adventurous eater, we recommended something relatively familiar for her dish of choice: chianti stained pappardelle. The chianti in the pasta gave it an earthy, slightly fruity depth. The boar ragu added heartiness and pleasant acidity to the dish.

Lamb’s Brain “Francobolli” with Lemon and Sage

I gotten myself the lamb’s brain “francobolli” because of the fact I like eating weird things. Ok, maybe not Anthony Bourdain’s daringness but I like to try something different. Going back to the food… These “postage stamps” of pasta were intensely buttery and creamy. The al dente pasta was filled with ricotta cheese and lamb’s brain - which I hoped to have more brain than cheese when I was eating them. It tasted mushroom-like with hints of sage and lemon from the sauce. It’s nice but I want more brain.

Duck

As we finished our pasta course, we felt quite full. I should be since I ate at Tailor an hour prior to this meal and Robyn was making “Ughghgh…” noises when the duck was placed before us to share. I have to say, the duck was really generously portioned. Four slices of duck breast meat and…

There’s MORE?!

MORE! After each of us gotten our own slice of succulent duck meat, we unearthed the leg. OMG…we’re all getting to the point of getting a stomach explosion. But since we don’t like to waste food, Robyn got most of the duck and tossing about a fourth of the leg meat to my plate against my will to eat it. It’s a very tasty duck - savory, sweet and acidic from the kumquat and wilted red cabbage, but I was heading toward a food coma.

Plate of cookies

After having a few minutes to breathe and digest our food, we asked for the check since it’s already 10 PM and we’ll be kicked out off our table soon. So we could not have any dessert. But, the waitress presented us a plate of cookies: almond biscotti, chocolate baci cookies, and almond meringue cookies, along with our check. My favorite was the biscotti for its intense crispness and buttery, almond flavor. The baci was nice and chocolatey with a hint of almond. The meringue was nice but I was never a fan of meringue.

That’s the end of my evening of back-to-back high-end dining.

Address:
Babbo
110 Waverly Place
New York, NY 10011

Tailor

After reading a broad spectrum of reviews ever since Tailor, Sam Mason’s establishment, spawned into the city’s dining scene in SoHo, it stumbled a bit in reviews during its early stages and now transitioned to a young adult who has found its bearings with a unique identity - a bar that mixes innovative cocktails that also serves molecular gastronomic food like WD-50.

The bar downstairs

The menu

Being the early bird that I am, I waited downstairs in the basement for my two guests, Helen and Ariel. Perusing their menu for a while I have been curious about their solid cocktails. I’ve inquired the waiter and he described it as dessert. As most of you might know, I love sweets, I do like alcohol despite of my low tolerance for it, and I do have a reason to celebrate since NY Magazine linked me for my Momofuku Ko post so it’s a reason to go a bit all out. Even though, I’m going to Babbo (which will be another post) right after this pre-dinner.

Solid Cocktails

The solid cocktails were interesting to look at and the idea of eating a cocktail instead of drinking it. The Ramos Gin Fizz Marshmallow was a tasty, soft marshmallow but it didn’t have much of the cocktail’s flavor. The Cuba Libre was in the form of gelatin with a sliver of dried lime was better with gentle tones of acidity and the sweetness of coke and rum. My favorite of the three was the White Russian since it’s the sweetest with a good amount of alcohol tones running in the back due to the vodka and coffee liqueur. I also adored the textural contrast of the toasted, puffed rice cereal. This would be a dangerous thing to eat for breakfast every morning.

The Bazooka

More solids…

Waiting for nearly half an hour or so since everyone managed to be so busy that day, everyone finally arrived and got seated upstairs. To start of the meal, Helen ordered herself a drink, the Bazooka. Ariel requested the solid cocktails.

When the waitress poured Helen’s Bazooka, the sweet bubblegum scent filled the air arguably intoxicating our senses and teasing us to take a sip of the vibrant, pink drink. Taking a small sip, this cocktail indeed tasted like bubblegum, it’s sweet, and the bracing zing of alcohol from the vodka laced in this drink.

Escabeche of Spanish Mackerel, Litchi Tapenade, Daikon, Verjus

When Ariel and I ordered our food, actually Ariel did the majority of it since he inquired the waiter what’s good and weird, taking nearly ten minutes to order, he requested to bring out almost all the dishes out. I’m just giving you the dish-by-dish breakdown.

The escabeche of Spanish mackerel, litchi tapenade, daikon, and verjus was very good. The firm, fatty fish was pleasantly acidic and sweet with lightness from the tart foam. (The mackerel reminds me of eel but firmer, if you’re thinking of how it tastes like). The carrots added a subtle sweetness and a slight crunch to something that’s really silky and meaty.

Coriander Fried Sweetbreads, Citrus Puree, Salsify, White Beer

This sweetbreads dish caught Ariel’s eye on the menu because of the words “white beer” (he loves drinks); I want it because I love sweetbreads. The beer foam and the citrus puree’s flavors were more appealing to me than the sweetbreads. The sweetbreads were fine but it didn’t send me into happy delirium just because the sweetbreads was missing something extra perhaps salt?

Veal, Marrow Beads, Parmesan Crumble, Huckleberry

The veal and marrow beads dish was a new addition to their menu and the waiter did seem to be enthusiastic of this dish so Ariel went for it. This was particularly lackluster. The veal did look like thin cut prosciutto but it didn’t have much flavor but did have a delicate, creamy texture. The marrow beads just add on the richness with its fat but again, it lacked a sensational piquancy.

Foie Gras, Peanut Butter, Cocoa, Pear

Foie gras is something Ariel loves wholeheartedly, arguably more than his alcohol. But somehow this dish made him feel indifferent, which was a surprise to me. I thought this dish was fine. The foie is mixed with peanut butter and cocoa, brining out a sweet, earthy depth to this dish. The pear and the thin sugar brittle that stabbed the foie accentuated the sweetness, almost making this dish tastes like dessert.

Mango Ravioli, Black Rice Ice Cream, Cilantro, Coconut

Then our final course was the dessert that attracted Ariel the most from the list of desserts (the Three on their menu). This dessert oozes mango flavor, literally, since the ravioli had a delicate outer shell that contains a concentrated mango puree. It still blends with savory elements from the outrageously velvety, pungent cilantro cream with the rich and chocolate-y black rice ice cream. The ice cream was chocolate-y but it had a nutty element from the toasted rice that topped it. It was a favorite between us.

We’re happy; Helen, Ariel, and I, respectively

Bean pate

As time became an issue for all of us (Ariel is going out with his buddies, while Helen and I were late for Babbo), we asked for the check - which the waiter brought out a few sweets for the table: coriander cotton candy and bean pate (think of pate de fruit but red bean flavored instead). The cotton candy did bring out the inner child in all of us. The bean pate was very different than anything I have eaten. It’s like eating a firmer version of bean paste with a sugar coating.

We bid Ariel goodnight, and Helen and I ran over to Babbo. We had to run due to the fact that they’re threatening to give up my reserved table! More on this issue on the next post.

Address:
Tailor
525 Broome Street
New York, NY 10013

Edit (4/15/08): As per this commentor’s request, I took down the photo of looking down the bar, if you noticed any changes from the first time you’ve seen prior to this edit. You will be able to see on my Flickr photostream but not on my blog, per se. But at least you still got the food porn!

KO!

As you remember me posting my urgent, desperate need last week about my reservations to Momofuku Ko, I have indeed found people. YAY! It’s not a failed mission…not like many things in my life. Anyways, I met up with Andrea, her friend, Grace, and Kyle. Everyone arrived before I have since I was in Chelsea running errands and admittedly shopping for a new camera. Yes, I have upgraded to a 5D and retired my Rebel XTi.

The book of booze and Place setting

As I sat down on the stools for a four-top (which was the corner spot on the bar), one of the waitresses/hostess gave me a Moleskine notebook of booze. Since I can’t handle any alcohol that’s beyond the total of two wine glasses, I passed and awaited for the food and chat with my guests of the evening.

The place setting was very simple - a folded napkin, a pair of chopsticks set on top of a cork that had a diagram engraved with something have to do with “experiment” - I can’t recall too well. The bar is made of a warm, blonde wood with a few pegs on the bottom to hold bags. The stools were backless and made of the same type of wood; not exactly as cushy as what you would encounter in L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon but it’s fine.

Mmmm…fancy pork rinds!

After waiting about five minutes or so, the cooks presented us with two orders of amuses to share among us - chicharrón. Basically, it’s a fancier version of pork rinds made of Four Story Hill farm pork skin and seasoned with togarashi. It’s tasty and quite familiar.

Amuse #2: English Muffins + PORK FAT

Soon after that, came in our second amuse of the evening, housemade English muffins with rendered pork fat and green onions. I’m not really an English muffin person. It’s awfully dry and unpalatable when it comes to the stuff my mom buys from the grocery store. But this sets the standard of how an English muffin should be. Crisp with little nooks and crannies with salty rendered pork fat permeating its tangy, thin core. I wish I have this for breakfast everyday - without getting atherosclerosis.

(Scallop, on the left; Fluke, on the right) Sashimi, Poppy Seeds, Chives, Spicy Buttermilk

Moving onto the fluke and scallop sashimis, poppy seeds, chives, spicy buttermilk, were a great starter for the dinner. The silky freshness of both types of seafood meets the creamy, slightly spicy buttermilk sauce and the nutty crunch from the poppy seeds. Personally, the fluke shined better here since it’s cut thinner, giving it a more silky texture. (I should note that the fluke was given to myself and Grace, while the scallops were given to Kyle and Andrea).

Thr Pour; Kimchi Consommé with Long Island Oyster on a half shell with Crispy Pork Belly

The next course, Kimchi consommé with Long Island oyster on a half shell with crispy pork belly was interesting. The spicy, clear broth contributed the warm mouth feel and gave the silky oyster a kick to it’s briny meat. The pork belly was crisp and as it absorbed the kimchi consommé, it adds on an additional layer of moisture, making it more softer and more moist.

I LOVE YOU!

This dish is certainly one of the highlights of the evening: Coddled egg with soubise onions, sweet potato vinegar, hackleback caviar, potato chips, parsley chervil. The oozy yolk that gently cascades over the small pile of soft, creamy, sugary sweet onions mingling with the pop-like texture of the caviar. Oooh…it made my palate dancing with joy. The potato chips were precious and very crisp; contrasting the smooth and chewy textures of the dish.

Scallop with Clams (on the left); Fluke with Clams (on right), Trumpet Mushroom Puree, Pickled Fennel, Nori, and Bacon Dashi

The scallop with clams, trumpet mushroom puree, pickled fennel, nori, and bacon dashi was served to Kyle and Andrea, while Grace and I had the fluke with clams, trumpet mushroom puree, pickled fennel, nori, and bacon dashi. The sweet, meaty scallops fared a lot better than the fluke due to the lovely sear, cooked to perfection. The fluke was a nice but it lacked the complexity compared to the scallop. The clams, dashi and mushrooms gave it an earthy and briny elements and it the flavors were very clean.

In between courses, I managed to take this photo down the bar. It just look like everyone’s bowing down their heads to revere and contemplate the food and the chefs. Which in many ways, can be that argument…the maniacal reservation clicking, and the buzz before opening, etc. Anyways, back to the food…

I LOVE YOU TOO!

The other dish that truly amazed me was the shaved foie gras torchon with Riesling jelly, lychee, and pinenuts. The thin layer of grated foie gras was so ethereal yet accomplished so much in terms of its silky textures and balances the flavor of the dish. The sweet-savory nuances of this dish went from juicy, fruity, and delicately sweet and went to the flip side of savory with the foie and the buttery pinenuts. Man, talk about foodgasm in every bite…

Innards of the Foie dish

Deep Fried Short Ribs with Grilled Scallion, Pickled Daikon, and Pickled Mustard Seeds

Now we move onto a heartier dish, deep fried short ribs with grilled scallion, pickled daikon, and pickled mustard seeds. As any person who likes food (and isn’t exactly health conscious) would go with the mantra, “You can’t go wrong with fried food.” In most ways yes, but for my own dish it seemed a tad too overcooked that perhaps I don’t enjoy it as much as the others were. It was crisp and moist but a tad tough. The nice touches were the crunchy, pickled vegetables to cut the fattiness of the dish.

Miso Soup and Grilled Rice with Nori, Rolled in Pork Fat, With Pickled Turnips and Cabbage

The miso soup and grilled rice with nori, rolled in pork fat with pickled turnips and cabbage is basically the finisher of the savory course, meaning after this dish, we’re moving to dessert. The miso soup is the best I’ve tasted by far in the city, where most just gets it wrong, afflicting my taste buds with a bucket load of salt. But this is perfection - balanced, great body, and enough salt that my tongue doesn’t scream for water. As for the little cylinder of rice, it was nice and crisp from the grill and the vegetables gave it an additional textural interest with a touch of sweet-salty brine it’s been marinating in.

Pre-dessert: Pineapple (on the left); its innards (on the right)

We finally moved to the sweets, pre-dessert: pineapple. This is basically a palate cleanser of sorts by having this refreshing, über pineapple-y dessert. The pineapple sorbet’s ice crystals were so fine that I almost thought I’m eating ice cream and it’s not very sweet - just intense pineapple. To go an extra step with the pineapple, they added a small pile of chewy, dried chunks of pineapple for something beyond smooth. That was lovely.

Deep Fried Apple Pie, Sour Ice Cream, Toasted Miso

We’re now at the grand finale: deep fried apple pie, sour ice cream, toasted miso. The first thing I thought when I saw this pie was that it looks similar to the McDonald’s apple pie due to its shape. In terms of flavor, it’s very different. Eating this pie alone actually tastes insipid - it needs more cinnamon. But when you do eat a little bit of everything with it (sour cream ice cream and the miso swash in the back) it’s wonderful, though I do prefer having creme fraiche ice cream instead. The only thing that made this particular dish different than anything else in the city is the use of the extremely salty miso that amplified the entire dish’s elements that created multiple tones of flavors makes it remarkable.

After eating at our pace of nearly two hours or so, we’re all satiated (some had the booze) and we paid our check. In case you didn’t know by now the entire tasting menu is $85 and the wine and sake pairings are an additional $50 pre-tax and tip. It’s not cheap eats, but it’s a lot cheaper than Per Se or a lot of other restaurants that strictly do tasting menus. My verdict: YOU MUST TRY IT!

Address:
Momofuku Ko
163 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10003

A few Thursdays ago, I planned a dinner with Ariel to Islero, a new tapas restaurant and bar that’s located in Midtown East. I sort of picked this place just because I wanted to try something different.

We originally started small since Ariel’s complaining that he ate a fairly heavy lunch at Adrienne’s Pizza Bar. So, I taken it into account and we ordered four dishes and a dessert:

Arroz Cremoso
Sopa de Castanas
Conchinta
Plums & Figs
Peanut Butter Spoons (dessert)

But we ended up having a mini-feast of sorts and having a total of six courses and two desserts - due to the co-owner spotting me with my camera and gave us a few comped dishes.

The added courses did not sway my thoughts on what I thought of this place. Some dishes were good and some were okay. It’s basically a good place to have dinner after work, a casual date, or to eat out with a small group (this space is relatively small and narrow).

Go to my photoset for the food photos and my comments.

Address:
Islero
247 East 50th Street
New York, NY 10022