Spoon Food and Wine

NY Restaurant Week: Fishtail by David Burke

2010-07-29T21:18:44Z

My last Restaurant Week dinner for Summer '10 was at Fishtail by David Burke. It's a lovely spot in an Upper East Side townhouse. The upstairs dining room feels like they've set up tables in a space that used to some lucky person's living room. It's really quite beautiful.

The Restaurant Week menu allowed for lots of choices from the regular menu (1 appetizer, 1 entree and 1 dessert) however many items had supplements! And of course, the ones I wanted had supplements... so the great deal for Restaurant Week kind of goes down the drain. I had the pretzel crusted crabcake appetizer, the trout amandine and the apple tart. (2 of the 3 items had supplements) But, forgetting about the price, the food was absolutely wonderful! The crabcake was fried, but the pretzel crusting seemed to absorb most of the oil, so I just pulled the pretzel rods off and didn't eat them (I'm sure they were great, just trying to be a little bit healthy, that's all). It was served with a mango and corn relish that was a really nice complement to the crab. The trout was nice, a rather small portion though, served with a flavorful sauce, haricots verts and almonds. The apple tart was just how I like them, a round and paper thin tart served with vanilla creme anglaise (YUM) and a dollop of dulche de leche gelato. All in all a very nice meal, but not the "bargain" one expects of Restaurant Week.

NY Restaurant Week: Fulton

2010-07-23T18:43:54Z

I LOVE Fulton... not only is it beautiful (decor-wise), a yummy fish restaurant (run by the Citarella people), but it happens to be a stone's throw from my house. I don't go there very often for dinner because it's a bit pricey for a "neighborhood" spot, so it was great that they were participating in Restaurant Week (3 courses for $35, it's kind of like getting your appetizer and dessert for free)! I went with a friend on Wed. night.

I had the chilled spring pea soup garnished with lobster, creme fraiche, lemon grass and chili oil. Then, the monkfish with charred tomato, mussels and chick peas. I also tasted my friend's organic salmon with spinach, fava and yogurt. For dessert, the strawberry shortcake.

The soup was amazing, it was non-dairy except for the creme fraiche garnish. It's hard to get really excited about soup but this was exciting, perhaps it was the chili oil that made it perfect? Wow, it was just delicious and it really did have chunks of lobster in it. The monkfish was quite good, but not great, but in all fairness monkfish isn't my favorite fish because of its texture. The preparation was excellent though, with the flavorful charred tomatoes. My friend's salmon was delicious. The strawberry shortcake was fine, but not great. I compare all strawberry shortcakes to my Mom's home-made so maybe its not a fair comparison. (you know, fresh homemade biscuits, with fresh local picked berries and freshly whipped cream with no sugar - heaven)

I was quite impressed by the generous portions too. You sort of figure that they're thinking all the cheapskates are coming out for Restaurant Week so maybe they'd be slightly less generous with the portions, but this what not the case at all. Great, great dinner. And it's not too late, there are couple days left of Restaurant Week!

You can read their regular dinner menu here. Oh, and their super nice final touch is that on the way out they give you a little bag of sweets. This one had a cookie and 2 fish shaped chocolates! How nice is that?

NY Restaurant Week: The Carlyle

2010-07-16T19:44:23Z

I went to the Carlyle last night for Restaurant Week dinner. What an elegant affair! The restaurant is divided into two rooms both have table arranged spaciously so one would never feel crowded. There are several corner tables that are nice, you sit on the banquet with velvet pillows to lean up against.

The wine list was in general pricey, but they had at least one reasonable choice in each category, which is nice. We had Chateau de Sales Pomerol, I think it was around $70? I had the field greens, scallops and rhubarb tart. The field greens were pretty standard. The scallops were served with grilled fennel and were quite good. I loved the rhubarb tart because it was just rhubarb, not mixed with another fruit as most places do, so it had that great tart rhubarb flavor. Here is a link to the Restaurant Week menu. The service was nice, quite proper and not snobby at all. I thought they might have been since we both ordered from the Restaurant Week menu... Overall, it definitely felt like a luxury experience... as it should, the Carlyle is a Rosewood property and they certainly know luxury!

Payard Bakery to open in the Village

2010-07-16T19:34:31Z

Great news for those of us who are sorely missing Payard on the Upper East Side.... Francois Payard will be opening Payard Bakery at 116 West Houston Street. It is scheduled to open in the late Summer. Here is a rendering:

It will offer take-out and a casual dining room. I used to stop by the Upper East Side bistro/restaurant to buy macaroons once in a while... oh, I miss those!!! They are so good it will be worth a trip downtown!

Celebrate le Quatorze Juillet at Fig & Olive

2010-07-07T15:27:41Z

Bastille Day is next Wednesday, just the excuse we needed to go out for some tasty French wine and food!

Fig & Olive serves Mediterranean food with a South of France vibe. They are offering free rosé wine with their delicious crostinis at their Meatpacking district location!

While you're there why not try their prix fixe menu which is a really great value!

Reserve Now for NY Summer Restaurant Week

2010-06-30T18:08:20Z

NYC Summer Restaurant Week is July 12 - 25. Start making reservations now so you don't lose out! Lunch prix fixe is $24.07 and dinner $35.

Some restaurants are participating for only lunch or dinner, but most are offering both. You can preview selected menus at the NYC Go website and link to reservations on Open Table. Many top restaurants are participating like: Aureole, Cafe Boulud, Del Posto, Jo Jo, Le Cirque, Nobu, etc. etc. Also a lot of neighborhood spots.

Clambake at Tribeca Grill - July 28th!

2010-06-22T20:48:46Z

Tribeca Grill is having a Clambake/Wine Dinner on Wednesday July 28th. It's $75 for a family style feast with lots of great seafood and wine! Here's a peak at the menu:

Yummy, yum, yum!! Call 212-941-3900 for reservations.

Luke's Lobster Rolls - Upper East Side

2010-06-16T18:51:12Z

I have been meaning to get to Luke's on the Upper East Side (242 E. 81st St. betw. 2nd & 3rd) ever since I read about them in New York Magazine a while ago. Well, I finally made it yesterday. They are located in the former Etats-Unis space, but it has been transformed into a Fish Shack. The lobster roll is $14, or you can get a it with a drink, chips and a pickle for $16 (both + tax). What interested me the most about this place is that I love lobster, but I HATE mayonaise, and almost everyone mixes the two - but here you can keep your lobster pristine (no mayo or butter!) if desired, or have it with just butter and/or lemon, and spices. I tried it with lemon and spices... wow, I have to say they don't chintz you on lobster! I was really impressed with the amount of lobster and gorgeous huge hunks of claw meat. (the claw is my favorite part) The roll is nothing special, just your basic toasted hot dog roll, I didn't even eat it. I just ate the lobster out of it with a fork, heaven!!

This is the picture from their website and yes, it really does look like that!

They even deliver, with a $20 minimum. Check out the full menu here including soups, crab claws and crab and shrimp rolls. I hope they're successful, it's a great addition to the Upper East Side!

Truffle Vinaigrette and Mesclun Greens

2010-06-10T20:53:29Z

I'm going to stay on the topic of truffles today... another great and (relatively) inexpensive way to get truffle flavor is with a truffle oil! I found a good size container at Home Goods of all places for $12 recently! (and no, it was even expired or anything!) You can get the same kind at Amazon (La Tourangelle Infused White Truffle Oil, 2 for $26.15), their price is very good too, it's 23% off the regular price. The oil base is grapeseed oil, which is a very healthy type of oil.

A nice way to use it is to mix up an easy vinaigrette:

1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon white truffle oil, or to taste
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Toss it with mesclun greens. Dress up your salad a bit if you feel like it by adding some fresh fig cut into pieces and a little bit of gogonzola dolce!

Good Find: Truffle Salt

2010-06-02T20:41:22Z

I LOVE truffles, but of course they are so expensive, it's a rare treat. Well, here's a pretty inexpensive way to bring truffles into your life: Truffle Salt!

Williams-Sonoma Truffle & Salt, 3.5 oz. jar, $28. It is sea salt blended with a generous amount of Italy's fresh black summer truffles from Abruzzi. It has received 4.8 stars out of 5 from Williams-Sonoma reviewers. I would put this on basically anything savory! Vegis, popcorn, scrambled eggs, omelets, salads.... Yum!

Rooftop bars in New York

2010-05-26T21:12:14Z

New York Magazine Bar Buzz has a great listing of rooftop bars. It's been 90 degrees today, so a rooftop bar is sounding pretty good!

View the list here. Some of them are opening soon, or later in the Summer.

Shown above: rooftop bar at The Strand, Top of the Stand, 33 W. 37th Street. Wow, great view of the Empire State Building!

Chicago: Osteria Via Stato

2010-05-11T18:40:54Z

More from my weekend in Chicago... Osteria Via Stato in the River North neighborhood (620 N. State St.). You enter the restaurant into the more casual Pizzeria via Stato section and go through a swinging door to the Osteria. It's quite large with 2 rooms and several really big farmhouse tables for large parties or communal seating. We went on Thursday night, it was pretty busy but not full capacity.

Here is the menu. It has a la carte and "famous Italian dinner party" options. The Italian dinner party sounds fabulous if you're starving or with a big group. It features antipasti to share, 2 pastas, a main course and sides for $38.95/person. Here is the full description. We opted for a la carte but tasted several things. We started with the grilled baby octopus with roasted fingerling potatoes, then shared a small serving of the handmade spinach ravioli with truffle oil, then the seafood stew and prawn entrees. It was all delicious and we paired everything with different wine courses from their nice selection of wines by the quartino. They also have a rather clever option for people who don't know wine very well called "Just Bring Me Wine" and they will match up the wines for you. Oh, and I almost forgot - - the bread is amazing! It's warm and has a perfect crisp crust and tender center, it's heavenly.

A tasty burger in Chicago

2010-05-10T23:27:20Z

I've been working up to having a burger for years... I'm not a vegi but I just kind of prefer not to eat meat.

Well.... I ran across a burger so compelling in Chicago this past weekend that I had to have it!

The burger was at the Park Grill in Millennium Park, the giant bean sits on top of the structure that houses the restaurant.

Here is the description from the menu: Peppercorn Crusted Kobe Burger with gorgonzola, balsamic grilled onions and grain mustard on a pretzel bun

Oh my goodness! This was so perfect since I love every single part of this - what put me over the top was the pretzel bun. I love pretzel bread and it's so hard to come by! They gave no hassle about substituting the fries that normally come with it for a mesclun salad. They had some great wines by the quartino, the Unti Dry Creek Zinfandel 2006 was a perfect match for the burger!

Their menus have a lot of great things. Take a look at the lunch and dinner menus. To my taste, stand out items are: the Apple & Fennel Salad with mixed greens, candied almonds, mindoro bleu cheese and cider vinaigrette; Thyme Roasted Scallops with edamame, tofu, radish, pea shoots and lemon-salt; and Pacific Dover Sole with crisp capers, arugula salad, baby artichokes and italian parsley.

Happy Birthday Haagen-Dazs

2010-04-21T15:49:26Z

The Haagen-Dazs® brand is celebrating a milestone birthday − and you're invited to share in the fun as we all sing for ice cream. On Tuesday, May 18, 2010, Haagen-Dazs will celebrate 50 years as the first super premium ice cream with its annual Free Flavor Day. From 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in any participating Haagen-Dazs Shop across the country, ice cream lovers can wish the brand a "Happy Birthday" and enjoy a free scoop of one of three original all-natural ice cream flavors: Haagen-Dazs Chocolate, Coffee or Vanilla.

"This is a huge milestone for us, and we're thrilled to be celebrating our 50th birthday with our loyal fans," said Haagen-Dazs Shops brand manager Julie Fleigle. "Free Flavor Day gives us an opportunity to give back to our dedicated supporters who have made us the successful ice cream brand we are today."

Haagen-Dazs ice cream reflects decades of passion and creativity that began in the early 1920s when Reuben Mattus, a young entrepreneur with a passion for quality and a vision for creating the finest ice cream, sold fruit ice and ice cream pops from a horse-drawn wagon on the bustling streets of New York. The Haagen-Dazs brand officially launched in 1960 with three classic all-natural ice cream flavors - Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla - still popular favorites today. At first, Haagen-Dazs was only available in container packages at gourmet shops in New York City, but soon distribution expanded throughout the East Coast. By 1973, Haagen-Dazs products were enjoyed by discerning customers across the United States. In 1976, Mr. Mattus' daughter, Doris, opened the first Haagen-Dazs Scoop Shop in Brooklyn, New York. It was an immediate success, and its popularity led to a rapid expansion of shops across the country.

To find a nearby Haagen-Dazs Shop where you can participate in the Free Flavor Day festivities, visit the Shops locator on www.haagendazs.com.

Cocktails alfresco in NYC

2010-04-14T19:49:12Z

One of the best things to do in good weather times is go have a cocktail outside to enjoy the breeze and fresh air (okay, maybe the air isn't exactly fresh)...

Here are two places to imbibe outdoors - and up high!

Press is on the 16th floor of Ink48 (a Kimpton Hotel) in Hell's Kitchen (address: 653 11th Ave at 48th St.) It is scheduled to open this Friday, April 16th.

The far west-side location allows for great Hudson river views to the West and amazing midtown views to the East.

Not bad, ha? I bet this place is going to be very popular!

The Rooftop is on the 12th floor of the Empire Hotel (address: 44 West 63rd St. @ Broadway) It has views of Lincoln Center. The food is done by the China Grill people, so you know it's going to be tasty! You can look at the cocktail and food menu here.