nyc

Chinese / nyc — No Comments
1
Dec 11

YPX Gala 2011: Celebrating Connexions

This year at YPX Expo’s Celebrating Connexions, held at Studio XXI, focused on cultural and community connections for Asian Americans.  While people mingled and fought for a spot in the open bar, I found myself inclined to follow the caterers like Dim Sum A-Go-Go and Red Egg, and quickly grab at the appetizers that they brought out.

Plate of shumai and another type of steamed dumpling, all skewered.

Dumpling!

Oh yes, another dumpling! I guess it is easy finger food (quite literally).

They made sure the open bar was stocked by Absolut with special drinks.

Needless to say, everyone had a good time hearing the great music, eating these apps, and drinking tasty drinks! For more information about the Museum of Chinese Americas, check out the website: http://www.mocanyc.org/

dinner / nyc / Spanish / Uncategorized — No Comments
4
Nov 11

Gastroarte: Food is Art and Your Plate is the Canvas

Located by Lincoln Center, Gastroarte is a restaurant to immerse yourself into the world of art and food. With intricate paintings of a bull fighter and flamengo dancers on the walls, it is hard not to notice the Spanish influences that Jesus Nunez (the chef) has made upon this restaurant.

Note: All dishes shown are their tasting-sized portions.

Each table was given a few small starters to whet your appetite.  Pictured above were their croquetas – one filled with cheese and ham and the other made of squid ink. It was actually quite nice, not too fried or oily, and so easy to just pop them into your mouth.

I really enjoyed their version of patatas bravas, Patatas Braviolis, which are fried potato cubes with house bravioli sauce. The sauce was very well done – nice and spicy giving the petite potato cubes a nice kick.

Labeled their Savory Carrot “Cake” with mahón cheese, asparagus seemed like an interesting appetizer to try.  They said it was one of their most popular dishes and served as inspiration for their paintings and decor of a dining room section.  It was definitely unique (who makes savory carrot cakes?) and had a nice creamy texture to it.  The carrot flavor was just enough for you to know what it is, but had a completely different texture than the typical carrot crunch.

Their Beets And Goat Cheese Mosaic Salad was nicely cooked and cubed; the beets were soft and easy to eat.

The Red Tuna served with tomato and sherry sauce was delectable.  The tuna was cooked just right, a pinkish red in the middle and lightly seared on the outside.  I particularly liked the “sauce” or as I would like to say “broth” – it had the sweet tartness from the tomato and sherry.  I only wished my piece was slightly bigger so I could have more.

I ended off the meal with Warm Liquid, chocolate fritters served with various orange sauces and jellies.  I liked the dessert, especially since they used a dark chocolate that really worked with the slight bitterness and tartness of the orange sauces / jelly.

Gastoarte is a solid restaurant that cooks their food to perfection and plates it just as seriously.  Your plate is their canvas, and they look to bring your dining experience into another realm of artistry and deliciousness. You pay for this particular experience where entrees are upper $20s to $30s, but hey – it’s still cheaper than a painting.

Gastroarte
141 W. 69th St., nr. Broadway
http://gastroartenyc.com/ 

Events / Italian / nyc — No Comments
28
Oct 11

Forcella: Authentic Neapolitan Pizza in NY

As a New Yorker, I believe one of your primary jobs is to know what “good” pizza tastes like. With all the options in the city, ranging from $1.00 slices to $18 personal pizza pies, where can you get that well-made delicious Neapolitan thin crust? Forcella with their new outpost in Manhattan, has provided this island with authentic Italian pizza worth digging your teeth into.

The main chef, Giulio Adriani, has honed his craft in making pizza in Naples, Italy and brought his skills to Williamsburg, and now Manhattan on 338 Bowery near Bond St.  Welcoming smells of freshly baked pizza pervade the restaurant as I entered, with their mosaic-oven that bakes up to 1000 degrees and churned out multiple pizza pies at once. I immediately eyed a pizza pie sitting on the counter.

Boy was this slice of margherita good; the thin crust was a perfect thickness and had a slight chewy texture, and the tomato sauce was sweet and tart, combined with their in-house fresh mozzarella and slightly charred basil made this pizza delectable and extremely enjoyable to eat.

Pictured above is their Montanara pizza, its dough was flash-fried for a slightly more puffy crust, and then baked in the oven again with mozzarella and sauce. Even though I didn’t get a chance to sample this, I am looking forward to revisiting and trying it out.

Forcella also offered a number of different antipastis, like the bruchetta with artichoke and tomato pictured above, and unique desserts – mainly their Pizza Alla Nutella, a pizza stuffed with Nutella and almonds. Delish!

Even though we may have a lot of pizzerias in Manhattan, Forcella is definitely a place to check out; their authentic Neapolitan pizzas and flash-fried pizzas will have you coming back for more.

Forcella
334 Bowery (at Bond St.)
(212) 466-3300
@forcellanyc


				

				
				

			


				
		

				Events / nyc —   No Comments

			    24
Oct 11 
				
YPX 2011: Celebrating ConneXtions


				

					

                        


Last year I was lucky enough to be invited to attend YPX Gala, held by the Museum of Chinese in America, where I stuffed my face with food and drink (with a picture of the brownies offered above), and listened to some awesome music.


Looks like they’re having this event again and should be a great night of celebration and festivities! Information is listed below, and hopefully see you all there!


The Museum of Chinese in America & The Young Professionals of MOCA invite you to the second annual YPX Gala.


Celebrate community & cultural connections with an evening of entertainment and inspiration. 


YPX 2011: Celebrating ConneXions


11/03/11

Studio XXI

59 West 21st Street

7-11pm


    

  • Kick-off of Digital MOCA, presented by David Liu, Co-Founder of TheKnot.com and the XO Group
    • 

  • Class of 2011 M88 Honorees
    • 

  • DJ, musical performances, and more
    • 



    

  • open bar & dim sum 7-9pm
    • 

  • cash bar from 9-11pm
    • 



    

  • tickets purchased before 10/24: $50 for MOCA members, $60 for non-members
    • 

  • tickets purchased after 10/24: $60 for MOCA members, $70 for non-members
    • 

  • tickets purchased at the door: $88
    • 



Purchase tickets online at www.yp.mocanyc.org/ypx2011  

				

				
				

			


				
		

				American Traditional / dinner / nyc / Seafood —   1 Comment

			    2
Oct 11 
				
Lure Fishbar: Seafood in Soho


				

					

                        


Lure Fishbar is located within Soho, an area populated with shops and stores, and provides solid American seafood fare. When you go down the stairs and get seated, it looks like you are sitting inside a beautiful cruise ship with dark wood walls and golden lights. I went for a company dinner and was excited about eating some seafood.


Pictured above was their crab cakes which were bite sized but had fresh crab flavors. Yum.


We also ordered their Lobster Tempura Roll to share, served with tobiko, spicy mayo, and avocado. It was good, of course not authentic Japanese, but lobster in anything will make it 50x better.


For myself, I ordered the Lobster Ravioli served with tomatoes and greens.  I enjoyed the entire dish; the ravioli was perfectly filled with lobster meat, and the sauce was light enough to feel full yet heavy for that thicker buttery flavor.


I would go back to Lure, especially if I feel like having solid seafood dishes. Maybe I’ll make it there after a long day of shopping.


Lure Fishbar

142 Mercer St

(212) 431-7676

				

				
				

			


				
		

				dinner / drinks / Japanese / nyc —   No Comments

			    10
Aug 11 
				
Bohemian: Japanese Exclusivity


				

					

                        


When my friend mentioned that there’s an ultra exclusive Japanese bar / restaurant in NoHo called Bohemian, I was immediately intrigued.  What do they serve? Why would anyone not want their establishment to be full of patrons?  As it turns out, there is an appeal to knowing a place that isn’t known by most people like some other places around the area, inundated with tourists or loud college kids (woo hoo NYU!).  Anyway, my friend scored a reservation (he got the phone number through a friend who has eaten there as well) and I was excited to see what makes this place tick.


We took a look at the menu and decided to get their tasting course plus a few other dishes to try out the highlights (according to FourSquare).


Farmer’s Fresh Vegetable Fondue was beautiful and a great appetizer to whet your appetite.  Personally, I can probably eat these vegetables without any dip, but what they provided was a nice thousand island-like sauce to go with it.


Pictured above is the uni croquette which was creamy and had a great umami flavor.  Enjoyable and easy to eat in a few bites.


We also started with a plate of Herve Katz’s Assorted Cold Cuts which were good, but nothing particularly memorable for me. However, I am generally not falling off my chair for cold cuts anyway so take my comment with a grain of salt.


Who can resist having Washu-Beef Short Rib Sashimi? The melt-in-your-mouth feeling in the beef was there, and all of us wharfed this down pretty quickly.


A cast-iron pan is brought to our table loaded with vegetables and with a Pan Roasted Branzini. The vegetables around it were nicely cooked and soft though a bit salty. The branzini was flaky and worked well with the vegetables when eaten together (since the fish itself had a mild flavor).


Here is the Wagyu Beef Mini Burger, which was definitely mini. In terms of flavor and other important aspects of a burger anyone cares about, I wasn’t particularly impressed…we do have a lot of good burgers in NY so it is hard to say this was particularly unique (even with the wagyu beef).


The Ikura Caviar Rice Bowl was tiny and simple – caviar with rice.


Their soba was a bit too salty for my taste, but was still good. I always enjoy noodles so it was nice to end the meal this way.


My conclusion – It’s nice to go to a place where there aren’t loads of people waiting for a table or has the noise level of a club. The food wasn’t memorable, but I would say it’s a great place for drinks. It’s also a good place to catch up with someone or even have a date. Their decor is interesting and looks like they have these pieces of art around, which makes it have more character. All in all, I had a good time but not sure if I would want to go back for dinner but probably for drinks.


Bohemian

Great Jones Street

New York, NY

Phone number unknown

				

				
				

			


				
		

				American Nouveau / dinner / nyc —   3 Comments

			    6
Jul 11 
				
Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar: Delicious and Datey


				

					

                        
I have been asked by my guy friends lately, “where should I take a date?” There are many options in this city, but I want to focus on one of them – Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar. I was not only blown away by the food, small bites indicative of the restaurant name, but also the intimate setting whilst sitting in front of the open kitchen. With a reasonably priced prix fix menu, 5-course for $55 and 10-course for $80, this place is definitely worth scoring a reservation.


Note: This post will be full of pictures, so make sure to scroll down!


We started with an amuse bouche, which were small bites of goodness. One of these bites was a small pocket of cheese that oozed in the mouth.


Crudo of Hamachi, light, tender, and fresh. Definitely ate this in one bite.


This was their sea urchin and sunchoke panna cotta. The soft texture of the panna cotta with sea urchin melded so well together where I wish I had another one.


I can’t remember what this is but hey, this was very good.


The combination of textures in this dish made it outstanding.


Bite sized but well-fried.


Soft cooked egg…and it’s as good as it sounds and looks. I definitely ate this in 30 seconds.


Foie gras terrine with spring onion and citrus marmalade. The layers of meat with nicely toasted bread was well matched with the citrus.


Oxtail and potato cannelloni, crisp salad, and herb salad and was light and al dente. Oh yes I want more.


Red wine braised short ribs with baby carrots and bruleed cippolini. Seared so nicely and was very tender.


The first dessert portion…


Caramelized torija with grapefruit. Delicious in all the right ways: pudding-esque and not too sweet.


It was definitely a great experience provided the great food, wine, and company (happy birthday Joanne)! Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar is definitely operating top of their game, making it a perfect restaurant to bring someone you care about.


Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar

239 E 5th St

(between 2nd Ave & Cooper Sq)

(212) 979-1012

				

				
				

			


				
		

				American Traditional / brunch / drinks / nyc / Spanish —   1 Comment

			    14
Jun 11 
				
Caliu – AYCD Brunch with Spanish Flair


				

					

                        


I am all for scoping out great food deals. All You Can Drink (aka. AYCD) brunch happens to be one of those great deals that each NYer needs to experience for themselves. Unlimited drinks plus brunch food? What can be better. Venturing into the West Village you can find Caliu, a small but cute restaurant with the $25 brunch deal.




Their watermelon sangria, shown in the first picture, is definitely a highlight. If you grab brunch, definitely try it (since it’s unlimited anyway). It’s light, refreshing, and tastes like you’re eating watermelon that is slightly spiked.


Having the choice of one entree I chose their eggs benedict with serrano ham, jalapeno hollandaise, salad, and truffled hash browns (normally $13).  It was a solid brunch dish, eggs poached nicely and I definitely enjoyed the fragrant hash browns; anything with truffle oil makes it automatically taste better.


All in all, it was a pleasurable experience drinking and eating a casual brunch with my girlfriends. I’m not sure about dinner, but at least brunch is worth making a trip.


Caliu

557 Hudson Street (Between W. 11th. & Perry St.)

New York, NY 10014

(212) 206–6444


 

				

				
				

			


				
		

				Italian / nyc —   No Comments

			    9
Jun 11 
				
Ciano: Italian in the Flatiron


				

					

                        
Italian food has become a way of life for me – the pastas, the tomatoes, fresh mozzarellas, and olive oils – make my mouth water and I’m always looking for great Italian restaurants. Ciano, the newest restaurant from the chef and sommelier of Cru (which is now closed), has gotten rave reviews with their home-made pastas and reasonable wine prices. They emphasize that all the ingredients are from “farm to table” which reflects their seasonal, fresh ingredients.


We started off with the rock shrimp polpette, which surprisingly wasn’t anything to remember. It was tender and light.


Those who love pate would love this crostini. On top of this grilled bread is whipped chicken liver with balasmic, making it light and easy to pop into your mouth.


Roasted veal meatballs with white polenta, herbs, and truffle pecorino. The meatballs were tender and well seasoned, so I definitely enjoyed it.


We ended up getting our own pastas which I was particularly excited about. Shown above is their pappardelle with duck bolognese, oregano, and pecorino di noce. The pappardelle was freshly made and al dente, and with the bolognese made it a very hearty dish.


To end it all, we shared the honey crisp apple napoleon served with caramel custard, apple cider, and tahitian vanilla gelato. This was delicious and definitely memorable. I found that the different textures of the napoleon (crunchy and thick) along with the ice cream (cold, smooth) worked very well together.


All in all, Ciano is a restaurant I would go back to particularly to try their other pastas and desserts!


Ciano

45 E 22nd St. (near Broadway)

New York, NY

(212) 982-8422

				

				
				

			


				
		

				American Traditional / dinner / nyc —   No Comments

			    31
May 11 
				
Peter Luger: Delicious Steak, Old School Feel


				

					

                        
You say “steakhouse in Brooklyn” to a New Yorker and immediately “Peter Luger” will come to mind.  Yes, it is known to be one of the best steakhouses in the NYC area, and in my experience, does deserve the title.  It had a real old school feel; they had waiters that look like they have worked there for the past 20 years, seats and tables made of real wood, and pictures of Brooklyn’s past were framed on their walls. So…is it worth a trip to Brooklyn? Yes, as you will see in this post they have delicious food beyond just steak.


This is their version of bacon, which had an intensity unlike other strips of bacon. It was meaty, and extremely fatty. It’s exactly what every guy wants for breakfast…or dinner.


On my plate were pieces of their porterhouse steak, creamed spinach, and french fried potatoes. To start with the porterhouse, I have to say it was very good. This was cooked medium rare, and quite juicy.  Even though they provide their Peter Luger sauce, the steak didn’t even need it. I thoroughly enjoyed the steak and pretty sure everyone around me wanted more as well. The creamed spinach and fried potatoes were well done, nothing was too creamy or too fried.


After a series of attempts to finish the porterhouse amongst the entire group, we moved onto dessert. Pictured above is the “holy cow hot day sundae” and very appropriately named. It was very intense, topped with their famous “Schlag“, it is thick, chocolatey and sweet.  Frankly I can only have a few bites, but definitely something to experience.


Apple strudel was quite enjoyable, and lightly coated with powdered sugar. I actually enjoyed it and wish it came with some vanilla ice cream.


And how can you not have New York Cheesecake at such a NY staple?  This was very good and if I could have, I probably would have eaten the entire thing by myself.


All in all, my time there was shared by a wonderful group of people to celebrate the retirement of a great senior executive from where I work. It was a great place to celebrate and eat great food! Go go go if you want good steak but make sure you bring cash!


Peter Luger

178 Broadway

New York, 11211

(718) 387-7400

				

				
				

			


		
		

			
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