Fishtail

I am a huge fan of the David Burke restaurant in Bloomingdales but it tends to be chaotic, crowded and rushed.  In the mood for a tranquil brunch, we decided to try David Burke's Fishtail restaurant, a short walk from Bloomingdales.  I had enjoyed dinner there a year ago and had been intrigued by the seafood centric brunch menu.

Fishtail's white interior and spacious booths is tranquil and invites diners to enjoy a leisurely brunch.  Shortly after ordering, the busboy brought over a beautiful breadbasket, including a few crudites, like carrots and red grapes.  Since both bread rolls in the basket had olives in them, I asked the busboy if there were any alternatives.  He informed me he would double check and if he could find a different type of roll, he would heat it up and bring it promptly.  The busboy quickly returned and I happily munched on my warm brioche bread roll while we waited for our appetizer.

After devouring our appetizer, we patiently waited for our entree.  And waited.  And asked the server about our food.  And waited some more.  After about an hour wait for eggs and a burger, the manager came over to profusely apologize for the delay.  A party upstairs had overwhelmed the kitchen.  As an apology, the manager comp'ed our meal, and sent over an appetizer and a few glasses of wine.  The server offered us drinks and desserts if we had time after we shopped.  We didn't have to ask the staff to comp the bill, the seasoned manager knew it was the right thing to do.  I have panned many restaurants lately for bad service.  At Fishtail, unlike many restaurants, the manager acknowledged that Fishtail dropped the ball and wanted to make it right.  And they did.  The funny thing about good service is that it isn't that difficult.  Patrons understand mistakes happen.  But it's how a restaurant chooses to fix the mistake that will determine how the patron feels about the restaurant.

Wine by the glass

What to eat:

The presentation of each dish at Fishtail is creative and resembles a work of art.  Start with the Pretzel Crusted Crabcake.  Fishtail's crabcake is entirely void of bread crumb filling, a problem too many crabcakes suffer from.  The crabcake is topped with pretzel sticks and a delicious tomato marmalade.  The pretzel sticks are a nice crunchy contrast to the soft crab puree.  Also, the plate is drizzled with a slightly sweet sesame oil.  I would love to get my hands on a bottle of that oil.

For an entree, if you are in the mood for eggs, pick the Lobster Scramble.  The eggs are scrambled with scallions and roasted tomatoes.  More importantly, the eggs are filled with many chunks of succulent lobster and topped with a large dollop of creme fraiche. After eating the Lobster Scramble at Fishtail, it will be hard to go back to eating an egg scramble without large chunks of lobster in it.

Because our meal took too long, we couldn't stay for dessert.  But for those in need of a sweet treat to end the meal, Fishtail has a bowl of homemade Peanut Brittle by the entrance.  Fishtail has cleverly constructed paper cones so that you can take the brittle to go.

Need to escape the chaos of Bloomingdales with a classy brunch? Take the two block walk to Fishtail,

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Balaboosta

The Yiddish term "balabusta" is a term of endearment used by Jewish people (usually over 50) to describe a good home maker.  My family friend from Los Angeles had heard good things about the Middle Eastern restaurant Balaboosta and sent me a link to the website. I love Middle Eastern food and on a hankering for Middle Eastern spices, we decided to check out Balaboosta.

While "balabusta" might mean good home maker in Yiddish, nothing about the restaurant Balaboosta remotely resembled a good home maker.  I had to wait at the host stand for 5 minutes and finally had to ask a server for assistance before I was "greeted."  And by greeted, I mean rudely snarled at me.  Once seated I immediately asked the server if I could put in a few appetizers (we had waited ages for our table).  The server scoffed at me that the other diner at my table was not seated.  As if that matters!  If the host was willing to seat me, I can't possibly fathom why the server wouldn't accept my appetizer order.  After a bit of persuading, the server finally agreed to put in the appetizers. 

On to our entree orders.  The snapper and branzino were accompanied by kale and asparagus, respectively.  I noticed, however, that the steak was accompanied by green beans, which as many readers know, is my favorite vegetable.  I asked the server if I may have green beans instead of kale/asparagus for either fish dish and the server said no.  This is NYC, not Paris.  What made it even more outrageous was that the server returned 20 minutes later and asked if I would eat potatoes.  They were willing to give me patatas bravas, an appetizer on the menu, instead of green beans, which was a small side to an entree.  Not only did this not logically make sense, it further exacerbated my sentiment that the service here, excuse my French, sucked.

Throughout the night, our server never checked if we liked any of the dishes we ordered.  We also had to hunt her down if we needed anything.  While Balaboosta had a fun wine menu, with dozens of choices from its European neighbors, and a fantastic dinner menu, I would only recommend going to Balaboosta if you don't mind bad service.

What to eat:

We started with a few appetizers but the standout of the night was Balaboosta's Turkish Empanada (note: this was a special).  The empanada was large but since we waited so long for food and were starving, I ordered a second empanada.  This doughy empanada was not over cooked or dried out, like so many other restaurants empanadas.  The empanada was stuffed with ground beef marinated in Turkish spices and sat on a bed of Middle Eastern yogurt.  This is hands down the best non-traditional empanada in NYC.  If you visit Balaboosta and the empanada is available, this is an absolute must order.

The entrees we ordered, the lamp chops and the branzino, were good but uninventive, essentially, nothing to write a blog about.  Balaboosta's patatas bravas, however, are worth blogging about.  The cubed shaped potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Balaboosta's patatas bravas where generously coated in za'atar, a blend of Middle Eastern spices, and arrived with a side of garlic aoli to dip the potatoes in.

We passed on dessert (we didn't sit down until 10:30pm so we were falling asleep finishing our entrees).  I regretted skipping the banana bread pudding though, the table next to ours appeared to enjoy every bite.

Heading to Balaboosta? Don't bother without a reservation or else you are in for a long wait (and don't count on a spot at the tiny bar for drinks while you wait),

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Cafe Ze

About once a month I need a last minute reservation.  Unless someone has a place in mind or a place on my list has a table, I'll start by flipping through my Blackboard Eats coupons and then look at Savored.com's discounts.  I needed a place somewhat near Grand Central, another NYC neighborhood that is light on good restaurants.  So for $10, I took Savored.com's opening at a charming, French inspired cafe called Cafe Ze.

Cafe Ze is one of the most charming restaurants in NYC's.  The location was previously a flower shop, and paying homage to its past, Cafe Ze uses fresh flowers to decorate the restaurant.  There is a large, beautiful spring flower bouquet at the entrance and bright yellow daffodils on the larger tables.  Cafe Ze's exposed brick and light tones make you feel a continent away from the dark, crowded, fast paced NYC grind. 

Despite showing up to Cafe Ze 30 minutes past our reservation time (I did call to let the restaurant know we were running about a half an hour behind), the restaurant still honored our Savored.com discount (technically the restaurant does not have to honor the discount if you are over 15 minutes late).  We dined late on a Wednesday night and only a few other tables were occupied.  The hostess let us pick our table and the servers were attentive throughout the meal.  Now on to the important part, our feast!

What to Eat:

We ordered family style and enjoyed every dish the servers put on our table.  We started with the Caprese Tart, which consisted of a doughy pizza crust with gooey fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes and arugula (I was so excited when the Caprese Tart arrived that I had finished most of it before I remembered to take a picture).  Because we were starving when we arrived, we kind of shoveled in the Caprese Tart.  I would go back to Cafe Ze to order the Caprese Tart and make sure to savor each bite.

Next we moved on to the Long Island Duck Breast.  The Long Island Duck Breast was very lightly coated in a shallot emulsion.  The thinly sliced pieces of medium rare duck melted in my mouth.  Cafe Ze's duck ranks up there in my top 5 favorite duck dishes.  I asked the server to substitute the bean cassoulet for the wild mushroom bread pudding.  The layered mushroom pudding featured a thin layer of melted cheese on top of buttery layers of bread and mushrooms.  I don't even like mushrooms but I LOVED Cafe Ze's wild mushroom bread pudding.  You can also order the bread pudding as an extra side dish. 

The Fruit de Mer was also a hit.  The bowl was overflowing with calamari, shrimp and clams.  Cafe Ze serves the tomato based seafood stew with buttery toast slices and a few pan roasted artichokes.  At the bottom of the stew, we found a nice surprise, a large piece of white fish!  Tip: make sure to ask your server for extra slices of toast for the seafood stew.



Need a fantastic French inspired restaurant midtown (far) east? I promise it's worth the hike,

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The Breslin

Perhaps a reflection of the shaky US economy, gastropubs have been popping up all over NYC.  A gastropub can be described as a bar/restaurant that serve high end food and beer without pretension (and high prices).  While the lack of pretension may be true about most gastropubs, I'm not so sure that's true about the Breslin.

The Breslin is almost always packed and does not take reservations so expect at least a half an hour wait.  If you can snag a seat at the bar communal table and don't mind the crowd, this is your best bet at the Breslin.  The bar menu at the Breslin is the same as the dining room menu.

Our service was terrible.  Our waitress would appear at best once every half an hour and our meal took over two hours (we ordered burgers!).  Our appetizers were brought out as separate courses, not together.  When I ordered my dinner, I asked the server if I could add tomato to my burger, and the server simply stated "no" (and did not offer an explanation).  I asked the server why I could not add a tomato and she said that the Breslin did not have tomatoes.  That should have been her answer the first time I asked.  And what restaurant that is known for their burgers doesn't have tomatoes?  Because our server was M.I.A., we had to get the hostess' attention for the bill.  When the server finally returned our credit cards, she handed us someone else's credit card.  Breslin service was a big fail.

Luckily, the food was much better than the service.  The Breslin's menu is filled with obscure choices, like pig feet.  But everyone knows the reason you go to the Breslin is for the Breslin's lamb burger.  I enjoyed our meal but based on the horrendous service and long wait times to be seated, if I go back, I would be more inclined to snag a spot at the communal table for a burger and beer.

What to Eat:

The Breslin has a "Snacks" section so we ordered the Caramel Popcorn.  While the caramel and nut popcorn was sweet, salty and overall delicious, the presentation was better suited for the bar area.  The popcorn should have been presented in a bowl, not a cellophane bag (it would have been cute at the bar, it came off as tacky on our the dinner table). 

For an entree, get the Lamb Burger with Feta.  I love red meat and enjoy it prepared medium rare but the Breslin's medium rare burger was at best rare and more accurately somewhat raw (the right half of my burger below is oozing, which is kind of gross).  The meat was so under cooked that one half of my burger was falling apart because the meat had not been cooked long enough to form a solid shape (there was no way I was sending it back, eating around the raw meat was preferable to waiting another 30 minutes for them to get me a burger that was cooked).  The lamb burger, served with a layer of feta, was flavorful, but make sure to order the burger at least medium.  I enjoyed the warm bun, which was crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside.  The Breslin serves its burger with perfectly cooked and lightly seasoned.steak fries.

 

If you have room for a side, try the Roasted Carrots.  The multicolored carrots were roasted in thyme, garlic and butter.  The different color carrots had their own slightly flavor but were equally tasty.

In need of a fancy burger? Check out the Breslin,

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Gemma

Last week we went to Jemma with Jenna.  Jemma doesn't take reservations but rumor has it if you arrive before 7:30, you won't have to wait for a table.  When we arrived at 7:10, we were (happily and) promptly seated.

Our friendly server, Vincenzo, greeted us with a basket of cracker like focaccia bread.  While we were waiting for Jenna to arrive, someone at the table (not me for a change!) was starving so we ordered the Fig and Gorgonzola Crostini for a snack.

Meanwhile, I was happy to peruse the long Italian-centric wine list.  I was ecstatic to see Livio Felluga prominently featured on Gemma's wine list and picked their Sauvignon Blanc because the table wanted white (their Pinot Grigio is more commonly featured on NYC wine lists).  I have yet to open a bad Livio Felluga bottle, red or white.  If you ever see one of their wine bottles on a wine menu, it's always a safe pick.

When I make it back to Gemma, I would love to try a few of the reds listed as well.  The wine list featured over a hundred bottles of wine, covered each wine region in Italy and offered great wine options at affordable (for NYC) prices.

Our server Vincenzo was was very charming and patient (we ordered dessert after we had paid the bill...Jenna realized we could not leave Gemma without ordering dessert).

 What to Eat:

Calzone di Nutella.  I know I shouldn't start with dessert (especially because I didn't start my meal with dessert) but after trying the Nutella Calzone at Gemma, I would do this meal differently.  Next time I go to Gemma, I will order a bottle of wine, a crostini, a pasta, and the NUTELLA CALZONE.  This dessert is incredible and it's big enough for 2 to 3 people (even when you are including me, a total dessert hog).  The doughy calzone is stuffed with rich nutella chocolate and savory ricotta cheese.  The ricotta does an excellent job at preventing the hazelnut flavor from overpowering the dessert.

If you want a full  meal, Gemma can deliver but I think this place is almost better for wine, light eats and dessert (and by dessert, I mean the Nutella Calzone, don't waste your time or waist line on anything else).



Ok, back to the dinner portion of the meal.  The Fig and Gorganzola Crostini at the top and the Pesto Ricotta Crostini below were the perfect way to start the meal and a nice compliment to the Italian white wine.  Each crostini order consisted of two large pieces of toasted Italian bread that had been generous slathered with creamy ricotta or gorgonzola and overflowed with the fig or pesto sauce on top.  The crostinis tasted refreshing yet satisfying, helping to ease grumbling hungry stomachs.

 

Despite ordered several appetizers and entrees, when the Parmesan Truffle Polenta Fries were delivered to the table behind ours, we knew we needed our own.  These thick cut polenta fries have a crispy outside and a soft inside.  More importantly, the polenta fries are heavy doused in savory truffle oil and parmesan.  Gemma gives you two dipping sauces with the fries, a spicy red pepper aoli and a melted gorgonzola.  The sauces were tasty but I preferred the fries with good old fashioned ketchup.









Need a spot for a night out with good friends?  Head to the lower east side's Gemma,


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Osteria Doge

As most people in NYC know, the theatre district is filled with lots of bad restaurant choices.  The only neighborhood in NYC with worse dining options consists of the blocks surrounding Madison Square Garden ("MSG").  The Michael Jackson Cirque show started at 8pm so I needed a quick meal relatively near MSG.  A family friend mentioned that Osteria Doge was her go to theatre restaurant and since the restaurant is a ten minute walk from MSG, I thought this would be a good place to try. 

Osteria Doge is a two floor restaurant with a kitchy Italian theme.  The staff is savvy, thoughtfully asking patrons if the they have show tickets to ensure dishes are sent out quickly where needed.  Despite receiving our food quickly, the meal was never rushed (the server patiently waited out my need to finish every bit of the savory ragu sauce in my pasta bowl).

I wasn't impressed with the wine list so we went the bubbly route.  The prosecco by the glass at Osteria Doge was light and slightly sweet, which to me, is the perfect way to end a work day.

And while I made a mistake by not ordering a pasta for a primi and a fish for my secondi, I would do that in the future because the portions are relatively small.

What to Eat:

The Tagliolini Alla Chitarra, which is a homemade spaghetti pasta with veal ragu, is the perfect appetizer.  While it is a bit large for an appetizer, it will offset the fish dish entree you should try that is relatively small for an entree.  This pasta picture does not do the hearty veal ragu justice.  As I mentioned above, I used every last piece of the focaccia bread in our bread basket to finish the ragu. 

The Branzino Del Doge is one of the best fish dishes I have had anywhere not just because of the delicious fish but also because of the delicious celery root puree hiding under the fish.  The two, small fish fillets are placed above a bed of creamy celery root puree and sauteed green beans.  But don't be fooled, if you are ordering fish because you want something healthy, this isn't your dish.  The fish is prepared with a considerable amount of butter and cream (yum!).

Need a quick meal before a show?  Check out Osteria Doge,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: Ask to be seated upstairs, it is definitely quieter.

Spasso

UPDATE: Blackboardeats.com has a 30% off discount for brunch or lunch, you must select the coupon today (it is free :)) and it is good for the next two months!

Let's start with the good: the food and wine at Spasso are not just good, both are excellent.  Everything placed on our table (with the exception of the bread) was delicious and well executed.  The food was inventive and the wine perfectly complimented our seafood centric dishes.

Onto the not so good: the service and the seating.  Our server hounded us to order our food and wine but couldn't give a bleep about if we liked any of the (1) apps, (2) entrees, (3) dessert or (4) bottle of wine we ordered. That's right, he had at least four opportunities to check on us and failed each time. And the server was pushing a new bottle of wine on us long before our wine was finished.  I noticed that the gentlemen at the table millimeters away from us had two drinks on the table, one full and one half full because he was less willing to say no to the waiter on his second date (yep, we were sitting that close).

The tables at Spasso were so close together I accidentally bumped the women sitting at the table next to us while reaching for my water.  I know we live in NYC where space is limited and I have embraced our shoe box sized homes.  Making friends out of strangers dining at tables nearby is nothing new for me.  But the tables at Spasso are just wrong.  Spasso needs to pull out one of the two tops on the back wall so that diners do not hit each other during their meal.

Ok, back to the good.  The food and wine menus had so many enticing options that despite the cramped quarters and average at best service, I will be back.  I think if you go to Spasso knowing about the lackluster service and the crowded seating, and perhaps come for dinner with friends (as opposed to a leaisurely date), the problems with this restaurant may be less jarring. 

The wine menu featured several Fruili wines in the $50-60 price range.  Comelli has long been a favorite Italian winemaker of mine and our bottle of Sauvignon Blanc was enjoyed down to the last drop.

And for the food, the other dishes I had entertained but failed to order, including the pappadelle with oxtail ragu and duck leg confit, coincidentally appeared on the table next to ours. If my dishes hadn't been so delicious, I would have had food envy.  I am confident I could easily dine here a handful of times ordering a different item each time and love every dish. 

What to eat:

The Prawn Filled Calamari with pesto cannelini beans.  The large tubes of calarmari were filled with a prawn, tomato and vegetable mixture.  As you can see from the picture, it was a very cool twist on calamari.  The flavor combination, between the seafood, vegetables and tomato, was perfect.  Also, the pesto sauce on the cannelini beans was so good I wish Spasso offered the pesto sauceon one of their homemade pastas.











For an entree, order the Orrechette with Crab and Shrimp in a White Wine Sauce.  To put it simply, this pasta was fabulous.  The ear shaped pasta noodles were lightly coated in a white wine butter sauce with had a dash of red pepper.  The pasta dish was filled with tons of rock shrimp and crab.

The portions here are not large so you will have room for dessert, which at Spasso is a must.  Order the Dark Chocolate Carmel Crostada with maldon salt and espresso whipped cream.  The crostada consists of two hard, thick layers of chocolate separated by a thick layer of gooey caramel.  The crostada is topped with maldon salt and a dollop of whipped cream.  The whipped cream has only a slight hint of espresso which is perfect for someone like me that does not enjoy coffee products and equally enjoyable for people that do enjoy coffee products.  And the salt is a nice savory contrast to the rich chocolate and sweet caramel.

Willing to spare good service and space for awesome food and wine?  Make a res at Spasso,

Your foodie friend

Catch

My husband’s a smart man.  He had an informant trick me into giving up names of restaurants on my list so he could pick one for my birthday dinner.  And he picked well.

Catch is a trendy new restaurant in the Meatpacking district, featuring two floors and several bars.  As the name suggests, the menu’s emphasis is seafood but this restaurant is not just for the seafood lover.  The large menu features delicious meat dishes as well. 

We arrived around 7 pm and by 8 pm Catch was packed.  The wine list had a a few of my favorite choices so I had a difficult time narrowing down what I wanted.  I tried the Sauvignon Blanc and the Sancerre, both solid wines by the glass, but I ultimately settled on the Sancerre.

After a rough day at work, this was the perfect birthday dinner.  I loved everything about Catch, but if I had to pick one stand out, it was our server, Moe.  Moe was both warm and attentive.  He knew it was my birthday and started off my night with a glass of the Sancerre.  And because Moe, not the bartender, pours the wine, I was treated to a generous pour.

Catch starts your night off with a fantastic surprise in its bread basket: lightly salted doughy pretzel bread with a side of mustard butter.  Any restaurant that starts the night off with delicious bread, and pretzel bread at that, is off to a good start on my blog.

What to Eat:

To start, definitely order the Dungeness Crab Spaghetti.  The tomato sauce was seasoned with anise and tarragon, two of my least favorite spices, yet I still loved the dish.  If you can get over the hint of black licorice, the fresh tomato sauce with scallions, homemade spaghetti noodles and chunks of crab meat are delicious.

We also enjoyed the Beef Potstickers, shown below.  They were beautifully presented and had a hearty/smokey taste to them. 


















For an entree, you have to order the Sauteed Snapper.  The snapper, cooked in a brown butter sauce, was crispy on the outside with moist and flaky white fish on the inside.  The decadent snapper was placed on one of my favorite side dishes, a bed of creamy lobster mash potatoes.  The lobster mashed potatoes were so good I debated ordering an extra side dish of them.

For dessert, we had the molten chocolate cake which was standard and tasty.  Since it was my birthday and I had to share the dessert, I went to Schnippers after dinner for a Cookies and Creme Chocolate Milkshake (isn't that what birthdays are for?).  Big props to my husband turning my crappy day into a fantastic birthday.

Up for a trendy night out in the Meatpacking District?  Head to Catch,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip:  There are several seats facing the open kitchen on the second floor.  Our table was nearby and I noticed that very few people took advantage of these seats (most remained empty).  If you can’t get a reservation and will only be a party of one or two, ask to be seated along the kitchen.