Mas (farm house)

I know it sounds a bit strange for a food writer to be a picky eater but just because you love food doesn't mean you have to love all of it.  Growing up, my mother's rule was that you had to find at least one thing on a menu at any restaurant.  As long as we aren't talking vegan food, I can live by that rule.  But pre fix meals are another story.  The fish may be restricted to one of the few I don't prefer, or maybe the appetizer will be foi gras (the only duck byproduct I don't like).

Our friends picked Mas (farm house) for dinner and in typical fashion, I went straight to the menu online.  I was a bit disappointed because I didn't like any of the apps.  I figured I would solve that problem with a late lunch.  So upon arrival, I was blown away with Mas' dining options.  While Mas has a small a la carte menu, it also offers a pre fix menu and tasting menu.  But here's why Mas is one of my top NYC restaurants: Mas lets you pick any dish on either menu and create your own pre fix or tasting menu.  So I could make the scallop entree my app and still have the duck as my entree.  And if one diner wants the pre fix menu (4 courses), but the other diner wants the tasting menu (6 courses), Mas is happy to accommodate.

Our lovely server gets extra props for accommodating my aversion to most vegetables, allowing me to select only the vegetables I enjoy to accompany my dishes.

The boys ordered the tasting menu and the ladies ordered the pre fix menu so we tried most of the menu.  While the presentation was not unique, it was colorful and well executed.  More importantly though, everything we ordered, let me repeat, every single dish, was DELICIOUS. 

Also, the service was impeccable.  Despite our varied ordering, everything came out of the kitchen seamlessly.  We were allowed to leisurely dine and never felt rushed.  This restaurant would be perfect for a romantic date or entertaining parents from out of town.

What to eat:

The Roasted Sea Scallops in a Mussel Saffron Cream.  My appetizer course included one and a half jumbo scallops, the perfect appetizer size.  The butter scallops were fresh and top quality, which for scallops makes a world of a difference.  I enjoyed the lightness of the mussel saffron cream.  The scallops included mussels and a few funny looking but tasty cubes of celery root hash.










The Duck.  These medium rare slices of heaven were tender and tasty.  There's no way not to love this dish.  If you've never tried duck before, this would be a good place to start.  The duck was accompanied by sweet vidala onions, a savory parsnip puree and a few of my favorite veggies.

The Hazelnut- Milk Chocolate Mousse.  As readers know, I don't love hazelnut.  But a subtle hint is always a nice surprise.  The creamy mousse was heavy on the milk chocolate, and light on the hazelnut, so overall, incredibly satisfying.  And the salted caramel ice cream on the side was a welcomed salty/sweet improvement over most restaurants vanilla ice cream.

Need to take a date (or her parents) somewhere to impress?  I found your spot,


Your foodie friend

Insider tip: it may be hard to score a reservation at this popular restaurant on a Saturday night so try the bar area for a last minute date night.  There are a few small tables and bar counter top to dine in.  The entire restaurant, including the bar area, is lovely.

La Promenade des Anglais

I LOVE French food.  I love how each dish is more decadent and savory then the next.  So Sunday night, we "dragged" our foodie friends to the new Chelsea hot spot, La Promenade des Anglais.

La Promenade is not your parents local French bistro (although on a crowded night, a hearing aide may be in order).  The few red hues used in the decor at La Promenade are barely noticeable because of the refreshing light blue highlights used throughout the restaurant.  While the decor may be closer to new age French, the music choice is for the old soul, featuring hits by Frank Sinatra. 

The wine list was impressive, with solid French and American bottles at reasonable (for NYC) prices.   I would recommend starting your night by opening a bottle of wine at the glamorous, white marble bar while you wait for your table.

My only complaint about this restaurant is that the portions are small (even for the average person, we all know I eat like a horse), which makes you feel that La Promenade is a bit over priced.  La Promenade charged us for extra slices of toast to eat with the cheeses we ordered.  When your entrees are $30 and each person at your table ordered an app and an entree, to me, charging for a slice of bread screams (greedy and) short sighted.  Similarly disappointing, the scallop entree only included three average (not jumbo) size scallops.  At $29, there should be one or two more scallops on the plate.

La Promenade is probably better suited for a night of drinks, apps, and desserts (unless you have a sugar daddy and/or corporate tab).

What to eat:

The Whipped Ricotta. You must start with this (lactards, you know who you are, I promise this is worth whatever stomach discomfort that will follow).  Spread the honey drizzled ricotta generously on the warm, lightly toasted and buttered bread.  The burrata was tasty but it did not hold a candle to the sweet and savory ricotta.

For your entree, go with the Duck Breast, which is prepared medium rare (unless otherwise requested).  The duck is placed on a bed of lentils and is surrounded by a medley of winter root vegetables.  The honey glaze is lightly drizzled on the plate, leaving a hint of sweetness without overpowering the tender duck.

The only good thing about La Promenade's small portions is that you will definitely have room for dessert.  If you are only getting one dessert, go with the Chestnut Glazed Doughnuts.  The chestnut doughnuts were glazed with an autumn spiced pumpkin sauce, making them sweet and gooey, but not mushy.

If you have room for a second dessert and need something chocolatey, order the Warm Chocolate Fondant, which is accompanied by a delectable scoop of stracciatella gelato.  The fondant was cooked perfectly, ensuring that the firm exterior gave way to the rich liquidy interior.

Need a bit of glamor and fantastic French food?  Check out La Promenade,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: look for this restaurant on Savored.com ($10 gets you 30% off your entire bill).  While the coupon will probably only exist for early dining times, the perk of coming in early is that you can still hear your friends speaking to you across the table.

The Beagle

I noticed that, too frequently, I pick a BlackboardEats coupon for a restaurant that I want to try, but it expires before I get around to using it.  So recently I went through my BlackboardEats reminder email and made a few reservations to use the vouchers.  The first spot to cross off of my BlackboardEats reminder email, the Beagle.

The restaurant, located in Alphabet City, is somewhat typical for the neighborhood in ambiance, size and décor: hipster, small, and crowded.  The menu, however, is anything but typical.  Most of the dishes on the menu consist of a bizarre combination of ingredients, which sometimes works (like the burrata and braised celery pairing board) and sometimes doesn’t (like the striped bass with sauerkraut).

The service all-star at the Beagle was our busboy.  He was generous with his smiles and water pouring.  Our server, while cheery, dropped the ball on a few of the items (jalapenos appeared in my frito pie even though I requested their absence and one of the steaks did not match the shade of red requested).

I don’t know how I feel about this restaurant, which isn’t surprising because of the confusing combination of ingredients.  The best way I can some up the Beagle is that the menu (cocktail list included) was definitely different, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

What to eat:

For the table, we ordered the Burrata Pairing Board, which came with braised celery and a shot of gin.  Ask for bread if you order this dish.  The creamy burrata was heavenly and the tender seasoned celery was a surprisingly fantastic compliment.  I would recommend layering the burrata and celery on a piece of bread so that your taste buds can enjoy the different textures and flavors at the same time.

I’m of the belief that you should probably order (almost) anything on a menu with the word "pie" in it.  So I started the night with the Frito Pie, a bowl filled with meat chili, shredded cheese and Frito chips.  While the shredded cheese needed to be more melted, this salty treat (which could be a close cousin to nachos) was still a very tasty appetizer.

For my entree, I ordered the Striped Bass, which came with rock shrimp (delicious!) and saucy sauerkraut (disgusting!).  The sauce smothering the sauerkraut was all wrong.  Luckily, the seafood on the plate, which was fresh and flavorful, was not contaminated by the unappetizing sauce.  The bass was light and perfectly cooked.  When I was ordering this dish, I was debating whether to ask for a substitute for the sauerkraut.  Sadly, I failed to execute my mantra (no, not dessert makes everything better): always trust your gut.  I paid the price readers, but you don’t have to.  If you order this, I would recommend speaking up and asking if they could substitute the saucy sauerkraut for anything else (like the frito pie, just kidding, kind of).  If they say they will not give you something else, either order it and accept the consequences or order a different entree.

Our table also ordered the Flat Iron Steak.  While the meat was tender, the sauce was similarly off (not as bad as the sauerkraut sauce but still a miss).  The mustard kale sauce just didn’t go well with the steak.  I overheard our dining neighbors discussing their lamb and pork entrees.  I would probably go that route for entrees if I returned to the Beagle.

Sticking to the pie theme of the night, we ordered the pistachio and chocolate pie for dessert.  I liked the combination of gooey chocolate with the crunchy pistachios.  And the creamy cardamom infused yogurt on the side was a nice contrast to the dark, rich chocolate.

The surprise hit dessert of the night was the Burnt Orange Cream Tart (good call Chrystal!).  The orange flavor was present without being overwhelming and the creamy texture was surprisingly light.  The only thing about this tasty treat that didn’t work was the crust, which was too hard. 

In the mood for a bizarre combination of ingredients? I found your spot,

Your foodie friend

Spina

Jesse, this one’s for you ;)

Spina is the kind of restaurant that makes me excited to have a food blog. I enjoyed everything about this restaurant. Ever since I left the restaurant, I’ve been dying to sit at my computer and write this review, so here we go.

One of my good friends spent about ten years living in Italy so we usually end up at an authentic Italian restaurant for dinner. Since she was up for a trek, we decided to check out Spina, a small, cozy restaurant in Alphabet City. Upon entering, I was immediately mesmerized by the staff at the “pasta bar” preparing and cutting homemade pasta (how do they stay so clean? My apartment (and I) look like an episode of I Love Lucy after pasta making).

We went early in the week and most of the tables were empty, which was nice because the tables are very close together. I can imagine on a busy night that it could get loud and that you may (1)spend time eavesdropping on your neighbors, (2) your neighbors will spend time eavesdropping on you, and/or(3) make new friends.

Spina’s extensive wine menu provides thorough details about each bottle of wine offered. Because I did not recognize any of the wines listed, I asked to sample the Educated Guess, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. This full bodied wine perfectly complimented the focaccia bread delivered to our table (now if only I can convince my husband to take me off of my wine shopping moratorium...). The freshly baked focaccia was accompanied with a savory ricotta truffle spread and tangy balsamic sundried tomato spread.

There were so many delectable options on the menu, it took us awhile to narrow down what we ultimately ordered. Our server Matthew was attentive, allowing us time to leisurely order and dine, and occasionally checking in with us to see if we needed anything. We enjoyed every dish we ordered and I plan on returning when Spina opens its outdoor seating next month.


What to eat:

Start with the Polpettine di Carne antipasta, which is best described in inelegant English as a meatball sampler. The appetizer consists of two small lamb meatballs in a tomato sauce, two small turkey meatballs in a zucchini parmigiano habanera sauce, and two small pork meatballs in a balsamic reduction. We enjoyed all three varieties of meatballs, but the turkey meatballs in the zucchini parmigiano habanera sauce was the winner. The creamy habanera sauce gave the turkey meatballs a nice little kick.

For a primi, definitely order the Farfale Nere (I requested the tagliolini noodles instead and the server obliged). The tagliolini noodles were made with squid ink and durum flour so the noodles were black on one side and white on the other side, creating a colorful dish when combined with the crab meat, scallions and tomatoes. Spina did not skimp on the crab meat and the dish felt was incredibly satisfying.

For a secondi (we are at an Italian restaurant ;)), we ordered the fish of the day. The Branzino was large and a terrific option if you want to share dishes. The tender fish was marinated in olive oil, tomatoes, thyme and rosemary. This was hands down the best branzino I have ever had.

For dessert I ordered the “Chocolate Soufflé”. The Chocolate Soufflé turned out to be a warm molten chocolate cake, which was initially disappointing because I had been hankering for a chocolate soufflé ever since I passed on Marcony’s. Thankfully, the rich, perfectly cooked, gooey dark chocolate molten cake was delicious, dissolving any prior disappointment. A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream was placed in a dish next to the cake, thoughtfully preventing the ice cream from melting prematurely.

Insider tip: Spina is frequently listed on savored.com so for $10, you will get 30% off your entire bill (including booze!).

Ready to start eating outside again? Happy March,


Your foodie friend

Marcony

As many NYers know, Murray Hill has a severe shortage of desirable restaurants. When I told my friend Matt I had moved to Gramercy, he recommended that I try Marcony, an Italian restaurant just a short walk north of my apartment. So Sunday night, we skipped the Oscars and met our good family friends at Marcony (who needs to watch a four hour show when the dresses are in the newspaper the next day).

Marcony has two floors and heated out door seating. If you are on a date, try to snag a table upstairs in the area adjacent to the dining room. This romantic alcove consists of few cozy tables surrounded by wine bottle lined walls.

The service at Marcony was attentive, although the food took a long time to arrive (perhaps due to a large birthday table order placed shortly before ours). Because of the bounty placed on the table (and our desire to catch up with friends), we didn't mind the slow pace. Upon being seated, our waiter promptly filled our water glasses and delivered a basket of bread with focacia and Italian bread, a dish filled with garlic sundried tomato spread AND a platter of fried ravioli filled with cheese and topped with homemade tomato sauce (yes, one of the raviolis is missing because it was in my stomach). We were off to a good start.

Because I have been suffering killer jet lag from our honeymoon and am fighting a cold (no doubt a result of the killer jet lag), I passed on wine but I would definitely recommend perusing the list. There were over a dozen good choices from several regions in Italy. Also, due to exhaustion, we skipped dessert but I plan on going back if nothing else to order a bottle of Tuscan wine and the chocolate souffle.

I was expecting some of the dishes to wow me a bit more than it did but perhaps I made a few bad picks (The gnocchi or chitara primi might have been better choices then the octopus app, which was good, but nothing special). Also, I ordered the tagliarini pasta special with artichokes as one of our entrees, and was disappointed when the waiter set down an uninspired bowl of angel hair with asparagus. Because there are so many restaurants in NYC, I rarely return to restaurants where the night resulted in an average experience but something (besides its proximity) compels me to return (ok, it's probably the chocolate souffle I didn't get to order).

What to eat:

To start, the Tuna Tartare special was a surprisingly decadent choice. As you can see from the picture, the presentation was beautiful. The Tuna Tartare was made with a mayonnaise aioli base, giving the appetizer a creamy texture.

For an entree, The Osso Bucco Milanese Special was definitely the table winner. The Osso Bucco melted off the bone. Marcony provides a generous helping of the Milanese sauce for the accompanying buttery risotto.

Any one interested in joining me to give this place a second try? Stay tuned for the follow up,

Your foodie friend

Chinatown Brasserie

While sitting at the Sri Lankan airport (long story), I thought I'd get a post out for a restaurant I tried before I left for my honeymoon. Sorry it's a bit late but it is frequently on NYC Restaurant Week.

From the outside, I had judged Chinatown Brasserie harshly, believing it was a touristy, kitschy Chinese restaurant. About two months ago, I was walking by Chinatown Brasserie with a fellow foodie. I wondered out loud if the restaurant was all overly fried and overly breaded food but he scoffed, informing me that Chinatown Brasserie had the best dim sum north of Chinatown. I noticed Chinatown Brasserie was on NY Restaurant Week and boasted an impressive menu. Armed with a few close friends in from Los Angeles, I thought it was time to see if there was substance behind the shiny lanterns.

The NY Restaurant Week menu offered an assortment of seafood, poultry/meat or vegetarian dim sum as an appetizer. Each assortment included several different dumplings, egg rolls or potstickers. Each piece was interesting and tasty. I was happily surprised to find the dim sum light and not greasy.

For the entree, the menu offered six different options, featuring various poultry, seafood and beef dishes. This was much more exciting than most NYC Restaurant Week menus that are typically limited to a few entree options.

The food came out very fast so if you are not part of the business rush lunch crowd, you may want to ask the waiters to slow the pace (good call Michelle!). Also, when we asked our server about how the food was prepared and what certain items were (e.g. Pao Pao-turns out it's a Chinese vegetable), she was hesitant to provide us with helpful answers. It took several follow up questions to understand how each entree was prepared.

Each dish used various vegetables (Chinese brocoli, red pepers, etc) to create a colorful food palate. The Chinese inspired martinis were equally colorful (and delicious). We enjoyed the Bellini Martini, which was the perfect balance of peach puree and a vodka kick.

What to eat:

Each dumpling in the dim sum was delicious. I ordered the seafood dim sum but enjoyed a few bites of my fellow diners vegetarian dim sum as well. The dim sum came out very hot so be careful taking your first few bites.

For your entree, go for the Pao Pao Beef. The beef is cut into thin shreds and tossed in a scallion sauce. The portion was generous.

For dessert, we savored the Chocolate Mouse. For my fellow chocolate lovers, this creamy chocolate mouse will do the trick, it is layered with different types of chocolate and finished with a cookie crust.

If you are one of those rare birds that do not like chocolate, try the Custard Bao for dessert. I'm not much of a custard person but I suppose if you make anything taste similar to a cinnamon roll with icing, I will find a way to enjoy it. These warm cinnamon buns are filled with just enough custard for flavoring but not enough to overwhelm the cinnamon flavor.

Missed my restaurant reviews? NYC, I'm coming home,

Your foodie friend

Marble Lane

The restaurant Marble Lane appears frequently on Page Six of the The New York Post (lovingly referred to by my husband as "the idiot paper"). The newish restaurant in located behind the lobby of the trendy Dream Downtown hotel. While perusing NY Restaurant Week menus, I noticed that Marble Lane was participating and offering an enticing menu. After sending an email around to my girlfriends, we decided to check out the "steak joint."

Marble Lane is dimly lit and plays music ripped from Z100's play list, which is also the ambiance in the lobby and watering holes at the Dream Downtown hotel. I would recommend asking for a table towards the back of the restaurant when you make your reservation, otherwise, you may feel like you're sitting in the hotel lobby instead of the restaurant.

The ambiance was fun and the food was delicious. My only gripe about Marble Lane was the wine. Marble Lane's wine menu offers very few high quality, affordable wines (although I suppose not surprising for one of the hottest new restaurants in NYC). We ordered the bottle of cabernet sauvignon recommended for pairing with the filet minion and it was incredibly underwhelming. It lacked flavor and body. Unless you are prepared to spend close to $100 for a bottle of red, you will have a hard time finding a satisfying bottle of red wine to accompany your steak.


What to eat:

The Tuna Tartare. The tuna tasted fresh (a must) and was accented with black pepper. The portion was very generous for an appetizer.

The Pepper Crusted Center Cut Filet. I requested the steak medium rare and that's how it arrived. The meat was so tender, you could have used a butter knife. The crust is heavily peppered so you should either be prepared to enjoy the pepper or trim the top off (I went for the latter). The portion was generous enough that you did not feel short changed by trimming off of the pepper crust. Only a few sweet vidalla onions shared the dinner plate with the filet so make sure to order a few sides.

For a starchy side, check out the Duck Fat Souffle. These are potato pillows cooked in duck fat. Dip these sophisticated fries in ketchup. We enjoyed each air filled pillow.

For a veggie, go for the Buttered Baby Carrots.

Even though my doctor would probably kill me for writing this (luckily he doesn't know about this blog ;), butter does make (almost) everything better. Marble Lane's multicolored Buttered Baby Carrots were delicious and a nice contrast to the potato sides we ordered.

While there were several appetizing dessert options on the Restaurant Week menu, I had long scouted out the chocolate cake. The Rocky Mountain dessert was the perfect decadent end to a steak dinner. I took this shot at a bad angle so it does not do the portion justice. This was a large slice of moist devils food cake, topped with peanut butter popcorn. The dessert also included vanilla gelato and candied peanuts on the side, to complete Marble Lane's take on a rocky road dessert. I should have taken an after picture, the only thing left was my fork scrapings in the butterscotch on the plate

What to avoid: The Peekytoe Crabcakes. I wouldn't call them disgusting, just disappointing. Thia appetizer consisted of two overly fried, overly breaded small balls, filled with mostly red pepper and breading, oh, and a few shreds of crab.

At $35 for three courses, this is definitely a steal.

In the mood for steak AND a fun night out? Check Marble Lane out this week before the end of NYC Restaurant Week,

Your foodie friend