North End Grill

I find it strange that there is a street called "North End" at the southern tip of Manhattan.  But that was the only strange thing about our experience at the North End Grill.  With a client turned friend in town, we headed down to Zagat's "best newcomer of 2012."

North End Grill spent the larger part of the year on my list because I needed the right diners to join me: seafood lovers who can handle the heat.  Tabla's closing was restaurateur Danny Meyer's windfall because Meyer scooped up the acclaimed Floyd Cardoz.  Cardoz was born in India but trained in Europe so he is accustomed to incorporating Indian flavors, like cumin and curry leaves, into different types of food.

Meyer and Cardoz took their surroundings, namely the Hudson River, as inspiration for the menu.  The majority of the menu is pulled from the sea...and spicy.  A different type of fish, namely Goldman Sachs traders, must have inspired the wall of Scotches in the bar.

North End Grill's dining room decor is modern chic, which is fun for modernists and boring for everyone else.  The service was nearly perfect.  The servers and busboys buzzed around the restaurant with what appeared to be a Xanax induced happiness.  Our meal was evenly paced and our water (and wine ;)) glasses were frequently replenished.  Speaking of wine, North End Grill's wine menu offered selections from several regions and at a wide range of price points, offering items for the average diner and the expense account diner. 

Overall, our experience at North End Grill was top notch.  While I preferred some dishes over others, I did not have a single complaint for the night.  I always say in life, you get what you pay for, so be prepared to come with a credit card and equally prepared to leave with a smile. 


What to Eat:

Start with the Soft Scrambled Eggs with Ruby Red Shrimp on Grilled Whole Wheat Bread.  The creamy, slow cooked eggs are mixed with large, fresh shrimp and piled high over toasted whole wheat bread.  This was hands down the best appetizer we ordered (we tried several) and a must.  Also, this dish is not spicy at all so for someone looking for a mild dish, this is a good option.

For entrees, I'll offer up a shellfish and fish option because both were fantastic and it is hard to pick one over the other.  For shellfish lovers, go with the Seared Scallops with Pole Beans and Coconut Curry.  The four jumbo scallops are perfectly seared and tasted like they were caught earlier that morning.  I loved the contrast of the textures in the dish: crunchy pole beans versus smooth scallops. Be warned, the coconut curry gives of a slow heat so make sure to pick a side that will temper it.

If you do not like shellfish, order the Halibut with Grilled Cauliflower and Cider Jus.  The light halibut falls apart in delicate slices and is nicely contrasted by a spicy seasoning.  The buttery, mashed cauliflower will be your key to balancing the heat in your mouth. 












For sides, go with the Grilled Sweet Corn and Red Onions. The caramelized red onions jazz up an otherwise simple dish.  The corn season is ending shortly and spoonfuls of this side will make you nostalgic for the warm weather we won't feel for months.

Also, I liked the flavor of the Trice Spiced Fries but they were over cooked for me.  Usually, you get a mix of crispy fries and mushier fries.  I know people fall into two camps when it comes to fries: crispy lovers and mushy lovers.  I prefer the later.  The fries at North End Grill all arrived very crispy.  So if you are into crispy fries, pick this side because the Indian spices are fantastic.






Save room for dessert if you can.  I poked my head in the dessert station and asked the women putting the finishing touches on desserts to recommend a few.  I went with one of her suggestions, the Salt Honey Bread Pudding with Roasted Apples, Pecans and Buttermilk Sherbet.  The slightly salty and sweet spongy bread brings your mouth back to a cool temperature while the roasted apples and pecans remind you that fall is here (and fleeting!).  After an evening of exciting spices, this was the perfect way to end the night.

Skip:

The clam pizza and the crab and avocado salad.  The crab and avocado salad was deconstructed, which made the dish seem like it was trying to hard. Creative? Kind of.  Satisfying? Not really.  The clam pizza had a nice doughy consistency but the flavor was lackluster compared to the other items we ordered.

Best newcomer of 2012? Only if you can handle the heat,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: North End Grill features a state of the art open kitchen.  If you are dining alone, snag a seat along the kitchen counter for entertainment.

Prandial

I found Prandial on a recent neighborhood stroll.  Prandial's menu made me stop but the living room bar area had me sold.  The comfy leather couches looked like the perfect escape to a rainy afternoon. 

After perusing Prandial's wine menu, we settled on a bottle of Domaine Andre Neveu's Sancerre.   Unfortunately, the bottle had not been chilled so we had to wait 20 minutes for our wine. Luckily, the satisfying crisp white wine was worth the wait.

The menu at Prandial applies French culinary techniques to American ingredients, resulting in a familiar yet distinctly different dining experience. Because Prandial's menu focuses on American ingredients, there is something for everyone here (picky eaters, try to prove me wrong).  But make no mistake, not all dishes are created equally.  We had a fantastic experience at Prandial: great food, great wine, great service and cool decor.  I hope this restaurant finds a way to bring in patrons (we went on a Monday night and it was rather empty).

What to Eat:

Start with the Seasonal Soup, which was a dairy free, root vegetable blend finished with a pesto drizzle.  I don't know how it is possible this rich soup was dairy free because it was very creamy.  I tend to shy away from soup at dinner but Prandial's root vegetable soup was the standout appetizer of the night.  I plan on returning to Prandial for the root vegetable soup to warm me up on a cold, rainy NYC afternoon.








For an entree, go with the Duck Two Ways (the name is a bit of a misnomer because there is nothing "two ways" about it).  The tender slices of duck lay on a bed of bokchoy and are surrounded by a decadent pomegranate jus (don't forget to dunk your French bread in the pomegranate jus).  The plate also includes broccoli puree (delish) and a potato tower (tasteless and boring).  The duck is not a large portion but when combined with the hearty root vegetable soup, you will find yourself just shy of full. 









Which is perfect because you need to save room for dessert.  While the server recommended a few options, I went with my gut, the Chocolate Caramel Torte. The old adage never fails, trust your gut.  The chocolate shell is piled high with homemade gooey caramel and is accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a raspberry sauce.

Looking to impress your dinner date?  Prandial is still under the radar so it's easy to grab a reservation,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: skip the sides, they were lackluster and unnecessary because the entrees include similar sides.

Amelie

 I love when a restaurant has staff that is actually from the same country as the food.  When you walk into Amelie, you are greeted by a French manager and if you sit at the bar, you are served by a French bartender.  Needless to say, a few minutes into my entrance, Amelie was off to a good start.

Amelie features an impressive selection of quality wines by the glass.  While seated at the bar, the bartender allowed us to sample several different sparkling wine options before committing to our own preferred glass  (a drier sparkling wine for me and a sweeter sparkling wine for Mitch). 

After our friends arrived, we were seated by the charming French manager and then largely ignored by our server, which I barely noticed for at first because I was too busy sipping my sparkling wine and perusing the menu.  After a ridiculously long period of time passed, we succeeded in tracking down our server.  Once we found him, he was attentive (by European standards, not so much by American standards) the rest of the night.  We all had different wine preferences so our server made suggestions and brought out samples.  He did an impressive job matching our preferences and finding glasses of wine that complimented the food.

Our server overheard us talking to our friends about our one year anniversary celebration and surprised our table with a complimentary round of Cava to continue the celebration.  We truly enjoyed our evening at Amelie (free Cava aside).  Amelie is a great spot for a small group of people (four or less because the restaurant is narrow and has limited seating) or a date night. 

What to Eat:

Start with the Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese.  The large, round sphere of decadent goat cheese is rolled in chopped pistachio nuts and then lightly doused in honey.  As if that isn't heavenly enough, the goat cheese is accompanied by a generous serving of sweet, caramelized onions.  The dish includes a few slices of lightly toasted French bread but you will want and need more bread so make sure to ask your server to refill your bread basket.  Amelie's fresh French bread tastes buttery (without putting butter on it).  The sweet and savory contrasts in this one dish are top notch.  This is one of the best cheese appetizers I have had in NYC AND it is large enough to share.






For an entree, we tried to order the Trout but the dish was sold out so instead we went with the Skate, a special.  Amelie does fish well.  Amelie's skate was light and slightly buttery, a nice contrast to the heavier goat cheese appetizer.  The skate was topped with sauteed garlic, tomatoes, and potatoes and sat on top of a bed of hericot verts.  I liked it so much I'm making it for dinner tonight!  I've never cooked with skate but I found this dish inspiring.

Need a wine bar to help keep you warm?  I'm still day dreaming about the Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: skip the Tuna Tartare, called it average is a generous statement.  

Raymi

I'm a fan of Richard Sandoval's Latin/Asian fusion restaurant Zengo (stay tuned for a review) so when I heard he opened a Peruvian restaurant a few blocks from my apartment, I added it to my list.  Raymi is located in the old Nuela location on 24th street in the Flat Iron district.  Restaurant after restaurant has failed in this large, lofty space.  By the end of the meal, however, I was convinced that the landlord finally found a survivor.

Raymi's high ceilings give the dining room a spacious feel even though there are only a few dozen tables in the front dining room.  The back dining room area was occupied by a private party (this would be a fun office holiday party spot) so we were unable to see the remainder of the restaurant.  My mother-in-law was quite impressed with the bathrooms downstairs, which created a zen like atmosphere and offered individual unisex stalls (direct quote "I feel like I'm at the spa!").

Raymi's menu is large, offering dozens of small plate options and then a handful of entrees.  Your temptation might be to stick to the small plates but you will be rewarded with impressive dishes if you order the entrees as well. 

The wine list features mostly South American wines but I did spot one Italian gem, Avignonesi.  We visited Avignonesi's vineyard in Tuscany for a breathtaking and decadent four course meal and wine pairing a few years ago so I have a hard time passing it up when I spot it at a NYC restaurant.  Avignonesi's full body red was a perfect compliment to Raymi's fried appetizers and duck entree.

After we ordered, a (literally) overflowing bowl of lightly salted plantain chips and a buttery dipping sauce arrived on our table.  The plantain chips were perfectly prepared and virtually grease free.  While we did not order any of the ceviche appetizers, we did receive a complimentary ceviche amuse bouche with mixed seafood, delicious!

What to Eat:

Every once in awhile, my camera phone decides not to cooperate.  On this night, it failed to capture my favorite dish, the Peruvian Corn Cake.  So readers, you will just have to take my word for it: you cannot leave Raymi without eating this dish.  Our table shared appetizers and if I could have, I would have kept this one to myself.  This sweet corn dish makes me yearn to take a South American cooking class (or to adopt a South American grandmother).  

Raymi's Corn Empanadas was another outstanding appetizer.  These warm, hearty, fried dough pockets are filled with mozzarella cheese, cilantro and a touch of chile pepper (there is a garlicky chimichurri dipping sauce on the side).  The appetizer comes with three empanadas but the server astutely noticed we were a party of four and asked if we would prefer four servings. 




Which leads me to a side note on the service.  The staff was engaging without being overbearing and all the dishes arrived correctly and at the appropriate time (I know, something that should be a given but fails to happen quite often).

For an Entree, go with Raymi's two rice dishes.  The sauces and preparation are vastly different.  The Arroz con Pato is a large bowl of rice, mixed with scallions, carrots and small chunks of duck.  Crispy duck slices lay on top of the mound of creamy rice.  The Arroz con Pato is a savory twist on the traditional (and sometimes boring) South American staple Arroz con Pollo.





The Arroz Con Mariscos is the sexy, slightly spicy rice dish on Raymi's menu.  The Peruvian red pepper based rice dish was practically overflowing with seafood.  Your fork could not enter the rice bowl without hitting a shrimp, scallop, mussel or octopus.   Don't choose between the the two rice dishes readers, go with enough people so you can try them both!





There are desserts of every genre at Raymi (creamy desserts, chocolately desserts, fried desserts, etc...) so we decided to try the donuts, rice pudding and the Lucuma.  The Lucuma, a deconstructed banana split, was by far my favorite but to be fair, the rice pudding was also a big hit at our table.  Back to the Lucuma, I enjoyed piecing together the different flavors on the plate to emphasis each ingredient, like the caramelized banana and the rich chips of chocolate.  Sometimes a deconstructed dessert feels chinsy but after sharing several small plates and entrees, Raymi's deconstructed banana split was the right amount of dessert to finish off the night.

Need a trendy looking restaurant without the trendy attitude?  Snag a table at Raymi,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: Make a reservation through savored.com and save 30%.  Savored recently dropped the $10 reservation requirement so it's even more of a steal!

Ilili

Ilili first caught my eye at Madison Square Eats, a food festival adjacent to Madison Square Park.  I look forward to Madison Square Eats every spring because it brings together food from restaurants all over NYC and Brooklyn.  Ilili has become a staple at Madison Square Eats, offerings delicious shwarma, which sells out early every day.  After devouring my initial taste of Ilili, I added the restaurant to my list.  Ilili patiently waited its turn on my list until my Mediterranean food craving came back.

We sampled several dishes, most of which were sensational.  The wine menu featured an impressive international selection at a wide range of price points while the cocktail menu offered interesting twists on tried and true standards.  If you like spicy, go for the Strawberry Margarita, which features a pepper tequila.  If you don't like spicy, the drink is still excellent with good old Patron Silver.

The service was attentive and while we didn't agree with our server's statement that the grape leaves were excellent, I appreciated his honesty when we asked which was better, the duck shawarma or the lamb chops.  The lamb chops cost twice as much and many servers would say the lamb chops to rack up the bill.  But our server held steadfast to the duck shawarma and he was dead on. 

Something to keep in mind when ordering your apps is that the server brings out a complimentary yogurt dip with pita chips.

What to Eat:

The hummus at Ilili comes with a few potential mix ins like lamb, pine nuts and shrimp.  Go with the lamb mix in if you can handle a heavy lamb taste.  The small, soft pita pillows are addictive, readers, you've been warned.

The Duck Shawarma is a must.  Two doughy pita cones are filled with strips of marinated duck, fig puree, garlic whip (which is a type of light, garlicky, mayonnaise), and pomegranate seeds.  There are so many incredible and different flavors and they all compliment each other.  I could come back here weekly for a cocktail and their duck shawarma.






I "mistakenly" ordered the Loup de Mar without realizing it was insanely (over) priced.  While the fish was large enough to qualify for almost two entrees, $80 for a whole white fish is outrageous.  Was it flaky, light and delicious? Yes.  Worth $80? No.  If I wasn't so distracted by my cocktail, I probably would have noticed the price tag and picked a different fish option (there were several).

Looking for great small plates and drinks in the Flat Iron? Ilili is a the perfect place for a group get together,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: The Madison Square Eats food festival is going on now for the next few weeks so check it out!

The National

Ravenous (yet again) and in search of sustenance near Grand Central, I decided to give The National a try. I had been eyeing the restaurant for about six months when a Blackboard Eats coupon arrived in my inbox for The National.  The National receives very mixed reviews despite it's famous chef Geoffrey Zakarian.

The National feels like someone stole a Parisian neighborhood bistro and transplanted it into bustling midtown NYC.  After a long day, it was rewarding to slide into the soft,  wide leather seats.  Equally rewarding is the wine menu, with reasonably priced wine and bubbly from all over. The wide range of dishes on the Nuevo American inspired menu ensures there is something for everyone.

The server kindly granted our requests to refill the fresh bread basket, noting our favorites and bringing back only the bread varieties we preferred.  Even though I have heard grumbling about the service at The National, I thought our service was attentive and friendly.  I asked for the chorizo and bacon in our dishes on the side and the server obliged with a smile. 

Zakarian successfully uses familiar ingredients, like scallops, and morphs them into a beautifully presented, unique tasting dish.  Also, the split dining room affords a choice between dining in a trendy, loud room or a more laid back, quieter room. 

What to Eat:

Diver Scallops.  The succulent diver scallops are marinated in a light onion broth and topped with fennel and bacon (the bacon is on the side in this pic).  The scallops were incredible fresh and tender.  This dish is perfect with a glass of wine if you are looking for something quick and light.





Grilled Octopus

Another fantastic quick and light option is the octopus.  The octopus is surrounded by a few interesting ingredients, like pickled celery and piperade.  The piperade, a Basque sauce combining pureed peppers, onions and tomatoes, along with the beans and chorizo (also on the side here), created a Mexican fiesta in my mouth.



 
Get there early because by the time we arrived at 9pm, the restaurant was out of their well known "Ugly Burger".  None of the entrees we ordered stood out as exceptional so I can't recommend one but if I go back, I would probably pick a special or the Halibut. 

Looking for a spot to meet someone for drinks and appetizers before catching a train back to suburbia?  The National is worth a detour,

 Your foodie friend

La Mar

La Mar is located in the old Tabla space.  Tabla was a fun impromptu date night for my husband and I years ago so it is somewhat nostalgic going back to the location, even though the decor downstairs has drastically changed.  The bar area on the main floor snapped me out of my revery with the bright blue colors, Latin music and lively atmosphere.

The upstairs dining room is elegant, with a large hole in the middle that is decorated with hanging strands while the downstairs bar is more lively and evokes an aquatic theme. 

I didn't have any interest in trying La Mar.  I had heard from others that it was overpriced, average Peruvian food.  There have been grumblings in the blogosphere that famous chef Gaston Acurio over extended himself by introducing the restaurant to a handful of cities.  But when I'm wrong, I'm wrong.  I admit I was wrong.  The food was terrific, albeit pricey. 

La Mar is known for its ceviche but I was in the mood for something heavier so we passed on the ceviche.  The menu is huge and places an emphasis on small plates so La Mar would be a great place to go with a small group and share dishes.


Initially, I was frustrated with the service.  I had to ask 3 times and wait over 10 minutes for a glass of water.  Our server, however, was very patient with all of our menu questions and substitutions so despite the early hiccup, I can't give the service an F.

For beverages, skip the wine menu (which is largely South American and lackluster at best) and go with the Latin inspired cocktails. 



After placing your order, you are presented with an overflowing tin of fried plantains and a buttery aoli dipping sauce.  The plantains weren't greasy and fried just enough to give them a nice crisp.  You will be hard pressed to stop yourself from finishing the tin.

What to Eat:

This picture does not do the Choclo justice (the round cake in the middle).  Even if you order ceviche, someone at the table must order this dish.  Choclo is a corn cake type dish that is sweet and hearty.  La Mar's Choclo was the best choclo I have had since visiting Colombia a few years ago.  The plate was decorate with farm fresh cherry tomatoes and thick Peruvian choclo kernels.

For your entree, order the Lomo Saltado, a juicy hanger steak with fried fingerling potatoes.  The hanger steak was a little tough but the flavor made up for the effort.  I liked the fried quail egg on top and the side of slightly sweet, sticky rice.

Visiting NYC on an expense account and looking for a Latin treat? Check out La Mar,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: La Mar extended their restaurant week menu (price fix $35) through the end of September!