Tom Eats NYC

Not so Common Ramen

Wedged myself into a seat at the momofuku noodle bar on a busy night. Packed in every inch of the restaurant. The host at the door managed to get me a beer rather quickly and a seat not too long after that. 

The menu was simple and easy to make choices( mostly because people are going there for one thing) I ordered the special which happened to be brisket buns with horseradish mayo and pickled red onions. Fantastic! what great brisket and the buns are like chewy on puffy clouds of wonder and deliciousness. 

I stuck with the traditional momofuku ramen which was definitely the direction to go. Pork shoulder, pork belly, and a poached egg with scallions and other various asian vegetables, perfect for a cold night in the city. Best ramen I’ve had so far.

the food was great and service was casual so don’t expect too much pampering going on in this place, it is way too busy and crowded for that so just enjoy your food ad get out.

Peter LuguhUuUuhhh I’m so Full

Lets talk about more of an eating competition than a dining experience at Peter Lugers. Had to go there to see a friend off and really didn’t know what to expect even considering it is the oldest steak house in the city. Friendly service(very masculine), fun atmosphere, and great food. 

A real fun experience if you have never been. All their client seem to have an age requirement of 50, they take reservations in an oversized notebook, and they only accept cash. Fore warning: overeating will occur. Between the sides and the steak for 4- It is too much food. 2 meaty slices of bacon, potatoes three dfferent ways and creamed spinach topped off with a 52 oz porterhouse steak cooked RARE. You get to the middle of the steak and you can just about feel the cows veins exploding in between your teeth. Very few places I would eat a steak like that.

All in all, it was a fun place to enjoy a good steak with close friends. just go with a hefty wad of cash in your pocket

A Road Not Forgotten

It has been a long road but I have finally gotten this trip underway.

I have a ways to go but 13 of 101 is a nice start

Much luck needed.

The Grass is Greener: Blue Hill

The restaurant is essentially an extension of its mother restaurant/farm up north, which doesn’t make it any less of an incredible dining experience. They love to do things their way and make things their own which is great and it makes for a personally unique experience. 

   It always amazes me that when you eat in a restaurant the staff can pick up on little nuances in your visit that tell them that you work in the industry. You try not to throw up a red flag that you have experience because it could lead to a prentious boasting fest of who’s dick is bigger or it could just encourage some great conversation. In this case it was the latter; coincidentally ending with a homemade whiskey tasting and and some awkward questions about previous encounters.

There is always a fine line in restaurants of this caliber that raises the question of whether or not the staff can be friendly and personable without coming off unprofessional. I always say that when you are working in a restaurant, you have two different personalities: the one when you are being yourself and the facade that you put on when interacting with guests (which is why Actors make great servers). The superstars of the industry are the ones that have infused these two personalities and can let their true colors show while upholding standards of fine dining.

Blue hill tends to be more on the colder side of the personality gauge which doesn’t necessarily mean it is poor service, just not as welcoming as you would have liked. Nevertheless, it doesn’t take away from the fresher than life food that was put on our plates. Frank Bruni from the NY Times said “Food you’d almost rather hug than eat” and he couldn’t be more right. When you order an egglant dish that is prepared so perfectly and paired harmoniously with off the vine tomatoes, some sort of magical flavor symphony plays in your head until you look down and see an empty plate to only realize you didn’t even let your date try a piece.

The entire concept of the farm and the restaurant working as one is an experience in itself but couple that with masterfully prepared food and a uniqueness with homemade whiskeys and vermouth it a place that speaks to you. Now if you could only get the bartender to talk to you as much as the food.

Double-Take: No Bourbon on My Pasta

First up Maialino, in the fabulous and exclusive Gramercy Park.

I find it fascinating when restaurants can take very simple dishes with great ingredients and make something spectacular out of them. Too many times do you see dishes way overdone and with so many flavors its hard to recognize what exactly is going on in your mouth (not even including the affect the alcohol is having)

Stopped in to Maialino for their afternoon menu and ordered to start: buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto di parma and supppli al telefono (Tomato risotto croquettes and mozzarella). Both were great and were just what we were looking for. 

I think the thing that attracts people to this restaurant (besides it being owned by Danny Meyers) is the overall feel you get when your inside. Beautiful exterior overlooking the park and in the Gramercy Park hotel but a completely unpretentious vibe when dining. A very welcoming staff which most of them wear butcher aprons and a comfortable feel with beer and meat hanging everywhere. 

Decided to give the Bombolotti all’amatriciana a try and really be a judge of the tradictional. Being that I grew up on “red sauce” as we would call it, I feel I’m a pretty good judge of a dishes character (At least as I see it). I give this dish an B+. The sauce was good and the pasta was cooked properly so I mean already the dish can’t be a disaster, half the battle was won. The parmigiano reggiano sprinkled on the top was great and I loved how the sauce had a little bit of a kick to it. Really wonderful dish all around ad it was a perfect portion.

Maialino is ok in my book, Definitely one of those restaurants I could frequent.

Don’t Blink! Round two- Meat Drowned in Bourbon (Char No 4)

Isn’t it the places you would least expect that really dazzle you. Got a reservation 1 hour before going there and you cant do that in many places in NYC.

You walk in and look at the wall and all you hear is WHISKEY! BOURBON! SCOTCH!

If you are not familiar with any of these and your unwavering to try you might as well turn around because they even put it in the food. It’s really nice to see a place that really has a soul and a sense of direction and uses some finesse to execute their ideas. A restaurant with a Whiskey background focusing on extremely fresh ingredients and well prepared food. I loved how the menu was simple and not overcrowded. Put your best foot forward, I say.

When you eat at restaurants its really the sum of the whole that makes the place what it is and sometimes the parts outweigh each other. Sometimes it can be bad like is service sucks and the food is great or vice versa. But then there are the occasions where the food is good (not penetrating your stomach to an unimaginable level of bliss reaching a full physical, emotional, or mental orgasm) but the service steals the show, literally. It’s almost off putting when a server wants to be engaged in conversation when your dining especially if you have no interest in talking to them. But if that’s the case I’m sure you have never dined with the server at Char No 4. 

Some of the topics that were discussed while dining: Gun control laws, yards in Brooklyn, taking care of children, legality of mace, rollercoasters, farmers, not being a vegetarian, sad time tattoos, celebrity look alikes, BOURBON!, how fresh the salad is, bruises, taping music video with blood, etc etc.

We might as well of had a table for three because I could only remeber a few things that we talked about without our server and she really did a fantastic job of being friendly, knowledgeable and unobtrusive (I’m convinced she wasn’t a server but and actress who knows how to put orders into a computer with extreme finesse)

We split this well balanced salad to start with roasted plums! MmMm

Also accompanying the salad were two bourbon based drinks- One with iced tea, lemon and mint and the other with ginger beer. Also delicious.

Finished up with a pulled pork sandwich that was completed with Char No 4’s very own mustard dressing (Bottle it up and ship to Williamsburg please!)

and

A summer squash risotto which apparently has alot of calories in it but what risotto doesn’t and I’m not the one trying to go to a wedding anyway.

Overall, Good food pulled by spectacular service and a restaurant with a soul.

Always a winner. Make a trip to park slope, its worth it. Ask for Kiki

“Lovey Dovey”

Only a night at Dovetail could provide such a wonderful experience with such wonderful company. The atmosphere is great, the service is spot on and the food, oh the food, was spectacular. Back to back courses with the vegetable tasting menu and my dates chef’s course tasting menu.

13 courses, 3.5 hours of eating and drinking, 3 amuze bouches, 3 desserts, 1 fantastic night.

Vegetable Tasting Menu

turnip ceviche

quinoa, habañero, peas

chilled consommé

summer bouquet, vanilla, mint

barley risotto

english peas, summer truffle

charred cauliflower

peonies, chai curry spice

artichokes in barigoule

peppers, spinach, sesame

chanterelle mushrooms

soft boiled egg, corn

frozen raspberry parfait

crème fraiche, mint, sweet 

pea sorbet

Chef’s Tasting Menu

avocado salad

watercress, ramps

ricotta gnudi

truffles, broccoli, parsley root

halibut confit

artichokes, sesame seeds

chicken in mourning

morel mushrooms, asparagus

sautéed foie gras

graham crackers, huckleberries

aged sirloin

beef cheek lasagna, mushrooms

milk chocolate gianduja crémeux

strawberries, hazelnuts,

olive oil ice cream

Crossing the Robuchon - A Meal of No Return

It is hard to believe that just after it receives number 19 on Platt’s 101 best restaurants list, the restaurant decides to close its doors. I managed to squeeze myself into the restaurant for one last meal before they closed a NYC staple last Saturday. Without a doubt, a french cliche, this place had foie gras splattered all over this menu but I couldn’t had been happier. And Just like you would suspect, it was as expensive as a french restaurant lends itself to be (Not a glass of wine under $22)

Now to the food.

Amuse-Bouche

Foie Gras with a balsamic syrup and some “salty” foam.

Crazy delicious but almost tasted like it should be for dessert

Vegetarian Amuse Bouche

What really made this restaurant such an experience was the whole atmosphere of being in the restaurant. It’s very open with the whole staff dressed in garbs that almost let off an Asian feel. We sat at the counter right in front of the kitchen. And what an interesting set up that was. (their kitchen is patented) Apparently the entire kitchen needs to be removed in order to put another restaurant in. Leave it up to Robuchon to patent an entire kitchen design.

Appetizers

Despite looking like a birthday cake,

L’Oursin sea urchin in a lobster gelee, topped with a cauliflower cream

Special- Creamy Asparagus Soup served chilled

La Saint-Jacques day boat scallop with spicy chive oil, coconut and cilantro emulsion

Despite closing the server didn’t seem to disappointed to be out of a job. When asked what she was going to do, frequent visits to the beach were in mind. But she also said she loves TE green pans so I don’t know how much of her conversation I can take seriously.

Entrees

Seasonal Vegetables Salad

La Caille free-range quail stuffed with foie gras served with potato puree

Le Boeuf 4oz. sliced wagyu rib eye, wasabi spinach and harlequin peppers

Food was just fantastic. Really well done, perfectly cooked and timed excellently. The service was great and a real shame this place has seen its last day.

Grand Finale

No real explanation for this, Complimentary dessert- cheese in there somewhere with another sweet foam and possibly mint. = Delicious

All Around Piquant-Recommended (You may just have to go to another city to get it)

Breslin Schmeslin

I consider myself a patient person, especially when it comes to dining out. You are having an evening out and really are in no rush to leave so I have no problem when the server tells me it will be a 45 minute wait to cook the Pig’s foot for 2 I didn’t blink an eye. But when it takes almost two hours for two entrees to come out, it becomes a tad ridiculous. 

The Decor was cool 

The Drinks were alright

The Food was over cooked and raw at the same time if that’s possible. And I’m sure some of the things in the pigs foot were in question.

The Server was non existent(Probably because she knew they had to slaughter the pig and then proceed to cut off its foot for every a la carte entree- It’s the only thing that makes sense)

The Sommelier was fantastic! twenty something year old with a t shirt on, tattoos and gauges was not what I expect a sommelier to look like but that’s what I got and he was great. Good recommendations and even brought a couple bottles over for me to taste. (Saw him more than the server, no joke)

First restaurant I wouldn’t recommend. Unless of course you order the whole pig ahead of time- It looked fantastic, and came out on time. 

Too dark to take an actual picture- You get the idea

Early Night at Momo-What?

Tried to catch an early table at Momofuku Ssam Bar last Saturday night and much to my surprise, we were successful. Needless to say it was the first time I was told I had a time limit on a how long I cold sit a table. Kind of stints your experience right from the start.

Moving On.

1. I love going out with more than 2-3 people because you get to try so many different dishes and order copious amounts of alcohol.

2. I don’t like going out to eat with more than 3 people because…

…Too many people to please with picky tastes

…the bill is divided into 10,000 pieces or someone shorts you

…They auto grat you

…Someone complains about the prices

…The list goes on and on

But do to a keen selection of my rents and one of my best friends, none of that came into play (mostly because a generous diner picked up the bill, *Cough Cough)

First Course: Appetizers!

Steamed bbq bun and seasonal pickle plate, thank you very much

accompanied with homemade kimchi!

Steamed bun filled with crispy pork belly, cole slaw and smoked mayo.

Two fantastic dishes, with buns so soft and vinegar so strong (I literally choked)

Second Course: Entrees!

1. My dinner aka Spanish Charred octopus with pine nuts, celery and ham chips

You would think that sounds weird but altogether it was great especially texture wise (oh and ham chips is the Platt 101 way of saying homemade pork rinds)

2. Veal Sweetbreads with almonds, sauerkraut and thai chili

-Like general sao’s chicken for rich people

3. Steamed Buns with pork belly, hoison sauce, cucumbers and scallions

Similar to the bbq buns but with a masking flavor of hoison and the crisp, fresh taste of cucumbers and scallions

4. Lastly, the roasted lamb loin and belly accompanied by bulgur, sicilian pistacios and egg yolk. Crispy chunks of bulgur, roasted pistacios, a secretively placed egg yolk and two perfectly cooked different body parts of the same animal all working together on one plate.

My opinion, Ssam bar is great with a fun atmosphere and good food. Service is too laid back and uncaring but good food nonetheless. Don’t go hungry due to the small plates or you’ll end up at spot like we did. (Or maybe that’s just because real men eat dessert first)

One of four courses. WHoops haha

Minetta Brunch

Great Brunch at Minetta Tavern. They have all their classic dishes plus breakfast. My mouth couldn’t of asked for anything more.

Minetta Tavern Black Label Burger- Ground Ribeye, Balthazar Brioche, Cheddar cheese and caramelized onions