Several weeks ago, I asked my family if they would like to go out eating at Sesonal, the 1* Michelin-rated, Austrian restaurant that’s located in Midtown West. Everyone except my father could attend and we set the date back last Saturday. My reasoning was the fact there aren’t that many restaurants in Manhattan that serves Austrian food (the other place I know of and went to is Cafe Sabarsky in the Neue Galerie located in the Upper East Side) and the menu sounds different and enticing enough that my family is willing to try.
My mother, brother and I perused their lunch menus and settled on the three-course lunch prix fixe since we’re planning to cook a huge dinner at home.
Front interior
Seasonal is handsomely decorated – streamlined and clean lines and curves with several paintings to add some color to the white walls, dark wood tables lined with olive green place mats. The curved bar with a creamy white leather chairs looked comfortable to linger if it was the after-work hours.
Yesterday, Midtown Lunch held the 4food preview event, and lucky for me, I gotten a sneak preview of one of probably the most talked about fast food chain as of the past week.
Initially, I heard of it from my friend Andrew who almost obsessively talked about 4Food weeks before I really read about this on the food blogs. Reading about 4Food on their site, I’m a bit of a skeptic as to how they can make their food “de-junked” and with the plethora of ways you can build your burger (with 6-7 different types of patties, 5 buns, 16 “scoops” which act as the filling to the hole in your patty, etc.), I don’t know how the typical person who has an hour to lunch make up their minds as to what you want to eat. But to get an idea how this good but a bit crazy concept would work, I gave it a try and brought my 4Food fan (Andrew) along.
Entering this large restaurant, it sort of looks like an Apple Store. It’s minimalist with mostly bare walls with only the decals of ingredients of a few burgers adorn the columns near the counter, the huge glowing LCD panels of their offerings above the registers, and on the far left of the store (or closest to the stairway) was the wall glowing with the Foursquare board of people checking into 4Food. There were employees on the floor decked out in black with yellow trimming 4Food tracksuits and paperboy hats. Spiffy.
As I went up to the register, staring at the bright LCD menu screens, I had to figure out what I really want in my burger (as my issue prior to entering, stated earlier). I settled for a burger that has a brioche bun with a pork patty, filled with roasted brussels sprouts, Fontina Fontal cheese, and horseradish cream with sweet chili sauce on the side. I have added their Square Roots, which was essentially, their healthier version of french fries and a white peach sparkler. Continue reading “4Food Lunch Preview” »
It’s been three years since I ate at Del Posto. Back then, it was still considered an ambitious restaurant with its grand space with an enoteca, a sort of bar/lounge space that’s considered the casual portion of the restaurant, co-owned by superstar chefs Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich, and her son, Joseph Bastianich. In winter 2009, Del Posto renovated the space to get rid of the enoteca and make it as luxurious as the dining room itself with a greater ambition to get the coveted 4-star rating from the NY Times.
Since then, I haven’t been to Del Posto as my eyes (and stomach) shifted to other places I haven’t eaten yet. A good friend of mine, Dr. Y has expressed interest to eat here before he leaves New York City back to his home state of sunny California in a few months.
Interior
As we entered the sumptuous lobby, the host greeted us and took us directly to our table. Sitting down on the plush cushioned banquette, I looked at the entire dining room: dark mahogany wood contrasted with lemon yellow walls and touches of marble. Heavy drapes on the windows to hide the bright afternoon sun on a hot July day. Carpeted floors to hush the footsteps of servers and diners as they walk on by.
In NYC, I have my fair share of lavish dining: Eleven Madison Park, the lunch tasting menu at The Modern Dining Room, Jean Georges, and Marea. All were very good to excellent experiences but frankly, I’m getting bored with NYC fine dining. The restaurants that I’ve went to over the span of a few years pretty much kept the menu almost the same except configuring the flavors according to season. In other words, I’m a jaded New Yorker and the fine dining scene here is getting monotonous.
I’ve asked the good people of France Chowhound what three-star Michelin restaurant in Paris that serves a great lunch? I’ve made contact with a few friendly people who are familiar with the fine dining scene in Europe like Julien and Food Snob (via France Chowhound) and asked for input since I’m going to a city where there are many three-star Michelin restaurants than NYC. After much contemplation, I picked up the phone and called Ledoyen for a reservation.
Ledoyen
Walking off from the posh, busy boulevard off of Champs Elysses into Avenue Dutuit, HC and I felt like were slowly transported off to an isolated, peaceful place. First we encountered their small stretch of rose gardens that surround the restaurant on the side. When we walked up to the entrance, we’re welcomed by the doorman and welcomed again by the hostess.
I have been reading around the Interwebs recently and thought about where I can get lunch, I ended up reserving a seat at SHO Shaun Hergatt on Friday. I know it’s quite a distance from where I work and frankly, I don’t eat around the Financial District since I get lost in that neighborhood and there aren’t that many notable restaurants. But I have read good (and a few mixed) reviews on this restaurant, I thought I might as well try to quench that curiosity and try out their food.
Interior: Corridor to Dining Room, Dining Room, Kitchen View
I do admit I’m being terribly lazy but explaining every minute detail of my experience at Jean Georges might be a bit boring to you readers (since I wrote about them thrice already, not counting this post). I’ll let my photos to do the talking.
Most of the food was very good. The memorable dishes were crab and squash blossom beignet; not the beignet itself, I found the filling poorly made (use of finely shredded crab meat and waay too much mayo) but the salad component of the dish. I never loved cherry tomatoes and raspberry vinaigrette that much before, and the roasted sweetbreads and fragrant pickled peach because sweetbreads are delicious and it’s cooked perfectly. I also liked the acid component from the peaches. As for desserts, they were very good. I liked the strawberry tasting because of the delicate yet decadent cheesecake.
The petit fours pretty much stayed the same except for the macarons. Pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini supersized the wee little macarons that were the size of peas to the average macaron, about two to three inches in diameter. I still can’t love his macarons. I found the cookie tough and chewy but the mocha filling was ok. The chocolates are still sublime.
Service, as usual, was professional. The decor still remains the same; minimalist and modern with that large chandelier in the middle of the room. Continue reading “Lunch at Jean Georges” »
I felt compelled for a few years to try The Modern‘s tasting menu, after seeing Ulterior Epicure’s gorgeous photos of his experience and hearing it from a friend who did enjoy his dinner thoroughly for week before I went, I thought it’s about time to give it a whirl and go there.
Around the second week when Ruskie is in town, we arranged to have lunch at Casa Mono. Both of us went there before but we’d agree that it would be nice to visit there again since it’s been a while and we did like their food (in our disparate ways).
Baguette & Olives in Olive Oil
The baguette and olives were still the same as I remembered – not too crusty with fluffy crumb and the olives were still briny while the olive oil gave it additional richness. Continue reading “Lunch at Casa Mono – Take 2″ »
Eaten back on September 2nd, 2009. (I’m working on it…)
Dining Room Interior
I have to admit, if I haven’t said it yet, I love Gramercy Tavern. It has the casual, down-home earthiness yet it’s innovative of what one would expect from fancy pants fare. The service is great, as expected from a Danny Meyer institution, and I absolutely love their food. They haven’t steered me wrong from the multiple times I’ve eaten here and ever since Executive Chef Michael Anthony helmed the kitchen.
I went to their dining room for the tasting lunch. Back when I ate here (on September 2nd) and when it was Restaurant Week (about a month or so) not a whole lot changed in terms of the menu, I requested a few changes on the courses.
If you do follow the food blogs Eater or The Feedbag for the past few weeks, Cafe Boulud is going to be closed for renovations on August 16th. They’re hoping to open around September 21st, according to John Winterman, the maître d’ of Cafe Boulud. I thought I might as well have one of their last few lunch services before they’ll close down for the rest of the summer. Yes, they’re still participating Restaurant Week until today, Friday, 8/14. Last meal of service is dinner tomorrow evening, 8/15.
