New York City Winter 2007

New York City 12.25.07-1.03.08

So much to say about my vacation with my sister (sEEs-ters!) but ill try to stick mostly to the food aspects of my trip. In no particular order... here is a list of places we ate at with some personal perspective-this is going to be a looong entry

Hummus Place
This restaurant has three different locations, we went to the one on the upper west side, it is pretty small and low key with really good hummus! All of the waiters are Israelis (tres authentic) and a great place for the many Israelis yearning for a taste of home living in the city. We had the health salad ($6.50), it was a basic israeli salad with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onion, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice. We also got hummus fava ($5.95) and hummuh masabacha ($5.95). These dishes were large platters of hummus made for sharing that came with fresh, warm pita bread. Everything was really good and I definitely recommend it.




Sarabeth's
This is another restaurant with a couple of locations, we went to the upper east side location. They serve a variety of foods but we went there for the brunch menu. They offer many delicious baked goods alongside the main dishes. We both ordered omelette's (one goat cheese and spinach, one red pepper and tomato). They came with your choice of baked good-we choose english muffins-and some butter and apricot jam. Everything was very good, my only complaint would be the service which wasn't very attentive, but i have heard others praise the wait staff, so it might have just been bad luck. Either way, it is a good choice for some fresh, yummy breakfast food.

Serendipity3
We went here to have some icy desserts. You will always see crowds outside this upper east side popular tourist destination (thank you Ms. Winfrey!) We put our name down, and came back three hours later to be seated inside the large, kitschy establishment. There is even a small store inside where you can buy small knick knacks (animal purses, glass dogs, stringy hats). Even though we came back at the time they told us, we still had to wait at least another 45 minutes..but when we were finally seated we received quick, friendly service (p.s. all the staff were men-not sure if thats coincidental?) We got the infamous frrrrozen hot chocolate ($8.50) and the "can't say no" sundae ($13.50), which was humble pie (peanut butter with a graham cracker crust), bananas, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream. I liked the sundae better than the overrated hot chocolate, which was good but not something i would run back for. Overall the desserts were devoured but i don't think that they were worth the ridiculous wait, not to mention being surrounded by either a. oprah fanatics b. really bad movie buffs or c. gossip girl book fiends..which is not always a bad thing ; ) I don't think I'd go back..unless of course its featured on the gossip girl show (totally different story)



Bouchon Bakery
This is the small version of Bouchon, one of Thomas Keller's restaurants. It does not have his usual elegance and sophistication, but it tries to keep up to par with his larger establishments. It is located in the Time Warner Center, in the middle of the mall under a huge Samsung sign. There was a little of a wait, but the staff and hosts were very welcoming. When we were finally seated, we got a jug of water in a glass case for our table, which I really liked. Our waitress was average, we had to ask for bread and it took a long time to get her for service, but it was a nice experience, if you have a lot of time to spare. Okay..the food. The bread [pictured] was really good, soft with a slighty crunchy outside, it was perfect. For our appetizer we got the Roasted Beets and Garden Mache Salad ($14.25). It had roasted red and yellow beets, garden mache, fresh and aged coach farm goat cheese, toasted hazelnuts and sherry vinaigrette. They split it for us without charge and it was delicious. The blending of flavors and textures all came together beautifully. For our entree we got the Quiche Du Jour, that days was leek and roquefort. The quiche was amazing, this is one of Keller's claim to fame, or so he says in his book, where he criticizes American quiche, proclaiming that it is not real quiche. His was light as air, with a flacky, buttery crust. We also got the Vegetable Jardiniere on Toasted Multigrain Sandwich ( $12.75). It came with roasted eggplant, portobella mushrooms, fennel bulb, red onions and roasted sweet bell peppers with gruyere cheese. Both dishes came with a small side salad of lettuces, it was a simple refreshing bite. The sandwich was good, but nothing amazing that I would order again. I think the most memorable part of the meal was the dessert. We ordered an interpretation of the smores (can't remember the exact name-and i have searched the internet high and low for it folkss). The dessert was Y-U-M-M-Y! We were pretty full already but the ladies desserts next to us were mighty tempting. Well the smores came to our table in a large bowl filled with graham cracker/buttery crumbs, a scoop of cinnamon ice cream dipped in a hard chocolate shell, and fresh made marshmallows. They then poured some hot fudge on top at the table...mmmm it was soo good. I think I would come back again-maybe not to the restaurant, but to the small take out counter a few feet away-for some baked goods/desserts.

Mon Petit Cafe
We went here during our three hour Serendipity wait. It is close to Bloomingdales, Serendipity, and Dylans Candy Bar-ie, the area is packed with foreigners. But this restaurant is not much a tourist destination-it was actually filled with Frenchies, not sure if this made it "authentic" or "pretentious" but whatevs, the food was pretty good. It was pretty small and packed, the staff was a little rude, but the food came quickly. The bread they gave us was really good, soft, crunchy, warm-the works. I got La Salade Nicoise ($15.95) and my sister got La Quiche du jour ($11.75). My salad was good-it had seared tuna, anchovies, french beans, russet potatoes, eggs, and black olives on mixed greens. It was filling and fresh, and perfect for a lighter lunch. My sister really liked her quiche- I think it was gruyere and bacon-I didn't try any due to my prior vegetarian status-glad thats over! Anyways...It may have been a little pricey, but the food and atmosphere was a nice break for my frost bitten toes.

Spice Market
We all went here on our last night together :( It's in the meat packing district-and i would definitely recommend reservations. It is a BIG restaurant and very decorated with Middle Eastern/Arabian Nights vibe. It is a tapas style restaurant-lots of small plates to share, and we ordered a lot of 'em! We got the Black Pepper shrimp with sun dried pineapple($14.50), the Mussels steamed with lemongrass thai basil, dried chili, and coconut juice($11.50), the Avocado and radish salad with chinese mustard and tempura onions($8.50)[pictured], the Butternut squash soup with with ginger pumpkin seeds($7.50), the Steamed Red Snapper with shiitake mushrooms, ginger, scallion, and tarragon($27), the Spicy Shanghai Noodles with chilled silken tofu, garlic, and herbs($8), the Snap Peas with shiitake and water chestnut($8, and the onion and chili cruster short ribs with egg noodles and pea shoots($22). Ah...ok that was time consuming, well I remembered everything, if not-close enough eh? Everything was really good, what I remember best satisfying my high end palate was the mussels, shrimp, and spicy noodles. Ohh must'nt forget the dessert-we got the dark chocolate cake with ginger filling, blackberry sorbet, and gingersnap ice cream($10), the coconut sorbet($4.50), and some mochi dish that i can't find the description of. I liked the sorbet and mochis-they were so delicate-literally melted in your mouth. Overall, it was a very expensive meal, very delicious, and very filling. It is a Jean-Georges establishment-with some creative stand out dishes that are worth a try.


ok that's a lot..maybe ill post more lata...maybe i won't...only time will tell!

SMOOCHIES