momofuku ko

Place: Momofuku Ko
Location: 163 1st Avenue, between 10th and 11th Street
Website:  http://www.momofuku.com/ko/default.asp

This is a great way to surprise the girlfriend – a girlfriend who knows what you have to go through to get reservations (Reservation instructions are on the website).  After we had gotten off the cab, blocks away from our friend’s birthday party to pick up drinks, Gene told me to change out of my havaianas and into my stilettos and I couldn’t figure out why he would want me to be uncomfortable before I had to.  I was confused and complained but when he directed me towards an entrance I realized he surprised me with Ko when I saw the glorious orange peach.

I think David Chang set this up right.  He wanted to really showcase his talent by minimizing limitations; his reservation style and set menus portray this.  An already sort of exclusive nature complements Ko’s upscale experience.  By the way, pictures are not allowed.  However, Chang’s persona is very evident through his no VIP reservation policy and the way his chefs ended the night with drinking beer in the kitchen (the kitchen is in front of you).

The food?  Ko says it’s American cuisine but I would categorize it as Momofuku’s take on fusion.  We went through 10 courses of beautifully created food.  Part of the experience is watching the chefs prepare each course for you and you can tell that every dish was treated with such value.  My favorite of the 10 was a dish that included an egg topped with caviar, homemade potato chips, and cooked onions.  A common favorite is the frozen foie gras served over lychee, which is served both during lunch (17 course meal) and dinner.  I think the forte of the overall experience was impeccable balance, which can be reflected by the dish I described above.  I felt that every small dish had an amazing combination of tastes and every ingredient played a critical role.

It was a very enjoyable, palate challenging, pleasantly surprising experience.  And considering the price of a great dinner in New York these days, I’d say the experience was worth its value.  Not sure what the boyfriend thinks but I distinctly remember him saying during our dinner, “this is fun.”

experiencing sushi at its best

Place: Blue Ribbon Sushi
Location: 119 Sullivan Street (between Prince St and Spring St)
Website: http://www.blueribbonrestaurants.com/rests_sushi_man_main.htm

Not located in the busiest area, low key, traditional yet trendy, Blue Ribbon is a favorite for celebrities some say.  I had the opportunity to go before setting off for a two week trip to Kenya as an au revoir dinner.  At an off-site location in SOHO, you have to walk down the steps to the foyer, where patrons wait to be seated but since we had an early reservation, the waitress immediately escorted us to our seats.

The sushi bar is the first thing you see turning left from the entrance to the seating area.  It’s dark but welcoming with a warm light setting and the seats are cozily sized.  Blue Ribbon Sushi has traditional Japanese wooden decor and is very slightly trendy from its sleekness and aura but keeps the integrity of its cuisine.

We started with the Ebi Shumai and ordered the Toshi’s Choice per person for our entrees.  The Toshi’s Choice is a platter with an assortment of sashimi and sushi chosen by the chef.   Gene likes the Dragon Roll, so we requested the roll to be included with the platter – they were happy to oblige.  Along with the platters we ordered two choices of dry sake.  I’ve never seen a sake list so extensive.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Ebi Shumai because I’m personally not a huge fan of the appetizer.  The Toshi’s Choice platter was beautiful in taste and presentation.  It almost looked like a miniature stage with an orchestra of sashimi and sushi.  The fish were at its best - the perfect temperature, texture, freshness, and cut.  The Dragon Roll literally melts in your mouth because the chef only uses avocadoes at that particular level of ripeness.

The waitress poured the two cold sakes into wooden boxes until it overflowed onto its carrying plate.  They were as delicious as alcohol can taste.  And its complement to the sushi was impeccable.  The sakes were at very specific temperatures because they were neither cold nor lukewarm.  It is no wonder why Blue Ribbon is known for their award-winning Sake list.

We ended our dinner with the Green Tea Creme Brulee.  It was a perfect creme brulee, just the right amount of sweetness and fluff, with a slight taste of bitterness from the green tea flavor.  It closed our sushi meal very elegantly.  I would recommend Blue Ribbon over Nobu any day.

best pizza under the bridge

Place: Grimaldi’s
Location: Douglaston Plaza Shopping Center, 242-02 61st Ave, Douglaston, NY 11362
Website: http://www.grimaldis.com/

Grimaldi’s is arguably the most famous pizzeria in New York.  New Yorkers will encourage you to walk over to Brooklyn from Manhattan through the Brooklyn Bridge and get some pizza from Grimaldi’s when you reach the other side.  Pretty recently, a Grimaldi’s opened in Douglaston, Queens, which is also located under a bridge.   I finally had the opportunity to try it last Saturday when my friend and I decided to go for lunch.

The atmosphere is very homey, very family-owned restaurant-esque, which includes the traditional red and white checkered table cloth, exposed brick wall, and the coal-brick oven you can see in the back.  We ordered a pie with mushroom on one half and roasted peppers and italian sausage on the other.  Grimaldi’s pizza is made to order – when it is served to you, you know that it was just taken out of the coal-brick oven.  Although, Grimaldi’s is New York’s favorite pizza, it does not serve the traditional cheese slice that you would find at your local Joe’s or Gino’s.  It looks more closely to the pizzas they serve in Italy, where the crust is lighter and thinner and the toppings are more distinguishably placed. 

Grimaldi’s pizza will not disappoint!  Their pizza tastes homey, slightly smokey from the coal-brick oven, and traditional, all because it is.  The roasted red pepper and Italian sausage combination is superb but even if you were to get a plain pie, the tomato, cheese, and basil combination will satisfy.  There is not a hint of artificial flavoring, such as salting, and the ingredients taste like it’s good for the body.  Grimaldi’s has been around for so long for a reason and New Yorkers will never get sick of the Grimaldi experience, whether it be under the Brooklyn Bridge or randomly in the Douglaston Mall Complex.

tapas y paella y churros

Restaurant: Boqueria
Location: 171 Spring Street, between Thompson and W. Broadway (SOHO)
Website: http://www.boquerianyc.com/

Boqueria got Best Paella by New York Magazine in 2007.  Though, that is considered to be a long time ago in the New York restaurant market, it was enough for me tack it on my list of need-to-try restaurants.  I’ve been wanting to find a great paella place after I got back from Barcelona two years ago (I can’t believe it’s been that long already) so I’ve been researching and noticed that many paella places opened with great reviews… La Paella, Soccarat, Las Ramblas… have yet to try these other places but we shall see!

Boqueria instantly receives brownie points for being located in one of my favorite areas in NYC.  SOHO, specifically the cobblestone area, is my go-to place to get away.. mentally and physically from the mundaneness of working in midtown.  Before meeting up with my boyfriend, Maurice, I went to the local boutiques, Wink and Big Drop NYC, and also American Apparel – she was running late because of traffic but I enjoyed my time perusing around.

For my friends and I, Sangria is a must when going to a Tapas place.  So we began by ordering glasses, scratching that, and then ordering a pitcher.  yummo! (sorry, rachel ray haters) The pitcher worked just fine for the rest of the night.  Tasty but I’d recommend more alcohol content.  We started with the jamon serrano – it is grilled bread rubbed with tomato, garlic, and olive oil with aged 18 month ham on top – highly recommended! Sounds like an italian appetizer, but it can’t taste more Spanish… extremely light but flavorful with a nice balance of salty from the ham. 

Afterwards came the Paella Valenciana – the traditional kind with the rice on a pan topped with an assortment of seafood.  Maureen, who’s been to Soccarat, said that it was on the smaller side… Could have been because we were able to finish the dish between the two of us.  But anyway, it was definitely satisfying and delicious. – the rice had a great texture and the seafood flavors were in harmony.  A couple negatives, though, such as the overly salty shrimp and the meagerly shellfish.  It looked too.. pretty…with the shellfish in the right places and angles…I think the paella would have been better if the seafood was just piled on generously. 

For dessert we ordered the churros.  Brought back memories of searching relentlessly for churros in Puerto Vallarta.  Nostalgia is always good for eating!  The churros are made to order, crispy and comes with a side bowl of melted chocolate to dip in.  It was fantastic.

I’ll know where to go next time I’m in SOHO and I’m craving some Spanish food.  I still need to try the other paella places to determine whether or not I’d go back to Boqueria if I’m craving Spanish food in general.

lovely french restaurant

Place: Almond
Location: 12 East 22nd Street, between 5th and Park
Website: http://www.almondnyc.com/site.htm

The right lighting, the right music, the right atmosphere… for a perfect date with your girlfriends or your boyfriend.  Oh and the food is delicious.  I think most French places in the city can be stuffy or way over-priced.  But this restaurant that’s pretty below the radar offers a wide range of dishes and a great ambiance, with cozy but modern decor.

My girlfriends and I had the seafood tasting, a croques gratin, which is sort of an open sandwich brunch dish, and the hearth roasted whole flounder.  The seafood tasting, which included mussels, octopus, and scallop and fennel crudo, was only $15.75.  Almond put its own signature on this dish, pleasantly surprising our palates especially with the spice that accompanied the mussels.  The flounder was simple but perfectly cooked.  Slightly marinated as to allow the natural flavor of the fish to be its forte.

Oh and the service is fantastic.  They allowed me to wait for the party even though I was the first to arrive.  The waiters were very accommodating, being patient with our numerous menu questions, and  speaking understandable French to us: bon appetit! merci!  So sweet… Do I have a thing for French guys?  Maybe.  Regardless, it was a great place to celebrate our good friend’s 2xth birthday.  Almond has now become my go-to French restaurant.