Let's Celebrate a Birthday...

No not mine, but a really dear friend who I consider my Lil Sis turned 24 last Friday.  I remember when I was 24....yeah not going there but it was a hell of a year in a good way :)
Plans were made to meet at her BF's place for pre-dinner champagne toast, other drinks and some small bites stuff...and then we were on our way to Riverpark for dinner.

Our reservation was late, 9:45, but we never felt rushed while waiting for another couple to show or while looking over the menu to order.

Let the eating begin!

First Course: Avocado & Hamachi Salad w/pickled red onions, radish & charred chilies; Mushroom Consommé w/mushroom frisee, pecorino crouton, caramelized shallots; Squid Ink Chitarra w/calamari, octopus, shrimp, lemon & fresno chilles; Pork Tortelloni w/turnips, red cabbage & sage

   

  

Avocado & Hamachi was really fresh and velvety. I was told by lil sis's BF that the mushroom consommé looked impressive but it lacked a little body.  The Baised Pork Tortelloni were rich but not overly and went really well with the broth that came with.  And the Squid Ink Chitarra had a nice bite to the handmade pasta, seafood was tender and the overall dish had a nice lemon briney note to it, overall a great start.


Second Course: 10oz. Berkshire Pork w/brussels sprouts-apple hash & parsnips puree; Grilled Flatiron Steak& Braised Brisket w/broccoli, fork smashed potatoes & balsamic glazed cippolinis; Roasted Leg of Lamb w/ swiss chard, pine nuts, capers, raisins, eggplant & oregano. 

      

There were 6 of us dining and only 3 pictures here because there were 2 orders of each; clearly we all have similar tastes and wants when it comes to food :)

Usually in restaurants like this I steer clear of the steak, but I have to say the Flatiron steak was the winner here because of the nice generous portion of braised brisket that comes with it.  Actually no, the entire dish was very well executed.

The Berkshire Pork was a very close second as well.  Tender and juicy with the right amount of sweet and savory from the accompanying sides.

The roasted leg of lamb....let me just put out there that I LOVE lamb.  But for some reason I didn't love this.  There was waaay too much going on the plate, too many flavors and components that just didn't jive.  In the middle of eating it, I seriously couldn't remember if I ordered lamb or pork because that lovely sultry gamey flavor of lamb was so masked. Tom Colicchio should really reconstruct this one because it does have the potential to be amazing.

Third Course: Sheep milk Yogurt Cheesecake w/roasted figs, preserved walnuts, anise hyssop; Beignets w/vanilla custard & strawberry preserves

The cheesecake was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Totally made up for the lack luster lamb! It was rich, creamy, light and smooth all in one.  The birthday beignets were very good as well, crunchy exterior with a very soft light middle.  

Not pictured are the Affogato w/vanilla ice cream, frozen espresso meringue, cocoa nibs & espresso cookie and the Sorbet sampling concord grape, pear, & fig, why?, because the were pretty forgettable.  And come on you've seen sorbet scooped into a bowl before haven't you?!

Prices definitely matched the quality of each dish, ok not the lamb but the rest of them did, and the portions are generous as well.  Service & staff was unobtrusive but very friendly and knowledgeable as well.  

Overall I would definitely go back and recommend the restaurant. I think for my next visit I want to try there Brunch menu next time…um hello they have pork belly (and I don’t mean bacon!) as a side!

Cocktails, Conversations & Marrow

When I'm not in the kitchen whipping up one my many culinary masterpieces, I'm an event planner here in NYC.  Most of my clients are the much hated 1% population of this world.  I mainly stick to planning and managing large scale luxury weddings and producing celebrity charity galas and fundraising events. 

Recently a really good friend of mine asked me to team up with her create these monthly events centered around wellness for optimal health.  So for our first event we decided to keep it food centered to show people that they can still have great organic options for cocktails and pair them with some amazing small bites as well.  First order of business, to find a mixologist who is knowledgeable about organic spirits and who can also take those organic spirits and make them into something mind blowing in a glass.

We started at Employees Only  (and actually ended here too) Hands down one of my favorite speakeasies in the city.  The big draw to this place is the amazingly talented bartenders/mixologists.  Yes they have a full bar, yes they have a full cocktails/drinks menu but what makes them the best is that you can ask any of their bartenders what you are in the mood for, the flavors you like, the spirits you enjoy, the allergies you have and they will create something totally amazing.  I've never had a drink here I didn't like, men maybe, but not the drinks.  From there we explained to the head mixologist our event mission and he began to make us some amazingly crazy cocktails...don't ask me if I remember the names because it was a long night lol...

The 2 up first in our binge quest for the right mixologist was a lovely drink called the Amelia: Luksusowa Potato Vodka & St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur shaken with pureed Blackberries & Fresh Lemon Juice and the West Side: Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka and Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice shaken with Fresh Mint, served straight up.
The Amelia was stunning to look at and even more amazing once in my tummy!  It has a rich burgundy velvet look and taste to it, sweet but not cloyingly sweet. 

The West Side was sooo refreshing!  Charbay is a company based in California that makes these infused vodkas that are really infused with real fruit and ingredients not like some others that pour in a flavor "extract" to make their product taste like it's been infused with a bitter note. 
Amelia Cocktail (taken from the net):

West side Cocktail (taken from the net):

We also had some of the food there too, you know to balance out the alcoholism going on.

First up: Bone Marrow Poppers (taken with my G2 phone camera, not too shabby no?): Essentially a piece of marrow tucked inside a light pastry shell topped with a little greens and bordelaise sauce.  I felt the sauce was a bit much for this dish, I would have been happier with the puff pastry with the marrow and maybe some fleur de sal instead, still marrow is heavenly no matter what :)

Next up: Crispy Skate Paprikas crispy buttery skate wing with spaetzle and a light crème fraiche and tomato sauce.  This was AMAGING.  The skate was fried golden but not at all greasy with the a perfect crunch and the spaetzle and cream sauce were just great delicious accompaniments

Overall a great night AND we found our mixologist :)  Event details to follow soon so stay tuned :)

The start of something orgasmic

I am an omnivore.  When I eat I look to experience some sort of comforting sensual orgasmic OMG moment with every bite.  At any given moment I could be in the mood for a hulking piece of steak (prepared black & blue please), a plate full of firm fried tofu, a HUGE wooden bowl of arugula and shaved fennel & shallots with a refreshing sherry vinaigrette or a luscious plate of veal bone marrow with crusty toasty bread and a side of fleur de sel....you see, I can eat. So let this journey of food porn begin....

I know the word porn makes most squeamish and uncomfortable.  But hey it's the only way I can truly express it.

So sit back and enjoy the ride along with me.  Make sure to have a napkin or two and a huge appetite always.