...more recent posts
We ate at Ping's (all the way down Mott Street, just before Chatam Sq.) recently but I forgot to write. We used to love this place when it was at 25 E. B'way. Then he moved out to Queens where we never visited. And now he's back in Manhattan.
In any case, definitely worth a look. The menu seriously rewards the adventurous eater. Lots of very weird animal parts and organs. I know that's a half assed review, but since I don't eat that stuff I don't feel like I really can comment. It sure looked good though. And my fish and veggies were all great, although I don't think that is the point of this place.
Kai was awesome to me and my guest was blow away, I met the chef at WD50 recently so he said I want to cook for you (which ment we had the $110 menu and not the Iron Goddess at $85).....jasmine tea, a sweet grilled fish began the show on arugula with some fragrant flavorful sauce, next a soup with "lake seaweed" plus very textured eel, raw fish course with fruit gelatin and caviar, abalone(sp?), another japanese fish with a wasabi sauce and some greens served with tea, granite (my favorite i have tasted, brite herbs are added), tender steak and spring veggie's toped with f. gras to which the poured on a another flavorful sauce, fantastic noodle dish, lastly a hugh assortment of desserts served with tea (during the meal we drank Monquit Champagne followed by Sake)...one of my favorite places to eat period, the use of fragrance, texture, color, and flavor rocks....
Went to Morrell Wine Bar the new one, didnt taste the food but it was easy to find a nice priced bottle to drink and i liked the room very much......
Highly recommended: "modern kaiseki" (dinner in eight, ten, twelve or more courses) at Sugiyama on W55th (Broadway & 8th). From $60 and up, plus sake -- watch out for the Fukuju at 17% alcohol! We had three fish-based meals ($100), one w Kobe beef ($150). A special vegetarian kaiseki is available with one day's advance notice. (212) 956-0670. Certainly as creative as Bond Street or Kai.
quick Greece notes:
Santorini food was not so good, overpriced and lack luster (amazing town we stayed it, one of the most beautiful rooms we have ever rented), even the fish tavernas on the water were just ok compaired to the north, one place was cool to me called Koukoumalvos where we ate langostines in white chocolate sauce (lime, fennel seed, ginger) and lamb w/ coffee sauce w/minted yougurt but the grape leave pasta was not helped by the wacky combo of smoked salmon and mint and zucchini TO ME......
Athens/Thessaloniki you could not find a bad meal if you avoided the tourist spots, we ate so much awesome taverna food, and had one 4* yummy nite that was a meal of 2003 for sure (sea urchin risotto to die for, grapeleaves stuffed with langostines, squid pesto "pasta" on tiny fried potatos, a soup with mushroom/truffle balls, mullet over eggplant, grouper in a tomatoe/carrot broth that made me lick the bowl, great wine guy and the bill scary cheap compaired to NYC prices (and all we got special price treatment was on the wine but just slightly) @ Varoulko, 14 Deligiorgi St, Pireas....and a few 2* meals also.....
FYI: Morrell's Restaurant review from today's Diner's Journal. Wine's the thing, some good deals to be found.
Soup blog. I haven't tried any of the recipes, but it looks like it might be good. Nice looking site in any case.
San Jose Merc has coverage of Vietnamese cuisine today.
the slanted door
Vietnamese food in the south bay
south bay restaurant list
2003 James Beard Award winners announced.
NYMag Readers Poll Winner Best Meatballs is one of my 4* Dishes for 2003 also:
Best Meatballs
Il Gattopardo
33 West 54th Street
212-246-0412
It used to be that the humble Italian-American meatball never went anywhere without its constant companion, spaghetti. Recently, though, thanks to the surge in popularity of a more authentic southern-Italian cooking—or perhaps because of creative differences with its former pasta partner—meatballs have gone solo, assuming leading roles in restaurants from the Rocco DiSpirito–revamped Tuscan to Frank DeCarlo’s Peasant spinoff, Ápizz. Our award, however, goes to the unimpeachably authentic Neapolitan version at Il Gattopardo. Made from veal and beef and wrapped in an almost translucent Savoy-cabbage leaf that seals in the juices and makes for cute little bundles that resemble Shanghai dumplings, they’re much lighter than their Americanized cousins, airiness being the mark of a good meatball. Salerno-born chef Vito Gnazzo serves them three to an order as an appetizer on a bed of baby greens with a fragrant thyme-white-wine sauce—one bite and you’ll never think of them as spaghetti’s sidekick again.
Our buddy and fellow blogger (oh yeah, and he imports wine or something) Joe Dresner is getting a little attention. Word is this article will be picked up by a major media outlet.
seafood watch: choice for healthy oceans
Went to Restaurant Daniel for some wine (GREAT) and some snack's (OK)
We have a lovely perchlorate vinaigrette tonight.
Me? I'm just curious what Jim's going to eat on his birthday.
New York Times WD-50 review.
Kind of short? Or does it just seem that way on line? Obviously Grimes likes it.
(you can use fmhreader/fmhreader to sign into the Times)
Eating by Numbers 2003 Top 5
Grand Sichuan Midtown 8 Visits
WD50 5 Visits
66 4 Visits
Wash Park 4 Visits
Minnow 3 Visits
Usually I say only good things, but my lunch few days ago at Markt (great beer) was terrible and made me very pro flow.......last night at Mermaid Inn, couple yummy things, the rest very standard, will not give it a 2nd try......The Minnow in Brooklyn keeps me coming back, on Monday I did the $25 food and wine special, what a deal!!
so far i have kept one of my New Years resolutions, I have not been to Lupa all year yet.....