De Santos NYC

I am convinced that De Santos is the most romantic restaurant in New York.  I was not expecting such a beautiful space when I was invited to a press dinner at the 4-Year-Old West Village restaurant.  The main dining room is beautifully furnished and tastefully lit.  The décor reminds me of Restoration Hardware.  The outdoor patio is a tented area that had an open back leading to the garden.  The hundreds of candles and several well-placed mirrors made sure the outdoor décor matched the inside.  I of course noticed the iPads that the servers were carrying around.  That was how they placed our orders, which was obviously impressive considering my love for Apple products.  How can you not love a company named after food?!  Our three appetizers arrived around the same time.  The Tuna Tartare was my favorite!

Sushi grade tuna with avocado, soy ginger vinaigrette and tortilla chips.  I ate every bite.  I didn’t want to embarrass myself so I decided not to lick the plate.   I didn’t get too close to the Beef Carpaccio.

It did look fabulous and was served with homemade potato gnocchi and truffle cream.  The gnocchi was PHENOMENAL!  Light, airy potatoes with a delicious touch of truffle cream.  I will definitely request a plate of the gnocchi next time I’m there.  We also ordered the Truffle Mac and Cheese.

I was really looking forward to it.  The aged cheddar cheese and the noodles were quite tasty.  The herb bread crumbs were an unwelcome addition.  There was something off about them.  The cheese was also pooling at one point.  I blame it on portion control because they decided to make individual sizes for us.  The other tables had the full size and when I looked over there was nothing left in the bowl.  Eventually our entrées arrived.  The Pan Seared Scallops were beautifully presented.

They arrived on a bed of wild mushroom risotto and parsnip chips.  I love rice and I love pasta but I’ve never really learned to appreciate risotto.  Every now and then, I would get a burst of mushroom flavor.  The risotto also enhanced the flavor of the scallops.  They were already incredible and perfectly pan seared but tasted even better when mixed in with the risotto.  I was quite happy with the entrée, but even more pleased with the desserts.  We started with the Mixed Berry Torte.

The layer of blackberries, strawberries and raspberries with cream was sandwiched between shortbread lightly dusted with confectioner’s sugar.  The shortbread was delicious and sweet and nothing better than fresh fruit to put in a dessert!  The Pear Cobbler was phenomenal.

The brilliance behind this dessert was the deconstructed nature of it.  The cubed pieces of pear combined with the baked crumble were delightful.  The best part about fruit as dessert that you don’t feel guilty when you’re overjoyed by the sweetness!

De Santos was an amazing experience! I loved the décor and really enjoyed the food.  The menu is not quite as expansive as I had hoped so I hope they refine it soon.  The dishes are well executed but I would love to see more options.  After dinner I walked downstairs and saw the infamous Janis room!  The space is legendary because the building was formerly home to artists such as Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, and Jean Michel Basquiat.  I will definitely return for music soon!

Hungry yet?

Pappardella

My amazingly awesome nephew turned 2 in March.  To celebrate, we went to dinner at Pappardella on the UWS.  This is one fancy two-year old I tell you.  The weather was fabulous that day but we chose to sit indoors.  After he ran around a bit trying to pick up one of the many apples, we sat down.  We started with Caprino. 

Gotta love a good beet salad.  This one was fantastic.  The combination of arugula, roasted red beets and fresh goat cheese was exactly what we needed.  The beets were perfectly fresh and tasted wonderful.  We also ordered the Caprese.

The layers of fresh mozzarella, vine ripe tomato and basil were dripped with a rich balsamic reduction.

Taking a bite from every layer was definitely the best way to enjoy this delightful treat.  The birthday boy shared the Rigatoni Bolognese with his mom.

He loved the huge pieces of pasta that hid pieces of beef & vegetable ragu in every crevice.  His uncles went for the Pappardelle Manzo Brasato.

They love a solid beef dish.  This one with braised beef, swiss chard, caramelized onion and bread crumbs was well received.  There wasn’t a morsel left on the plate by the time they were done.  I had a hard time finishing my hearty portion of Spaghetti Frutti di Mare.

This is one of my favorite dishes to order at an Italian restaurant.  Big chunks of lobster meat, shrimp, calamari, mussels and clams topped with a fresh plum tomato sauce.  How can you go wrong?  This version was well executed, but the sauce could have used a bit more spice.

We decided to skip dessert so we could go buy the little one a cupcake and of course he loved it.  Good thing he likes brushing his teeth.  Pappardella is a restaurant I’ve overlooked a number of times, but turns out it’s actually worth eating there.  I look forward to going back for beet salad and the Spaghetti Frutti di Mare.

Hungry yet?

Origin - Morristown, N.J.

A few weeks ago, I visited Boney out in Morristown, NJ.  It was surprisingly lively in the streets of Mo-town but we ducked into a great French Thai restaurant, Origin.  We sat downstairs in a dimly lit dining room that was packed.  As we walked over to our table, I saw the different delicious treats that sat on everyone’s table and I knew we were in the right place.

We decided to share the appetizer special, Shrimp and Scallop Dumplings. 

They were steamed and served with a soy vinaigrette dipping sauce.  The dumplings were thinly wrapped, but bursting with flavor.  There was a hearty portion of shrimp and scallop in each bite. I could also taste the ginger and scallions. Every ingredient was perfectly balanced and the soy vinaigrette was the perfect enhancer.  The appetizer as incredible and I couldn’t wait for the main course.  Boney ordered the Pad See Ew with beef.

She noted that it is her favorite dish and she has had it at Origin a few times. It is a simple dish mixed in with Chinese broccoli.  I ordered Pad Kee Maow.

This was no ordinary Pad Kee Maow. It was spicy and served with chicken, shrimp AND squid. There was a mix of red peppers, spicy green peppers and basil. The flavors were incredible. The broad noodles were perfectly cooked and thankfully they weren’t drenched in sauce – sometimes that mistake is made. The only thing odd about this dish was that there was some lettuce at the bottom of the noodles.  I’m not sure why, perhaps that was to combat the spice. I have no issues with spice so I found the lettuce to be an unnecessary distraction.

Overall Origin was fantastic! I can’t believe such a gem exists in Morristown.  I will certainly return to try other items on their menu.

Hungry yet?

44 and X

I haven’t seen Z since our delicious trip to MV. Since too much time had passed by, we met for dinner at 44 and X.  They are mixing Roman numerals with Arabic numerals so that X is read tenth, in case you don’t know where they’re located. I was skeptical about the restaurant because the menu looked overpriced for no reason. I hadn’t heard anything about the restaurant that made me think it would be worth the money. Nevertheless, I acquiesced to Z’s request.  The space is very nicely decorated – clean, open and inviting.  Z ordered the Filet Mignon.

It is topped with tart tomato jam in a port wine jus with a side of potatoes au gratin.  Z opted for the Vermont Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese instead of the potatoes.

I chose the Crispy Sea Bass.

It was served on a bed of chanterelle mushrooms, braised asparagus, artichokes, and saffron mussel broth. I was confused by the words “saffron mussel broth” because it didn’t say there would be mussels. I asked our server and remarkably he was just as confused. Thankfully there were a couple of mussels in there.  The sea bass was indeed crispy and tasted really good, but it still wasn’t worth the money.  The dessert was underwhelming.

A Peanut Butter Mousse Tart that looked so good.  It was covered in caramel sauce and served with vanilla, chocolate, and malted milk ball ice creams.  The peanut butter was overwhelming.  They should have made the mousse tart out of something else. That much peanut butter is way too much.

44 and X is underwhelming. The restaurant is tastefully decorated and very inviting. The menu is diverse and offers many options, yet it is a much higher price point than is necessary. There are other restaurants that will offer much more for less money.

Hungry yet?

Uncle Nick's Greek Restaurant

A few moons ago, I went to Uncle Nick’s Greek Restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen with Mr. A. I’ve been there before but it has been a while. We started with the Mussels.  We had a choice of red sauce or white wine sauce. We went with the white wine sauce.

Mmmm Mmmm Good! I keep saying I’m going to make mussels. This was definitely one of those occasions that made me want to make mussels for dinner. Our entrées arrived shortly after. Mr. A ordered the Bifteki.

I thought it was just a beef kebab but apparently it’s chopped sirloin spiced Greek style and grilled. He enjoyed it, but probably not as much as I enjoyed my Kotopoulo Kebob.

Holy Moley! The chicken was amazing! It was so tender and juicy and the spices were fantastic.  The rice was incredibly delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed the salad. I literally ate every morsel on my plate.  What a satisfying meal! I have to learn how to make rice like that!

I highly recommend Uncle Nick’s, especially if you’re in the area and need a bite for lunch. The service is good and the food is amazing. 

Hungry yet?

Mr. A & Ms. A are married!

It feels like it wasn’t long ago that I had the pleasure of spending a nice weekend with Mr. A & Ms. A (still not the same A). So how excited was I when their wedding day finally arrived! Everyone looked wonderful. Mr. A was swaggerific when he made his way up the aisle, and Ms. A was stunning and certainly wowed the on lookers in Battery Park.  While I was thrilled that everyone looked great, I was also excited about how great the food looked and tasted. The cocktail hour was filled with so many delightful appetizers.  The Seared Tuna was one of my favorites.

Served on a carved piece of cucumber and topped with a tropical salsa, I loved every bite.  I unfortunately found myself eating so many of these I may have actually eaten a ½ pound of tuna.  I stayed away from the Lamb Chops but they looked magnificent.

They also disappeared quite quickly. I wonder what they were topped with. Looked like chimichurri to me, but how can one really know if you don’t eat it.  Perhaps one of the guests will leave it in the comments. These little puffs were a pleasant surprise.

I was convinced they would be filled with mushroom, but instead it was duck confit.  OH heavens! I definitely popped a number of those in my mouth.  Where there is shrimp, I find happiness.

These shrimp sat on a dollop of guacamole and were served on a tortilla chip.  YUM! I had no objections to the selection at the cocktail hour and although I may have missed a few items, I was already feeling satisfied when I sat at the dining table.  A colorful salad was served.

I’m typically not big on the idea of having a bunch of cold leaves served, but on occasion there are a few ingredients that make the prospect of a salad more appetizing. On this occasion, the blood oranges were it! They were so sweet and juicy. I definitely wish I could have picked the oranges off of every plate.  Our entrées soon arrived.  The Beef apparently was out of this world.

I wish I knew more.  It was a beautiful looking dish. Plated on a bed of mashed potatoes and what looked like some nuts.  I opted for the Chilean Sea Bass.

It was magnificent. The rice was also a fantastic accompaniment. My only disappointment was that there was so little rice.  Eventually it was time for dessert.  They were very creative and decided to serve two types of desserts at every table.  The only problem with that is each person didn’t get both.  In my case, that was just not an option. I regrettably had to borrow someone’s dessert. Luckily he was fine with it.  The Chocolate Mousse was spectacular.

I licked my spoon several times until it was clear there was no more chocolate…just metal.  The other dessert tasted like custard but I can’t be sure.

All I know is I definitely finished mine.  And then of course there was the cake.  Regrettably I am missing an image of the full cake and them slicing it with a sword ..yes, a sword.  I did manage to get a picture of my second only slice. 

The cake was fluffy and incredibly delicious. It was definitely worth the wait.  Overall the wedding was beautiful and delicious! Congratulations to Mr. A and Ms. A! 

Chocolat Restaurant Lounge

A while back, in my hotel living days, I walked by Chocolat frequently. I was tempted enough that I ended up going to brunch with Ms. R. I ordered the French Toast and was quite happy with they way it turned out.

It was well flavored, rich but not overdone. The glutton in me couldn't help ordering the potatoes.

It was good but not great. Definitely not worth ordering especially when there's a delicious plate of French Toast worth eating. Ms. R ordered the Eggs Benedict.

After my one adventure late last year, I definitely stay away. Apparently she should have stayed away from this one. She noted that the hollandaise sauce was a mess. In short, she said, "I've had better eggs Benedict." Ouch! While we were eating we spied a delicious treat in the form of a Calamari Salad. Though I was tempted, we managed to contain ourselves. But I vowed to return so I could devour the calamari. Several months later, I made good on my promise. This time, I was accompanied to dinner with Ms. K. We started with the Sesame Calamari.

It really was everything I hoped for. Hot pieces of crispy calamari gently placed on a bed of greens and drizzled with a delightful miso ginger dressing and peanut sauce. Wow! This definitely could have been my entree. Every bite was perfect!! We also tried the Shrimp and Crab spring rolls. 

Womp womp! Greaseball central. My fingers were greasy and the wrapper was crumbling. The filling was unappetizing and I couldn't keep eating after a few bites. Before our entrees arrived, we were asked to move tables because they had a party of four coming in and there wasn't enough space. What an odd request. Well we got up and moved.  I guess it’s a good thing that the restaurant was so full on a Sunday night. Eventually our entrees arrived. Ms. K ordered the Beef Short Ribs. It was served with a creamy saffron risotto. 

Apparently the meat was so tender it reminded her of the one her mother used to make. She really enjoyed it. I ordered the Miso Glazed Salmon with bak choy and basmati rice.

The glaze was a little heavy and the rice slightly undercooked. The flavors were good just not perfect. By far the best thing we ate was the Calamari. It was amazing and I could definitely see myself going back for that. Everything else was take it or leave it, including the service. I recommend Chocolat but I think it's best you go there with muted enthusiasm. It definitely seems like a hit or miss on many levels.

Hungry yet?

Penang Malaysian & Thai Cuisine

I love Thai food so any opportunity I have to try a new Thai restaurant is always a pleasure. This particular occasion was more joyful because we were celebrating the future Mrs. S. I was thrilled when her bridesmaids selected this restaurant. Tucked away on main street in Lodi, NJ this restaurant isn't much on the outside but has a very well decorated interior. The food at Penang was spectacular. We started with a few appetizers. The Chicken Satay was one of the favorites.

I usually steer clear of chicken satay because the idea of chicken on a stick doesn't really appeal to me. Also, the few times I've ordered it I've been terribly disappointed. This time, I loved it!! The chicken was tender and well seasoned. The peanut sauce was also unlike any I've ever had. Simply divine! The favorite appetizer at my table was the Roti Telur.

Everyone snatched the light pieces of roti as soon as it hit the table. The sauce was perfectly spiced. Potatoes make me happy and so does chicken so tasting both in one bite brought pure joy to my taste buds and my stomach. I was a huge fan. After overstuffing ourselves on appetizers, we were slightly overwhelmed when the entrees began to arrive...and wouldn't stop! The arrival of the Mango chicken immediately stopped the conversation.

The brightness of it was enough to make me oooh and aaah. Placement of the chicken in the mango was also quite creative. The taste did live up to the presentation. I've never had mango chicken before, but I'm certain this won't be my last time. The Thai Basil Noodle came out shortly after.

I expected this to be my favorite dish, but it wasn't. There was just a pinch of salt missing but it was evident in every bite which made it hard to ignore.The Vegetable Fried Rice also suffered from the same plight.

I understand people are health conscious these days and don't want to be shoving  spoonfuls of salt into their mouth, but geez give me a break. A little salt goes a long way! The Scallion Beef was a favorite of many at the table.

Obvs I didn't try it but it sure did look good! The Coconut Fried Rice was something special.

I can recall the taste quite vividly as I write this entry. The large juicy shrimp were perfectly cooked with the rice, coconut, ginger and a perfect blend of spices that was mouthwateringly good. I was thrilled when another plate landed on our table. The celebration was perfected with a beautiful cake.

I LOVE CAKE. Especially delicious Red Velvet. 

It was absolutely delicious. So good that I couldn't help myself and started eating it before I took a picture. Penang had a lot to offer and I was happy that the celebration included so many marvelous treats. I know there are other outposts of Penang more conveniently located and I look forward to sampling them soon.

Hungry yet?