Graffit Restaurant

After several rescheduled dates, MM and I were finally able to get together for dinner. I chose Graffit, a restaurant remarkably close to MM's house so it was the perfect location.   The restaurant is a few steps below ground level but they manage to keep it well lit so you don't get the sense you're in a basement. We initially sat in the dining room but were dissatisfied with the menu options. After reviewing the menu, we asked for the tapas menu. That looked a lot more promising but we were told we had to move to the other room. Oddly enough we were allowed to order from the dinner and tapas menu. Keep in mind when I say room, it's not as though there is a door separating the space. Fine the tables are higher in one part but it's still the same restaurant! I still don't understand why they operate in that manner. It's distracting and could cause confusion for guests that don't know they can use different menus in different parts of the restaurant.

After we got past the table swapping and menu-changing ordeal, we were pretty quick to agree on the items that we would order. Gambas al Ajillo was an easy first choice.

The shrimp in garlic sauce looked very different from what I'm used to. The pinkish color led me to believe there would be a spicy bite, but no such bite existed. Don't get me wrong it tasted good but I think their point was to make sure nothing tasted like it looked. They were successful but I don't know if that was a good thing. The Patatas Braviolis were delicious.

The presentation was great and they tasted incredible. The bravioli sauce was sweet and spicy. This was definitely my favorite dish.  The Empanadillas de Vieras y Mejillones were also pretty good but a little strange.

They were filled with scallops, leeks and mussels. They tasted more like egg rolls than empanadas. By far the most disappointing thing we ate was the Bocaditos De Pescado En Adobo.

It looked pretty good but in the end I was disappointed. It's already difficult to fry fish whole, it's far worse when you decide to cut it into pieces. The batter was falling off and the pieces were extremely greasy. I think they have since taken this item off the menu.

Overall Graffit was a strange experience. The seating and menu fiasco is jarring and makes for an unappetizing start. The tapas menu is more promising than the dinner menu but that's not to say the items on there are all well executed.  The concept of each dish is great but in the end the execution often falls flat. There are lots of tapas restaurants in NYC that far surpass Graffit. I recommend you try one of those instead.

Hungry yet?

Rosa Mexicano

It’s finally here, Ms. O’s Bridal Shower! Her bridesmaids organized a fantastic event at Rosa Mexicano.  We were served a delicious 3 course menu.

To start, we were served two appetizers family style.  Guacamole en Molcajete and Ensalada de Naranja.

The Guac is served with warm corn tortillas, crispy tortilla chips and tomatillo-habanero.  Yummers!

The Salad was comprised of Bibb lettuce, tangerine and blood orange segments, crisp watercress and radishes and dressed with hibiscus vinaigrette.

While the salads had all the right ingredients, the lettuce pieces were huge and the vinaigrette was a little bit salty.  Although in fairness, I put it on the same plate as my salted tortilla chips so perhaps I made them salty.

For my entrée, I selected Salmon Manchamanteles.  Grilled organic salmon over black beans with zucchini and roasted corn, mole of ancho chiles and grilled pineapple.

The salmon was medium which was perfect.  The mole was incredibly flavorful.  Ancho chilies were not too spicy and went great with the black beans.  The pineapple felt misplaced in this dish and almost like a summery afterthought.  It photographed well, but added no value to the meal.

One of the other options was Tacos de Carne Asada.  Luckily one of the other guests was kind enough to photograph her dish for me.

Grilled marinated steak served in a cast iron skillet with Chihuahua cheese, red bean chorizo chili, house slaw, chile de arbol salsa and warm corn tortillas.

The third option was Enchiladas Suizas, but no one at my table ordered that dish.

The entrees were served with house rice and refried black beans.

The rice was spicy but tasted slightly undercooked.  The refried beans were perfect, but I didn’t need to add much to my plate considering I already received a healthy portion.

After the entrees and a few games, we were served dessert.  Churros en una bolsa and seasonal fresh fruit.

Sad to say I didn’t try the churros, but they looked really delicious.

Rosa Mexicano is a restaurant that offers great options not just for individual meals but for groups as well.  Their private room was perfect for the bridal shower and I was filled to the brim by the time I left. 

Hungry yet? 

Flor de Mayo

After reluctantly making our way back to NYC, Mr. G and I decided to pick up some take out and have dinner at his place.  Flor de Mayo is a Peruvian Chinese restaurant.  Weird right?  Wrong! It’s a perfect combination!

We ordered half fried chicken with shrimp fried rice.  The chicken is so incredibly well seasoned, I am shocked at the deliciousness.  The spices are perfectly blended.  Not spicy, just very flavorful.

The shrimp fried rice is standard Chinese rice with shrimp.  Not nearly as delicious as the chicken, but quite flavorful.

Flor de Mayo apparently has two locations.  Mr. G and I usually go to the one on Amsterdam, but tonight we picked up from the Broadway location.  They were really packed and we waited a while, but it was definitely worth it.

Hungry yet?

Calle Ocho

Today was the annual JP Morgan Corporate Challenge.  While my team was out there for the run/walk, I was stuck in the office on a conference call.  Luckily, the call ended in time for me to join the team for dinner at Calle Ocho.  This upper west side "Nuevo Latino" restaurant is the perfect place for big groups.  When you first walk in, you’re in the bar/lounge area.  This low-lit area is definitely the place to be if you’re just trying to chill for a bit.

Our group headed to the back.  The back has a large dining area.  I’ll get to the food in a moment, but first I must comment on the atmosphere.  Calle Ocho is LOUD. So if you’re looking for a quiet dinner, this is not the place.  The lounge area is a little quieter but I’m sure it gets wild as the night goes on.  The servers were definitely overwhelmed tonight.  It took them 10 – 15 minutes before they came to take our order.  Not cool.  Not cool at all.

Okay on to the food.  We ordered a number of appetizers and while I didn’t eat all of them, I tried to take notes on the comments from others.

The appetizer tray included bacon wrapped almond stuffed dates, Crispy calamari with Dominican honey cashews and organic sprout salad, Puerto Rican rum glazed shrimp with crispy onions and avocado salad, and Lobster filled empanadas.

I obviously didn’t mess with the bacon and truth is I don’t fancy dates so I don’t think I missed much.  The calamari was fantastic!  The honey made an already tasty treat even more delightful!

The lobster empanada was okay.  I loved the filling, but the crust didn’t really do it for me.

Next up our Gallitos arrived.  Beef and chicken Costa Rican soft tacos.  It is usually served with shrimp too so I was super bummed that there was no shrimp.  The chicken was incredible! So well seasoned and incredibly succulent I could have sworn it was cooked for a week!

At some point a few other things arrived.  I wasn’t able to photograph most of them but I did catch the Beet salad.

It was actually pretty good.  But as one of my coworkers said, “Best beet salad I’ve ever had, but with all these other things on the menu, why order beet salad?”  Agreed.  The plantain was also quite good.  They brought out sweet and green.  I only messed with the sweet though.

After stuffing our faces beyond belief, we still had the nerve to order entrees.  Most of my coworkers were smart enough to either split entrees or order small meals.  I on the other hand went with the Paella.  Obviously meant for two or at least one really hungry person. 

Look at that sucker! Huge right? I loved every bite.  Not that I took too many bites.  Truth is I only had a few then I called it a night.  I will say I was impressed that they were willing to make their Paella sans chorizo and instead they added chicken sausage.  Good work.

Calle Ocho has incredible food and an extremely lively atmosphere.  I highly recommend it for a fun high energy dining experience.

Hungry yet?

Tasty Tapas

After spending hours in Bloomingdale's assisting Mr. G as he bought a few new suits, I had worked up quite the appetite (and attitude).  Mr. G and I went to Cafe Ronda for what turned out to be a very enjoyable dining experience.

We were quite hungry when we arrived for our 9pm reservation so we quickly ordered several tapas.  It didn't take long for them to start arriving.  Rather than the order they arrived, I'll present them best to worst.

By far the most delicious, the Gambas al Ajillo.  Sauteed shrimp, EVOO, shaved garlic & red pepper flakes.  I was shocked that it was tomato based.  I expected it to be garlic and oil.  The shrimp was fresh and the sauce was spicy.  Even after the shrimp was gone, I dipped the bread in the sauce.

Next up, the chicken empanadas.  I have never eaten such a flaky, soft and tasty crust in my life.  Seriously.  Usually empanadas, to me, are about the filing.  Don't get me wrong, the filling was spectacular.  Spicy chicken, tomato based sauce, and possibly some potatoes.

Speaking of potatoes, dish number three was Bravas, spiced rough-cut potatoes.  Bravas were fantastic.  There was something dripped on top of them.  I thought it was cheese, but Mr. G observed that it could have been a spicy mayonnaise.  Whatever it was, it was fantastic!

The Gulas (magic whitefish threads of airy angel's air in sizzling olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes.  It was okay.  Not the best thing I've ever eaten, and I probably wouldn't order it again.  It tasted fine, but I feel like if I was eating brains, this would be the consistency.  Hey, I'm just sayin.

Last and definitely least was the most disgusting thing I've eaten in a long time...Mejillones Rellenos (crispy stuffed creamy mussels).  Simply put, they were gross.  Deep fried top, bottom was mussel shell, middle was mixed creamy crap.  How can you serve something that's both hot and cold? YUCKY.  I could barely even take a bite.

Dessert doesn't count on the list.  Panqueques de Dulce de Leche (milk caramel crepe with vanilla ice cream).  It was amazingly delicious.  The waiter told us this was their most popular dessert, and I definitely can see why.  I'm not a big crepe fan, but it went well with the hot delicious caramel and the cold tasty ice cream. We'll definitely be going back, but there are plenty of tapas places to try so it may be a while before we make it back.