Empire Steak House

I recently received an invite to dine at Empire Steak House down the street from my office.  I was a bit taken aback that a steak house would invite me to dinner. But the invitation was not one I could turn down considering it highlighted the many seafood options and the availability of chocolate desserts.  Since I have so many meat lovers in my life, it was easy to find someone to come with me.  Ms. A and I arrived on an otherwise quiet Wednesday evening.  The restaurant is in a space that seems to rotate restaurants, but Empire Steak House has been holding that space down since October 2010 and based on my experience I would say they are likely to be around for quite some time.  The dark carpet and dim lighting gives the space an old school steak house feel to it.  I had of course surveyed the menu prior to our arrival and was looking forward to all the seafood I could handle.  We started with  the Jumbo Lump Crabmeat.

I wish I had pressed record on my camera. The presentation was terrific and the server did just that, served! The cocktail sauce was perfect, but they provided us the ingredients in case we wanted to alter the strength.

It was a great way to start off the meal.  It was also quite large and definitely a worthy appetizer for a group.  Ms. A and I reviewed the menu and made our decisions.  She decided to go for the gold and ordered the Prime Rib.

As a non-beef eater, I was taken aback by the size of the monster. Ms. A went at it and made quite a lot of progress. The steak was cooked just as she requested, well seasoned and exceeded her expectations.  I was excited for the arrival of my Seafood Pasta.  It's arrival was preceded by a bib that the server was kind enough to tie around my neck.

The Seafood Pasta was filled with lobster, shrimp, crabmeat, clams and salmon (their fish of the day). I requested a spicy tomato sauce.  The presentation was stellar, but I must admit I was a bit overwhelmed by just how much food had landed in front of me.  The pasta was cooked al dente and the lobster was delicious, though I wish I asked for it out of the shell. Unfortunately, the shrimp was slightly overcooked and under salted. It was just enough to notice so that was a bit annoying.  Definitely not enough to ruin the meal though or even warrant a complaint, merely worth noting.  We were both stuffed after our entrees, but of course that didn't stop us from having dessert. I definitely had a difficult time deciding so the only solution to that is multiple desserts.

The crunchy crust of the Chocolate Mousse Cake was the highlight of dessert. It complimented the very smooth texture of the mousse. I loved it. We also had the creme brulee.

The greatest benefit of having two desserts is the balancing of flavors.  It means you never get sick of either and can accomplish your mission, which of course is to leave nothing uneaten.

I ordinarily would not select a steakhouse, but was pleasantly surprised by the experience at Empire. The food was delicious (save the undersalted pasta) and the dessert was amazing.  The service was also terrific and I noticed the bells and whistles were in place for every table not just ours. I look forward to returning this summer once the meal eaters arrive.

Hungry yet?

The Hudson House

I heart my mama bear like no other. For her birthday, the family got together and had dinner at The Hudson House in Nyack.  It was a spectacular affair and we had a wonderful time. We started with a few small plates. The Gnocchi of the day was my favorite.

Bite size pieces of potato gnocchi with arugula in a light tomato sauce.  As I write this, my mouth is watering a bit. The Surf & Turf also made its way onto our table.

A 4 oz Filet Mignon was served on a bed of spinach and topped with one shrimp. It was also served with crabmeat tater tots. I generally stayed away from this dish but couldn’t help but pop one of the “tater tots” into my mouth. YUM! That warmed up my taste buds to devour the Lump Crab Cake.

It was jam packed with crab and served on a bed of shaved fennel.  Scrumptious! They also had a special small plate that night, Pheasant. 

It was perfectly crisp and served on a bed of mushrooms. I didn’t care much for the sauce but the bird had perfectly crispy skin and was incredibly tender inside. Yum! Soon after our entrées started arriving.  With all the beef eaters in the family, it was no surprise that steak was a favorite on our table. 

The massive Porterhouse was apparently quite tasty as were the potatoes, however the broccoli rabe was underappreciated.  Even more steak arrived on the table.

Apologies, but when it comes to beef I can’t say I know the difference unless I’m paying attention.  This was also a tasty cut because by the time I turned around, there was no trace remaining on the plate.  Mama Bear ordered the Rainbow Trout.

It was a good-looking piece of fish, served with warm fingerling potatoes and sautéed spinach. I was quite pleased when she let me sample it.  The potatoes and spinach were perfect. The crispy skin of the trout was delicious. I only wish it was a bigger piece of fish. Not to worry, I was thrilled with my Duck two ways.

The delicious confit and the slices of duck breast were laid on a bed of sweet potato puree. There was also some Brussels sprouts on the plate. I pretended they didn’t exist. Just too green for my liking. The Free Range Chicken was quite impressive.

I’m usually unmoved by chicken, but this one, served with a side of potato & leek gratin was remarkable.  It was moist and flavorful. The chicken vinaigrette was excellent and likely why the chicken stayed so moist.  

The experience at The Hudson House was nothing less than fabulous. The food was excellent and I realized I shouldn’t have had such low opinions of Rockland County dining. Hudson House often has a lot of specials, so you will likely have to deal with the server spending an inordinate amount of time reciting the long list. Once you get past that though, there are great options and you will certainly enjoy your meal.

Hungry yet?

Chez Lucienne

My first post of 2012 and it’s #400! Wowee! It’s only right that such a milestone is about my meal with my PIC and Mr. R.   The traveled far and though I wasn’t their final destination, it was nice to serve as a resting place.  Since Mr. R is a fan of French (but not expensive French) I figured Chez Lucienne in my ‘hood would be a great place to dine.  It’s been open for a couple of years, but I’ve never managed to make it there. The décor is uninteresting, aside from the semi open kitchen. I always like taking a peek at what’s going on back there.  We started with a few appetizers.  PIC ordered the Saucisson en croute.

A roasted pork sausage wrapped in a pastry shell, served with lentil salad. Leave it to him to order something I can’t eat.   He enjoyed it and tied to stop himself from finishing it so he could save room for his entrée.  Mr. R and I shared two appetizers.  The Escargots De Bourgogne Paysanne arrived first.

Lovely little snails cooked in garlic and butter with a mix of spinach and tomatoes served on a toasted baguette. It was heavenly!! The flavors were incredibly rich and the addition of spinach added a nice weight to each bite.  We also ordered the Mussels Hot Hot Hot.

They were fantastic! It reminded me of my trip to The Mussel Pot. Now I can get delicious spicy mussels without leaving my neighborhood!  The appetizers were definitely a win.  Unfortunately, the rest of the meal was less so.  Mr. R ordered the Bavette a l'echalotte.

It didn’t quite live up to his expectations. He described the Grilled herb marinated skirt steak as pedestrian at best.  He wasn’t the only one left disappointed.  PIC ordered Coq Au Vin.

PIC was very disappointed.  He noted that it was not very good and leaves a lot to be desired.  The only thing that he though acceptable were the pearled onions.  After tasting it, I must say I agree with him.  Since Thursdays are Fish Night, I ordered the Truite Arc-en-ciel.

The Seared Butterfly Rainbow Trout was served with a salad. The beauty of fish night is you get to pick which sauce you want them to serve your fish with.  I chose Provencale.  What was supposed to be a blend of tomato, basil and olive ended up tasting like tomato paste.  I used just a little bit before I gave up on using the sauce.  The fish tasted good, but nothing special about it.  Perhaps it would be better with a different sauce.

I will certainly return to Chez Lucienne, but will probably stick to the appetizers and mussels.  The entrees were lacking. By no means were our entrées bad, the appetizers just overshadowed them.  Perhaps it’s because we ordered as the kitchen was getting ready to close, but I suspect they just do a better job with some dishes than others.  I look forward to returning on fish night for $12.95 mussels!

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?

Brazil Grill

Ms. H is finally making the big move to NYC. She came apartment hunting and brought Mrs. H with her. I was fortunate to miss out on the apartment viewings but still be included in the post search dinner. When they selected Brazil Grill for dinner I was even more excited considering Mrs. H is an expert in the cuisine. The menu had a lot of variety and I had a difficult time deciding. Luckily Mrs. H took the lead and we started off with Salgadinhos Fritos, which was a mix of fried goodies.

The Coxinha was a fried ball filled with magnificently delicious shredded chicken. 

The Cod Fish Croquets were also well flavored and tasted great. I didn’t sample the Pastel. It is a pastry shell filled with ground beef or cheese. For my main course I ordered the Bobo de Camarao.

A delicious bowl of sautéed shrimp in palm oil, coconut milk and yucca sauce. The sauce was very flavorful. There were many different spices. I was initially skeptical of the combination of palm oil and coconut milk but it turned out just fine. I was a little annoyed that my food was sitting under the heat lamp long enough to form a slight film. bah! I also had food envy when Ms. H's Muqueca de Peixe arrived.

The Brazilian fish stew was a mix of coconut milk and dende oil in tomato broth. The aroma alone was enough to make my mouth water. The fish tasted great. The rich flavors of the stew had definitely seeped into the fish and they were one. Mrs. H ordered the Picanha Na Chapa.

Apparently, it is Brazil's national meat dish. It consists of slices of top sirloin steak served in a sizzling pan with caramelized onions. She commented that this is the best cut of meat because it is a mix of flank and sirloin. She really enjoyed it and Ms. H sampled a few bites. Our dishes were served with white rice. We also had beans, French fries and fried bananas. Wow what a meal. The only drawback was the very hands off staff. I had to beg before my water was refilled and I guess since they know their food is good, no one stopped by our table after the food arrived.

Brazil Grill is delicious and with such an expansive menu I look forward to returning so I can try something new.

Hungry yet?

Al di La Trattoria - Park Slope

Mr. A and Ms. Y moved to Brooklyn earlier this month. While they lived on the UWS I never visited so I figure one trip out to Brooklyn should make it clear that I care. Not only that MM came with me so they have to know it's special. Their new home in Park Slope is beautiful and most importantly located close to a strip with many restaurants. We decided to go to one of those restaurants.

Al di La does not take reservations so when we showed up at 5:58, two minutes before they opened there was already a line. Luckily we were seated in the first round. The restaurant is cute. It seats about 40 people and has some interesting decorations. The one sheet paper menu appears to be printed daily. It had many options, but they were so similar it appeared as though the menu had no real depth. I eventually found something I'd be willing to eat, as did the others. Ms. Y started off with the Winter White Salad.

Somehow I managed to capture the color of the shaved cauliflower leeks rutabagas turnips salsify Jerusalem artichokes celeriac champagne vinaigrette and crumbled cheese. Considering the lack of green and the use of so many vegetables it was still a really delicious salad. The combination of the vinaigrette and other ingredients created a slightly creamy dressing. MM ordered the Blood Orange Salad.

Yea those are really oranges.  Navel, Cara Cara and Blood oranges with fennel, red onions, pomegranate seeds and mint. I actually didn’t taste it but everyone else seems to think it was fine. Mr. A ordered the special seafood appetizer. It was a ceviche combo.  He definitely won (aside from the whole grilled polenta business).

Octopus, mackerel and razor clams. The mackerel was the best because it had a little kick at the end. The octopus was also pretty good thanks to the chickpeas. The clams were boring and didn’t really taste like ceviche. I ordered the Steamed Bouchot Mussels.

You know how I feel about mussels. Never have they failed to satisfy me. Well I guess there's a first time for everything. Congrats Al Di La your mussels sucked. They were so regular it was underwhelming. The broth which was allegedly seasoned with white wine, tomato, parsley and chili tasted salty, which turned out to be a recurring theme for the dinner. The worst part is rather than serving it with bread for me to dip in the broth, I got a little surprise when I got close to the bottom.

Yup there's my bread just lying there soaking wet. It's no longer considered grilled bread when it's moist and besides no one likes soggy bread.  No one.  I was sour after my appetizer, but still willing to give the place a chance.  Ms. Y ordered Spaghetti Alle Vongole.

A nice plate of pasta with Manila clams in a white wine garlic sauce.  We all tasted it, and had a similar reaction. Salty.  Womp womp.  Mr. A and MM both ordered the Hanger Steak (shock).

Apparently it was very “I’m eating balsamic vinegar” and not every delicious.  We repeatedly noted how salty the food was, however I think my Galletto Alla Diavola took the cake. 

It was obviously a shy little chicken – look at its posture.  When I read diavola, I thought it said diavolo (my favorite spicy sauce!).  Definitely not what was on the plate.  Regardless, I was looking forward to digging into this charcoal-grilled baby chicken. It was served with a fennel salad and mashed potatoes. The fennel salad helped to cut through some of the saltiness from the over reduced sauce.  The potatoes were probably the best thing I ate in the restaurant.   Such a shame.

When they brought the dessert menu, I couldn’t help but laugh at the idea that I would order one more thing from this restaurant.  Al di La should be called La Di Da because it's not worth the hype.  I’m so glad we didn’t have to wait on line to eat here because it would have been even that much more disappointing.  At least the company was good – and we had a great dessert elsewhere.

Hungry yet?

Birthday Brunch Part Deux

After a fabulous dinner at Momofuku, we sang our hearts out for several hours at a Karaoke spot then hauled back uptown to sleep for a few hours before brunch.  Yes, it's true, all I did for my birthday was eat! Il Bastardo was so good the first time I went that I decided that a few weeks later it would be the perfect place for my birthday brunch.  Since David Chang is so limiting in how many people can attend his meals, I made sure that I could have at least one meal with as many of my favorites as possible.  I’ve already adequately described what makes this place awesome, so this will be strictly about the food.

The French Toast gets top billing again and several of the diners ordered this fantastic dish. It was just as good as last time.  I also made sure to get a side of the sautéed potatoes. Yum yum yum!!! My next homemade brunch will certainly include my version of these stewed potatoes.  Several people also ordered the Steak and Eggs accompanied by potatoes and spinach.

While I can’t attest to the taste, I noticed several empty plates so I’m sure they were spectacular (or my friends were REALLY hungry!)  

Another popular dish was the Eggs Benedict with Maryland Crab Cakes.

Negative on the soupy eggs for me, but I was all over the crab cakes.  Even my Marylanders complemented the cake. Woohoo!  I also had a chance to sample the pancakes.

They were delicious! Not quite the flavor of the Lemon Ricotta ones, but hey you can’t win ‘em all!  They definitely won on the pasta front.  Ms. O ordered the Rigatoni.

I was a big fan! Al dente  pasta and sauce cooked perfectly.  Il Bastardo was nothing short of awesome. Yea their service was a little slow, but they were very generous. The atmosphere was lively, the company was spectacular and it was a great way to end the fantastic weekend of eating.  Can't wait to go back!!

Hungry yet?