5 & Diamond

After repeatedly stating that we would brunch, S-dot and I finally got together.  I heart my neighborhood and all the new restaurants.  We decided that brunch at 5 & Diamond was the way to go.  The restaurant is kinda tiny and only seats about 30 people.  They have a bar area that seats an additional 5 – 7 people.  On the rainy but warm day, I walked over there pretty quickly so I was early.  I spent time looking over the menu and couldn’t wait to order.

We decided to share (I know! Me…sharing!) The Pancakes, eggs, scrambled eggs and chicken sausage were served with a side salad.

The pancakes were pretty good. I’m still convinced that my pancakes are better than most restaurant pancakes.   Everything else on the plate was pretty average.  The most spectacular part of it is that they served all those items together. It’s surprisingly difficult to get pancakes and eggs together at brunch.  The Fried Chicken dish was pretty good.

The chicken was a little dry, but well seasoned.  It was also served with a ridiculously rich mac and cheese.  

The biscuit brought everything together nicely.  

There are other reasons to go to brunch at 5 & Diamond, but I’ll let you go there to figure it out yourself ;-)

I’m hoping to try out the dinner there at some point. The menu definitely holds promise.

Hungry yet?

Sel et Poivre

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of dining at Sel et Poivre a reasonably priced French bistro on the Upper East Side.   On that particular Thursday, the restaurant was bustling.  There were a number of people standing by the bar and they eventually dissipated, but many of them ended up staying for dinner.  I was fortunate to be there for a press dinner so I was able to try several items from the Tasting Menu.

We started with a Fish Soup, which is a puree of red snapper, shellfish paste and other fantastic spices.  It originated in the South of France and was delightful.  It was even better when topped with a little slice of bread, swiss cheese and aioli.

The Fish Soup was a great starter, but I was even more pleased with the Celery root remoulade with red beets.

I was a little reluctant about the remoulade, but I loved it. Of course the beets also made my mouth very happy. The dish had a nice bite to it and I definitely finished every last bite.  I was even more pleased with the Skate Fish.

It was very aromatic and I felt like I could taste it just based on the smell.  It was cooked with butter, lemon and capers and served with basmati rice.  This was definitely a winner. I can see myself returning for this dish.  The fish was so light and cooked just right.  The Calves liver a la Lyonnais was a new one for me.

Since I don’t eat beef, I can’t actually remember the last time I ate liver.  I know as a child I was a fan, but all I could think while cutting into this was poor calf! L However, I was actually really pleased with the taste.  I probably would not order it with so many other options on the menu, but if someone else ordered it I would definitely have a couple of bites. The mashed potatoes were also really good!  After that many courses, I was starting to get full until the server said my favorite word, “dessert!” We were treated to a delicious Terrine de Chocolate.

I've always wondered why chocolate is constantly paired with raspberry.  This was one of those times where I completely understood.  The two flavors complimented each other so well, it was definitely a match made in kitchen heaven.

I waddled out of Sel et Poivre happy as can be. I have spent a couple of weeks thinking about the amazing Skate Fish, incredible Fish Soup and that flawless Chocolate Terrine. I highly recommend Sel et Poivre if you’re looking for a great bistro serving French food without the fuss.

Hungry yet?

Slow Cooked Stewed Chicken and Potatoes

Since I hit the 300th post milestone a few days ago, I was reflecting and looking over my posts. Sadly I realized that I barely have any recipes for this year. I started the year working far more hours than I intended so it's only right that I was spending most of my time eating outside of my home. I have managed to cook a few things in the last couple of months so I'll try to post about those first. But I must admit there are at least 4 restaurant posts up my sleeve!  Still climbing the charts on urbanspoon ;-)

Anyway...a few weeks ago after leaving my Borella's place, I was famished. I guess I spent most of the day hangin’ out and didn't think about food until I decided to go home. Even though I was starving, all I could think about was the slow cooker. I decided to make some stewed chicken and potatoes.

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs

5 medium potatoes, cut in pieces

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomatoes and green chili

1 jalapeno diced

1 small red onion diced

1 clove of garlic

3 tsp chili powder

salt and black pepper to taste

Season chicken with salt, pepper and chili powder.

Add chicken to slow cooker. Combine with tomatoes, tomatoes & green chili, jalapeno, onion and garlic.  

Note that very little water evaporates from the slow cooker so if you want this thick instead of soupy, you should drain the tomatoes.  Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours.

While the chicken is cooking, season the potatoes with the same spices as the chicken.  

Add to the slow cooker after 3 hours then cover and cook for another hour.  

Make sure to tuck the potatoes under everything to make sure they cook well within the hour.

There you have it.  4 or so hours later it was time to eat!

Hungry yet?

The Chocolate Room

After a rather disappointing dinner at Al di La, I refused to leave Brooklyn with a bitter taste in mouth. So to make things sweeter, we decided to head to The Chocolate Room for dessert.

Apparently it's usually packed so we were thrilled when we got a seat within a couple of minutes. As much as I love dessert, I'm usually disappointed because it is only one course of the meal. So imagined how excited I was when this arrived!

To think, they figured out how to expand dessert by offering an amuse bouche. Brilliant! The Chocolate chip Almond cake was delicious! The chocolate was rich and the cake was light so it was a match made in heaven. Eventually we had to order our desserts. So many chocolatey options I had a hard time deciding. MM ordered the homemade Belgian Chocolate ice cream with chocolate nibs.

BTW nibs are apparently something like coffee covered in chocolate. Like MM really needs more coffee! I ordered one of my favorite desserts ever.

Brownie sundae warmed to order with vanilla bean ice cream, hot fudge and whipped cream. You can barely see the brownie but it's down there, I promise. There was a time when I would order this as my entree and get a side of mashed potatoes. I kid you not. This particular brownie was chocolate at its best. The cold ice cream cut through the warmth of the brownie with the whipped cream adding a touch more sweetness. Delightful!!  Ms. Y and Mr. A also ordered the brownie sundae but they went with fresh mint chip. They definitely enjoyed their dessert but it was clear the vanilla bean was a better mate for the brownie. 

The cherry is kinda sour so be careful! So much goodness at The Chocolate Room. I’ll definitely be back. I highly recommend it for anyone who even thinks they might like chocolate a little bit. Although if you're not interested in chocolate that's fine, it doesn't want you either.

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?