frockanrolla: In a New York Steak of mind....

Sunday, 10 June 2012

In a New York Steak of mind....

Posted by Reem Adeeb

So let's get down to the brass tacks: FOOD!...and the wondrous variety of restaurants in New York City.

Let me start with: BREAKFAST...(the Most important meal of the day...especially for my BF who can devour 2 portions of pancakes and still have breath enough to speak.. 'Tis a wondrous sight to behold...

*GORGEOUS PANCAKES AT THE MUSE HOTEL*

*HEALTHY MUESLI WITH RED BERRIES AND ALMONDS @BLUE FIN-
W HOTEL TIMES SQ.*

*BANANA BUTTER PANCAKES WITH CARAMELISED BANANAS
@BLUE FIN*

BLUE FIN:

I always recommend going out for breakfast and seeing what else is out there and we just happened upon BLUE FIN while on our discovery walk of Times Square... What I didn't realise was the fact that it is part of the W Hotel in Times Square..not that it made a blind bit of difference.

The restaurant is modern and sleek and since we got there early...nice and quiet. Our waiter looked like a cross between John Kennedy Jnr and Matthew Fox...yes, I am not exaggerating ; an eye candy appetiser.. And he was extremely good at his job! He found us a French newspaper which kept the BF happy while we tucked into our breakfast of pancakes and my all time favourite: Cinnamon bagel and cream cheese. Although the pancakes at The Muse not only tasted gorgeous but also looked pretty as a picture, I can guarantee that what the pancakes lost on presentation at the Blue Fin,made up for in taste and variety...the Citrus ricotta pancake is a dream!

Perfect service and lovely breakfast/brunch menu.

LUNCH:
UPPER EAST SIDE: LAVO
When it is hot(as it was) and you have enough shopping bags to drag your knuckles on the floor...a time out has to be called for lunch. Off to LAVO ..(which my sister and I went to last year) wanting my BF to get a taste of this fab Italian restaurant from the folks who brought you TAO.
LAVO had not changed...it was as welcoming as Cheers and nobody knew my name. It has retained the easy breezy bistro feel that I remembered so well and the equally excellent service. The food hadn't suffered at all and I immediately ordered the Chopped Louie salad with lobster..which was so mouth wateringly divine when I had it last year that the memory of it lingered tenaciously,like a raspberry seed between my teeth(tenacious buggers those seeds.) BF went for the Lavo Burger with truffle fries...the picture speaks volumes!...

*LAVO BURGER &TRUFFLE FRIES@ LAVO*

*CHOPPED LOUIE SALAD*

THE MEATPACKING DISTRICT: SPICEMARKET

Spicemarket has been around a while but boy! does the food still pack a punch and the service: 5*. Jean Georges still has his finger...heck,his fist on the pulse of cuisine...no two ways about it. Try the chicken skewers in peanut sauce and the mango ice cream...to cry for!

DRINKS: THE ROYALTON HOTEL
@FORTY FOUR
...Which was around the corner from us and perfect for early evening cocktails. The Royalton has undergone a face lift since last I went many...many years ago...it has that dark,broody and heavy lidded sexiness about it that lends one to imagine what could possibly be going on in the rooms. I had a refreshing Mojito while my BF was more adventurous ordering a cocktail that was vodka based and tasted like an Indian takeaway...yes,there was curry powder in it. Not for the weak kneed...

DINNER: KOI @ THE BRYANT PARK HOTEL
2 words: Edamame dumplings:with lobster,mushroom and mirin broth....and here are 3 more words for you:Koi crispy rice:topped with spicy tuna...(hot sushi that packs a crunch)
Now let me expand : the above are part of the signature dishes at KOI ...and they are anything but coy,I can tell you..they are as chic and refined as they are delicious. Designer mouth fulls that make you want to cry:
"PLEASE SIR...CAN I HAVE SOME MORE???"
Boris our waiter pumped our hands as he handed us the bill...I felt like we were at a pep rally:
"Nice to meet you guys...have a good night"...Did I tell you how super friendly everyone was in New York?I have never shaken hands with my waiter before, all my BF needed was a back slap to go with it...and they could have broken into song.
NB:the combination of jet lag and cocktails made me too woozy to remember my name let alone to take pictures of the food...sorry!)

BECCO
We wanted someplace walking distance and Becco was on a restaurant lined street: restaurant row to be precise.A lovely and lively Italian,family style restaurant that made me want to break out into song Dean Martin style while I scoured the place for fellow gumbas. I didn't have to look far...cos right beside us were a French couple as confused as we were by the menu.
Let me explain it to you as Monsieur Gumba explained it to us: in order to have the trio of pasta I saw on other people's plates and you had to choose Becco's 3 Daily Pasta menu: $22.95 per person.
There is a choice between Becco's version of the classic Cesar salad..which in fairness isn't that different from the classic....and the antipasto misto:an assortment of grilled and marinated vegetables and assorted seafood (calamari and baby squid.) Then you get to heartily sample the renowned and unlimited...with the emphasis on unlimited " 3 daily pasta du chef"...now that was worth eating the so so appetisers. There was homemade spaghetti bolognese, penne in tomato sauce with peas and artichoke ravioli.
I only needed a single round,BF went for doubles...and our french gumbas went for thirds.
Good wholesome food at good wholesome prices(there are wines at $25 a bottle.)

JING:

Our last night and we wanted something as unfussy as possible, we were sent back up to 9th ave to the unassuming JING for Asian cuisine that had a wholesome,home cooked feel..all you needed was a tray and the TV and you felt right at home. No fuss,no muss straightforward menu but delicious flavours for unpretentious food.It is a neighbourhood restaurant where you rub elbows with New Yorkers and not fellow tourists. If they like it enough to return,you can be sure you are going to eat some delicious food...and we did.

THE MUNCHIES:

Who doesn't suffer from them after walking from sun up to sundown in New York? I mean you can eat all day nonstop from all the vendors on one street and never have to change blocks !
STARBUCKS: Kept us hydrated and sated with their divine Taizo Iced tea and lemonade and
MAGNOLIA BAKERY: who now has expanded all the way to Dubai and with 3 bakeries in New York, you no longer have to lose your way in Chelsea in order to find the original Magnolia bakery (seen on Sex and the City...)
Red velvet cupcakes with smooth cream cheese on top...like a prized possession we walked the few steps to Rockerfeller plaza and devoured them...Slowwwwly.