i'm the butch, you're the femme

this post has been a long time coming b/c i never miss a Restaurant Week in NYC. except this year Opentable was really slow sending out notices about reservations for Restaurant Week so i didn't get notified until right when it started. luckily for me, i happened to be in class w/Coleslaw who turned out to be just as fanatical about Restaurant Week as me. by the end of the class we had already made reservations at 2 different restaurants.

the 1st place i tried out was Butter and there were no reservation issues b/c we went for lunch vs. dinner. Coleslaw got all adorably dressed up for the occassion whereas i was too lazy to do that and just wore a white polo and jeans. when we showed up at Butter (which has a very datey atmosphere) and since it was the 2 of us, i decided that Coleslaw and i should consider our lunch a pseudo-lesbian date and, based on how we were dressed, i was obviously the butch and she was the femme. the meal at Butter was so delish. Coleslaw got the scallop ceviche app whereas i got lamb ravioli. of course we shared (you should always do this so that you get the best of both worlds). they were both perfect, very light vs. heavy. we ended up getting the same entrees (lamb) which was so tender that neither of us ever had to use a knife. my pseudo-lesbian date was such a nice mid-day lunch and Coleslaw and i got to have lots of heart-to-hearts and philosophical discussions.

later that week Coleslaw, Adidas and i went to Alfama which is a portuguese restaurant in the West Village. amazing. and it was even better that we got to go w/Coleslaw b/c she could advise us on things we didn't know on the menu and she ordered this amazing vinho verde which neither Adidas or i had ever had. i'm much more of a fan of vinho verde than white wine b/c it's a little sparkling but not too overpoweringly sweet like riesling (my least favorite white wines). Coleslaw even ordered off the Restaurant Week menu b/c of this amazing portuguese sausage that's served in flaming alcohol. we let Adidas be the man and take care of the turning while it was cooking in the flame (manly BBQ-style). since there were 3 of us we each got a diff app: goat cheese and pine nut salad, a platter of sliced portuguese sausages (chilled) and an amazing potato soup. the soup was the best, much more dense than the description made it sound (and of course it was Coleslaw that had ordered it). for entrees: shrimp and fish gratin (deliciously cheesy and creamy); a pork and beans stew (eh, not bad. served w/rice. but nothing special); and a hamburger. i know, i know. go to a portuguese restaurant and order a hamburger? but have you ever ordered the Alfama burger? if you have then you wouldn't wonder why anyone would order it. they don't just make the burger patty out of ground meat. there's more in there, but what it is is a mystery to me. and the fries are amazing. and then there was dessert. Coleslaw and i got this amazing pudding-thing that was topped w/crumble similar to that found on coffee cake. i could live on that crumble alone.

of course Restaurant Week wouldn't be complete w/o meeting up w/Bubby, Kiks and Debs. since we couldn't get reservations at One if by Land, Two if by Sea we picked Brasserie 8 1/2 instead. i went here last time w/Pal so i was prepared for that midtown work-trendy crowd. we ended up getting a pretty good booth in the back and Bubby and i immediately made a pact to share whatever we got. it ended up being pretty funny b/c everybody got the lobster consomme and duck entree except for me. the consomme was pretty good, altho a little salty but it was served w/3 lobster dumplings and those things were awesome. the duck was average, really nothing special. for me i got the scallop ceviche (the scallops were teeny-tiny. i always forget that the there's a difference btwn scallops and diver scallops which are the big ones i like) and the salmon. i totally got lucky w/the salmon. the portion was ginormous. and it was SO SO delish. aside from a yummy dinner, it was fun to hang out w/the girls and catch up. Debs in particular needed the girly support b/c she was having a rough time w/the job (altho her love life's on the up and up. totally jealous).

i got to finish up the week going to a professional lacrosse game w/Coleslaw and DRC. Coleslaw had scored the tickets from friends she knew who's son plays for the San Jose Stealth (yea, yea, i know...the choice of city's unfortunate but i'm not gonna hold a grudge against a whole city b/c of Gohm). Coleslaw and i were pretty into the game, especially when the son of the ppl we knew got thrown out of the game for fighting (it was awesome! he totally clocked the other guy and that guy went down). DRC was cracking me up tho. she kept saying things like "no, stop it that's mean!" whenever ppl would hit each other w/their sticks while playing. it was very cute. and then she kept texting nerdy pick-up lines to ppl. the night capped off well tho b/c the Stealth won. yea go Stealth!

launching Restaurant Week w/Pal

so i went to my first Restaurant Week dinner last night w/Pal at Brasserie 8 1/2. i should've steeled myself for the night ahead b/c my very first Restaurant Week meal ever had been w/Pal over 2 years ago at Sushi Samba and that night was insanity. this night wasn't much different.

initially i was extremely tired and decided to take a quick nap after work before going to meet Pal. this ended up being a big mistake b/c i overslept and woke up at 7 pm when our reservation was at 7:30 pm. oops. so i booked it over there and finally met Pal and we sat at the bar and waited to be seated. for some reason, even tho i wasn't starving, i was fixated on putting stuff in my mouth and just couldn't stop munching. luckily for me Brasserie 8 1/2 puts yummy spiced nuts and adorable little olives out for customers to munch on so i was content until we got seated.

Brasserie 8 1/2's Restaurant Week menu is actually very good. at the waitress' suggestion i got the Duck, Duck, Duck appetizer (that's just fun to say) and the steak entree. Pal got the Scallop Ceviche appetizer and the striped bass entree. the duck was very good b/c it was in this amazing but light cream sauce which perfectly complemented the soft poached egg and the saltiness of the duck prosciutto and cracklings. i got to try Pal's scallop ceviche and that was also very good w/a nice citrusy flavor and very light and refreshing. my steak was good, tho a little overcooked from the medium rare i'd requested. it came w/a piece of fried camembert which was so yummy (fried cheese? what's not to love?). for dessert, we both got the Chocolate Lounge Sampler which is the most perfect dessert ever w/mini portions of a devil's food cupcake, eclair, cannoli, and lemon tart. i was in heaven.

afterwards we meandered downtown and met w/Pal's "friend" Cherry Pie. we went over to Blue Fin to have a drink and discuss our next plan of attack before heading in a cab over to KeyBar Lounge. you'd never find this place if you didn't know about it b/c there's no sign and the door blends in w/the surrounding walls to be totally unremarkable. the place is pretty small but chill and we all had a good time. a little drama occurred between Pal and Cherry Pie but ultimately it all worked out and we ended up being the last 3 ppl there. that's when Cherry Pie got the idea to play truth-or-dare in the private booth at the back of lounge. of course, being a guy, Cherry Pie really just wanted to play the game so he could try and get me and Pal to do stuff. please. i'm not retarted (although Pal was pretty wasted. she kept threatening that she was going to throw up). the really redeeming part of this place were the Rolo shots we kept ordering, which is one of the most amazing shots i've ever had. it has the texture and taste of frozen hot chocolate w/a little kick after you've drank it. so amazing.

eventually we got kicked out b/c the bar was closing and we started to walk home when Pal started swerving and saying she had to pee. so we stopped at another bar and got her a giant cup of water while Cherry Pie and i had one last beer. when i finally got home and in bed it was 5:00 am. waking up for work was a nightmare.