David Burke Kitchen

i've had the pleasure (i use this term loosely) of dining at David Burke Kitchen twice: once for Summer Restaurant Week and once for brunch. 

for those that are wondering whether to go to David Burke Kitchen for RW, i'll cut to the chase: it's not bad and you leave feeling full, BUT the experience is food is "meh." so if you were hoping for some mind-blowing experience, DBK will probably leave you disappointed.

ironically, i went to David Burke Kitchen with GI during the summer of 2012. however, our experience is still pretty relevant since the menu options haven't changed too much. when we arrived, we found the restaurant packed which meant we were seated dangerously close to our neighbors (so much so that our neighbor commented to us when our entrees arrived).  also, due to the high ceilings, get ready for a high noise level, although not as bad as Delmonico's Kitchen.

for appetizers, GI and i split the Tuna Tartare Tacos and Lobster Dumpling Soup with Coconut Fennel Creme and Red Watercress. i noticed the current RW offering doesn't have either of these on the menu although there are variations of both (Canal Street Lobster Dumpling Soup and Tuna Sashimi). the soup was the clear winner of our orders. it was beautifully presented, with the bowl placed on the table with the dumplings nestled inside it then the soup poured from a pitcher table side. the flavor was delicate and pleasant, which is what you really want an starter for a 3-course meal to be.  the tacos on the other hand were simply tartare inside a crispy taco shell. no surprises there.

for entrees, GI ordered the Pork Chop with Cumin Bacon, Mango Chutney, Parsley Onion Rings. if you decide to get this, be prepared because this thing is a monster. DBK definitely does not skimp out on portions just because it's Restaurant Week. the mango chutney was refreshingly sweet to counteract the savory pork chop.  however, the pork chop was a little dry, and to battle through such a large dry piece of meat isn't fun. 

i ordered the Short Rib and Cavatelli with Wild Mushrooms and Truffle Cream. again, this is a hunking piece of meat atop a generous serving of pasta. the truffle cream is a cool dollop served atop the dish, which is thoughtful, but i barely tasted any truffle flavor and unfortunately the temperature of my dish was not hot, and the addition of the cool cream didn't do the temperature any favors.  flavor-wise, while this dish was pleasant to eat, it wasn't memorable and there was no impact to it's generic flavor profile.

for dessert, i opted for the Red Velvet Cake in a Jar. this was exquisite. not too sweet, the cake was airy as was the whipped cream layers. a nice end to the meal. the Chocolate Cream Cheese Bar with Hazelnut Whipped Cream was what you would expect of a chocolate dessert, although not too sweet.  btw, if you do decide to go to DBK for RW dinner, definitely get the molten carrot cake. that is to die for delicious. 

so there were highs and lows to our RW dinner. and while the highs were good, i'm not sure it was come-back-again good. 

but then i found myself at DBK again due to a Groupon brunch purchase Sully made. 

walking into DBK during the day was a whole different experience.  although this restaurant is downstairs, there was plenty of natural light and the blue-checkered table clothes gave it a quaint feel. 

due to the Groupon we were confined to a prix-fixe menu. shortly after we arrived, the restaurant was packed with people waiting at the door. our waiter service suffered because of it with a long time before receiving the coffees we ordered or giving our brunch orders or receiving our first course. 

for the starter we both ordered the Yogurt Parfait (our other option being oatmeal). this took forever to come out. and when it did, while the fresh fruit was nice as was the tiny little jar they served it it, the yogurt wasn't particularly cold and it was mighty tart without any fruit to cut it.

for mains, i ordered the Kitchen Eggs Benedict. the twist is that this is served on Crispy Italian Sausage Polenta. this was a good rendition, but nothing special. basically it tasted good and filled me up.

although i was pretty well-fed at this point, since our Groupon included dessert, we ordered the Himalayan Rock Salt Sundae with Milk Chocolate Malt Ice Cream and the above-mentioned Molten Carrot Cake with warm vanilla bean-cream cheese center, cinnamon walnut ice cream. the sundae was way too sweet although when they serve you they do this cool thing where they take out the himalayan rock salt and drip warm caramel off of it onto the sundae table-side. the carrot cake on the other hand was perfect with the cake being not too sweet, then revealing the warm cream cheese center.  the accoutrements help to mellow the dessert out so it's not too sweet, simply comforting.

Delmonico's Kitchen: Winter RW 2013

GI kicked off Restaurant Week 2013 by picking Delmonico's Kitchen. i recently went to Delmonico's for a post-Thanksgiving dinner with Sully which usually would have precluded going there again, especially for a limited menu.

however, Delmonico's Kitchen was one of the participating restaurants that offered a Sunday lunch option. i'm a big fan of participating in RW for lunch, since the menus are often similar to dinner and cost less. in addition, a Sunday lunch meant that Sully could also attend, since his work schedule during the week makes it so he would be too tired to attend a weeknight dinner.

so color me a little surprised that i have no Sunday lunch RW outings coming up. even when my friends chose a restaurant participating in RW Sunday lunch, they opted for a weeknight dinner instead. aarrgh. 

is it because their weekends are too precious? or too precious to spend eating a meal with me? perhaps.

regardless, it was fun to meet up with GI, since i don't get to see him that often (his job often has him travelling and when he's not travelling for work he's travelling for fun) and it was perfect timing since he has a trip to Japan coming up and will be gone for a few weeks.

Delmonico's Kitchen is Delmonico's expansion into midtown, and while some of the aesthetics remain similar, the tone of the restaurant is very different, and definitely has a "midtown" feel to it. the service is less smooth and classic as the downtown location: the server we had at Delmonico's was polite and congenial but all business; the server at Kitchen was a little handsy and a little more personal-in a good and bad way.  similarly, the sommelier we had at Delmonico's was a gruff older gentlemen who offered a little advice regarding the wine options, whereas Kitchen's sommelier simply provided us the large wine list and advised us of the RW wine special (which we ended up ordering. $30 for a bottle pinot noir? i'm in!).

the biggest difference between the 2 is the noise level and the spacing between tables. Kitchen likes to pack it in so that you can't enter or exit your table without inconveniencing your neighbors. in addition, the noise level at Kitchen was way too loud. as soon as we sat down i realized i would have to shout in order to converse with GI across the table. it was so loud that at times it was hard to hear what our waiter was saying.

surprisingly, we weren't offered any bread service. i don't know if that was because we ordered off the RW menu or just the service was so harried. as we left i noticed the table of "ladies-who-lunch" that sat next to us received an entire tray of assorted rolls and breads. 

for appetizers, GI ordered the Scallop Risotto. the risotto was cooked perfectly al dente in that it wasn't too mushy or crunchy. it was slightly sweet and creamy and topped with 1 large scallop, which was well cooked and retained it's original seafood flavor. not a bad appetizer, just not a memorable one. 

i ordered the pasta of the day which ended up being Parpadelle with Bolognese Sauce.  the parpadelle was handmade and was paired with a flavorful bolognese that cut the salty, meaty aspect of the sauce with the lightness of tomato. i had been worried about ordering a pasta dish before attempting to eat a steak, but the appetizer, while substantial, managed to be light as well.

for entrees, GI ordered the Slow Braised Short Rib with Whipped Potato and Garlicky Spinach. this is definitely a filling entree.  the short rib was just short of melt in my mouth but was still sufficiently tender. they provide an ample serving of the potato with the dish (and seem to trade it off with the spinach, which was a meager portion).

i opted for the Filet Mignon with Chef's Seasonal Vegetables (which ended up being carrots and green beans). the filet was cooked exactly how i'd ordered it: medium rare. they maintained the nice char on the outside but kept the inside warm but still rare. if it had been served with a side of potatoes i would have been in heaven.

for desserts, we ordered the New York Cheesecake which was served with blueberries in syrup and Beignets. the beignets were served with a chocolate dipping sauce and a creamy, subtley-lemon white dipping sauce that i can't identify. the beignets were served warm, dusted with powder sugar and were amazing, especially when dipped in the unidentified white sauce. 

Winter RW 2013 has officially started! next stop: Locanda Verde...

Park Avenue Summer (Again?Again)

with all the restaurants available in NY, whenever i do destination dining i tend not to pick the same place twice, unless i'm in a pinch e.g. dietary/ budget/cuisine restrictions, location restrictions, etc.

however, with Summer Restaurant Week rolling around, it was the first time i started to get a little bit weary.it's a lot of work to research every restaurant and their menu then to cross-check your choices with Yelp and blogs to get the best sense of where to spend your hard-earned cash (so as not to have a repeat of the Oak Room). and, as i started to notice last year, since the participating restaurants tend to always be the same cast of characters, i've started to have less and less enticing options if i stick to my "no repeats" rule.

which is how i found myself with reservations for dinner at Park Avenue Summer and Brasserie 8 1/2. after having been to Park Avenue Winter and Park Avenue Summer for restaurant week, i never really thought i would go back to try it again. because although they tout themselves as a seasonal restaurant, their menu options remain the same every season. so while the options may the be the freshest ingredients for that season, when it's the same options, it's not really that innovative or impressive.

however, this summer, they came out with a slightly varied menu so when Bubby choice Park Avenue Summer from my list of vetted and approved restaurants, i happily made the reservation.

getting there slightly early for our 8:30 reservation, i grabbed a seat at the bar. i hadn't paid much attention the last time Kiddo and i were there, but the summer decor is far less impressive than the winter decor and borders a little on kitschy. but then again, how much decor do you need to emphasize summer when it's still slightly light outside even though it's past 8 pm? maybe summer's the kind of season that just speaks for itself.

in contrast to the last time, the restaurant felt much more packed and trendy. the crowd consisted of young 20-and-30-somethings dressed in the casual-chic NYC uniform that everyone is seen wearing at these types of places: it screams while-i-may-not-be-wearing-a-suit-i-can-still-afford-to-eat-here-jealous?

as we sat down to our table, i was informed of a nice extra that wasn't available on the on-line menu: the restaurant is also doing a promotional wine offer of $6 for a glass of red or white as well as some suggested bottles of wine. we opted for the most economical bottle of white ($31) since we intended to order predominantly seafood for our appetizers and entrees.

all the appetizers we ordered were amazing. there wasn't a bad one out of the bunch.  we ordered:

Roasted Baby Beets with Lemon Poppy and Kunik Goat Cheese: the most "summer" of all the appetizer offerings. although i never opt for beets in a self-serve salad, nor do i ever prepare or purchase beets from the supermarket, i've always liked them when prepared in restaurant salads (the 2 times i've ordered them). and these were exquisite in a sweet and tangy flavor that was given a summer feeling through the citrus sauce. so good and most representative of "summer."

Mussels and Squid Ink Pasta with Red Curry Fra Diavolo: if you love seafood, this appetizer will pay off in spades. there was a serious amount of mussels in this dish to the point of overshadowing the pasta. you really have to dig through a trove of mussels before you get to the pasta at the bottom of the bowl. but when you do, you find a great al dente pasta that's been flavored with the juice from the mussels and the spicy sweet curry/diavolo sauce.

Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Avocado, Strawberry & Passion Fruit ($5 supplement): great portion and very well done soft shell crab although slightly salty. however, when eaten together with the sweet and softly textured accompaniments, it made for a perfect bite.

honestly, the appetizers were the highlight of the meal. for entrees we ordered:

Grilled Rainbow Trout with Kale, Lemon Aioli, White Anchovies: the trout was well cooked with a crispy skin and moist flesh. again the flavors remained fresh and not heavy most likely due to the lemon aioli and the kale is fried and retains its crisp.

Organic Scottish Salmon with Crispy Taro and Cucumber Salad: a well cooked fish, if a little bland. i also sometimes forget how much meat is in a salmon filet, which i categorize with cooked tuna as "steaks of the sea." due to the accompaniments, it was once again the most "summer" of the entrees, including the slightly bland salmon meat.

Potato Gnocchi with Sweet Corn and Summer Truffles: i've actually already had this dish since it was offered as an appetizer for last summer's Restaurant Week. but it was still great to watch Bubby and Kik's "ecstasy" face when they got a bite of this super rich, super buttery dish. aside from the "sweet corn" and the "summer truffles" this dish is pretty heavy since it's laden with what tastes like a whole bar of butter. but it is SO good.

no surprise that we were pretty full by this time dessert rolled around. but that never really stops us. we ordered:

Chilled Praline Parfait with Chocolate Crumbs and Caramel: you really can't go wrong with this dish if you like traditional chocolate or sweet desserts.

Creme Fraiche Cheese Cake Mousse with Blueberries and Lemon Semolina Cake: i just realized as i copied this item from the Park Avenue Summer Restaurant Week menu why this dessert tasted slightly bland to me. it hadn't registered that the "cake" in this dessert was a lemon semolina cake. i had just assumed it would be a cheese cake since i saw the words "creme fraiche cheese cake." oops. this was a good light dessert that will satisfy those that don't have a strong sweet tooth.
2 scoops of ice cream (Summer Corn and Basil): having learned my lesson from my last venture with Kiddo, i made sure we ordered ice cream instead of the panna cotta being offered. i'm a big fan of the summer corn which is sweet like corn in ice cream form. the basil wasn't my favorite as it kind of reminded me like mint but Kiks loved it.

as always, the bi-annual restaurant week dinner with my girls was a great experience and an opportunity for all 3 of us to get together and catch up (which doesn't happen as often as i would like).

RW Week: Colicchio & Sons

yes, this is mad late. but better late than never? i'd previously mentioned that i made a substantial killing during this year's Winter Restaurant Week. and i wrote about 1 of those experiences, and then got tired and didn't write about any others.


but in my attempt to follow-through more on my intentions, i'm writing about my experience at the Tap Room at Colicchio & Sons.  the Tap Room is the informal dining experience of Colicchio & Sons. it's menu is less extensive and the seating area is the area right in the front of the restaurant. the way i remember it is that it was pretty brightly lit (considering it was evening) so any romantic atmosphere is sort of moot, but it's not a bad place to go, perhaps for some friendly dinners.* which was exactly what i was doing on that particular night.

the only reservation time available had been 8:00 p.m., which isn't that bad of a time. considering i'd made the reservation almost 3 wks in advance was a little (o_O) but hey, i'm not complaining. especially if the food is as good as it's rumored to be. even better was that an impromptu work happy hour happened that day, so i was downing gratis Jamesons on the rocks before i showed up to meet Bubby and Kiks for dinner.


it's always hard to walk away from gratis anything, particularly drinks, so of course i left my work happy hour at the last possible second and ended up having to hop a cab to make my 8 pm reservation. and i kept getting messages from Kiks advising me they would only hold the table for 5 mins after the reservation time. luckily i had a very sympathetic cabbie who, once i advised him of my dilemma, made good time in getting me to the restaurant. he was rewarded with a handsome tip.


so upon barely making it to our table, we spent some time perusing the menu. the RW menu for the Tap Room is a little bit different than most in that it offers a lot of options for the appetizer, entree, and dessert. which is daebak. 

i had already decided on the Roasted Bone Marrow (salse verde & boquerones), Bubby opted for the Housemade Liverwurst (pickles & petite salade), and Kiks chose the Braised Pork Belly (pickles, fennel & yogurt). 

it was my first time eating bone marrow, although i've heard it lauded and revered in the same way foie gras and truffles are spoken about amongst foodies, so i was pretty excited to experience what the buzz was all about. what a let down. not  that it wasn't good, and i can definitely understand why people say it's so decadent, but, honestly, for me it was just "meh." but then again i'm no culinary genius. i mean just look at my previous post where i laud the deliciousness of Popeye's over more artisan fried chickens.

the Braised Pork Belly was also good, but nothing i hadn't had before. it was appropriately tender and flavorful, but wasn't very memorable (i'm having a hard time remembering it right now). the hands down winner of the appetizers was Bubby's liverwurst. but then again, i actually really like liverwurst, so to have it housemade was treat. it's just a great earthy and robust flavor.

for mains, i opted for the Roasted Beef Flatiron (confit potato, cipollini onion, and gremolata). i convinced Kiks to order the Ricotta Cavatelli (short rib & roasted mushrooms) and Bubby ordered the Crispy Veal Breast (braised market vegetables). the beef was good, and cooked as requested (medium rare), but otherwise, nothing memorable. it had a wannabe steak feel to it.

the cavatelli was pretty good, with a dollop of fresh ricotta on top. however, as some other reviews have noted, the pasta was a little overcooked, resulting in it being a little too soft for my taste (and i'm asian. we usually prefer our pasta little softer- maybe because tiny people=tiny teeth?). again, the real winner was Bubby with the veal. it was really good, even if it wasn't exactly crispy. it was cooked to the right amount of tender with earthy flavors that matched the winter.

for dessert, we all shared the Milk Chocolate Praline Custard (hazelnut brittle & passion fruit sherbert), Zeppole (vanilla ice cream & apple butter), and the Meyer Lemon Steamed Pudding (pistachio fennel biscotti & cocoa nib granita). everything was fine, but nothing spectacular that made me want to give up my firstborn so i could continue eating more.

maybe i was expecting too much because of my love for Top Chef, or maybe it was over-hyped, but the only thing i feel about my experience is: been there, done that. 

*i've been perusing pictures from other diners and most of them show that the restaurant is actually pretty dimly lit. maybe my memory was clouded by the 2-3 jamesons i had before i showed up to dinner...

Restaurant Week Comes Out Swinging

as you can probably tell from my blog roll at the side, i'm big into food and eating. i actually have a physical list of places i want to eat at that i take out whenever my friends ask where we should go eat/drink. it probably makes me look really weird, but i like to think of it as "adorkable."

because of the above, i'm a big fan of Restaurant Week. and i don't just go to any place. i spend careful time researching options, looking at menus on-line, and narrowing down the search to usually some 20-odd candidates. then i send out the links to all my friends and let them choose the final choices. 

this year, RW celebrated its 20 year anniversary. as such, the event was longer than it's usual 2 week period and instead spanned from January 16, 2012-February 10, 2012 (so 4 weeks). this made for a lot more eating options.

1. ilili 

kicking off the food adventure was ilili, a lebanese restaurant in the flatiron district. and i have to say, there couldn't have been a better start to RW 2012. ilili offered one of the more generous RW menus i've seen: the choice of 2 mezes, an entree, and a dessert. there was also a multitude of options, which is always a good sign. i hate when a restaurant offers 2 appetizers, 3 entrees (always a chicken/beef, a fish, and a vegetarian option), and 2 desserts. it's just not as fun.

as tradition has it, i always do at least 1 RW dinner with Bubby and Kiks, and sharing the one at ilili was the best option. with the 3 of us, we could really explore the entire menu and since we always share, we could each get a little taste of everything. 

the night was already starting off well when we were served a pre-meal courtesy cocktail by our waitress. something with alcohol, pomegranate, and soda. it was definitely refreshing and helped whet our appetites.

don't let the name "mezes" fool you. these appetizers are a generous portion. when our appetizers arrived, our entire table was full of food! we were mightily impressed the generous portions. for mezes we ordered the following:

Tuna Belly (avocado puree/barberry chutney/radish/beet): meh. the description of this dish is more interesting than the actual execution. it was definitely moist and good, but nothing spectacular. very standard typical fare.

Grilled Sardines (fennel salt/olive oil/lemon): if you like sardines then this is an option to try. it was very crispy on the outside with a nice crunch and a slightly salty bite. great as a mezes. although it did have bones, so it can be a little cumbersome.

Chicken Livers (pomegranate/lemon/butter): holy chicken liver! very liver-y taste but since i like it (i also like liverwurst-'nuff said), i really liked this dish. the more offal-y taste was counteracted by the sweetness of the pomegranate lemon butter. it's very heavy though, and would have been too much for me if i didn't have Bubby and Kiks to share it with.

Kebab Kerez (lamb and beef meatballs/cherry sauce/kataifi): this was one of the superstars of the night.  the meatballs were perfectly moist and flavorful and the cherry sauce was surprisingly not as sweet as i would have thought, keeping the dish balanced in the "savory" category. 

Arnabeet Mekle (cauliflower/red finger chili/mint/labne tahini): the other superstar of the night. this was just absolutely amazing. and perfect for dipping the pita pillows they give you.

Hummus (chickpea puree/lebanese tahini/lemon/olive oil): i was pretty overwhelmed with the food we already had on the table so i didn't really partake of it too much. after all, i had to save room for the rest of the meal, and hummus was at the bottom of my list in terms of standing room in my stomach.

after our smorgasbord of mezes, i was already starting to feel a bit full. i ordered the Roasted Lamb Leg (citrus/beets/mint/walnut/labne) while Kiks and Bubby went for the extra supplement options Abalone Mushroom (moscatel onion/pomegranate/lychee/herbs) [$5 supplement] and Poussain (crispy fried half chicken/garlic whip/lettuce cups/pickles/markook) [$7 supplement]. the lamb was as lamb should be: tender, fork-ready (no knife needed), and was well complemented by the accompanying sauce. however, the better options were Kik's and Bubby's.  the abalone mushroom was extremely light and refreshing, with a tart yet soothing juice. if i remember correctly, the entree comes out cold, which is probably better for summer, but didn't detract from the lightness of the dish, which was a welcome relief from the large amount of food we'd already eaten.  the chicken was a fun activity-entree in that it is best eaten with your hands, ripping apart pieces of chicken and then wrapping it with the lettuce cups and other accoutrements. the chicken was also perfectly cooked: tender and juicy meat with a crispy skin. 

both Bubby and i got the remainder of our meal wrapped up in a doggy bag because we were so full. but of course, RW is a prix fixe and comes with dessert: we got everything except for the ice cream. the Labne Cheesecake (cherry/hibiscus/rose berry) is the type of cheesecake for people who don't like theirs cloyingly sweet but with only a faint, cheesecake-y aftertaste. since it was light, but still creamy and dessert-like, this was my favorite.  Kik's favorite (and no surprise here) was the ilili Candy Bar (chocolate ganache/fig caramel/pistachio)which pretty much lives up to its name. it should be the go-to dessert for chocolate lovers and has a creamy texture with a bit of crunch. the most interesting dessert choice, and Bubby's favorite, was the Ashta (traditional lebanese clotted cream w/orange blossom simple syrup/strawberry). this one's a little hard to describe. it's creamy and pudding-like in texture and is definitely light and not overly sweet. while i puzzled over what word to describe its flavor, Kiks came up with the appropriate description: it tastes like hand lotion. in a good way. and it's completely true! i'm sure it's because of the smell, which is a very flowery scent (think $50/oz hand lotion vs. Bath & Body Works), and the color and texture are definitely akin to lotion. even with this odd correlation, the dessert was still really good.

as the kick-off to RW Winter 2012, ilili definitely definitely set the bar high.

nobody nobody but you

my new favorite outdoor destination for chatting and relaxing is the High Line. i know, i'm a johnny-come-lately to the High Line party, but better late than never, right?

Kiddo and i had dinner plans at Park Avenue Summer and since the weather was hot and sunny, i decided to spend some time with ArrangedMarriage and kill 2 birds with 1 stone by arranging to go to the High Line together. coincidentally, AM's apartment is very close to the High Line so it all worked out well.

the High Line is a great park to walk along with a friend/date and enjoy the tall views and interesting architecture and design of the park itself. there's also various spots to lay down and sunbathe, rest, or grab a seat to talk/eat. the key point is that while the park itself is interesting conversation fodder for about 10-15 mins, you'd best go there with someone you can hold a conversation with.

otherwise it's just........awkward.......silence.......

where you're acutely aware that there's an uncomfortable lull in conversation and now you're just walking with someone beside you looking at stuff and not talking. if i'd wanted to do that i could've just gone to the High Line myself. at least then i could've stopped and sat to observe the views and contemplate lofty thoughts instead of frantically trying to think of something to talk about with AM. he seriously doesn't like to make my life easy.

luckily, at the end of High Line is a new space called the Lot. we purchased some drink tickets and beer at the Lot on Tap and grabbed a seat on the long bench tables placed throughout the outdoor space. and we sat directly in front of the Korilla BBQ truck. it was one of the hardest temptations i've had to endure. i knew i was going to eat a 3-course dinner with Kiddo so i didn't want to spoil my appetite but the truck kept taunting me with yummy deliciousness. one day, Korilla, one day you WILL be mine.

a return trip on the High Line led us to Chelsea Market, which i haven't been to in years since i rarely find myself on the west side anymore.  since i love all things food, it's no surprise i liked Chelsea Market. the trip also yielded gelate from L'Arte del Gelato, which, while pricey, gelato is always a treat.

i booked it uptown to meet Kiddo for our dinner reservation at Park Avenue Summer, which i was totally looking forward to. the last time i ate at Park Avenue was during the winter, and every winter Restaurant Week following that 1 time has had the same menu. come on now, really?! for a restaurant that's supposed to change with the seasons to serve the best food for that season, you'd think they'd also have a more innovative menu with each season. so you can imagine how amped i was to finally get to partake in a completely different tasting menu for the summer season.

i'm glad Kiddo is a seasoned RW eater like me so we know not to order the same foods if at all possible. that way we can get a wider range of options to sample. the meal was off to refreshing start when we were served with an amuse bouche of watermelon topped with goat cheese/creme fraiche foam. while the amuse itself was good, i wasn't overly impressed by the culinary prowess (aside from the foam part-i mean, i can cut watermelon too, but i admittedly cannot make flavored foam). but the presentation was adorable as little watermelon lollipops sprouting from a box of grass. 

we ordered the Salmon Tartar and Potato Gnocchi with Summer Corn and Truffles as appetizers. the tartar was a nice and light option to counteract the creamy potato gnocchi which was laden with butter and cream. i could seriously taste the insane amount of butter that  must've gone into that dish. but in that salty, buttery good way. i'm sure it's completely degenerate and unhealthy of me to say that, but i did it anyway.

as entrees Kiddo chose the Dr. Pepper Baby Back Ribs and i opted for the Scottish Salmon. the ribs were cooked to tender so you didn't really need a knife to eat it. and while it was good, i thought it was a bit sweet, but then again, that's why they're Dr. Pepper right? i was actually a bigger fan of the accompanying peach coleslaw it was served with which seemed a perfect summer side. and i love all things peach right now. the salmon was perfectly cooked so it was crispy on the outside but still moist and tender on the inside. i liked the accompanying cold cucumber side that came with it to help balance out the slight saltiness of the fish.

for dessert Kiddo smartly opted for the selection of sorbets, and there is quite a selection and you get to pick 2! i ordered the Peach Panna Cotta with Basil Foam which was pretty dense for a panna cotta but maybe what i think panna cotta is is not what it actually is. it was good, but Kiddo's dessert was clearly the winner, particularly on such a hot summer night.

afterwards, Kiddo had some time to kill before meeting up with (what would be) a very good date (wink wink, nudge nudge), so we went for drinks at K-town in K-town. this place has a seedy underbelly feel to it because it's downstairs with no natural light. but then you notice the giant projector screens are blasting kpop. i'm actually a big fan of this place because they do amazing soju happy hours everday. twice a day. Kiddo and i killed a bottle of soju and then parted ways.


speaking of kpop, as i was rushing towards my Park Avenue Summer reservation, i passed a slightly surly-looking but cute korean girl and did a double take. who to my surprise did i just walk past? Sohee of Wonder Girls! since she did not look happy and i was running late for my reservation, i didn't stop to gawk (too long), but i was super stoked and immediately had to Facebook the sighting for Stitch and GMW.

Dream Fulfilled

as everyone knows, i am an avid fan of Restaurant Week. so when RW rolled around for Winter, i got cracking on the menus being presented and the restaurants that were participating. at one point, i had 8 reservations.


but as the fates (and my finances) would have it, i ended up eating at only one restaurant for Winter RW 2011. but i'm satisfied with where i ended up because i've been trying to go to this restaurant for the past 3 years but, for one reason or another, haven't been able to work things out.


you'll have to excuse the pictures tho because my camera was being very tempermental that day with its flash. for some reason, it only liked Bubby's dishes so it only provided flash for her dishes. and then later, it just stopped flashing at all. stupid camera.


as soon as i walked into Aquavit, i already liked it. Bubby and Kiks were waiting for me (as always, i was late) in a modern/retro (is that possible?) lounge area. the hostess and host seated us as soon as i arrived, which i liked because who likes waiting to eat?


the restaurant wasn't packed at all, albeit we were sitting on the "casual" side vs. the formal dining room. however, i'd sneakily peeked over to the dining room side when i'd first walked in and it also wasn't full. the restaurant advocates extremely dim lighting which is probably ideal for romantic dinners, although the night we were dining i saw no couples. every table was filled with 2+ people and usually of the same sex variety.
for the first course, Kiks and i ordered the Swedish Steak Tartar which is served with tiny extremely crunchy bread a la melba-toast-style, firm egg yolk, spicy mustard, grated horseradish, pickled beets and capers. for me, the accompaniments were what really made the dish. the beets were surprisingly sweet and i finished those before i'd even finished my tartar! while it may not seem like it from the picture, there is actually a significant amount of tartar on the plate which was also refreshing since i hate when restaurants skimp on food.
Bubby ordered the Glassblower Herring which is herring with a variety of accompaniments. since it wasn't my dish, i only tasted a bite of it and i'm not really sure what everything was. i had debated on ordering this appetizer since we were eating in a Swedish restaurant, but my love of all things tartar won out in the end. while the herring was good, i think i made the better/right choice by choosing the tartar. if you've had herring before and were "meh" about it, then i'd recommend skipping it at Aquavit.
as for entrees, Kiks and Bubby ordered the Berkshire Pork Belly, which i seriously contemplated ordering because who can resist pork? but, because i wasn't particularly hungry that day and i had already had such a meat-centric appetizer, i opted for the Pepper Seared Mackerel instead. the Berkshire Pork Belly was divine. the meat was super tender, smoky, and flavorful. and the whipped potatoes, pearl onions, and veg were good accompaniments to compliment the pork as opposed to complicating the flavors.

the Pepper Seared Mackerel was also good, albeit a little salty (don't get sauce happy with that brown outer ring). the sear was perfect, giving it a crispy outer skin while still a tender and moist inside. it was definitely a distinct pepper-y taste so there's no false advertising there. the best part of the dish was actually the porcini creamed cabbage which was great for toning down the saltiness of the fish. i could've eaten a whole bowl of that.

as for desserts, there were only 2 options (as opposed to appetizers and entrees in which there was always a 3rd vegetarian option). i went for the tried and true, Hazelnut Praline Terrine. holy density. if you're looking for a sweet dessert, then i recommend this. although the menu says it's served with a hazelnut sherbert, i'm pretty sure mine wasn't served with that. unless hazelnut sherbert has a tangy, lime-y taste. which it could, since i'm no culinary genius.

Bubby and Kiks got the Arctic Circle which is goat cheese cake served with lingonberry "vargtass" sorbet. i have no idea what "vargtass" means but this was delicious. the goat cheese cake was dense but not heavy, and while the use of goat cheese would make you think "pungent", the flavor was delicate and light. weird huh? i never thought i would use the words "dense", "delicate", and "light" to describe the same thing. the cake paired with the tart and sweet sorbet was a match made in heaven, although too much of the sorbet can get a little too sweet so remember to balance.


for the prices at Aquavit, i think i could swing a dinner there once or twice, even without the Restaurant Week deal. or maybe i could get a date to take me there and not feel guilty when they pay...