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...

Slashing through my List

although my stomach and waist line might not be so happy about it, i have been slashing through my list of places to eat with a furor since i moved into the city. with just enough friends and some culinary adventurers, i've made more progress in the last 3 months than i did in the last 3 years. 

with Kiddo, i've been able to cross of some of the local Brooklyn Heights restaurants, since i'll stop in for a drink at the Brazen Head (where he bartends) after work, and then, when he gets off, we'll head out to dinner together. Kiddo is my perfect eating partner, in that he is very flexible when it comes to ordering. so whenever i'm waffling between a couple of choices (which is always), Kiddo lets me order both options and we just split them. to date, he's never said "no" to any of my suggestions. it's pretty awesome.

so with Kiddo's assistance i've finally eaten at Van Horn Sandwich Shop and Buttermilk Channel.

1.Van Horn's Sandwich Shop

it was pretty late on a weekday night by the time we got to Van Horn's, but since Kiddo and i were looking for a simple dinner, it seemed like a good choice.  we were the only people sitting at a table, although there might have been 1 person sitting at the bar. 

i opted for the Fish ($11) [lightly battered domestic catfish, coleslaw, homemade tartar, pickle] in an attempt to trick myself into thinking that i'm eating healthy and light. plus, fish is one of those food items i cook very infrequently since i find it so hard to do it well e.g. eliminate the fishy taste/smell.  Van Horn wasn't lying when they said the fish was "lightly battered," as it didn't have a greasy feel to it, and the catfish filet was surprisingly moist and tender, if a little bland. but a generous slathering of the homemade tartar will remedy that.

Kiddo, as expected, ordered the Chicken ($12) [fried chicken breast, zesty coleslaw, pickle]. what they don't mention on the menu is the side of searing tongue-numbing hot sauce they serve with the sandwich. that sauce is epic and delicious. unfortunately, it's there because without it, the sandwich can be a little dry, which i guess isn't surprising since it's chicken breast vs. a darker, juicier, (and unhealthier) chicken piece.


however, what was completely unforgivable was the side order of brussel sprouts ($5) we got. in our attempt to eat healthy and light, we got a veggie side from their "specials" menu. while we waited for our orders to arrive, Kiddo and i discussed our love of brussel sprouts. i think i pretty much changed his life when i told him that it was brussel sprouts season and you could buy them by the pound super cheap and easily make them at home with a simple oven roasting or saute. 


and then our side order came out: unseasoned, over boiled brussel sprouts. blech. i often read reviews where people say something was "inedible" and i usually roll my eyes a little, because i've been served some food where it's been a little salty, or a little underseasoned, but nothing's ever been "inedible." and while this side order wasn't exactly "inedible," it wasn't really "edible" either. Kiddo and i each took a bite and then left the remainder on the table.

while the prices weren't outrageous, i don't think i'd make a special trip back to Van Horn, even if it's close to my apartment. Popeye's is even closer to my apartment and is significantly cheaper and pretty damn delicious.


2. Buttermilk Channel


approximately 1 week (or was it a few days?) after my Van Horn experience, Kiddo convinced me that Buttermilk Channel wasn't too far away to go for a bite on a weekday 9 pm dinner.  so off we went. it was farther than Kiddo had thought, and by the time we got there, i wondered, even if the food is epic, if i would bother to make the trek again. 


maybe, if the weather is really nice, and probably only for brunch. daytime/afternoon walking always feels less like a journey than nighttime walking.

perhaps the stars were aligned, but we got there at time when there was no wait. we opted to sit outside since the weather was still pretty warm, which might have helped in the "no-waiting" circumstances. Kiddo (no surprise here) ordered the Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($20) [cheddar waffles & savoy cabbage slaw] while i opted for the Duck Meatloaf ($24)  [parsnip-ginger puree, onion ring & star anise-duck jus]. there had been a Kale Salad on the menu that i tried to coax Kiddo into ordering, but he didn't seem to be in a kale mood, so instead we got an order of French Fries ($6) instead.

overall, the meal was good. the Duck Meatloaf was well cooked, if a little small in portion size. and when i say small, i mean that-looks-small-because-i'm-used-to-Big-Mac-Cheesecake-Factory-portions-but actually i-was-satisfactorily-full-when-i-finished-this-meal. a review i'd previously read on the dish had mentioned that the duck jus seemed a little out of place in the dish, and i have to agree. while it kept everything moist, i'm not sure that's what i want floating underneath my parsnip-ginger puree (which had the texture of mashed potatoes, and is what i would've taken them for if the menu hadn't advised me otherwise).

i'm glad i finally got to check this restaurant out, but probably won't be back for dinner, although everything was good. what i really want to do now is go here for brunch. hello?! 4 types of bloodies? pecan pie french toast? short rib hash? fried pork chop & cheddar waffles? ok, this last one seems a little too heavy for brunch, even to me.

To Write, or Not to Write

i've had this blog for about 7 (HOLY COW-that long?!) years now, and my enthusiasm and my time for it has severely waned since when i began in 2006.  while some of it can probably be attributed to my lack of 7 am nights out and reedonkulous stories, i personally think that most of it is just because i'm lazy.  if i could direct dial a line into my head that transcribed my thoughts onto this blog, then this blog would always be jam-packed with commentary, posts, and events. alas, no one's invented that yet (and probably shouldn't).


so it's with much appreciation and gratitude that i read the blogs listed on the bloglist in my sidebar. these writers post almost every day, and, for the most part, make it interesting.  if you've never written a blog, then you have no idea how hard those 2 tasks are to do simultaneously.

which brings me to present post. should you bother to write about things that are "meh"? for reviews, i actually really love reading that a restaurant or venue or movie was "meh" or worse. it's a clear warning not to go. but to make the effort to write that something's "meh" is actually much harder than to write that something's "yeah." 

i recently had a date at Ardesia on the west side. like FAR west side.* past Tenth Ave west side. but at least on the way over i finally learned where Totto Ramen and Casellula are located. as soon as i walked in the door, i understood why reviews had pegged this as both a "good date" place and a good "catch up with a friend" place.  it's small enough and intimate enough to be date-y while at the same time open and bright enough to be friendly. and during the afternoon, with the wall to ceiling windows, you can imagine how bright and sunny this place is.

Duck Banh Mi

Quail Egg Toast

Roasted Cauliflower

Homemade NY Style Pretzels

the food at Ardesia was fine, although nothing really blew me away and wine by the glass/bottle is a little bit pricey but not overly so. all the reviews on-line had touted their Home NY Style Pretzels ($6) so we got an order to start. meh. it was a little too chewy for me, reminding me of those frozen microwave pretzels you can get at the supermarket. maybe because it had chilled? the dipping sauces of a very spicy mustard and light cheese sauce was good though. similarly the Duck Banh Mi ($14) was also just ok. not bad, just not great. it had all the ingredients for a banh mi, while at the same time being just 2% short of perfect on each ingredient. the best things we ordered were the Quail Egg Toast ($9) and Roasted Cauliflower ($8).  the cauliflower had a tart and smoky flavor from the garlic and lemon and gremolata. the only difficult part about it was trying to be lady-like while picking at the smaller crumbly pieces of cauliflower. the Quail Egg Toast was a perfectly fried quail egg on top of a sliced baguette with bacon and hollandaise. and in this instance, the individual ingredients made a perfect sum of its parts.

i didn't get to see the check, but i'm going to guess it was a pretty penny since aside from the food, we'd also each ordered 3 glasses of wine and then shared a bottle. as to Ardesia, i would probably go back if i lived in the neighborhood, but i wouldn't make a special trip. which, oddly enough, sort of reflects how i felt about my date too. 

then there's a place like Son Ja Jang 손짜장, which i went to a bajillion years ago back when i was still living in NJ. i had gotten off work early and decided i wanted to stop at Face Shop in Pal Park and brought my cosmetic loving cousin along since she had finished classes for the day. we went and looked at crazy face masks and other fun stuff before stopping into Son Ja Jang for some jjajang noodles and sweet and sour pork. they do these amazing half-and-half bowls where you can pick between jjajang noodles, sweet and sour beef and jjambbong. so my cousin ordered the half sweet and sour beef + jjambbong while i ordered the jjajang noodles + sweet and sour beef (both were $10.99 each).

the noodles are all hand made, and there's a window where you can watch the chef making your noodles (and by chef i mean that mexican guy). and korean sweet and sour beef is a very different flavor from chinese sweet and sour beef. in both texture and taste. i really liked my combo, as did cousin, although her spicy seafood noodle soup was really spicy. like melt your face off spicy. and we are not timid spice eaters.


so why wouldn't i write about the delicious food at this place? am i trying to be greedy and keep this place a secret all for myself? no, not really. and although i would definitely travel back here and eat again, it's not some place i would take a guest/friend to as destination dining. this restaurant is literally a hole in the wall in the back of building. it's really small and has absolutely no atmosphere to speak of. but if i lived in Pal Park, i would probably get food here a lot. and based on the frequent take-out customers that kept coming in, i'm guessing they do good business in that respect.


*do you remember that movie, How High? "you east coast? i FAR east coast."

Dirty 30

my 30th birthday was looming over my head for the past 2 weeks, and i honestly could care less. work's been a crazy bundle of deadlines and doc review, i upgraded to a bigger room in my apartment and have been wrangling with what to do in the new (and larger) space, and my body's been on a slow guerilla warfare revolt against me lately making me randomly sick at the most inopportune moments.

clearly, my birthday is at the bottom of my list of concerns. and, if you've read previous birthday posts, you would know how i strongly dislike planning anything for my bday. so when tuesday rolled around, i decided to make no announcement and just let it fly under the radar. my only plans were to catch dinner with Kiddo and Jorts, and that was only because Kiddo asked me on monday night whether i had dinner plans for tuesday (which i did not) although i have a standing appointment with Jorts every tuesday night to watch Savage U at 11 pm. since usually i make dinner for Jorts and i while drinking a bottle of wine, i invited Jorts to dinner as well so we could go straight to my place after dinner to watch the show.

understanding we all have budgetary concerns, i suggested dinner at Malatesta, which was recently added to my on-going list of places i want to try. and since Kiddo has an undying love for Max, i figured Malatesta would be a good way to switch it up, while still offering yummy italian for a reasonable price. so on a beautiful, tuesday evening, i headed over to the West Village to meet up with my friends for dinner.

i arrived first and left my name with the waitress. there was a woman before me, who also left her name for a party of 2 and was advised of a 15-minute wait. so i was a little surprised when i left my name for my party of 3 and was told i could be seated as soon as my party arrived. a little odd? yes. a red-flag? nope. 


so i was very surprised when i saw Kiddo rounding the corner with a little posse consisting of MrsButtersworth, JimmyDean, and BlackSesame. SURPRISE! and a great one at that. i literally couldn't wipe the grin off my face for the rest of the evening.  the best surprises are the ones that are completely unexpected.

plus, with a larger crowd, we could all eat more off the menu. Malatesta doesn't have a crazy long menu, but offers simple italian fare in a refreshing manner and style. on the day we went, it was perfect weather. the whole restaurant was an open space spilling out onto the sidewalk, which made me even more excited for the arrival of summer, when the sidewalk restaurant is available on almost every block of NYC.

we ordered to reasonably-priced bottles of red wine and an Artichoke Salad ($9-special of the day), Funghi di Prato ($10), and Cozze ($10-mussels with white wine and chopped tomato) for starters, although we'd probably also consumed about 4 plates of bread by the time we ordered it. the Artichoke Salad was perfect for a summer day, cold and refreshing although i thought the Funghi di Prato was better since the mushroom was warm with the melted mozzarella and a generous dressing of balsamic vinegar. the mussels were a good option, although i liked the sauce that remained after all the mussels had been eaten, ideal for bread dipping.

for entrees, we all branched out and had something a little different (except MrsButtersworth and Jorts).  the Tagliatelle al Ragu ($14) would be the hands down favorite for that traditional and hearty italian flavor and flare.  and although raviolis usually disappoint me (usually for the limited portion), the Ravioli al Formaggio ($13.50) was a decent sized portion for an average appetite and the pink sauce the raviolis were served with were a winner. JimmyDean opted for the Penne All' Arrabbiata ($11.50) which had a nice kick to it, spicier than i've usually had at other italian restaurants; and Kiddo opted for a nightly special, Seafood Spaghetti ($16), which seemed to comprise of a lot of mussels and a light tomato sauce (i'm sure if he'd known we might've ordered a different appetizer sans mussels).

all the reviews i'd read about Malatesta, and the fact that no one else was ordering it, meant that i ordered the Spinach Gnocchi ($14.50), which ended being a pretty big hit of the night. or at least all the forks that were plucking gnocchi from plate seemed to indicate such. although i'd been worried about the gorgonzola sauce being too thick or cheesy, it ended up being neither. i always want to order creamy pastas but then end up regretting it when, about a quarter of the way through, i become overwhelmed with the heaviness of the dish. but not so with this Spinach Gnocchi. and the serving was pretty generous, since my friends were definitely not shy about stabbing gnocchi for themselves, and yet there was plenty for myself and to be shared.


good friends, great food, a surprise bday dinner. what more could a girl ask for?

a place that doesn't serve brunch?

last weekend BDOC, Sweet, and BGA ran in the D.C. Half Marathon. Since Ice was going to fly down from Boston to cheer them on, and BBM and her fiance would also be in attendance, i figured i didn't want to miss out on all the reunion fun and decided to join the trip. plus with the way the weather's been these past few weeks, i figured it'd be nice weather to walk around D.C.

Part of the reason i love roadtrips is because they're an opportunity to just "wild out" for the weekend (or just hang out; i am getting old) with great friends i don't get to see everyday and hang out in an entirely brand new city. there's something about being in a brand new city that makes it fun and it's exciting to get to explore new places and see new things. and D.C. is a city that i haven't had the chance to explore as an adult; i vaguely remember a school field trip to D.C. and a trip to the Smithsonian, but otherwise, i have no impression of the city.


unfortunately, my trip last weekend was nothing like the above. BGA and i managed to hop on an earlier bus and would be arriving in D.C. earlier than we expected, which was a good start to the trip. i even got to eat at a Roy Rogers which was perfect since i'd been lamenting to BGA how i missed the Roy Rogers and Pizza Huts of my childhood. 


but then we arrived in D.C. planning to meet with Sweet and BDOC, who were picking up Ice from the airport. except BDOC had decided to leave without us. instead, she thought it would be "better" to just give us directions via public transportation. which wouldn't have been so bad if it was simply directions via the Metro. i mean, BGA and i both live in NYC. i'm sure we can figure out how to navigate the Metro system-it may have taken us a few minutes, but we figured it out. but of course, life is never that easy. she then directed us to take a bus. WHAT?! as out-of-towners, she actually expected us to figure out the whole bus system. even in NYC, i barely figure out how to take a bus. which is why i never tell out-of-towners to take a bus. buses are for "locals," because the stops are harder to figure out, they're never announced, and you never know where and when a bus will make a stop. on top of that, BDOC couldn't remember which stop she was. AWESOME. by the time we arrived at BDOC's apartment complex, BGA and i were cursing the D.C. Metro and public transportation system and thanking all the god(s) above that we lived in NYC and it's (much simpler) public transportation system (with universal Metro cards-don't even get me started on the D.C. Smartcard vs. paper and only 1 of them being useable for bus transfers).

since BDOC, Sweet, and BGA were running the marathon the next morning, we decided to grab some carb-loaded dinner and call it a night. Sweet ordered a chicken wrap believing it would be "wrapped" in a tortilla of some sort, only to find out it was wrapped in lettuce cups. and as the most serious of the marathon runners, it's pretty ironic that she was the only person to not eat any carbs the night before the race.


the following morning, Ice, Cheese and i headed out to meet the gang at the finish line of their race. it was my first time attending any marathon/race event, and i realized, people wear some really weird outfits when they run. that, and, some of the signs and t-shirts are pretty hilarious. and...that's all i really have to say about that. i mean, what else can i describe to you except that there were a bunch of sweaty people standing around making me feel even less healthy and athletic than i normally do. o, and runners got a free half-can of beer. except it was Michelob Ultra, so take that as you will.

after the runners (BDOC, Sweet, BGA) and the slackers (Cheese, Ice, me) had reconvened with our requisite beers, i figured we would go out to brunch (it was around noon) and i'd get to see some of the DC area. not quite. BBM and her fiance were on their way from Richmond to meet up with us, so instead we went back to BDOC's neighborhood for some brunch. except it seems that Arlington doesn't actually do brunch. so our only option was to go to a diner.  

it was amazing and fun to see BBM and BJ since i haven't seen them since my last trip to Richmond. plus, their wedding is fast approaching so it was good to catch up and see how it going.  we ended up hanging around BDOC's apartment for most of the night and, through a cab debacle, didn't end up getting to out into DC until 10 pm. and then poor BGA had forgotten his ID back at BDOC's apartment, and it being St. Patty's Day, there was no way in hell he was going to be allowed in any bar without it (and spending another $50 roundtrip on a cab to go get it didn't really seem worth it). BGA ended up meeting up with a friend who lived close to the bar, which was a good deed on his part since he probably knew Ice and i wouldn't want to abandon him alone or on a solo ride to an empty apartment. 


but it slightly dampened the rest of my night anyway since one of the main points of the trip was for us to have a reunion-of-sorts! that plus the fact that the crowd at the bar was tepid at best (again, it being St. Patty's Day and most ppl having already passed out from their day activities of heavy drinking) and Sweet and BDOC up to their usual shenanigans, i decided to call it an early night.

so my trip to D.C. didn't really involve anything D.C. at all. i've decided it shouldn't count and i'm intending to go again. the real highlight of my trip, aside from seeing all my old friends, was that i ate 3 hamburgers in the span of 36 hours. hmmm, is it kind of sad that that was the highlight of my trip?

Thin Line

"We been friends for a long time, a very close friend of mine
Love you like you was mine, but respect a thin line
I love you like you was mine, think about you all the time
Very close friend of mine, but respect a thin line"

                                          -"Thin Line" by Jurassic 5 featuring Nelly Furtado

if you read my blog back in the day, you would see that i used to  spend a lot of time with Oppa. but ever since Oppa got a serious girlfriend, we see and talk to each other a lot less (which is the universal scenario, as i've come to understand it). so when we finally managed to arrange a date to meet and catch up, i was super excited. 

it's amazing how much Oppa's changed since the last time we had a real heart-to-heart.  for instance, Oppa's always been healthy-ish per se, but when i saw him this time, he looked healthier (aka skinnier but not emaciated) than i'd ever seen him before. maybe it was just because it'd been 6 months since the last time i'd seen him, or maybe it was psychological since we had a good 20 minute conversation about fasting and juice cleanses, but Oppa was looking good (and i was jealous).

another new development was Oppa's acute awareness regarding money. to clarify, i met Oppa during my Gohm dating days. and that period was categorized by a reckless abandonment in regards to spending. these boys were bottle service, table service, steak restaurants spending maniacs. so you can understand my surprise when i met with Oppa and he continuously raved about the happy hour deal of 50 cent buffalo wings and $1 specialty draft that Iron Monkey offers every night until 8 p.m. don't get me wrong, i appreciate a good happy hour deal as the next, but i don't think i could discuss how amazing it is for 20 mins. and the Oppa i used to know wouldn't have either.

these small quirks aside, i had a great time hanging out with Oppa and getting to know the newer, more mature, more my pace Oppa. no longer was he the going-out-every-night-drinking-his-face-off Oppa or the random-hookup-every-weekend-Oppa. now he's the i-like-to-spend-my-weekends-at-home Oppa and the i-love-my-girlfriend-sometimes-i-think-we'll-get-married Oppa. and either Oppa is fine by me.

 although, i don't think my old Oppa has completely disappeared. after our snacks and drinks at Iron Monkey, we headed up to Oppa's apartment for more drinks and chatting. and i wondered, "is it ok for me to be in his apartment by ourselves? after all, he does have a girlfriend." 

i would never usually have these thoughts since Oppa and i are completely platonic, but it was planted there after a conversation i had with Stitch last summer. she had asked me, "do you think MrsOppa is ok with you and Oppa being so close?" it was a slight misconception because Oppa and i aren't as close as we used to be, but all the same, i suddenly wasn't sure. MrsOppa and i aren't close at all, although i like her, so who  knows what she thinks about me? and the relationship Oppa and i have is premised a little bit on being able to talk about a whole slew of topics that may not be so appropriate (and may explain why we don't talk as much anymore since it's not really appropriate to discuss these matters when the girl in question is MrsOppa).

and finally, although Oppa 2.0 is clearly very happy and in a good place in his life, i think he sometimes misses the older Oppa version 1.0. part of the reason he remained single for so long is because he's always wondered "what else is out there?" and whenever Oppa and i have our alone time chats, i think it makes him a little more nostalgic for those times. and i'm not sure i should be encouraging those thoughts when he's clearly got such a great thing going on with MrsOppa.

so although Oppa wanted to rehash some of his former 1.0 glory days, i refused to do so on principle. ::pats myself on the back::

YA!

after ushering in the year of 2012, i found myself in the predicament of needing to shop for a new planner. but not just any planner.  yes, i'm an attorney, and yes, i have an Outlook calendar packed with court appearances, deposition dates, and filing deadlines. but my own personal planner is decidedly less... serious. after making a few alternate stops, i found myself at Kinokuniya Book Store near Bryant Park.  going to their downstairs/basement, i found myself in Japanese stationery heaven surrounded by colored pens and Hello Kitty planners. and that's how i ended up with this. say hello to 2012!

after making my purchase, i hunkered down (or up) at Cafe Zaiya located on the 2nd floor of Kinokuniya with my laptop to do some much needed work (yes, on a Saturday. not fun, but very necessary). sitting at the countertop, i got to enjoy a great view of Bryant Park while i summarized depositions.

however, my single cup of coffee was not doing a good job of curbing my hunger. and sitting there in Cafe Zaiya with all the delicious looking bento boxes and sandwiches was not making it any easier. but i had plans that night for dinner and didn't want to go ruining my appetite. if i had thought it out better i would have eaten something that morning/lunch. but at this point, it was rounding out to 4:00 pm and i had dinner plans at 7:00 pm. argh that middle hunger point!

somehow, i managed to wait it out and met ArrangedMarriage for dinner at Curry-Ya.  i was in a japanese-curry-kind-of-mood and had heard good things about it.  the place is tiny but the curry and variations are fantastic. and quick.  AM ordered the Hamburg Stew ($12) while i ordered the Berkshire Pork Cutlet Curry ($13). sitting at the counter facing the kitchen, we watched as they fried my tonkatsu and cooked his hamburg and heated our curries in small cast iron pots on the stove. quicker than you can say, "mmm, that looks good," our food was placed in front of us with a plate of white rice. and even quicker is how fast you can eat all that piping hot, delicious food. within 20 mins (in which we spoke very few words), we had eaten our plates clean.

sated by the japanese curry, we moved on to Village Yokocho for drinks and bar snacks. since we were simply looking for a good place to hunker down for drinks, i almost suggested Angel's Share, but one look at the wait time made me forego that option and since Village Yokocho had no wait, it just seemed easier. we stayed for a couple of hours, in which i was once again tested to the full extent of my conversational arsenal while i tried to avoid the awkward silences that AM is so adept at.

once we got the check, i got ready to call it a night, except AM suggested grabbing another drink at Bar Veloce.  it was still relatively early and Bar Veloce was practically across the street from our location, so i felt obliged to continue on.  really, i should have known better.

up until this moment, it had been an "ok" evening and AM was less awkward than he usually is. however, upon arriving at Bar Veloce, which was pretty crowded for a wine bar, things took an eventual downturn as AM got quieter and quieter and i had completely exhausted my conversational skills/topics. however, it was at this moment that AM thought it would be the right time to ask if "we should start dating, you know, officially."

my response? "....................................................................."

i don't mind going out together, or even going on dates, but i don't like to use the word "dating" unless i am ready for someone to be my boyfriend/exclusive. which is exactly what i told AM. now, AM's a good guy, a little awkward socially, but he has a respectable job and is an all-around nice guy. maybe not sweep-you-off-your-feet, but nothing horrible either. however, there is 1 key hurdle that stands in the way of me dating AM. and perhaps i shouldn't have said it, but i was  starting to get a little frustrated with the extensive silent treatment i'd gotten during our 30+ mins at Bar Veloce, so i told AM the truth:

"i just can't imagine sleeping with you. and that's pretty important."

was that too harsh?

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.