New York City Restaurant Week - July 16th to August 10th 2012

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Celebrating its 20th year, here come New York Restaurant Week!

Imagine that after the French Restaurant Week that will celebrate Bastille Day from July 8th to July 15th, right after, you get the regular Restaurant Week! Isn't this awesome? As usual, reservations can be made on Opentable.com. 

As usual, you will be able to eat some delicious food (hopefully!) with a 3 course meal for $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner. Now, be careful about this because sometimes there are some traps! Let me tell you about some disappointing  experiences:

• Beacon: awful service and overpriced as the most delicious items required to pay a surcharge. I also picked the wine pairing and the quantity of wine was ridiculous. We ended up with a bill that was far more than what we expected! On top of this, the food was of poor quality: I think a lot of restaurants sacrifice quality when they should serve their best food so diners would come back!
• Steak Frites: the meat was not good at all! I noticed in several restaurants that when they propose a prix fix or participate to Restaurant Week events, they downgrade the quality of the meat. Last year, I put a steakhouse I love to the test: Dino & Harry (read the post: Restaurant Week - A Steakhouse put to the test!).

The only restaurant where I had a great experience was Fig & Olives! So beware! 

There are over 320 participants this year, including Spice Market, Dos Caminos, Nobu, Tao, One If By Land, Two If By Sea, Blue Water Grill.

Enjoy (I will)!

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Falafel at Azuri Cafe in NYC, New York

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We decided to try Azuri Cafe in NYC, New York as some say that it is the best falafel in the City; better than Taim, Mamoun's, etc...

The place is very small with only 4 tables. We saw the owner there who not only did not say hello, but was very grumpy. Well, we went there for the food, not the owner! Anyway, they play on it as they quoted the NY Times who in 1999 said:

"With just a few rickety tables, Azuri Cafe, a kosher Israeli restaurant and takeout shop, is not the most stylish place around. It's not the friendliest, either. But when you taste the food, you can see where the gruff owner, Ezra Cohen, puts his energy. ".

Then, on their website they wrote: "A place you want to call home"! Really? Maybe for the food, but not for the owner for sure!

The place serves vegetarian as well as non vegetarian specialties. You can find Shawarma Gyro (isn't it kind of the same?) that is made with chicken, beef or chicken shish Kebab (where is the lamb?), chicken liver or falafel. The problem is that they do not describe their menu and a lot of dishes clearly either needed a description or a definition! Considering the personality of the owner, I could not picture myself asking him questions. Especially after I ordered the Shak Shuka plate (I wanted to see if it was the shekshouka) and he responded in a growl that it would take 25 minutes! So we just ordered falafel.

The cook (who was nicer) prepared them. He first fried the falafel. Then, opened a whole wheat pita (we did not have a choice between whole wheat and white as other customers who came after did) and stuffed in it hummus, red cabbage, taboule...and of course the falafel. They topped the sandwich with tahini sauce and pickles.

The sandwich was big for sure. You immediately notice the crunchiness of the falafel. They were very good and I did not detect any greasiness. The sandwich was overall good, but was missing some flavor. 

I definitely prefer Taim not only for the sandwich, but also because their menu is more original with sandwiches like the Shabish that was delicious! So, in the battle between Azuri Cafe and Taim, Taim won!

The owner would have been nicer, it would not have changed my mind...

Enjoy (I almost did)!

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Vynl, Disco restaurant - NYC, New York

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It has been a while since I wanted to try Vynl located in Hell's Kitchen. The name and spelling was intriguing, and they had truffled mac & cheese on the menu (yes, I just need to see one yummy item to make me want to try...).

The decor is pretty interesting: disco balls on the ceiling, mosaic everywhere, even on the table (ours was a displaying a big Atari logo) and a big bust of Elvis. On the walls, you could see action figures from bands like Kiss, or actors, shows...

There was definitely a disco feel accentuated by loud music: you do not go there for a romantic or quiet dinner!

The service was quick and very courteous.

The menu is a fusion Thai-American that can satisfy meat and non meat eaters! What is great is that they propose small plates so you can taste different dishes and share.

To go with my meal, I went for a milk shake.

I know, I could have gone for some wine but I cannot resist to a milk shake! They propose three flavors: vanilla, chocolate and mocha. I went for the vanilla one. It was a good milk shake with the perfect thickness and enough vanilla taste, thanks to the vanilla syrup they probably pour in it. 

We started with seared tuna sliders.

There were two of them, served with Thai spiced aioli and a cabbage slaw. It was delicious! Although, I would have liked a better proportion between the tuna and the bun. It is a very good alternative to a burger slider. It had very clean flavors and the tuna melted in my mouth.

After the sliders, we ordered vegetable dumplings.

They came with a sweet soy chili dipping sauce. I have to say that I am not a big fan of vegetable dumplings: most of the time, the shell is too thick, overpowering the taste of the veggies. This one was perfect! Light and succulent. Another great dish!

Then came the long awaited Truffled Mac & Cheese.

They served it with a salad. 

To be honest, I did not care about the salad, although it was good to have some greens considering the rest of the meal.

The Truffled Mac & Cheese was made with gemeli pasta, two types of cheese (fontina and parmesan), black truffle and cream. It was creamy and you could taste the truffle immediately. In fact you could smell it. Was it the best truffled mac & cheese I ever tried? No. But it was a pretty good one. I hate when mac & cheese is dry and this one was creamy. The only regret is that they only serve it as a large plate. They would have proposed it as a small plate, I would have tried some other succulent dishes they have on the menu! 

I had a great diner at Vynl and can't wait to go back to try some other dishes such as the fried chicken and waffle or the Kung Pao shrimp tacos!

Enjoy (I did)!

 

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The Mussel Pot in NYC, New York - Closed

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As you can imagine from the name, The Mussel Pot is mainly about mussels, although the restaurant offers other alternatives for those who do not like it, such as fried chicken, fish and chips...

The restaurant is located in Greenwich Village, on Bleeker. We went there to meet our friends Jen and Chris on a Saturday and the restaurant got reasonably crowded. The setting was modern, with an outdoor space in the back enhanced surprisingly by a small waterfall! The service, although courteous, was very, very slow. At some point, they completely forgot our order and they offered us a round of beers to apologize.

The principle of the restaurant is derived from the Moules Frites (Mussels and fries) concept: mussels are served with French fries; you then either dip the fries in the sauce or in mayonnaise. You would typically drink beer with it.
Few years back, I use to go to a restaurant called La Tour on the Upper East Side that was serving mussels and fries all you can eat. I remember that I went one time with  my Dad and we ordered four servings, each of them made with a different sauce. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed. Today, I enjoy all you can eat Mussels and Fries at Bin 14 in Hoboken (Tuesday night only). At the Mussel Pot, it is not all you can eat and they do not serve the mussels with fries: just with a piece of bread. If you want fries, you can order a side. I was a bit surprised about it, especially considering the price ($20 to $26).


In term of beer, The Mussel Pot has quite a big list of beers from the US, Europe...

They have Amstel, Heineken, Hoegaarden, Sam Adams,...

The restaurant offers close to twenty different types of mussel dishes, inspired by international cuisines: Thai, Italian, American, French...There is only one traditional recipe that is the Provencal one (white wine, shallots, cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil). The rest is pretty interesting, but I am not sure all of them suit to this type of dish.

Anyway, before eating the main course, we ordered some appetizers. We started with a white bean soup served with carrots, leaks and escarole (broad leave endive), celery and croutons.

The soup was good and it had been a long time I did not have escarole. However, I do not think I would order it again: it was missing some pizzaz!

We also shared a caesar salad.

Pretty standard....

For the mussels, I had a taste of different specialties! The first one was the Italian Posillipo.

It was made with  tomato sauce, olive oil, white wine, garlic, and basil. Kind of similar to the Provencal one. The tomato sauce had some chunks of tomatoes. It was ok: I would have liked a bit more flavors.

Then I tried the Valenciana mussels.

It was composed of saffron sauce, fresh clams, shrimp, chorizo, peas, tomato, white wine, olive oil, lemon juice, butter and bay leaf. There was a lot of flavors. Good, but the sauce was also missing flavor.

The last one was the New York.

It was served with buffalo sauce, carrots, celery and blue cheese crumbles. It was my favorite: surprising and delicious; but quite spicy! I am not sure I could have finished an entire pot of it!

Besides mussels, we also tried the fish and chips.

At first, they looked a bit overcooked. But they were in fact perfect! The fish was succulent. I think that, with the New York mussels, it was my favorite dish! They served it with fries and with tartare sauce, ketchup and vinegar.
Of course, we ordered a side of fries as, as I mentioned, they do not serve fries with the mussels.

The fries, served skin on, were just ok. Sorry but I like them crispy!

Then came desserts! Yes, we were still hungry after that. We first tried the Tres Leches.

This was fantastic! It was gooey and had the perfect amount of milk! There was really no problem to finish it!

We also tried the gelato.

They offered to give half chocolate and half hazelnut. I am not sure what the brand was, but it was pretty good and creamy.

We had a nice time with our friends at The Mussel Pot. I am not sure I would go back though or recommend it: the service was slow, the prices a bit expensive for what it was and the food average.

Enjoy (I did for part of it)!

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The Windmill in Hoboken, NJ

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When Lucky Burgers closed in Hoboken, I was a bit disappointed: I liked that place. They had good burgers, onion rings and fries and offered different types of sauces such as the chipotle mayonnaise. The Windmill defines itself as a gourmet fast food that serves award winning burgers and hot dogs. 

This chain restaurant originated in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1964 (the restaurant had the shape of a Windmill). It was later bought by Ed and Leo Levine who opened since then several locations in New Jersey.

The location in Hoboken opened in May 2012 and got the visit of celebrities for their Grand Opening: Comedian Artie Lange, actor Danny Aiello and actor Alex Corrado. You can even see them on a big painting in the back of the restaurant, along with Frank Sinatra (Hoboken native), Dean Martin...On the side, you can even see Snookie from the Jersey Shore...

When we entered the restaurant, we saw the owner (second on the bottom right on the painting...) who was very nice. As it was the first time we were there, he told us that we should try the foot long hot dog. In fact, the hot dogs have constantly received awards since 1998 from the Readers'Choice of Mommouth and Ocean County. So I decided to go for it. 

Instead of going with a chilli and/or cheese dog, I just asked for some sauteed onions. I really liked the Hot Dog. The sausage is from Sabrett and had a delicious taste: it was tastier than the hot dogs you would buy from a food cart in the City and even better than the one at Five Guys.

The burger however was not as good as Five Guys.

Don't get me wrong: it was good and the patty tasted like meat, but it was too thin (I should have probably tried the Big Ed who has a double patty) and the meat was not that juicy.

As sides, we ordered onions rings.

They were crispy and not greasy. They were made to order, so very hot. 

Then, they serve crinkle cut fries.

I really liked them: crispy and not too thick (Sorry, I do not like the fries from Nathan's!).

So, if I had to pick, I would go to Five Guys for the burgers and to The Windmill for the hot dogs and sides (Five Guys only offers fries). But I was a bit disappointed by the burger that I heard was delicious and got awards. 

Enjoy (I did)!

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Tony Di Napoli in NYC, New York

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It had been a while since I ate at Tony Di Napoli and in the past, I use to go to their location on the Upper East Side, before they close there. So, when my cousins told me they would come to visit us from Europe and wanted to eat in a reasonably priced Italian restaurant, I thought that Toni Di Napoli in Times Square could be a good idea. I never went to that location and, to be honest, I was a bit apprehensive that the quality of the food would not be great considering the location and the flow of tourists. I was wrong!

It is for sure a big place. And noisy. Clearly, the noise level was pretty high service wise, it was perfect: diligent, fast, but they did not rush us at all, giving us the opportunity to take our time to enjoy each other company.

In term of food, it is family style, meaning that each plate if for sharing. It is perfect when you are more than three people.

We started with a salad (Photo above I was in minority, surrounded by women who wanted at least one healthy dish). It was red and yellow tomatoes with mozzarella. The salad had nothing exceptional: some tomatoes were a bit mushy and I would have liked some better mozzarella (it was similar to the one you would buy at the supermarket).

Then we had another special: chicken saltimbocca. Normally the dish is made with veal, but they decided to propose it with chicken. The way it was done is different from the traditional way for sure: chicken, topped with prosciutto and cheese in a sauce that I believe had Marsala and butter. The chicken was served on a bed of spinach. It was pretty good: the chicken was perfectly cooked and moist and the main ingredients paired well together. 

We then went for the traditional meatballs, served with linguine. These meatballs were not only huge, but divine! You could really taste the meat and herbs. The only thing negative was that there was not enough of the great and tasty tomato sauce it came with.

The next dish was also a traditional Italian dish: eggplant parmesan.

I loved it: the eggplant were sufficiently cooked, the sauce was amazing and it was topped with lots of cheese.

After that, we still had a bit of room for dessert. We decided to order the tiramisu.

It was a big piece, sufficient for four people. At first, I was wondering why there was coffee in the bottom of the plate: in fact, the lady fingers absorbed it fairly quickly (with the alcohol that was mixed in it by the way). I think it is one of the best tiramisu I ever had: it was creamy, light and decadent!

That was a great dinner and the food was very good for reasonable prices. This is definitely a place to have in mind. Reservation strongly suggested!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Hoboken Burrito aka Mission Burrito in Hoboken, New Jersey

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Ok, it seems that this restaurant has two names: Mission Burrito and Hoboken Burrito. Whatever the name is, we were craving for mexican food that day and decided to order from them. It was not the first time and we knew that we would not regret it!

They have a large menu that proposes many standard dishes: fajita, burrito, taco, enchilada...

Each time we can, in a Mexican restaurant, we order guacamole. It better be good, because, not only do we have it as an appetizer, but we always have some in the dishes we order. I hate when they give you some already made one!

I want to taste the avocado and the freshness of the ingredients.

So we ordered some guacamole at Mission Burrito. It came with some tortilla chips.

The guacamole was good. Not the best I ever had, but good. I would think after tasting it that they make it fresh. I appreciated the fact that it was not too salty (happens sometimes with guacamole).

We then had the vegetarian tacos.

It was served with beans, salad, yellow rice, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. All in a hard shell taco. It was good and tasty, but the problem is that the tacos became mushy because of the salad and fell apart.

The last dish was a grilled chicken quesadilla.

It came with salad, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. I loved it! They put a lot of cheese and with the sour cream and guacamole, it was not dry at all. The chicken was nicely grilled, although a bit dry.

If you do not know what to eat and crave mexican food, Mission Burrito is a good, cheap alternative.

Enjoy (I did)!

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5 Napkin Burger in NYC, New York

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5 Napkin Burger in Hell's kitchen opened many years ago, after the owners of the Upper West Side restaurant Nice Matin, Simon Oren and Andy D'Amico, thought that their signature burger was worth creating a burger place. The burger was named 5 Napkin Burger because the meat was so juicy that you would need five napkins to eat it! Since then, they have opened several locations in New York and are also present in Miami, Atlanta and Boston.

The restaurant in Hell's kitchen is always packed and it is better to have a reservation.
The decor with its white porcelain tiles is supposed to remind a slaughterhouse, especially with the meat hooks on the ceiling. What I like is that they have plenty of booths: yes, I like booths! It is something very rare in France and I always though that they add a nice classic touch to a place. It is also (most of the time), more comfortable than a chair!

The hooks on the ceiling are pretty interesting....

The restaurant serves brunch, lunch and dinner. If you are not a fan of burgers or want to watch you diet, they offer different standard alternatives such as French Toast, omelets, salads...They even propose sushi & maki, but I am not sure I would go to this restaurant for that, especially with all the Japanese restaurants that can be found in the area.

So, their specialty is burgers! They offer 12 different variations, most of them made with a 10 ounces beef patty. They also offer some with turkey, Ahi tuna and lamb.

Their signature burger is the Original 5 Napkin burger:

This is not a small burger! Clearly, to eat it, you are going to need to think you are at the dentist and he/she is asking you to open wide! It is composed of a brioche bread, the grounded beef patty, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and rosemary aioli. I can tell you that they are not cheap on the ingredients and you soon understand why they call this a 5 Napkin burger. The meat was delicious: cooked perfectly (medium that is slightly pink in the center), juicy and had a great taste (yes, it tasted like meat)! The rosemary aioli was very good too! I usually do not like rosemary, but the taste was not too overpowering, making it the perfect sauce for the burger. Then, there were these delicious caramelized onions! The only thing maybe they could have done is to toast the bread.

The second burger I tried was the Avocado - Ranch:

It was made of pepper jack cheese, homemade guacamole, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing on a sesame brioche roll. It was also very good, but I prefer the original. The pairing of the ranch dressing, avocado, cheese, meat and brioche (this time toasted) worked well, with the first two ingredients enhancing the juiciness of the meat. I think that I probably needed 10 napkins to eat it! Similar to the original, they were pretty generous on the cheese! Always appreciated!
Both burgers were served with delicious fries, a bit crispy.

If you are health conscious, you can decide to go for the burger salad...

You can pick between beef, turkey, lamb or veggie patty on top of chopped greens, endive, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, red onion, radishes, celery, blue cheese, pickled onions, red wine vinaigrette and 5 Napkin sauce (similar to 1000 Island dressing). 

At the end of the meal, you can understand that I was a bit full...These burgers are huge and most importantly delicious. Definitely a recommendation!

Enjoy (I did)!

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French Restaurant Week in NYC, New York - July 8th to July 15th

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For its second year edition, the French Restaurant Week event celebrating Bastille day (7/14) will take place in New York City from July 8th to July 15th!

This event will feature several great French restaurants who will be proposing a menu for $17.89 (the French revolution took place in 1789). Reservation will be necessary and will be available through opentable.com. 

• Affaire Bistro & Lounge
• Alouette
• Antibes Bistro
• AOC
• Artisanal Bistro
• Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar Midtown
• Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar West Village
• Bacchus
• Bakehouse Bistro & Café
• Bistro Vendôme
• Brasserie Cognac
• Café Noir
• Casimir
• Cercle Rouge
• Chez Oskar
• FADA
• Felix restaurant
• Flute
• Gaby Restaurant
• Intercontinental New York Barclay
• Jeanne & Gaston
• Jubilée
• Jules Bistro
• La Bonne Soupe
• La défense
• La Mirabelle
• Le moulin à café
• Le Singe Vert
• Lina Frey
• Lyon Restaurant
• Madison Bistro
• Opia
• Parigot
• Pates & Traditions
• Pic Nic
• Santos Anne
• Sel & Poivre
• Serge Bistro
• Tartinery Nolita
• Tree
• Yatenga French Bistro&Bar

More information at: www.frenchrestaurantweek.com

Bon appétit!

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