Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Shop in New York, NY

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We were looking for a nice homemade ice cream shop and ended up at Van Leeuwen in the East Village. This ice cream parlor started its adventure selling ice cream in yellow postal trucks, before expending and opening a brick and mortar location, as well as...an Indonesian restaurant. Don't ask me how the two relates and let say that the common link is entrepreneurship. 

All the ice cream served at Van Leeuwen are made in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with organic ingredients for the most part purchased at small producers. For instance, the milk is hormone and antibiotic free. They say that they use "ingredients celebrated by nature, not science", that is a welcomed statement in a world smothered with processed food. 

The place in the East Village is big and has an antic feel, probably thanks to the wooden floor, tables & chairs and counter, as well as the filament apparent bulbs. 

We were not sure what to get there as there were many yummy flavors proposed. They have of course the classic: vanilla, chocolate or hazelnut, but also some strange one: ginger, currants and cream, Ceylon cinnamon or earl grey tea. They also have a bunch of vegan choices made with coconut or cashew milk.

Jodi decided to order two scoops: coconut and salted caramel. 

Although I liked the coconut (Jodi who is the coconut pro did not like it), I thought that the caramel was a bit too salty, the saltiness becoming a problem after few bites. 

On my side, I ordered the classic Sunday. 

It was made of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, salted caramel and walnuts. 

That was big and pretty decadent, full of flavors considering the multiple ingredients they use. The ice cream was fantastic: creamy and tasty, with the strawberry one having this fresh fruit taste that definitely sets it apart. 

Although I did not like everything at Van Leeuwen, I would definitely go back to try some other flavors or maybe their banana split that seem to be fantastic. 

Enjoy (I did)!

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Brunch at The Brass Rail in Hoboken, NJ

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The Brass Rail is a popular restaurant located downtown Hoboken, in the historic part of the city. This place, built in the turn of the twentieth century is not only known for its New American cuisine, but also for its paranormal activity. It is said that the staff witnessed the apparition of a bride and groom who passed away there. It is said that, in 1904, on her wedding day, the bride tripped on top of the spiral staircase, fell and broke her neck. The groom, heartbroken, drank and, devastated by the loss of his new wife, hang himself in a room adjacent to the staircase, leaving a note saying:

"Now that my wife has been taken from me, there is no reason for me to live".

Other paranormal activity include trays falling on the floor, activity that only occurs late at night.

I like the place: the decor is fantastic, with its etched glass doors, red velvet banquettes and 1900s drawings.

Menu wise, as I mentioned before, they serve New American cuisine and their brunch, that we tried, offers a good deal: for $19 you get an appetizer (not just a salad as you will see) and an entrée. For $11 more, you get an alcoholic beverage, unlimited, such as a beer or a mimosa. As my drink of choice for brunch is either coffee or fresh squeezed juice, I went for the first option, similar to Jodi.

Unfortunately, they did not have any fresh squeezed orange juice, so I went for a double espresso that was a bit bitter.

They then brought us some chocolate chip muffins:

For appetizer, Jodi ordered the gazpacho:

It was made with tomatoes and cucumber. It was very refreshing and you could definitely taste the cucumber that gave an added cooling effect.

On my side, I ordered the falafel bites:

There were three regular size falafel (when I read bites, I thought it would be small), that have been cooked in the oven, rather than fried. Because of the cooking process, they were not as crispy as I am used too, but in fact they were very good: soft and not dry inside.

Then, Jodi got a goat cheese omelet.

The omelet was good, well cooked as the eggs were not dry, but I would have liked more cheese as it was mainly on one side.

I ordered the chicken and waffles.

I admit that when it came, I did not find the dish appetizing as the chicken had this grayish color. I also noticed that I got three quarters of the waffle and was wondering where the fourth one went. Anyway, the waffle was not good at all: dense, dry with an off taste. I mentioned it to the manager who saw that I barely touched it and she apologized and offered the cost of the double espresso as a compensation as I did not want a replacement. As for the chicken, it was ok, the crust being overcooked, but the chicken being moist inside.

Although I did not like the waffle, I enjoyed the brunch at The Brass Rail. Would I go back? Probably, but I'll pass on the chicken and waffle!

Enjoy (I did)!

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The Cupping Room Cafe in New York, NY

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I might have found my new favorite spot for brunch: The Cupping Room Café. Located in Soho, this spot combines a bar, a restaurant and a bakery. 

We arrived by the entrance on West Broadway and I thought that it was a tiny place, but then, they brought us to their main dining room, located passed the open kitchen. 

It is a warm place with a very rustic feel thanks to the tin ceiling, the brick walls and the antique pot belly stove proudly displayed I the back. 

Service was very nice, although a bit overwhelmed at times. 

So, you probably wonder why I think it is a great place? Well, as I mentioned earlier, it is a bakery, so a lot of items on their menu such as cakes, cookies, muffins are made on premises. Then, they have one of my favorite dish: eggs Benedict. But here, I am talking about customized eggs Benedict! You just pick what you want on it: salmon, fresh, not smoked, fresh tuna...This is the first time I go to a restaurant that offers that. So I decided to try and ordered the eggs Benedict with fresh salmon ($6 suppl.).

With it, I had a choice of fries, salad or fruits (for an additional $2). I went for the fruit salad, trying to keep it healthy...before dessert... I really like when restaurants propose fruits as a side, especially in the Summer. Regular salads? Too boring. Potatoes: not always good.

The eggs were perfectly cooked, the yolk being delightfully runny, and the salmon cooked as requested, rare and giving to the dish a new dimension. The only negative is that I would have preferred the fruits in a separate plate or a bowl as they soon foot submerged by the Hollandaise sauce.

Jodi got the cobb salad, without chicken and bacon.

Although there was a lot of it, it was way overpriced at $20.

So, this is a bakery, so we could not miss desserts. We therefore decided to go for their sampler that was a great deal for $8. 

The smiler was composed of:

Tiramisu:

Red velvet cake:

Brownie:

My favorite was definitely the brownie: it was heaven on a plate! It was very chocolatey, with the top being crunchy and the middle very moist. The tiramisu was very light and creamy. The red velvet: good, but nothing extraordinary for me.

With my brunch, I got a fresh squeezed orange juice that was not watered down:

And an espresso:

Although a little pricey, this is definitely a good place for brunch. If you go there, do not miss desserts!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Restaurant Week: Porterhouse in New York, NY

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There is no doubt what Porterhouse, located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, is serving: steaks, steaks and steaks. 

With seafood, but steaks. It has been a while since I went to a steakhouse for restaurant week, as I typically tell people to avoid these types if places during that period, the quality of the meat being often sacrificed. I even did a test with my favorite steakhouse in Hoboken, Dino & Harry's: while the steaks have always been sublime, they were not good for Restaurant Week (see the post here). Why did I change my mind? Because my friend Julien convinced me that I would not be disappointed at Porterhouse. 

So, we booked the place on Opentable for a Sunday, for lunch. We arrived a bit early and got seated fairly quickly in this incredible 140 seats place that overlooks Columbus Circle.

To give you am idea of the place, it all started in 2006, when Chef Michael Lomonaco took the bet to replace Jean-Georges Vongerichten's V Steakhouse place by a more traditional and more successful restaurant. The decor, designed by Jeffrey Beers (The Wynn in Las Vegas, DB Bistro Modern in NY) is very elegant with its leather banquettes, polished designed and the restaurant feels roomy. Contrary to most of the steakhouses, there is a lot of light, thanks to the large windows. 

So we were there for the Restaurant Week menu that was printed on the bottom of the regular menu, replacing their business lunch and eliminating the awkward moment when you ask for it and can see in the eye of the waiter an expression that says "I should have guessed". 

Right after we ordered, they came with a bread basket that had three types of breads: French white, raisin-pecan and whole wheat. 

Jodi went for the French white

While I went for the raisin-pecan. 

Some say that you can judge a restaurant by its bread: it started well!

For her appetizer, Jodi ordered the soup of the day: a gazpacho. 

It was a fairly large plate of a delicious and refreshing chilled soup, perfect for the hot weather. 

On my side, I ordered the classic Caesar salad. 

Wow, that was a salad! It was, again, a large quantity and they were very generous with the amount of cheese on top. And yes, I ate all my salad. 

Then, came the steak frites that we both got. 

When I ordered, I asked the waitress what cut it was. She simply said "the tender", repeating what was written on the menu ("The butcher's tender"). So I asked if it was a tenderloin and she said yes. 

When the steak came, it had this V shape characteristic of a hanger steak and the taste too. I would have known, I would have asked to have it medium-rare cooked instead of medium, as it is a tougher meat. It was anyway quite good, the meat being juicy and tasty, with a nice char. 

It was normally served with a wine sauce, that we asked on the side (if you do not like it and your steak and fries are smothered with it, your dish is spoiled). We also tried a delicious béarnaise sauce. 

With the steak were served some French fries that were very good: thin cut, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and not greasy. 

Last was dessert. Jodi ordered the raspberry and passion fruit sorbets

And I ordered the flour less chocolate cake. 

The latter was the best: very chocolate-y and moist in the center. But don't get me wrong: the sorbet was really good; you could definitely taste the fruits. 

This was a delicious lunch and it for sure made me want to go back to try their steaks. Porterhouse is definitely a place to know to enjoy a good meal in an incredible setting. 

Enjoy (I did)!

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