Press Dinner at Thalassa in Tribeca - NYC, New York

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If you follow this blog, you will probably think that this is deja vu! No, you are not mistaken: I went to Thalassa already for a press dinner and the review was just ok as there were some mishaps. So, their PR proposed that I come back as they acknowledged that there were some issues that night I went. I accepted of course as, after I wrote my review and posted it, I checked other bloggers' reviews and they seem ecstatic about that place. After all, everybody can have a bad day and I wonder if, knowing that you will serve people who will write about your food, can add a bit of pressure to the kitchen.

As a reminder, when you will read this revisiting post, please remember that the restaurant knew who we were and served us a complementary tasting menu of their choice.

So what makes Thalassa different from other Greek restaurants in the city? It is definitely the fish selection. Anyway, doesn't Thalassa mean "The Sea"?

They have this great fish display where you can see the fish selection and you can order fish by the pound.

In fact, the Chef, Raphael Abrahante, told us that he tries to only buy wild fish as opposed to farm raised. Of course, the price will be different from the market to the plate.

So, here I was at Thalassa, still remembering the place: modern with a spectacular decor designed by a French architect, Jean-Pierre Heim. The bar still looked fantastic with the blue lights and I decided this time to order a ouzo mojito, as we were waiting for other guests to arrive.

The cocktail was pretty good, combining perfectly the anise flavor of the ouzo and the mint. They definitely score some points on the cocktails as I still remember the delicious Greek Pear Martini I had last time.

Once everybody was there, we sat at the table and started our dinner. It seemed very familiar: olive oil, olives, eggplant with roasted red pepper and crostini.

Then, started our culinary adventure that I thought would not stop...

The Cod Fritter:

It was a perfect bite: tasty and not greasy, this is the type of dish I would for sure eat at Happy Hour.

Horiatiki or what any of us would call a Greek salad when ordering in order not to sound ridiculous!

It was composed of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and peppers with Dodonis feta. Light an fresh,  I liked the fact that they removed the skin from the tomatoes, leaving the crunchiness to the cucumbers and peppers.

Pikilia or Mediterranean dips:

This is a great meze to share. They were served with warm homemade pita.

My favorite remains the eggplant dip for sure!

Zucchini and Eggplant chips:

It was fried zucchini and eggplant with Tzatziki sauce (kind on the middle of this veggie tower) and saganaki graviera cheese. I started with the saganaki that was fantastic! I love that cheese, that is a bit salty and has a semi firm texture. The chips were awesome: slightly warm, they are crispy and not greasy. They paired perfectly with the tzatziki sauce.


Next, we got the Bakalao:

Bakalao is cod croquettes with garlic–almond mousse over sliced roasted beets. First of all, the color of the beets was beautiful! Then, the taste of the dish was fantastic: the croquette was perfectly cooked, a bit crispy, with the fish still moist. The beets were a nice pairing with it.

The Octopodi:

This is one of their signature dishes: grilled octopus, extra virgin olive oil & red wine vinegar, gigantes beans. The octopus was amazing: it had a nice char and was very tender, thanks to the technic, that includes massaging from the Chef!

Then we got two ceviches:

The Fluke Ceviche

The Arctic Char Ceviche

The ceviche were very refreshing and had a nice acidity. It was served with fried oysters that were pretty good. The fish was and tasted very fresh and delicate.

The tartare trio:

It was composed of Royal Dorado, Tuna and Lavraki (aka Branzino or Loup de mer - Lean white fish with mild, moist tender flakes) with taramosalata, tzatziki and garlic almond mousse drizzled with truffle oil. It was a nice an refreshing appetizer. The garlic almond mousse was very good, however, I did not taste any truffle oil.

The Main Diver Scallops:

This is another signature dish. The last time, I did not like it at all, but this time, it was a hit! The perfectly cooked scallop was wrapped in kataifi filo with sheep’s milk butter and Kalamata balsamic reduction. The shell was crispy, a bit messy to eat if you like clean bites, but it was so good, with a nice balance between the butter and the acidity of the balsamic reduction. Fantastic!

The last dish before dessert (I started to get full at that point!) was the Branzino (aka Lavraki or Loup de mer):

They brought it whole, so we could see it, before cutting the filets and serving it to us with collar greens.

The fish was perfectly cooked, flakey and moist. It was served with capers that added some saltiness to it. I really liked it, but there were quite few bones...

The feast was not over! After that, came desserts! Know that the Chef has not been trained as a Pastry Chef, that is amazing considering the desserts below!

Valrhona Chocolate Molten Cake:

I love this type of cake, except when the center is overcooked and not overflowing, which was not the case here!

The Mastiha Panna Cotta:

It was topped with fresh strawberries. I loved it! It was so light and not too sweet! Perfect!

The Baklava:

I was disappointed by it: it was unfortunately dry! Too bad as it was the only traditional Greek dessert!

The Ekmek:

Ekmek is Kataifi & Cream with Pistachios wrapped in a Valrhona Chocolate Dome. The dome was a bit tough to break.

But when broken, it was a nice sight! This was a delicious dessert: the filling inside the dome was more like a creamy ice cream with a bit of crunch from the chocolate. One of my favorites!

This dinner was spectacular and night and day compared to the first Press Dinner I attended last year. The fish was really the star! So, I definitely changed my mind on Thalassa! Surely a place to recommend!

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
 

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Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria in NYC, New York

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I am a big fan of Chef Mario Batali and used to watch him on Iron Chef America. I love his spirit and creativity; he does not seems, at least on TV, to be one of these Chefs who think they are better than everybody else. What he did with Checf Bastianich at Eataly is phenomenal, bringing the best of Italian food in the heart of NYC!

So, this time, we went to Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria. The place is big, with three main rooms. The first one reminds me of Eataly with the high tables where you can have some delicious food:

We sat at the main dining room, that was very classy but had a rustic feel to it. 

Another similarity with Eataly is the way they serve bread, in brown paper, with some delicious olive oil:

Interestingly, they played some Italian opera, that sometimes was a bit too aggressive for my ears, but quite funny considering that I could easily imagine Chef Batali singing it while cooking.

We decided to share some antipasti (from my most to least favorite - clockwise):

• Eggplant Caponatina: eggplants with tomatoes and pine nuts.
• Funghi Misti: sauteed mushrooms.
• Brussel sprouts.

Then, we got the Quattro Formaggi pizza:

The cheeses are: mozzarella, taleggio (one of my favorites!), cacio and ricotta. As you can see on the photo, the way they serve it is different from other pizzerias: usually, the different cheeses are mixed. Here, they stand on their own quarter of pizza! I was at first a bit disappointed as I love when the pizza is overflown by cheese that are mixed together. But, then, I was able to try each of them and it was great! My favorite was of course the taleggio, then the cacio, the ricotta and the mozzarella. The pizza sauce was delicious with a rich tomato taste, and the thin crust of the pizza was splendid.

Last, I ordered a hazelnut hot chocolate with whipped cream and shortbread (was in fact a biscotti):

I loved it! I was scared at first that the hazelnut would overpower the chocolate, but it was not the case: the rich flavor of the cocoa came through and was really comforting. This is definitely a great hot cocoa!

We had a great lunch at Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria: they have a large choice of antipasti that are a nice option for sharing and I would probably go back to try some of their homemade pasta or a different kind of pizza. Note that they offer a large selection of wine and even give some wine classes over the week end.  On Tuesdays, they sometimes host wine and cheese events!

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

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Dinner at The Turtle Club in Hoboken, New Jersey

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We were looking for a new dining experience in Hoboken and the name of that place, The Turtle Club, caught our eyes (ears? or even stomach?) This is a very old place for sure and I think the owners kept the old atmosphere alive inside: lots of wood and an arch between the two main rooms. The place was very dark and we only saw the room on the right side of the restaurant. In fact, I am not sure if I should call that a restaurant or a bar with a menu...

It was a Tuesday night and there was not that many people there at the beginning; people came later. We started off with bruschetta.

For $8, you can pick three different kinds. We decided to go with: 

• Gorgonzola and toasted garlic.
• Tomato and basil with olive oil.
• Goat cheese and balsamic honey glaze.

It took forever for the food to come and I do not mind if the food is exceptional, but it was not the case: this was so disappointing! The bread was barely toasted; the tomato and basil was dry. At the end, I only liked the other two because you can just spread the goat cheese or gorgonzola on a piece of bread and they would be good. No need to be a Chef to do it right!

Then, I ordered the fish tacos:

It was three tilapia tacos with a soft taco shell stuffed with corn salsa, romaine, cilantro and sour cream. On the side was a very average (and not homemade I guess) guacamole and a very dry rice and black beans. Let me start by telling you that I did not finish the dish. The fish was dry / overcooked and tasted very fishy. 

Jodi went for the ginger and soy glazed mahi mahi:

The mahi mahi was also dry / overcooked. Too bad because the sauce was pretty good.

So at the end of the day, it was not a great experience: the wait staff seemed overwhelmed although very courteous and attentive to our needs and I would think, based on what we got there, that the issue was the kitchen. This was really a forgettable experience and I think that they should probably stick to bar dishes instead of trying to make a food that is too elaborate. Although, one would think that fish taco are not that complicated....

Enjoy (the post)!

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Lunch at Benoit in NYC, New York

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I had lunch at Benoit recently! Benoit is a classic Parisian brasserie that Chef Alain Ducasse opened in 2008, replacing La Cote Basque. What I did not know is that there is an original Benoit in Paris that opened in 1912 by Benoit Matray. This family restaurant was then sold in 2005 to Alain Ducasse. I might have to check that out the next time I am in Paris, although, it seems to be a bit pricey (not that the one in NYC is not)...

I was excited for sure as I recently read some articles about Alain Ducasse who was ranked number 6 Most successful Chef by Forbes in 2012 and number 1 of the French Chefs in revenue: 120 Million Euros, 27 restaurants all over the world and 19 Michelin stars (the second is Joel Robuchon with 75 Million Euros, 16 restaurants and 28 Michelin stars). 

People often say that Benoit is a casual brasserie: I kind of disagree! It is an upscale brasserie with a splendid decor, especially the huge vase in the back of the dining room, the walls covered in mirrors and the old style ads.

While we were waiting for out meal to come, they brought us some delicious  gougères, that are cheese puffs (choux).

These savory delicacies were light and airy. They are a bad idea to serve before lunch, because you can't stop eating them!!!

The traditional bread and butter followed.

So, here are some of the dishes I tried!

The country salad: frisée, lardons, poached egg and croutons.

I am not a big fan of frisée salad because it can sometimes be very bitter, but it was not the case. I liked the light dressing. The poached egg was perfectly cooked and created like a secondary sauce. It was very delicate.

The escargots de Bourgogne:

They were good, especially the parsley and butter sauce that I could just eat with bread!

The special of the day: seared scallops:

I have to admit that this being a special and as I never take notes, I do not remember what the sauce was made of...They were served with salsify, that I usually do not like, but not this time. The scallops had a nice sear and a bit of salt on the outside that gave a little crunch. Unfortunately, I found them to be undercooked inside. 

The cassoulet:

It has been a while since I had cassoulet and in fact, I thought about it thanks to the vegetarian cassoulet I had at Table Verte recently! The way they serve it and the way it looks is very rustic: I love it!

Cassoulet is a traditional dish from the South West of France. It is a slow cooked casserole made of white beans and meat, usually pork and duck. In this one, there was duck confit, pork sausage and pork meat (not sure if it was pork belly).

The dish was rich and earthy. It was definitely slow cooked all together and was not just put together once I ordered it! The beans were melting in my mouth, as did the duck that was delicious and did not have too much saltiness to it. This is the perfect example of a traditional French dish where the taste supersedes the presentation.

Then I could not leave without having the Baba!

Baba is a yeast cake that will be saturated with a hard liquor, usually rum. At Benoit, it is Armagnac. They first bring the cake, pour the armagnac and then put some delicious homemade whipped cream (they leave you the rest of it on the table in case you did not get enough...). This is the second time I have this dessert there and it is fantastic! Definitely a recommendation!

Interestingly and for those with a sweet tooth, they give you a delicious homemade meringue cookie when you leave! What? After all this food?

Benoit definitely met my expectations! Delicious food, great service in a beautiful decor!

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
 

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Burger at BRGR in NYC, New York

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It had probably been 2 years since I went to BRGR that used to be one of my favorite burger restaurant. You probably wonder why I did not come back if it was so good. The answer is simple: there are so many places that are serving burgers now, that I really wanted to try different ones. So, I was excited to go!!!

The restaurant is still the same: two large tables at the entrance (8 seats), seats at the counter or close to it, and the tables with a very colorful banquette made of cushion that looks like buns. 

Concerning the food, you first order at the counter and then they give you a number to identify where they have to bring the order. You can either pick the burgers they propose, or build your own. For this, you have to pick:

- the patty (grass fed beef, turkey or veggie),

- the bun (brioche or whole wheat),

- the cheese (cheddar, american...)

- the sauce (ketchup, mayo...)

- toppings (mushrooms, onions, pickles...)

Jodi got the beef patty with a brioche bun, cheddar, sauteed mushrooms and pickles.

I ordered a beef patty with a brioche bun, sauteed mushrooms, ketchup and mayo. Believe it or not: I completely forgot to ask for cheese!!!

Anyway, I got some of the burger from Jodi...The meat was very good: cooked medium, it was very tasty and juicy. Unfortunately, the bun, that was not toasted and although very good, was too thick and the proportion bun / patty was at the disadvantage of the beef. 

For sides, we got fries, sweet potato fries and onion hay. 

We got in fact what they call on their menu the trio. It was pretty good and not too greasy. My favorite is definitely the onion hay!

I was a bit disappointed by the burgers at BRGR, not because of the meat, but more the brioche that kind of overshadowed the beef patty that was good. What I like though is the fact that they propose several sides. Not on the top, but still to be mentioned.

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

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Tasting of Chocolate by Ayo

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One of my colleagues, Fabien, brought one day some chocolates that one of his friends, Ayo, was making and started to sell over the internet. I told him that I would be interested to do a review, as long as it was understood that if I did not like the chocolates, I would have to be honest about it (honest, not mean of course!). He said that he would speak with his friend and few weeks later, I met with Ayo Yusuf, the founder of Chocolate by Ayo who brought me a box of chocolates for tasting. 

What is interesting is that Ayo, who was born in Nigeria, is an architect and not a pastry Chef, who discovered a passion for truffles after reading an article about two sisters chocolatiers. Once he had perfected some recipes, he decided to offer them on the web. Think about it: the web is how lots of businesses started, allowing them to perfect their product(s) and see if there was a demand for it. That is how for instance Stick and Pop, that I visited back in 2012, started, before opening their first place downtown.

More interesting is that 15% of each purchase will either go as a donation to a charity that you pick, or to a charity that Chocolate by Ayo selects. I think that it is a fantastic concept: you cannot feel guilty of succumbing to the pleasure of eating these delicacies as you are surely doing it for charity, right?

So, here I am, ready for my tasting. Of course, I did not need to be pushed for that. First, I noticed that the packaging was very professional. I opened the box and discovered two layers of truffles, each layer made by four different truffles, some of them with a decoration on top (I love when there are layers because when you sadly think you are done, there are still some chocolates under...). All the truffles had a different shape: a dome, a heart, round...

The box contained the following truffles:

• Mango Tango: trio of mango, pineapple and banana.
• Chili Jam: this one must be an experiment as not described on the website.
• Lovers truffle: with its heart shape, the filling was composed of an herbal Rooibos Tea blended with saffron, rose petals and honey.
• Fruit ABC's: consists of their signature blend of apples, bananas and coconut purees.
• Orange marmalade: needless to say that the filling is made of...orange marmalade.
• Dulce de Leche: Dulce de Leche paste with a bit of cinnamon, vanilla extract and coconut shavings.

Before I tell you what I think about these truffles, know that the ingredients to make them are either natural or organic. It is also vegan as the milk used is almond milk, either homemade or purchased at Whole Foods Market.

You can imagine that the testing was very intense...The difficulty is that at some point my taste buds were saturated with chocolate. Nevertheless, I had to, once again, sacrifice myself for this blog! As I mentioned, the packaging of the chocolates is professional. The various perfect shapes and the feel of the chocolates too. My favorite ones were the Dulce de Leche and the Lovers truffle. In the lovers truffles, you could definitely taste the honey that counteracted the bitterness of the chocolate. The Dulce de Leche was splendid: clean flavors with a slight hint of cinnamon and vanilla. The others were just ok for me: I wish they had much more filling inside, so I could taste the ingredients and they were overpowered by the bitterness of the chocolate. In fact the chocolate was extremely bitter and a bit dry for my taste. 

I have to say that I admire the creativity and motivation behind Chocolate by Ayo! And Thanks Ayo for allowing me to taste them!

Bonne chance et bon courage! 

Enjoy (I did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Information about Chocolate by Ayo:
Chocolate by Ayo Website
Ayo@chocolatebyayo.com

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Burger at Colicchio and Sons in NYC, New York

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Last year, we went to Colicchio and Sons for Jodi's Birthday and had a memorable dinner there! In my post (check out my review of Colicchio and Sons here), I mentioned this guy at the bar who ordered a burger that looked delicious. So this time, we decided to try it out! 

Imagine this burger, called the TC burger: the blend of meat (apparently secret) is topped with drunken onions (in wine) and aged pecorino cheese, and then gently squeezed between a homemade brioche bun previously toasted. 

The burger was served with homemade BBQ chips and a pickle.

The ratio patty / brioche was perfect and the burger was cooked to the requested temperature (medium) with a nice char outside. When I cut it into two, it rejected lots of juice: definitely not a dry burger and I enjoyed the juiciness of the meat until the last bite (sometimes all the juice is gone and you end up with a dryer piece of meat between your fingers). 

It had fantastic flavors and that day, there was truffle in it (not sure they put some all the time) that we could definitely taste. The meat had a strong taste and did not get overpowered by the aged pecorino or the drunken onions that liberated wine flavors that paired well with the meat. The first bite was divine, as were the ones following it. Quickly, you realize your plate is empty...so sad...

With the burger, were served some BBQ chips that were good, but I wish they were just homemade potato chips; it is just a personal preference though. 

What was great on the plate was the pickle that had a surprising sweetness. It reminded me of an episode of Top Chef where the contestants had to serve a dish where a pickle was the star. CJ decided to serve a burger that was, according to Chef Colicchio not that good. After tasting his, I understand why CJ screwed up...

I would like to mention the service also: I think that Colicchio and Sons knows what hospitality is! The service was courteous, efficient and made us feel welcome. Seems to be the motto there: hospitality! 

To conclude this post, I would say that the TC burger is for me the top in its category (burgers more than $15, this one being $18 at the time of this post). I will definitely recommend it moving forward to the burger fans I know!!!

Enjoy (I surely did)!

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
 

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