11th Annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party at Madison Square Park in NYC, New York!

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Today was a good day for my stomach: the 11th Annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party at Madison Square Park took place over the week end, featuring some of the best pitmasters in the country, from Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Alabama...This event takes place every year, one week end of June, in support of the Madison Square Park Conservancy. 

The festival was all about food, but there was also a beer garden, some BBQ demonstrations and some music.

It was for sure packed and more and more people showed as the day went by, trying to benefit from the food that cost $9 a plate. Surely, walking around, you could not miss the delicious smell originating from the different BBQ pits, each pitmaster having his own design, some of them looking industrially made:

and others looking more...homemade!

As I mentioned few times on this blog, what we call BBQ in France is grilling and I can assure you that each time I have visitors, I bring them to a BBQ joint and they really love it! So, imagine me in this festival: I was like a kid in a candy shop! Especially looking all these stands prepare their food!

Like Whole Hog at Skylight Inn:

Sausages at Jim'N Nick's:

Baby Back Ribs at Memphis BBQ Company:

With all this food all around and that smell that kept tempting us, it was time to try some food! We started with Blue Smoke. 

I always wanted to try their restaurant and it was the perfect occasion to taste their salt & pepper beef ribs!

They were fantastic! Juicy, with a nice char on top and some delicious fat, the meat was falling of the bone. There was also a nice quantity of it: in fact I found it to be one of the best deals there!

Then, we went to Salt Lick BBQ from Texas:

They were serving sausage and brisket:

They served it Southern style, with a slice of white bread in the bottom and we put some of their BBQ sauce. The sausage was pretty good, with a nice kick, but the brisket was a bit tough and dry. So sad, because we got a sample earlier and it was very good and juicy.

The last one we tried was Scott's BBQ from South Carolina.

I am not a big fan of shredded pork shoulder because it tends to be dry, but I was curious to try this as they mentioned pork skin and I could see them shredding the pork that had this beautiful reddish crisp skin.

Here again, they served the meat on a piece of white bread and put some vinegar all over it.

Well, they called it vinegar, but I did not really taste vinegar! I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting some of the skin of the pig we saw before. Instead, they throw some fried skin from a bag...It was good and crispy, but still not what I was expecting. This was good, but a bit bland and dry. I did not finish it.

This was a great opportunity to try different BBQ joints and was for sure for meat lovers as there was nothing for the vegetarian: no Mac & Cheese and no fried green tomatoes! Chapeau to the pitmasters and staff for cooking in these high temperatures on a hot day! The Big Apple Block Party was fun and well organized and I will probably go back every year! One thing is certain: the beef ribs from Blue Smoke were the best from what I tried and I am looking forward to try their restaurant!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Hibachi at Ayame in Hoboken, New Jersey

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Ayame ("Iris" in Japanese) is the only Hibachi place in Hoboken. If you do not know what Hibachi is, it is a grill where food will be cooked during a cooking show that surely requires some skills!

I sometimes wonder if people go to Hibachi places for the food or for the show! I go for both!!! First time I tried it was in Seoul, Korea. It was in the hotel I was staying in and I still remember the filet mignon and the grilled veggies, notably the mushrooms and onions that were fantastic. The Chef put a bit of a show, but it was not as much as what I saw later. 

So, here we are at Ayame, excited at the idea of what is to come. Jodi orders the vegetable and tofu Hibachi and I ordered a combo of two where I picked shrimp and chicken (they also have scallops, filet mignon, lobster...). The Chef comes with his little cart full of ingredients and greets us. He then starts by whipping out the hot surface and the show can begin. The video below will speak more than any words I could write!

This was spectacular! What you do not see on the video is that he proposed me some sake. I thought that he would give me some in a shot glass, but instead, he squeezed a bottle to let the sake flow come to my mouth! 

Jodi's vegetable and tofu looked like this:

My shrimp and chicken combo like that:

There was definitely a lot if food and the fried rice was not necessary! The only negative is that they asked us if we wanted regular or fried rice, as if it was included!

Otherwise, the food was fantastic: tasty with generous portions. For instance, the shrimp were of a good size and I had a dozen. 

For the second time at Ayame, trying the Hibachi, we had not only a good time, but also some delicious food! We definitely need to go back and try their other dishes!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Taboonette, pocket food in NYC, New York

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The owners of Taboon, a Mediterranean restaurant located in Hell's Kitchen, decided to open another location in Greenwich Village; a sister location named Taboonette. The concept is pocket food: putting food into a pita or wrap, like a little pocket. 

I was pretty excited as I love Mediterranean food and the simplicity of pita sandwiches. I was also looking for cheap eats in this area (the highest price on their menu is $12).

The place is nice with a simple decor; the light wood gives a zen atmosphere to it.

I also loved the lamps and the old fashion bulb where you can see the filament. For sure it is nicer than those energy efficient bulbs! If they could make them look like that, that would be awesome!

We started off with some hummus with pita chips:

The hummus was good, but did not taste homemade; more like the one I buy at the supermarket. The pita chips were very hard and burnt.

Jodi ordered the Roasted eggplant Tabouleh:

It was made of bulgur, parsley, tomato, onion, mint and scallion. It is in fact the way tabouleh is done in countries like Lebanon: the grain is not couscous but bulgur and there is a lot of parsley. I liked it. although I would have preferred more eggplant.

I ordered the Kebab in a pita:

It was served with few homemade chips. The stuffing was made of ground lamb and beef, grilled eggplant, lettuce, tomato puree, tahini, mint and cilantro. The meat was good with the nice strong flavor of the lamb coming through. But, I do not know if it was due to the tahini, but the texture was off in the bottom of the sandwich.

I was a bit disappointed with Taboonette. I definitely prefer Mamoun's Falafel for kebab and Taim for a vegetarian option...

Enjoy (...)!

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Isaan Thai Food at Zabb City in NYC, New York

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We really found this Thai place, Called Zabb City, by coincidence as it is located in a street, in the East Village, where the only attraction would be Momofuku Milk Bar! It does not look like your typical Thai restaurant: with such a decor, I would easily see a Wine Bar there (would a Thai Wine Bar make any sense? Could be a trend!). Their menu offers Isaan dishes. I know: me too, I have no idea what it means...Isaan is  is the northeastern region of Thailand.Well, their menu proposes the usual dishes you would find in Thai cuisine, but I was desperately looking for the Chef's specials to see if they served frog legs...Yes, I mainly find these delicacies in Thai restaurants! Unfortunately they did not have it!

Of course, I got my usual Thai Iced Tea:

I love that drink: so refreshing with its kind of indescribable taste. When you think that you pay $3 for it, that is the price you would pay for a regular tea in a restaurant! $3 for hot water: no (except if the tea is not a basic one); for a Thai Iced Tea: definitely!

We started of the meal with spring rolls:

They were served with duck sauce and red chili flakes (it was not really spicy). The rolls were good, although I would have preferred less dough.

Jodi got the glass noodles or Pad Woonsen:

They we pretty good: the tofu was fried and was bit tasty and there were a lot of veggies (mushrooms, pepper, broccoli...).

I ordered my test dish for Thai restaurants: Chicken Massaman.

It was served with white rice. I liked it a lot: the sauce itself was divine and had a little kick that built up in the back of my mouth. The potatoes and onions were well cooked (soft) and cut in a way that it was not a nightmare to eat (no knife needed). No need to say that I finished my plate...

Zabb is a nice and quiet place that offers a good, traditional Thai with similar prices than most of the Thai restaurants in NYC. I surely prefer that place over Spice, located few blocks away...

Enjoy (I did)!

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Italian Dinner at Casa Nonna in Hell's Kitchen NYC, New York

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I recently went to Casa Nonna, literally Grandma's house, located in Hell's Kitchen, for a dinner with Erika and Kenta from Tabélog, a new online space for restaurant lovers that has more than 40 millions users in Japan and is launching a site in the US!  For sure, I would have never found that place if not meeting people, as it is in the middle of a block, on 38th street. Not that many passersby!!!

I was surprised because the restaurant is big with different areas: the bar, two dining rooms of a good size and a counter next to the kitchen. 

Interestingly, there is a small area on the right of the entrance that is a Go Burger! We sat in the dining room in the back; the first impression I had, besides the volume of the room, was that it looked more like a steakhouse than an Italian restaurant, thanks to the dark wood and leather banquettes. 

The tables were heavy and made with the wood from wine boxes. 

The menu was definitely Italian, but not your basic / classic dishes. No spaghetti with meatballs, but rather veal meatballs as an appetizer. No eggplant Parmesan or linguini a la Vongole as I am used to! But I am not going to complain, considering that I am a big fan of that type of cuisine and their menu had interesting dishes! 

We started of with appetizers. Polipo - baby octopus, peanut potatoes, pearl onions drizzled with a Meyer lemon vinaigrette:

I was excited to have baby octopus because I love it! Unfortunately, it was not that great! I think after I had better octopus at Officina Laina or Thalassa,

I was expecting something fantastic...It was a bit chewy and the only thing you could taste was the fact that it was fried!

We also shared the fried calamari:

Interestingly, there were vegetables mixed with it: not a large amount, but enough to be noticed. Also, instead of serving them with marinara sauce, they served it with a delicious lemon-chives aioli. I liked it: crispy, not rubbery and not greasy! Perfect!

The last appetizer was the veal meatballs:

It was two big veal meatballs smothered in a pomodoro sauce with a bit of ricotta, basil and parmesan. I loved the balance of flavors with the acidity of the tomatoes being neutralized by the ricotta. However, the meatballs, although not dry, were a bit bland. Made with pork and/or beef, it might have been a hit!

For the entree, I ordered the gnocchi with Berkshire pork ragu and crispy pig ears:

Gnocchi is definitely a good test for an Italian restaurant because you do not want the gnocchi to be dough-y or potato-y. 

They did a good job at Casa Nonna: they were very, very light and perfect with a pork ragu that was delicious (yoou could taste a bit of wine). What elevated this dish a bit was the crispy pig ears: it added some crunch to the dish: wonderful! Before leaving, I asked the waiter if they make their own pasta and he mentioned that everything is homemade there.

Then was time for desserts! I could try two. The tiramisu:

And the mascarpone cheesecake, served with a blackberry citrus sauce:

Desserts were definitely not the highlight of the meal! So sad, because the presentation was spectacular. The tiramisu was overpowered by the chocolate on top and I could barely taste the espresso cream. The cheesecake might have been better, but had nothing exceptional and did not have enough blackberry sauce.

The food at Casa Nonna was average and forgettable (I still prefer Morandi or, for family style dinners, Tony Di Napoli). Fortunately, the conversation with Erika and Kenta and discovering Tabelog made the experience worth it!

Enjoy (...)! 

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Little Fox Cafe in Chinatown, NYC, New York

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Before reading this post, please note that, in accordance with the FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I was contacted directly by the restaurant or a PR and that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

I got invited to review the Little Fox Cafe, located near Chinatown. I was very excited to go there because, looking for their menu on the internet, I discovered that they have an artist, Mike Breach, making portraits on latte and there are some incredible photos on their facebook pages (the Jean Simmons portrait is awesome)! Unfortunately, Mike Breach is only present on Wednesdays and it is not possible for me to go there on those days. Interestingly, few weeks ago, my sister Corinne told me that she heard on the French TV about a cafe in New York making portraits in latte, but she could not remember the name! That was probably this place that was also featured on Good Morning America.

I was also excited because I love coffee: I drink coffee and I bleed coffee and a place that has a sign like the one above is on the right track!

The place is small but I truly appreciated that there were not too many tables as a lot of cafes are trying to maximize the space to the point where it becomes uncomfortable!

It definitely had a rustic feel with its 18th Century Church pews and shelves from the recently demolished Kenmare hotel. Apparently, the name comes from one of the original owner who comes from England (they have lots of foxes there) and looking at the decoration, I would think there is a British touch to it!

We are greeted by WC:

We talked a bit and I learnt that he is an artist who travels the world to do murals. In fact, the Little Fox Cafe has a room downstairs that they are planning to open to display Art and organize parties at some point. Because Little Fox Cafe is like Jekyl and Hyde: cafe during the day and bar at night! You can get a hint looking at the beer on tap they serve! But know that beer is not the only beverage they serve on tap: there is also iced coffee that was perfect on this hot day!

I also tried their espresso that I found good but a bit too bitter:

But I think my favorite was the latte! Latte is made with espresso and steamed milk. This one is probably one of the best I ever had: it was so creamy! And the best of all is that WC was able to draw little characters on it as shown below:


Step 1 - make the latte:

Step 2 - draw with a thin wooden stick

Step 3 - Et Voila!

Or:

That started to be interesting when I drank some of it!

They typically do it if they see that people are not in a hurry and I guess if they have time!

Food wise, they have quite few interesting items: cookies, brownies, croissants, pecan bars...coming from different suppliers such as Ceci Cela Patisserie for the croissants or a guy named Andy for cookies!

I asked WC which item was the most popular and it was the croissant with nutella that I decided to try:

They cut the croissant in two, put a generous amount of nutella on one side, close and grill it like a panini sandwich!

It was delicious! A bit crunchy, with the fantastic taste of the warm nutella pairing well with the flakey and buttery croissant!

It was very good and if you decide to go there, do not miss the latte and nutella croissant!

Enjoy (I did)!

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