Tabélog bloggers event at SakaMai in NYC, New York

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I was recently invited by Tabélog at SakaMai, a sake bar in the Lower East Side, for a meet and greet party with food bloggers that are part of a jury to elect restaurants in New York City in the following categories:

• Best Use of Truffles in a Dish
• Best Overall Plate Display
• Best Happy Hour Location
• Best Steak in NYC
• Best Ramen Noodles

(results to be announced soon!)

Tabélog is the number one Japanese review website with over 50 million users, that is launching a US version: tabelog.us, focussing, at this time, on New York City and expanding in the near future to the rest of the US. The name Tabélog comes from: "Tabe" that means to eat in Japanese and "log" is for blog.

With Kenta Hirai and Malini - Courtesy of The Restaurant Fairy

We spoke a bit with Kenta Hirai, the CEO of Tabélog US, and had a wonderful evening with Malini, The Restaurant Fairy, and her husband Yozo, that I met in previous press events. Of course, most of the discussion was centered around food, probably the only topic where rarely people would fight as opposed to politics and sports!

So what best place for this event than a sake bar? I admit that I did not know there were sake bars in New York. I only have sake (rarely though), when going to a Japanese restaurant and, usually, one would think to grab a beer or a glass of wine, but rarely sake! That is such a mistake! And to make us discover incredible drinks, we were honored by the presence of 2012 world champion mixologist Shingo Gokan.

And they have tons of sake there (by the way, Sakamai means "rice to make sake")! But also a large selection of beer. I decided to try some sake and picked the Fukuju that is a smooth one from a brewery in Hyogo.

I liked it, better that the other cocktail I tried that was made with ingredients like gin and coconut water that was their cocktail of the evening.

Jodi got herself a ginger ale, made from real ginger and not from a can!

As soon as we arrived, we roamed around the place that was quite warm with the exposed bricks and the dark wood. There was the main room:

A back room where they served the food and a small room upstairs, perfect for small gathering:

Nicely and simply decorated:

Then, there was food prepared by Chef Takanori Akiyama and his team! Imagine that Kenta had to try the food the day before, to make sure it would meet the expectations of the bloggers! What a sacrifice!!!

This is a personal message: Kenta, next time, if you need an assistant for this task, let me know!

This is what we had; note that some items are present on the menu, some were prepared for the event:

Carrot puree, dashi gelee and summer truffle:

Dashi is a cooking stock that serves as base for Japanese soups like miso soup. This dish was great: great colors and,as you can see, a large slice of truffle!!! It was the best dish for me: mixing the dashi gelee and the carrot puree made a creamy mixture that had a smooth and sweet taste. Imagine that Jodi does not like carrots and got two servings!

Filet mignon tartare with sea urchin, wasabi mascarpone, crushed poached egg, served with a brioche toast:

That was very creative and a fantastic take on a beef tartare, elevating it for sure. I liked it, although I am not a big fan of beef tartare usually.

Temari Sushi: Tasmanian trout with caviar rouge.

They would not have said that it was trout, I would have thought it was salmon. Normal considering that Tasmanian trout is part of the salmon family! But it has a more subtle taste than salmon.

Croquette made of lobster, lardo Iberico, sansho pepper and served with a potato puree:

I admit that I did not care about the puree, that was quite good! My focus was on the croquette was was superb! Soft and creamy, with the lobster taste coming through at every bite.

Tsukune slider:

It was composed of a chicken meatball, foie gras, caramelized onions, lettuce and harissa aioli. The inside was very good, soft with a nice combination of sweet and salty components, the harissa aioli blending in. 

Secreto Iberico Pork, served with a faro salad and kogashi shoyu (I think it is soy sauce...):

Very good dish with the pork being perfectly grilled and a bit charred.

The last dish was dessert, an interesting one in fact!

It was a strawberry compote served with a mascarpone mousse and a truffled balsamic glaze. It was light with lots of flavors coming from the strawberry compote whose sweetness was balanced with the smoothness of the mascarpone mousse. A great dessert!

We had a great time and good food! Thanks to Tabélog for inviting us and all the best for your launch in the US! And thanks also to SakaMai for a wonderful experience!

Enjoy (I did)! 

ご馳走さまでした (gochisōsama deshita) 

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Luzzo's in NYC, New York

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After discovering Luzzo's during one of Scott's Pizza Tours, we were eager to go back to try some other pizzas! Just thinking about the slice we got the first time we tried it, I am still drooling!

So we went back twice, on Sundays. The staff was very courteous and sat us at a table close to the back room. We could not not notice the paintings that were upside down and when we ask the waiter, he simply said: "look, everything is upside down!". In fact it was. Interesting decor I have to say!!!

In the two times we went, we tried the following dishes: meatballs appetizer.

It came in a thick tomato sauce that was divine: slow cooked, it had a fully bodied flavor. A bit salty though. The thickness was perfect to stick to the perfectly made and moist meatballs.

Fortunately, they gave us a nice soft focaccia bread that we ate with the sauce and with the olive oil that is on all tables. It was heaven!!!

Then we tried the eggplant parmesan appetizer or Parmigiana di Melanzane:

That was a great dish! Not greasy, the eggplant were skin on; often, the skin is removed because it can have some bitterness. This was not the case. Also, the eggplant was not breaded, maybe to let that succulent vegetable be the star of the dish. And for sure it was! I think it is a good idea to offer that dish as an appetizer and that portion is perfect for sharing.

Then, we got the Tartufata Pizza. 

It was made of tomato sauce, truffle paste, mozzarella di buffala and basil leaves. You could definitely smell the truffle but it was similar in a way to the one we had last time (pizza di buffala); not that it was bad, because it was a stunning pizza: the crust, very thin, was a bit crunchy although floppy, with this heavenly good char taste, especially on the outside. 

The other pizza we tasted was the 4 formaggi pizza or 4 cheese pizza!

The 4 cheese pizza is one of my favorites when I eat pizza. Hey, do not forget that I come from the country of cheeses! The cheeses were gorgonzola, mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan. There was no tomato sauce.

It was perfect: they are not cheap on the amount of cheese and there was a perfect balance as too much gorgonzola can overpower other cheeses. It was also creamy. To conclude: a must have!

I am definitely a big fan of that place! They have great pizzas and I cannot wait to go back to try their homemade pasta! 

Enjoy (I did)!

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Lunch at the 21 Club in NYC, New York

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I recently had lunch at 21 Club, located Midtown Manhattan. 21 Club is like a club without any membership, but with rules like men must wear a jacket to eat in the dining room. If you walked on 52nd street between 5th and 6th, you probably noticed it (it is at the number 21 of the street, hence the name), with its painted cast iron lawn jockey representing famous stables on the stairs and the balcony.

These jockeys, or at least 21 of them (there is now a total of 33), were given in 1930s as a sign of appreciation by famous patrons. The current location opened in 1929 and was a speakeasy. What caught my eyes on Wikipedia, when writing this post is the following sentence:

As soon as a raid began, a system of levers was used to tip the shelves of the bar, sweeping the liquor bottles through a chute and into the city's sewers. The bar also included a secret wine cellar, which was accessed through a hidden door in a brick wall which opened into the basement of the building next door (number 19). 

There are different sections to the place: a dining room upstairs and downstairs, three areas: a bar, a lounge with a fireplace that is lit in the winter:

With some amazing original paintings from Frederic Remington!

And then the dining room, with its antique toys and sport memorabilia:

These are given by the regulars (yes, you can't just show up and give then a toy that they will hang on the ceiling! You have to come plenty of times!).

In terms of food, they serve traditional American cuisine. Interestingly, I could not find the menu on their website! 

So, this is what I tried, after the usual bread basket and butter...The crab cakes:

The crust is made of cornmeal and the cake is sitting on a sweet corn salad dressed with a horseradish butter and mustard oil. 

I admit that I did not expect such a good crab cake! Look at all the meat that was not smothered with some breading and was not just the claw meat. Eating it with the corn salad added some freshness to the dish that is really to try if you go there!

Then, I tried the Ahi Tuna tartare:

It was served with edamame, cucumber, ginger, yuzu and a miso dressing. I do not know how they did it with all these ingredients, but it was totally bland! I was so disappointed!

If you want something more simple, you can go for one of their salads, that I did not try, but photographed...

Then came dessert, with a Boston cream pie!

It looked good, but was not that great...

The custard inside was too thick and lacking some taste. The only positive was that it was not too sweet...

They then brought some macaroons and chocolates:

I do not know if they make them on premises, but they were delicious!

So, besides the crab cakes, that are a must have, the food was not great. If you go to 21 Club, it is more for the decor than for the food, and make sure you bring your credit card as this is pricey...

Enjoy (...)!

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Italian dinner at Giano in the East Village - NYC, New York

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I was recently invited to a Press dinner at Giano, an Italian restaurant located in the East Village that opened more than 5 years ago by two Italian guys, Paolo Rossi (the wine director) and Matteo Niccoli (the Chef). They are both from Milan, but met in New York. The place is interesting: looking for sure like a wine bar, with all the bottles on the walls, they push the concept of the name in the design of the restaurant. Yes, Giano is the Italian from Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions, thence also of gates, doors, passages, endings and time.... If you carefully look at the logo of the restaurant, you will see two profiles: one looking to the past and one to the future. 

The place is kind of designed the same way, with a first room that is modern (the future):

The exposed brick wall definitely adds some warmth to the place and you may notice the wine bottles 

adjacent to the modern 12 foot long bar:

Note the bar top that is made from sea salt from Italy!

And the second dining room representing the past that had a more rustic feel accentuated by the wooden tables, bench and chairs. 

Both rooms are separated by red ropes:

I was wondering if it was to represent the voyage between the different eras...

They also have a nice garden for approx. 20 tables, that maybe, in my own interpretation, represents the present. 

At Giano, Chef Matteo Niccoli crafts an all Italian Menu, taking some traditional dishes and elevating them as you will see later in this post. I think one the main thing to know is that they make their own pasta. This is definitely a plus for an Italian restaurant (of course, they have to make them well!!!). Making boxed pasta is fine, but then you need to serve it with a killer sauce, otherwise, I can do it myself at home!!! Know that Chef Niccoli is also a pastry Chef and therefore, all desserts are made at Giano.

So, it was time for us to start, after enjoying a nice glass of Prosecco served by co-owner and wine director Paolo Rossi:

Prosecco was my drink of choice that night, but I had a look at their wine list made up of mostly Italian wines.

After having some bread and olive oil, we started with the first appetizers tasting. It was made of three dishes. The first one was Crocchette di ricotta e tonno:

The description says it all: "creamy and crunchy tuna and ricotta croquettes with arugula salad and balsamic reduction".

Oh yes: it was creamy and crunchy. If you like fish, it is a good appetizer for you because of the slightly pronounced tuna taste. But what I loved the most was this fantastic crunch!

The next dish was Polenta e Funghi:

It was a crispy polenta served with sautéed mushrooms. The mushrooms were spectacular, hearty with some delicious cheese on top. But, I did not really like the polenta: it was a bit bland and I wished it was a creamy polenta instead.

The last appetizer was Polpette al pomodoro gratinate or meatball with tomato sauce:

The meatball, made with grass fed beef, was delicious and moist. I really liked that dish. It was my favorite of all the appetizers.

After this appetizers tasting, came the pasta tasting. I was really looking for it as the pasta are made on premises! They were all place on one plate, but I admit that I started with the Gnocchi ai 4 formaggi or homemade potato gnocchi with a four cheese sauce because I love cheese! Probably a French thing!

These gnocchi were fantastic: light and not potato-y. They were bathed in a spectacular four cheese sauce that was very creamy, probably thanks to the taleggio cheese they use. The other cheeses were gorgonzola, fontina and parmesan. If like me you love cheese, this is the right choice for you.

Then, I tried a very interesting dish: Bigoli al ragu d'agnello e noci tostate or homemade medieval spaghetti with slow cooked braised lamb ragout and toasted walnut powder.

Bigoli are close to bucatini pasta, but are thicker; the other difference is that bucatini is like a tube and these were not. These pasta date from the 1400s and, at that time, were not made with eggs because eggs were used too precious and used for bartering. At that time, they were served with a ragout made of all sorts of part of animals, leftovers I would say, such as liver, heart...Well, Chef Niccoli succeeded in making it a great dish. What I truly appreciated was the fact that there was a right amount of ragu, letting this delicious pasta shine!

The last pasta dish was Tonnarelli con colatura d'alici or homemade quare spaghetti with "colatura" (anchovy sauce), panko and parsley:

This was an original dish, maybe the most original in fact, but I did not like it because of the anchovy sauce that overpowered the entire dish. I like anchovies, but it was too much for me.

Then, for the main dishes, we started off with Baccala alla livornese con polenta:

It was a pan seared cod fillet (fresh) with tiny tomatoes, black olives, capers and crispy polenta. The Chef told us that he is sometimes using salmon for the dish. I was happy to have that perfectly cooked piece of cod! It was flaky and moist, with a silky texture. I really liked eating the fish with the tomatoes, olives and capers, although I would have liked much more of it, because it complemented the fish so well. However I passed on the crispy polenta that was similar to what was served with the mushrooms in the appetizers.

The last dish before dessert was exciting considering that I love meat...

It was Filetto al balsamico con pancetta e cipolle or Balzamic glazed filet mignon served with basil mashed potatoes, crispy pancetta and braised onions.

This looked really good and you could not miss the bright green color of the basil mash potatoes that was very original and delicious! Smooth texture with a fantastic basil taste. I also liked the onion and crispy pancetta that I ate with and without the steak. It had a nice sweetness and a tiny bit of smokiness.

The steak was good, juicy and tender, but slightly overcooked for me.

Last, was dessert! We got two in fact!

The one on the left was a cappuccino. It was made of homemade coffee gelato, layered wafer cookie and a ricotta, cinnamon and coffee foam.

This was a great interpretation of a cappuccino! The coffee taste was not too pronounced so if like me you like (bleed) coffee but do not always like coffee desserts, this is the perfect choice. The best part of it was the foam that was not too sweet and addictive.

On the right of the plate was the tiramisu:

This is a classic Italian dessert and if an Italian restaurant makes a bad tiramisu, it says it all! Well, the tiramisu at Giano was delicious: light, not too sweet, with enough creaminess from the mascarpone. I finished it for sure!

I was stuffed at the end of tasting! We had a great time at Giano, a restaurant with a nice atmosphere and definitely a neighborhood vibe that make that place warm and inviting.

Enjoy (I did)!

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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! 

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