NYC Visit, Part I
Alright, so my visit to NYC covered a lot of ground, so I'll be making multiple posts about it ... first up, some of the restaurants I visited.Gramercy Tavern
My first experience was one of the best of the week. I can still remember the meal. Chicken liver crostinis with chive and bacon, with a roasted tomato relish, onion marmalade, spinach salad and 1/2 of an egg ... perfectly delicious. Tenderloin of pork with braised red cabbage, potato puree and sauteed fingerling potatoes. It's Tom Coliccio's food and the ingredients speak for themselves. With some great cocktails being doled out by Jim the bartender and a homey, warm, energetic service staff, I was quite impressed. My only complaint? The dish that my entree was plated on was cold. Small complaint, but the only one I had.
Union Square Cafe
I stopped in for lunch at USC the next day. I have to admit, I was prepared to hate the space ... I had seen it in a restaurant design textbook before and the space just looked very dated. Walking inside, it felt, well, right. Sure the murals were a bit dorky, but it worked in the space. I have no other way to describe it. People who have been there will have pretty strong feelings about it, I imagine ... personally, I loved it. For lunch, I had the garlic potato chips - pretty good, salty, garlicy, but I was wanting something a little more crisp and a berkshire pork sammich with mostarda. Now the sammich was great, rustic Italian but the southerner in me couldn't help but think that, well, that pork was wasted on doing some Italian version of a pulled pork sandwich. I can't think of a nobler ending for a Boston butt than barbecue ... but I digress. Desert was a lovely meyer lemon cake with whipped creme fraiche. I can honestly say that I didn't care for the garnishes or the cake after I tried the whipped creme fraiche ... it was a revelation. From now on when I want to add a bit of rich creamyness in dessert with a bit of a tang cream cheese and sour cream aren't going to be what I turn to ... creme fraiche is where it's at.
Les Halles in the Financial District
I was in love with the Les Halles on Park Ave. Great food, good service, and it's where I met Tony Bourdain. With those fond memories, I thought it would be cool to get a quick bite at the Les Halles in the Financial District. I was staying with a friend who lived a few blocks away, so this seemed to be a natural thing to do. I go in and immediately I am not greeted by the hostess at the podium. I'm not asked if I'm here for dinner, if I need my coat taken, if I have a reservation, nothing. The slack jawed blonde that comes by next is equally useless. So I just say I'll go sit at the bar and move my ass there. Halfway into my beer my bartender proceeds to spill it all over the bar. At least he refills it for free ... in any case, the cassoulet was good, not great, but good ... I would have liked the sausage to have a little more seasoning to it and the beans were, well, kind of bland, and the duck confit was downright puny ... I remember the cassoulet we made at school with a whole lot more fondness.
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