Helloooo Haruuuu

Just wanted to change my perspective a bit on the ubiquitous sushi joint: it's not THAT bad. Granted, the blasting techno music and lackluster service didn't exactly win points with me, but the fish tonight was surprisingly fresh (almost as good as Hamachi!). So, in order to spread good karma, I will no longer shun Haru.

Is there a forklift to transport me home?!

Last night, I ventured to Wine Bar on 4th and 2nd ave. It was the perfect summer evening - light humidity, a nice breeze and we had scored (thanks to Marissa) a corner table outside. That said, the food, along with the people watching in the East Village, was superb.

We started with the crostini with three dips: roasted artichoke, roasted tomatoes and fennel/white bean. Decent yet the teeny, way-too-crispy mini-crostinis proved difficult to achieve the perfect bite.

So we thought we'd be somewhat healthy and go with a nice frisee salad with grilled calamari and grapefruit. The salad was light and even though I have a mild aversion to grapefruit, the salad was decent. Not my favorite, but definitely added a nice balance to our carb/Italian fare.

The menu's highlight appeared to be the flatbreads - oval, thin-crusted, crispy discs of pure gluttony. We went with the formaggio (Asiago, fontina, mozzarella di bufala) with truffle oil - definitely the most simple of the selection so I'm anxious to return and try the others.

The finale: chicken meatballs. A little heavy for al fresco summer dining, but that said, the sweet, hearty marinara and guitar-pick-sized pieces of Parmigiano Reggiano really enhanced the moist, tender chicken. Definitely a go-to dish in the winter.

Overall, a great find and value in the East Village - the wine list was particularly compelling with selections from Italy, France and Spain. It should be interesting to see if this place sticks around or is replaced with another, just as of-the-moment resto.

The wine bar trend continues....

So I knew the moment I sat down at the bar at Centro Vinoteca last night that it was going to be a good night. After patiently waiting several minutes, the bartender took my order (prosecco) and starting pouring two glasses. He pushed one my way and instructed me to deliver it to his friend's table behind me and placed the other in my hand saying, "This one's on the house." MUSIC TO MY EARS, people!! It should also be noted that this was the largest, most robust glass of prosecco I've ever had in my life.

Once the other half of my party arrived, we sat down in cozy little section near the bustling bar and immediately turned to the piccholini menu to satisfy our little bellies. After much deliberation we went with the truffled deviled eggs, mushrooms stuffed with pork and pancetta, little meatballs in a light broth with rosemary and the red and yellow roasted peppers rolled around goat cheese.

I can confidently say that I've never tasted a deviled egg quite like this one - the filling was light and decadent yet the truffle flavor was pervasive enough that to make this not your everyday cocktail party fare. The mushrooms were not my favorite as they were a bit watery and the pancetta kept falling out of the cap. The peppers were a nice, light summer bar snack and the goat cheese was perfectly creamy. Finally, the meatballs were satiating yet not completely satisfying.

Since we overloaded on the mini plates, my long-lost friend/dining partner decided to share the pici pasta - a long, textured, egg-less fettucine-sized noodle with sweet and spicy sausage ragu. This was definitely the highlight of the meal - the flavors were bold enough to make a statement and to keep my taste buds wanting more. Fortunately for my waistline, we shared the dish so overeating wouldn't be an issue.


Definitely check out Anne Burrell's cozy contemporary wine bar. With the mixture of PYTs and old men, it will satisfy any scene requirements and appetites.

An evening with Scott Conant....literally

Last night could have been one of the best, most memorable nights in New York for me...in my entire LIFE. Laur, Erica and I trekked west to 14th and 9th - Scott Conant's latest venture, Scarpetta. Now, Scarpetta (which literally means to wipe your plate clean with bread) is one of those restaurants that you should hate since it's new, trendy and has a notable chef thus making it a very impersonal, almost abrasive experience. Not Scarpetta. From the moment we walked in and got drinks at the bar, Giovanni, the maitre'd, informed us our table was not yet ready but he would keep an eye out and not forget about us.

Perched on our banquette, we sipped our crisp Mueller-Thurgau and devoured all of our menu options. With the assistance of our new friend (and waiter), Andreo, our meal could not have been more perfectly well-rounded.

We started with L'Impero's old stand-by: creamy polenta with a wild mushroom broth spooned over top to create a smooth yet lovely texture. We totally Scarpetta'ed that dish - by the end of the first course, we were using the bread to soak up any last bits. We also devoured the tiny, tender short ribs - amazingly rich and succulent served atop a vegetable and faro risotto. My only complaint: more beef, please! Finally, after reading about the tuna "susci" with marinated veggies and some preserved truffles (couldn't taste anything truffle-like) with some microgreens on top. Honestly, don't waste your time. Go for the polenta and you'll be one happy little clam.

The pasta choices were almost as easy to select since Andreo has been working with Scott for years and knows all of the dishes like the back of his hand. We went for the obvious choice: duck and foie gras ravioli that was heavenly - a rich yet balanced marsala reduction over the perfectly shaped homemade pasta. We also ordered the tagliatelle with a lamb ragu and peas - another deliciously decadent carb option. HOWEVER, taking the pasta cake was a spaghetti with light marinara sauce doused with parmigiano reggiano, compliments of our new friend Chef Scott. Spinkled with fresh basil, this simple pasta dish was our hands down favorite.

A perfectly seared scallop entree rounded out course numero dos (at this point, I was asking for a fork lift to transport us back to the East side).

This brings us to dessert. Now, at this point, we're two bottles of Mueller-Thurgau deep and really devouring anything Scott and Andreo throw our way. We asked for one dessert - whatever they recommend was the best was the one that we would try. A parade of desserts soon arrive: a chocolate cake with hints of burnt orange, espresso and caramel ice cream. I kid you not, this is one of the best desserts I've ever had. A gooey inside, a firm yet rich outer crust and the cold smooth ice cream really sealed the deal. The coconut panna cotta was not as much up my alley (no chocolate) but Laur and Erica gave this one their seal of approval. Finally, the chocolate and vanilla parfait with a mini hazelnut milkshake and biscotti was placed directly in my line of fire and I couldn't say no. The cool, smooth mousse-like texture was played up with some espresso crunchies and blackberries. To enhance the experience, I chased the heaping spoonful with the milkshake. To die for.

Throughout the meal, Chef Scott would pop by to "check in" on us and see how we were liking the food. Obviously, I couldn't find the right words and just nodded in amazement the entire time. GOOD NEWS: BRUNCH IS SOON COMING TO SCARPETTA! We're not talking about "waffles or pancakes," says Chef Scott but really good "eggs with stewed tomatoes." Sounds risque - I LIKE IT. Since we had SUCH a positive experience and were treated like actual people, I ended up double-booking my birthday party there for next month so count your lucky stars that you receive an invite :)

Congrats to Scott Conant on this venture - you are seriously the new Mario Batali!

5 loaves of bread, 2 bottles of wine, and thou.....

When I first learned of the city's best-kept secret about a month ago, I became fixated on when I could get a ressie and with whom would accompany me to this mecca of all things Italian. The ressie can only be obtained the day of and the phone lines open at 10 am. Luckily, my HLM was in town from across the pond so all systems were a "GO" on Monday evening at 7:30. Del Posto Enotecca, here we come.

We arrived early to get a glass of wine at the bar - the bartender really made quite the impression when I told him what I preferred and he gave me three different tasting glasses of each. Now, one glass deep, we were ready to embark on the great 5-course Batali/Bastianich adventure.

The bread: a wonderful assortment served with rich butter and a generous dollop of lardo. We also requested olive oil which was very light and sweet.

After hounding the poor waiter (who looked about 19) with translation questions and his opinion on pretty much each dish, we were ready to divide and conquer: I started with the calamari fritti (in a light but decadent butter sauce with just enough heat) and Katie with the insalata ventresca. Both a nice, light pace before jumping into the pasta tasting courses.

Now, if you know anything about me or Katie, you know that we love a nice homemade carbohydrate. Both the orecchiette with tender rabbit and garganelli with a veal, beef and lamb ragu were incredibly well-seasoned yet not too heavy for the 100-degree heat.


Finally, dessert: I was completely in shock that there were no show-stopping chocolate tortes or a mousse of some sort so I had to get over it pretty quickly and make a gametime decision to go with the assortment of gelati and sorbet. I'll say this: I like gelati...when I'm in Italy. Katie's cheese plate ended up winning Battle: Dessert with some nice sheep's and cow's milk varieties.

In general, it was quite the over-the-top Italian experience. Next time, work on those desserts, and I'll be back in a heartbeat.

Time to get your Shabu on!

It's become tradition that when Jackie visits, we go to Shabu Tatsu in the East Village. Ok, so it's only been twice so far, but we're seriously holding firm on this ritual and for good reason.

Some people don't like paying to cook their own food but I'm in interactive advertising so OF COURSE interacting with food is obviously of interest to me. The key to any kind of restaurant of this DIY nature is that you initially go with someone who knows the ropes. So, when you return, you can show other people what to cook first and how to cook it and thus the place goes viral in a matter of weeks. Oh wait, we're not building a viral marketing plan here, are we?

Anyways, we ordered the standard rib-eye and vegetables platter for the five of us - it comes with a nice little green salad with ginger dressing to start while the boiling pot of water in the table starts bubbling. We ended up dumping in most of veggies at once: cabbage, shitake and porcini (?) mushrooms, carrots and tofu. The key here is to really let them cook through in the boiling water before you begin to cook each thinly sliced piece of beef. The best part of the meal is plucking a really well-cooked mushroom, dunking it in the ponzu sauce, dropping it on top of the white rice and letting it soak in all of the delicious flavor while you cook a piece of beef. Eat and repeat.

HOWEVER, it gets best. At the end of the meal, you have this wonderfully beef and vegetable flavored broth that is skimmed throughout the meal. The waiter brings out little soup cups with salt and pepper at the bottom and you ladle the broth, along with the rice noodles that are cooked for a mere minute or two. So simple, yet so satisfying.

Finally, a little scoop of ice cream (obviously, I got chocolate, everyone else tried red bean or green tea) rounds out the meal. I can't wait for Jackie to return!

The words "rustic" and "Italian" have taken on a new meaning

Last Friday, I really wanted to impress my little DC visitor with a true taste of what the big NY had to offer. I picked Peasant mainly because:
a) I can't say no to pasta
b) Everyone's been raving and I had to see what it was all about

We get to the larger than expected Elizabeth Street space and were transported from the minute we walked in. Since we couldn't read the Italian menu, the waitress expertly detailed each and every item on the menu. The sheep's milk ricotta was a great little amuse bouche (not as good as A Voce, but nonetheless). We decided on the spicy octopus ("polpi in purgatorio" = octopus in hell!) which had a little more heat than either of us expected but was so tender neither of us cared. The other appetizer, a creamy yet firm burrata, was a bit more forgettable but soothed our palates.

Game time: orecchiette bathed in a light white wine sauce with the largest, meatiest mussels I've ever seen. Split perfectly onto two plates, Jackie and I were scraping our plates for more. Finally, those of you who know me well know that I don't believe fruit ever belongs in dessert: I like my desserts rich and chocolatey. Well, being the nice host I am, I let my out-of-towner select the peach tart and THANK GOODNESS SHE DID. It was heaven - baked in a little cast iron dish with huge tender slices of peaches and a generous scoop of hazelnut ice cream on top. Perfect for two (or ten).

I am such a slacker

So sorry, but between the wedding and moving into a new apartment, I've been neglecting Le Dish. Faithful readers, don't despair! Tomorrow I will be re-reviewing La Bottega and Friday I will be reviewing Peasant. Sunday's activities boast a Shake Shack visit so most likely that will be posted on Monday.

I know, I gotta get in gear. Keep checking back and you won't be disappointed.