Giving Joseph Leonard a Go

Joseph Leonard: Bloody Caesar & Michelada

Joseph Leonard has been on my to try brunch list for ages now, so when the opportunity arose on a beautiful spring afternoon we headed off to the West Village to give it a shot. We usually don't order drinks at brunch, but their Bloody Marys looked like a serious opportunity not to be missed. I ordered the Bloody Caesar with vodka, clamato, and sriracha garnished with a deep-fried bacon-wrapped brussels sprout and an oyster. Heck yah.

Press Dinner: MASQ

MASQ | Moscow Mule

I was invited to try a tasting of the offerings at MASQ a New American restaurant with a distinctive New Orleans flair. The restaurant is a collaboration between a husband and wife team and Chef Marc Getzelman. Their love of NOLA is reflected in the decor of the floor-through layout which features a horseshoe shaped bar in the front, the dining room, lounge, and private party room in the back.

What a peach! Ma Peche

Ma Peche | Fried Brussels Sprouts

We've been David Chang fans from almost the instant we set down in NYC as Momofuku Noodle Bar was one of the first restaurant we were taken to to initiate us as legit New Yorkers. However, we tend to keep doing repeat visits and haven't taken the opportunity to try his other fine dining establishments. Tonight, that finally changed...

When De Santos Comes Marching In

De Santos

Tonight I was invited to try De Santos, a contemporary American restaurant located in a West Village brownstone that was once home to the likes of Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan. My initial impression after walking in was "lovely". Exposed brick and rustic wood were counterbalanced with cherry blossoms and butterflies to make it equal parts masculine and feminine.

Go Westville, Young Man

Breakfast Burrito

Westville is a Chelsea staple and for good reason. Wholesome, good food made from fresh ingredients with a lot of local flavor. We order delivery from them a lot at work, but this morning I went with my girl friend for brunch.

Holding Court at The Plaza Food Hall

The Plaza Food Hall

One of our 2012 goals was to complete the "Todd English Trifecta". This is a completely made-up term that captures the fact that we have now eaten at all of his restaurants in NYC. Note that this is restricted to the island of Manhattan since his Bonfire restaurant is located in Terminals 2 & 7 of JFK. We only fly JetBlue (Terminal 5 baby), so it's safe to say we won't be making it to this location any time soon. But I digress. Tonight we dined at The Plaza Food Hall and we were totally delighted.

Go to Vai

Vai Restaurant (Press Photo) 

I was invited to try out Vai, a contemporary Mediterranean restaurant in the Upper West Side that opened last October. I walked into the intimate yet casual dining room and immediately felt that tonight was going to be special. Chef Vincent Chirico has orchestrated an entire dining experience from top to bottom. He's not only the Owner and Executive Chef, but he also created the wine list, the cocktails, the desserts AND is responsible for the decor. I love that this restaurant is the entire vision of the Chef and that he shapes the entire concept around his signature food.

Solid Neighborhood Support from Trestle on Tenth

Trestle on Tenth

We have lived across the street from Trestle on Tenth for over a year now, but nothing on the menu has ever stood out and lured me in. Finally, we decided to have a special night out, but were starving, so instead of hopping in a cab and facing a long wait time, we decided to finally check out this local spot.

In Complete Concord with Union Square Cafe

Amazingly, we never managed to have a meal at Union Square Cafe when we lived over by Union Square. Not for lack of trying of course, this has been on my must-try list for quite some time. So when my parents were in town and I wanted to show them some of the best this great city has to offer, this is where I took them.

I don't often order chicken, but when I know it is going to be really well prepared, sometimes it really hits the spot. Also, today's menu with the root vegetables and flavored mashed potatoes just really hooked me. I was NOT disappointed. I was really good and saved half of it to take home to enjoy for lunch the next day, but full disclosure? I ate it as soon as I got home- it was just that good.

Roasted Chicken 

No more curiosity about The Red Cat

The Red Cat

I live across the street from The Red Cat and I've actually been here a couple of times already, but never quite put up a post about it, because...well, there just wasn't much to say. I keep hoping to have a breakthrough moment where I see why place is so raved about, like my experience with Cookshop. Don't get me wrong, it's a pleasant restaurant with nice service and good food, but for me that's about it. All of the food is well prepared, but nothing has ever really excited me.

F is for Fantastic: Gordon Ramsay at The London

Filet of turbot rainbow Swiss chard, crosnes, baked oxtail Champagne sauce

An out of town friend wanted to meet for dinner before seeing The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular and I needed to pick a place for dinner. Last time she was in town, she picked Perilla, so the bar was set high. I knew I couldn't just bring her to any cheesy, touristy Midtown spot. Chef Ramsay has an excellent reputation, and his restaurant at The London had fantastic reviews so it seemed like a good selection.

Besotted with Boutique Eat Shop

Boutique Eat Shop has been on our 'must try' list since we've moved to Chelsea. When a voucher for a dinner for two with drinks came up on Travel Zoo's deals, I snatched it up for a special date night treat. The Mr has been working a lot recently, so it was time to cash in our coupon and spend a quality evening together.

I was super tempted by the Pumpkin Martini, but it sounded like dessert. Instead, we started our meal with The Spicy Mango (Maker's Mark, mango puree, chili powder, tobasco) and the Mexican Cider (Don Julio Blanco, fresh squeezed apple cider, fresh lemon juice, ground cinnamon). Delicious!

The Spicy Mango & Mexican Cider 

Cafe 2 & Terrace 5 at The MoMA

Soup & Cookies 

Bruschetta

My new boss took our team for an outing to see the "Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects" exhibit. (Our team is responsible for User Interaction Design at our company so it was very apropos.) We started our day out with lunch at Cafe 2 where most of us opted for the Soup & Bruschetta lunch which comes with a cup of soup, your choice of two bruschetta, and two cookies. What a perfect day-at-the-museum luncheon option! The soup of the day was tomato and I chose the Cured Tuna (with black olives & lemon) and Cauliflower (with gorgonzola, toasted walnuts, and honey) bruschetta. I enjoyed it all immensely and the chocolate chunk cookies made a delightful end to the meal.

Glowing Hotness at The Ember Room

We decided to celebrate our Two Year Wedding Anniversary by redeeming our Thrillest Reward Dinner for Two at Ember Room. This tasting menu pitted Todd English's dishes against Chalermkittichai's. We were ready to be official judges and took our responsibility quite seriously.

Ride on past One If By Land, Two If By Sea

I recently joined a book club that combines a love of good books with dining at great restaurants around the city. I'm sad to say that for my first meeting, I was disappointed on both counts.

Luckily, their Restaurant Week menu was still available, so we each ordered a cocktail and then chose our appetizer, entree, and dessert. The cocktails were really delicious, no complaints on that count. But then the trouble started. I was talking to the girl on my right, so did not notice the waiter who approached me with the bread basket behind my left shoulder. Up until now, I sensed an air of hoity toitiness from the wait staff (which is why there are no accompanying pictures with this post). The extremely rude toned "Ex-cuse me" that I then received from the waiter quickly confirmed it.

Olives Update

Escargot Flatbread and Carpetbagger Oysters

Re-visited Olives for a date night. For our entree, we went with our favorite- the pork chop, but tried a couple of new items from the Appetizer menu this round. The Escargot Flatbread was topped with Montrachet goat cheese, garlicky snails, and black truffle vinaigrette. While this was garlicky, cheesy, and very yummy, we didn't really taste the truffle flavor. We also got an order of the Carpetbagger Oysters: crispy oysters with beef carpaccio truffle mashed potatoes. Again, we enjoyed them, but didn't taste much truffle.  

On our next visit, we will definitely need to try the popular Fig & Prosciutto Flatbread!

LA Edition: Alcove

Alcove

Scramble with Mushrooms & Zucchini

At this point in my LA trip, I met up with my LA friend who took over the fantastic food finding duty. She started by bringing me to Alcove for brunch which was a delightful sunny and airy spot with enormous breakfast plates. I tried to keep it healthy by getting the egg white scramble with mushrooms & zucchini, but didn't count on the sheer quantity of it! A delicious start to another fun filled Californian day!

LA Edition: Fresh Corn Grill

Fresh Corn Grilled Salad with Shrimp

Another fantastic LA find! For lunch we dined at Fresh Corn Grill which serves exactly what the name might imply. The signature salad offered grilled corn, grilled asparagus, avocado, scallions, and grilled zucchini served over mixed greens with a house vinaigrette. While I normally don't opt for seafood at fast food restaurants, it looked and smelled so delicious that I simply could not resist. I'm so glad I went for it- it tasted every bit as good as it looked and smelled. The salad was a bit pricey, but I ate until I was quite full and it didn't even look like I made a dent in it, so it's actually a pretty good deal for the money. Now if only I can find a salad this good somewhere nearby me in NYC!

Joining up with Blue Caravan

Chef Mei Chau made a name for herself with Franklin Station Cafe, a Malaysian/French bistro in TriBeCa which closed after 15 years of being a neighborhood favorite in June of 2008 due to soaring rent prices. But now she's back with her new global cuisine restaurant on the Upper West Side Blue Caravan. Some of the favorite dishes from Franklin's can be found on the menu, but she is also taking the opportunity to try out some brand new items. The space is fresh and modern that manages to be casual yet elegant and features photography from Mei's husband Marc. 

Mondays are World Music Nights from 7-10pm with music coordinator Arturo Martinez. On the music menu for tonight was some Brazilian fare, it set the mood and was still soft enough to be able to carry on a conversation. (Tip: Next week is Flameco with a singer and dancer!) They also have a Jazz Brunch on Sundays from 12-3pm with vocalist Kay Mori.

Truffles Mixed Mushroom Bruschetta

Looks good enough to eat...and it was! Unfortunately, my camera battery died at this point, so you'll have to make do with iPhone quality pictures from this point on. 

Small Plates Trio

Foreground right: Porcini and Sweet Pea Arancini with smoked eggplant aioli (in purple flower).
Foreground left: Spicy Chicken Skewer with tamarind peanut sauce (in green flower).
Background: Crispy Calamari with blood orange and soy reduction.

These three small plates worked really well together. The arancini were crispy and smokey, the chicken skewers were tender and moist, and the calamari was crunchy and sweet. The calamari is what really stole the show and this is the dish that I recommend most from the evening. Quite possibly the least rubbery calamari I've ever had and the blood orange and soy reduction was sweet enough to be dessert. I would swear that they were coated in chopped nuts, but according to Chef Mei it's a simple garlic and flour mixture. Amazing.

Salmon & Duck

Foreground: Turmeric Salmon with coconut milk, turmeric ginger, and acar vegetables. My second favorite dish, this one carried over from Franklin's and was immensely popular there. One taste of the sauce and I could easily see why. She could serve this amazing sauce with anything and have a hit on her hands. You definitely will find yourself wanting to sop up the leftovers with some bread...or a spoon.

Background: Pan Seared Magret Duck served over wild rice with a cranberry raisin cherry part glaze. Without meaning to, the above photo is very symbolic. Although this dish was quite good, it was overshadowed by the Turmeric Salmon.

Profiterole & Apple Tart

Finally, for dessert, home-made profiteroles and a slice of apple tart. Amazingly, Mei also does most of her own desserts! The profiteroles are a chocoholic's dream, but surprisingly, the apple tart was my favorite.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mei and Marc and they are clearly passionate and excited about their new endeavor. Having just opened in April, they are still trying new dishes and changing the menu, so it's an exciting time to visit. Also, be sure to stop by the bar and get a drink from Steve, he was our server for this evening and was an absolute delight. They are usually all to be found on site, so be sure to introduce yourselves to them!


*My meal was provided by the restaurant as part of a Press Dinner.

In an empire state of mind at The Highliner

Unfortunately, we never got a chance to eat at the iconic Empire Diner before they closed, but we have been waiting with baited breath ever since we noticed renovation activity occurring within. Finally, The Highliner has been unveiled in Chelsea.  I never got to see what it originally looked like inside, so I'm not sure whether it has changed a lot or not, but I love the art deco look inside with the mix of wood paneling, steel, and tiling. At first, I was surprised by the menu, since it is a bit more upscale than your traditional diner fair. It was also a bit random- Chilaquiles? Hmmm...wasn't expecting to see that. But we love Chilaquiles, so we decided to try it out. 

Chilaquiles (half order)

Note 1: What you are seeing is post-split! Very generous portions help offset the price.

Note 2: These were the best Chilaquiles we have ever had anywhere. And yes, we are including Chilaquiles eaten at boutique hotels overlooking the ocean in Mexico.

Update: We enjoyed it so much that we dragged our friends here for the Chilaquiles for Brunch the next morning!