The Going is Good at Ca Va

Bread and First Wine Tasting 

We had a great experience with a Gilt City tasting menu for two with wine pairings at Olives, so when Todd English's midtown restaurant Ca Va came up, I was quick to snag one. We've been quite busy lately, and to my dismay, I suddenly realized that the certificate had expired. I gave them a desperate call and they graciously let us come in and still redeem it. This surprised me and I wanted to mention since I don't believe a lot of places would have done this.

Our meal started with a Bacon Potato Salad: maple glazed bacon, caramelized red onions, fried chick peas, and fingerling potatoes served over a garlic aoili and garnished with powdered sumac. This was my favorite dish and it made me really wonder about the characteristics necessary to classify something as a salad. Don't be fooled, not a whole lot of veggies happening here.

Bacon Potato Salad

CREPINETTE A LA CREVETTE ET QUEUE DE BOEUF

jumbo prawn, oxtail rillettes, horseradish cream

warm fingerling potato salad with mustard seed

This dish was a very close runner-up for favorite. Very intense mustard and horseradish flavors which somehow worked together instead of one overpowering the other. If you aren't a big horseradish or mustard fan, I would absolutely not recommend ordering this. If however, those flavors appeal to you, you might want to run to Ca Va to order this right now.

Lamb Stew

Our third course was a French lamb shoulder stew with peas, turnips, carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic, celery, tarragon in white wine and clarified broth. We aren't the biggest lamb fans so weren't as excited about this one, however, it was still quite good.

Dessert Plates

Finally, for dessert there was a chocolate cake with a ganache center served with homemade vanilla marshmallows and homemade graham crackers to create a modern S'mores twist. In case that wasn't enough, they also threw in some petit fours to sweeten the deal. Pun intended.

Like Olives, this is a swanky, modern place perfect for when you want to feel metropolitan and chic. The service was spectacular and the food was incredible. This is a great option when you need a special pre or post theatre dining option.

Don't Miss Miss Lily's

Since we've moved to NYC, The Mr will occasionally ask if I've heard of any place that has good jerk chicken. So when I started reading a lot of rave reviews for Miss Lilly's I didn't waste much time before getting us over there. I immediately liked the vibe of the place. The decor is themed and they push the border of being kitsch, but don't go over into being cheesy and somehow make it hip. The front room's theme is counter & booth lunch spot, while the back room is music themed.

We are grooving on the ambience and our Red Stripes when our appetizers arrive: Jerk Chicken wings and Spicy Shrimp. This was messy, eat with your hands style dining and it was full of flavor and spicy heat. I was immediately transported back to our vacation in St Martin when we would eat at the BBQ shacks and started to feel just as happy and relaxed as I was then.

The Jerk Chicken entree with cucumber yogurt salad, rice & beans, jam, and plantains. It all complemented each other so well, and the jerk seasoning was really spicy. For once, I stayed my hand from piling on more hot sauce- this is the spiciest dish I have been served in a restaurant for quite some time...perhaps ever.

This meal was truly exceptional and Miss Lily's is definitely worth going out of your way for, exactly the kind of dining perfection we are always on the hunt for here at Newbie Foodies!

Nuts for Almondine

Coffee, Croissant, & Passion Fruit Macaron

We were enjoying the New York Photo Festival in DUMBO when we found ourselves in need of a coffee break. Almondine had been recommended to us based on their reputation for having some of the best croissants in NYC. The Mr loves him some croissant, so we definitely needed to try them out. The croissant was buttery and flaky and so, in a word, delicious. I also threw in an added bonus of a Passion Fruit Macaron. A perfect little cafe to enjoy high quality french treats and take a break.

By Giorgio's I think we've got it!

Amuse Bouche

Fresh Oysters 

Maine Lobster Linguine

S'more Bread Pudding

Back when we lived in the Flatiron/Gramercy area I purchased a Groupon for Giorgio's of Gramercy since it was on my list of restaurants to try out. Somehow though we never quite got around to checking them out- so much food, so little time! But I hate to not use coupons, so we finally set a date and made our way over to our old neck of town. What a gorgeous place! Luscious reds & golds, set the elegant tone, but modern elements help keep it casual chic. We started our evening with Roasted Oysters with Shallots and black truffle butter. It was every bit as delicious as it sounds. Our appetites whetted, we moved on to Linguine with lobster, shrimp, tomatoes, haricots verts, and pomodoro sauce, topped with parmesan. We split it, so the above picture is a half-order plenty of delicious pasta with nice big chunks of lobster in very fresh tasting tomato sauce. Dessert was pretty much a no brainer since we are suckers for bread pudding and the S'more Bread Pudding is kind of their house specialty. Chocolate-marshmallow, caramel sauce, and vanilla gelato served with a graham cracker was the perfect end to an absolutely lovely meal.

A dramatic lunch at Don Giovanni's

Spinach with Bruschetta & Fresh Mozzarella… 9.95

Went with some co-workers for a lunch at Don Giovanni Ristorante and had a mixed experience. The waitress was abrupt, but she was efficient and the only one there, so we let this pass. That is, until we finally pointed out that one of our group didn't receive her order and she snapped at us that we should've told her sooner. We all just sat there with our jaws open for a moment as the shock set in, and then found ourselves giggling at the ridiculousness of it.

As for the food, I was pretty happy with my salad, which was really 4 pieces of bruschetta with a bit of spinach, mozzarella and roasted red pepper in the middle. I skipped the provided dressing in lieu of some balsamic vinegar, since it tasted fatty and somehow tasteless.

I didn't try their pizza, but something tells me it wouldn't beat out Patsy's which is around the corner and an avenue away.