Pretty fresh for City Crab

Wanted to cap off our weekend with a dinner out so busted out the old Diner's Deck. City Crab is nearby and we were in the mood for seafood so City Crab was an easy decision. We were seated upstairs across from this dude:

Attack of the Giant City Crab

Oyster Sampler

Steak & Crab

Angry Dungeness Crab

We started with the Oyster sampler- 4 of each Fisher's Island, Fanny Bay, and the James River. Fresh & delicious. The Mr ordered the Steak & Crab and was very satisfied. As for me? My eye spied a crab dish starred as "very, very spicy" including jalapeno, serrano, and habanero peppers, so you better believe that's what I ordered. It was spicy and delicious, but incredibly, incredibly messy. I mean, think how messy eating crab is by itself- now add in tomato sauce. Yep. There you go. Thank goodness for the bib and that they sat us upstairs because I was a hot, crabby mess. In the end it was just far too much work & embarrassment to be worth it, would love to see this sauce used for something slightly less hands on.

Overall the food was good, but pretty pricey. Next time we are looking to spend this much money on a meal I see us choosing a fancier outing.

 

We Try Braai

We were headed to midtown for the evening so pulled out the Hell's Kitchen cards from our new Diner's Deck. I've been wanting to try a new cuisine lately so I chose Braai an African restaurant. Had mixed feelings when we walked in because on one hand I was loving the thatched arched ceiling mixed with contemporary place settings, but it also had a bit of an off smell.

Ribbetjies (Pork Ribs) char-grilled pork baby back ribs with soft spinach, truffle-coconut polenta pap & rooibos-chocolate glaze

Chicken Bobotie ground chicken, baked in Malay curried chutney with an egg topping

Malva Pudding traditional soft sponge pudding, caramelized banana & vanilla ice cream on a bed of granadilla-amarula custard

The food was good and we enjoyed the experience- new cuisine, great ambiance, sweet and authentically South African wait staff, but I don't see us coming back (perhaps my experience was a bit tainted by the slight sour mop-ish smell). The pudding was without question the best part, if you are headed there be sure to order it.

Let's Talk The Meatball Shop

Finally made it down to the Lower East Side to check out the famous Meatball Shop. It's a small restaurant, so if you're eating in be prepared to wait and to be a bit cramped and jostled (no surprise in NYC), but they manage to make it feel quite cozy. Luckily there is also a take out counter which is the option we chose.

I encouraged the Mr. to get a classic meatball sub with tomato sauce then decided to take the healthier option of the Everything but the Kitchen Sink salad with Veggie Meatballs and tomato sauce. The sub was incredible and lived up to the reputation, but I was also surprised by how delicious the Veggie meatballs and greenmarket sides were! For once I wasn't staring longingly at The Mr's dish over my salad. Best vegetarian meatballs I've ever had hands down. We will definitely be going back!

The PUREest of Them All

Received a complimentary Diner's Deck card to Pure Food & Wine and we went over right away to try it out. We were immediately inspired by the ambiance: incredibly elegant, but in a reserved, contemporary, non-pretentious way, so we chose to stay a while and enjoy the evening with the Chef's Tasting Menu.

Amuse Bouche: fennel with pomegranate, capers, & tarragon

Saffron Haricot Vert Soup with Almond

Hazelnut Crostinis with Crimini Mushrooms and Caper Bearnaise; caraway sauerkraut, local apple cider reduction

King Oyster Mushroom Scallops in a Lemongrass Coconut Broth;

Avocado in a Sunflower Seed Sundried Tomato Tortilla with Coconut Cashew Sour Cream

Heirloom Tomato Pizette with Macadamia Mozzarella and Cashew Cheese

Sweet Corn and Cashew Tamales with Chili Spiced Portabella; salsa verde, cashew coconut sour cream, avocado, raw cacao mole

Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles and Baby Bok Choy; snow peas, king oyster mushrooms, tamarind sauce, sesame salted cashews, cilantro oil

Frozen Coconut Mousse; pineapple sorbet, pineapple coulis and rosewater

Mexican Cinnamon Mousse; guajillo chili pepper chocolate cake, pear relish and sorbet

We could not believe how incredible every single bite was. I mentioned to the Mr. at some point 'Can you believe this is all Vegan?' and it literally did not even register, because then, much later on in the meal the waiter said something and he goes 'Wait, hold on, everything we have eaten tonight has been Vegan??'. This place will change ANYone's mind about raw vegan cuisine. Impress your vegan friends or baffle your steak & potato chums with a meal at Pure. But don't misunderstand, it's not a 'Wow, this is good for raw food' type of great, this food can hold its own against fully cooked, animal product-full food any day of the week.

Austin Edition: Guero's

We're in Austin for Thanksgiving so will be visiting some of our favorite restaurants in the Capitol of the Lone Star State:


Another local favorite for Tex-Mex is Guero's on South Lamar. It's perfect to stroll up and down looking at the weird & eclectic shops and to pop in to relax for lunch or dinner. This is precisely what we did. Their claim to fame is that Bill Clinton is a huge fan, so the place is littered with pictures of him on his various visits.

Verde Enchiladas

Michelada

I'm not a big fan of their margaritas as I find them far too bitter, but if most margaritas are too sweet for you, you might want to check them out. Instead, I ordered a Michelada, which ironically I only discovered since I've moved to NYC.