Before the meal started I was brought a plate of marinated chickpeas on a small piece of toast. I enjoyed this pre-meal nibble for it was something I never had, and I thought it was a nice touch. I was also brought one piece of bread with no butter, which was fine. I was surprised for I expected a much better bread selection at a restaurant of this caliber. It's not that it was bad, but it was nothing special at all.
For my first course I had the Warm Lamb’s Tongue Vinaigrette with Chanterelles and a 3-Minute Egg ($13). I was instructed by the runner to crack the egg which lay on top of the dish and use the yolk as the dressing. The dish was great. After just my first bite I said "Wow" out loud. There was something very eloquent yet simple about all the flavors.
For my entree I went with the Beef Cheek Ravioli with Crushed Squab Liver and Black Truffles ($23). The runner shaved some fresh Pecorino Romano on top as well. I had heard about this dish before so I wanted to see what all the hype was about. Let me tell you-it's worth the hype. Just might have been the best ravioli of my life. I would describe this dish, as well as my starter, as "delicately delicious". Each ravioli, triangle in shape, was perfectly cooked. The meat inside was delicious and the addition of the black truffles was the perfect compliment. I was in awe of how such a rich dish seemed so light, and it was all wonderful.
For dessert I had the Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Orange Sauce and Hazelnut Gelato ($12). I love hazelnut and chocolate so I could not resist this dish. It was a really nice dessert. It wasn't overly sweet and was the perfect ending to a great meal.
I can now tell you from experience that Babbo is one of New York City's top Italian restaurants. I cannot wait to go back! So for amazing Italian food, definitely start calling now for a reservation at Babbo.
Babbo
110 Waverly Place (bet. 6th Ave and Macdougal)
New York, NY 10011
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( 2.8 / 17 )Last week I went to Cabrito, a Mexican spot that replaced the ill-conceived Barfry on Carmine St. in the West Village. I sat at the bar and ordered the shrimp and tamarind ceviche starter and the Cabrito entree.
The shrimp and tamarind ceviche ($11) came with tamarind water, red onion, avocado,serrano chiles, and pepitas. The pepitas added the perfect crunch to the dish as well. I loved this starter. I thought the dish was refreshing and was perfectly balanced with heat and sweetness. It was a great way to start the meal.
My Cabrito entree ($23) was very good as well. I figured I should try the dish the restaurant was named after which would give me good insight in seeing what this spot was all about. The Cabrito is sour orange and chili rubbed goat which is slow roasted and served chopped with salsa borracha and warm flour tortillas. You make the tortilla yourself putting as much goat and salsa as you want in each tortilla. A side of crema (a lighter version of sour cream) accompanies the dish as well. I thought the flavor of the goat was wonderful and unique. I was not a fan of the taste of the salsa and the crema though. The flavor of the goat needed no additions.
Cabrito brings unique authentic Mexican flavors to the West Village and is definitely a welcome addition.
Cabrito
50 Carmine St.(between Bedford and Bleeker)
New York, NY 10012
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( 3 / 20 )Last weekend I went to a Spanish tapas restaurant I have been wanting to go to for a while; Casa Mono. It was conceived by chef Andy Nusser and is one of Mario Batali's restaurants as well, so I expected a high quality experience.
The restaurant is not huge. It's a small box of a restaurant with a bar counter overlooking an open kitchen as well as a real bar in the back. I took a seat by the bar at the open kitchen and was excited to have this dinner and a show.
I ordered a special Langoustine entree ($18), a Duck Egg entree ($16), as well as a Cuarto of a nice Spanish wine called Vinos Pinol ($16).
The Langoustine entree came over a bed of some greens and fava beans, and drizzled with a nice helping of olive oil. It basically was a really lovely salad which I enjoyed immensely for it was simple and clean, yet tasted good. I will say that it wasn't easy getting all the meat out of the two langoustines, but the meat I did get out was tender and juicy.
My Duck Egg entree came with Mojama and potatoes. The plate came out with the duck egg resting neatly on a bed of the potatoes, with the mojama (thin slices of tuna) balanced on the side. It was a very pretty plate that I was about to destruct. I cracked the yolk and let it run all over the plate and devoured everything. I truly loved this dish for everything complimented each other perfectly and was extremely delicious! I would say that this duck egg entree is one my favorite and most memorable dishes I have ever encountered.
In fact after my dinner at Casa Mono, it has become one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. I love the open kitchen, it really adds to the dining experience, and the atmosphere is very comfortable. Casa Mono has all the qualities of a great restaurant and I highly recommend it. Also note, since the place is not that large, they have wine bar right next door called Bar Jamon, which is also a great place to grab a glass of wine and a plate of ham. (My first time at Bar Jamon I had a great bottle of wine and Jimmy Fallon bought me a plate of ham!)
Casa Mono
52 Irving Place (at 17th Street)
New York, NY 1003
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( 2.9 / 88 )Last week I decided to try a new "burger" spot that opened up in Hells Kitchen called Five Napkin Burger. This spot comes to us from Restaurateur Simon Oren who has a nice pedigree of restaurants (Nice Matin, Marseille, Nizza, etc.), so I looked forward to trying his new "burger" spot and to see if it competes with the best burgers in NYC.
The place is large and open and there is plenty of room. I liked the design of the space (it used to be the restaurant Jezebel). I ordered the Bacon-Cheddar Burger ($14.95). The burger was very big (10oz), thick, and juicy and came with lettuce and tomato. Overall I thought it was a good burger.
Unfortunately, it came with fries that were cold. Now, the restaurant had only been open for around a week, so I guess the kitchen still has some kinks, but if you are going to highlight your burger in the name of your restaurant, you better get the fries right too! Had the fries been warm I probably would have thought they were good, but to serve cold fries is a huge error, and I do hope they fix that mistake.
Also, there is sushi on the menu! Some people might think of this as a nice option, I personally think the restaurant might have an identity issue. I didn't try the sushi, so it might be good. But I'm not going back until they heat up their fries.
Five Napkin Burger
630 Ninth Avenue (at 45th Street)
New York, NY 10036
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( 3 / 87 )My younger sister and I had dinner at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain tonight. It was unimpressive.
I started with the appetizer of Gulf Shrimp and Grits, Bacon and Green Onion ($15). It had an interesting flavor and tasted like nothing I have had before, but it didn't blow me away. I would never order the dish again.
My sister had the appetizer of Grilled Oysters, Black Pepper-Tarragon Butter, Hot Chile Barbeque Sauce ($17). I tried two of the oysters and thought none of the flavors complimented each other. It was definitely one of the most weirdly flavored dishes I have had, and could quite possibly be up there as one of the worst dishes I have encountered at a restaurant.
For my entree I had the "plate of the day" which today was Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Black Pepper Biscuits, Brookdale Farm's Honey Sauce ($29). This was an interesting fried chicken dish for the crispy skin had a kick and spiciness to it, which was nice, but the honey sauce also had a kick and spiciness to it, which gave the chicken a "double-kick". I thought this was redundant and unnecessary and for $29 way overpriced. The two accompanying biscuits were huge and tasted fine.
My sister had the Fulton Fish Market Cioppino, Sour Dough Toast ($34). I tried some of the seafood in the tomato broth and it was fine.
Bar Americain is a big and nice looking restaurant. But don't judge a book by it's cover. With uncomplimentary flavors on many of the dishes I had, I don't think I will be coming back.
Bar Americain
152 W. 52nd Street (between 6th and 7th Ave)
New York, NY 10019
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