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 / 545 )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 / 517 )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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( 2.9 / 506 )Blue Ribbon on Sullivan Street is my favorite late night dining destination in NYC. I've been there quite a few times and have always been impressed with the food. I was there last Friday night at 3:30AM and had the pleasure of having their Fried Chicken entree ($21) with mashed potatoes and collard greens for the second time. This is the best Fried Chicken dish I've had in my life. The skin is perfectly crispy and the meat is juicy, tender, and moist. The mashed potatoes come with a great gravy and the collard greens taste delicious. There is also an addition of a side of Mexican honey which is amazing and the perfect dipping sauce for the chicken.
My previous time at Blue Ribbon I had their chicken wings appetizer ($9.50) which I loved as well. It actually came with a mini grill where you could grill the wings more if you wished, to get them a little more burnt. I loved this playful addition that I have never encountered before, and it makes dining fun, especially if you are drunk late at night!
The prices at Blue Ribbon are not cheap, but the menu has a wide array of choices. From a raw bar to steak, they really have something for everyone.
So, for a great meal at a late hour in NYC, Blue Ribbon is my top choice.
Blue Ribbon
97 Sullivan Street (bet. Spring and Prince)
New York, NY 10012
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( 3 / 578 )On a warm April day my sister and I decided to go for a walk and spontaneously ended up walking over the Williamsburg Bridge to Brooklyn. We decided to check out a restaurant I have heard a lot about; Dressler.
Dressler has a cool vibe to it. It is a mix of formal and hip, casual and chic. You would feel comfortable wearing a suit there or wearing a t-shirt and jeans, as I was in. This is Brooklyn Chic.
We started with half a dozen fresh oysters that were really good. My sister had a tasty special duck appetizer. I started with a braised Berkshire pork belly appetizer that was out of this world! It was amazingly seasoned, crispy and tender. It reminded me of the great pork belly dish at the restaurant Tailor, and could easily give it a run for it's money.
We shared the Roasted Free Range Chicken entree which came with Swiss chard, potato dumplings, white pearls, baby artichokes, and asparagus. Now, I normally never order chicken at a restaurant, but the waitress recommended it, so we pressed our luck. Let me tell you- it was the best chicken dish I have ever encountered. The skin was crispy, the meat was juicy and moist, and the vegetables were fresh and went well with the chicken. I had fantasies about that chicken dish for weeks after, and actually I still think about it.
For dessert we shared the Bittersweet Chocolate Cream with English toffee, chocolate shortbread, and salted caramel ice cream. I loved the balance between sweet and salt in this dish. It was a fantastic dessert!
I rarely head to Brooklyn, not because there aren't any good restaurants there, because there are, but because there are so many in Manhattan that I still need to try. I must tell say that I am so glad we made that spontaneous journey across the bridge, for we not only found a great Brooklyn restaurant, we found a great New York restaurant. It's worth the trip.
Dressler
149 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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