Tailor is located on a block away from all the commercial craziness that is SOHO. I knew the address was 525 Broome st., but I did not see any sign or number. What I did see was a large wooden door that I assumed was the place. Luckily for me, I was right!
There is a dining room on the first floor and a cool lounge downstairs. I took a table in the dining room, which was simply decorated, with dim brown/beige colors, and one wall of exposed brick. The mood was modernized 1800's.
In the back right corner of the restaurant is a service bar with a window, but no glass. I have seen open kitchens before, but rarely do you see an open bar. In other words, yes, most restaurants have bars, but this was a "Service" bar, meaning this is where the drinks the diners ordered were "created". Not a bar with stools, etc. I found this quite interesting, almost if they wanted to highlight the drinks. And, well, the drinks here should be highlighted.
The cocktail list was created by mixologist Eben Freeman, and it's an amazing list. I started with the "Blood and Sand" ($14)- scotch, sweet vermouth, red bach. This was a great drink. The balance between alcohol and flavor was perfect. There was just a touch of saltiness to the drink that I enjoyed.
The menu at Tailor consists of one side labeled "Salty" and the other side labeled "Sweet". For my first encounter, I decided to get one dish from each side.
From the "Salty" side I went with the Pork Belly with miso butterscotch and artichoke ($16). This was an amazing dish. The balance of sweetness and saltiness was perfect. The pork belly was perfectly cooked, tender, juicy and absolutely delicious. The miso butterscotch was interesting. I thought it had a chance to be too sweet, but in fact it was the perfect compliment to the pork belly. The artichoke was perfectly cooked, and gave a nice added texture to the dish. It was also beautifully presented. The colors on the plate were very appealing. This was a memorable dish.
After this dish I ordered a cocktail called "Good Ol Boy" ($12); bourbon, smoked coke, and preserved lemon. This was a nice drink as well. I look at the cocktails at Tailor as dishes themselves (they cost just as much too!).
From the "Sweet" side of the menu I had the Soft Chocolate with sesame ice cream ($12). This dish was also beautifully presented and tasted great. The sesame ice cream was a refreshing compliment to the soft chocolate.
Another aspect of Tailor that should be highlighted is the service. The service was extremely good. It seemed they had many more servers then needed, but that works to the diner's advantage, because there is someone always there to take care of you.
(They also walked around with two types of bread-raisin and olive- I had both, and both were very good.)
I definitely plan on coming back to Tailor to try the other dishes on the menu and to try more of their great cocktails. So, for great drinks, and memorable food, Tailor is the perfect spot.
Tailor
525 Broome St. (between Sullivan and Thompson)
New York, NY 10013
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( 3 / 636 )Last night my family and I went to Lure in Soho. Lure is a cool seafood restaurant that evokes the inside of a yacht. It's a big space that looks great.
The first sign that this was going to be a great experience is when they put a bowl of warm potato chips on the table. These might have been the best chips I've ever had, and I never had potato chips warm. We were informed by our waiter Timmy that they had balsamic vinegar on them, which was very subtle, but a great touch.
We ordered some nice white wine for the table and they then brought out some warm biscuits. These bicuits tasted very fresh, like they just came out of the oven, and they were great.
For starters, we had the medium sized Seafood Plateau ($49) which came with 6 oysters, 4 shrimp, 4 clams, 4 jonah crab claws, and seafood salad. All the seafood was great and fresh and I really liked the seafood salad which had the perfect amount of acidity as well as crunchy vegetables that gave it the perfect snap. Another nice touch was a condiment of mayo they brought out (along with cocktail sauce and Worcestershire sauce) which had a hint of honey mustard to it.
Next was the two sushi rolls we ordered; the spider roll (soft-shell crab) and a spicy scallop roll. That spicy scallop roll was amazing! I didn't expect a restaurant that didn't only focus on sushi to have good sushi, but that roll was one of the best I've ever had; it was warm, fresh, tasty and delicious!
I always like to order calamari at restaurants, for comparison, so we had Lure's ($10) which came with a smoked chili glaze. This calamari was again one of the best I've ever had as well. It wasn't overly fried, so it was just lightly coated, and each ring was thick and the squid flavor was able to come through. The chili glaze was awesome too. Usually one would expect to dip calamari into a marinara sauce-this did not need any sauce. It was truly a great bowl of calamari.
Timmy also brought out Lure's version of Tempura Shrimp ($14). It was on the house because he thought we should try it-he was right. It came with a black sesame mayo which was great. Just the right amount of sweetness and kick to it, and the black sesames gave the shrimp a little extra crunch. This was a great dish.
For entrees we ordered the Seared Yellowfin Tuna ($25), the Roasted Halibut, and the Steamed Lobster tails. And now, this is where the night gets interesting.
You see, earlier in our meal I did mention to our waiter Timmy (who is great and very personable) that I was doing this NYCFOODIE website and that I was a magician. So, as the true Entertainer I am, I decided to show Timmy a magic trick. Well, I blew his mind with the first trick, and the next thing you know half of the waitstaff was in our private dining area watching me perform. Everyone was amazed and it was awesome! I ended up doing magic to many of the chefs, managers and waitstaff all night long in fact. I was so focused on entertaining everyone, that I forgot I had some entrees waiting for me. So I returned to try just a little of each.
The Steamed Lobster tails came with roasted corn, tomato, and citrus butter. It was excellent and soothing, and I loved how that corn gave an added texture to the dish.
The Yellowfin Tuna was nori crusted and came with shiitake mushrooms, edamame, and a dashi glaze. It was a fine dish and I only had a little bit, for I lost my appetite from all that Entertainment, but I was not blown away by the dish.
The Halibut came with artichokes, peas, fingerling potatoes in a lobster broth. It was nicely cooked with a crisp top, and tender meat, and the broth was nice too.
Pretty much stuffed from the meal and from all the energy I exerted from entertaining everyone at Lure, there was was no way I had room for dessert-or so I thought.
Timmy asked if we would like to see the dessert menus. I said, "let me ask the crew here," and before I could ask my fam, he said "nevermind, I got it." I always have room for free food and dessert! And, not only did we get three desserts on the house, the sommelier brought us all a fantastic dessert wine. Now that is real magic!
He brought us the Warm chocolate cake ($8) with chocolate chip iced cream and chocolate panna cotta, the Peach-Blackberry Crumble with buttermilk ice cream ($8) and the assorted ice cream sandwiches (8$).
All the desserts were great. I truly loved that Crumble though. Now, I would not consider myself a "crumble guy" but this dessert was a standout. It was delicious and that buttermilk ice cream was a perfect compliment with the warm fruit inside.
I also like those ice cream sandwiches a lot.The cookies were fresh, including one oatmeal cookie that had a burst of cinnamon that exploded in my mouth.
So, Lure is a great restaurant. This was truly one of the great dining experiences I have encountered. I guess since I ended up entertaining everyone, and they all surrounded me, it did feel like one big family. It seemed everyone was happy, and that really came through when we were being served. The food is great with some memorable dishes like that Tempura Shrimp, Spicy Scallop Roll, and Peach-Blackberry Crumble. I definitely plan on coming back, and it's not just because the Manager offered me a free high-end meal for two, after I blew his mind with an amazing card trick, it's because Lure is a great restaurant.
So, if you are interested in a great dining experience (I cannot promise magic, unless I am there), with great seafood and great service, in a great space, then Lure is a great choice.
Lure
142 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10012
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( 3 / 660 )Tonight I decided to get my first taste of 3-day old Wakiya, the new Chinese restaurant opened in the Gramercy Park hotel. Wakiya comes to us from celebrity chef Yuji Wakiya who is a Japanese chef famous in Tokyo for his gourmet Chinese. The management team comes to us from the Nobu empire.
The place is very sexy, dressed in red and black. It is another addition to NYC's wave of gourmet Chinese, think Buddakan, Chinatown Brasserie, and Mr. Chow Tribeca. I walked in and decided to sit at the bar, which was empty. I expected it to be hopping for it is the latest "hot spot" in town, so I was surprised, but glad that I would be able to enjoy my meal with plenty of elbow room. I also expected to see some celebs, but the only popular peeps I saw were the co-owner of "hot spot " club Tenjune, Mark Birnbaum, celebrity chef of famed NYC restaurant Le Bernadin, Eric Ripert, and some politician whose name I could not recall, with a table full of women.
I started out with a Lucky beer. This is a Chinese beer I have never heard of or tasted before, and it came in a cool Buddha shaped bottle. It was light and fine. I just wanted a taste of what Wakiya had to offer. And luckily for me they had a cold appetizer called Nine flavors of Wakiya ($12). This dish came with nine small tastings of parts of dishes that were on the menu. And when I say "tasting" I mean just one bite-I like this though, cause it is a nice tease and allows one to explore the menu without ordering too much. The nine flavors were--green fava bean, shitake puree, uba mushi, creamy lemon shrimp, tonsu seabass, shrimp scallop fish cake, bang bang chicken, wagyu beef, and sticky rice w/chinese bacon. The stand out flavors were the bang bang chicken and the wagyu beef. The beef was tender and succulent and pefectly seasoned. And the bang bang chicken was in a sauce that was at first sweet and then became spicy as it lingered in my mouth. I loved this flavor. They have a full cold appetizer of this, and I plan on ordering it on my next visit.
I also tried the Shanghai Soup dumplings ($10). They were similar to other soup dumplings I had, although at first I thought the meat inside could have used some more flavor. But when I got to my fourth and last dumpling, the dish grew on me and it was a soothing appetizer.
After contemplating for a while I decided to try one more dish; the Sizzling Rice cakes ($16). The waiter brought over a bowl with some crispy rice cakes and then poured a steaming soup filled with vegetables and meat over it. This was totally unexpected. The dish was ok. I had to wait a tad to eat it at first, for it was so hot, and I burned my tongue on my first bite. I liked how there was a lot of stuff in the dish, from chinese string beans, and trumpet mushrooms to shrimp and chicken. They definitely didn't skimp on anything. But, the flavor of the dish was lacking a whole lot. There was no kick, no wow factor whatsoever. And I've had similar dishes at places like Ollies for half the price. Too label the dish Sizzling Rice Cakes is a mistake too, for once the rice cakes are covered with the soup, they soften, and almost were non-existent, and not the main focal point of the dish.
The thing is, knowing that Mr. Wakiya is a critically acclaimed chef, I did expect to be wowed. I wasn't. At least this time. I'm sure the kitchen still needs to work out some kinks, for it is still very new. I do intend on going back, and seeing what else Wakiya has too offer. The menu looked great and had some interesting looking dishes that I look foward to having. So, like those soup dumplings, I do hope Wakiya eventually grows on me. I would say, if you are looking for a sexy dining destination to take a date, Wakiya could be a good place. I'll let you know after my next visit if it grows into a great place.
Wakiya
2 Lexington Ave, at 21st St. (inside the Gramercy Park Hotel)
New York, NY 10010
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( 3 / 519 )Last night, I decided to get my introduction to the new West Village restaurant Perilla. Perilla comes to us from the season one winner of "Top Chef"- Harold Dieterle. I had actually met Harold, (along with The Little Owl chef Joey Campanaro) at Momofuku Ssam (my favorite NYC restaurant) a few months ago, where during a night of drinks, food, and magic he told me about this new restaurant he was going to open. So, I was very excited to check out a place that went from a mere vision to a completed dream.
The space is located on a cool West Village block hidden away from all the commotion on Bleeker street. It is not overly decorated at all, it is simple and looks fine. I can sense this definitely being a new popular neighborhood spot; a bigger version of The Little Owl.
I sat at the bar and perused the menu over a nice glass of Beaujolais ($8). The menu is American Nouveau with Asian influences. It all looked great. For my introduction though, I just went with two appetizers: the Thinly Sliced Raw Hamachi with cucumber salad, cilantro, tomato water, and yuzu ($14), and the Spicy Duck Meatballs with okinawa yam dumplings, water spinach, quail egg and natural jus ($11).
The Hamachi dish was refreshing and very nice. The cucumbers gave a nice crunch to compliment the fish. Although I did need a knife to cut smaller slices of the fish, I really enjoyed the dish. I could definitely eat something like that for lunch everyday, and feel good and healthy about myself.
The Meatballs were really good as well. There were very small, and pretty darn cute I must say. What made this dish was the flavorful natural jus that I would just about soak anything in. This was a delicious and perfect appetizer.
I actually did give in and talked myself into trying a dessert. I went with the Smoked Chocolate Cake with kaffir lime ice cream and mango chutney. I really enjoyed this dessert. The cake was not too sweet, although I didn't taste any real smokiness, but then again, I was on my fourth glass of wine (switched to a Pinot Noir ($13) ). But, what made this dish fantastic was that ice cream. It had a great kick to it, and tasted great.
I definitely look foward to returning to Perilla in the near future and try everything else on the menu. This "Top" chef seems to know what he is doing and definitely deserves that title. Perilla gives me one more reason to move to the West Village asap.
Perilla
9 Jones St. (between Bleeker and W. 4th)
New York, NY
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( 3 / 635 )Last Night my family and I went to Dennis Foy, a new restaurant in Tribeca. It's New American cuisine with French influences. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the colorful arches on the ceiling. Dennis Foy is the chef/owner and is also an artist, his artwork adorns the walls of his restaurant. The paintings were actually really nice. The lighting is somber and dim, with a red haze illuminated by the beautiful reddish glass lamps hanging from the ceiling. The lamps are works of art themselves. So, before the meal even started I was taken back, and felt as if I were in a work of art, which I guess I really was.
I started off with a cocktail with passion fruit, tequila and pink peppercorns. It was refreshing and very good. It hit the spot. My sister had a Blackberry Lemonade cocktail which was also very good.
After my older sister arrived we ordered a bottle of wine. And then they brought out a bread basket with three different types of bread: a french roll, one with olives, and one with walnuts and cranberries. I would try all three throughout the night, and all were great. I'm a sucker for good bread, because it's a great way to start a meal, and plus, it's free!
Before the appetizers came the waiters brought out a complimentary dish of pickled vegetables and oxtail boullon. I loved this dish! The pickled vegetables reminded me of kimchee, but had a touch of sweetness to it. The oxtail boullon tasted great and was very soothing. What I loved the most about this dish (besides being complimentary) was the contrast between the spiciness of the vegatables, (which also had a nice crunch to them) with the saltiness and soothing of the broth-like boullon. It was a well balanced dish.
Then the appetizers arrived. And when I say "then" I mean a while after. One thing I'd like to note about Dennis Foy is the pacing. This is not a place to go if you have a show to catch or you need to be somewhere in a hurry. This is a place where you go to eat good food and linger. They take their time here, and it's nice. It gives you time to digest and talk with your fellow dining companions over some nice wine.
Back to those appetizers. We had the Sauteed Potato Gnocchi with sage and chives, the Warm Crab Tian, Salt Cure Terrine of Fois Gras, Konpachi and Fried Veal Sweetbreads.
The Gnocchi was very good. Although the texture of each gnocchi was not as soft as I'd like, the flavors were wonderful.
The Crab was excellent. I loved this dish. Think of a crabcake without the bread. It was all crab, and it was perfectly seasoned, and had touch of rosemary on top. I loved this full crab flavor. It was probably my favorite dish of the night.
The Fois Gras was also nice, but did not blow me away. I believe there was some sort of apple cider sauce on the side that didn't really go to well with the dish. But the fois gras itself was fine.
The Konpachi, which is really a very good type of yellowtail was also very good. It was five pieces of the fish on a plate; think sashimi. It was colorful, refreshing and tasted great.
The Fried Sweetbreads were very good as well. I enjoyed the crispiness and the flavors of the dish.
Then we moved on to our entrees. Again, there was a nice space in between each course to linger and chat. For entrees we had Lamb two ways, Arctic Char, Veal and Fried Sweetbreads, and Scallops.
The Lamb two ways, was a loin with bow-tie noodles and mushrooms, and a shank with wilted lettuce. The lamb was cooked perfectly, very tender and perfectly seasoned. I loved the lamb. The problem with the dish was what the lamb was on top of. I thought the bowtie noodles were not only boring, but did not go well with the loin. The same could be said about the wilted lettuce. It looked like this green sludge and it too, did not go well with the shank. It was very uncomplimentary. I would have preferred a better pairing with the excellent meat.
The Arctic Char came with spinach, nutmeg and pommes soufflees. It came served in a bowl with a broth. Basically, it reminded me of an Asian soup. The Char was nicely cooked, crispy on top, tended in the middle, but bland. What you needed to do was put all the ingredients in the broth on your spoon and eat it at the same time. This made the dish very good. All the flavors and textures worked in my mouth and it was very soothing.
The Veal and Fried Sweetbreads (yes more sweetbreads) was very good. The veal was tender and came with some sort of potato puree which was nice. As the dishes were being passed around the table, I'm not exactly sure if there was a sweetbread left for me, but it was still a nice dish.
The Scallops, (there were three) were each topped with something different. I know one had asparagus, one had some fried vegetable on top, and the other might have had a mushroom, but I can't be too sure. The fact is, it was not a memorable dish at all. I didn't like the dish. The scallops were a bit tough and dry, and the seasoning on the bottom of the plate, which looked like some sort of crushed red pepper did not go well with the scallops at all. Again, it was very uncomplimentary. A disappointment.
For dessert we had the Black Plum Financier with Winter Fruit Compote, and Aged Rum Ice Cream. It was ok, but very unmemorable. We also had the Chocolate Royale which was basically a chocolate mouse with hazlenut cookie bottom. It was fine, but also very unmemorable.
So, if you are downtown in Tribeca and feel like lingering with some good wine and decent American fare with French influences Dennis Foy is a nice, relaxing spot. Sit back, relax, and sip your wine as you experience dining in a work of art.
Dennis Foy
313 Church Street (between Lispenard and Walker Sts)
New York, NY 10013
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