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Zig Zag (Arequipa, Peru)

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010 by virginia

After our early morning start to see the condors at Colca Canyon, we were pretty tired by the time we got back to Arequipa, a four hour drive away. Our experience with altitude had left us feeling a bit sluggish and took away our appetites so I couldn’t stomach the thought of eating anything complicated. While the Peruvian food we had eaten so far was tasty, some of it was really rich, and there were a lot of spices and herbs mixed into the sauces. I was in the mood for something plain and simple, and Zig Zag fit the bill.

One of the couples in our Colca Canyon tour group had eaten there before and recommended it to us. They said that we would probably need reservations but we decided to chance it, arriving at the restaurant at an early hour for dinner. The restaurant was empty but every table had a little “Reserved” sign on it. Uh oh. However, because we were there so early, they told us they could accommodate us if we finished before a certain time, when the reservations were to be honored. Since that gave us an hour and a half to eat, we had no issues. We settled down to eat and they brought us a small dish of cheese and olives to start. The cheese was crumbly and salty, like feta.

Cheese and olives

The menu featured all different kind of meats, most of which were sold by the gram and simply prepared. We picked out three dishes to share, including an appetizer of three different tartares – trout, tuna, and salmon. All three with simply prepared with a little bit of olive and citrus. Each was topped with a sundried tomato that was intensely flavorful. The plate was garnished with cornichon, hearts of palm, capers, peppers, and a tiny quail egg. The fish was super fresh, and nicely cut into small cubes. The portions of each tartare were ample, and we enjoyed every bite.

Trout, tuna, and salmon tartare

While we were eating our tartares, they also brought us some small rolls of bread with herbed butter. The bread was soft and chewy and the butter was flavorful. They were fine to nibble on.

Roll with herbed butter

For the main part of our meal, they brought us paper bibs to wear. Yes, bibs. Our waitress told us they were “necessary”, and when our food came, we saw why. We had ordered a grilled platter that came with four different kinds of meat. The meat was served on hot volcanic stones and were sizzling hot. The juice from the meat was literally sputtering when the platter arrived, so the bibs protected our clothes. In reality, we probably didn’t need bibs but it was all in good fun. We found them amusing and wore them proudly. What astonished me most, however, was the amount of food we were brought.

When we ordered the assorted meat platter (which I actually thought came from the appetizer section), we told the waitress we would be sharing it. When the platter came, there were actually two sets of stone, each with its own set of four meats. It also came with a huge bowl of french fries that could have easily fed four people. I couldn’t believe this was one order, and I worried that the waitress had misunderstood us and had placed two orders instead. Turns out that wasn’t the case. It really was an order for one, and boy, that was a lot of food. The meats were marked with toothpicks so we could identify what each one was, and it came with ostrich, alpaca, beef, and lamb.

Huge platter of meat - ostrich, alpaca, beef, lamb

The meats were already cooked to perfection so we quickly removed them from the stones to prevent them from overcooking. They were very simply prepared, just a little seasoning and grilled on the stones. After all the rich foods we had eaten on our trip, it was a welcomed change. The alpaca was tender and tasted similar to veal or pork. The beef had actual beef flavor, and the lamb was nicely gamey. The only meat we didn’t like was the ostrich, which was tough and bland. We dipped the meats into the various bowls of sauce that included an ajo sauce (garlicky), tartar sauce, herbed butter sauce, and a spicy rocoto (pepper) sauce.

The fries that came with the meats were heavenly. They were super crispy on the outside, potato-y on the inside, and not greasy at all. They were seasoned with salt and that was it. I ate handfuls, even without ketchup, and enjoyed every one of them. I am an avid french fry eater and even I couldn’t get through all of it. We left half the bowl behind, and let me tell you, I was really tempted to ask them to pack it up for us.

Awesome french fries

We had been worried that the meats wouldn’t be enough food so we got a small order of camarones, or crayfish, which are an Arequipan specialty. The camarones also came sizzling hot on a volcanic stone. We were too busy eating all the meat first, however, so they did get a bit overcooked sitting on the hot stone. They were still really tasty though, fresh and flavorful.

Camarones on the hot volcanic stone

The camarones came with a choice of a side dish so we opted for fried yuca. They turned out to be breaded yuca croquettes, with a crisp exterior and creamy interior. They were really good but a little starchy, and we were beyond full at this point.

Fried yuca

The veggie action in our meal came from a side dish of ratatouille. To be perfectly honest, we really didn’t eat it because we were too busy stuffing our faces full of meat and carbs.

Ratatouille

Josh and I had walked into the restaurant not feeling so hungry, and the amount of food we ended up ordering (by accident) was pretty hilarious. Our table was absolutely filled, and despite not having an appetite to begin with, we made a pretty good dent into everything.

So much food!

Overall we both absolutely loved Zig Zag. It was one of the best meals we had in all of Peru, even though it was one of simplest meals we had. The meats and camarones were all top notch and the presentation was pretty neat. The fried sides were all well prepared, and I couldn’t stop eating the french fries even after I was stuffed. The restaurant was empty when we arrived but by the time we left, it was packed and there was a line at the door. The vibe was upbeat but not stuffy, and it’s someplace that I wouldn’t have minded hanging out at the bar. Service was great and the prices were actually really reasonable. For all of our food, which included the trio of tartares, the assortment of meats, the camarones, all sides, plus a few Cusquena beers, the total was S/182 after tax and tip. That’s about US$67, which would be an absolute steal here in NYC. If you find yourself in Arequipa, run, don’t walk to Zig Zag! Reservations are definitely recommended.

Zig Zag Restaurant
Zela 210 – Cercado
Arequipa, Peru

Tags: Alpaca, Arequipa, Crayfish, Fries, Lamb, Ostrich, Peru, Steak, Tuna Tartare
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Summer Restaurant Week 2010 – Aureole

Monday, July 12th, 2010 by virginia

One of my favorite highlights during the very hot summer season is summer Restaurant Week. Josh and I first discovered Restaurant Week when we were interning during the summer before our senior year of college. It was a poor college student’s dream – eating a three course meal at a fancy NYC restaurant (like the now-closed famous La Cote Basque) for less than $20 (it was $19.98 at the time). Although prices have since risen to $24.07, Restaurant Week lunches are still a bargain, for the most part. Some restaurants have pretty limited Restaurant Week menus, so I try to find the menu online before making a booking.

Restaurant Week reservations book fast so it’s important to make them as early as possible. On the day that reservations opened, I called Josh to make sure that he would make a few bookings, and he didn’t disappoint. Our winner during winter Restaurant Week this year was Aureole so I was glad he booked it again. Instead of the Bar Room though, we snagged a reservation in the main dining room, which is a bit fancier. The menu was the same, but the tables had tablecloths, and best of all, there was bread service with three different kinds of bread (the Bar Room only offered slices of baguettes).

Slices of baguette, rosemary bread, and cranberry walnut bread

In addition to baguette, we got rosemary bread and cranberry walnut bread. The baguette was as good as last year, and the rosemary bread had a nice crust and a pronounced rosemary flavor. The cranberry walnut had lots of cranberries in it, but the crust was a bit burnt and the bread was pretty dense. I was just sad that the bread guy didn’t come back after his initial pass, but that’s ok because I need to start eating less bread.

The Restaurant Week menu had three options per course so Josh and I made different selections for each and then swapped plates halfway through, per our usual practice. For the first course, we had heirloom tomato gazpacho and pan roasted shrimp. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and served with prosciutto, baby arugula, and a brunoise of summer melons. The prosciutto provided the saltiness for the dish, while the melon contrasted with sweetness. It was a light and refreshing dish, perfect on a hot summer day.

Pan roasted shrimp with summer melons, prosciutto, and baby arugula

Our other appetizer was the tomato gazpacho, which was a brilliant red color and topped with diced avocado and garlic croutons. The gazpacho was also very light, not too sweet, and had a good amount of acidity. The creaminess of the avocado cut through the tanginess of the soup, and the garlic croutons added a nice little crunch. It was very simple in preparation and presentation, but still very tasty, and I think it’s something that I’d like to replicate at home.

Heirloom tomato gazpacho with diced avocado and garlic croutons

For our main course, we selected the Chatham Bay cod and marinated flatiron steak. The steak was cooked to medium rare as requested, though it was slightly tough, perhaps just because of the cut of meat. It was served with baby bok choy, coconut rice, scallions, and a chile garlic dressing. There were also flakes of toasted coconut scattered over the dish. It was an unusual combination with steak, and because I’m not a huge fan of coconut, it wasn’t my favorite. It wasn’t bad, just not really my cup of tea.

Flatiron steak with baby bok choy, coconut rice, scallions, and a chile garlic dressing

The cod was served in a broth with baby leeks, summer corn, potatoes, and little neck clams. The fish itself was very nicely cooked, with crispy skin and the perfect amount of seasoning. The broth had a delicate and subtle flavor, and the little kernals of corn were sweet and fresh. Josh and I both liked this dish a lot.

Chatham Bay cod with baby leeks, summer corn, potatoes, and little neck clam broth

For dessert, we had the carrot cake and the rocky road vacherin. The vacherin was chocolate meringues that were light and crispy. They were served with a smooth chocolate ice cream, soft and creamy marshmallows, brownie bites, black cherry syrup, and toasted almond slivers. The individual components were tasty, and all put together and it was a super rich dessert. It wasn’t as whimsical as the caramel popcorn ice cream dessert from the winter Restaurant Week menu, but it was still playful.

Rocky road vacherin with chocolate ice cream, =marshmallows, brownie bites, black cherry syrup, and toasted almond

I’m not the biggest fan of carrot cake but I thought this version was fantastic. It was light and moist and not overly spiced, something I don’t like in other carrot cakes. It came with a cream cheese mousse that fluffy and not too rich, but didn’t taste heavily of cream cheese. There were also pickled red grapes scattered about, though they didn’t taste very pickled. Still, they were sweet and juicy and a good textural contrast to the soft cake and mousse.

Carrot cake with cream cheese mousse and pickled red grapes

We were pretty full at this point but they brought a plate of mini cookies at the end of the meal, and I couldn’t resist. My favorite was the biscotti, and there was a thin chocolate chip cookie that was tasty as well.

Plate of mini cookies

Overall we thought the winter Restaurant Week menu at Aureole was slightly better than the summer menu, but it was still a terrific Restaurant Week meal and ranks as one of the better ones that we’ve had. The only dish that I didn’t like was the steak, but everything was well prepared and seasonably appropriate. The cod was a real standout, and the carrot cake was a surprise winner. There was really no difference in service between the main dining and the Bar Room, so if there is an opening in either (they’re listed separately on Open Table), I highly recommend making a reservation.

Aureole
135 West 42nd St. between 6th Ave. and Broadway
New York, NY

Tags: Lunch, Midtown, Restaurant Week, Seafood, Soup, Steak
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Fleming’s

Saturday, April 10th, 2010 by virginia

So I’m going to do something that I don’t normally do, which is to review a restaurant with no photos of the food. We unintentionally left the camera in the car but I didn’t bother going back out to get it because we were a run-of-the-mill chain steakhouse, and it was Easter so I figured we deserved a break anyway. I was pretty appalled by the food we had so I changed my mind about doing a write-up, and instead I’m using this as an experiment to see how a review turns out without pictures. Given all the publicity lately about food photography (aside from Grant Achatz and Anthony Bourdain, the New York Times just ran an article about it), and the debate about taking pictures, this seemed like a good opportunity to test out what it would be like if we scaled back on photos. Please let me know what you guys think!

Josh’s mom had a craving for steak so we ended up going to Fleming’s in Edgewater for Easter Sunday dinner. I was surprised that they were open on Easter but they seemed to be fully staffed and operational, and while the restaurant wasn’t full, it was definitely more crowded than I expected it to be. We were only a party of four on this particular Sunday night so we got a nice cozy booth near the back of the restaurant, with a good view out the panoramic windows that face the city skyline.

We were given a loaf of soft rosemary bread to munch on while we looked over the menu. The bread was dense and fluffy with no real discernable crust, but I enjoyed the woodsy rosemary flavor. There were two different butters that came with the bread, one was salty and flavored with feta while the other was sweet and flavored with sun dried tomatoes. Both were pretty enjoyable slathered on the soft bread.

Josh and I had a big Easter lunch with my family and had been snacking all day so we decided to forgo appetizers. Alice and Lloyd shared the wedge, which was a quarter wedge of a large head of iceberg topped with red onion, grape tomatoes, and crumbled blue cheese. Josh and I really dislike blue cheese but I tasted a small portion of the salad and found it to be pretty good. The iceberg was crisp and fresh, the tomatoes were sweet and juicy, and the blue cheese was relatively mild compared to others I’ve tasted. I can see why this is such a popular combination for a salad.

For my entrée, I had the double thick pork rib chop that was baked with apple cider, creole mustard, and a julienne of apples and jicama. It sounded good on paper but the flavor was off in execution. It was sweet and sour in a weird way, and the flavors were muddled. I couldn’t really taste apple, or mustard, but something more maple-like and a bit smoky. The pork chop was huge but it was kind of tough and I think a bit overcooked. I had asked for it medium, which our waitress said would be pink in the center, but it was white throughout and a bit hard to chew. The julienne of apples and jicama came out like a mushy sauerkraut and had both a strange texture and flavor. Suffice it to say, I was not a fan of the dish.

Both Josh and Alice ordered the petite filet mignon. Alice’s medium rare steak ended up being more rare, so she sent it back for them to cook it a bit longer. However, Josh asked for his black and blue, and it was cooked perfectly. The outside had a nice seared crust, it was ruby red in the middle, and the seasoning was just perfect. It was a good piece of meat and pretty well executed.

Lloyd had the lamb chops served with a champagne mint sauce. I had a bite and it tasted pretty good, with a nice crust on the outside and lots of gamey flavor. Lloyd seemed to enjoy his dish and I didn’t hear any complaints.

In typical steakhouse fashion, the meats are mostly served a la carte, so there is a long list of sides you can order to accompany your main course. We got sautéed sweet corn and creamed spinach for the table. The corn was fine, with sweet kernels cooked in a buttery sauce, but it was uninteresting. The creamed spinach was mostly cream and cheese but I still thought it was tasty. It definitely could use more spinach in the mix though.

Alice and Lloyd also split a baked potato, which comes with sour cream, butter, chives, bacon and cheddar cheese. The potatoes are usually huge and fluffy on the inside, but this time their potato was only medium sized and hard in the middle. It had clearly been undercooked, so they sent it back and got another potato, which was also on the smaller side and had a big unpleasant-looking black bruise on one side that was basically inedible. Not wanting to send back a second potato, they ended up just eating around it but it wasn’t a great potato to begin with. Considering you’re spending about $7 on a baked potato, I would expect them to inspect their potatoes a bit more closely.

Josh and I split an order of the half and half, which is half French fries and half onion rings. The fries had such potential because they were thin shoestrings and obviously cut from real potatoes, but the frying left much to be desired. The fries were limp, soggy, and greasy, which was really too bad because they looked so appealing. The onion rings, however, were fantastic. Huge slices of onion were lightly breaded and fried to a perfect crisp. I wish we had a whole plate of these onion rings instead of the lackluster fries.

Overall we were pretty dissatisfied with the meal we had at Fleming’s. We’ve eaten there previously so we know it’s standard steakhouse fare, but I thought the overall execution was pretty bad. I could barely get through half my pork chop, not because of its size, but because of how it tasted. The steaks and lamb chops were better because they were simply seasoned and broiled. I think sticking with the plain meats is the way to go at this restaurant. The sides were mostly all pretty disappointing though. What makes it more unforgivable is that this is an expensive restaurant. Yes, it’s a chain, but most entrees are $30+, and they’re served a la carte. Sides are an additional $7-$9 each. The side dishes can be shared but it’s still not a cheap dinner. Service was ok but not particularly attentive. Our waitress didn’t really come by to check on us very often, and they seemed annoyed when we sent back the first potato. I just don’t think the restaurant is worth the price, and I doubt that we’ll be going back there any time soon.

Fleming’s (multiple locations)
90 Promenade, City Place Shopping Center
Edgewater, NJ

Tags: Fries, Pork, Steak
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Killington Day 2 – Santa Fe Steakhouse

Thursday, February 18th, 2010 by virginia

After a grueling second day of skiing (it was super icy and I was having boot issues), we were starving and looking forward to having a nice, relaxing meal. It was Valentine’s Day so the few restaurants we called in the area that take reservations were all booked up. There are many Killington restaurants though that don’t take reservations, but wait times were ranging from 1-2 hours. We decided to stay in for a while and watch some of the Olympics before heading out for a late dinner, hoping to miss the prime time rush. We ended up stopping at the closest restaurant to our condo, the Santa Fe Steakhouse, and were able to get a table right away.

Josh and I ate at the Santa Fe Steakhouse last year and found the food to be pretty good, which is why we recommended stopping there. The décor is a bit kitschy but the atmosphere is lively. There was live music playing from the lounge next door, which we could hear from our little alcove on the upper level. While we looked through the menu, our waitress came by to take our drink orders and informed us that they were out of several things, including the rack of lamb, which I had my eye on. I had eaten the lamb last year and it was nicely prepared and well seasoned, and after the bland food we had at Hemingway’s the previous night, I wanted something that packed a lot of flavor. I ended up choosing a steak from the specials menu, and after we placed our order we headed down to the salad bar that is included with all of the entrees.

The salad bar offerings

The menu calls it a Caesar salad bar, and while there is Caesar salad available, that’s not the only thing. There was also a big bowl of mixed greens, and an assortment of salad toppings such as tomatoes, onions, beets, beans, and cheese. It was actually a pretty good selection and makes for a great appetizer.

I ended up sticking with the Caesar salad, topped with a few grape tomatoes. The dressing was tangy and garlicky but there wasn’t enough of it. The salad was pre-mixed in a large bowl and I wish they had put some extra dressing on the side, as I really wanted more. Still, it was refreshing and all the vegetables were crisp and fresh tasting.

Caesar salad

While we munched on our salads, we also nibbled on the basket of rolls they brought. There were plain ciabatta rolls and some seeded rolls, all served hot right out of the oven. Though the interiors were a bit dense, they had nice crispy crusts and good flavor. We ended up polishing off several baskets.

Hot and crusty rolls

For my entrée, I went with the Mardi Gras ribeye, which was one of the specials of the day. It was a huge piece of meat and cooked medium rare as requested. The steak was coated in a lot of different seasonings, which gave it a nice charred crust on the outside. I think cumin was the predominant flavor and imparted a pleasant smokiness. Ribeye is a fatty cut but the meat surrounding the fat was tender and juicy. The steak was topped with a creole crab mustard sauce that was thick and rich, with little bits of crab mixed in. It was a delicious steak, and I’m happy that I ended up ordering it. The mashed potatoes and vegetables that came on the side were a pass though. The potatoes were over seasoned with a weird combination of spices, and the vegetables were limp, tasting mostly of chewy, tinny corn.

Mardi Gras ribeye

Josh ordered the pork loin, which our waitress said was one of the more popular dishes at the restaurant. The loin came thinly sliced and topped with a brown sauce, but the pork was completely overcooked. It had an unappealing gray color to it, and when I took a bite it was like chewing on sawdust. The chipotle demi glace sauce did nothing to help, and it was a disappointing dish overall. Josh ended up eating only one slice of the loin out of four, and I gave him half my steak (it really was huge) so that he could fill up.

Super dry pork loin El Paso

The other entrees ordered at the table were not quite as bad, but they were also just only passable. Jess had a tuna steak that was perfectly cooked rare, but it had a crust of blackened seasoning that was super spicy and totally overwhelmed the fish. Alice had shrimp scampi that was extra garlicky as requested, but nothing special otherwise. Lloyd’s duck with a Jack Daniels maple sauce was better than the duck we had at Hemingway’s, but nothing to write home about.

Fortunately service was great, as our waitress was very attentive, filling up our water glasses continuously and bringing us extra bread when requested. She noticed that Josh barely touched his meal and apologized, even though it wasn’t her fault. She ended up not charging us for the pork, and instead just charged him for a salad bar entrée, which was much cheaper.

Although we did enjoy the salad bar and the bread, aside from my ribeye, none of the other entrees were ones that I would order again. The food wasn’t terrible, but it just wasn’t great. Although entrees are a tad expensive, they do come with the aforementioned salad bar, so that helps to make the price seem a bit more reasonable. The annoying part about coming here, however, is that no one was answering the phone so we didn’t know what the wait would be. They had an answering machine message pick up that only gave the hours of operation, and then hung up. It was kind of frustrating, and not a good way to attract customers who don’t want to take the chance that there may be a huge line. I guess my advice would be that if you do come here, stick with the steak. It is a steakhouse after all, and they do cook a pretty good piece of meat.

Santa Fe Steakhouse
3501 Killington Rd
Killington, VT

Tags: Pork, Seafood, Steak, Vermont
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Killington Day 1 – Hemingway’s Restaurant

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 by virginia

When I was thinking about the good food that we would have up in Vermont, Hemingway’s was the restaurant that I had in mind. Josh used to talk about this restaurant reverently when we were dating in high school and through college, though it was years before I finally got the chance to go. My first time was in 2005, to celebrate Josh’s successful defense of his Masters thesis. It was MLK weekend and we headed up to Killington immediately after his defense to have dinner and get in some skiing. I don’t remember exactly what I ate but I remember being blown away by the food, the presentation, the atmosphere, and the service. Granted, at that time I wasn’t as into food as I am now, but we had eaten out enough to know what separated good restaurants from spectacular restaurants.

When I started joining in on the February family ski trip a year later, Hemingway’s became an annual destination. Although we had never had a bad meal there, over the years we started to notice that the menu had gotten a bit more limited, the choices starting to repeat themselves year after year, and the food was slipping slightly. Still, it remained the best restaurant in the area, receiving accolades such as four diamonds from AAA. We had a pretty good meal there last year, and I was really looking forward to our meal this year. Josh’s parents tried to get a reservation for Valentine’s Day but we had to settle for Saturday night instead. No biggie, as I was excited to start our trip off with a bang.

The restaurant is located inside a large country house, and has the coziness of dining in someone’s home. You hang up your own coat in sort of a mudroom in the front, and when you walk through the door the restaurant is warm and cluttered with knickknacks. There are several different dining rooms, though we always end up in the same one, with tall ceilings and funky art hanging on the wall at unusual angles. The lighting is dim, giving off a romantic atmosphere, and it’s easy to see why the restaurant was booked up for Valentine’s Day.

Our meal started off with two different kinds of bread, a french roll and a slice of raisin almond molasses bread. The french roll didn’t have a super crispy crust but it was light and chewy in the middle. The raisin almond molasses bread had an interesting flavor to it, was slightly sweet, and had a nice texture.

French roll and raisin almond molasses bread with creamy butter

We also had sort of an amuse bouche, which was a plate of profiteroles filled with Vermont cheddar cheese. While it was tasty (mostly due to the cheese), it was kind of a departure from other amuse bouches that we’ve had here, which were usually more refined and a bit more exciting.

Cheddar filled profiteroles

Looking over the menu, it seemed like it was the same exact one from last year, with repeats from the year before that as well. While I understand that restaurants have their “classic” dishes that patrons will complain about if they don’t see it on the menu, I think having some variety from year to year is important as well. With only five options from each category, there really isn’t much to choose from. You tend to eat the same things over and over, and it just gets boring after a while.

Per usual, Josh and I picked out the dishes we wanted to eat and then swapped plates halfway through. I started out with the risotto with exotic mushrooms and truffle essence. This was a dish that I remember Josh’s sister having two years ago. I had tasted her dish and loved how creamy and comforting it was. This time, however, the risotto was a complete disaster. It wasn’t cooked long enough so that it was unpleasantly crunchy, and the starch hadn’t released to make the dish creamy. The mushrooms were unseasoned, and there was hardly any trace of truffle essence. What a huge disappointment.

Undercooked risotto with exotic mushrooms and truffle essence

Josh’s butternut squash soup with a scallop and crab cake was better, though it was also something that we’ve had before. I like that the soup isn’t too heavy or rich, focusing instead on the flavor of the butternut squash. The scallop and crab cake was a bit small but fortunately didn’t have too much filler in it. It wasn’t spectacular, but this was my favorite dish of the evening.

Butternut squash soup with scallop and crab cake

For our main courses, Josh started with the duck breast with a confit of duck strudel. I had ordered this dish last year and remembered that it was pretty good, with the duck being well prepared. Josh wanted to make sure that the skin of the duck would be crispy, as he hates fatty duck skin, and our waiter said that “it could be.” Sadly, the duck arrived sans crispy skin. Instead, it had a weird, congealed quality about it, and was definitely still quite fatty. The duck was overcooked in my opinion, rendering it dry and tasteless. To add insult to injury, it was also cold. The only thing I liked on the plate was the strudel, which was kind of like a duck spring roll with a flaky crust. At least that was hot and crispy and had some bit of flavor to it.

Breast of duck with confit of duck strudel

The veal tenderloin we ordered fared slightly better, but not much. At least it wasn’t overcooked, and it came crusted with fennel that provided some flavor. It was accompanied by a corn cake, which was like seared polenta and had a nice creaminess to it. I was excited to have the Brussels sprouts and bacon that came on the side, but the Brussels sprouts ended up being really mushy, and the whole dish just lacked basic seasoning.

Fennel crusted veal with corn cake, brussels sprouts, and bacon

Because the menu seemed so limited, the risotto and the soup were the only appetizers we had on the table, and everyone encountered the same issues that Josh and I had with each of those dishes. For the entrees, both Jess and Lloyd had the beef filet, which was cooked well but also lacked seasoning. Alice was not too pleased with her sea bass, lobster, and couscous dish, as the fish was coated in cornmeal and had an unpleasantly gritty texture. The couscous turned out to be Israeli couscous, and there were only about three pearls altogether. Seriously. She ended up barely touching her dish.

Needless to say, none of us were impressed with our food and we even passed on dessert because we couldn’t wait to get out of the restaurant. They did bring us a little plate of sweets that had a tiny chocolate macaron and a maple pecan truffle for each person. A nice finish, but a little too late.

Tiny macarons and truffles

Even service was subpar, as our waiter seemed indifferent and inattentive. The only time he appeared was to refill our glasses of sparkling water, and we ended up going through more bottles than we would have liked. But even as he was pouring the water, he did it quite sloppily, spilling his way from one glass to the next. When it came to our wine, however, he disappeared with our bottle of pinot noir after the initial pour and didn’t resurface with the wine until after we were already finished with our entrees. He also didn’t bother to take the time to explain our dishes to us, and he didn’t come by to check on us and ask us how things were.

We were all really disappointed by the overall experience we had at Hemingway’s this year, although it did feel like this was bound to happen eventually. Over time, the menu has gotten very boring and limited, and I kind of feel like they’re just resting on their laurels at this point. We saw that the restaurant earned another four diamond rating from AAA in 2010, and that just makes me question the authenticity of a four diamond rating. We were so disheartened by the lackluster meal that I don’t think we’ll be coming back here anymore. The restaurant is very pricey, even by NYC standards, and the mediocre food really just didn’t justify the cost. It’s sad when a restaurant you love falls apart, and I kind of feel like it’s the end of an era for us at Killington.

Hemingway’s Restaurant
4988 US Route 4
Killington, VT

Tags: Duck, Soup, Steak, Vermont
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Quick French Dip

Monday, January 18th, 2010 by virginia

After our Secret Santa dinner we had tons of leftovers, including an entire 2lb cooked and uncut london broil. Josh and I don’t exactly understand restraint when we host dinners so we always go a tiny bit overboard in terms of the amount of food we get. The leftovers were good because I didn’t have to worry about what to bring for lunch the next two weeks, but I didn’t want to reheat the london broil since it’s a pretty tough cut of meat to begin with. I thought of slicing it up cold and laying it on top of a salad but that seemed a bit boring. Then I was struck with the idea of making a steak sandwich, specifically a french dip, so that the heat of the dipping broth would warm up the meat a bit without overcooking it.

Josh picked up some bread from Amy’s Bread on his way home, a rustic loaf with a sturdy crust and caraway seeds. The texture of the loaf and crust were really nice but I wasn’t a fan of the caraway seeds. The bread held up well though against all the sandwich fillings and the dipping sauce.

Sliced london broil, caramelized onions, and melted swiss cheese on rustic bread

To prepare the sandwich, I first sliced up a medium onion and caramelized it in a pan. Then I split the bread open lengthwise and placed a few slices of swiss cheese on each side. I melted the cheese under the broiler so that it was soft and just starting to brown, and the crust of the bread got a bit toasty. I placed thin slices of the london broil on one side and piled on the caramelized onions on the other side.

Constructed sandwich with extra caramelized onions on the side

For the dipping sauce, I went the quick and easy route with Lipton’s french onion soup mix. Just follow the directions on the package. I boiled it down a bit so that the flavor would be more concentrated. The sandwich was really thick and hearty, and dipping it into the soup softened it up a bit and helped provide some extra flavor.

Lots of french dipping action

I was actually really happy with how the quick french dip turned out. The key was to slice the london broil really thinly, so that it stayed tender. It was a great way to use up a lot of the leftover steak, and the sandwich was a nice mix of flavors and textures. It’s definitely something that I would make again, and maybe not even just with leftovers. It was quick and easy to make, and it turned out to be a tasty and filling dinner.

Amy’s Bread (multiple locations)
672 9^th Ave. between 46^th and 47^th St.
New York, NY

Tags: Sandwiches, Steak
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Secret Santa Dinner

Sunday, January 10th, 2010 by virginia

Josh and I hosted our first dinner in our (not so new anymore) apartment, a gathering with some friends to do a Secret Santa exchange. Our menu was somewhat of a traditional holiday meal, which featured a roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce. We also made marinated and broiled London broil, sautéed green beans with garlic chips, roasted asparagus, Caesar salad, and potato zucchini kugel.

Our full holiday dinner table (not a great shot unfortunately because we were too busy setting everything up)

We’ve never roasted a turkey by ourselves before and knew that we wanted to brine it first, since we’ve read that it really helps keep the meat moist and flavorful. Finding a non-kosher, non-butterball turkey was actually kind of hard, and we went to several supermarkets before we finally found one that suited our needs. I forget what brand it was but it was frozen and cheap, weighing in at almost 13 lbs. Following a recipe from Cooks Illustrated, we let it defrost for a day, then soaked it in a simple brine made from two gallons of water and two cups of salt. Seriously, that’s it. It was really easy – the hardest part was finding a tub big enough to hold the turkey and brine but small enough to fit in our refrigerator.

Turkey brining in salted water

After brining the turkey for four hours (that’s all it needed!), we set it on a v-rack uncovered in the fridge to dry out the skin. This helps the skin get more crispy during roasting, but you don’t have to do it if you don’t mind soggier skin.

Turkey hanging out in the fridge to dry over night (for some reason our turkey was missing a chunk of skin on the breast!)

To prepare the turkey, we simply put carrots, celery, onions, thyme, and melted butter into the body cavity, then tied the legs together. We put the same mix of vegetables into the bottom of the roasting pan with some water. Then we brushed melted butter over the entire turkey.

Trussed turkey ready to go into the oven

We cooked the turkey according to the directions from the Cook’s Illustrated recipe for classic roast turkey. This involved rotating the turkey every so often so that it cooks more evenly. The total cook time is approximately two hours, so it’s really not that difficult or time consuming to make a roasted turkey!

The result? A golden turkey that was super moist and flavorful. The skin didn’t get as crispy as we would have liked but the rest of the bird was perfect. It was really juicy and the meat was seasoned the whole way through. Seriously, everyone should brine their turkeys from now on! Our cheap bird ended up tasting divine, and we were both thrilled with the results.

Golden turkey right out of the oven

Although there weren’t enough pan drippings to make a gravy, fortunately we had saved all the giblets and innards, which Josh sauteed with some onion to develop the flavor. He made a gravy using those giblets, the vegetables from the turkey roasting pan, some chicken stock, and white wine. The gravy was thickened with a simple roux of butter and flour, and it was one of the best gravies I’ve ever tasted.

For the London broil, we bought two steaks that were a little less than 2 lbs each. We marinated each steak separately in large Ziploc bags overnight. First we liberally sprinkled salt, pepper, and garlic powder on each side of the steaks and rubbed it in a bit before placing them inside the bags. Then we just poured the marinade ingredients into the bags directly. The marinade for each steak included a 12 oz bottle of beer (any kind, we used a cheap one so that we wouldn’t waste a good beer), a healthy drizzle of soy sauce, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a squirt of sriracha (we like a little spice but you can omit this if you don’t want any heat), and two crushed cloves of garlic. Close the bags and leave a bit of air so you can squish everything together until the marinade is combined and coating the pieces of steak. Then open the bag a tiny bit, squeezing excess air out until the marinade sticks to the steak more closely. At that point, reseal the bag the whole way and place the bags in a container to catch any leakage and place it in the fridge to marinate overnight.

London broil marinating in ziploc bags

To cook the steaks, place them on a big flat sheet pan that’s covered in foil for easy cleanup, pour some marinade over the top, and place it directly in the oven under the broiler. The steaks cook for about 10 minutes on one side and slightly less on the other side (we like our steak to be rare). When you flip, pour some more marinade on the other side. They’ll form a nice brown outer crust and are still pink in the middle. Slice it thinly on the bias, against the grain. This is a cheap cut of meat so it can be a bit tough, marinating the steaks overnight and slicing it thinly really helps make it much more tender.

My proudest contribution was the potato zucchini kugel. I followed this recipe, and it really was so simple to make and very delicious. I grated the potatoes, zucchini and onion by hand, which was the part of the recipe that required the most work, but I thought it was easier than using a food processor and trying to do everything in batches.

Grated potatoes, zucchini, and onion

I had made kugel only once before, a potato kugel for Rosh Hashanah dinner at Josh’s house, but I thought the zucchini really added a lot more to the dish. The zucchini made the kugel taste lighter and fresher, and this is the version that I’ll be making from now on.

Potato zucchini mixture ready to go into the oven

The other sides were pretty much no-brainers. Mashed potatoes = easy; boil peeled potato chunks + butter + cream + salt + pepper.

Cranberry sauce = 1 can of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce + 1 can Dole pineapple chunks, crushed; combine and mix together.

Sauteed green beans = sautee a few cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil + throw in washed green beans with ends trimmed; sautee until tender but still crunchy.

Roasted asparagus = washed asparagus with tough ends snapped off + drizzle of olive oil + chopped garlic + salt + pepper + grated parmesan cheese; rub the oil and seasonings over the asparagus and spread out the spears on a large flat baking sheet, roast at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until tender but still crunchy. Remove from oven and grate parmesan cheese over the top.

We also made a Caesar salad with homemade dressing, but I’ll do a post on that at a later time. Caesar salad topped with homemade croutons and some sort of protein is one of our favorite quick suppers.

London broil, asparagus, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, potato zucchini kugel, turkey

In the morning, Josh and I had created of schedule of when we needed to start prepping certain dishes and when they needed to be cooked. It got a bit hectic towards the end but we managed to finish on schedule. Our tiny kitchen was a disaster, but we really had a fun time with the dinner and the Secret Santa exchange. Both of our Santas knew us all too well. I got a gift certificate to Becco, my favorite restaurant, and Josh received a bottle of wine and a Vinturi wine aerator. All of those will be put to good use, for sure. Thanks, Santas! And we hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season!

Tags: Steak, Turkey
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Nizza

Sunday, December 20th, 2009 by virginia

Nizza is an upbeat restaurant on a busy stretch of 9th Ave. that features simple yet hearty Italian food. The restaurant is usually packed during prime hours and seating is tight, but the atmosphere is both romantic and festive, with dim candlelight and a packed, hopping bar area. There are plenty of loud boisterous groups dining there as well as couples on dates. But more importantly, the food is well prepared and tasty.

We liked the food so much that we were there twice in one week. The first time was with a group of Josh’s coworkers, and the second time was a big Sunday night dinner with the extended family. There were some dishes that we had both times, and some that were different, but I figured it was easier to combine the meals into one big post.

Both meals started off with fluffy pieces of focaccia bread, served with a soft ricotta cheese and olive oil spread. Simple, but very tasty.

Focaccia bread with a soft ricotta and olive oil spread

On both nights, we shared a bunch of different appetizers with everyone at the table so that we could all try a wider variety of dishes. We enjoyed the prosciutto crostini so much the first night that we had to order it the second night as well. The soft prosciutto was served on top of a piece of crunchy crostini that was covered in creamy sheeps milk ricotta and a sweet balsamic syrup. The different flavors and textures were just a great combination.

Prosciutto crostini with sheeps milk ricotta and balsamic syrup

We also had the socca on both nights. The socca is a crispy chickpea pancake topped with sage and pecorino cheese. It’s both sweet and salty at the same time and has a nice crispy/crumbly texture. Think of a huge flattened falafel ball, with an Italian twist.

Socca (crispy chickpea pancake)

On the first night, we shared a selection of three salumi. We got some more of the delicious prosciutto, as well as some fatty slices of speck (smoked prosciutto), and bresaola (air dried beef). The meats were all of pretty high quality and the portions were pretty generous. They were served together on a big platter with some pickled vegetables and olives.

Prosciutto, bresaola, and speck platter

On the second night, we all shared a margherita pizza with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil. It was simple and classic, though the crust was bit too puffy and not browned enough so that it was still soft and pale. I think it would have worked better with a thinner, crispier crust.

Margherita pizza

Josh and I also shared a caesar salad on the second night, which had a tasty dressing heavy on pecorino cheese. But the salad itself was really hard to eat because they kept the leaves long and whole, so that we had to cut it ourselves with a knife and fork. That was tough to do because the plate was so small and the leaves were piled high, and it ended up being quite messy.

Caesar salad

For his entree on both nights, Josh went with the chicken milanese, which is quite possibly the best version that either of us have ever had. The chicken is pounded down but not too thin, coated with seasoned breadcrumbs, and fried to a golden brown perfection. The chicken is topped with baby arugula, a variety of red, orange, and yellow tomatoes, and cubes of fresh mozzarella. The toppings are lightly dressed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and all it needs is a squeeze of lemon over the top. The dish is light, fresh, and really tasty.

The best chicken milanese

On the first night, I had the lamb rack, which was three chops coated in mustard and herbed breadcrumbs. The lamb was cooked rare, as requested, and very well seasoned. It was served with creamy polenta, roasted asparagus, and a small onion cooked in balsamic vinegar. All of the different components on the plate worked really well together, and I thoroughly enjoyed this dish.

Rack of lamb crusted with herbed breadcrumbs

On the second night, I went with the bistecca grigliata, which was a huge grilled NY strip steak covered in roasted red and green peppers. The steak was more medium rare than my requested rare, but it was still tender and well seasoned. It came with a side of roasted potatoes, which were crispy on the outside and potato-y on the inside. The dish was well prepared and tasty, but it’s pretty standard. Unless you’re really craving steak and potatoes, the flavor combinations of some of the other dishes people had were much more interesting.

Grilled strip steak with roasted peppers

Overall Josh and I really like the food at Nizza. It’s not the standard red sauce Italian joint, although they do have a few pastas and red sauce dishes available. The food is a bit more upscale, clean, and always well seasoned and well prepared. It’s a great place to get a drink and nibble on some salumi or appetizers, and it’s great for full meals as well. It does tend to get crowded, especially during pre-theater hours, so reservations are recommended if you have a large group. We’ll definitely be back here.

Nizza
630 9th Ave. between 44th and 55th St.
New York, NY

Tags: Italian, Midtown West, Pizza, Steak
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Jacques Brasserie

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 by virginia

DSCN4434

Josh has been traveling a lot for work recently so my meals lately have consisted mainly of leftovers from our weekends of gorging, easily prepared foods such as sandwiches and salads, or pre-made soups and frozen pizzas. Sad, yes, but a lot of my joy from cooking and eating comes from sharing the experience with someone. If I made what I thought was the most fantastic meal ever and no one else was there to taste it, would it still be the most fantastic meal ever? It’s kind of like hitting a hole in one with no witnesses. It’s still a great feat but no one can fully share in your excitement.

Ok maybe I’m just making excuses for being lazy. Regardless, one mid-week night while Josh was away, I was thrilled for the opportunity to have a girls’ night dinner with Josh’s mom and his cousin. We met up on the Upper East Side at Jess’ apartment and went off in search for food. None of us are all that familiar with restaurants in the area still so we basically chose a place based on where we could find street parking. We ended up at Jacques Brasserie, a lovely restaurant with a menu that offers all of the standard French bistro classics.

We started off with some delicious slices of baguettes with salty butter. The bread had a decent crust, nice chew, and good flavor. My only complaint was that they had a bread man doling out one slice at a time, and he couldn’t come around fast enough. We were starving and couldn’t get enough of the bread!

Yummy baguette

For our appetizers, both Josh’s mom Alice and I opted for the soupe a l’oignon, classic French onion soup. The broth was deep and rich and full of onion flavor, and there was plenty of cheese melted on top. However, the soup wasn’t quite as hot as it needed to be, and all that cheese quickly congealed into one big lump. I ended up trying to break pieces off with the spoon and using my fingers, so it got to be quite messy, but it was a delicious soup nonetheless.

French onion soup covered in a thick layer of gruyere

French onion soup covered in a thick gooey layer of gruyere

Jess ordered the salade de bettrave, which was beet salad with chopped endives and manchego. She asked the waiter if they would substitute goat cheese for the manchego, and he easily acquiesced. The resulting salad was a mix of complementary flavors, textures and colors, with the sweetness of the soft red roasted beets, the tanginess and creaminess of the white goat cheese, and the bitter crunchiness of the yellow endive leaves. We all ended up stealing bites from Jess’ plate and loved every bit of it.

For my main course, I chose the steak frites, which came with a choice of béarnaise sauce or au poivre sauce. I selected au poivre and was disappointed with the watery and greasy sauce that I received in a ramekin with my steak and fries. The sauce had no discernable peppercorn flavor to it. Fortunately the steak was fabulous, a thick and meaty piece that was cooked rare per my request. It was actually almost black and blue, with a dark, flavorful crust on the outside and still pink and bleeding in the middle. Just how I like it! The steak had a good amount of flavor and just needed an additional sprinkling of salt to boost it up.

Perfectly cooked steak with a nicely formed outer crust, but disappointing au poivre sauce on the side

The fries were freshly cut and nicely fried so that they were hot and crispy on the outside and soft and potato-y on the inside. It came in a separate cone that I didn’t mind sharing with everyone else.

Freshly cut and fried french fries

Jess had the coquilles St. Jacques, which were seared sea scallops on top of wild mushroom risotto with manchego and cranberry reduction. Neither she nor I have ever tried coquilles St. Jacques before, but Alice said they were not what she knows of as coquilles St. Jacques. The scallops were cooked well but the risotto was slightly gummy, and the manchego appeared to have been melted on top of the risotto, which was kind of weird. Jess ended up scraping that off to the side and focused mainly on eating the scallops.

For her entrée, Alice had the poulet roti, which was roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. The chicken was cooked perfectly and had surprisingly crispy skin. The mashed potatoes were nicely garlicky and the spinach wasn’t bitter. It was a simple dish but very well prepared.

Of course with this being a girls’ night, we couldn’t pass up on dessert. First up was an apple tart that had a nice thin layer of apple filling and creamy vanilla ice cream, but the crust was an absolute disaster. It appeared to be made of a piece of flattened puff pastry, so that the layers of the pastry dough were stuck together in a tough and unwieldy way. We couldn’t cut through the crust with the side of our forks, and even when we busted out a knife it was still extremely hard to get through. After a few attempts that ended up rattling the plate and the table, we sadly had to give up on most of the tart.

Beautiful apple tart but with a terrible, hard-to-eat crust

Our second dessert, the crème brulee, had an evenly browned crackly sugar crust on top but the custard itself wasn’t properly cooled before it was served and as a result it was too warm and liquid-y. Even though it had a nice vanilla flavor, the dessert lost all the silkiness and lusciousness of a properly prepared crème brulee.

Creme brulee with an evenly browned sugary crust but a too warm and liquidy interior

For the most part, we enjoyed our girls’ night meal at Jacques Brasserie. The meal got off to a good start with delicious French baguettes and continued from there. Although desserts weren’t quite up to par, pretty much everything else we had was tasty and well prepared. Service was fine, and the restaurant has a laid back atmosphere that allowed us to have nice conversation. It is a bit on the pricey side though, so it’s not somewhere we would go very often. It looks like the brunch menu is pretty reasonable though, which I might have to check out next time. But overall it was good company and good food – what more can you ask for?

Jacques Brasserie
204 East 85th St. between 2nd and 3rd Ave.
New York, NY

Tags: Bistro, French, Fries, Steak
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Gaby

Friday, December 4th, 2009 by virginia

DSCN4385

For Josh’s sister’s birthday, his parents got us all tickets to see A Steady Rain on Broadway, starring Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig. Before the show we had a lovely meal at Gaby, a restaurant attached to the Sofitel Hotel.

The décor of the restaurant is modern and upscale, with tall ceilings and colorful upholstery. We were seated at a long table near the front, next to the window looking out onto 45^th St. They graciously seated us before the entire party arrived, and we started off with some drinks and some delicious baguettes with rich butter and a black olive tapenade.

Butter and a tasty black olive tapenade

The baguettes weren’t as crispy out the outside as I would have liked but they had good flavor and a nice chewy texture to them.

Delicious carbs

For my appetizer, I selected the burgundy snails cooked in garlic butter and served with toasted brioche. The snails were large and tender, not rubbery. They were served in a cast iron pan that kept them wonderfully hot, and I sopped up the garlicky butter with the pieces of toast.

Garlicky snails with brioche toast

Josh had the lobster bisque, which was unlike any lobster bisque that I’ve tasted before. It was not too heavy on the cream, and it had some spices in it that made the soup taste more like a pumpkin bisque than lobster. It was surprisingly light, not too rich, with interesting and complex flavor.

Unusual lobster bisque

For my main course, I kept it simple and classic with Gaby’s version of steak frites. The steak was grilled Black Angus hanger steak with caramelized shallots. The steak was nicely pink on the inside and not tough or chewy at all. The French fries were thin and crispy with a healthy sprinkling of salt. It was an ample portion of fries so I didn’t mind sharing a few with the rest of the table. There was also a mesclun salad on the plate with a nice light vinaigrette that helped cut through the richness and the fatiness of all the steak and fries.

Hanger steak covered in carmelized onions, fries, and salad

Hanger steak covered in caramelized shallots, fries, and salad

Josh went with the duck leg confit with sautéed fingerling potatoes, mushrooms, and frisee. The duck was tender and appropriately gamey in flavor. While I still preferred my steak over the duck, I know Josh enjoyed his dish a lot.

Duck confit with fingerling potatoes and frisee

Duck confit with fingerling potatoes, mushrooms, and frisee

We didn’t have enough time before the show to have dessert but I thought the meal at Gaby was quite delightful. The items we chose were from the “a la Francaise” sections of the menu, which meant they were classically French in preparation. However, there are several other options that are more continental and adventurous in flavors. The restaurant is quite pricey though, with appetizers ranging from the mid to upper teens and entrees are mostly above $25. It’s a good place if you’re looking for a nice upscale pre-theater dinner, as the service is efficient and attentive. A Steady Rain ended up being a great show as well, though they did remind us almost a dozen times before the curtain to turn off our cell phones!

Gaby
44 West 45th St. between 5th and 6th Ave.
New York, NY

Tags: French, Fries, Midtown, Steak
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