Posts Tagged ‘Lamb’

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Delivery Doesn’t Do Hanci Turkish Cuisine Justice

Sunday, March 14th, 2010 by virginia

Josh and I really enjoyed the meal that we had at Hanci Turkish Cuisine and decided to get a delivery order from there one rainy night when we were too lazy to venture out of our apartment. We decided to get a few appetizers and split an entree of the mixed grill, since last time we had ordered too much food. We both remembered how much we loved their freshly baked, crispy and chewy Turkish bread, so when we placed the order on Seamlessweb, we wrote in the special instructions section, “Please bring us extra bread, we love it!”

Our order arrived quickly but sadly, they failed to bring us the extra bread we requested. Instead, we got three measly little pieces, not even a basket’s worth if we had eaten at the restaurant. I guess that’s what we get for being lazy? The bread was delicious as always but the three pieces weren’t nearly enough to use on the portion of cacik we ordered, a yogurt based dip.

Delicious Turkish bread but a meager portion

Cacik is yogurt mixed with chopped cucumbers and seasoned with garlic and dill. It’s similar to tzatziki sauce from Greek restaurants, but Hanci’s version was much milder in flavor. There were lots of small cubes of cucumber but I wish they were more heavy handed with the garlic and dill, as it was kind of bland. It did go well with the mixed grill we ordered, but we ended up putting in a lot of salt to coax out some more of the flavor.

Cacik - yogurt with cucumber, garlic, and dill

We also got an order of sigara boregi, which is fried phyllo dough cigars filled with feta cheese and topped with parsley and dill. The fried phyllo dough suffered a bit from delivery, as it steamed in the container and got a bit soggy, but flavor wise it was quite delicious. The salty feta paired well with the fresh herbs, and though the phyllo was soft, it wasn’t too greasy and was still somewhat flaky.

Sigara boregi - phyllo dough cigars filled with feta cheese

Our last appetizer was piyaz, which is a salad made with white beans, onions, parsley, tomato, and olives. It was dressed with a tangy vinaigrette, and I loved the bite that I got from the slices of fresh red onion. It was a refreshing and flavorful dish but it also needed some salt to boost up the flavor a bit.

Piyaz - white bean salad with onion, parsley, tomato, and olives

For our entree, we split an order of the mixed grill, which was a dish that we had ordered when we went to the restaurant the first time. The mixed grill features lamb sis kebab, chicken tavuk sis, lamb kofte, and chicken adana. All the meats are served over rice pilaf and a side of mixed vegetables. It’s a generous portion of food, though I favored the lamb sis kebab and the chicken tavuk sis, which are just grilled cubes of lamb and chicken. Both the kofte and the adana lacked seasoning and flavor, although all the meats were nicely cooked and very tender.

Mixed grill over rice pilaf with mixed vegetables

I have to admit that we were a bit disappointed with our delivery order from Hanci. We enjoyed our meal at the restaurant much more, and perhaps the food just suffered a bit from being taken out. I did think that a lot of our food lacked basic seasoning though, such as salt, and was much blander than I had remembered. We were also disappointed that they didn’t bring us extra bread, or even a normal sized portion of the bread, as we had ordered several appetizers that needed the bread to pair with. I don’t know if they just didn’t see our special instruction or if they chose to ignore it, but after the hospitality we received while we were there, we were a bit surprised that they weren’t more accommodating. I understand that the bread they offer free at the restaurant costs them money to produce, and I would have paid for extra bread if that was an option, but it wasn’t. In general, I think their food is best enjoyed at the restaurant, when it can come out hot and fresh, and you can have all the delicious Turkish bread that you want.

Hanci Turkish Cuisine
854 10th Ave. between 56th and 57th St.
New York, NY

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Great Service and Great Food at Nook

Saturday, March 13th, 2010 by virginia

In my first post about Nook, I mentioned that we hadn’t been there in years because the service was bad, but after a long hiatus, Josh and I went to brunch and thought both the service and the food were fantastic. We decided to go back there for dinner to see if the service was consistently much improved, or if our brunch experience was merely a fluke. Even though it was quite late for dinner when we arrived, the tiny restaurant was completely full, probably because it was Saturday night. The hostess/waitress told us the wait would be about half an hour and suggested we go across the street to a bar, saying she would call us when a table was available. Since neither of us were starving, and there really is nowhere to wait in the restaurant, it seemed like a good solution so that’s exactly what we did.

We headed across the street to The Snug, which, like Nook, is aptly named. It’s a long narrow bar with limited seating but we managed to snag a small table all the way in the back. Josh got a beer and we chatted for a while. After half an hour, no call. We had left Josh’s phone on the table so that we would see it ring, in case we couldn’t hear it in the noisy bar. Forty-five minutes later, still nothing. At this point we were getting a little peeved, and after almost an hour we decided cross back over to the restaurant and see what the situation was. As soon as we walked in, we saw an empty two top right by the door, and were a bit miffed that we hadn’t received a call.

The waitress came over to us and said she was wondering what happened to us because she called us twice and left a message when we didn’t answer. She then offered us the empty two top and said we could sit right away if we wanted. Josh and I looked at each other, perplexed, because we definitely didn’t see or hear the phone ringing, but we shrugged it off, gave her the benefit of the doubt, and sat down for dinner. Indeed, halfway through the meal, Josh got the beep that he had two missed calls and a voicemail from the waitress telling us that our table was ready. So she really was telling the truth, and we blame AT&T for our frustrations.

We were glad we stayed because not only was the waitress very gracious about the whole mix up, the food was great as well. She opened up our bottle of wine right away (the restaurant is a BYO) and brought us glasses as well as a basket of the same kind of bread that we received at brunch, a rustic and crusty sourdough.

Basket of rustic bread

We ordered two appetizers that we had remembered enjoying the very first time we ate at the restaurant in 2006. First was a tuna tartare served with avocado and flavored with soy and ginger. The tuna was very fresh and nicely cut into small cubes, which I like better than the mashed up tuna that we sometimes receive from other restaurants. The tuna paired perfectly with the creamy avocado, and the whole dish was well seasoned and very flavorful.

Tuna tartare

The second appetizer was mushroom cigars, which was filo dough wrapped around a filling of ground mushrooms, goat cheese, sage, and truffle oil. The pastry was lightly browned and perfectly flaky while the filling was really delicious. I love mushrooms, I love goat cheese, and I love truffle oil. The three together were simply divine. We only wished that the portion was larger, as it’s really only one small cigar cut in half. Josh and I just couldn’t get enough of it.

Mushroom cigars

For our main courses we also opted to order dishes that we’ve tried previously, and both were just as good as we had remembered. The first was tuscan chicken, which features a large boneless chicken breast stuffed with spinach and ricotta, topped with a light parmesan sauce. The chicken was tender and juicy, not at all dried out, and the filling was nicely seasoned and garlicky. The parmesan sauce bound everything together, and it was a very homey and comforting dish. The chicken came with a side salad that was tossed with a tasty vinaigrette, and it was supposed to come with chive mash potatoes but I requested the rosemary fries instead, which they gladly accommodated. The fries were slightly limp but well seasoned, and we could really taste the pleasant rosemary flavor.

Tuscan chicken

Our other entree was the Thai marinated grilled rack of lamb. The serving came with four perfectly grilled chops that were tender, juicy, and flavorful. The Thai marinade was slightly sweet, which worked well with the slightly bitter braised cabbage that came on the side. There were also chive mashed potatoes that came with the dish, which was why I had requested the fries with the chicken dish instead. Despite the casual presentation, the food was well prepared and the flavors were very refined.

Thai marinated grilled rack of lamb

Josh and I weren’t in a rush and were lingering over our meal, finishing up our wine and debating dessert when we got a call from his parents who happened to be in the city that night for a party. It turned out that they were just around the corner from where we were, so they met us at the restaurant for dessert. Our waitress had no problem letting us move over to an empty four top, and we ordered a round of coffee drinks. Unfortunately, the coffee was terrible. The espresso was weak, as was the cappuccino. Both Josh and his mom ordered extra shots of espresso to try and bolster their drinks, but even those were super weak.

Fortunately dessert was much better. Lloyd ordered the cheese and fruit plate, which turned out to be quite a large serving of assorted cheeses (I’m not a cheese person so I only recognized brie but there were others) and various fruits, including grapes, blackberries, and slices of apples, pears, and strawberries. There was plenty to share, and the waitress brought extra bread to pair with the cheeses.

Cheese and fruit plate

We also got a slice of the apple pie, which was served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The pie was more like a cobbler, with tasty, buttery, crumbly bits on top, but it was no less delicious. It wasn’t overly sweet or too cinnamony, and we all enjoyed it immensely.

Apple pie with vanilla ice cream

I have to say, I’m thrilled that the service at Nook truly has improved, as we now have a neighborhood spot that serves up good food at reasonable prices, and is a BYO to boot. Nook really is teeny tiny though so it does get a bit cramped inside, but I find the atmosphere to be homey and welcoming. If you want to dine during pre-theater or prime hours, however, it’s probably best to make a reservation. While the menu hasn’t changed all that much since the first time we were there in 2006, it’s nice to know that we have a place that we can rely on, where the dishes are familiar, tasty, and always well prepared. We’ll be back, and often, I hope.

Nook
746 9th Ave. between 50th and 51st St.
New York, NY

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Return to Kefi, Finally

Monday, February 1st, 2010 by virginia

Kefi is the Greek restaurant that Josh and I went to on our first anniversary, the day that we started Two Fat Bellies. I had said in that post that we would definitely go back, and I can’t believe that it took us over eight months to do so. Too many other places we wanted to try first, I guess. Nevertheless, we had suggested Kefi for a Sunday night dinner that we had with Josh’s parents and his friends from college who just recently got married. Even though we called late Sunday afternoon, we were able to get a prime time reservation.

The restaurant was surprisingly packed when we arrived, especially for a Sunday evening. It amazes me how big the restaurant is and yet it still manages to put out such well prepared food in such a short amount of time. We were seated downstairs in the back room, which was nice as it’s a bit more secluded and the tables are more spaced out than in the front room. We snacked on crusty rustic bread with fruity olive oil while we looked through the menu.

Crusty rustic bread

I opted to start with the grilled sardines appetizer, which was served with a chopped “Greek salad” and garlic sauce. The sardines were butterflied and perfectly cooked, with crispy skin and a good amount of seasoning. There were a lot of bones, however, and I never know if you’re supposed to eat them. I tried to scrape the meat from the tiny skeleton but still ended up with mouthfuls of bones, as they’re pretty much impossible to avoid. It wasn’t hard to chew them up and swallow, but it was still kind of unpleasant. Regardless, it was a pretty delicious dish, especially if you enjoy the oily flavor of sardines like I do. I didn’t even think that the dish needed the tiny chopped salad or garlic sauce, as the fish really shined on its own.

Grilled sardines with chopped Greek salad and garlic sauce

Josh went with a special appetizer of the night, fishcakes made from cod and branzino, served with a yogurt sauce. I took a bite of his dish and blurted out, “this tastes like falafel!” And it really did. In fact, if I hadn’t heard our waiter describe the dish, I never would have known the patties were made from fish. The cumin flavor and other spices were exactly what you would expect from a falafel ball, and the cakes even had the same crumbly texture. While flavor-wise it wasn’t bad, especially since we both love falafel, but it just wasn’t what we were expecting.

Fishcakes that tasted like falafel patties

Josh’s dad had the grilled octopus appetizer that we tried the last time, and it was cooked perfectly. Every bite was tender, and the garlicky beans underneath were still tasty. All the other people in our party had the Greek salad, which featured tomato, cucumber, olives, peppers, onions, lettuce, fennel, and feta cheese. I liked that everything was chopped into small pieces so that you could get a forkful with all the ingredients together. I especially like the sweet/tangy/salty mix of flavors in the salad.

We also decided to share an order of the Kefi mac and cheese. It was an unusual version of mac and cheese, with spinach leaves mixed throughout and a hint of nutmeg (I think), which gave it an almost cinnamon-sweet sort of flavor, though it was still savory. The bechamel sauce was nice and rich, but it wasn’t very cheesy or gooey, which I prefer in a mac and cheese. The result was almost custardy, and reminded me a bit of noodle kugel.

Kefi mac and cheese

For our main courses, most people stuck with the pasta section of the menu. Alice had the shrimp with orzo, which had a nice tomato flavor and big tender pieces of shrimp. Josh had the sheep’s milk dumplings in a tangy tomato sauce with pine nuts and spicy lamb sausage. The dumplings were very delicate and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The sauce and the sausage really packed a punch flavor-wise, and it was a very hearty, rich dish that Josh really enjoyed.

Sheep's milk dumplings with tomato, pine nuts, and lamb sausage

Lloyd had the same grilled lamb chop special that I ordered the last time, while I went with the braised lamb shank with orzo. Sadly, I wish that I had stuck with the grilled lamb chops, as the braised shank was quite a disappointment. Though I could pull bits of meat off easily with my fork, the meat itself was really tough and stringy, and hard to chew. The orzo was pretty bland, not nearly as tasty as the orzo that came with Alice’s shrimp, and the dish totally lacked seasoning. I’ve read so many rave reviews about this lamb shank that I was really surprised by how much I disliked it. To be honest, the shank isn’t my favorite part of lamb to begin with, but I’ve definitely had much better versions elsewhere. I don’t know if it was just an off night for the shank but I wouldn’t order it again.

Braised lamb shank with orzo

Luckily our meal ended on a high note with scoops of rich, creamy Greek yogurt topped with honey, almond slivers, and quince paste. The yogurt was sour, as expected and so thick that it would stick to a spoon turned upside down. The honey offset the sourness, as did the fruity quince paste, and the almonds added a nice crunch. It was a delicious dessert, and one that you didn’t feel too bad about indulging on.

Yogurt with honey, almonds, and quince paste

We also ordered a few coffee drinks, but for some reason they didn’t arrive until well after we finished our dessert. I think service fell a bit apart towards the end of our meal, probably due to the fact that it was getting late on a Sunday night and they were starting to clean up for the night. I got a frappe again, which was very rich and strong with lots of foam on top.

Refreshing frappe

Overall I think we were all pretty satisfied and happy with our meal at Kefi. While I wasn’t a fan of the lamb shank, I did enjoy the rest of my dishes and all the bites that I had of everyone else’s dishes. Despite the coffee snafu at the end of our meal, service was really much improved from the last time that Josh and I dined there. Our waiter was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu and about Greek wines, offering up his recommendations and suggestions. We weren’t rushed through our courses like last time, and I could safely put down my fork for a breather without fear of my plate getting removed prematurely. I’m still shocked by how reasonable prices are, especially considering the quality of the food. I’m already looking forward to our next visit to the restaurant.

Kefi
505 Columbus Ave. between 84th and 85th St.
New York, NY

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Village Green Restaurant

Sunday, January 17th, 2010 by virginia

The Village Green is a lovely BYO restaurant in Ridgewood, NJ that offers extensive seasonal tasting menus at very reasonable prices. The restaurant is minimally decorated but reminds me of an elegant townhouse on the inside. The dining room is broken up into two rooms, which gives it a more intimate feel. It was pretty empty the night that we went (it was late on a Friday) so we got a prime table for four (we went with Josh’s parents) in an alcove at the front of the restaurant. We opted for the five course tasting menu, which included four savory dishes plus dessert.

Our meal started off with an amuse bouche that consisted of a small fresh mozzarella ball, tomato slice, micro greens, and olive oil served in a Chinese soup spoon. Simple, but fresh and tasty.

Amuse bouche - mozzarella with tomato and micro greens

The bread man came by with a big basket of different breads. Josh and I asked for a slice of everything so we could taste them all. The breads were sourdough, cranberry walnut, rosemary, and seven grain bread. All of the breads had really good flavor but the rosemary bread was our favorite, as it was the least dense of the bunch and had a light, crispy crust.

Assortment of breads - sourdough, cranberry walnut, rosemary, seven grain

For my first course, I selected the crusted walnut goat cheese medallion with an apple and prune chutney and prosciutto. The goat cheese was smooth and creamy and the outside crust was nice and crispy. The apple and prune chutney was kind of like dessert, but when I got everything together on the fork all the different flavors and textures made sense. The savory and creamy goat cheese complemented the crispy crust, which matched with the soft, sweet chutney, which contrasted with the chewy, salty prosciutto. The only thing I didn’t really understand was the shortbread cookie, but the rest of the plate was fantastic.

Crusted goat cheese medallion with apple prune chutney, shortbread cookie, and prosciutto

Josh had the crabcake over coleslaw with cherry tomatoes and microgreens. The crab cake was thick and chock full of crab, not filler. It was fried to perfection and had a beautifully golden brown crust. I thought the coleslaw underneath was pretty tasty, if a bit standard, but Josh isn’t really a fan of coleslaw so he only ate the crabcake.

Crabcake on top of cole slaw

For the second course, both Alice and I chose the pastrami smoked salmon carpaccio with a crispy potato cake and dill crème fraiche. I thought the smoked salmon was too salty, especially on the ends with the pastrami seasonings. The dill crème fraiche helped to cut through some of the saltiness but I wasn’t a fan of the salmon overall. The potato cake was pretty good though, and reminded me of a freshly fried hash brown.

Pastrami smoked salmon carpaccio with potato cake

Josh ordered the pumpkin gnocchi with pancetta and braised seasonal greens, which he thought was absolutely terrible – the worst gnocchi he’s ever had. The gnocchi were dense and chewy, like a thick paste. He basically took two bites and just couldn’t stand it so he left most of his dish untouched. I thought it was a bit odd that the server who removed his plate didn’t question him on why he didn’t enjoy the dish.

Terrible pic of terrible pumpkin gnocchi

Lloyd had the winning second course, which was escargot bourguignon with creamed spinach and garlic red wine reduction. The snails were big and meaty, not too chewy, and the red wine and garlic flavor didn’t overpower them.

For the third course, I had the pan seared snapper over green olive couscous. It came with a cockle clam and a grapefruit and tarragon butter sauce. The fish itself was nicely prepared and seasoned, but I wasn’t a fan of the green olive couscous and the grapefruit/tarragon sauce. They gave the dish a sour, bitter flavor that detracted from the sweet fish. I also wished there was more than one clam, as it added a nice brininess to the dish.

Red snapper over green olive couscous with grapefruit

Josh and Alice had the seared diver scallops over mascarpone risotto with caramelized onions and pomegranate sauce. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the risotto was appropriately creamy but still had a nice bite to it. The pomegranate sauce added an interesting tang and nice color to the dish.

Scallops over mascarpone risotto with pomegranate sauce

For the last savory course, we all chose different items. I had the herb crusted veal sweetbreads served with sauteed mushrooms and truffle oil. The sweetbreads were spectacular, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I don’t really know how to explain the flavor of sweetbreads, but it’s both sweet and a little sour, and surprisingly meaty. They worked perfectly with earthy mushrooms and fragrant truffle oil.

Crispy sweetbreads with sauteed mushrooms and truffle oil

Josh had the lamb chops over polenta with figs and a rosemary red wine reduction. The lamb chops were cooked to a nice medium rare so they were still tender and juicy. The figs added a nice sweetness to the dish, and the wine sauce tied everything together.

Lamb chops over polenta with figs and red wine sauce

Alice had the petite filet mignon medallions with lobster tail over mashed potatoes. Her dish was really delicious and had a delicate flavor of truffles in the background. Lloyd selected the crisp duck leg over wild rice with cranberry red wine reduction, another superb dish. The duck meat was tender and moist and the red wine reduction was very flavorful.

For dessert, I went with the special of the day, a blueberry bread pudding. The serving was a small wedge but it was dense and chock full of blueberries. It was covered in chocolate sauce, which was a bit overkill, as the bread pudding was rich enough on its own. I had mixed feelings about the dessert though, and I’m not sure I would order it again as there was nothing that stood out to me.

Blueberry bread pudding with chocolate sauce

Josh had the crème brulee with a lemon cookie. The crème brulee was served in a deep ramekin that I normally think of as a souffle ramekin, but I kind of liked it because there was more custard than sugar topping (I’m one of those weird people who don’t like the burnt sugar crust on crème brulee). There was a nice vanilla flavor to the crème brulee but I found it a bit too sweet overall. It did have a nice consistency to it though.

Creme brulee with lemon cookie

Alice had the warm pear tart with cinnamon ice cream, which was tasty and comforting, while Lloyd had vanilla ice cream with fresh berries and chocolate sauce. Simple and classic, and the berries were fresh and sweet despite the fact that they were out of season.

Overall we were all a little bit disappointed by this particular meal that we had the Village Green. We’ve been there several times before, however, and have had better overall experiences. Still, there were some highlights to our dinner, such as my sweetbreads, Lloyd’s escargot, and Alice’s filet mignon and lobster. The menu is very seasonal but I’m not sure how often it changes per season. There are lots of choices to each course though, and the prix fixe really is quite a bargain. Five courses are only $55, and on Monday through Thursday they also offer a four course meal for $44. Although each course isn’t huge, they do add up and we’re all full by the time we’re done. The BYO aspect is another bonus. Despite this trip not being the best that we’ve had, I would still recommend the Village Green because the menu really does offer quite a variety and they always use fresh and high quality ingredients. I can’t wait to see what the next season’s menu features.

Village Green Restaurant
36 Prospect St.
Ridgewood, NJ

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