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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

Tags: Greek, Lamb, Macaroni and Cheese, Seafood, Upper West Side
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Wallsé

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 by virginia

For Josh’s dad’s birthday, 12 of us gathered at Wallsé, a Michelin starred restaurant that features Austrian cuisine. The chef/owner is Kurt Gutenbrunner, who also owns Café Sabarsky and Blaue Gans in the city. It seemed like a random choice on Josh’s part in selecting the restaurant, but by the end of the meal, we were all huge fans of Austrian food, and Wallsé.

To be perfectly honest, one of the reasons we ended up at Wallsé was because they were the first Michelin starred or highly rated restaurant he called that would take a reservation for 12, and without any caveats. Convivio and Union Square Café, for example, had a maximum reservation size of eight. A Voce Columbus had a $2,000 spending minimum. Yeesh! But Wallsé was also high up on Josh’s list because the menu looked extensive and interesting, and a four course tasting made up of your choice of any three dishes, plus dessert, was only $75 (though at the time, the restaurant had an outdated menu posted on the website that said it was $68; it has since been fixed).

The restaurant was almost completely empty when we first arrived for our 7 pm reservation. Josh told us that one of the reasons they were able to seat 12 was because there weren’t that many reservations for this particular Sunday evening. It was also the day after the huge snowstorm we had this winter so we figured that people wouldn’t want to venture out in the wet slushy conditions. It did fill up though, and by the time we left the restaurant was actually packed. We had a long table in the back room that was next to a lovely display made from branches, berries, and shiny ornaments. The room had interesting paintings on the walls and a soothing ambiance.

Festive but elegant decor

I had a really hard time choosing what I wanted to eat as part of my four course “make your own” tasting menu. The menu is broken up into four different categories – appetizers, fish, meats, and dessert. You can choose one from each category, or multiple choices from one category, so long as you end with dessert as your last course. With so many different choices, Josh and I made sure that we each ordered different items so that we could taste as many dishes as possible. It was actually a bit agonizing for us, because there were so many dishes we wanted to try.

After finally nailing down our selections, we turned our attention to the bread basket. There were two types of bread, one white and one multi-grain, both rustic with sturdy, crunchy crusts. The crusts were fantastic – not too hard, light, and crispy. Both breads had nicely developed flavors and were addictive to eat. We went through quite a few baskets between the 12 of us, and they happily brought us more every time the baskets emptied. If only the breads were served warm; that really would have put them over the top! They were served with round slices of unsalted butter that were also a bit too cold, which made them slightly hard but not impossible to spread.

Crispy rustic bread

Our first courses arrived a short while later and we all quickly tucked in. I started with spatzle, a traditional German/Austrian noodle that is made by scraping dough directly into boiling water. The result is a delicate and fluffy irregularly shaped short noodle. This spatzle was paired with braised rabbit, wild mushrooms, and brussels sprouts. I’ve never had spatzle before and was a huge fan of this dish. The noodles were soft and tender, not too dense, and paired perfectly with the tender and sweet pulled rabbit. The mushrooms added an earthy chewiness, and the brussels sprouts provided a slightly bitter crunch. The portion was surprisingly large for a tasting menu, and I happily ate every last bit of it. It was rich and comforting and I just wanted to cuddle up with a huge bowl of this stuff.

Spatzle with braised rabbit, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts

Spatzle with braised rabbit, wild mushrooms, and brussels sprouts

Josh started with the Maine lobster with homemade ravioli, black trumpets, and butternut squash. The portion wasn’t huge but there was plenty of lobster in the dish. Even though there were a lot of bold ingredients, with the mushrooms and diced squash, everything worked together and the flavors were clean. Josh enjoyed this dish a lot.

Lobster, homemade ravioli, black trumpets, butternut squash

My second course was veal cheeks and tongue served with winter root vegetables and potato puree. It was another comforting dish, reminiscent of a hearty beef stew. The veal cheek was huge, tender, and luscious. It broke apart easily with my fork and just melted in my mouth. The tongue was also surprisingly tender and meaty but I preferred the delicateness of the cheek. The root vegetables were chopped into little pieces and were just a side note to the veal but the potato puree was smooth, buttery, and very rich.

Veal cheek and tongue with roasted root vegetables and potato puree

Josh selected the wild striped bass with sauerkraut and black truffle sauce for his second course. We were both eager to try this dish since we love the flavor of truffles, but this dish failed to satisfy. While the bass was well cooked with a crispy top covered in herbs, the sauce lacked any truffle essence whatsoever despite what looked like decent sized pieces of chopped black truffle. At least the sauerkraut was an interesting accompaniment. It wasn’t a bad dish overall, just not quite what we were hoping for.

Wild striped bass with sauerkraut and black truffle sauce

For my third and last savory course, I had to order the wiener schnitzel because it came so highly recommended by our waitress. She was returning to Germany and said that one of the things she would miss the most was the chef’s wiener schnitzel. That’s a pretty good endorsement in my opinion. I’ve never had wiener schnitzel before and this one probably ruined me for all others. It was so light and so perfectly fried that breading crackled when I cut into it. There was no trace of grease whatsoever, the veal was juicy and delicious, and everything was well seasoned. All it needed was a little squeeze of lemon on top, and it was spectacular. The accompanying potato-cucumber salad and lingonberries were fine, if a bit standard, but the star of the show really was the wiener schnitzel.

Wiener schnitzel with potato-cucumber salad and lingonberries

Josh went with the sautéed duck breast with red cabbage and brioche dumplings. The duck was perfectly cooked, still pink and every tender, but he was disappointed that the skin wasn’t crispy. We were both curious about the brioche dumplings, which turned out to be like a soft french toast. Unusual, but not bad. The red cabbage was fine, but the star of the dish really was the duck.

Sauteed duck breast with red cabbage and brioche dumplings

For dessert, I selected the apfelstreusel with sea salt caramel ice cream. Basically it was an apple crumble, and a pretty tasty one at that. The sea salt caramel ice cream, however, really put it over the top. Again, it was something that I’ve never had before but something that I’ve read about a lot. The flavor of sweet and smoky caramel ice cream is really enhanced by the sea salt. It might sound weird or gross, but believe me, it really works. It’s kind of like salting a tomato to bring out the sweetness. It’s still dessert, but with a savory touch that cuts through the sugariness. Eating the apfelstreusel with the sea salt caramel ice cream together really brought the dessert to a new level.

Apfelstreusel with sea salt caramel ice cream

Josh decided to try the mozartkugel with pistachio nougatine. We had no idea what mozartkugel was but it turned out to be kind of like a large chocolate bonbon filled with a thick pistachio mousse. The presentation was lovely, with a bit of edible gold leaf on top and an artful scattering of pistachio nuts.

Mozartkugel with pistachio nougatine

Last but not least, we were presented with a plate of petit fours, which included an assortment of cookies and small chocolate brownie-like bites. Most of us were too full to eat anymore but I soldiered on, not wanting to miss out on anything. My hands down favorite was the little linzer tart cookies, which were slightly nutty and filled with raspberry jam. They were a great way to finish off the meal.

Pretty and tasty petit fours to end the meal

Overall we were all pleasantly surprised and completely delighted with our dinner at Wallsé. Coming in we didn’t know what to expect, since none of us were familiar with Austrian or German cuisine, but we left full and happy. There wasn’t a single dish that anyone disliked, and with 12 of us dining, we collectively went through a good portion of the menu. For me, the worst part was having to decide which three savory dishes to choose; I would have liked to try them all. It was a great meal from start to finish, with our friendly and helpful waitress explaining different dishes to us and making great wine recommendations. It’s too bad that she was leaving to go back to Germany because she really was terrific. The meal flowed wonderfully, as the courses were evenly paced and the portions were sized just right so that we left feeling satisfied and satiated but not overstuffed. The price of the tasting menu is pretty reasonable, especially for a Michelin starred restaurant, and the food is really spectacular. I highly recommend making the trip down to Wallsé for some homey yet refined Austrian food.

Wallsé
344 West 11th St. at Washington St.
New York, NY

Tags: Austrian, Duck, Ice Cream, Prix Fixe, Seafood, West Village
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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

Tags: Crab, Lamb, NJ, Seafood, Smoked Salmon, Sweetbreads
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New Years Banquet at Zen Peninsula

Sunday, January 10th, 2010 by virginia

After we got back to the Bay Area, Claire and Sean dropped us off at my godparents house, which was about 20 minutes away from their apartment. I was thrilled to be able to meet up with my godparents for dinner before our flight from SF back to Newark. I hadn’t seen my godmother since our wedding in May 2008, and my godfather since the last time we were in California, in October 2005. They graciously arranged for us to have a New Years banquet dinner at a Chinese restaurant near their home called Zen Peninsula.

The restaurant was a pretty big and grand space, perfect for large banquets and wedding parties. It was decorated in similar style to restaurants in NYC Chinatown such as Jing Fong and the Golden Unicorn. There were 10 of us dining altogether so we had a big round table with a lazy susan in the middle. The meal started off in typical Chinese banquet fashion, with a platter of assorted meats sliced into small pieces. There was juicy bbq pork, slices of either pork or duck (Josh and I couldn’t agree on it but I still think it was pork) with super crispy skin on top, compacted tofu skin, and jellyfish.

A little taste of everything - jellyfish, compacted tofu skin, roast pork or duck with super crackly skin, and bbq pork

Funny story about jellyfish – if you’ve never tried it, it kind of looks like long, thick rice noodles, and has sort of a gelatinous, crunchy texture. For our wedding rehearsal dinner, we had a big banquet at Jing Fong where our meal started off with a similar platter of meats surrounding a huge pile of jellyfish. Most of Josh’s family and friends had never eaten or seen jellyfish before so they all thought it was noodles or some sort of vegetable, and gobbled up the entire serving. It was only later when they found out they had eaten jellyfish that they denied liking it, but the empty platter doesn’t lie!

Back to our dinner at Zen Peninsula, our next course was shark fin soup. It was served in a mild, clean-tasting, yet rich soup. The pieces of shark fin had a soft, loose texture, a bit similar to shreds of scallop or stingray.

Shark fin soup

Next was one of my favorites, peking duck. The pieces of duck were served with soft steam buns, scallions, cucumbers, and hoisin sauce.

Peking duck in a steamed bun

I was shocked when I saw the size of lobster in the following course. It was huge! It must have been at least five pounds, and was chopped up into large pieces that were battered with salt and pepper and deep fried. The meat was still moist and tender.

Giant lobster head

We also had a large dungeness crab that was battered and deep fried. I snagged one of the legs, which was sweet and flavorful.

Fried dungeness crab

A dish of vegetables followed, filled with bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, tofu skin, and what I think were ginko seeds. They’re the yellow round things and had a soft texture and a mild nutty flavor.

Assorted vegetables

Then we had a big platter of poached chicken surrounded by a bitter green vegetable. It was a simple dish but the meat had a very concentrated and deep chicken flavor.

Poached chicken with a bitter green vegetable

Next we had even more lobster, this time in a ginger scallion sauce.

Lobster in ginger scallion sauce

Then fried rice with pork and shrimp.

Pork and shrimp fried rice

Our last savory course was something that I’ve never had before, a braised lamb dish in a hot pot with assorted vegetables. The lamb wasn’t very gamey but the whole dish and a really interesting and complex flavor that was kind of hard to describe. Our waiter would come by every so often to reheat the pot and add in a few more vegetables.

Braised lamb in a hot pot

For dessert, we had mango pudding, which was the best mango pudding that I’ve ever tasted. It was like a thick and rich jello consistency, and the mango flavor was really intense. It actually did taste like mangoes, which surprised me since most other mango puddings have an artificial taste to them.

Delicious mango pudding

Then we had some Chinese petit fours, which were a small roasted bun with a sweet paste filling, a square of mochi covered in coconut, and a small, dense almond cookie.

Roasted bun with sweet paste, mochi covered in coconut, almond cookie

Last but not least, we had a traditional New Year dessert, nian gao, which is like a sticky crepe made with rice flour and was filled with crushed peanuts. It was sweet and salty with lots of interesting texture to it.

Sticky dessert crepe with crushed peanuts

After the feast, I went to look at the fish tanks in the front that held some of the fresh seafood we had eaten during our meal. There was a tank full of ginormous lobsters.

Ginormous lobster in a tank full of ginormous lobsters

And one with huge dungeness crabs.

Dungeness crabs

King crabs with super long legs.

Live king crabs

Some freaky and scary looking eels.

Scary looking eel

And some giant prawns that were bigger than my hand.

Giant prawns

Overall I really enjoyed the banquet meal that we had at Zen Peninsula. The food was delivered at an even pace, and all of the dishes were hot and freshly prepared. Seafood is obviously one of their specialties, based on the dishes we had and the large tanks they had out front. My favorite courses of the evening were the two lobster courses (who doesn’t love good lobster?) and the peking duck. The best part of the meal, however, was being able to catch up with my godparents. I get to see them so rarely and each time is a wonderful treat. I feel so honored and thankful that they held off on their New Years banquet for a few days because they knew that Josh and I would be in town that weekend. It was a great end to a really great trip.

Zen Peninsula
1180 El Camino Real
Millbrae, CA

Tags: California, Chinese, Crabs, Lobster, Peking Duck, Pork, Seafood
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NC – Super Wok

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 by virginia

DSCN2303

One of Josh’s favorite Chinese food dishes is pork in garlic sauce. He even knows how to say it in Mandarin, so that if he doesn’t see it on the menu, he can still try to order it. Whenever we go out to a Chinese restaurant with my family, my parents always make sure that it’s one of the dishes that we get. With that in mind, my brother suggested going to Super Wok for dinner, a Chinese restaurant near his home that serves really good pork in garlic sauce.

The restaurant is also located in a strip mall and kind of looks like a hole in the wall takeout joint. It was pretty packed though, which was a good sign. We ordered a bunch of different dishes to share, including the touted pork in garlic sauce. It really was a very tasty version, with tender shreds of pork and a nice thick, spicy garlic sauce.

Pork in garlic sauce

The stir fried spicy tofu homestyle, however, was a complete disappointment. It looked pretty good, with triangles of fried tofu mixed with broccoli, carrots, baby corn, snow peas, mushrooms, and other vegetables. Unfortunately, the flavor was totally off. It was sour and very weird tasting, nothing like other versions of homestyle tofu that I’ve had, and it wasn’t just different, it tasted gross. None of us enjoyed this dish.

Very weird tasting homestyle tofu

Another disappointment was the fried fish cut like a squirrel tail in sweet and sour sauce. It looked neat, with two fish filets cut so that it cubed and curled, kind of like squirrel tails. However, it was either over fried or just had too much coating and not enough fish, as it was very hard on the outside and not very meaty on the inside. The sweet and sour sauce was standard, but I couldn’t get past the bad texture of the fish and the hard crust.

Fried fish cut like a squirrel tail

A much more successful dish was the intestine hotpot, which had chewy but tender pieces of intestine stewed with assorted vegetables in a ceramic hotpot. The dish was a little spicy and a nice mix of textures. There were a lot of bamboo shoots in the hotpot, which normally I don’t like, but it worked well with the rest of the components. Even Josh enjoyed this dish, and he typically doesn’t eat intestines or tripe or anything that’s super chewy.

Intestine hotpot

The stir fried squid with scallion was also not too chewy, which was a good thing. It had kind of a pleasantly bouncy texture, and the squid was slightly peppery in flavor.

Stir fried squid

Last but not least, we had peking style pork chops. It’s similar to General Tso’s or sesame chicken, with crispy pieces of pork covered in a sweet and sour sauce, but it’s not overly sweet and cloying. This is a dish that I grew up with so it’s one of my comfort foods. The sauce is great for spooning over rice, and it has kind of a barbecue/orange flavor to it.

Peking style pork chops

Overall I thought the food at Super Wok was hit or miss, with very high highs and very low lows. The pork in garlic sauce and the peking style pork chops were some of the better versions that I’ve had but the homestyle tofu was pretty bad, as was the fried fish. However, we really didn’t try that many things from the menu so I don’t know whether the restaurant excels in American style dishes or in more authentic Chinese dishes. From what my brother tells me though, good Chinese restaurant choices are limited in his area. So if anyone has a recommendation for a good Chinese place near Raleigh, let me know!

Super Wok
Chatham Square
1401-L SE Manyard Rd.
Cary, NC

Tags: Chinese, North Carolina, Pork, Seafood
Posted in Restaurants, Travel | 3 Comments »

NC – Cooking at Home

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 by virginia

My brother and sister-in-law are very hospitable hosts and they prepared a really delicious lunch for us after we got back from church on Sunday afternoon. My brother grilled up some awesome filet mignons and hot dogs while my sister-in-law made garlicky and tasty mussels.

For the filet mignons, my brother used Paula Deen’s house rub recipe to season the steaks. The rub is just salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and is really flavorful despite the simple preparation.

Simply seasoned and grilled filet mignon

He cooked it for just a few minutes on the bbq grill and it was a perfect medium rare.

Flavorful and juicy steak

For the hot dogs, he slathered them with a spicy chili sauce, ketchup, and soy sauce mixture and then grilled them, which gave them a nice kick and an Asian twist on flavor.

Hot dogs covered in a spicy chili sauce and then grilled

To prepare the mussels, we scrubbed and de-bearded them, making sure to discard any that appeared dead or had cracked shells.

Huge bowl of mussels ready to be cooked

Then we chopped up one small onion, a couple of garlic cloves, and measured out some butter and white wine.

Garlic, white wine, onions, butter

My sister-in-law then sauteed the onions and garlic for a little bit before adding everything into a huge stock pot, letting the mussels gently steam open. The result was a huge bowl of garlicky mussels with lots of flavorful broth in which we dipped toasted pieces of bread. Yum!

Delicious steamed mussels with garlic and white wine flavor

Tags: Hot Dogs, North Carolina, Seafood, Steak
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Duane Park

Thursday, November 19th, 2009 by virginia

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Josh’s parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary this year. In honor of their big day, we had a big family dinner at Duane Park, a restaurant in Tribeca. The restaurant received an impressive 25 rating for food in the latest Zagat guide, and it’s pretty reasonably priced to boot. The restaurant is pretty tiny but the décor is elegant and romantic. They set up a long table for us in the back corner and didn’t give us any problems when some people in the party were running late, which was a refreshing change from other restaurants that refuse to seat you if not everyone has arrived.

While we were waiting, I started off with a drink from the cocktail menu called the Cliff Hanger. It had lime vodka, lime-mint sorbet, and fresh lemon juice. The drink was really delicious and very dangerous, as all I tasted was the subtly sweet and refreshing sorbet and lemon juice. A few sips later though I could already feel the affects of the lime vodka. It was a lovely cocktail overall and I would definitely order it again.

The Cliff Hanger

After everyone arrived and we placed our orders, they brought out metal containers filled with chewy baguettes and small bowls of white bean and olive oil spread.

Chewy baguettes

The baguettes had decent flavor but I wish they had crispier crusts, as they were so chewy in texture that it kind of made them hard to eat. The bean dip was a nice touch but could have used a tad more seasoning.

White bean and olive oil dip

For my appetizer, I selected the slow cooked duck confit with sherry-mustard marinated green beans and jersey tomato jam. The portion was huge, and could have easily been an entrée. It was a whole duck leg and thigh that was falling-off-the-bone tender. The duck was perfectly seasoned and went well with the sweetness of the tomato jam.

Slow cooked duck confit

Josh chose the crab and scallop cake with avocado-poblano aioli. We swapped plates halfway through so that we could each try the other’s appetizer. The crab and scallop cake was chock full of seafood and had very little breadcrumb filler. It was seared on the outside so it had a nice crust and the seafood was cooked perfectly throughout.

Crab and scallop cake

Josh’s mom had the best appetizer of the night, which was skillet roasted shrimp with cheese grits and garlic sauce. The restaurant has a Cajun/Creole twist and this dish showcased that the best. The shrimp were perfectly cooked so that they were plump and firm and contrasted nicely with the creamy cheese grits. The garlic sauce bound the whole dish together, and we used the baguettes to scrape up every last bit of sauce and grits from her plate.

For my main course I went the safe route with grilled New York strip steak. It was served with herb-fried crushed potatoes, haricot verts and paprika aioli. The steak was cooked rare, as ordered, and perfectly fine but nothing special. I liked the smokiness of the paprika aioli but the potatoes were kind of a disappointment, as they were kind of soggy and tough and topped with just a small sprinkling of fried herbs. At least the green beans were tasty and still a bit crunchy.

Grilled New York strip

Josh opted for the seared double cut pork chop with sweet potato mash, pear chutney, broccoli rabe and pork jus. The pork chop was perfectly cooked and juicy. The sweet potato mash was not overly sweet, and the broccoli rabe was delicious and not overly bitter.

Seared pork chop

For dessert, I had the bittersweet chocolate pave with mocha ice cream and chocolate sauce. The pave was kind of like a flat, undercooked brownie. The texture was similar to molten chocolate cake without the liquid center. It was decadent and chocolately, but between the pave and the mocha ice cream and the chocolate sauce, it was a bit too much chocolate for me. I wish there was something else to cut through the richness of the chocolate.

Chocolate pave with mocha ice cream

Josh had a warm pear crisp with honey ice cream. The pear crisp was delicious and comforting, and the honey ice cream had an interesting flavor. It reminded me of apple pie a la mode with a gourmet twist. I’m not really a fan of honey but I thought it paired well with the pear dessert.

Pear crisp with honey ice cream

Overall I really enjoyed our meal at Duane Park. The food is well prepared with interesting flavor combinations. Portions are generous and dishes aren’t overly fussy. The service was attentive but not overbearing. It would be a great place to go on a romantic date. The restaurant isn’t cheap but it’s not expensive for the quality of food that you get. I would definitely come back here to celebrate another special occasion.

Duane Park
157 Duane St. between West Broadway and Hudson St.
New York, NY

Tags: Continental, Seafood, Steak, Tribeca
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Pio Pio

Monday, November 16th, 2009 by virginia

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As I mentioned earlier in my post about our trip to the Galapagos, Peru is still at the top of our “must visit before kids” list. Seeing Macchu Picchu will have to wait until next year at least, but in the meantime, we were happy to be able to try some Peruvian cuisine when Josh’s parents suggested we go to Pio Pio for Sunday night dinner.

We headed to the Upper West Side branch of the restaurant, and it was a good thing we called for a reservation because the place was packed, and there were nine of us altogether. The music they were playing was loud and upbeat, which made the atmosphere seem very festive. Our table wasn’t quite ready yet when we arrived so we squeezed ourselves by the small bar area and ordered a pitcher of sangria to start. The sangria is pretty decent, not awesome, but also a bit dangerous because it’s sweet and goes down like juice.

Sweet and fruity pitcher of sangria

I don’t think I’ve eaten Peruvian cuisine before, but I knew we had to get some ceviche since that’s a notoriously Peruvian dish. We chose the Cebiche Mixto, which was chunks of fish, shrimp, octopus, calamari, and scallops marinated in lime juice and mixed with red onion, cilantro, and hot peppers. It was a very refreshing dish, as the seafood was tangy with a nice little kick from the hot pepper. The scallops were my favorite part – fresh, tender, and tasty.

Cebiche mixto

We ordered two Matador combos, which came with avocado salads to start. The avocado was properly ripe and fresh but I thought the salad was a bit boring overall. The ceviche was a much better starter.

Avocado salad

The Matador combos also included chicken pio, which is a whole marinated chicken in a Peruvian sauce. One order of the chicken is pretty large and can feed about four people. It was tender and juicy on the inside and a little crispy on the outside. The meat was well seasoned and I enjoyed it a lot.

Crispy and juicy pieces of chicken

The combos also came with rice and beans, tostones, and salchipapas. The rice and beans were just eh. The beans didn’t have enough seasoning and they just tasted bland.

Rice and beans

The tostones were superb. Big pieces of plantain were pressed flat and fried to a nice crisp. They came with a container of garlic sauce on the side to dip with, and you know how much I love garlic sauce with tostones.

Tostones with garlic sauce

I didn’t know what salchipapas were but when they arrived, I was so excited because I’ve seen pictures of them on other blogs. Salchipapas are basically French fries topped with slices of hot dogs. I love French fries, and I love hot dogs. Put them together – wow! My new favorite side dish! The hot dogs were cooked after they had been sliced so they were a little crispy on the edges and just worked so well with the thick cut French fries. Even without ketchup, I ate almost an entire plate of this by myself.

Salchipapas

In addition to the Matador combos, we got a large order of the Jalea, which is a fried seafood platter. The large order really is large but the seafood is really heavily breaded. I identified pieces of calamari and fish, but after a while everything just sort of got clumped together and it was hard to tell exactly what you were eating. There was a little bit of onion and tomato salsa sprinkled on top of the platter, but otherwise, the seafood was under seasoned and lacked pizzazz. It definitely needed some sort of dipping sauce, or extra lime to squirt on top. I was pretty disappointed with this dish and wouldn’t order it again.

Another disappointment was the Arroz Chaufa, which was Peruvian style Chinese fried rice. We opted for the beef, and it was mixed with eggs, onions, and soy sauce. However, this dish also lacked seasoning and just tasted heavy and oily. I can make better fried rice at home.

Beef fried rice

The Camarones Cuzco were sautéed garlic shrimp on top of yellow rice. This was also an unmemorable dish. The shrimp were fine, if a bit lacking in flavor, and the rice was nothing special.

Camarones Cuzco

I did like our side order of maduros though. The sweet plantains were thick cut and fried so that they had a nice texture but weren’t too greasy or starchy.

Maduros

We were pretty stuffed after all that food so we decided to split one dessert, a slice of tres leches cake. Some people also ordered coffee or espresso, which really confused the waitstaff for some reason. Josh wanted an espresso, and they kept bringing a regular coffee. Someone else wanted decaf, and they also kept bringing a regular coffee. It was really kind of laughable, they just kept bringing out the same cups of coffee over and over, until we got fed up and just took whatever they were offering. Josh thinks he wound up with a cup of decaf coffee, or else it was the worst regular coffee he has ever drank. It definitely was not worth the aggravation.

Tres leches cake

The tres leches cake was ok. I’ve only had it once before so I don’t really have a basis of comparison. The cake itself is a bit dry, but the milk that they soak it in makes it wet. So it tastes kind of like a sweet gritty wet cake to me. I think I’ll pass on it next time.

Overall I thought the food at Pio Pio hit some pretty high highs and some pretty low lows. Service, however, was not so great. In addition to the coffee issues, we had placed two orders of the Matador Combo but they only brought out one order, so some of us had to wait an extra half hour to get a piece of chicken. It also threw of the timing of the meal a bit. I ended up eating more of the Jalea than I wanted to, only because I was hungry while waiting for the rest of the chicken and the sides to arrive. And by the time they arrived, I was pretty full yet unsatisfied. I kind of felt like the only time they really paid attention to us was to constantly refill our sangria glasses so that we would have to keep ordering more pitchers.

Negatives aside, I really did enjoy the chicken, and the ceviche. I’d go back there just for these items. The side dishes were also really good, except for the rice and beans. The combos are pretty decent deals if you’re splitting with a lot of people. Otherwise, I might just order a pio chicken a la carte and then cherry pick my favorite sides, like the salchipapas and the tostones. Just make sure that if you do go with a big group to make a reservation. It was late on a Sunday night and the restaurant was still hopping when we left.

Pio Pio (multiple locations)
702 Amsterdam Ave. at 94^th St.
New York, NY

Tags: Chicken, Fries, Peruvian, Seafood, Upper West Side
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Guayaquil Day 1 – Lo Nuestro

Sunday, October 11th, 2009 by virginia

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As with every trip we take, I searched the internet for a nice place to have dinner in Guayaquil. The restaurant that came up most often was Lo Nuestro, which serves classic Ecuadorian cuisine. We asked the concierge in our hotel about it and he said it was the best restaurant in the city. That sounded like a pretty good endorsement so we asked him to make a reservation for us that night.

The restaurant was a short cab ride away from our hotel, the Hilton Colon (you go everywhere by taxi in Guayaquil; rides are super cheap, ranging from $3-5 to go almost anywhere). It had a very homey décor, with countless framed photographs and articles hanging on the walls. It’s a large restaurant but is sectioned off into many smaller dining areas, which gives it a cozy feel. It’s rustic and cluttered and frilly, almost like dining in your grandmother’s house. Not exactly what I was expecting but quite comforting nonetheless.

Cluttered and cozy dining room

We ordered a bottle of wine to start and decided to split some appetizers and an entree. It’s important to note that portions here are pretty large so they’re good for sharing. The meal started off with some bread that was accompanied by two dips. The bread was white and ordinary but had a nice crispy crust.

Basket of carbs

We used the bread to taste the dips, which turned out to be a cheese dip and a super spicy salsa. We weren’t fans of the cheese dip so we steered clear of it for the rest of the meal. It didn’t taste bad, it just didn’t like cheese or much of anything and had a weird pasty texture to it.

Some sort of weird cheese dip

Josh had thought the salsa was either a roasted pepper or sun dried tomato dip so he had slathered it onto a piece of bread and took a huge bite. Big mistake! It was probably worse because he wasn’t expecting it, but it was shockingly spicy. I tried a little dab and even my tongue was burning. Still, it had a nice tangy flavor and we used it to kick up the flavor of some of the dishes we ordered.

Super spicy salsa

The spicy salsa complemented our order of shrimp empanadas. The empanadas that we had in Ecuador had a thicker, pastier crust made from I think cornmeal. It’s not the thin crispy crust that we’re used here in NYC. It wasn’t bad, just different. I did like the shrimp filling though and thought it worked well with the thicker crust and the spicy salsa.

Shrimp empanadas

We couldn’t be in Ecuador and not have one of the country’s most well known dishes, ceviche. The restaurant had lots of different options to choose from but we went for their namesake version, Ceviche Lo Nuestro. The ceviche was beautifully presented on a platter and served in two giant clam shells. This was my favorite dish of the night, with fresh and tender pieces of octopus, shrimp, fish, and calamari marinated in tangy lime juice and topped with slivers of sweet red onion.

Ceviche Lo Nuestro

Our last appetizer dish was crab claws in garlic sauce. Usually we get shrimp or chicken in garlic sauce, but the crab claws seemed like an interesting change. The claws were meaty and dusted with spices that made them taste a bit smokey. The garlic sauce was mild but tasty, and good for dipping bread into.

Crab claws in garlic sauce

For our main course, we shared a mixed seafood plate that featured corsiva, a local white fish. I actually liked this fish a lot, because it was meaty but still flaky and tender. The fish was topped with an assortment of mussels, clams, crab claws, calamari, and a jumbo head-on shrimp. The broth that bound the dish together was light and garlicky. It was a fantastic plate of food but we were so full at this point that we barely got through half of it.

Mixed seafood platter

Near the end of our meal a group of musicians came into the restaurant and started making rounds. There was a female singer with a beautiful, deep voice accompanied by two guitarists. We had a nice time just listening to them perform while we finished off our bottle of wine and Josh had a cortado (espresso with steamed milk). Unfortunately he wasn’t a fan of the cortado, as it was weak and watery, but the rest of the meal was fabulous.

Lackluster cortado

Overall Josh and I both really liked Lo Nuestro a lot. The food wasn’t fancy but it was tasty and comforting. It’s considered to be one of the more authentic restaurants in Guayaquil in terms of classic Ecuadorian cuisine, and it really felt like we were eating something lovingly homemade. If you plan on going to Guayaquil, I absolutely recommend eating at this restaurant. I don’t know if it’s really “the best restaurant in the city” but it’s pretty darn good, and I know you’ll enjoy it immensely.

Lo Nuestro
Guayaquil, Ecuador

Tags: Crab, Ecuador, Seafood
Posted in Restaurants, Travel | 2 Comments »

Nisi Estiatorio

Monday, August 24th, 2009 by virginia

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Josh’s parents have been raving about Nisi Estiatorio, a Greek restaurant in Englewood, for a long time now so when we found ourselves in NJ on a random weekday night, they decided to take us there for a nice treat. The restaurant features fresh seafood that is simply prepared. The fish are displayed on ice and you can choose which one you want; the fish you pick is priced by the pound.

The fish are displayed on ice and you can pick the one you want

The fish are displayed on ice - you can pick the one you want and they'll weigh it for you

Our waitress took Josh and me up to the fish display to select our fish. We decided to try a fish we’ve never had before, a fagri, which is a pink sea bass. The fagri they had on hand that day were big enough for two so we decided to split one. Josh’s mom chose a dover sole, and Josh’s dad decided to go for a special of the evening, a red snapper. We also decided to share some appetizers and side dishes. After placing our order, they brought out the bread basket which had pieces of warm bread brushed with olive oil, as well as a little dish of kalamata olives. The bread had a sturdy and crispy crust and I thought the olive oil was a nice touch.

Crusty bread brushed with olive oil

Our first appetizer was diced beets topped with a whipped feta skordalia. The beets were marinated in vinegar so they had a bit of a tang to them. The whipped feta skordalia was light and fluffy and very garlicky (skordalia is usually a dip made with potatoes and garlic). I didn’t taste much feta, but I thought the combination of the tangy beets and the creamy skordalia was wonderful together. I’ll definitely have to experiment with making this at home.

Diced beets topped with feta skordalia

Next we had a greek salad with huge chunks of cucumber and tomatoes in it, as well as olives, peppers, and onions. There was a big block of feta cheese on top that was creamy, not crumbly, and had a mellow gamey flavor to it. Josh doesn’t normally like feta but he enjoyed this one. The salad was lightly dressed with some oil and vinegar and was very refreshing.

Greek salad with delicious feta

For our last appetizer we had Nisi chips, which were thinly sliced vegetables lightly battered and deep fried. There were thin strips of eggplant, onion, beets, and some other vegetables that I don’t remember. The chips were crispy and not at all greasy. It came with some tzatziki sauce for dipping, but unfortunately the tzatziki was pretty disappointing. It’s usually my favorite dip but this one tasted only like plain yogurt; it lacked both flavor and seasoning.

Nisi chips with tzatziki sauce for dipping

For our main course, the fish that Josh and I chose was brought to us fileted and served with a little drizzle of oil and lots of capers and herbs. We squeezed some lemon juice over the top and it was just perfect – light and simple. The fagri was a meatier fish than I thought it would be, but still had a nice delicate texture to it. My only complaint was that it was served to us at room temperature, not warm. But I still enjoyed it a lot and would absolutely order it again.

The fagri (pink sea bass) we selected

Josh’s mom had a dover sole that appeared to have been floured and pan fried. It had a crust on it that was a bit tough, and the fish was overcooked. I don’t think she was too pleased with her dish.

Disappointing dover sole

Josh’s dad had a red snapper special that was served with roasted vegetables. I only took one bite of it but it was cooked perfectly and nicely seasoned.

Red snapper with roasted vegetables

For our sides, we had a bowl of three cheese smashed potatoes, which were super rich. The potatoes still had a bit of texture to them, which I liked. It was a heavy dish but I thought it went well with the fish.

Three cheese smashed potatoes

Our other side was roasted vegetables, which was a colorful mix of peppers, zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, and other vegetables. They were lightly seasoned and still retained their crunch.

Colorful medley of roasted vegetables

Overall I really enjoyed Nisi Estiatorio. One bad dover sole aside, the fish for the most part is super fresh and well prepared. All the appetizers were great, and the sides were delicious as well. There were lots of other things on the menu that I’d like to try, such as the grilled lamb chops. My only issue with this restaurant is that it’s pretty pricey, and most entrees are served a la carte so sides cost extra, which means that it’s not somewhere we can go often. The atmosphere is really nice though, and the restaurant is big and airy and nicely decorated, which means it would be perfect for a special occasion. I hope that we will be back here again soon.

Nisi Estiatorio
90 Grand Ave.
Englewood, NJ

Tags: Englewood, Greek, NJ, Seafood
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