Dinner at Incognito Bistro in NYC, New York

This week, I was invited at Incognito Bistro in the Flatiron District for a press dinner. I was very intrigued by the description of the restaurant: "Roman with Scottish flair"! I was already imagining some strange fusion dishes like black pudding lasagna or haggis pizza. It is not the case: the Chef, who is from Scotland, introduced a Scottish corner, featuring some traditional dishes that I was lucky to try that evening.

So here I am at Incognito Bistro, greeted by the owners, Adriana Moretti and Chef Paolo Montana, with a glass of prosecco. Both of them are Scottish Italian (on top of that, Paolo having an Irish mother), raised in Glasgow, explaining why there is this "Scottish flair". Right away, I understand that it will be a fun dinner thanks to their personalities that made me feel like I was eating dinner at a friend's home!

Chef Paolo Montana (Press photo)

One particularity of the restaurant is that it is the only one in New York City to showcase the Italian Tartan from designer Michael Lemetti, that brings together the Italian and Scottish cultures (there are more than 60,000 Scottish with Italian roots in Scotland). So, if you go to Incognito Bistro, look at the ties of the staff!

Italian Tartan (Press photo)

The restaurant has three sections: the bar with a warm and casual feel.

The main dining room, with a more elegant setting and an impressive wraparound champagne color banquette. 

Then, a smaller room, with 40 seats, perfect for private parties or for celebrities to be apart from the regular crowd and the autograph chasers! The walls are covered with either abstract paintings from Patricia Moretti, Adriana's mother, or beautiful black and white photographs of European dining scenes.

In the back, is the kitchen that I got the chance to see.

Yes, it is the base of a pizza that you see and pizza was in fact the first course!

Pizza at Mezzaluna in Soho, New York City, NY

Mezzaluna is a tiny Italian restaurant located in Soho. Yes, tiny represents 17 seats, some if them at the counter next to the kitchen and then the one next to the window, perfect if you practice people watching!

The decor is interesting: colorful chairs, dark wood for the walls with plenty of pizza cutters hanged.

In fact there is even a pizza cutter on the plates!

The menu is of a reasonable size, featuring a mozzarella "bar" (three different ways if serving mozzarella di buffala, my favorite, for appetizer), salads, pasta and pizza. 

The pizzas are cooked in the wood fire oven visible from the dining room.

As we were going to have an early dinner, we decided to go for a "light" lunch. We started off with a special: gazpacho.

Dorado, Tacos and Quesadillas in NYC, New York

I just discovered another cheap restaurant near Union Square: it is called Dorado Tacos & Quesadillas. They make tacos and quesadillas, but you can also get soup, one being with cheese and quesadillas, the other one with tacos. Ok, let just say that they serve tacos and quesadillas in different ways!!!

It is a small place with a communal table in the center, two small tables and some stools. It is so small that If you sit at one of the tables like I did, don't be surprised to bang into the person behind you from time to time! 

The way it works is that you order at the counter, they assign you a number, and will call you once your food is ready. 

We started off with the chips, guacamole and salsa. 

The guacamole was already packaged but pretty good! The salsa, not spicy and refreshing, perfect with the tortilla chips that were thick, well salted and seemed homemade. 

Then, I decided to go with an all fish taco selection. I first picked the Baja taco: beer batter Atlantic whitefish served with cabbage, picked onions, crema and salsa fresca.

Dinner at Craftbar in NYC, New York

After a delicious brunch few weeks ago at Craftbar, one of the restaurants from Chef Colicchio, we decided to go back for dinner with our friends Annie and Leif. Of course, before going, we did our homework: check the menu. I admit that I was a bit disappointed because they do not serve their burger for dinner...Well, it will give me an excuse to go back...

We went on a Tuesday and the place was crowded! I liked the atmosphere there, rendered by the impressive decor and all the candle lights. 

The menu is seasonal and apparently, the vegetables are coming from the green market, located few steps from the restaurant. What I like is that they propose small plates and large plates, the small ones perfect for sharing, with the possibility to make them the size of an entree. 

While we waited for the food, they served us some cheese sticks that were a bit spicy. 

Then the food came and I was thrilled to try one small dish that Leif shared with me: duck hearts and dumplings!

I never tried duck hearts; veal, chicken, yes. But not duck. And it looked like...a heart! 

It was served with small onions, bacon and a fried egg. Before trying the dumpling, I tried the duck heart. It was interesting and not what I imagined. The heart was so juicy that when I bit on it, the juice got released in my mouth leaving a sensation characteristic of a horror movie...Ok, I exaggerate a bit, but it felt weird! Then, the taste was not as robust as duck meat can be. The outside was also chewy. I liked it, but not as much as chicken or veal heart.

The dumpling was a bit dry and heavy; it was better eaten with the egg yolk. In fact, I am not sure what all these components were doing on the same plate.

Jodi got the Green Market vegetable salad, served with sheep's milk ricotta and a truffle vinaigrette.

Fried chicken at Sylvia's in Harlem, NYC, New York

It has been a while since I wanted to try Sylvia's, a restaurant that is an institution in Harlem, celebrating 51 years of existence. Why did I want to go? For their fried chicken and waffles. I heard so many times that they are the best in New York City, I had to taste it! We decided to go on a Saturday, as Sundays are apparently crowded. We went early and were lucky that the restaurant was not that packed. The place is interesting because it is as if time stopped at some point and you get the feel that it is more or less the way it was when it opened. The table and chairs reminded me of a banquet room. I truly appreciated the fact that tables were, for the most part, not too close to each other, giving a bit of privacy to the patrons. 

To confirm this restaurant is an institution, photos of celebrities are all over the walls and, if you are a fan, you can leave a message or your signature next to the photo of the founder, Sylvia Wood aka The Queen of Soul Food who past away last year. 

When it comes to food, Sylvia's offers authentic Southern dishes. While Jodi was focussing on dessert, I was excited to try the fried chicken and waffles. This is an interesting combination that I first discovered at The Pink Tea cup, two years ago, in one of their location downtown that closed since. Then, at Ken and Cook (pretty good, but white meat only) and Southern Hospitality (not their best, but still one of my favorite BBQ restaurants). 

While waiting for our dishes, they brought us some biscuits, fresh and warm, perfect with a bit of butter. 

The food took some time to come, a long time, and finally, they brought our order! Jodi had a salad:

Nothing special about it... And some Mac & Cheese.

An Italian Culinary Experience with Casa Vinicola Zonin Wines and Aroma Kitchen and Wine Bar

Last Monday, I was invited by Casa Vinicola Zonin, Italy's largest privately owned wine producer, to the Italian Culinary Experience at Astor Center. It is an event that brings together food and wine, Italian of course! This month, they featured the Sicily region and their award winning wines from Feudo Principi di Butera Estate and the food was the creation from Chef Vito Posola, Chef and owner of Aroma Kitchen and Winebar, an Italian restaurant located in Noho. 

I was really excited to go because, usually, when I went for wine tasting, the food was either not present or just few crackers and little pieces of cheese! There, it was an opportunity to experience how these two components complement each other!

The setting was interesting: like an auditorium at the university. I could not not imagine what going to class would have been if they have been serving food and wine...

When we arrived, we were greeted by Ingrid, Jelena, Francesco and Paolo from Zonin, as well as Chef Vito Polosa.

Jelena, Paolo, Francesco, Chef Vito

They welcomed us with a glass of prosecco:

Some like to say that Prosecco is the main competitor of Champagne and for sure I would not call it sparkling wine! If you wonder what the differences are between these two: the grapes and the fermentation method. 

The prosecco was served with our first dish: crostino di cozze P.E.I. e lardo or crostino of P.E.I. mussels and lardo.

This was an aperitivo or amuse bouche (one bite, although this was a giant mussel!), pretty common way to start a dinner in Italy (in France, it would be the apéritif), to stimulate the appetite. Pairing the lardo (imported from Italy) and the mussel is not usual in Italian cuisine, but Chef Vito thought it would be a good idea...and he was right! The lardo brought some smokiness as well as texture and the bread some crunch that made this dish a nice way to start what would truly be an Italian culinary experience!

And let me add that it paired perfectly with the fruitiness of the prosecco.

The next dish was the tartare di capesante New Bedford, barbabietola, pompelmo, pane carasau or tartare of New Bedford sea scallops, beets and pane musica.

Grom ice cream in NYC, New York

On a very hot day, we were walking on Bleecker street and decided to stop by Grom Gelato. It is an interesting company: they started in 2003 in Torino, Italy, with an all natural philosophy: no coloring or artificial flavors, fresh seasonal fruits or organic eggs. They are also collaborating with the Italian Association of Celiac disease who gave them the gluten free label.

So here we are, queuing up, because of course, lots of people got the same idea! I immediately notice the hazelnut flavor: my favorite for gelato! It reminds me when we went to Italy couple of years ago: we had gelato every day and I, most of the time, had hazelnut gelato. I remember that it was a lot of gelato for just 2 Euros. So, anyway, I got the hazelnut gelato as well as the Crema Di Grom, a gelato made of egg cream, "meliga" biscuits and dark chocolate from Colombia.

It was fantastic! Creamy, it was very flavorful, but I have to admit that the hazelnut one was the best, overpowering a bit the crema di grom.

Jodi went for two other flavors: vanilla and coconut.

I loved the vanilla ice cream: it even had the black spots so particular to fresh vanilla beans. Jodi inhaled the coconut. There, it was creamy too and very tasty.

So definitely, with Eataly, Grom is a great gelato place! I will definitely have to go back to try their other flavors!!!

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Another visit to Bambootori in NYC, New York

If you follow this blog, you certainly know that I love Bambootori, a small place located near Union Square that serves fantastic yakitori at an affordable price. My last post about this place was about the few times I went there as well as the video interview of the owners, Hendy, Jonnie and Christophe who are very nice guys, totally passionate about this restaurant adventure. I love Bambootori so much that I even made it the pick of the month for July and August. So it is no surprise that I went back for dinner. 

Ok, I admit that I was disappointed at first by the fact that they do not propose steamed buns as an option for the skewers anymore except if you order a platter of three with possible choices of beef, pork or chicken meatballs. I love these little buns and was ready to order my favorite: pork belly in a bun. So we decided to order the platter and got two pork meatballs and one beef meatballs skewers.

As usual, the presentation is nice, with the meatballs nicely decorated with the spicy mayo. What I really like is the combination of meat, sauce and bun, three layers that pair very well. As usual, the meatballs are soft and moist. 

Then, I ordered two pork belly skewers and one tri-tips.

Dinner at The Masala Wala in NYC, New York

I was recently invited to a Press dinner at The Masala Wala, an Indian restaurant located on the Lower East Side, few steps from Katz's Deli in fact. The place, opened in November 2011 by Satyen and Roni Mazumdar features traditional Indian dishes from different regions with a focus on street food. We met with Satyen and his son, Roni, and they contributed to make this experience very enjoyable, not only for our palates! 

Before I talk about the food, let's talk about the restaurant itself: it is a medium sized restaurant that can accommodate 28 people inside and 8 people on the sidewalk. 

We ate inside and I liked the atmosphere that had some warmth, thanks to the dark wood and exposed brick. The room was surrounded by beautiful paintings of street vendors highlighting the underlying theme of the restaurant! It also had high ceilings one of my favorite fixtures, apparent bulbs, that are, I guess, both old fashioned and trendy!

One of the walls had Indian artifacts, some of them being a reminder of the Indo-Chinese culture (especially the dragon sitting on one of the shelves).

Then there is the gold coin featured at the beginning of this post and below:

First of all, gold symbolizes wealth and prosperity in India. Then, the face is no celebrity (yet!): it is Satyen Mazumdar! On the right side is their motto: "taste above all".

Their menu, created by Chef Abdul Junel, features cuisine from South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka...). You find of course the classic dishes most Indian restaurants serve: Chicken Tikka Masala, Tandoori Chicken, biryani...Interestingly, they propose for the most classic ones, their vegetarian version: chicken tikka masala & paneer masala, tandoori chicken & vegetable tandoori are good examples.

Coincidently, the dinner occurred on India Independence Day! We were therefore greeted with their Independence drink: mango lassi.

The mango lassi was delicious and a nice way to prepare our palates. We were lucky to be able to try several dishes from their menu, some of them being soon new additions. It was split between two culinary experiences: street food bites and Indian signature dishes. I was very excited to try all these dishes, especially the street ones!

So we started with the street food bites:

We started off with Bhel Puri:

Bhel Puri is made of puffed rice, spiced tomatoes, chickpeas, curry leaves, mustard cheese, onions and chutney. It was pretty good and interesting because I never had puffed rice besides the famous cereal! It added a nice crunchiness to the dish that made it different from any other rice dishes I ever tried.

Then came one of the most interesting dishes and one of my favorites: Dahi Puri.

Finally!!!

I tasted it! Yes, I know, some of you are envious right now! So let me say it in plain English: I ate a cronut! I am sure you are either wondering how I ended up with one (two in fact), maybe thanks to my blog, or thinking that I went this time at 6am to get the precious pastry after a three hours wait! It is not what happened. Before I tell you how I ended up with two cronuts, let me summarize the previous episodes. 

Episode 1:

I heard about the new creation from Chef Dominique Ansel. Being a fan, I decided to try and with confidence, showed up at 11:30am on a week end to get a cronut. They are sold out (of course!). The buzz increases and the press reports long lines in front of the bakery. 

Episode 2:

We decide to try again, but show up a little before 8:30am this time, the bakery opening at 9am. After three hours of wait, we are in front of the door hoping to get rewarded. Suddenly, a woman, not fearing for her life, screams "I got the last one!" . At this point, I really thought there would be a riot! Some people left, disappointed, but we decided to wait a little more to get some breakfast: a delicious Kouign Amann and a fantastic almond croissant. Were we disappointed? Sure, but it was a fun experience: the excitement of maybe getting one, talking to people in line, but also to the passerby who were wondering what we were waiting in line for. The funniest being their faces when one responded "a cronut" and they had no idea what it was. 

So, now is episode 3! 

Insomnia cookies on the Upper West Side, NYC, New York

Insomnia Cookies: what an interesting name! It definitely makes you want to try these cookies, thinking that they are so good, you will not be able to sleep! So we went there after our friends Gary and Jen mentioned this place during a brunch couple of weeks ago.

It is a small store and when you enter, your nose cannot miss the fantastic smell of the cookies! They really have a bunch, each with a description that is mouth watering! So we decided to try few of them. 

Know that, after your order, they will take the cookies from under the counter, where they keep them warm.

So, first was the s'mores cookie:

It was very good and my favorite: chewy and gooey with the delicious chocolate oozing from the cookie!

Little Town NJ in Hoboken, NJ

For brunch, we decided to go to Little Town NJ, not the city in New Jersey, but the restaurant in Hoboken. Opened recently by the sons of the Manzo family who own the Brownstone, apparently an institution I did not get a chance to try. In fact, one of their dishes is the Brownstone Tenderloin.

The place is pretty big, with an impressive bar, solid wood tables and leather banquettes that give this place some warmth. 

In the back, they even have a game of skee ball!

But I admit that the noise of that game is not the most pleasurable to the ears, especially if you are looking for a nice and somewhat quiet brunch. 

We were there early and decided to order from the menu instead if waiting for their buffet to open. 

Jodi ordered the cranberry bog salad.