Dinner at Courgette in NYC, New York

We went out one evening with my colleagues, to a restaurant called Courgette, located Midtown, next to the Dream Hotel. Courgette: what an interesting name! It means zucchini in French and my compatriots and myself found that it was a funny name for a restaurant and associated it with either vegetarian cuisine or a cuisine offering different variations of this green veggie. We were wrong: not only it was not vegetarian, but there was not even one zucchini on the menu!!!

It is for sure a nice place: the bricks and wood give it a warm and rustic feel. There are four areas to eat:

The bar, wide enough so you can feel comfortable:

and adjacent to the section where they cut meat:

The main dining room with its small communal table and then two different dining rooms, a small one well lighted, where the main attraction is the fish display:

And a dimmer one that can accommodate large groups.

The menu, elaborated by Estonian-born, Michelin-starred Executive Chef Andrey Korobyak is not French, contrary to what the name of the restaurant suggests: the restaurant website qualifies it as New American and for the most part, it is Italian, serving classical Italian dishes such as bruschetta, burrata, pasta...

We started off with sharing appetizers. First were the bruschetta:

Traditional bruschetta with herry tomatoes, olives, sun dried tomatoes, onions and basil:

Mozzarella, Prosciutto and Pesto Bruschetta:

Dinner at Nice Matin in NYC, New York

After a wonderful day walking around in the City, from the East Village to the Upper East Side, via Central Park, we decided to have dinner at Nice Matin. I went there few years ago and I remember that I had a good dinner. So, why not go back!

First, let me give you some information on the name! Nice is a city located South of France, in the Cote D'Azur. It is known for many things such as the boardwalk (La Promenade Des Anglais) or the flower market. "Nice Matin" is the main newspaper of the city, hence the name.

To give this market feel, they even have a small market on top of their door!

A good reason to know Nice Matin is their burger! Even if you never went there, you may know it! It is the 5 Napkin Burger! Yes, the burger at Nice Matin was so popular that the owners decided to open a burger place where this burger would be the signature dish: that is how 5 Napkin burger started!

The place is nice, with a clean and bright decor, accentuated by the yellow formica tables!

They started off bringing bread,

Neapolitan pizza at Numero 28 in NYC, New York

I did not realize until recently how many pizzerias making Neapolitan pizza there are in NYC! Lots of pizza places yes, but Neapolitan, no. So, we were looking for a pizza place downtown and found Numero 28 whose name comes from its location on the Number 28 of Carmine street. 

Similar to many pizza places we visited, it has a rustic feel that makes you immediately comfortable and confident that you have found the perfect place for your meal.

Sadly, the brick oven was located in the room next to the dinning room; having it visible by the patrons gives an additional dimension to the experience as it is always fascinating to see the pizza going in and then out, bubbling and hot.

They did not have burrata as an appetizer, thus we decided to order two pizzas. In fact, they serve pizza in three sizes: small, medium and large. So the two pizzas we ordered were small size, that corresponded to 4 slices each.

The first one was the Margherita.

Noodle soup at Omen in NYC, New York

Jodi and I decided to go to Omen in Soho, following a strong recommendation. Well, they have noodles and in the past year, we have been hooked on trying ramen or any sort of noodle soups! And it seems that Omen is making its own noodles! So we could not miss an occasion to try! 

The decor was nice and elegant, but we did not see any masks on the wall (Omen means "mask" in Japanese).

We did not check the menu in advance as we usually do and only realized, once there, that it was a bit pricey. Well, we were there and maybe the $20 for the noodle soup would be worth it! So we both ordered the Omen noodle soup. I have to say that it took a bit for the food to come.

The soup was composed of 3 separate dishes to assemble: soup, noodles and vegetables.

When it came, I was surprised by the amount of food: enough soup (that was miso), but not enough noodles and definitely a tiny portion of vegetables with no protein at all! What a disappointment! 

So, we first put some sesame seeds in the soup, then put the noodles and then the veggies.

The noodles were good, very soft. However, the tiny portion of veggies kind of made it boring. 

Well, it was definitely a very sad soup and a disappointment, although I liked the playfulness of the dish. I do not know if the rest of their food is better, but I would certainly not recommend the noodle soup! And by the way, we were still hungry after we left!!!

Enjoy (...)!



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Brunch at Nizza in Hell's Kitchen - NYC, New York

I noticed Nizza few times while walking in Hell's Kitchen and always thought that it would be nice to try it. We ended up there really by chance as we originally wanted to go to another restaurant across the street, that, although we had a reservation, was closed when we arrived! 

It was early and the place was not that crowded. At first, I did not really think about it, but, after looking at the menu and one particular dish that I will describe later, I realized that Nizza means Nice in Italian. Nice is a city South of France, that is close to Italy, that I visited often when I was a kid, to see some Family. But, despite its French translation, Nizza is still an Italian restaurant that serves pizza, pasta...

The place is nice, yellow being the main pattern to the decor, with an amazing bar.

After we ordered, they brought us some delicious focaccia bread with olive oil.

The bread was light, airy and fresh. I could not stop dipping it in the olive oil!

Then, we shared the Gorgonzola crostini:

A Taste of The Cake Boss Cafe at The Port Authority of NYC, New York

I am not going to lie: I am not a big fan of the Cake Boss. I think he is very talented in making these elaborate and artsy cakes, built mainly with rice crispy treats and fondant, but except for a tiramisu, I have always been disappointed when I tried something there (see the review of Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ).  So it appears that now he is going mainstream by opening cafes in NYC! I saw a first one next to Guy Fieri's restaurant on 44th and then, he got the genius idea of opening a place on the corner of 42nd and 8th (Port Authority). At the beginning, similar to his shop in Hoboken, you could see staff at the door to regulate the traffic of customers, but it does not seem to be the case anymore...

For sure, they designed the place around his TV personality.

The place offers a large choice of pastries that look pretty good but are a bit overpriced ($2.50 for a mini cannoli for instance). I wanted to surprise Jodi so I asked them if they had anything with coconut as it is her favorite flavor. Unfortunately, they had nothing! Interesting as coconut is pretty common nowadays!

Burger at Black Bear in Hoboken, NJ

I went to Black Bear Bar last year to try their steak sandwich (check out the review of the Steak Sandwich at Black Bear Bar). This time, it was burger!

A lot of time, when we think burgers, we think chains or restaurants who only serve burgers, like 5 Napkin Burger, 5 Guys...But sometimes, bars offer a delicious option as this fantastic sandwich is the perfect bar food.

I might have gone a bit overboard while there as I ordered the deluxe burger that is on the brunch menu. It is composed of: bun, lettuce and tomato, beef patty, ham, bacon, egg, spicy sauce and onion rings.

It is not easy to eat and you have to imagine that your dentist is standing next to you and asking to open your mouth wide! It was good, especially when biting the yolk that I would have liked runny.

Dinner at Ben & Jack's Steakhouse in NYC, New York

Before reading this post, please note that, in accordance with the FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I was contacted directly by the restaurant or a PR and that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

Following the review of Empire Steakhouse few weeks ago, we have been invited by the owners, the Sinaraj brothers, to try their sister restaurant, Ben & Jack's Steakhouse, located in Murray Hill. I was for sure excited: steaks are for me what shoes are for Jodi!

I was also curious to see what the difference would be between the two Steakhouses. Well, Ben & Jack's has definitely more a steakhouse feel than Empire Steakhouse: dark wood and dimmer lights were no stranger to that feeling. We were greeted by Jack Sinaraj who chatted a bit with us. He told me that the two restaurants share the same menu, so I asked him why they did not call Empire Steakhouse, Ben & Jack's and his answer was so true: calling it the same would have made it seems like a chain and they consider they are more a family restaurant, "hard working family". I understand the thinking as I never went to The Capital Grill because it is a chain and its name makes it look like it, although I heard several people talking about it very positively. I think that, when people think about chain steakhouses, they do not associate them with quality. 

When we sat at our table, we recognized certain items, such as the bread and butter:

Or the Steak sauce with the name of the restaurant on it:

I decided to drink a Pinot Noir, my favorite wine with steak:

As an appetizer, Jodi ordered the Caesar salad that she liked last time:

The salad was again delicious, with lots of parmesan cheese and crispy romaine. It was also not overdressed.

I decided to go for the Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Cocktail as I tried the Maryland Crab Cake last time:

Japadog and Pommes Frites in East Village, NYC, New York

Hot dog and fries. Isn't it a good combination? Yes, I think it sounds (and hopefully tastes) good. We have been passing by St Marks quite a few times recently and when I saw that Japadog and Pommes Frites were so close, I convinced Jodi to go to both places. 

So, on a Saturday, we started our Food excursion (these two places were not the only one that day...) with Japadog, specialized in Japanese hot dogs. Well, after the Japanese burger at Kobeyaki, why not!

The place is pretty colorful! 

You first order your food at the counter and when it is ready, they will call your number. 

When they call your number, you get your hot dogs and then put whatever toppings you want, especially if your hot dog comes naked.

Jodi decided to get the veggie dog:

Dinner at Ember Room in NYC, New York

When I want to try some food, I can be pretty persistent! Yes, this is third attempt to dine at Ember Room in Hell's Kitchen. The first time we went, the place was packed and the wait was 1 hour: Too bad, we were hungry and passed. The second time, we had a reservation for lunch but found the restaurant closed: I guess this time, they passed on us! So the third time, we had a reservation for dinner and, as we say, third is the charm!

Surprisingly, the restaurant was not as packed as before. They sat us in the room upstairs, that is more quiet in fact. I liked the decor with the dark wood, the weird ceiling decorations that looked like hearts, that made me think I was somewhere else!

The waiter greeted us and ask us if we ever came there. As we said no, he told us that the restaurant was owned by Chef Kittichai. Chef Kittichai! What you do not remember? He is the partner of Spot Dessert Bar, this fabulous dessert place on St Marks that serves spectacular desserts, mostly traditional with an Asian twist (check here my review of Spot Dessert Bar, but do not drool on your computer!).

One of the dishes I really wanted to try there was the Chocolate Ribs:

I know, it sounds weird and fewer attempts to try dishes where they mixed chocolate with meat were unsuccessful (for instance, the duck with chocolate sauce at China Grill). There, it was delicious: the chocolate was not overpowering and had a subtle, but definitely present taste. The ribs were fantastic: tender, they fell off the bones, so there was no need to eat with my hands (although I would have had a good excuse to lick my fingers...).

Jodi decided to go vegetarian and got the naked veggie burger:

Lunch at Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar in NYC, New York

It has been a while since I wanted to go to Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar; I was curious, probably because of the word Chocolate in the name.  I was imagining dishes made with chocolate like Seppi's, the restaurant that used to be at the Parker Meridien Hotel proposed in its Chocolate Brunch. I was wrong. Only desserts and drinks have this fantastic ingredient.

Anyway, we were there, one week day I was not working, so we could benefit from the lunch prix-fixe at $9.95. The place was nice and modern and the service courteous and efficient.

Before we started, they brought us some bread with some tapenade, a black olive spread that was delicious and not too salty.

I ate it with a sip of Coke...

Jodi decided to order a salad. She ordered the Italian Fruta Mista:

Dinner at Empire Steakhouse in NYC, New York

Before reading this post, please note that, in accordance with the FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I was contacted directly by the restaurant or a PR and that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

I was invited by Empire Steakhouse for dinner, to try some of their dishes. I have to say that I was really excited about it as I love steaks! I said it many times on this blog: the meat in the US is much better than the meat in France, even meat from a boeuf Charolais! I think restaurants, especially steakhouses pay more attention to serve the best quality ("prime" label) and more and more are dry aging their meat, a process that allows the meat to be tender and with more flavor. I always tell visitors from France that they should go to a steakhouse and each time, they recognize that my assertion above is true.

To give you an idea, Empire Steakhouse has been founded by the Sinaraj brothers who also own Ben & Jack's in New York. They get their meat from local markets and dry-aged them for 21 to 28 days. Too bad I could not see their dry-aging room: I bet I would have drooled all over the floor!!! Apparently, they are serving around 1000 steaks a week!

The decor is different from most of the steakhouses: this 180 seats is not dark and full of leather or dark wood. That's good: at least I can see what I am eating as we say that we eat first with our eyes! I also could have a nice conversation with Jodi without screaming as I noticed that most of the Steakhouses are loud!

They sat us at a table that conveniently overlooked most of the dining room and the restaurant was packed (it was a Saturday evening)! 

They first brought us some bread and butter:

and I ordered a glass of Pinot Noir that is one of my favorite wines when eating a steak, because it is fully bodied and pairs well with the taste of the meat, moreover with stronger flavors like lamb.

For starters, Jodi ordered a Caesar salad.

Ramen at East Noodle and Izakaya in NYC, New York

As the weather is still good to enjoy ramen (meaning not in the heat of the Summer!), we decided to go have this delicious dish for lunch. At first, we wanted to go to Ramen Setagaya, even if it had a B rating...As we were there early, we decided to walk around the block. We then saw Ramen Misoya that had miso ramen with corn that, from what I understand, is typical from Hokaido. So we decided to go there instead, despite the same B rating. Again, as we had a bit of time, we walked further and this is how we found East Noodle and Izakaya with its A rating. Imagine that at that point, we had 3 choices and had to decide how to pick; well, it was not that complicated: we chose the restaurant with the highest grade! That is how we ended up at East Noodle and Izakaya.

It is a nice size restaurant compared to the other ones and was not very crowded. 

The decor is very colorful with beautiful lanterns surrounding the counter and dark wood for the floor and furniture.

Jodi ordered the Shoyu ramen, that is made of a pork broth with soy sauce, braised pork, vegetable and a boiled egg.

I ordered the Pork Belly ramen that is apparently very popular there.

The broth was pork based and it was served with pork belly, vegetables and a boiled egg.

In both dishes, the pork was very good, tasty and tender, although I preferred the pork belly that was fattier. Both broth were fantastic: light and not too salty, they were quite flavorful. The noodles were tender and in fact, the one in the Shoyu ramen were more on the yellow side than the other, maybe because they contained more eggs.

We really enjoyed the ramen at East Noodle. I think that it is a good alternative to Ippudo if you go for the food, that is cheaper, and less for the ambiance. 

Last, know that in Japan, they say that ramen is great when you have dinner with somebody you do not want to talk to (they have to concentrate on slurping). Just a little tip in case you end up in with a bad date...

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!