Ember Room - Photo Essay

I love having friends who work in food journalism because I get to go to restaurant menu tasting events. Love it! My friend Will who works with The Daily Meal as a recipe editor and invited me last night to a menu tasting at the Ember Room in Hell's Kitchen, NYC. Chef Pongtawat "Ian" Chalermkittichai invited a few publications to come taste their new menu items. Despite having just arrived back in New York after a visit to Thailand and waking up super early to do a morning show on CBS, Chef Ian was gracious, welcoming and nice enough to by our table a few times to talk about his food and travels. Ember Room is not his first restaurant in the city, his first restaurant, self-titled Kittichai, is actually one of my favorite places in the city so I had high hopes for the food. I certainly wasn't disappointed. 

 Crispy Rock Corn Shrimp - tempura battered shrimp, roasted melting eggplant, sweet tamarind dressing, shredded hard-boiled egg

 Thai Tacos - shredded chicken, bean sprouts, chives, peanut, tofu, coconut, sweet chili sauce

 “Yum Hoi” Pomelo Scallops - seared “diver” scallops, chili jam glaze, pomelo salad, roasted pepper-lime dressing

 Koi Tuna Tartare - fresh tuna, roasted ground rice, crispy tortillas, chili-lime dressing

 Had Yai Volcano Chicken - oven-roasted turmeric-coconut marinated chicken, green chili sauce (IT'S ON FIRE!)

 Korean BBQ-Beef Fried Rice - wok-fried rice, kimchee, bbq beef, topped with raw egg.

 Crispy Whole Striped Bass - whole fish, sweet/sour/spicy sauce, crispy basil 

 Red Curry Crispy Duck - lychee, pineapple, cherry tomato, eggplant

 Mango with Sticky Rice & Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

 Pandan Pot de Crème with Waffle and Pandan Ice Cream

PUBLIC Sunday Supper - Photo Essay

 Chilled Diver Scallop, Fried Shallots, Cucumber Yuzu Dressing

 Oyster Rampafella - Baked Hama Hama Oyster, Ramp, Parmesan

 Tasmanian Sea Trout with Spring Cassoulet -  Braised Artichoke, Fresh Fava Beans, Garbanzo Beans & Peas

 Long Island Duck, Foie Gras Butter, Ash Roasted Ramp, Buttermilk Puree, Pickled Bean Sprouts

 Cinnamon Waffle, Nutella Crema, Chocolate Spiced Ice Cream, Banana Caramel Sauce

Nice Matin

After a day at the museums or central park, your legs are usually tired and your belly is ready for some FOOD! A great French restaurant on the upper west side to take a break and have a nice meal is Nice Matin just blocks from the Natural History Museum. With the weather warming up, I'll be spending a lot more time in that neighborhood so expect more posts! I recalled a great night I spent here with friends last summer for restaurant week.  It would be a great place for a date night and there are larger tables for groups. It gets a little noisy with all the chatter but its a lively place and I would recommend it for those in the area.

Sweet Corn Risotto

Seared Ahi Tuna Steak and Grape Caper Compote on a bed of Heirloom Tomatoes

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp topped with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Black's Bar and Kitchen

After three days of binge eating while visiting my friend in the greater Washington DC area, I am going to need a month of dieting to counter this gluttonous President's Day weekend.

On Sunday morning, we had a glorious brunch in Bethesda at Black's Bar and Kitchen. Their seafood buffet was one of the nicest brunch's I have had. This includes New York and Las Vegas. The quality of the food was unlike a typical buffet of mediocre food that is perpetually refilled. All of it had good flavors and fresh ingredients.

They had a wonderful raw bar that was full of oysters and clams, seasoned shrimp cocktail, and assorted seafood salads. The mignonette sauce that went with the oysters/clams was subpar compared to my favorite at Fish. I prefer the vinegar to be more prominent; the sauce should be tangy so it adds freshness to the seafood, not weigh it down. They had a nice smoked salmon with a spread of creme fraiche, cream cheese, capers, onions, and even caviar. My favorite from the cold section of the buffet was the duck liver pate with caramelized onions, spread across their parsley toast point... yum!

Around the corner from the raw bar was the hot food; grits, applewood smoked bacon, breakfast sausage, eggs Pontchartrain. Their omelet station was made to everyone's taste and my friend's omelet was perfectly light and fluffy. Grilled asparagus topped with a beet and grape salad, charcuterie, pasta salad, grilled mushrooms in balsamic vinaigrette, and assorted grilled vegetables were all delicious sides to the craving station. Thick juicy cuts of molasses-peppercorn crusted prime rib with the usual accompaniments - au jus, horseradish cream, caramelized onions; the horseradish cream was divine.

$36 for the buffet only and $48 if you want unlimited champagne cocktails with brunch. A little pricier than I usually aim for brunch but well worth it.

Winegasm

My "go-to" bar in the neighborhood of Astoria, Queens - Winegasm. This quaint little bar which seats about 25 people has an note-worthy selection of wines from all around the world. Their staff is knowledgeable and enjoy conversing and educating their customers. Their candle-lit cozy atmosphere is perfect for dates and the long bar-height table in the middle of the bar is perfect for larger groups.

 Cucumber Martini

They also have a very classic cocktail list; sidecars and vesper martinis included. Their new chef, Brian, hails from a two-Michelin star restaurant and has transformed their menu. Some of my favorites off the menu: Chicken liver pate, chick pea fries, cheese fondue, mushroom panini, and many more. Happy hour at my local watering hold is until 8:00pm and they also have a great prix-fixe three-course menu during that time for only $19. MUST TRY IF YOU'RE EVER IN ASTORIA!

Ippudo

Ippudo. Momofuku. The rivalry between these two restaurants is legendary. Whenever you talk to someone in New York City about ramen, one of these restaurants will be mentioned. We got to Ippudo ten minutes before they opened and there was already a line of people waiting outside. My expectations at that point went up 100% because if people are willing to wait outside a restaurant on a freezing Sunday morning hours before the Superbowl (when the NY Giants are actually playing in) it must be pretty freaking good.I knew this place was popular but I had no idea the hype around Ippudo vs Momofuku was so intense. I swear I even got a couple side glances when I asked my friend if Momofuku was better.

 Hitari Pork Buns

Shiromaru Chaschu Ramen

I thought the pork buns were phenomenal! Thick juicy pork belly slices with crisp lettuce and spicy mayo. The ramen soup was nice and savory without being overly salty (a common downfall with ramen broth). My friend's spicy soup was a little more to my taste and her noodles were normal thickness. I orderedAkamaru Modern had thinner noodles. Not my favorite but still good. The main reason I decided on this bowl of ramen was their signature "Umami Dama" paste they top the bowl with. It was a cross between miso and chinese bean paste. An additional seasoned soft bowled egg made this a pretty tasty bowl of soup noodles.

 

"Umami Dama" paste & soft-boiled egg

 

 Akamaru Modern Ramen

Now I just have to try Momofuku (post to follow soon) and finally put this rivalry to rest. :)

DiWine

Brunch is a beautiful thing. All you can drink brunch is probably the reason why I love New York so much. I usually have brunch in Manhattan but this past weekend was my lazy, stay in my pajamas and do nothing weekend. But my friend dragged me out of my comfy fleece pajamas and to the a local restaurant around the corner from my apartment, DiWine. Lo and behold! Brunch special! For $15 dollars you can get an entree with a cup of coffee and a drink. If you want it to be endless mimosas, bellinis and bloody marys add an extra $7 only!

 Capricossa Pizza - Pepperocini, Eggs, Mushroom, and Mozzarella

I think we all know which option I choose but I was amazed at how good their pizza was. They have a wood burning brick oven in the back that gets the dough crisp on the bottom but still chewy goodness in the middle. And with V-day on the way, the made my eggs into the shape of a heart!

 Banana Bread French Toast - Maple Roasted Bananas, Strawberries, and Crème Fraiche

My friend had the banana bread french toast which I stole a bite of and it was so good! How have I never thought of making french toast with banana bread before? What made it so perfect for my taste? No raisins! I absolutely do not like raisins in bread and it was this dense banana bread with no raisins and plenty of walnuts for texture. But the most amazing part of that dish was the citrus creme fraiche that came with it. Amazing! Good to know that I don't HAVE to head into the city for a good brunch. Well done DiWine. I will definitely be back.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea - Restaurant Week

Behold! Another restaurant week adventure! My goal for this restaurant week season was to go somewhere every week. Though is wasn't properly spaced out, I did get to go to four restaurants that were participating in this winter's restaurant week. Though I was really excited for Cafe Boulud, I have heard so many good things about One if by Land; I was glad to finally have the chance to go.

Many have said that One if by Land is the most romantic restaurant in New York City, I'm not a fan of absolutes but I will say that it was very comfortable and their candlelit tables gave the meal a certain ambiance. The room was mostly tables of two, though there were a few larger tables that came to enjoy restaurant week in a group. Since Sarah and I both had lighter entrees we paired our meal with a great German white wine. Riesling-Kabinett is a dryer version of a typically sweet wine. It was really delicious and went wonderfully with our food. Slam Dunk! 

Prinzsalm Riesling-Kabinett 2007

 Amuse Bouche - Aerated Celery Root Puree topped with Green Apple and Champagne Vinegar Meringue

 Honey-Jalapeno Butter & Roasted Red Pepper Butter for bread

Roasted Bartlett Pear with Maytag Blue Cheese, Endive & ‘Trail Mix’

 Chestnut Tagliatelle with Venison Ragout & Pecorino Ginepro

 Hake in Japanese Pine Broth, Shitake Mushrooms, Ginger Sticky Rice & a (perfectly) Steamed Egg

 Beech Mushroom Risotto with Castelmagno, Superfino Carnarolli & Chervil Oil

 Maple Ice Cream Sundae with Caramel Popcorn, Bacon-Infused Chocolate Sauce & Candied Bacon

 Complimentary Petits Fours at the end of our meal

Normally a meal at this restaurant would run you $80 dollars and though the restaurant week menu is more limited than the normal prix-fixe menu, the options were still delicious and I was completely satisfied (if not stuffed) by the end of dinner.

Cafe Boulud - Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week in NYC is coming to an end this week and I've taken the opportunity to try a few of New York's restaurants at a severely discounted price. Lunch is only $24.07 and Dinner $35. Restaurant week is a great opportunity for people to enjoy great food, restaurants, and renowned chefs at an affordable price. I can think of many meals where I paid much more than the prix-fixe prices which proved incomparable to the elegant delicious food off the restaurant week menus at New York's finest restaurants.





One hot ticket for restaurant week is Cafe Boulud who only partakes in lunch service for restaurant week; their dinner menu remains the same. I have tried getting a reservation for their restaurant week menu since last year and this year was lucky enough to stumble onto a cancelled reservation. With 24 hours of notice, I recruited my friend Niko to play hooky and take an extended lunch hour to try this french restaurant owned by distinguished chef Daniel Boulud in the Upper East Side.

 Amuse Bouche - Truffle Oil Arancini Stuffed with Fontina Cheese
 

 Appetizer - Duck Terrine with Frisee, Onion and Cranberry

 Dessert - Rum Raisin Bavariose with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

 Complimentary Madeleine Cookies at the end of the meal

From their famous end-of-the-meal Madeleine cookies to the arancini amuse bouche it was a fantastic meal start to finish. The server even told us that customers have come back to the restaurant specifically for the Madeleines and ask if they can pay to have them at the beginning of the meal as well as the end. And as someone who does not particularly enjoy sweets, I have to say they were pretty good. Subtle lemon flavors in the fresh-out-of-the-oven warm cookies with powdered sugar dusted on top for the perfect amount of sweetness. In addition to their fantastic $24.07 three course prix-fixe menu, Cafe Boulud also has a special $24 bottle of wine (white and red option) to accompany their restaurant week menu. The cherry on top!

Note*: I had the blackened flounder over creamy polenta and braised collard greens for my entree. However, I was overly excited when it came out and forgot to snap a picture of it; but believe me, it was delicious.