Petaluma

I tried out the new Petaluma (under new ownership, from the guys behind Sons of Essex) on the Upper East Side and it is a welcome addition. 

 

I went for brunch and had their egg white frittata.  It was layers of egg, potato, tomato, and spinach with a few dollops of goat cheese.  Not what I was expecting but was great.  P.S. the salad that came with is was OUTSTANDING - dressing was amazing and tomatoes were so fresh and juicy - I would go back just for that! 

 

 

 

Petaluma of old was known for their pizza and the new team has kept the wood burning oven, pizza is a big part of the menu so I had to try it.  The crust was thin and had the perfect doughiness. 

 

 

 

I am looking forward to going back for dinner and trying their craft cocktails!

Petaluma
1356 First Ave (corner of 73rd St), NYC
http://www.petalumarestaurant.com/

Sushi of Gari

One of my favorite meals of all time has to be the Omakase menu at Sushi of Gari. 

 

This tasting menu has fish so fresh and tender it melts in your mouth. These chefs use high quality basic ingredients and are able to pull so much flavor out of them, 

BLOWS MY MIND. 

The tasting menu is about 10 courses and ranges from $95-$125 depending on the fish.

 

On this particular evening.....

 

 

Toro with Daikon Radish

 

 

 

Red Snapper with Basil and Fried Taro

 

 

 

Yellowtail with Jalepeno

 

 

 

Whole Snow Crab

 

 

 

Seared Salmon

 

 

 

Tuna with Tofu

 

 

 

Miso Marinated Yellowtail

 

 

 

 

Salmon and Seared Tomato

 

 

 

Sea Urchin

 

 

 

 

Golden Eye Snapper

 

 

 

Foie Gras

 



I also LOVE the chopstick holder, he just makes me smile.

Sushi of Gari
402 East 78th Street, (b/w 1st & York Avenues), NYC
http://sushiofgari.com/index.html


 

The Bar Room

I really liked the sound of this place: the BAR room...but besides that, the decor is wonderful, bright and brasserie-like but also contemporary and the food was delicious. 

 

I started with a nice glass of rose.  Their lunch special is an entree with a glass of wine or beer for an extra $5.  Score!

 

 

I love eggs so I ordered the lobster frittata.

 

 

I was not expecting much but I was pleasently surprised with how much lobster they used!!  It is always disappointing when you order a lobster dish and they have little bits and pieces; this was the opposite and was fabulous.  It also had perfectly fresh avocado on top to add another layer of richness.

 

 

 

My husband had the burger which was AMAZING.  The sauce was perfect, the meat was juicy, the bun soft, and pickles, an excellently crafted meal.

 

 

 

For dessert we had the banana bread pudding and this was also wonderful.  I love banana desserts and this was a great one.  The whipped cream top was perfect.  Light and fluffy is was heaven.

 

 

 

 

A great spot in midtown (bonus! It is close to Bloomies) The Bar Room is a winner.

 

The Bar Room
117 E 60th St, between Lexington and Park Ave, NYC
http://www.thebarroomnyc.com

MP Taverna

I took a trip out to Astoria as I was told that MP Taverna has one of the best octopus dishes in the city AND if you read my blog....you know how much I love octopus!  I have been to one of Michael Psilakis' other restaurants and always had a great meal so I would expect nothing less coming here.

 

The restaurant had a great decor and it was a beautiful evening so we sat outside.  My dining partners and I decided to start with the spreads: eggplant, yogurt, and hummus, all of these were completely delicious.  The pita that came with it, some of the best pita ever!  Warm, soft and pillowy, it was fantastic.

 

 

 

We also ordered the tomato salad with cucumber, feta, and grilled onions.  I loved this dish as well; the tomatoes were fresh and juicy, the cucumbers were bright, the feta creamy, and the onions provided a great grill flavor. 

 

 

 

I ordered the octopus for my dinner and I do have to say this is probably in my top 3 favorite octopus dishes.  It came on a chickpea salad of veggies and herbs with olive oil, balsamic and olives which all played nicely together.  However, all your flavors could be spot on but to have a good octopus dish, you have to cook it perfectly and they sure did, crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.  I will have dreams of this octopus.....

 

 

 

For a fantastic Greek meal in a great setting, head to MP Taverna, its worth the trip to Astoria!

 

 

MP Taverna

31-29 Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria, NY 11105

http://michaelpsilakis.com/mp-taverna/#&panel1-1

Four Seasons

A NY institution, I have always had an itch to try the Four Seasons.  When I saw the sale on Gilt I thought it would be a great dinner to take my mom to when she came into town.

 

They had a lovely bread basket with rolls, croissants and served perfect little grape tomatoes that were so juicy and good you couldn't stop popping them in your mouth.

 

 

I did the crudo tasting to start which was ok.

 

 

 

They gave us as our second course a sweet corn ravioli with mushroom and shrimp which was so amazing.

 

 

 

 

I got the Branzino for dinner.

 

 

 

Loved the cotton candy that came to the table!

 

 

And had the sorbet for dessert as well.  Delicious and refreshing.

 

 

They also brought over alittle champagne which was a great way to finish this dining experience.

 

 

 

Four Seasons

99 East 52 Street New York, New York 10022  

http://fourseasonsrestaurant.com/

 

Sirio

Sirio in The Pierre Hotel was participating in restaurant week so I went by to try their menu on a summer Friday.  When I got there I saw they had a Espresso Lunch for $26 every lunch M-F which is two courses and a coffee.  Since I am not so much of a dessert person, I choose this option.

 

Their tuna and bean salad was fabulous.  It was oil based tuna which transported me to Florence, it was so Italian!  The onion and celery were a great crunch.

 

 

I had the trout as my main and it was very well cooked and the sauce was divine! Loved the almonds too.

 

 

 

A wonderful place for a very fancy lunch at a great price.

 

Sirio

795 5th Ave, New York, NY 10065

http://siriony.com/

Willow Road

I had been waiting to go to Willow Road for awhile now, wanting to go but not making it over there, its on 10th Ave.  I finally made a date to go and I am so glad I did!  What an amazing meal and a great atmosphere.

 

Duck Confit Hush Puppies...what?!?!?! Awesome

 

 

 

The octopus

 

 

 

 

The "fries"....they were fab potato wedges!

 

 

 

 

Crispy baby artichokes

 

 

 

 

Roasted cauliflower

 

 

 

 

Everything was so delicious!  Definitely put it on your list!!

 

Willow Road

85 10th Ave, NYC

http://willowroadnyc.com/

Narcissa

Narcissa is focused on locally sourced ingredients with a focus on vegetables.  It's a concept from Andre Balazs and John Fraser and a lot of what they source comes from Andre's Hudson Valley farm.

I started with their beets which they cook on a rotisserie, very clever, and served with a delicious bulgur salad, apples, and creamed horseradish.  It was so good and its is one of their more popular dishes.

I also had the tuna with cucumber basil water and jalapeno.  Light and refreshing this was a wonderful dish.

For an entree, I had their amazing scallops that came with little potatoes, fiddleheads and crayfish.  Their sauces are so good I just wanted to get every last ounce of them! 

 

They finished us off with alittle chocolate truffle and what seemed like raspberry jellies which was fabulous and a perfect end to the meal.

Truly amazing, I absolutely loved Narcissa, the food was delicious and I felt good knowing that I had healthy, good for you food, cooked cleanly. 

Narcissa
21 Cooper Square (in the Standard Hotel), New York, NY
http://www.narcissarestaurant.com/

Washington D.C. Edition: Zaytinya

One of my favorite types of food is Greek food and while I was in Washington D.C. I stopped into Jose Andres' Zaytinya, and I am sure glad I did!!!!  Zaytinya is influenced by the cuisine of Greece, Turkey and Lebanon and the plates are all served tapas style.

Now, I am pretty psyched about getting to eat Greek food for dinner but that doesn't mean I will like any old Greek place (well actually I will) but this was truly very good and a fun place for a group or for a date to share plates and try a few options.

We started with the spreads: Hommus, Baba Ghannoughe (pictured), and their AMAZING Htipiti - I actually wasn't going to order it but this was the best red pepper spread I have ever had so do try it.  Oh...and their pita, it comes out warm.

I ordered the grilled octopus (I know, predictable!) with capers and onion and a split pea puree.  

 

As a side, I LOVED the brussel sprouts, which came with coriander seeds, barberries (Iranian cranberries) and garlic yogurt.  The combination of the crunchy brussel sprouts, sweet berries, and the rich yogurt was fantastic.  

Typically I never order desserts at a Greek restaurants because they usually have the same three things: a honey cake, baklava, or Greek yogurt.  However, Zaytinya has paid special attention to developing the dessert menu and it was quite diverse and absolutely delicious.  The Galatopita was like a raspberry shortcake with phyllo dough and custard which was so light it tasted like a decadent whipped cream!  So fabulous!!

The Turkish Delight with walnut ice cream, yogurt mousse, a honey gelee, orange caramel sauce and toasted pine nuts.  So perfectly composed it was, as its namesake, a true delight!

Grab some friends - so you can order a ton of plates to taste - and you are sure to have a fantastic dinner at Zaytinya; I can't wait to go back!

Zaytinya
701 9th St, NW, Washington, D.C.
http://www.zaytinya.com/

 

Washington D.C. Edition: Daikaya

I recently was in Washington D.C. and went to Daikaya, a Japanese restaurant with a seriously fun menu and cocktails.

We started with some well crafted drinks.  They have a few drinks but all very different, and they have unique drinks on the specials menu which should not be missed.

The tuna poke was delish with seaweed, pine nuts and sesame oil.  Very traditional.

The crab croquettes were what you would expect in a fried ball however the inside was quite thin and was almost like a fried ball of crab chowder, very tasty.

On their specials menu they had chicken drumsticks that were fried golden brown with a Sriracha honey.  Yum!

The sashimi was very traditional and basic.  The plating was fabulous!

The Chawanmushi was something I have never tried before, it's a steamed egg and Dashi custard with mushroom and a Parmesan crisp.  I really didn't taste the Parmesan crisp but it was a fun and unique dish that was very good. 

I thought Daikaya was a unique experience and a great way to try Japanese food that's not just sushi :)

 

Daikaya

705 6th St NW, Washington, D.C.

http://daikaya.com/