Beyond Sushi

I had a FANTASTIC lunch at Beyond Sushi last week. 

 

Note that Beyond Sushi is not a traditional sushi restaurant, it is actually a 100% vegan eatery.  Now, let me state that I am a carnivore, I typically have meat or fish with every meal - unless I am having eggs.  In no way does this seem like a spot that I would like however, I cannot deny that Beyond Sushi has done a fantastic job with their menu.  Their creations are both completely delicious and satisfying.  I am beyond excited I found Beyond Sushi!

 

 

I chose to go with their #3 combo: a roll and a wrap.  

I got the Sweet Angel wrap filled with buckwheat noodles, asparagus, sweet potato, sprouts, and wrapped with romaine lettuce and topped with their spicy sauce. 

 

 

 

 

I split a roll with my dining partner so I was able to sample to different rolls.  

The Sweet Tree Roll with six grain rice, avocado, sweet potato, sprouts with rice and toasted cayenne sauce was awesome.

 

 

 

 

Green Machine with six grain rice, cucumber, asparagus, basil, marinated veggies, and jalapeno wasabi sauce (wasn't very spicy) was also amazing, I couldn't pick which I liked better, they were both SO GOOD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am telling you, I don't care if you are a meat head, the food is delicious and you feel good walking out of that place, like you just did something good for your body.  Go!

Beyond Sushi
229 East 14th St. New York, NY 10003
http://beyondsushinyc.com/

Estela

I could not wait to go to Estela, it was one of those restaurants that had a menu that looked perfect for me.  This past Friday night I scored a table.  The meal started off great but unfortunately it didn't sustain this way.

 

We selected a nice bottle of red for the meal.  It was actually alittle cold - really it should have been room temperature - but, what are you going to do?

 

 

 

 

 

We started with a delicious plate of mixed olives and pickled vegetables - on this night, it was carrots.  They lay on top of a buttery white dip which was a wonderful surprise.  Alittle dry fennel seed lay next to it and I loved dipping the carrot in the sauce and then the fennel seed, it was a lovely combination.

 

 

The mussel escabeche was FANTASTIC!  Beautiful mussels hidden under cilantro leaves, on top of lightly toasted fresh bread, with a nice herbaceous sauce.  Bright, fragrant and delicate, this dish was top notch.

 

 

 

Beef tartare came out and tasted like....air.  Really, I don't know if they forgot the salt or forgot something else but there was no taste to it.  Blah.

 

 

 

 

Razor clams....terrible.  They looked fabulous however I took my first bite and it was so fishy, and not just fishy but like it had gone bad - I thought I was going to have food poisoning later that evening (thankfully I did not).  Because I am a glutton for punishment - or rather I just really wanted to love this restaurant - I figured I should try another bite.  It was delicious!  I went for another bite, FISHY again.  I figured I should quit while I was ahead.

 

 

 

 

I of course had to order the calamari.  This came with squid ink and crushed and toasted almonds.  All of the flavors played beautifully together but the calamari was chewy, rubbery, difficult to eat.

 

 

 

The ricotta dumplings came out with mushroom and pecorino.  Nice concept but again, no flavor. Double blah.

 

 

 

 

I was so disappointed by Estela, maybe it was just an off night, but I hope they figure their shit for the next set of diners.

 

 

 

Estela
47 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10012
(212) 219-7693http://estelanyc.com

Mission Cantina

I love when chefs make brilliant dishes. 

Danny Bowien has done just that at Mission Cantina.   His choices to fill a taco - and the combinations he puts together - are not typical but they create unbelievably amazing bites.

 

Starting you off, a small little cup of chips with red chili vinaigrette and peanuts.  The vinaigrette is pretty darn spicy but its the best kind of spicy, it should be bottled. 

 

 

On to the tacos.....

 

 

The Fish Taco - fried skate, crema, guacamole, and that chili vinaigrette.  This was so delicious.  A combination of hot and cold, crispy and soft, spicy and cool, it wakes up your tastebuds - what a ride!

 

 

 

 

Braised octopus, chicken wing and onion relish.  Delightful, cooked perfectly, the components worked beautifully together.

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin with pepitas, mole sauce, and queso cotija.  Good....add the pickled red onion that come on the side, and it becomes OUTSTANDING.

 

 

 

 

A fantastic meal, I absolutely loved it and recommend you all go out and get some tacos!

 

Mission Cantina
172 Orchard St (at Stanton), New York City
http://missioncantinanyc.com/

Virgola

A nice, cozy date spot, Virgola, is located in the West Village.  A very cool space, it has a lot of New York history; formerly an alleyway between two factories, Virgola has been transformed into a small Oyster and Italian Wine Bar.  The menu is limited, but is perfect for a wine bar - oysters, raw bar, cheese and meats - what more could you ask for!

 

We started with a bottle of Prosecco and a dozen oysters from Island Creek, Montauk, and Chatam.  I love that they give you fresh shaved horseradish to make your cocktail sauce as spicy as you want.  In addition, we had their tuna tartare, chunky bites of fresh tuna and avocado.

 

 

 

 

The next section of their menu gives you the option to mix and match a platter of Formaggi, Salumi, and Insalate to create your own ultimate plate.  We went with bresola, parmacotto tartufato, taleggio, parmigaino reggiano, and funghi tartufati.  It came with fresh crostini, yum!

 

 

***TIP***

For those of you looking to impress your date, bring a padlock with you to the restaurant.  I say this because in this already romantic, intimate space, they brought in the Italian tradition of Love Locks.  If you have been to some select cities in Europe, you may have seen the padlocks that have been locked to various bridges.  The tradition is that sweethearts attach their lock to a bridge or gate and throw away the key to signify their unbreakable love.  At Virgola, you will find Love Locks throughout the restaurant which only enhances the romance you feel when walking into the space.  

 

 

 

 

 

Grab a date and head to Virgola.  There are less than 20 seats available and no bar so make sure to contact them for a reservation.  Enjoy!

Virgola
28 Greenwich Ave, NY, NY 10011 
http://www.virgolanyc.com/

Maison Kayser

If you aren't looking for a "boozy brunch" on Sundays, Maison Kayser delivers an amazing menu of eggs, salads, and sweets that truly satisfy. 

 

Maison Kayser, a bakery with attached restaurant, opened their first U.S. location (they are from Paris) about a year ago. 

 

 

I absolutely love that they serve their coffee with a sweet little madeline.

 

 

 

 

 

I ordered the Salume Tartine with egg whites - to me, this dish is perfection.  The tartine starts with their homemade bread; because they are a bakery, the bread is fantastic, a nice crust on the outside and doughy but lightly toasted on the inside.  They then layer on some creme fraiche, fresh, buttery smoked salmon, thinly shaved purple onion and finally some salty capers.  The egg whites are fluffy and delightful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, I recommend heading over to the bake shop and picking up one of their fresh baked breads to have for breakfast the next morning.

 

 

Maison Kayser
Multiple locations
http://www.maison-kayser-usa.com/  

Wasabi Lobby

I know the name sounds funny, the first time I saw it I laughed and said I would never eat there, but that didnt last long.  Thankfully my friend Brooke introduced me to this mecca of sushi and I now have it about once a week.

Wasabi Lobby has a fine dining room, nothing wrong with it and nothing special, but you will likely not find me there, I always get it delivered.  And, props to their delivery team who is more dedicated than postal workers - snow, sleet, rain - they are at your door within 25-35 minutes on average.

I have a lot of favorite rolls but I usually always get the Sweetie Roll which is spicy tuna wrapped in fresh tuna.

The Three Stooges roll is also awesome: white seaweed wrapped with spicy tuna, salmon, yellowtail and asparagus.

The Lover's Roll: steamed lobster, avocado and mayo wrapped with mango and tobiko.

And bonus!  The green salad comes in a container that you can add to your tupperware collection!  I have a set of six :)

Wasabi Lobby
1584 2nd Ave, New York NY10028 (82nd St)
www.wasabilobbynyc.com

The Meatball Shop

I am a HUGE fan of The Meatball Shop.  When it opened it's first location on the Lower East Side, I was one of their first customers which says a lot because I NEVER go to a new restaurant within it's first 3 weeks of opening - they need time to work out any kinks.  But why did I change my rule for Meatball Shop you ask???  Just because their concept is brilliant: pick your balls, pick your sauce, and pick your side.  They also have their meatballs as sandwiches and its all customizable which is very fun.  

I shouldn't be remiss in also mentioning their killer dessert menu - ice cream sandwiches - is very similar to their ball menu....you guessed it: pick your ice cream and pick your cookies.  My fave is mint ice cream with gingersnap cookies - my husband's brilliant combination.

I stopped in for a late brunch over the weekend and they didn't disappoint.  I went with my go to: chicken balls with tomato sauce.  It comes with a little piece of bread for dipping in the sauce which is perfect.

I got steamed spinach on the side to get some vitamins in me.

Note that The Meatball Shop always has daily specials - in each of its categories - and their market side of arugula with maple poached pears, candied walnuts and sherry vinaigrette sounded too good to pass up.

I love this place and its definitely something that anyone would love.  P.S. They have veggie balls as well!

The Meatball Shop
Multiple locations in NYC
http://www.themeatballshop.com/

LA Edition: Toscanova

While out in California, I had dinner with some friends at Toscanova in Calabasas. To my surprise and excitement, we learned that every Monday they have Happy Hour ALL NIGHT at the bar so we grabbed a bar table and started ordering plates and plates of yummy food.

 

We began with the fried calamari which came with a cocktail sauce (needed more horseradish) and a tartare sauce.  Pretty basic.

 

 

 

The mixed olives were phenomenal, I know its simple but they had all the best varieties!

 

 

 

 

I usually never eat pizza in LA  (whats the point) but we got a Margarita which wasn't pretty but gave us some warm cheesiness we needed.

 

 

 

 

The octopus salad with potatoes and arugula was lovely, a bit too much arugula as it overpowered those delicious bits of the octopus.

 

 

 

Of course, you HAVE to order truffle fries when they are on the menu!  These did not disappoint!

 

 

 

 

The meatballs were also delish.

 

 

 

Now for the desserts at Toscanova which really shine......

 

 

This Tiramisu was to die for.  Each component was perfect and married together beautifully.  A nice touch was the chocolate chips; I only know one other place that had chocolate chips in their Tiramisu and I don't know why this doesn't become a trend, it adds so much to the dish.

 

 

We also had the seasonal fruit tart which, on this day, was raspberry.  I loved that this wasn't too sweet, the fruit really stood out, and was only complemented by the delicate cream and a perfect graham cracker like shell.

 

 

 

Toscanova has a great Happy Hour but I would love to go back and try their full menu, they do a great job.  P.S. service at the bar was pretty outstanding.

 

Toscanova
Suite A, 4799 Commons Way, Calabasas, CA 91302
(818) 225-0499