La Duree

I have a complete obsession with Laduree.  When I went to Paris I was told I had to go to Laduree and try their macaroons.  So on the second day of my trip I tried my first Laduree macaroon and subsequently went back each and every day thereafter of our six day trip.

Within two months of being back home in NY after my trip, I received the news that Laduree was opening their first U.S. location on the Upper East Side!!!  This was exciting news.  And just a few weeks ago, a second NY location has opened in Soho and this one had a dining room and served their full menu. 

 

What a perfect place for a lunch.  I took my mother and we had a perfect meal; very ladies who lunch.  I started with their Salade Bonaparte with smoked salmon, salmon eggs, seaweed tartare and black olive cream.  To eat this salad you must be a fish lover.  It's a lot of fish flavor but I really liked it.

 

 

So I had a salad....therefore I can have two desserts!  My mother and I split the Plaisir Sucre which was divine!  A crushed hazelnuts and meringue biscuit with crispy praline, milk chocolate leaves, chantilly cream and milk chocolate filling - it was somewhere in the middle of a mousse and a chocolate truffle.  Truly heavenly.

 

I of course had to get my favorite macaroons: Pistachio, Salted Caramel Butter, Coffee, Raspberry.  It would be blasphemy to go their and not get them. 

 

 

I have already made reservations for a return visit, there were so many other dishes to try!

 

Laduree

396 West BroadwayNew York, NY 10012

http://www.laduree.com/en_int/

El Toro Blanco

This was my second trip to El Toro Blanco.  My first trip was when they first opened and it was disappointing.  I chalked it up to being new so I thought I would give them another shot, and I am glad I did.  The meal was delicious!

 

 

I love ceviche and the tuna is awesome!  Fresh and flavorful with soy, lime, and cucumber, avocado, cilantro and spicy chili peppers.

 

 

The Short Rib Empanadas were also very good.

 

 

 

 

And so basic but so good, the chicken tacos.  The chicken was so much better than you would expect!  Must be their spices.  The shrimp tacos were also wonderful with a cumin slaw and roasted tomato.  You cannot go wrong with either.

 

 

 

 

 

Adios!  Till next time.....

El Toro Blanco
257 Sixth Ave
New York, NY
http://eltoroblanconyc.com/

Graffiato - Washington D.C.

I had a wonderful meal at Graffiato in Washington D.C. 

 

 

From chef Mike Isabella, the place was very fun and had a great menu.  You can feel little touches of Jersey - where the chef is from - on the menu starting with the pizza....

 

The delicious American pie was a classic with tomato, mozzarella, and basil.

 

 

 

 

Then on to the charred octopus with tomato mostarda, romaine, mint.  This was delicious but the lettuce on the plate was kinda weird.....

 

 

 

 

 

My husband had the hanger steak with wild mushroom, totally divine!

 

 

 

We also had to have some veggies and ordered the roasted cauliflower with pecorino, mint which was really yummy.

 

 

 

 

 

We were pretty hungry this evening and saw the scallops on another table so we had to order those as well.  Perfect caramelization on top and a lovely complement with the citrus.

 

 

 

 

 

If you find yourself in the D.C. area, make sure you stop by Graffiato.   

Graffiato
707 6th St NW, Washington D.C. 20001
http://graffiatodc.com/

Kingside

I am a fan of Landmarc restaurants and the new addition of Kingside is very welcome. Located inside the new Viceroy Hotel, Kingside is a new American restaurant with fantastic decor.

I went for brunch and started with the crispy artichokes.  These were awesome and I wish you can find them in more restaurants, they are a great pop'em type food and much healthier than french fries.

I also got their cast iron frittata and I ordered them with egg whites, mushrooms, and tomato confit.  A lightly dressed salad on the side was a great fresh crunch between bites

 

 

Back to those fries....they were pretty killer, I stole some of my husbands, they are their salt 'n pepper fries.  Yum!

 

 

 

 

The menu at Kingside is quite diverse and there are so many other options I wanted to try so I will definitely need to go back.

 

P.S. I have also been their for drinks and had an excellent jalapeno Margarita!

 

 

 

 

Kingside

125 W 57th (between 6th and 7th Aves)

http://kingside-restaurant.com/

 



Chicane

I was excited to try Chicane, the menu looked great and the concept appealed to me...unfortunately it didn't go over as well as I would have liked.

 

 

To start I ordered a rose...they didn't have it so I went with a bubbly.  Now, they brought it over and it was filled halfway, halfway?  Why would you fill it halfway?  It was a $10 glass and the bottle was $40 so this made no sense.  When I asked the waiter about it he told me that the other restaurant down the street (which shall remain nameless as I am not sure how much credibility this waiter has given this statement) fills their glasses even less, like that was supposed to be helpful!  Needless to say, we told them we would take the whole bottle.  

 

 

 

We ordered the fried calamari and it could have very well been calamari but it just tasted like a bunch of fried batter.  

 

 

 

 

I ordered the tuna tartare to have as my main course and this was very good.

 

 

 

 

I also had a side of ratatouille which was fine, nothing special.

 

 

 

 

I REALLY wanted to love this restaurant but it fell short.  Perhaps I should try the brunch?  Or perhaps we wait to see if they stick around...

 

 

Chicane
430 Broome St, New York, NY (cross street Crosby)
http://www.chicanenyc.com/

Gotham Bar and Grill

Gotham Bar and Grill is one of the most iconic New York restaurants there is.  So many talented chefs have graced this kitchen and in every occasion that I have had the pleasure to dine at Gotham, it has been an amazing experience from start to finish.

 

After a very long winter, my husband and I treated ourselves and toasted Spring over a long, leisurely lunch at Gotham.  And what is a more perfect way to start a nice lunch than with a cocktail or some bubbly! 

 

 

 

 

From reading this blog you would know that one of my favorite things ever is tuna tartare and Gotham did tuna tartare before it became trendy, they started bringing in high-grade tuna in the 80s!  This dish was so perfectly structured and balanced with a sweet miso dressing and crisp cucumber.

 

 

 

 

I also shared the beets with my husband.  Now these were red and yellow beets with goat cheese, hazelnuts, and citrus.  Again, totally composed and refreshing this was a fantastic starter.

 

 

 

 

For the second (and third) round a beautiful rose!

 

 

 

 

 

I continued with fish for my main course and ordered the white tuna with gigante beans, pickled onions, fingerling potatoes, dill, meyer lemon and black olive vinaigrette.  It was so light and delicate with lots of greens, it was perfect for a light-ish lunch.

 

 

 

 

The braised beef short rib, which my husband let me steal a few bites of, had complex flavors that just tantalized your tongue!  The root vegetables and Parmesan sound simple but were completely elegant.

 

 

 

For dessert, we had the Gotham chocolate cake with salted carmel ice cream and the creamsicle coupe with citrus segments, whipped chantilly, a short bread cookie, and vanilla ice cream.  Both are so different so it depends on your mood but they are both so, so, good.  I said I would only have a bite of each but I learned that was impossible accomplishment.

 

 

 

 

 

Gotham is truly a magnificent restaurant.  In addition, the service is outstanding! They make you feel like royalty and family all at the same time.  It is not cheap so if you go, plan on dining, take your time and enjoy every bite.  And a little tip, the $35 price fixe lunch can't be beat.

 

 

Gotham Bar and Grill
12 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
http://gothambarandgrill.com/restaurant/


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