Food: ☆☆
Service: ☆☆
Ambiance: ☆ 1/2
Cost: $
I recommend: Wonton with Spicy Sauce, Sesame Pancake Sandwich.
Strolling around Chinatown one day, my interest was piqued by the hustle bustle at a neat looking dumpling house. That’s how I discovered Vanessa’s Dumpling House on Eldridge Street. Vanessa’s works like a well-oiled machine and is run by an all women crew – love that! Continue reading
Food: ☆☆☆ 1/2 Ambiance:☆☆☆ Service:☆☆☆ Price:$$$ I recommend: Tuna & Salmon Tartare, Pretzel Crusted Crab-cake, Grilled River Trout Almondine, Cheesecake Lollipop Tree
MY RATINGS FOR THIS MEAL Food: ☆ ☆ Service: ☆☆☆1/2 Ambiance: ☆ Cost:$$ Overall:☆☆ I recommend: Brick Lane Kebab Rolls, Bombay Aloo
Take a trip to Southeast Asia by eating at Jean-George Vongerichten’s Spice Market. The cuisine here is inspired by regional street food combined with Vongerichten’s distinctive touch. The interiors are resplendent and definitely make you feel like you are in some exotic locale of Asia. There are decorative pagodas and arches that adorn the enormous space and a grand staircase that leads to the hopping bar area downstairs. All of this makes for a really great spot to hang out at where one is stylishly served by waiters and scantily clad waitresses, dressed in bright orange hues. Continue reading
“Tired” is the word that comes to mind when I think about my evening spent at Le Perigord, which is nestled in the heart of Sutton Place. Every thing about the evening was just so pathetically dreary and tiring.
There was no real “welcome” when we entered the restaurant. We were ushered to our table and just kind of left there for quite some time with the menus till we asked for someone to come and take our order. The general air of all the servers was brusque. And even the little charm that I thought the place had in its simple table setting wore off by the time the appetizers were done. For the rest of the meal – I just kept hearing the “tick-tock” of a clock….when will this be done? Continue reading
Who doesn’t love a good Brownie?
In New York City’s Chelsea market, the Fat Witch Bakery has built an entire business on selling just brownies. Their brownies area called “witches” and you can get them in all kinds of bewitching flavors and sizes. What a marvelous concept! Continue reading
Sushi of Gariis the abode of celestial sushi! Chef Masatoshi “Gari” Sugio in his brilliant creations has redefined sushi completely. Gari set out to educate Americans on how to truly enjoy the delicate flavors of sushi without dousing it in globs of wasabi and soy sauce. In doing so, he has masterfully paired the finest fish with the most innovative toppings and sauces. So, when the sushi is presented to you at Sushi of Gari, it is complete in itself and requires no additional flavoring to be added.
If you are looking for an other worldly experience at Gari, then don’t try any of the “regular” items on the menu. Skip the appetizers and go for the gold. All the food is really good at Gari but the thing to really have is the “Sushi Special“ or the “Omakase“( chef’s choice). Be prepared to spend spend spend but for food this good – who needs to save for college anyway!! Continue reading
Chef Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Modernein mid-town, is a perfect lunch spot where French cuisine meets the American palate to create delightfully flavored food. Chef Oliver Muller, has created a seasonal menu that is really marvelous. The interiors are modern with very clean lines though quarters can get very cramped, especially in the back room. The service is very warm and friendly (very cute waiters with charming smiles!). I recommend going for the pre-fix lunch as food here can get pretty pricey.
I went to db Bistro Moderne during the NYC winter restaurant week and got a great deal on lunch. Though we didn’t try the Original db Burger, it’s meant to be the dish to eat here. Perhaps next time…….. Continue reading
Well over 15 years ago, when I was visiting Sri-Lanka, I had one of the best meals at the home of one of the local residents. I can’t remember what I ate but just remember it being one of those truly unforgettable meals. Ever since then, I have been trying to find shadows of that meal somewhere….anywhere …….here in New York City.
My search led me to Sigri on the Lower East Side. Sigiri is perched in a small space on top of an ethnic gorcery store right around the Bangladeshi- Indian Restaurant Row on East 6th street. Continue reading
This little mid-town “Indian Spice Rave” as they call themselves is quickly becoming one of my favorite Indian food finds. Being Indian, I’m usually very picky about eating Indian out and really don’t end up liking very much of what I try. Bukhara Grill however is quite an exception to my rule.
The restaurant is a carbon copy of one of the most famous Restaurants of yesteryears in India called Bukhara. They have styled their wooden menus, the copper drinking glasses, checkered napkin-bibs you can wear while eating, in exactly the same way. While the look and feel of the two places are the same, the food at Bukhara Grill has far surpassed that of its old and tired counterpart in India.
The first time I ate at Bouley was in 1996. My mother in-law took my husband (fiancée at that time) and me for dinner to celebrate our graduating Graduate School from Columbia.
The experience for me was beyond divine. Even though it was almost 12 years ago, I still remember being delighted by every course we were served! Little did I know at that time that Bouley would close down that very year. I’ve never forgotten that meal. I really think it was one of the best meals I have ever had….in my entire life!
So, after 12 long years of Bouley having closed, reopened, moved locations and so on, I finally went back to try it one more time. This time I went for lunch. They have a great pre-fix deal for lunch for $48.
Here is some of what I ate.
PORCINI FLAN DUNGENESS CRAB
I started with the Porcini Flan, Dungeness Crab, Black Truffle Dashi. This dish was outstanding. The crab just melted in my mouth and the combination of the mushrooms and dashi was to die for. This dish had so many layers of subtle flavors to it – I tasted something different in every bite. Everything about this dish was superb.
ROASTED ROUGET
I had the Roasted Rouget for my next course. This dish really did nothing for me. The fish was very fresh and roasted to perfection but I found the bed of sauces it was on to be unimpressive. It really did nothing for the dish. I guess I expected more.
This was the Pennsylvania All Natural Chicken Baked in Buttermilk. The chicken was very tender but it was a little underdone and the vegetables and sauce it came with did nothing for the dish. It didn’t have the depth I expected from it.
BLACK COD
The next course was a Fresh Washington State Black Cod with Organic Buckwheat, Sunchoke Cloud and Black Onion Powder. I thought this dish was horrible! I did not like it at all. It sounded like an interesting dish and came highly recommended, but once I tried it I just could not get through it. It was one of those semi-cooked, quivery , jellyish kind of dishes that I personally just do not like. I have to say that when the staff saw that I didn’t like my dish they immediately offered to bring me something else. They were really very gracious.
DESSERTS
This Lime Sorbet with Finely sliced Pineapple was a palate cleanser that was brought to us right before dessert. This dish really jolts your taste buds and wakes you up. I thought it was very good but I couldn’t eat more than a few bites of it as it was very strong. It served it purpose really well!
HOT VALRHONA CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
The Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé Vermont Maple Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sorbet was beyond divine. This was the best chocolate soufflé cake that I have ever had. The ice creams that accompanied it were unbelievable too. So fresh, so beautifully flavored – it was a perfect way to end our meal.
I have to say that overall I was disappointed with this meal. The two outstanding things I ate were the Crab-Porcini mushroom flan and the dessert. The rest of the meal was just okay. I would go back again though. Bouley is such a charming place, with impeccable service and grace. I really enjoyed the experience and parts of the meal were outstanding. It’s hard to judge a place like Bouley based on just one meal and one menu. I still believe that Chef David Bouley can recreate the magic that I experienced 12 years ago and I am willing to go back and try.
MY RATINGS FOR THIS MEAL
Food: ☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆1/2
Service:☆☆☆☆
Price: $$$$Overall experience: ☆☆☆1/2
I recommend: Porcini Flan, Dungeness Crab,Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé
(All ratings are out of a possible 5 stars. Each establishment is individually rated based on my experience of that particular meal. Ratings are also based on my expectations of quality of food, value for money, service, ambiance and overall experience)
|
|
* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| Bouley | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| TriBeCa / French | |
| * Street Address | |
| 163 Duane St., New York, NY 10013 | |
| * Phone | |
| (212) 964-2525 |
