...more recent posts
what dig med tree'er who works as a care taker for a friend who's victorian home (which isnt victorian) is mentioned in this nyt foodestate article?
I and everybody I talk to love Daisy May's BBQ, 623 11th Ave @46th St......
The End Is Near: Skinny has been told by his doctor that not only does he need electric shock therepy and re-hydration of the liver (two things he can deal with) but his cholesterol is in a bad way, "pick one either diet/exersice or drugs", Skinny is going for #1 SOON, the end is near.........
The Green Market was alive with melons, I love this one farmers yellow watermelons and thier arrival had me happy.....made my 5 ingredient Watermelon Mint Soup: Yellow Watermelon, Chocolate Mint, Shallot, Salt, Cherry Tomato (but from one farmer whom I adore)......medium melon seeded and with some mint in blender, chilled, on top add many halfed cherry tomato, sprinkle shallot, salt, than SLURP....I have thought of poshed up versions with herb oils or a more chunky version with crab meat, but have never made, next year??
After eating all over Manhattan there is no way GSI Midtown is not 3*
Qwik notes:
Pier 116 at 116 Smith, great beer and fried chicken!!!
LoZoo: delish, to me no Grand Sichuan but very good indead...1*
Lunch at Gramercy Tavern was only 4 app's but all were 3*
Craft: I have only now been to CraftBar for a beer and a delish sandwich,
but the scope of what he is doing is "holy shit",
did they yet rename that part of 19th Craft St??
Off to the market.....
Had dinner last night at the new Twilight 101. This is Christopher "el teddy" Chestnut's new place in the old Texarcana spot on 10th between 5th and 6th. Only the bar area is open now (including a couple of tables) but the full 80 to 90 seat back room will be open in "about a month."
Mediterranean tapas menu. Wines from Spain, France, and Italy produced within 100 miles of the sea. Everything we had was simple and good. Same with the moderately priced list (all available by the glass as well.) The room has a nice feel with lots of little details. Very enthusiastic staff. Great spot for a drink and small bite (or more) of food. Worth a look I think.
I had 3.5 hours in Boston that was not in the previous plan so sadly I didnt bring my "places I want to eat notes"....
I had yet to try Todd English's Kingfish Hall, and it was close to the train station so I started there. Damn awesome "Fat Belly Clams" and a glass of Gruner, followed by a dish of melon in a sweet, spicy curry soup, on top was placed crab, herbs like cilantro, mint, basil and toasted coconut!! Super with a German Riesling, great summer dish.
Next stop was the North End, I had never been (not to see Paul Revere's house nor the birthplace of my Grandma in 1901) so I wandered all over, its so much more beatiful than NYC and smells better also. Lines at every restaurant, and they had no bars, so no seats for me. Next I stumbled on a Patron Saint festival, very cool, music, people pining dollars on it. After an amaro and a biera, I went to the most poshed up place (with a nice menu, whom were turning people away) and asked if they had a bar for a single person, "No but we have a wierd table no one wants" (it was the worst table but fine for me) I ordered fresh fava beans and pecorino, that came poshed up in a cone of fried parma cheese, than crab cannelloni with corn, onion, cream sauce etc. Both very good, I would not go back cause I would try some other small place, but Mamma Maria was nice to me...
Last stop Chinatown for dessert, a Tsing Tao.
Had my secong meal at Applebee's (in MA) this year and while it gets no stars its not as bad as I thought it would be.
I had to eat there cause it was late and was close to the hospital my mom is in, she has been not great lately (doesnt eat well and every once in a while wrestle's with a 1.75L plastic bottle of distilled grain) plus was stung by a wasp Saturday to which she is very allergic.
She wandered up to the Emergency Room, screamed to everyone about angels and started talking to my deseased father before passing out cold on the floor.
The hospital is very close and before they expanded many years ago, deer roamed between it and my house. There is a stream between us that had crayfish when I was very young, I sadly never ate them, just liked to play with them. Back in the day the bigger streams had Horned Pout (Catfish).
Now we have Applebee's, Longhorn, one very polluted stream and the best hospital for miles around.
the market had Dragon Beans and Cranberry Beans....YAHOO
Last nite at wd~50 was the best meal to date there, the two new main dishes go right to the top of the charts (Super Yum Yum Deluxe)....there is a Skate with Corn and Huitlacoche with two Art Nouveau looking spash's of what I assume is creamed corn and an oil, its clean, beautiful, screams summer sweetness....a new Lamb with Arugula, Goat Cheese and a stewed(??) fruit (sadly i cant remember what it is exactly but the taste is still rattling round in my brain), all 4 of these on a fork and it explodes gamey earthy flavor, clear yet rich, matched with a wine from Bea was a home run.....the White Gaspacho keeps getting better to me and I cant imagine someone makes a better example anywhere in NYC (USA??), one I had a famous 3* restaurant was water to this magic summer elixer, such a cool texture, longest finish in the soup bizzness, flavors coming in from all sides, 100 Million Points....a new Shrimp dish is also super cool and not to be missed.....we were too stuffed for Mr Awesome's dessert's but he sent out a masterpiece of diced mango, arugula ice, pumpkin seed, coco foam, we had room for that.....one of the greatest if not the greatest meal I have ever had in NYC
three of the best dishes from Jean George were:
lobster scented with mace, fresh lychees and celery hearts in a ice wine verjus dressing
peekytoe crab and english pea fondue, rhubarb gelee, shiso puree
foie gras brulee, slow roasted strawberries and aged balsamic
the more one cooks the more one understands the cost of fine dining in people hours and product cost (never mine rent and hopefully profit).....i cant cook great but i have a small group of dishes that i can cook well, but just a few do i feel are my own, some are great adaptions.....last two weeks i have a new dish that rocks!! make a rich herb risotto (rice quality and stock quality are tres inportant) i use basil, chocolate mint and lots of parsley, and on top i shave 1 and 1/2 ears of corn (per plate) and ricotta salata (SP? hard riccota) thats it, its so yummy....another new easy dish for summer i made up and is only 8 items is a pasta sauce of oil, butter, salt, cook down a ton of sweet onion, add a ton of sweet cherry tomato, at the end add 6+ ears of shaven corn, last stir in some fresh basil = 7 items, cook some top end egg pappardelle (rustichella d'abruzzo is awesome brand) add to sauce el dente and yahoo to summer....
We finally made it to the food stall at Red Hook soccer fields, very cool, we wernt too hungry so we had a queso arepa(sp?) side of slaw-ish cabbage, jugo de pina and will come back starved soon.....
2003 Top Eats
Globe All
Passadis Del Pep (Barcelona) 4*
Varoulko (Athens) 4*
Slanted Door (SF) 3*
Carballeira (Lleida, Spain) 3*
Uglesich's (New Orleans) 3*
#9 Park (Boston) 3*
El Torreone (Torrisellas, Spain) 2*
Asados Nazareno (Roa, Spain) 2*
Frankie & Johnny's (New Orleans) 2*
O Loutros Fish Taverna (Thessaloniki, Greece) 2*
Botafumeiro (Barcelona) 2*
Loc All
wd50 4*
Kai 4*
Wallse 4*
Jean George 4*
Al Di La 3*
Locanda Vini Olii 3*
Fleur de Sel 3*
66 3*
Grand Sichuan Int Midtown 3*
Gramercy Tavern 3*
Bao Noodles 3*
Went to Jean George last night for what is probly my 5th or 6th meal since they opened, everyone has been 4* to me, we did both tasting menu's (we tried 12+ dishes) and tasted all 16 desserts, I was also happy as the wine list had many items to pick from in my price range, overall it was expensive of course but its like seeing the Stones play at the Garden every few years, and like Keith, Jean George still rocks!!
Lunch at WP, the list is growing and the food is good.....
Wallse thursday nite was awesome, now 4* IMO....
Tasting menu was 2 soup shots, f gras with cherry (gift from chef, best in recent memory, blows away same from cafe boulud), bluefish with heirloom tomato, bass with corn etc, wiener snitzel (awesome), a duck rolled in cabbage (awesome), chesse....
Eating By #'s 2003
Grand Sichuan Int Midtown 14Times
wd~50 12 Times
Wash Park 10 Times
66 5 Times
The Minnow 5 Times
Kai 3 Times
sadly last night at Cafe Boulud was less exciting in a big way (we heard that if the chef cooked special for us we would have rocked, he offered we were tired so passed) from the time before, the time before was awesome....2* now
p.s. the wine list is very difficult
I've often thought I would get healthier by eating more fruit if only the fruit would meet me halfway and be at least somewhat delicious. There's a pretty successful organic farm in these parts (Rappahannock/Culpepper counties Va.), Sunnyside Farms(?) , and they're producing some nice stuff. Pick of the week--Asian Pears.