Yunnan Kitchen review

October 2, 2014October 9, 2014 / Roger Hyde / Leave a comment

Yunnan Kitchen

When chefs leave restaurants, the impact to a kitchen is far greater than say when a captain leaves his ship. Ships aren’t really expected to do much more than shlepp passengers (who prefer to travel in hordes, unpack only once and who are quite comfortable with their first impression of a foreign destination being the port) without fuss, plague or delay. Restaurant kitchens on the other hand have hungry, expectant, impatient, picky and frequently critical diners to feed, a reputation to uphold – all while serving countless renditions of the same dish monthly, weekly, daily, hourly, minutely without a single fluctuation. Chefs can’t cut corners. They aren’t allowed to improvise or compromise because they are ultimately the first and last reason any diner recommends, revisits or pans a restaurant. So when Doron Wong took over the leadership from Travis Post at Yunnan Kitchen in the Lower East Side over a year ago, he created a fresh and affordable menu with sharable dishes offering a spectrum of Yunnan province flavors – from aromatic petals to gasket-blowing peppers that are part of the reason there is still a pervasive line outside the door.

Ma La Chicken Wings

If New York has flower, theater, diamond and garment districts, then the Lower East Side is the uncontested eclectic food district. Yunnan Kitchen’s rustic space with Clinton-Street-de-rigueur exposed-brick, pressed-steel ceilings and dim lighting is pretty much the final outpost in a row of distinctive and original establishments, where reservations are seldom offered.

Wong has a few signature cocktails that debut many of the spices and aromas that are about to color and define the rest of the evening. The first appearance (of the seemingly abundant) Sichuan peppercorns is added to a sweat-inducing grapefruit, chili, tequila Rita. The next most reached-for ingredient in the house is Chrysanthemum, which becomes the cornerstone for an aromatic, sweet ‘n sour Daiquiri with splashes of citrus and St. Germain.

The broad measuring-tape-sized Spicy Pulled-pork cold noodles, snake around morsels of barbecued pork and cherry tomatoes, which are dressed in chili oil with a more subtle infusion of Chrysanthemum giving them an unexpectedly fragrant – yet spicy perfume.

Mushroom Rice Cakes

Notwithstanding the addition of flecks of ham and the odd chili, the Stir Fried Mushrooms felt a little rubbery to me, with perhaps too much restraint in the flavor department to warrant a position on the very cautiously selected 16-item menu, but the Mushroom Rice Cakes are fabulous. Diagonal slithers of a dense yet remarkably light rice cake, are warmed with the smokiness of fermented chilies in a thick, rich and hearty brown sauce.

Lamb Meatballs Mao Shao

The addition of Yunnan spices to the soft and perfectly juicy Lamb Meatballs Mao Shao is yet another brilliant example of distinctive simplicity.

The all-time favorite Ma La Chicken Wings (with shoulders attached) are an absolute knockout. As you bite through the dry crunch of the ochre skin, waves of warmth begin to envelope your senses from your lips to your nose to your toes, as the unrelenting heat of the Sichuan peppercorns serves up the first punch, followed by a surprising left hook from the Numbing Spices. I managed two rounds before tapping-out.

Ma La Chcolate Crémeaux

The only real disappointment was the Ma La Chocolate Crémeux. The fact that Asian desserts have never found a fan base in the US is nothing new or surprising, but because there was only one lonely option on the menu I felt compelled to give it a try. The doughy train-wreck of a biscuit that tried to commit suicide on uncooked cumin, flanks a scoop of Sichuan pepper-infused Valrhona Chocolate Mousse with curiously sticky marshmallow triangles, feels out-of-character and heavy-handed to have emerged from this kitchen. (Maybe chef Wong can sneak in something simple from one of his neighbors up the street. Just sayin’.)

http://yunnankitchen.com/reservations.htm

El Quinto Piño review

September 18, 2014 / Roger Hyde / Leave a comment

El Quinto Piño

The mere expression “Spanish tapas bar” instantly conjures up a very familiar expectation of a Spanish inspired, small-plates snack bar. It is therefore brave and admirable for Alex Raij and Eder Montero to create a derivative in their Chelsea slither of a bistro – El Quinto Piño, that’s just as traditional as it is bold and quirky. The charming comedor room off of the curved bar feels familiar and intimate in its simple understated design, with mismatched chairs, interesting lighting and a large sound-absorptive woven tapestry.

Nuestras Bravas

The large menu features sufficient “usual-suspect” dishes to satisfy the purists intent on reliving that distant Spanish vacation (or the opportunity to show off their international-ness to their less-travelled friends). In addition there are a few bold spinoffs that improve on the original, and a couple of quirky creations to bolster interest (and stars) amongst the food critic literati. While most of the menu undergoes periodic regional rotation to retain freshness and an element of the unexpected, there are a few permanent staples that are mentioned on a variety of must-try lists.

Croquetas

No tapas bar in its right mind would ever dare open its doors without the mandatory Nuestras Bravas (fried potatoes trickled with spicy aioli), Pan amb Tomaca (tomato and garlic rubbed bread with salt and olive oil) and those crusty shelled, delightfully creamy potato and Serrano ham Croquetas – all of which are as reliably delicious as they are popular and more than make up for the somewhat bashfully-flavored and under-toasted shrimp and squid Fideúa (Valencia short noodle paella).

Uni Panini

On the bold side, creating a po’ boy styled Bocadillo de Calamar has all the best flavors of delicately fried and exquisitely crispy squid legs, adding crunch and sweetness to a tightly wrapped vegetable sandwich. I would also have to concur that the Uni Panini deserves its position as one of Eater.com’s Top 20 sandwiches in all of New York. But while I adore the flavor of sea urchin, I wish someone could have warned me about the lightning-bolt shock of sinus-clearing mustard!

Fideúa

And finally some of the quirkier options that include the Arroz Brut de Conejo, which is a cabbage stuffed with rabbit meat and rice, or the crispy and rather harshly intense ocean-floor surprise taste of sea anemones cooked into soft scrambled eggs known as Revuelto de Ortigulla. The proof that Raij and Montero have solidly catered to just about everyone’s culinary comfort zone is directly proportional to the persistence required to snag a table.

http://elquintopinonyc.com/reservations

République, Los Angeles review

September 16, 2014 / Roger Hyde / 1 Comment

République

If reinvention is as American as Apple Pie, then the capital would have to be Los Angeles – where dreams are made, shattered and reconfigured between a jog through Runyon Canyon and a tall, wet, white, decaf, no-foam, percent, vanilla latte on Sunset Plaza. Like any other business, restaurants are hardly immune to the competitive pressures of new entrants and fickle loyalties – regardless of how unrelenting their meteoric success might have been. While cooking-show super stars were being created a mere mile up the road, no one noticed that the first darling of SoCal’s seasonal-sustainable discipline, Campanile, fell victim to waning interest. But the good news is that République has breathed brand new life into what was once the Charlie Chaplin building on the edge of Hancock Park. Walter Manzke (formerly of L’Auberge Carmel, Patina and Petty Cash Taquería) has performed a spectacular transformation, not only with tiles from the Philippines, wood from Thailand (for the lengthy communal tables and even lengthier charcuterie boards) but also by cracking the cloistered space wide open, and relocating Chaplin’s iconic tiled fountain to enhance the super-bistro’s curb appeal. Manzke and pastry-chef wife Margarita have created robust-flavored pan-European plates from France to Alsace to the Italian Riviera (and beyond) accompanied by an exclusively French yet approachable wine list with a handful of cheerfully curious cocktails that include Absinthe, Serrano chillies and Pandan leaves as ingredients.

Grass-fed Beef Tartare

As you walk in, a very respectable selection of bi-coastal oysters greet you (where the bakery used to be) along with a tempting glimpse of pre-baked dessert tarts and a row of imported tulip-bulb shaped dollops of fresh Normandy butter. The menu is broken down more by kitchen department than digestive courses, with separate sections for Bread, Steak Frites and Savory Tarts. Most portions are sharable and the wait staff shines at taste timing and course choreography. And here’s the best part, not only is the shelf-life for any menu item dictated by its availability, but many of the preparations are frequently reinvented (I assume due to diner indifference or kitchen fatigue or both) leaving a menu perpetually brimming with highly popular and difficult-to-make decisions.

Tasmanian Sea-Trout Crudo

Must-have starters include the pastry covered Escargot, the Thai-inspired Charcoal-grilled Prawns and two incredibly flavorful crudos: the impeccably balanced Hamachi with fire and freshness from pineapple, passion fruit and fresh jalapeño, and the lightly smoked Tasmanian Sea-trout in a wonderfully light (yet creamy) leak-and-potato mousseline (whipped egg-white sauce) with green apple gelée. Our waiter very accurately defined the Grass-fed Beef Steak Tartare as follows: “They didn’t reinvent it or anything – they just nailed it!” And nail it they did with dill pickled onions and a take-no-prisoners mouth-watering tarragon aioli.

Nueske’s Bacon Tart Alsacienne

The Nueske’s Tarte Alsacienne is a traditional, thin-crusted savory flatbread drenched in melted gruyere cheese over soft caramelized onions and heavenly strips of chewy bacon.

The rich, sweet and juicy Australian Lamb Rack is presented in a cast iron pot over nuggets of lamb shank and a wintry mix of beans, tomato and zucchini. As a side, we had to sample the irremovable menu fixture Wood Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, which are deliciously browned with apple-wood bacon and a soft poached egg.

Australian Lamb Rack and Shank

Most of the desserts include seasonal fruits as inspiration around tarts, pastries and puddings, and the cheese menu includes local and European options with a couple of seldom-seen raw-milk choices.

Mirabelle Plum Tart

And so while it’s tough to let go of my many recollections of Campanile and their impossible-to-get-into Thursday night grilled-cheese heyday fests, I couldn’t help finding myself in total embrace of brand new memories at République.

http://republiquela.com/

Dining in Brussels

September 11, 2014September 11, 2014 / Roger Hyde / 1 Comment

La Villette

Belgium has always enjoyed a respectable (if somewhat unadventurous) culinary reputation, thanks to its border with the Netherlands and France. On one hand, some say that the local cuisine is classic French cooking served up in Dutch-sized potions, whereas for the vast majority of the chewing world, the only dishes that come to mind are Waffles, Beer, Moules Frîtes (mussels and fries) and of course my relentless weakness – chocolate. (More about that in a subsequent blog)

Delicatessen

Not to be outdone by any other European city, Brussels has its fair share of serious eats, modern surprises and tourist traps. There isn’t a single visitor to the city who doesn’t arrive armed with the name Chez Leon as a recommendation from a cousin’s neighbor’s aunt’s sister’s hairdresser’s boyfriend’s therapist. Located on the awning-covered, light-bulb-string-illuminated, beggar-inhabited Rue de Bouchers, the only way to describe the Moules Frîtes at this Belgian institution – is institutional! If the boredom of the wait staff is any indication of how the cooks must feel every time a red-eyed, jet-lagged backpacker orders the exact same dish, it’s no surprise you’re left with a relentlessly lingering aftertaste of salty leaks. For a more pleasantly memorable Moules Frîtes experience, the delightful bistro on Sainte Catherine’s square called La Villette hits the spot. The menu is riddled with Belgian favorites from Grey shrimp to Sole to Entrecote steak.

Moules Frîtes with Belgian endives – La Villette

Their Mussels with Belgian endives is flavored with white beer foam and cream, creating a rich, deep and buttery broth for the generous pot of fresh Zeeland bivalves, and for putting the hand-cut fries to good use.

Vol au Vent – La Villette

The equally scrumptious Vol au Vent is best described as a deconstructed chicken pot-pie, with a very simple cream, beer and mushroom gravy. Desserts include the ubiquitous Pancakes and Profiteroles in some form or other, but the Crème Brulee made with Chamay beer is a true original.

Burratta – La Manufacture

Other classic restaurants in the city range from the 90 year old and multi Michelin star honoree Comme Chez Soi, to the hip, trendy locovore kitchens like Alexandre, Delicatessen, and the former suitcase factory La Manufacture – featuring a mind-blowing Burrata with external olive-oil infuser and a hot, crispy and sinfully delicious Goat Cheese Crème Brulee, but what the menu boasts in green olive and pistachio crusts or tarragon sauces is quickly diminished by the complete and abject lack of service.

Le Wine Bar de Sablon

My personal favorite has to be the neighborhood bistro Le Wine Bar de Sablon. The staggering menu features every part of every creature (snails, brains and sausages included) proudly produced by the tiniest of kitchens.

Sea bream Carpaccio

The Dorade Royale (sea bream) Carpaccio was spiked with red peppers and pickles, giving the fish a smooth, sour and spicy edge. The Rillettes were sinfully festooned in thick duck fat with pickled onions and stoneground mustard for a sharp contrast, but the runaway hit of the day was the Poêlée de Champignons.

Poêlée de Champignons – Le Wine Bar de Sablon

A caramelized and sautéed trio of dark forest flavored and freshly plucked moist porcini, chanterelle and hedgehog mushrooms served with steaming hot polenta.

Lizzie’s Wafels, Bruges

And without doubt, the hands-down best Waffles in town – are actually located out of town. Just steps from the Grote Markt in nearby Bruges, Lizzie’s Wafels have conquered the hot, dimpled vanilla biscuit market. After years of being pestered by insistent tourists demanding waffles, Lizzie finally relented and took the popular all-day breakfast snack to a higher level. Serving nearly 150 super-sized crispy waffles per day with all the obvious (and some less obvious) toppings, Lizzie also created Chocolate “Roses”, which are peach-sized chocolate blooms in three flavors that are lowered into scalding milk for the most decadently wonderful melted hot-chocolate delight the world has ever tasted.

http://www.la-villette.be/reservation/

https://www.commechezsoi.be/Reservations/tabid/401/language/en-US/Default.aspx

http://www.lamanufacture.be/en/

http://www.winebarsablon.be/en

Hot Chocolate “Rose” – Lizzie’s Wafels, Bruges

Son of a Gun, Los Angeles review

August 26, 2014 / Roger Hyde / Leave a comment

Don’t judge a fish by its scales! To the West 3^rd Street passerby, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo’s summery seafood joint Son of a Gun resembles a casual but whimsical, south-Florida fish shack, with its sun-faded pastel shades as the canvass to a large, nautical pawn-shop collection of beachy tchotchkes. But once the dishes emerge, it becomes soberingly obvious that there’s nothing laid-back about the food. Here Shook and Dotolo have created an equally popular, full-flavored, scales-and-shells equivalent to Animal, their immensely successful carnivore paradise less than a mile away.

The comprehensive sharing menu is grouped by critter category rather than courses, and the bright and cheerful, color-splashed plates arrive with hurricane speed, but never seemed to deluge the table.

Hamachi

In the what appears to be the land of 101 vinaigrettes, the Hamachi crudo (raw fish) is splashed with a wonderfully sour dressing and prodded with sweetness from the doll-sized apple dice.

Lemonfish Poke

The superb Lemonfish Poke and radishes enjoy quite a different vinegary bath as they hide under a nest of the most exotically crispy sunchoke chips. Sunchoke chips? Finally someone brave enough to do something with sunchokes other than purée or au-gratin.

Uni & Burrata might very well be the names of my unborn children, but I can’t say that the fresh sea urchin and cream-centered mozzarella played very nicely in the sandbox together. Even the addition of yuzu lemon and button mushrooms couldn’t seem to entice them to get along. But the Jamaican jerk spiced Scottish Salmon with a sweet vinaigrette, chilies and cherries was like raiding a pirate ship with all sorts of treasures from The Carribbean to the coast of Spain and beyond. But enough about the crudo!

Peel n Eat Shrimp

I could have made an entire meal of the Chilled Peel & Eat Shrimp spiked with cajun spices and a citrusy mustard dipping sauce, were it not for the Hamachi Collar, a large, triangular section of fish from just behind the head and gills. In strict accordance with the adage that everything tastes better when cooked on the bone, Shook and Dotolo finish this especially flavorful fish cheek with yet another vibrant vinaigrette and fresh herbs.

Fried Chicken Sandwich

Normally one wouldn’t dare order chicken at a seafood restaurant, but that’s not the word on this street. On most of the dozen or so tables (ours included), stood at least one 9-inch tall gobbeliciously crispy, Sriracha aioli Fried Chicken Sandwich, stuffed with a zesty, citrusy, peppery, pickley coleslaw. A monumental challenge to bite into (given that a temporary jaw dislocation was out of the question), many of the slaw shreds escaped from between the fingers, landing on the plate (for subsequent re-consumption) or landing on the trousers right next to the napkin (for subsequent dry cleaning), but a highly satisfying ordeal nonetheless.

White Peaches

The menu winds down with a bright and seasonal choice of salads and sides like the popular Shishito Peppers smothered in Bottarga (cured fish roe) aioli and fresh basil or the wonderfully refreshing White Peach salad with mint and chili.

Desserts are equally summery with sorbets, gelato sandwiches and an impossibly delicious Banana Bread with coffee ice-cream and salty candied pecans.

It certainly appears that everything this dynamic duo touches, turns to caviar. I anxiously await the opening of their next act, Jon and Vinny’s on Fairfax this fall.

http://www.sonofagunrestaurant.com/reserve/

Umami Burger review

August 18, 2014August 18, 2014 / Roger Hyde / Leave a comment

You probably wouldn’t believe it, but there is a connection between the words Umami and Chutspah. Umami – borrowed from Japanese – has to do with the perceived fifth “savory” taste after salt, sweet, sour and bitter, and Chutspah is Yiddish for gall, guts, courage, fortitude, determination and a touch of arrogance. But Adam Fleishman (coincidentally Yiddish for “meat man”, hmm…) is the very personification of both. After going for broke, the California native created Umami Burger, a formidably successful franchise from the umpteen-thousandth re-re-re-invention of the hamburger. But when that wasn’t enough, he did the unthinkable – he brought it to New York City. As you can imagine, New Yorkers of all walks of life were unspeakably apoplectic with indignation that Fleishman would have the chutspah to enter their holy burger grail, tell them that he could do it better, and that he was an Angelino no less!

The predictably feverish hype and hoopla blitz ensued, and instead of standing in line for 3+ hours outside their Greenwich Village location (although I’ve read that the wait has shrunk to below 30 minutes for a table nowadays), I decided to sample Fleishman’s creation in its natural habitat. I sat at one of the raw wooden benches with a view of the parking-lot outside the tip of Fred Segal’s ivy-covered clothing empire in Santa Monica, as my server wearing the iconic logo of a cross between a burger and a pair of Rocky-Horror-Picture-Show-ketchup-stained lips on his T-shirt, brought me the Original burger with a side of Smushed Potatoes dredged in a roasted garlic aioli.

The Original

The soft, yet dense Portuguese roll has a cute cattle-brand of a “U” on its lid. The meat is roughly chopped Wagyu steak, which is loosely packed and cooked to a juicy medium-rare with Fleishman’s secret seasonings that are supposed to unleash that unbridled Umami flavor. The toppings are on the unconventional side, with sautéed shitake mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions and a Parmesan crisp wafer that adds an interesting crunch as you bite down.

The overall flavors are definitely restaurant quality. There’s char-grilled depth, salty moisture and a heartiness you wont find in a fast-food factory burger (which always remind me of gray wood-shavings and Purina puppy chow.)

But is it the best burger in the land? Probably not. Is that such a bad thing? Probably not. And will this be the last ever re-invention of the burger as we know it? Most definitely not.

Next time someone wants to reinvent something, why not try Escargot? They’ve been prepared the same way for over 350 years. I think it’s time.

http://www.umami.com/umami-burger/

Blenheim review

August 15, 2014 / Roger Hyde / 1 Comment

Manhattan’s “farm-to-table” restaurants have become so claustrophobically commonplace, they are practically their own cuisine: “American New-age”, “Southeast Asian”, “Asian Fusion”, “Californian”, “Farm-to-table”… the trendy moniker barely sounds like the rigorous ingredient discipline it used to be. The idea of toques only using seasonal produce ripped from the earth this morning, from less than 100 miles away has become SO one hour ago. Don’t get me wrong, I worship the concept, but it’s one thing to be a farm-to-table restaurant, and quite another when the restaurant owns both the farm and the table!

Such is the case at Blenheim, the West Village’s charming conduit for the enjoyment and nourishment of their very own harvest of sustainably grown fresh greens and humanely raised animals. Brainchild of the Smörgas Chef cofounders Morten Sohlberg and his partner Min Ye, their family farm in the Catskills is home to beehives, maple (syrup) trees, a hydroponic greenhouse for year round salads and veggies, dark barrels for mushrooms and a host of rare and heritage breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs. Enter multiple Michelin star honoree, chef Ryan Tate and suddenly you are faced with the best of all possible worlds on the plate in front of you – and I’m just talking about the BUTTER!

The Blenheim butter

I could quite easily sit here and write an entire review just about the Blenheim butter (and I would, were it not for all the other star-studded weapons in chef Tate’s arsenal). But if I did, here’s how it would go: Restaurant bread and butter are the most overlooked, unsung heroes to ever exit the kitchen. They are as expected and ubiquitous as the battery-operated flickering candle, the lonely and lifeless nine-day-old stem in a waterless vase, the empty salt and clogged pepper-shaker or that dishwasher-proof, 2^nd hand crust on a dull knife. And thanks to the low-carb diet craze, some restaurants wont even bring you bread and butter anymore.

So when our waiter gave us the choice of cheddar crusted white or red fife brown dinner rolls, and then placed a jar of what looked like a rich wedge of dark lemon curd topped with coarse chunks of Sel de Mer on the table, we were plausibly beguiled.

“Is this…butter?” I asked as I tore into a golf-ball-sized cheese puff, covering the exposed bread with a generous smear of the soft and shiny, ochre-colored paste.

“Yes.” replied the waiter. “It’s from one of our Herefords on the farm. All she does is produce butter for the restaurant.”

And then we tasted it. What followed was a bit of a blur. The two of us fell into a happy and nostalgic cloud of déjà vu. Not only was this what butter used to taste like, but I vowed right there and then – with God as my witness – never to eat or serve factory butter again. All my partner could utter was: “Bring me that cow!”

King Crab Legs

The modest menu of six app’s and six mains sounded like the ingredients of a farmer’s basket: Cauliflower soup, Roasted beets, Heirloom salad greens. Just reading it felt healthy. As the dishes started arriving, Tate’s signature plating style revealed itself as the Christmas wreath. The King crab legs were layered in a carousel of flavor amongst chanterelle mushrooms and an assortment of sea plants on the most deliciously buttery squid ink sauce.

Sockeye Salmon

The subtle taste of the cured Sockeye Salmon paired beautifully with the trail of nasturtium blossom puree (a first for me) and sea buckthorn pearls and crisps.

Roasted Trumpet Mushrooms

The mains covered all bases with a hanger steak, a pork loin, a guinea hen and a couple of fish. The ultra-crispy Striped bass was paired perfectly with coffee-roasted carrots (whole and pureed) and the odd blueberry in a scrumptious sea urchin sabayon sauce. The rich and hearty-as-a-filet-mignon Roasted Trumpet Mushrooms (from the aforementioned dark barrel), were surrounded by a bed of homemade sauerkraut, shaved fennel, and (not nearly enough of) the most wonderfully crispy roasted Spätzle ever.

The desserts are an equally interesting blend of farm fresh ingredients with Tate’s personal spin, like buckwheat crêpes and buttermilk sorbets, but the Apricot and Popcorn Crémeux is definitely the highlight.

And so if it is indeed true that “you are what you eat”, then go ahead and call me a farm-to-table Blenheimer!

http://www.blenheimhill.com/reservations/

Obicá review

August 13, 2014August 13, 2014 / Roger Hyde / 1 Comment

Obicá. The Grand Palace of Mozz

Silvio Ursini is probably not a household name amongst New York foodies, but one of Bulgari’s top creative executives for their Hotels and Resorts division just so happens to have also founded the world’s first Mozzarella bar a decade ago. The concept behind Obika was to create a restaurant around several different varieties of fresh gourmet Mozzarella, milked exclusively from water buffalo in the Campania region of Italy, and thereby earning the much coveted, but seldom seen, “Protected Designation of Origin” certification.

Caprese Classica

I vividly remember been blown away on my first visit to the bar in Rome’s Parlamento district, by the creamy sweetness of each of the four cheeses, complemented by their feather-soft texture from skin to center. (I should have a penny for every time I’ve had to plough through “so called” Mozzarella di Buffala, that was either tight, runny, hard, crumbly, sour, chalky or ho-hum.)

Ursini’s little idea turned into a global brand with eighteen mozzarella bars worldwide. To celebrate their tenth anniversary, they just opened their newest location and renamed the brand Obicá, which means “here it is” in a Neapolitan dialect. And so if you stand just off the northeast corner of Broadway and 21^st, you too can say “Obica!”

Bufala Beet Salad

The battleship gray, sleek interior with mirrored surfaces and discreet lighting feels more like a Japanese designer boutique than the Grand Palace of Mozz, but the four brine-filled tanks housing the baseball-white puffs of goodness flown in twice a week is unmistakably why the place is so crowded. The “Classica” is what all mozzarella dreams it could be: sweet, smooth, silky, light and ever-so-slightly salty. The almost caramel colored “Affumicata” has a sharp and distinctive hay-smoke bite to it. The “Burrata” is the runnier, cream-centered version of the classic, and it’s brother “Tartufo” is infused with black summer truffles.

Bufala in Carrozza

You can order them solo, with Salumi or Antipasti, on Bruschetti, deep fried (In Carrozza), on pizzas or in several salads (the Caprese Classica is a cheerful collage of multi-colored tomatoes, and the Beet salad has roasted pine-nuts and string beans for crunch).

Pappardelle al Ragú di Anatra e Arancina

Unlike their lunchtime bar in the IBM building on 56^th street, chef Enzo Neri’s menu elaborates way beyond the Mozz to include more substantial dishes like his signature homemade pastas, pizzas, seafood and vegetables. The Rosemary flavored Pappardelle al Ragú di Anatra e Arancina has an incredible Tuscan-style duck ragú spiked with a surprising zest of orange, and the Taglierini di Botarga e Granchio is like an enchantment-under-the-sea dance with a blend of crab ragú with roe from Sardinian mullet, topped with fresh sea-urchins.

Ananas Carpaccio

The desserts are a very fresh respite from the usual institutional suspects. Three guesses what cheese the Crema de Ricotta comes from…Mmm!

And what better way to walk home than with the crisp and lingering taste of Ananas Carpaccio – X-ray-thin, mint syrup marinated Pineapple slices with lemon sorbet and pink peppercorns.

http://obica.com/

Khe-Yo review

August 11, 2014August 19, 2014 / Roger Hyde / Leave a comment

Sesame Beef Jerky

If you are only going to try one new “it” restaurant this year, then let it be Khe-Yo. Not just because it’s located on a trendy TriBeCa shopping street, nor because Soulayphet (“Phet”) Schwader – who after years of cooking for Marc Forgione, managed to convince his mentor to partner with him and open a South-east Asian joint. Definitely not because it’s one of the few Laotian/Thai restaurants in the city, and certainly not because the service is flawless, nor the fact that the fern-adorned exposed brick walled, aged-wood bedecked room happens to be both chic and cozy, but primarily because it is a fireworks treat, thrill and delight for the senses.

After immigrating to the Midwest from his native Laos when Chef Phet was a kid, his mom would send him to school with Laotian food when all he wanted was a ham sandwich like everyone else. Wait, what? If my mother would have packed Tam-Mak-Hoong (Smashed Green Papaya Salad) or Ping-Sai-Ua-Moo (Grilled Laos sausage with green mango and peanut sauce) or even Laap-Dip-Nguah (Steak tartare with bone marrow) in my lunchbox, I might have gone to school willingly!

With only 14 family-style items on the menu (the 15^th being a single dessert of fruit-topped rice-pudding) Chef Phet ratchets a variety of proteins all the way up and down the flavor scale, thanks to his deft use of the gamut of south-east Asian herbs, roots and seasonings. If the end result isn’t 100% Laotian (or 100% Thai for that matter), Phet’s years behind the cooker have yielded a comprehensive understanding of what his customers want before they arrive, how to blow them away while they’re there and then how to keep them insanely loyal thereafter.

Sticky Rice

The first order of Sticky Rice (always on the house) arrives in a little whicker basket and is accompanied by a Babaghanoush-looking eggplant pate and a dipping dish of (chili-chili) Bang-Bang sauce. So when you roll the coconut-sweetened rice into a ball, dip it into the Bang-Bang (for as long or as deep as your internal fire hydrants will allow) and then top it off with a dollop of eggplant moosh, you will experience a VIP invitation to a marathon tea-dance for all five tastes senses.

The sublime sticks of Sien-Haeng (Sesame Beef Jerky) are so unbelievably morish that you will find yourself resorting to kindergarten tricks to distract your dining companions to look away while you snag them all. They arrive with a small dark wedge-shaped paste of smoked chilies (more fragrant than hot) and fresh radishes for contrast. Also on the un-sharably sharable list are the Fried Calamari dribbled with chili mayo between diced cubes of fresh watermelon.

Chicken Wings

The Chicken Wings (from tip to shoulder) were deep fried and then smothered in an impossibly sweet and tangy marinade from Hoisin and Sriracha, before being tossed with nubs of crispy pork rinds and crisped Thai basil, and served next to a pickled cucumber salad.

Berkshire Spare Ribs

I wish I had something better to say about the gorgeous-looking soy-crusted Ping-Sien-Moo (Spare Ribs), but the ensuing struggle to get them to release their vice-grip from their bones was a bit of a defeat.

Chili Prawns

As odd as it might have been to see two fresh fish options on the menu (Banana Wrapped Red Snapper and Whole Black Bass) from Laos, a land-locked country, we still ordered the game-changing Goong-Phet (Chili Prawns) that were the reason we had such an enormous full moon. A clutch of hearty head-on shrimp draped over the most unbelievably delicious Sriracha, basil, butter and coconut curry with doorstep wedges of crusty ginger-scallion-lathered toast to mop up the sauce. And mop it up we did. (Had there been any left, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see our fellow diners dabbing a little on their wrists and behind their ears.)

The cocktails are unsurprisingly exotic and the modest all-French wine list has been well selected to cope with (and complement) the uncompromising food flavors, like a red Sancerre named for Marc Forgione himself.

Khe-Yo is without doubt my restaurant of the month for August.

http://www.kheyo.com/

David Burke Kitchen review

August 7, 2014August 11, 2014 / Roger Hyde / 1 Comment

The anxiety-inducing thought of serving dinner to a rather demanding group of 15 executives after a long day of butt-numbing meetings is enough to insert molten shards of glass directly into the cornea. On one hand you have a ravenous team who has just spent the last 9 hours struggling to stay awake through flip charts, pie charts and stale coffee, and who rightfully deserve a few foo-foo cocktails, a table bedecked with a variety of sumptuous dishes and flawlessly attentive service. On the other hand you have an über-popular, high-brow restaurant in a trendy neighborhood, with a highly decorated and acclaimed chef accustomed to cooking and serving immaculate dishes for parties of 4 or 6. Perfect storm warning!

Lobster Dumplings

I think it’s important to separate the delights from the disasters as they transpired during our recent team dinner at the David Burke Kitchen in Soho’s James Hotel. Chef Burke has made a solid name for himself as an inventor and patent holder of many culinary feats that have become commonplace kitchen practices all over the world. His whimsical cooking style using basic ingredients gives his many restaurants a unique edge and distinctive flavors. But if we are truly measured by our weakest link, then someone’s got some ‘splaining to do in the service department.

Burrata and Squash Carpaccio

The dish-sized menu groupings are obviously a collection of greatest hits rather than any themed journey, starting with at least one of Burke’s many signatures – his little glass jars with Ratatouille and Ricotta. The Peanut Butter Maple Bacon Dates and saffron-infused Burrata and Squash Carpaccio with melon nuggets are hands-down crowd pleasers.

Parfait of Salmon and Tuna Tartare

And while the fragrant Baby Octopus and beets salad and the sublime Parfait of Tuna and Salmon Tartare can silence a room, nothing compares to the gorgeous Lobster Dumplings, which combine zucchini, white beans and roasted garlic in perfectly swirled, petite wraps.

The mains include every variety of popular proteins, including a crispy Branzino and the much reviewed and requested Short Rib with truffle mousse, or the cheddar bacon Kitchen Burger. The impressive Heritage Pork comes two ways: seared loin medallions au jus and the most delicious BBQ pulled shoulder baked right inside a light and fluffy corn bread torte.

Maine Lobster BLT

The green goddess dressing and tomato marmalade regretfully overpowers the magnificently presented Main Lobster BLT, and the prime rib-eye with extensive dry aging via Burke’s trademarked SaltBrick™ method harboring a trace of rancid mustiness from perhaps a tad too much of a good thing, was further exasperated by someone confusing medium-rare for medium-well!

Heritage Pork

The Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Bar is rich and sinful enough to share and although we ordered (and were looking forward to) the Coconut Trifle with peppered pineapple jam, we had to make do with Burke’s cheerful Cheesecake Lollipops instead.

Note to self: Team dinners + prix fixe menu = probably the way to go.

http://www.davidburkekitchennyc.com/

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Roger's Digest

FOOD. My favorite 4-letter F-word.

Year: 2014