When you eat as much as I do...

It's sometimes hard to take a break. But hubby and I decided that right before the holidays, when both of our offices are overwhelmed by holiday treats and candy, would be a good time to do our first ever juice cleanse. Really, we didn't put too much thought into what the process would entail--we like being healthy and figured we'd give it a go. And now that I'm half way through day one I can already see clearly just how much and why I love eating as much as I do.

The Blue Print Cleanse involves drinking 6 juices a day for 3 days and to be honest some of the juices are quite delicious. I also like the thought of putting good into my body and having bad vacate it. But all that being said, I miss food. And not because I'm hungry, which I'm not. I miss the idea of food. The ritual of food. The reward of food.

For the most part, every day of our lives can feel like a routine and for me food is the miniature vacation I can take with myself and friends 3 times (or sometimes more) a day. I relish dining. I look forward to eating. I live for food. And now, having self-imposed a mini break from eating I can pin-point so clearly what about food I love.

For me, food is more than sustenance. It's entertainment. It's art. It's reason. And it's beautiful. It's beautiful in the mundane and expected feeling I get from having my morning cereal. It's a gift during a busy work day when I take a break (even if only briefly sometimes), step away and have lunch. It's the event of my evenings - sometimes simple and quick, sometimes full of pageantry and joy. And it's the highlight of my vacations, often dictating where and when we travel.

And even though I miss food I know how much I'll enjoy it again soon. But 3 days is feeling longer than ever before.

You don't need to be able to pronounce it to enjoy it.

Ushiwakamaru. U-shi-waka-maru. This Japanese restaurant is a mouthful in more than one way (I didn't intend for that to sound dirty if it did). But just like the restaurant's name each piece of sushi that you eat floats around your mouth before entering your subconscious and changing you for the better. Incidentally, Ushiwakamaru is actually the childhood name for a legendary twelfth-century Japanese war hero. They must have chosen it because Ushi is a hero in the NYC sushi scene, swooping in and offering incredible fish at reasonable prices.

The decor of natural wood, clean lines and elegant lighting help the patron focus on what's really important. Sushi. And the sushi is worth focusing on. Considering that within a few blocks one could pay a lot more money for sushi that is only a little bit better quality Ushiwakamaru is fast becoming a go-to establishment for sushi aficionados around the city (of which I count myself). The menu, much like the environment, is simple; you won't find complicated, fancy rolls or heavy deep fried appetizers, but instead quality, elegant fish.  And that's heroic to me.  
Ushiwakamaru
136 Houston St. nr. Sullivan St

Dearly Departed: I really miss LAN sushi.

LAN sushi was my favorite restaurant. Period. End of post. just kidding.

LAN was my go-to place when I wanted to celebrate a personal triumph like a getting a raise, running a new long distance or when a cute guy winked at me on the subway (this was before I was married obviously). But it was also the place I went when I wanted to drown my sorrows on rainy days & grey Tuesdays, after a stressful day at work or when a cute guy hit on my friend (this was before I was married obviously). In short, LAN was the perfect catch-all restaurant through good and bad times and I really reveled my evenings spent reading on my own or playing follow-the-leader sushi with friends.

The fish was incredibly fresh, the sake selection was really extensive, they had a chocolate molten souffle on the dessert menu and it was perfect. Never so crowded that you had to wait long for a table but never too empty that you felt strange dining alone. So when LAN closed a few years ago it became a challenge to find a replacement but I recently tracked down the man behind LAN, Tadao Mori, at his latest restaurant, Dieci (Japanese Italian food - yes Italian) to find out what happened. While I couldn't get a straight answer about why LAN closed other than "it just didn't work out" it's comforting to see the owner, chef and much of the old staff happily settled at this new establishment.

Anyway, now on those evenings when I'm in need of some celebratory sushi or some drown-my-sorrows sake I make my way to one of the following non LAN spots; Shima when I want no muss/no fuss quality fish, very low key and mid-level good. Kanoyamo when I want to step it up a notch but I still don't feel like getting dressed up. The fish quality is slightly better but the prices go up quite a bit. And relatively new to me is Ushiwakamaru on Houston--friends introduced me to this spot over the summer and I'm really glad they did. It's casual, non-pretentious, absolutely delicious and fresh. You may need to go elsewhere for the chocolate molten souffle but I think these spots have helped to fill the canyon size void that LAN left in my heart.

1000 pageviews! Where should we go to celebrate?

Whoa! 1000 pageviews! Sounds like a reason to celebrate if I've ever heard one. How about cocktails at our place and then onto the main event...

Here are some of NY's best restaurants that (gasp!) I haven't been to. Vote on which should be next:



a) Per Se (Sam Sifton's "best restaurant in NY." Caveat: we won't be paying for the full experience just the salon menu.)





b) ABC Kitchen (love the furniture why wouldn't I love the food too)





c) Momofuko Ko (David Chang's turn with tasting menus, sounds good to me)







d) Dirt Candy (because a meat-eater can be a vegetable-lover too)




e) wild card write in?

The writing on the wall...

I'm sitting here at Graffiti on East 10th Street rudely typing away while my husband stares aimlessly at our communal table dining companions. To the unsuspecting patron across the table I must look very important because I'm clearly responding to a work email but really I'm too excited to wait to say just how good Graffiti really is.

I recently heard that the television writers for one of my childhood favorites (Pete & Pete) put parameters on their writing that everything should be "funny, sad, strange, beautiful" and for some reason that struck me. I think that's a perfect lens to look at life. So it's rather strange and beautiful that we ended up dining at Graffiti tonight. The food at Graffiti feels vaguely Spanish and Indian but that fusion works and the results are definitely beautiful. There are elements of Modern Spanish cuisine in the combinations of ingredients and presentation. And there are Indian influences in the spices that linger on your tongue and the smells that waft over you while you dine. It's a lovely sensory experience.

We started with the Pickled Ginger Scallops over a candied red chili glaze--the scallops were so sweet and delicate but balanced by the flash of heat from the chilies--it was subtle and powerful at the same time. Next the Pork Dumplings with a sweet grapefruit confit covered with strangely, crispy chickpea flakes--the different textures and combination of the hearty pork and airy dumplings created a truly enjoyable bite. To be honest the pork buns didn't wow me but the Skate with mint yogurt sauce more than made up for them. Finally, on to dessert which was amazing. Hazelnut chocolate caviar cupcake with chocolate chip ice cream. Doesn't that just sound delicious? I'll say it again; hazelnut chocolate caviar cupcake with chocolate chip ice cream. Yum. This lightly sweet hazelnut cake covered with whimsical crispy chocolate caviar spheres accompanied by chocolate chip ice cream truly finished the evening right. The whole experience fit my new mold of funny, strange, beautiful and the sad part is that it had to end.

Graffiti
224 East 10th Street btw 1/2 Ave

People will not stop talking about Torrisi Italian Specialties.

The Torrisi guys have saved traditional locally-sourced rustic Italian cuisine! The Torrisi guys have revamped the San Genarro festival and made Mulberry Street hipster-foodie approved! The Torrisi guys have revolutionized mozzarella by putting it on a stick! There has been so much non-stop buzz around these guys and their Italian food cottage industry that I decided it was high time to check out all the buzz for myself. And I'll admit it, I arrived a little skeptical -- after all these guys have more hype surrounding them than that time Angelina & Brad walked through that airport.

My skepticism was magnified when I found out that in order to dine at Torrisi one must queue up at 4:30pm and wait for a host to mysteriously appear from behind a literal veil of lace curtains for the opportunity to get one of three seatings for later that night. When you walk by the Mulberry street storefront in mid-afternoon, there is a line of fidgety foodies clamoring to be invited past the veiled window. What the old fashion window coverings are protecting is a mystery that only adds to aura and hype. Perhaps the veil is to protect the patrons who've made it in from the glaring oohs and ahhs of onlookers. Or perhaps instead to protect the passer-bys from the splendor that exists just beyond their reach. No matter what the reason the whole meal felt shrouded in secrecy and wonder. And I found it particularly comical when a random couple walked in at 8:30pm and asked for a table on the spot...ha! Those imbeciles! Don't they know what the rest of us have gone through to eat here?!?

Anyway, once we were finally seated and the wine started flowing I began to see, and be swept into, the hype. There is no formal menu, only an ever evolving prefix where the only choice your faced with is between two entrees. Luckily my table is the sharing kind so we get to try it all. We began with oysters - 2 per person - to get our palates going. Then on to the hand-pulled, house-made mozzarella in DaVero olive oil accompanied by buttery garlic bread with tomato (good start). Next the broccoli salad with crispy shallots (yum). Followed by the deliciously tender grilled octopus doused in a pepperoni vinaigrette (really delicious). The extremely delicate lambs tongue gyro followed (unbelievable). The dirty duck ragu over perfectly al dente Gemellis (holy cow that was yummy). Then onto the mains; Skate with pickled cauliflower and spicy Devil's Chicken over tangy yogurt (YAY!). We ended the meal with a venerable cornucopia of Italian pasties (and we asked for seconds of a few). Another bottle of wine and we called it a night. [Actually we sang like 20 rounds of karaoke at a bar around the corner but then we called it a truly satisfying night.]

And I'll admit, with all the buzz surrounding these guys and their recent food endeavors it was wonderful to walk away feeling that you can actually believe the hype.

Torrisi Italian Specialties
250 Mulberry Street

I keep paying $26 for that damn burger at Minetta Tavern

Minetta Tavern. This classic West Village establishment first opened its doors in 1937 and the vibe and mystique hasn't changed. This popular and crowded haunt feels like a vintage speakeasy that then and now is crawling with artists, village bohemians and jet set alike. It's been described as "Parisian steakhouse meets classic New York City tavern" and I couldn't put it better. But even though the environment feels ripped from the pages of the past, the menu prices have raced into the future. And with good reason.

Minetta Tavern is known for their $26 Black Label Burger. Love it or hate it, the BLB works hard for its price tag. The burger is a mixture of select cuts of beef from the famed La Frieda meat purveyor surrounded by some of the finest fixings around. A mixture of dry aged, prime NY strip, skirt steak and brisket floating on a Balthazar Bakery brioche, covered with sweetly sauteed onions and drizzled with clarified butter. This burger is pampered to perfection. It is so juicy, so decadent, so yummy--one bite and you'll understand all the attention (and $$).

While there may be buzz around the burger everything on the menu is noteworthy. Some of the appetizers - bone marrow with toasted baguette and shallot confit or the "classic" beef tartar - are amazing. And surprisingly, with a host of other delicious entrees to choose from, each time I come I can't help but ordering that damn burger!

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal btw Bleeker & West 3rd

I found my happy place at Brooklyn Fare.

I'll find any excuse to celebrate. So when I needed an excuse for us to be excessive at Brooklyn Fare I decided that the fact that I even got a reservation (for 7:45pm on a Saturday) was reason enough to throw a party. But then, just after I received our email confirmation, the accolades started rolling in-- Three Michelin stars! 29 in Zagats! Three stars in the NYTimes! Praise from almost every food writer in the tri-state. I knew that us going there was meant to be. Especially after our dining neighbors told us they called over 100 times to get their coveted seat. And all it took was me patiently calling their reservation line at 10:29am on the dot on a Monday morning 6 weeks prior. The phone rang, they answered, and we were in. (Editors note: my hapless but well intentioned husband tried for weeks to get a reservation, I suppose it takes a woman's touch.)

When we arrived at the 18 seat sanctuary I was actually nervous with excitement. There I was fidgeting as we stared awkwardly at the other patrons across the table who were part way through the earlier seating. But then I began to watch as César Ramirez's kitchen worked its magic...military precision, silence, artistry. It was beautiful. And everything in the place was minimally elegant and had a clear purpose. And then the food began...

We started the evening with a large shot glass of warm butternut squash soup topped with thick, cool greek yogurt foam. Perfection. It was clear we were in for an adventure. The meal is designed with 18 consecutive one bite dishes followed by 5 larger dishes and 2 desserts. The one bites are meant to be just that and their compositions are like mini masterpieces, each small component deliberately chosen to accentuate a flavor, smell or sense. (By the way, photos, phones and note taking are strictly discouraged so I just have to go with what sticks out in my memory) there was the thimble of salmon, creme, roe over celery & dill compote, the sardine weaved into a homemade potato chip, the fluke with pickled daikon, the oyster in a gelle of its own brine, the mini custard with dashi sauce, urchin, fois gras and truffle. Or my personal favorite of the small bites; the San Diego sea urchin on pillow like brioche with black truffle. Each taste was like a sweet and rich little gift.

On to the main courses which were somehow less impressive than the one bites but nonetheless delicious. Namely the pumpkin ravioli in mushroom sauce topped with a thinly shaved black truffle, the simple waygu beef, the lobster bite with veal ravioli and foie gras, the perfectly cooked duck breast and so on. We finished the evening with a sweet and refreshing lingonberry, frozen yogurt with gold leaf followed by a cinnamon apple cake with sweet salted oatmeal crumble. These descriptions don't do them justice.

I was practically catatonic I was so elated and overcome with beautiful sensory experience. But I guess that's to be expected when you enter your happy place.

Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare
200 Schermerhorn Street
Brooklyn, NY

I would like a glass of wine.

When you reach a certain age in life it's important to have a neighborhood wine bar.

For us that wine bar is Terroir (East Village). We frequent this bar enough for the approachable bartenders and madcap chef to recognize us by face but probably not enough for them to know us by name (I might worry if we were that regular). Terroir is a great place to wallow time before or after your evening plans or to make a night of it with several glasses of wine and an order of their delicious Tomato & Egg bruschetta. This bruschetta is made with delicious thick and crusty bread, unbelievably fresh tomatoes and one oozing raw egg gingerly placed on top. It's single-handedly changed my view of the use of raw egg in food and changed some of my personal recipes, thank you very much Terrior.

Besides the bruschetta there are a lot of options on the munchies menu ranging from cheese, meats, small sandwiches and meatballs. But really the wine is the focus and it's pretty obvious that the staff loves their wine. They're super knowledgeable and patient as you peruse the large index of labels and types they carry.

For some reason the East Village Terroir gets far less buzz than its Tribeca sister but being the smaller and more under-the-radar of the two is just fine for me. With snacks this good, with wine this yummy and with a vibe that could make you want to sit there for the long haul, Terrior is a good spot for a neighborhood to have, especially my neighborhood.

Terroir
413 East 12th Street btw 1st/Ave A
24 Harrison Street @ Greenwich
Murray Hill location opening soon (not that I'll ever get there)

An homage to (and suggestions to replace) the dearly departed - Gonzo

If you're like me you've undoubtedly watched some of your favorite neighborhood restaurants come and go with little to no fanfare. Well enough! Respect needs to be paid. And alternatives need to be brought to light. Because over the years we've lost some greats. And I'm tired of pining for places that no longer exist.

Vincent Scotto of Gonzo did things with thin crust pizza that I've never seen before. Taking eight ounces of dough and spreading it out to the size of a small table then covering it with unique ingredients such as curried cauliflower, sweet onions, spiced goat cheese and cumin. This was the perfect neighborhood restaurant and I frequented it as much for the ambiance and wine list as for the food which was consistently great. So I was surprised and saddened to see it boarded up one day while walking the pup; I was even sadder to hear that it closed because Chef Scotto died of a heart attack at the young age of 39. Tragedy for us all...and I'm yet to find a suitable replacement. I've heard that Gonzo sibling restaurant Scotto's pizza is very similar but I'm yet to sample it so can't fully endorse it.

But in the interest of life goes on it's time for me to go on too and find a surrogate for this thin crust mecca. While it might not be exactly the same type of pie I've been taking great solace at Motorino East Village. I've found that this Neapolitan style pizza is delicious and even though I favor the classic Margherita pie, having toppings like Brussel Sprouts & Pancetta or Stone Clams & Parsley Butter really helps get through the loss of Gonzo.

The Dearly Departed posts will be continued with other recommendation to fill the void in all our hearts left by the closing of LAN, Share, 9th Street Market, Harbour, Irving Mill and Kitchen Club to name a few. Feel free to send condolences or recommendations.