Restaurant Review: Swine

Checked out a new place, Swine, with Jeremy in the West Village the other night - well not new, but new to us. We had a nice meal, nothing crazy, but an overall good experience. For starters, they have happy hour until 7:30 with BOGO beers and house wines, so we each took advantage of that.

Our table was on the main level right next to the bar, which actually wasn't really a problem. It wasn't too loud, at least for most of the meal. Around 8:30 it started to fill up, but we were already on our way out. Anyway, we ordered two appys and 2 entrees and that was the perfect amount.

First we had the Daily Pickle Plate and that day it was red beets, white beets, and cauliflower - just a few of my favorite pickled veggies. They gave us a solid portion and I really enjoyed this obviously housemade dish.

Pickled red beets, cauliflower, and white beets

The second appy was the Maine Diver Scallops with a cherry-brandy glaze. It came with 2 medium sized scallops on a bed of lentils, carrots, and leeks. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the lentil/carrot/leek combo provided a nice textural contrast. It was interesting because scallops are usually a lighter dish but the lentils, carrots, and leeks made it a hearty one. Not the best scallop dish I have ever had, but we still enjoyed it.

Maine Diver Scallops

For my entree, I got the Balsamic Braised Short Ribs served with white grits, watercress, and radish. The meat was so tender and flavorful. I thought the grits were really smart because it mixed with the juices from the short ribs and created a creamy deliciousness that was different from your typical mashed potato (which would have been too heavy). The watercress was necessary to add some green to the plate and some crunch, but the radish I could have done without. I don't hate radish, I just can't think of anything that would be better with it, so I usually find it unnecessary.

Balsamic Braised Short Rib

Jeremy got the Swine Chop for his entree. This was pork porter-house, topped with sweet corn and herbs. The chop was a very nice size, possibly a tad bit over cooked, but very flavorful. The sweet corn was a nice addition to bring in some freshness, sweetness and texture.

Swine Chop

The service was good and everyone was friendly. I would call this a cool neighborhood spot, if you live in the neighborhood. Probably would only return if convenient, but I would still recommend it to anyone in the area for a quick bite.

Restaurant Review: Cleo Los Angeles

While in LA for work, I was taken out to a great spot in Hollywood, Cleo. Known for its Mediterranean tapas, Cleo is a trendy restaurant great for sharing. We ordered much of the menu. Between 6 people we shared:

Babaganoush dip
Brussels Sprouts with capers, parsley, almonds, red wine vinaigrette
Mushrooms with dates, hazelnuts, and puffed wild rice
Grilled Hanger Steak with grilled peewee potatoes
Chicken and Duck Bastilla with almonds, saffron, egg, chicken, and cinnamon
Grilled Octopus with celery, crushed potatoes, and lemon vinaigrette
Grilled Tuna with olive tapenade, zaatar, tahini, and calabrian chili
Scallops with lebaneh, dill, orange, and Moraccan dry cured olives
Artichoke Flatbread with crushed potato, wilted arugula, and aged mozzarella
Eggplant Lebaneh with feta, fresno chili, and zaatar

There was probably a few other things that I missed, but the table was full of fun, yummy dishes that we all got to try. The dishes were a solid portion size, and it was perfect to let everyone have a taste or two of everything - and there was more than enough food. Each dish had great flavor, everything was cooked well, and they had a nice presentation. The restaurant has a cool atmosphere with a significant bar area and several different types of tables to accommodate parties of varying sizes. We even spotted a LA Kings player with Erin Andrews - so LA.

I would definitely recommend this place to any of my LA readers, or anyone visiting.

See and be seen, and eat good food.

Restaurant Review: Heidi's House

Jeremy and I have walked past this cute little place, Heidi's House, many times. It is located on 78th St, between 1st and 2nd and seats about 20 people max, and half of that is at the bar. They let you call ahead to be on the waiting list for a certain time, but won't call it a reservation. It is always crowded in there and it's so small that there literally is no place to stand without being in the way. You have to wait outside. Good thing we were on the wait list for 8pm and were able to be seated right then.

The menu is very limited with 2 staple items (a burger and mac n cheese), and then the rest of it changes daily. They do have a pretty extensive beer and wine menu though and a page of "snacks." We decided to start with the Bruschetta which is made with baguette from Orwasher's (the bakery next door) covered in melted organic mozzarella and topped with heirloom tomatoes, basil, and capers. Not your traditional bruschetta at all, and I was surprised by the way the mozz was used, but it was a good starter. The bread was awesome too!

Bruschetta

The pasta of the day, pappardelle with lamb ragout, caught both Jeremy's and my attention, but he let me have it. And thank god because I totally won with my meal. The pasta was homemade and coated with a savory gravy that was made from the lamb juicey goodness. The lamb ragout was cooked until incredibly tender. The dish was a bit salty - not over seasoned but just naturally high in sodium. I had like 4 glasses of water with it in addition to my white wine, Orvieto. Aside from that, it tasted genuinely homemade and just was simply tasty.

Pappardelle with Lamb Ragout

Jeremy ended up going with the hamburger made with grass fed beef served on an English muffin with lettuce, tomato and onion and served with homemade fries. He also ordered a side of roasted vegetables that included brussel sprouts, white beets, cauliflower, and broccoli. The burger was fine, nothing crazy, and the fries were absolutely horrible. I never thought I would ever have seriously terrible fries, but this was it. They were mushy, undercooked, mealy, cold, and really just inedible. I was super surprised considering they were homemade and everything there is made to order in small quantities. Good thing he ordered the roasted vegetables as a side. You could tell the dish was made with fresh veggies and they were simply roasted with some seasonings, but not overdone. He also had a couple Samuel Smiths, organic beer. It was pretty good.

Hamburger with Homemade Fries

Roasted Vegetables

I sort of felt misled that because this place is all homey and cozy and uses locally sourced ingredients, the food would be excellent. However, we were underwhelmed. Also, where was Heidi? This is the kind of place that Heidi actually exists and runs that kitchen every day. Bummer. For $100, an annoyingly tight space, and a lackluster meal, we will not be returning to this supposed neighbor favorite.

Restaurant Review: Alder

Eh. I have to say that Alder was a bit of a let down. I must caveat that I was not feeling 100% the day I went with Jeremy, but we agree on the so-so-ness of Alder. First of all, I was a bit confused by the atmosphere of the place. The decor was pretty bare and there was just nothing memorable about it. It was dimly lit, so my pictures are exceptionally poor this time, sorry. Also, our waitress was kind of awkward, but she was fine service-wise. Now the food...

We ordered 5 dishes to share, starting with the Pickled Beets. They were served with coconut ricotta and Thai basil crystals. The beets were not very pickley, which is good actually, because it went well with the creamy, not-too-sweet, coconut ricotta. The Thai basil was super interesting because it was somehow crystallized and reminded me of colored sugar (like the kind you use to decorate cupcakes). It provided a nice textural contrast and overall I thought this was a good starter.

Pickled Beets

Next was the Chicken Liver Toast. Unfortunately for this dish, we just had an amazing iteration of Chicken Liver with Toast at Charlie Bird, so this version fell flat. It was served on top of cornbread with grapefruit marmalade around it and a piece of crispy chicken skin on top. Since chicken liver is creamy, it seemed weird to put it on top of cornbread as it is a soft vehicle and it all kind of mushed together. It didn't help that the liver was under seasoned. However, the grapefruit marmalade gave a nice tang, and the chicken skin on top was super crispy and savory.

Chicken Liver Toast

The next course was the Fried Squash Blossoms. Two flaky cornucopias were served on a slate board filled with blended smoked shrimp, summer squash, celtuce, and some fresh dill. This was probably the best dish of the night. The outside was crispy and the inside was creamy and flavorful. There was a nice sauce drizzled on top too.

For our entrees, we split the Rye Pasta and the Beef Tongue. The concept of the Rye Pasta was cool - rye flavored pasta with shaved pastrami in it (like the classic kosher deli sandwich), however I probably would have preferred the actual sandwich. The pasta was dry and it needed some kind of sauce. I personally thought a nice mustard-based sauce would go well, but what do I know.

The Beef Tongue was served thinly sliced with smoked yucca, pickled cippolini, and chimichurri dashi. This was pretty good. The tongue was tasty and the dashi broth was nice. Nothing to run back for. I can't even remember any other thoughts I had about it.

Rye Pasta

Beef Tongue

Needless to say I will not be returning or recommending this spot. It was pretty expensive, about $150 for this meal (including 2 beers), and there are plenty of other restaurants that have food good enough to command this rate.

Restaurant Review: Charlie Bird

Last night Jeremy and I decided to have date night and check out a new spot that we've been hearing about over and over, Charlie Bird. A bit pretentious at first glance, especially when they gave away our table after we were 10 minutes late. Let me ask, who isn't 10 minutes late to a reservation? Anyway, we waited just about another 10 minutes and they "figured something out" for us. It's a trendy spot in the West Village; a decent size with a happening bar. Our waiter was quite friendly and attentive, so A+ for service.

More importantly, the food was excellent. We both thoroughly enjoyed every part of our meal.

We each kicked it off with a cocktail. Me with the "Two One Two," a mix of tequila, Aperol, and grapefruit, and Jeremy with the "Old Pal," a mix of rye, vermouth, and Campari. Both were very nice.

Left: Old Pal
Right: Two One Two

We started our meal with two small plates - Grilled Octopus and Tuscan Chicken Liver. We told them we were sharing everything and it all came pre-separated, which I greatly appreciated. This way, I can eat at my leisure and there is no swatting of the fork when Jeremy goes for my portion.

The Grilled Octopus was served with speckled beans and green garlic. It was grilled to perfection with a nice, crisp exterior and it was juicy and tender inside. It had great garlic flavor too, without being overpowering.

Grilled Octopus

The Tuscan Chicken Liver was served in a bowl with toast on the side. I normally don't mind chicken liver, but Jeremy loves it. This liver, however, was actually delicious. It was not irony, as I normally expect, and it was creamy and seasoned very well, which I guess is "Tuscan" style. We had to ask for more toast to ensure we scraped the bowl clean.

Tuscan Chicken Liver

Our next course was the Duck Egg Spaghetti, split into two portions all tied up with uni on top, spring onions and lemon. The uni, or sea urchin, was a small portion but packed a powerful punch. A bit fishy as expected, but did not overpower the entire dish. The lemon provided a nice acidic balance and a fresh taste. Not 100% sure if the pasta was homemade, but it tasted like it!

Duck Egg Spaghetti

Last was the Grilled Black Bass. This was also portioned out for us, and the fish was served atop of a shitload of tomatoes. There were chunks and slices of heirloom tomatoes, and little tiny tomatoes cooked in someway that made them shrivel up still attached to the vine. All of this sat in a broth made with Lambrusco, a type of wine. The bass was cooked perfectly, and I personally loved the acidity the tomatoes brought. However, Jeremy thought it was a bit much. I am more of a tomato lover than he is.

Grilled Black Bass

Overall, we had a very nice experience. Great spot for date night, or even a double date. A little pricey, I will warn you, but worth it. I would definitely return!

Restaurant Review: Umami Burger

Tonight I checked out the new CA transplant, Umami Burger. Of course, they do not take reservations. We were a party of 3 and did not have to wait too long at 7pm on a Wednesday night (though one member of the party was there 15 min earlier to get our name on the list). After 7pm, there was a significant line forming. Anyway, we got hooked up with a sweet booth in the back and enjoyed our meal.

We decided to start with two orders of fries, one regular thin fries and one sweet potato. The regular fries were crispy and savory, and the sweet potato fries were very sweet. They were actually served with brown sugar on top which was interesting. I only wished they were served with some special dipping sauce too.

Now for the burgers. I went splitsies and tried half of the Classic Burger with shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, a Parmesan crisp, and Umami ketchup. The other half was of the Truffle Burger with house-made truffle cheese and truffle glaze. Both were really delicious. We got them medium rare and they came juicy, savory, flavorful, and just awesome. The Parmesan crisp on the Classic was a nice added touch. The Truffle Burger had cheese literally oozing out of it, but it was gooey and truffley and mmm so good. Also, the buns were nice and soft and had a cool "U" burned into the top. Nice branding opportunity.

Truffle Burger

"Umami" means savory, and all of our food was just that. I had heard so much excitement around this new, amazing burger spot, and it did not disappoint. I have had a lot of great burgers, and this is near the top of the list. I suggest you try!

Restaurant Review: The Meatball Shop

Tonight Jeremy and I gave the new UES location of The Meatball Shop a try. We have been to the West Village location and had a great experience, so naturally we were excited when we heard their biggest location yet would be opening just 3 short blocks away. Why not cap off a great Labor Day Weekend with a ball-rific dinner?

We had great service - did not have to wait at all, which was a big plus, and our food came very quickly. Everyone was super friendly. It's a fun place, and I especially like the laminated menus that allow you to use markers to check off what you want.

As for the food, we had 2 different orders of "naked balls," which is four meatballs served with your choice of sauce and a stick of focaccia bread. We got spicy pork balls with mushroom gravy sauce and chicken balls with pesto sauce. The balls are a nice size, not too dense, and very delicious. Even the chicken ball had tons of flavor. My favorite part was the pesto sauce. While it was a little oily, it had toasted pine nuts in it, so that was a nice touch.

For sides, we got the two daily specials - sweet corn and cherry tomato risotto and roasted squash with chili lemon butter. I was a little disappointed with both. I expected the risotto to be super creamy, but it wasn't. I mean it was fine, just not what I expected. And I really did not like the squash. The chili lemon butter gave it a weird kick, and I am pretty sure there were a few other spices like paprika or cumin that did not mix well and gave it an odd flavor.

From Top to Bottom:
Spicy Pork Balls with Mushroom Gravy Sauce
Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomato Risotto
Roasted Squash with Chili Lemon Butter
Chicken Balls with Pesto Sauce

For dessert, I had to try one of their famous ice cream sandwiches. Glad I did! They give you the option to mix and match the 2 cookies and the ice cream, so I went with snickerdoodle and honey vanilla cookies (daily special) and the brown sugar ice cream (daily special) in the middle. The snickerdoodle cookie was actually a bit hard, but the honey vanilla was super chewy and buttery-delicious. The brown sugar ice cream was sweet and it all came together well.

Ice Cream Sandwich

Will definitely be returning, especially to try some more of their daily specials, which vary by location. A cute, fun, casual, cheap spot! What more can you ask for?