Restaurant Review: Traif

For my birthday this year, Jeremy and I decided to check out some unexplored territory (for us) in Brooklyn. We had heard about Traif in Williamsburg from a few people and thought it would be fun to try. For those that don't know, "traif" is the Hebrew word to describe food that is not kosher. So, as you might imagine, Traif celebrates pork and shellfish... mixed with cheese...among other goodies.

3 subways later, we arrived at a cute, hidden gem looking place that was already poppin'. They squeezed a lot of tables in there, and we ended up with one directly across from the open kitchen. While an open kitchen is a cool touch, it creates some heat and we were getting the brunt of it at our table. If you decide to go, definitely ask to be seated in the enclosed garden area in the back. It's at least 15 degrees cooler back there!

Dishes are meant to be shared and vary in size. They recommended we go with 5 dishes for the 2 of us, and that was plenty. After we ordered, they came around with little shots of pea soup, complimentary amuse bouche.

Pea soup

For the actual meal, we started with the burrata cheese that was served with yogurt, roasted beets, raspberries, pomegranate vinegar and mint garnish. Every ingredient was so fresh and the beets and raspberries were very complementary to the salty cheese. The yogurt made the whole thing creamier and the a pomegranate/balsamic glaze drizzle sweetened it up a bit. We really liked this and were off to a great start.

Burrata

Next we got the spicy bigeye tuna tartare which was served on top of tempura Japaense eggplant rounds and drizzled with recap manis soy sauce. This was probably our favorite dish of the night. The tuna tartare was very fresh and portioned nicely on top of each crispy eggplant round. The crispy, crunchy tempura was not greasy at all and really complemented the soft tartare texture while adding some salty flavor.

Tuna tartare

For the third dish, one of our "entree" plates came - milk braised Berkshire pork cheeks served on top of polenta with fava beans, snap peas, and asparagus. I have never really had pork this way before in that it was similar to the texture of short rib, very tender, falling apart with a shredded feel. The polenta was super creamy and rich and the greens were bright and crisp and added the needed crunch. We really liked this tasty, flavorful dish.

Pork cheeks

The fourth dish was the second "entree" plate, crispy buttermilk-crusted quail. When it arrived it was not what we expected. It looked like a giant piece of fried chicken, except it was fried quail. The batter was delicious, seasoned to perfection, and crispy without being greasy. Even the gravy was good, with the meyer lemon flavor giving the dish a bit of a fresh taste. However, the quail meat just didn't hold up. It's a tiny bird that's not especially meaty and I think it just got lost in the batter and should really never be fried like that. We weren't thrilled with this one, but the smoked gouda mac n cheese it came with helped the situation. It was crusted over on top and creamy and rich inside. Considering this "small plate" was $27 and the main part was disappointing, I would not order this one again.

Buttermilk-crusted quail

The last plate was the BBQ braised short rib sliders. I wished this came third, before the bigger plates, because it is more of a starter with only 1 slider each. The short rib had a sweeter tangy flavor and was pulled apart. The meat was good, but I was too full to eat it with the bun. I couldn't even finish the super crispy, super delicious sweet potato fries with smoked paprika aioli because I was so full (and that is shocking because I love all fries).

Short rib sliders

As full as we were, we had to make room to try the largely hyped bacon doughnuts. Four munchkin sized airy, fluffy doughnuts arrived alongside a scoop of coffee dulce de leche ice cream. The doughnuts were topped with crispy bacon crumbles that added an awesome salty contrast to the sweetness of the dish. Don't get me wrong, these were super indulgent and really good, however I don't think they were AS AWESOME as everyone had said. Would I get them again? Sure.

with a Bacon doughnuts

Once we got the check, they came around with a little palate cleanser type bite of pineapple which was cute.

Pineapple bites

Great overall impression here. We really enjoyed most of our meal and it's a cool atmosphere. Aside from the heat and some minor service related issues, I think this is a great little spot that was worth the trip. I would definitely come back with a group to try more stuff, especially since their menu changes somewhat each day.

Restaurant Review: Contra

Contra on the LES was recommended by one of the talent I was working on a project with, and I figured it couldn't hurt to check it out. Their website is not very descriptive, so I had to take to the interwebs to find out what the deal was. According to Yelpers, this is one of NYC's hidden gems with a $55 5-course tasting menu that rotated every night. Sounded great to me! So I decided to make a reservation for Jeremy and me along with another couple. 

I had read that the outside was unmarked, so I knew to look closely for it. It only has a small menu in the window and a neon sign in the front when you walked in.

The ambiance is very cool and comforting - not overly pretentious and neither is the staff. It is also quiet as there are only a few tables, seating maybe 20-30 people at a time.

We ended up having to wait a bit for the other couple to arrive, so we sat at the bar and got a drink and some bread to nibble on. My cocktail was made with tequila, fresh pear juice, and black cardamom. It was very light and fresh, but I would have preferred it to be a bit stronger. The bread was a multi-grain beer bread that was warmed in the oven and served with a cocoa-oil butter and it was all delicious. I would go back just to grab a loaf of this chewy, soft bread with a crispy crust.

After being seated, we ordered more drinks and another loaf (for the other couple to try) and were given the run down for the evening and an option to add on a duck course to our meal. We decided against it, mainly because it was made with all kinds of celery and celery root and it's safe to say Jeremy despises all things celery. Here is what we had to look forward to:

First came the beef tartare that was served with potato crisps on top and a few other garnishes, and it says on the menu mussels and mushrooms as well, but honestly I didn't notice those. The beef tartare was prepared well and I actually thought the potato crisps were the best addition, adding a nice textural and salty contrast.

Beef Tartare

Next was the cod served with broccoli raab and spigarello with a wonderful cod emulsion foam over it. The cod was very light, cooked well (maybe could have used just another minute), and had the skin on that was actually not crispy, as I normally see it served, but rather the same texture of the fish. I think it would have been nice to crisp it up a bit and have some contrast. I love broccoli raab, and this was crunchy and fresh, and the spigarello was served as a gremolata. Again, the cod emulsion foam on top really brought everything together and I very much enjoyed this course.

Cod

The third course was the pork, served with sauteed sunchokes, daikon radish, and perhaps a fava bean puree (that was somehow black). The pork had a decent amount of fat on the edges, but it was easily trimmed away. The meat was a little pink looking, but all four of us had the same color pieces so I have to assume that was the intention (right?). It was incredibly tasty and juicy, and went very well with the savory sunchokes that took on the consistency of roasted potatoes. The daikon added a little crunch without overwhelming the flavor. 

Pork

The fourth course was kind of like a pre-dessert freshener, and one of the more "gastro-technical" dishes I have ever had. It was mandarin curd topped with pulverized popcorn, though the mandarin tasted almost flash-frozen (Dippin' Dots-esk) and became creamy once inside your mouth. The salty popcorn, which might have even been kettle corn, was the perfect pair to this sweet creation. I am so curious exactly how this was made. It was the highlight of the meal which is funny since it almost served almost as a palate cleanser.

Mandarin awesomeness

The fifth course was dessert, which was a frozen yogurt served with beet sorbet and hazelnut cream, topped with powdered beet. The yogurt was creamy and not tart, leaving that role for the beet. The hazelnut brought the sweetness and some crunch and everything about this dessert was just perfect - assuming you like beets!

Overall, I enjoyed the meal and thought everything was very well presented. I liked the staff and while some courses took a little while to come, it was a relaxed atmosphere and they definitely were not rushing us. The only thing to note is that while a $55 dollar 5-course menu sounds too good to be true, it sort of is. They charge extra for bread and cheese and of course a lot extra for drinks, so that all adds up quickly and pretty soon your $55 goes up closer to $100. Just something to keep in mind. I would say check it out if you are looking for a nice yet causal place in the LES, but I wouldn't say it's the best deal in NYC as I had previously read.

Restaurant Review: Empellon Tacqueria

I went out to Empellon Tacqueria with a large group of girls for one of our monthly dinner adventures. I had heard mixed reviews about this place, and I have to say I feel mixed about it myself.

The space is on the smaller side and they definitely pack in the tables in here. It's a good place for groups since they have a couple of larger tables. Unfortunately, our table was right in front and directly in the path of the freezing air that rushed in every time the door opened (which was often, since it was a busy night). We also were sandwiched between the bar area/walkway to the restrooms and the other tables/walkway to the exit. So, our central location put us in a place to get bumped a lot by people trying to get by, and also allowed all of the sounds to pass through making it really loud and hard to hear anyone but the person next to you.

Now that I sound like an old fart that can't hang, I will move on to the drinks and food. We ordered some margies and beer (I got this adorable "Baby Sol" which was a mini beer) and a couple of guacs + 7 salsas, which is all of the salsas on the menu. The guac was good, once I removed the cilantro! And the salsas were fun. They came in small dishes displayed around the guac in order of spiciness. #1-#5 were good, #6 was really spicy and #7 was insanely HOT, so thank god I only took a very very small taste. I don't know where in the spectrum this one fell, but I especially liked the smoked cashew and chipotle one.

Baby Sol

Guac + 7 Salsas

For dinner, most of us got a variety of tacos, since we were at a tacqueria after all. The tacos come in orders of 2 or 3, and one taco will run you ~$6-$8 each. We all pretty much went splitsies and I ended up with the lamb barbacoa with cucumber and salsa borracha, skirt steak with mojo de ajo, and duck confit with loganiza (type of sausage), avocado puree, red onion, and habenero.

The lamb was my favorite of the three. It was pulled, which was interesting and worked well as a taco. I don't think I have ever had lamb prepared that way, and the cucumbers gave it a nice crunch. My least favorite was the skirt steak. It was cut into chunks and while I know skirt steak is normally on the chewy side, this was just a little too tough and fatty for me. It was hard to bit into as a taco, so I ended up trying to eat just the steak out of the tortilla, but that wasn't working either so I just gave up on that one. The second runner up was the duck confit. It took a few bites to actually find the flavor in this, meaning the duck itself was not seasoned very well, but the other stuff inside helped keep it alive.

Left: Lamb
Center: Skirt Steak
Right: Duck Confit

Conclusion - I probably won't be coming back since I really did not like the ambiance and the food did not help Empellon's case either. You win some, you lose some!

Restaurant Review: All'onda

Jeremy and I had a lovely Valentine's Day dinner at a new place, All'onda. I had high expectations because this spot had a lot of buzz when it opened, considering it is the product of the chef from Ai Fiori and Morimoto and the former partner of Michael White, and it mostly delivered.

We chose this place that night because they did not have a pre fixe menu, as many high end restaurants do on the big day of love. This way, we were able to properly explore the menu.

We started with some drinks, me with red wine and Jeremy with the 697 cocktail - bourbon, honey, bitters, and amaro rinse. Both were fine, exactly what we wanted and exactly what we expected.

To start, we went with the crostino with monkfish liver, persimmon, and caramelized onion. It came on two pieces, one side had the liver consistency you would expect, and the other side was in the form of pate with the jellied persimmon on top. The livery side was SO fishy, it was overwhelming and we were not into it. However, the other pate-ish side was better. The sweetness of the persimmon balanced it out and the "pate" was not nearly as fishy.

Crostino

Next we had the Bucatini pasta - by far the best dish of the night. With homemade pasta, smoked uni (smoked in house) was a main ingredient in the sauce and pieces were throughout the dish which was topped with spicy bread crumbs. This Eatr article is what intrigued me, and thank god because this dish is where it's AT. A must order if you go.

Bucatini

And finally, for our entree, we went for the short rib for two. An unusual move by us, considering we always aim to try the maximum amount of dishes our stomachs and wallets will allow, but Jeremy saw another table with it and he was hooked. This dish is MASSIVE. We were served two huge pieces of short rib, stacked up against each other, on top of a tomato mostarda (basically a yummy roasted tomato spread). In a separate dish, we were served a saffron risotto. The short rib had some pros and cons. 

I will start with CONS: not the tender, fall off the bone texture I was expecting of short rib and very fatty (I had to cut away large pieces of fat throughout the piece). 

PROS: While not cooked how I expected, it was cooked to the perfect temperature and had a beautiful pink inside. After cutting away the fat, the meat was extremely flavorful and the outside was exceptionally seasoned.

The risotto was amazing upon first bite - so rich and creamy. However, after a couple more bites, you start to realize that the reason this so amazing is because you must be eating a bowl of butter and cheese and it starts to be a little TOO rich. 

Short Rib

While we didn't have the perfect meal food wise, I enjoyed the atmosphere and service, and my company was decent as well. The food was good enough to keep me intrigued and I would definitely go back for the Bucatini and to try a few more things.

Restaurant Review: 83 1/2

Jeremy and I didn't feel like cooking one night, so we decided to go back to a place on the UES that we had been to over a year ago, 83 1/2. We remembered enjoying it, but nothing that made us come running back so quickly. It was pretty new at that point, and by now they have definitely smoothed out any kinks.

We had a really delicious meal and good service in a nice, quiet, welcoming place only a few blocks from home. What more can you ask for? Here's the rundown:

We started with 2 appys - Siciliana salad and Tortino di spinaci. 

The salad was made with radicchio, orange segments, candied pistachios, black olives, shaved fennel, and balsamic dressing. The slight bitterness of the radicchio was offset by the sweetness of the candied pistachios and I always love the citrus/fennel combo so that all worked really well together. 

Siciliana Salad

The tortino was a delish spinach cake surrounded by a Parmesan fondue and topped with a crispy egg yolk. This was creamy and savory and glad we decided to add this on last minute.

Tortino di Spinaci

For our entrees we split the ravioli of the day and the Cornish hen.

The homemade ravioli of the day was spinach and ricotta. It came with 8 large raviolis that were perfectly cooked and dressed in a sage butter sauce. 

Ravioli del Giorno - Spinach and Ricotta

The Cornish hen came with 2 large pieces (breast, and leg/drum) with crispy, well seasoned skin, sitting on top of baked stuffing. The chicken was juicy and moist, however the stuffing ended up getting a little mushy from the herb vellutata. That was probably my only complaint and it really wasn't that bad, I just prefer my stuffing a little less soggy.

Cornish Hen

I would definitely recommend this spot for any Upper East Siders looking for a quiet date night, dinner with parents, or a catch up with the girls!

Restaurant Review: 12 Chairs

Looking to get a little more Israel in our lives, some lady friends and I went to 12 Chairs, a Middle Eastern cafe in Soho. It was empty when we got in around 7pm on a weeknight, but totally full by the time we left, around 8ish. The service definitely could have been better, but the vibe in this place is very casual and it is run by Israelis...so that should explain that.

We ordered Labaneh, which is a yogurt cheese dip with za'atar and olive oil served with pita. It was good, standard Labaneh, homemade, and a nice starter.

I don't see a lot of shakshuka on menus, so I tend to go that route if it is available. And, this would be the place to do it, right? Shakshuka, for those that don't know, is eggs poached in a spicy Moroccan tomato sauce served with bread for dipping. They also served it with Israeli salad. I had asked for my eggs to be over easy, but they came out more than medium and did not run at all, which is the best part. So, while the sauce was pretty good and authentic tasting, I was disappointed about the eggs and not overly impressed.

Left: Shakshuka
Right top: Labaneh
Right bottom: Israeli salad

My friends got the Goat Cheese Salad and the Greek Omelette. I didn't have either of them, but they both seemed content.

Goat cheese salad

Greek omelette

While this was not a mind blowing experience, I would go back to try other menu items, especially to try brunch. It is an easy, quick, casual, and very reasonable spot to grab food in Soho.

Restaurant Review: L'Artusi

I am going to go ahead and call L'Artusi one my new favorite restaurants. Jeremy and I actually had plans with another couple at a different restaurant because L'Artusi didn't have a reservation available, and I forgot that I had asked to be put on the wait list. So, at 4:30 that day I received a surprisingly delightful call that informed me of a reservation that opened up. The 4 of us happily switched our plans, and thankfully so, because we had a really wonderful meal!

We started with a bottle of wine recommended by our waitress, but I honestly have no idea what it was. Then we ordered up several apps and side dishes to accompany our entrees. The meal included:

A cheese plate with caciocavallo di bufala and taleggio that came with some fruit and crackers. It was high quality cheese on a pretty little plate.

Dayboat scallops crudo - raw thinly sliced scallops with sea salt, olive oil, lemon, and espelette. They were fresh, refreshing, and sliced to just the right thickness.

One of the specials, short ribs with polenta - this was divine. Short ribs were melt in your mouth, and oh so savory. Honestly, this is the best short rib dish I have ever had (and I have dabbled quite a bit in short rib). I would probably call and see when this was available again so I can go back that day to get it.

Fettuccine with rabbit, cacciatore, and parmesan - the pasta was homemade and perfectly cooked with a slightly spicy tomato based sauce that was well seasoned overall. The rabbit tasted braised and really made the dish stand out.

Side of brussels sprouts with black pepper and pecorino, which were devoured instantly. They were your typical delicious brussels cooked to perfection, crispy, and complimented with the right amount of cheese. We considering ordering 2 servings and decided against it, however we would have inhaled the second plate if it were to have arrived.

Side of caramelized parsnips with honey and almonds - I found this to have a good flavor combination, but it was a little too sticky and dense (maybe over cooked?) for me. It was getting stuck in my teeth. However, my tablemates really enjoyed them.

My fellow diners ordered the roasted beets salad and orecchiette with sausage, salumi, and pecorino. I did not taste these dishes so therefore cannot really comment, but I will tell you that there was nothing but praise for everything.

Highly recommended for date night, or even a small group. I noticed they have a nice private dining area upstairs for a small private party. Cool atmosphere and great service - I can't wait to go back!