Restaurant Review: Sons of Essex

I had a great brunch experience with 6 of my gal pals at Sons of Essex. Cool place on the LES. Apparently a brunch hot spot, with dim lighting and a DJ spinning late 80s/early 90s hip hop. We got a fantastic deal from Gilt City that included 6 cocktails, 2 bottles of champagne, 6 entrees, 3 sides, and 2 desserts (oh and coffee/tea if we wanted it). So naturally, we ordered up a storm!

After popping the first bottle of champagne, we got our three sides - truffle tater tots, seasonal fruit, and truffle mac n cheese. They accidentally brought out a fruit parfait with housemade granola and greek yogurt, so we got to try that as well. Everything was great. The tots were crispy, the mac n cheese was creamy (and a generous portion), the fruit was fresh, and the yogurt parfait tasted really natural, creamy, and wholesome.

Truffle tater tots

Fruit and yogurt parfait

Truffle mac n cheese

We also ordered cocktails. Obviously I went with the Bloody Mary which was great, but could have been bigger. I also tasted some of the white sangria which was very fruity, tangy and pretty strong (not a bad thing).

Bloody Mary

Next came the entrees. We each ordered one thing, but ended up splitting and tasting everyone's. We got the lobster benedict, steak and huevos, Essex St omelette with egg whites, stuffed french toast, and 2 S.O.E. brunch pizzas. I didn't try the steak and huevos because it got eh reviews. Apparently the steak was a bit tough. I also didn't try the egg white omelette because who has time for that at a brunch like this.

Steak and huevos

Essex St. omelette (with egg whites)

I tasted the french toast that the menu says is made with cornflake crusted challah, maple marscapone, and homemade ricotta. I looked like red velvet to me, but either way it was fluffy, sweet, and delicious. I could only have one bite though since it was too sweet to eat a large portion of that. (sorry, no photo available).

The lobster benedict was pretty good, nothing crazy. The lobster flavor was definitely there, and there was a decent portion of lobster on top of an English muffin (I think). I asked for the hollandaise on the side so it didn't smother the dish. It also came with a little salad that I dabbled in, but it wasn't dressed (or wasn't dressed well), so I moved on.

Lobster benedict

The S.O.E. brunch pizza was huge and awesome. Scrambled eggs, aged cheddar, and Applewood smoked bacon on a crispy flat bread is a great combo, filling, and easy to share. I think we all were getting so full at that point so we didn't do serious damage, but this was one of my favorite dishes.

S.O.E. brunch pizza

For dessert we went with a chocolate cake and apple streusel. The chocolate cake was served warm with caramel. It was yummy, but nothing amazing. The apple streusel had a warm, crispy topping, but the filling was nothing to write home about. We also were busy with our second bottle of champagne and very full, so dessert was definitely an after thought at this point.

Apple streusel

Chocolate cake

We were finishing up around 3pm and all of a sudden we looked around and the scene had totally changed. The music was still bumpin, but now it was fuller and the crowd seemed to be really decked out, as if it were 11pm. The waitress told us that it can get pretty wild there and they always have bouncers on walkie at brunch time...totally normal.

So, if you are looking for a lively brunch spot with good food and good service, definitely check this place out. I would not recommend bringing your parents or a first date, but great for groups trying to party at brunch time.

Restaurant Review: Cafe El Presidente

A new Mexican restaurant, Cafe El Presidente, opened around the corner from my office and they were nice enough to invite some of our employees to special opening/tasting. Really smart idea if you ask me because my coworkers are always looking for a great after work spot. There was not an overwhelming turnout, which was fine because it was not overcrowded or too loud. The place is a huge open space that has "stations" for everything.

When you first walked in there was a drink station serving yummy sangria, margaritas, and another watermelon drink. Separately, they set up mini cups of grilled corn with some kind of aioli that was delicious (I had 2) and set out baskets of housemade chips with guac that was amazing.

Grilled corn with aioli

Housemade chips and guacamole

There was also a taco station where they were serving tacos made to order (which caused a bit of a back up) with a wide variety to choose from. A unique touch is that they make the tortillas right there in front of you at the "tortilla station" with a big machine exposing the process to the restaurant. The displayed machinery went with the warehouse feel of the decor.

To be honest, I didn't love my 2 tacos - grilled fish (it was too fishy) and pork (not enough flavor), but my coworkers seemed to enjoy theirs including steak, crispy fish, and chicken.

Pork taco

Grilled fish taco

Steak taco

Left: Chicken taco
Right: Crispy fish taco

I am definitely interested to come back and get more corn and chips and try some of the other menu items. I will be keeping this place in mind for after work drinks or even a group dinner.

Restaurant Review: Babbo

Jeremy wanted to celebrate his birthday at Babbo this year. We went two years ago and LOVED our meal, so we decided to go back and check out the pasta tasting menu. We had impeccable service and enjoyed a nice atmosphere with dim, intimate lighting...which is great for ambiance, not so much for photos. I apologize in advance.

The pasta tasting menu consists of 5 pasta dishes and 2 desserts, and we decided to add an appetizer to have something other than pasta for our meal. We also ordered some great red wine which is served generously in a mini carafe and ends up being almost 2 glasses.

The waiter came around with a chickpea salad on toast for amuse bouche. It was nice.

Chickpea salad on toast

Our first dish, not on the tasting menu, was the grilled octopus with borlotti marinati and spicy limoncello vinaigrette. It was a thicker piece and I think slightly overcooked, but I love lemon flavor with grilled octopus, and the spicy kick was a nice change of pace.

Grilled octopus

So, now for the first course of the tasting - black tagliatelle with peas and castelmagno cheese. The black pasta actually didn't have the normal squid ink flavor that you usually get from black pasta, likely because the peas and sauce flavors were pretty powerful. The peas were so sweet and delicious, it was as if they picked them minutes before serving them. Even if you don't like peas, you will like these. The dish was probably half peas though, so it was quite a bit of peas. Ok enough about the peas. This wasn't the best dish of the night, but it was good.

Black tagliatelle with peas and castelmagno cheese

Next course was Casunzei with poppy seeds. This dish was ravioli-like pockets of roasted beets with smoked ricotta and a butter scallion sauce topped with poppy seeds. We all know I love beets, so I really enjoyed this dish. The smokey flavor from the ricotta was potent, as if they smoked it immediately before serving. This flavor became the focal point, but everything came together really nicely.

Casunzei with poppy seeds

The third course was supposed to be the Garganelli with funghi trifolati, however Jeremy is not a fan of mushrooms. Apparently they allow just one substitution so we were able to order the beef cheek ravioli with crushed squab liver and black truffles. We had this the first time we went to Babbo and have been thinking about it ever since, and it was as amazing as we remembered. The beef cheeks were so flavorful and tender, and the liver and black truffles were identifiable, but definitely not overwhelming.

Beef cheek ravioli

The fourth tasting was Agnolotti al pomodoro. We were expecting bigger agnolotti, maybe 4 for the whole dish, but these were little baby agnolottis. They were yummy and the tomato sauce was very very sweet, which was different, but not my favorite. Also, the basil and parsley were so fresh and their flavors came through in every bite.

Agnolotti al pomodoro

The final pasta course was the best - Pappardelle bolognese. I wish this came first because I was getting so full, but this was an amazing dish. The pappardelle was perfectly cooked and the bolognese was just divine. The meat was plentiful and savory and the sauce was very complementary. The was the ultimate Italian dish done just right.

Pappardelle bolognese

The first dessert course was conveniently small, refreshing, and light. The Huckleberry yogurt coppetta came in a small dish and was still pretty frozen, however it softened quickly. The bottom layer was rich yogurt and it was topped with frozen huckleberry puree and then a few fresh huckleberries.

Huckleberry yogurt coppetta

The final dessert course was two different dishes - one was an olive oil cake with gelato and the other was the pastry chef's choice of the night, a pistachio and chocolate semifreddo. 

The olive oil cake was drizzled with EVOO as it was served and looked very pretty. I had high expectations for this cake, thinking that since it's made with oil it would be super moist, but it was just the opposite. Pretty disappointed with this one. The outside was lightly browned and crisp but the inside was so dry. However, the gelato was fantastic. So creamy and authentic tasting.

Olive oil cake

The semifreddo was unreal. The pistachio cream inside was literally perfection and the chocolate shell was so rich. There was espresso in there somewhere, and it was garnished with crushed pistachios. WOW. I was force feeding myself at this point because I was so full, but god was it worth it.

Pistachio and chocolate semifreddo

So that wraps another successful meal and Babbo. While it was a totally different experience the second time around, both trips were great and I highly recommend you try it.

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.