Aldea

Amuse Bouche of ramp, mussel, mushroom, broth, coconut foam and disk of spicy ham

Sea Urchin toast meticulously prepared with tweezers - cauliflower cream, sea lettuce and lime

Lightly lemon-cured fluke with bacon, crunchy soy and almond milk

If there is ever a poached egg dish, of any sort, on a menu, I order it. This slow poached egg in a garlic broth with bacon, peas, mushroom and seasonal black truffles is an appetizer to be reckoned with.

Hanger Steak - smoked potatoes, golden carrots and piquillo peppers

Growing up in Texas, I've eaten my fair share of game and this venison is 1st rate. I've only had one venison dish that was perfection at Auberge de Soleil in Napa. This was a Denver leg cut crusted with coriander, mustard seed, star anise, clove, cumin and black pepper and then cooked on the plancha. Then it is topped with a crumble of toasted almond, crispy shallot and huckleberry, then the napa cabbage, a froth made with hazelnut milk and finally a pomegranate reduction.

Watching George Mendes' tattooed staff cleaning after a hard night's work.

SHUTTERED: Quinto Quarto

Resembling a small, Roman dining room, Quinto Quarto inconspicuously sits on tree-lined Bedford street. During our 20-minute wait, the cheery Italian host brought us small tumblers of red wine before seating us in our nicely candlelit, corner table.


Carciofi con Guanciale (Sauteed artichokes with pork cheek)

Spaghetti cacio e pepe (Spaghetti with cracked pepper and pecorino)

Salsiccia vino Bianco (Roman Sausages cooked in white wine with roasted potatoes and green beans and tomato sauce)

This is a simple menu and there are no complicated dishes coming from the kitchen; but it is good to know that you can make these exact dishes at home. Quinto Quarto chefs don't quite stack up against any NYC American-Italian chefs, but it's a nice neighborhood spot for the right price. 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and a bottle of wine for $60

14 Bedford Street b/t 6th & 7th Avenues
http://www.quintoquarto.com/index-en.asp

Txikito

The owners of Tia Pol and El Quinto Pino now give you their take on Basque tapas with another establishment in Chelsea.

Piperrak (Blistered peppers with sea salt) - a take on shoshito peppers with a heavily granulated sea salt almost uncrusting the peppers

Arraultza (Sofrito, palacios chorizo, quail egg)

Pochas (Navarran white beans, Buchot mussels, white wine, parsley) and undoubtedly the winner of the evening!

The almost everyday 'special' of slow-roasted suckling pig with Chimichurri. The crispy skin is delicious.

i Trulli

There are a few reviews I missed throughout the winter, but will post pictures with captions.

I Trulli embodies a true Tuscan ristorante, particularly on a bitter winter evening.


Wood-oven roasted oysters with cavolo nero and fonduta

Malloreddus (Sardinian Saffron Dumplings with sausage and tomato) - Makes the entire meal worth the trip!

Costoletta (Grilled Veal Chop, brussel sprouts, herbed potato puree and pinenuts)

Brasato (Braised Short Rib of Beef, Pumpkin Farrotto, Broccoli Rabe) - super tender hunk of meat with a semi-sweet pumpkin side and the bitterness of broccoli rabe

122 East 27th Street b/t Park and Lexington
http://www.itrulli.com/

SHUTTERED: Bee Desserts

Claudia Steves' renamed La Palette has just reopened on Greenwich Avenue with the same menu as its predecessor.

The tilapia sandwich ($12) looked appealing with its sesame seed bun, deep-fried bananas and asiago cheese, but lacked flair. The green sauce, which would have brought the dish together, simply wasn't strong enough. The asiago was the only element keeping it together, and the tilapia could have used a dash of salt.

Forget the pulled pork altogether...not even worth the mention, dry and bland.

DO pick up the foil-covered speciality honeycakes. The spongy honeycake is enclosed in a dark cocoa shell, come with marshmallow, liqueur and almond and made with zero sugar. The quaint back garden (along with sweet strings of lights) is lovely for an evening of sipping wine and eating pleasurable desserts, but hardly much else.


Bee Desserts 94 Greenwich Avenue @ Jane Street www.beedesserts.com

Shopsin's

There is a diner menu, then there is the Ultimate diner menu. In a cushioned chair at the end of Essex Street Market, sits foul-mouthed Kenny Shopsin. He watches every element of Stall No. 16 like a hawk. Only this man would be ballsy enough to formerly come from a diner space to a 50 sq. ft. kitchen and produce an extensive 1000-item menu. Shopsin and his daughter keep breakfast items in the simplest form, but reinvent the wheel with mac 'n' cheese, s'more pancakes and slutty cakes (glazed pumpkin, peanut butter & pistachio). I mean, how could these dishes not a gather a cult following?

The Moe I ups the ante on the McGriddle. Two doughy pancakes with the thickest slices of maple bacon stuffed in the middle, topped by two sunny-side up eggs. The bacon has been soaked in syrup, so much that none needs to be poured on. Now you can't pick this bad boy up, but who wouldn't want the real version?

The pulled pork sandwich, aka ATW, was slopped with BBQ sauce, along with bacon, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, jalapenos that overwhelmed the meat of the sandwich. It couple have been simple, pulled pork on ciabatta.

One disappointment were the jalapeno grits - I would like to think a place like this could get grits right, but they were undercooked and undersalted.

Drawbacks: Unless you arrive at 9am, expect a lengthy wait...at least 30 minutes to an hour and do NOT go with more than 2 people. Read the menu before being seated or while waiting. They do not care for undecided folks.

Shopsins 120 Essex Street @ Rivington http://www.shopsins.com/
CASH ONLY

Egg

Nothing is more satisfying when a good, no, praiseworthy dish shows up on your table after an hour long wait. This happens to be one of the rare occasions when I order only one dish; and while all the dishes I passed looked scrumptious, only one looked me in the eyes:

Country Ham Biscuit . . . $8
Country ham from Col. Bill Newsom's Hams in Princeton, Kentucky served on a biscuit with homemade fig jam, Grafton cheddar, and a side of grits.


I've never been a fan of ham texture, but this aged ham is stringy and salty, much like beef jerky. The beautiful, flaky homemade biscuit is flanked with homemade fig jam and Grafton cheddar. The not-so-sweet jam and biscuit cut the saltiness of the ham, but it is the ham that brims with flavor. Pair this with the thick, creamy grits and the plate is a home-run! Side note: You can order products from http://www.newsomscountryham.com/

Egg 135 North 5th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn CASH ONLY http://www.pigandegg.com/menus/breakfast/

David's Brisket

Getting off the E train in Crown Heights can be quite a culture shock, but it is also home to David's Brisket. This absolutely 'no frills' joint has four two-tops and could use a major cleaning, but the food compensates dining space and cleanliness.

Though breakfast is not the specialty here, it is worth the extra calories just to try. If you are seeking pancakes comparable to that of Pink Tea Cup (sigh), try these. The doughy pieces of fluff have enough sweetness in the mixture that you won't even need to use syrup. A family of four could feast on one plate of eggs, pancakes and turkey bacon and breakfast sandwich. It was easily one of the best breakfast rolls I've ever had! $2.95 buys you a three inch thick egg, cheese and turkey ham on a roll.

The guys brought us a complimentary plate of the brisket, corned beef and pastrami thinking the breakfast was our meal, yet they had no idea what we had in mind. We then proceeded to order brisket, corned beef, pastrami and corned beef/pastrami combo sandwiches on rye. Unfortunately, the namesake brisket, was super dry even when topped with gravy.

But, the corned beef/pastrami combo was the clear winner! The partly-dried pastrami and small amount of gelatin in the corned beef was a sinister combination! Wash it down Dr. Browns Cel-Ray and Root Beer and you got yourself a meal.

Take a pass on the side dishes of coleslaw and particularly, the potato salad. Both were chock-full of mayo AND relish. Last I checked, relish was not an ingredient included in potato salad.

All this food for $56 with enough to take home (I actually used the CB & pastrami for omelettes). Now isn't that worth the $2.25 subway ride?

David's Brisket House 533 Nostrand Avenue
http://davidsbriskethouse.com/

There's a bizarre, yet interesting art project to check out as you walk to the subway: http://brooklyntheborough.com/?p=3898

B&H Dairy Lunch

B&H is one of the last remaining Jewish kosher dairies* in New York. The dairies, located mostly on the east side downtown, catered to the needs of the Jewish immigrants and was a complement to Katz's.

This tiny 'luncheon' spot is a throwback to early 1900's New York with their fountain chairs, porcelain hanging lights and mismatched china.

The jumbo potato pancakes taste even better than the ones mom makes! The simple, traditional pancake was shallow-fried and served with sour cream and applesauce.

Recently, I've been in the mood for the sweet portion of breakfast menus. B&H makes their own challah onsite and although it accompanies most everything on the menu, I decide to go with the challah french toast. The french toast is served on a plate with thick slices and although it was good, I need something salty to offset the sweetness.


The lox and onion omelette served with homemade potatoes was outstanding. B&H scratched out all the reasons (taste eggy, too big, not enough filling) I usually shy away from omelettes. This was long and thin and, of course, filled the entire plate. It is made with belly lox, so if you are needing a salt fix, this is what to order.


Other dishes that looked delicious: matzo ball soup, the daily special of mac & cheese, blintzes and grilled cheese on challah.

The narrow space and small tables are not exactly suitable for the portions, but you somehow make it work. I can see why B&H has a loyal following with customers sometimes returning daily; but try and make it before 1pm, otherwise, you'll be on a waitlist. How I never discovered this place while living across the street will be a mystery, but I'll be back at least a few times a month to make it up.

* kosher dairy - no meat is served

B&H Dairy 127 2nd Avenue b/t 7th & 8th Streets
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/b-h-vegetarian-restaurant/menu

Village Voice Choice Eats 2010

Monday evening I went to my first ever tasting event, The Village Voice Choice Eats hosted by Slow Food NYC. The event featured over 50 restaurants along with beer and wine pairings. The cuisine chosen by food critics, Robert Sietsema and Sarah Di Gregorio, truly exhibits New York's influence on a global scale.

It's difficult to plow through 50 small bites, especially when most are pork and beef, but somehow we ate about 30. I tried to stick to the places I hadn't already eaten outside the tasting and drink beer I had never tried.

Some dishes tasted:
Highlands - sausage rolls wrapped in phyllo with mustard
Hummus Place - hummus & pita
Bunny Chow - Bunny Chow stuffed loaf with curry, mango chutney and toasted coconut lamb
Despana - Spanish meat & cheeses on Bread
Rajbhog Sweets & Snacks - Indian chickpea with tamarind sauce
Smorgas Cafe - meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberries (my fav!)
Txikito - Meatballs on baguette
Xi'an Famous Noodles - Cold, spicy noodles
Max - lasagna

If you haven't attended an event such as this, I highly suggest it! You need to arrive on the early side (some stations were finished after serving 700 tastings in an hour) and deal with a somewhat pushy crowd; but it's a bargain for $45!

http://choiceeats.villagevoice.com/2010/