TWIF #29: Great New Things I Ate This Week: New York City

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New York City. Is it the best city to eat in America? You bet; it’s diversity of available cuisines, pursuit of the highest of standards, convergence of multiple cultures and ethnicities, plus extreme levels of competition makes this THE city for culinary tourism. Those living there, with a passion for food like myself must be going nuts in trying to keep up with so many new restaurant openings, private events, pop-ups, guest chefs, and changing menus. For out-of- town folk like myself, it pays to do a little bit of research, as I did back in April, to screen the thousands of restaurants down to a reasonable watch list. I feel so sorry for the tourists that lack this drive and end up eating in Times Square, but then again, everyone gets what they deserve, so to speak.

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I will eat you

I distributed my first 2013 visit to the Big Apple as evenly as possible between brand new restaurants, classics I hadn’t been in a while, and “best of 2012” pack as per some of my most respected sources. I managed to squeeze in 14 restaurants in total, out of which I only had one or two disappointing meals and left of course with a greater To-Do list. As I have done for my visits to Paris, San Francisco, and Chicago, the following are my impressions on each restaurant, ranked in the order of how I liked them the most. Happy reading, and if you end up in NYC soon, happy eating. The links on the titles of the restaurants take you to the pictures on flickr of the dishes consumed.

1. Atera: Atera belongs to the new breed of restaurants that aim to offer you the benefit of the highest standards in cuisine and service in a more laid back, relaxed atmosphere, just like Saison in San Francisco and Next in Chicago. Long gone are the days of stiff, cold, intimidating, quiet dining rooms where you had to borrow a blazer at the door and your smartphone camera was forbidden. U2, Guns n’ Roses, Pink Floyd play in the background as the highly concentrated and sophisticated team of chefs and servers led by Matthew place in front of you a fascinating march of small plate courses, almost 25 in total. After a few bites, which included a savory macaroon filled with caviar and a few sun choke cream filled mini cannoli, I knew I was in for a different, special kind of meal. Of course I waited until the very end, since in some instances similar tasting menu experiences have impressed up front but had failed towards the end, to draw my conclusion which I tweeted: this is the best restaurant in America. Of course nobody will agree with me, everyone has their own favorite, and this is the beauty of taste: everyone’s is different. And of course I haven’t been to every restaurant in the country, so my opinion is based of my culinary resume. It may change, if I ever dine at Manresa, or Alinea, or Minibar, none of which I have been to. But I still think Atera has a great chance of staying at the top of my list, and if not at least close to the top.

I had never personally been greeted by a restaurant’s chef at the door, which sets a nice precedent for the intimate dining experience that follows. Atera seats only 12 people along a U shaped bar, making you feel you are actually at Lightner’s place and he’s cooking for friends. A downstairs lounge allows you to reflect upon your experience while sipping on your aperitif of choice, and even chat with chef a bit more. The menu is absolutely flawless, only creating space for puzzlement around how could such dish have been accomplished? And stretches your palate’s memory to places it has never been before.

The relative calmness surrounding the process in the kitchen, as present in San Francisco’s Saison is probably thanks to the intensive level of preparation that goes towards the menu. Cleverly hidden plastic containers, small pots and other kitchenware hide the magic portions behind each course. The trick of course and the amazement comes from the creative process behind each dish, and this is where Lightner excels and explains why Atera has received the praise it has. Creativity does not guarantee success in the restaurant industry, but creativity around new combinations that make sense and are obtained through the utmost quality in ingredients and technique, can go a million miles. Every course at Atera screams to this fact, with power in flavor and texture present at all times. His quail egg recreation, where the yolk is replaced with creamy aioli makes you want to be able to order a whole carton, or at least be able to steal your neighbor’s. A marrow bone recreated from palm heart included a sweet, tangy filing carefully burnt. The seafood courses got progressively better, a slice of swordfish belly benefited from some kind of oil derived from animal fat; a mountain of slivered almonds, garlic and razor clams fooled you to figure our which was which, and the creamy Uni became even sweeter thanks to sweet potato and edible flowers. A highlight for me was the delicate sliced of Sepia placed on top of the creamiest whipped potatoes, a pleasant, light, superb dish.

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I’ll have a dozen please

The show goes on and tries to amaze you if it hasn’t done so yet, with a black dried beet that looks as though they left it in the over for too long but tastes like no other beet you have ever tasted and comes with Roe and creamy Lobster emulsion. The two main carnivorous courses, where other tasting menus had disappointed in the past, exceled and catapulted the experience into a whole new category. Squab breast, perfectly seared and seasoned came with various takes on peanuts, including peanut shaped foie gras. And the thick slice of lamb rack, needed practically noting else to be enjoyed, and was moist and juicy beyond belief. Before you have time to try and conclude that perhaps the sweet courses may be weak given the strength in the savory ones, they start to arrive and one by one amaze, both in flavor, presentation, and diversity, all the way from the wildflower sherbet to the walnut sundae. A cracked egg ice cream, probably an Atera staple by now, is impressive and speaks to the high level of sophistication behind Its kitchen. If you’re a fan of food and want a first hand experience of cutting edge cuisine at the highest possible standards, this is it. Move those phone lines no matter what it takes and book yourself at this magical U shaped bar in downtown Manhattan. And please say hi to Matthew for me.

2. The Nomad: The transformation story of Eleven Madison Park by chef Daniel Humm and general manager Will Guidara is one of the most encouraging and fascinating stories from the restaurant industry in recent years. It’s no surprise that their second project together, a restaurant inside the brand new The NoMad hotel, was set to be equally impressive, despite its dialed down offering compared to the three star cuisine at EMP. From the day it opened and from various reviews read, the dish that stuck out like a sore thumb was the chicken. Not a soul that had visited The NoMad had come out not praising the poultry dish, which I understood included foie gras, brioche and black truffles. I don’t like to investigate much further about dishes prior to visiting restaurants since it sort of spoils the surprise element for me, so I had no further idea around it’s presentation or anything else.

CHICKEN%0AWHOLE-ROASTED FOR TWO, FOIE GRAS, BLACK TRUFFLE & BRIOCHE

Poultry Nirvana

I can safely say the chicken dish is by far, the best chicken dish I have ever tasted, and one that made for our visit to The NoMad one of the highlights of the trip. The animal is beautifully presented whole roasted to you table side, a work of art in its own right, and then carved behind the scenes for enjoyment. Two breasts are served individually, on a bed of silky puree, jus and asparagus. The dark meat from the legs is separated and then placed on small casserole where it has been cooked with morels and mixed with a creamy hollandaise. The brioche, foie gras and black truffles are not visible as I was expecting, but I don’t care. They are delicately ground and mixed together into a sublime stuffing that is placed between the bird’s skin and the breast meat, making every single bite of your half breast joyful and only meriting the phrase “I wish this would never end”. Our schedule had no room, but we were close to cancelling an existing reservation to make room for a repeat of The NoMad’s chicken. Yes, it’s that good. In the end we opted for leaving it for the next trip, but I’m sure it will be the first stop right off the plane.

3. Del Posto: Those who have followed my dining adventures in the US and abroad know I love to take advantage of the more accessible, cheaper, but equally great in quality lunch menu deals that the fine dining establishments offer. This allows for room in the schedule to be made for other restaurants that are dinner only, and I have found that in most cases they are some of the best value for money deals out there. Don’t get me wrong, a 10ish course tasting menu at Jean Georges would be fabulous, but if I could go for their 38$ lunch fix prix instead of the $198 full on experience, and leave room for another place that has dinner only, that’s how I like to play it. Of course it’s fewer dishes and of course it’s a limited experience, but who wants more that amuse-bouche, bread + butter, a starter, a main course, dessert and petit-fours for lunch? Del Posto, by the Batali/Bastianich empire is one of such restaurants that offer a relaxed version of their high end dining experience for 39$ during pranzo hours.

There are no visible restrictions versus the full blown dinner counterpart, only perhaps in quantity and diversity of course. The service is as impeccable, and that night we were happy to find out they were actually awarded with the James Beard Award in that category. The food was equally impressive, particularly desserts, for which they also won the coveted award that night. The amuse bouche consisted of a warm shot of cauliflower veloute, a melt in your mouth chicken salad mini sandwich and equally creamy but crunchier version. First courses included a Vitello Tonnato, the famous veal + tuna dish which is taken to it’s highest level through a combination of thinly sliced meat and creamy, cured tuna based aioli. Capers and “burnt” bread added the perfect touch. An “Insalata Primavera” was a true work of art on a dish, resembling the prettiest edible garden you can imagine. Main courses of sashimi quality swordfish and beautifully pink pork loin, each paired with vegetables sautéed to perfection made for the 39$ a true steal. Not to mention the gorgeous desserts, which made most other sweet courses during the trip seem amateurish at best.

SFERA di Caprino%0ACelery & Fig Agrodolce & Celery Sorbetto

I won! I won!

Why this establishment carries only one Michelin star is beyond me, just like Babbo lost its only one, it begs the question, does the institution have something against Mr. Batali? Who knows. And who cares, Del Posto is a three stars as they get and their lunch deal is a steal.

4. Eleven Madison Park: By now everyone in the industry knows and celebrates how this once simple yet acclaimed modern American restaurant went from a casual New York staple to being named recently the best restaurant in America and fifth best in the world by San Pellegrino, all thanks to a great team led by Daniel Humm and Will Guidara. Not only that, it has joined the ranks of Daniel, Jean Georges, Per Se, Le Barnardin and Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare as the group of most awarded restaurants in New York City by both local and global critics.

This is a restaurant that indeed merits taking out half a day from your New York City schedule and book the whole shebang, i.e. the Chef’s Menu, a multi-course journey through the best Manhattan has to offer for $195 and which will take you between 3-4 hours. Given the restaurant’s popularity and the short notice with which I booked the trip, a reservation was impossible to come by BUT even if it would have, I still think going to the bar on a Thursday, Friday or a Saturday at lunch time as I did and sample a few of their a la carte dishes is still a pretty good deal and something worth not missing. I must confess I enjoyed my Del Post lunch more only because it was more complete, had better desserts and the service was also better. At Eleven Madison Park, all the focus is (obviously) on the main dining room and it’s actually a pleasure to watch from the bar area the impeccable, Broadway-esque show servers and chefs put on table after table, with utmost attention to detail and including the odd secret signs to each other here and there.

At the bar, you get no white table cloth, no amuse bouche, and no petit fours, just bread (the most succulent hybrid between a roll and a croissant you can imagine), butter (one of them made of beef fat), your first course and main course and your dessert choice. Even though it therefore is not as good a deal as was Del Posto, the food is indeed, astonishing, and only leaves you lamenting you were not able to guarantee a reservation for the main event. A foie gras terrine with black truffles and the most small, delicate asparagus ever witnessed felt as though it had been made by robots given how perfectly shaped it was and how soft and tasty. My main course, pieces of wood roasted ribeye with crunch from Amaranth and bitterness from dandelion greens made me think, bite after bite, how can such marbling be obtained thorough normal processes. Why? Why such a difference with regular pieces of meat.

Wood-Roasted Ribeye with Mushrooms, Amaranth and Dandelion Greens

How is it even possible?

The secret lies in the relentless pursuit of only the best ingredients, in the fashion of Thomas Keller, most of which are exclusively sourced from the State of New York, as I later found out reading their book “I Love New York”. It may not have been my favorite dining experience of this trip, but I believe San Pellegrino may be on to something with their assessment, and I’m sure I probably will to once I allow myself to surrender completely to Humm’s carte blanche.

5. Pearl & Ash: Pearl & Ash fell under the category “brand new” and I kept in in my watch list without a formal appointment. I did notice it opened until very late (2am), which is a rarity, and I knew this would come in handy. Well come in handy it did, as we continued stumbling upon closed restaurant after closed restaurant on a Saturday night after a bar crawl. “I know a place” I told my party, and of course at the end of the night I became the hero, since never had anyone had such fine food at such a late time, usually reserved for a greasy slice of pizza or a doner kebab. Every dish we ordered packed tremendous flavor and carried a decent level of sophistication that makes Pearl & Ash a worthwhile place to have under any New York City’s culinary trip.

Soft pork cheeks, charred tender octopus with sunflower seed “hummus”, pork meatballs with shaved bonito and shitakes. There are plenty of raw dishes to also choose from, and various meat/fish dishes. I absolutely love these type of places, that offer simple uncomplicated dishes in a laid back atmosphere with impeccable execution and use of high quality ingredients. A perfectly grilled cod came nicely nested on top of a spread of white bean paste and tomato, black olive tapenade on top, giving it a strong Mediterranean feel. Hopefully Pearl & Ash will stand the test of time, but on first impression I place it under my low key/great food category in the company of Septime in Paris, Longman & Eagle in Chicago and Rich Table in San Francisco. “The fab four”.

6. Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria: I had been hearing constantly about this place and I’m glad I finally got to try it. I have a weakness for Italian / Mediterranean food, and the name itself drew me since day one. The place is quite big, and hosts not just two floors of dining space “The Vineria” but also a very well stocked shop “Alimentari” carrying breads, charcuterie, house made pastries and pastas, and countless delicacies. The food we ordered impressed us all, all the way from the creaminess of the ricotta, the crispy crunch of the fried artichokes and the flawless Pasqualina, a spinach tart usually made carelessly in other parts of the world and therefore sending it to a secondary level. Not the one at IBAV.

Short Rib Sandwich

Short Ribs find the perfect home

Pastas were cooked to perfection and both the red sauce one with black olives and octopus and the cream based one with fava beans and shaved pecorino left us begging for more. But the true highlight was with a slow roasted short rib and gorgonzola Panini that winked at me the second I opened the menu (short ribs are my weakness as you may have figured out by now if you have followed me since day one). Crunch, tender meat, ooze from the cheese, all in one bite with uniqueness tough to replicate. The sweet courses, a gorgeous rhubarb crostata with vanilla ice cream and biscotti de la cassa (one chocolate, one almond) complemented our lunch beautifully. A must stop if casual, trattoria style Italian fare is your thing.

7. Hanjan: Another great place under the category “brand new”, it was impossible to browse a New York City restaurant source over the past few months and not read about chef Kooni Kim and his rapid success with Danji and now Hanjan. The place is gorgeous and it’s built as to give you the impression you are dining in a casual, middle of nowhere Korean family home. The food wowed us right of the bat with a squid and spring onion “pancake” that was actually tempura style with a great soy based sauce for dipping.

The kimchi duo included root and cabbage versions, the latter in the form of lasagna and perfect for peeling off the cabbage layers one after the other. Sweet skewers of pork belly made my day given my affection for that animal’s gut but what really elevated the dining experience to a whole new level was the King Mackerel, grilled and presented whole with a mountain of shredded radish next to it. If you like Mackerel, you need to stop reading this and book yourself on a place to NYC to eat this dish. Bits of flesh fall apart as you approach with chopsticks, and the charred skin and succulent meat make it one of the best dishes of the trip.

8. Carbone: My obsession with Torrisi Italian Specialties isn’t well documented since I was not a food blogger or photographer when it opened back in 2010, but if I recall correctly this is the restaurant I have been to the most in NYC, I believe in fact maybe 5-6 times. I actually recall a 4 day period in 2011 when we did it twice. In the early days, when Torrisi only took reservations for the same day with a tablet for those first to line outside, I used to be the first one there, usually around 3pm, just like those die-hard fans that start camping outside theaters before movie premiers to get a glimpse of their favorite movie stars. The tasting menus I had at Torrisi remain to this day, some of the best if not the best Italian food I have ever tasted, and I have been a fan of Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone ever since. Been to Parm of course at least twice, for their ridiculous meatball hero sandwich. This trip to NYC coincided with the opening of Carbone, their new restaurant and homage to classic Italian cuisine.

Carrot Cake

I’ll be back for you!

It was of course the first reservation I made when I found out the dates of the trip “I’ll take anything between May 2-6” I blared over the phone. And yes, of course it was an incredible meal. The parmiggiano piece at the beginning, their classic soft focaccia inside the bread basket, the “Godfather” feel to the dining room, the unparalleled carrot cake at the end. My pasta course, angel hair A.O.P. (al olio pepperoncino) was impeccably cooked at dente with muted slices of hot pepper and garlic cloves, all blended with the perfect amount of extra virgin olive oil. Simply sublime. A Delmonico steak was great, but in all honesty was simply a well cooked rib eye steak , with it’s secret melted butter on top and a few crispy shallot rings on top. I would go back to Carbone any day of the week, but the “wow” factor from Torrisi, the magic from that tiny place on Mulberry Street, wasn’t there. I’d rather go dine at Torrisi in all honesty, and maybe go back to Carbone for that carrot cake for dessert.

9. Pok Pok: I guess the only reason Pok Pok is so low on my list is because the expectations where so high. This place for Thai food and Mission Chinese for it’s genre have created unparalleled buzz and excitement for Asian cuisines in New York City, not seen since the birth of the Momofuku empire more than five years ago. Pok Pok is originally from Portland, and Andy Ricker is its father. He won a James Beard award in 2011 and the food is “what you would find in pubs in Southeast Asia, predominantly in Northern Thailand”. Of course it was fantastic. There’s a no reservations policy in place so we showed up early to avoid a large line.

We got there 20 minutes before opening time on a Sunday and there were already 20 people waiting!. The place is small, although it has been expanded and now boasts a larger dining area behind the main restaurant. The drinking water, after you sip it, begs the doubt around its origin. It tastes dense, rarely sweet, almost as if they have dropped a few shots of coconut water in the jar. It happens to be flavored with Pandanus leaf, giving it a level of distinction not found anywhere else in town, at least with respect to the house water. The food is really, really good. Curries are fragrant and strongly spiced; so if hot food is not your thing, stay away. Papaya salad burns and crunches in your mouth with wet hints from citrus and fatty balance from the peanuts. It’s perfect. Herbs are omnipresent, as side dishes and as garnishes. I almost felt like a cow chewing on grass at one stage, since I didn’t want to miss out on the experience and went all in with respect to everything that was served on the table. Undistinguishable fragrances lept from those green mouthfuls, a true delight.

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Not just any water

My favorite, a strong pork belly and pork shoulder curry, brown in color from tamarind and strong in flavor from garlic, curry powder, turmeric and ginger, was heaven in every slurp. I still drool when I go back and see the pictures of this dish. Another curry dish was creamy from coconut and had perfectly cooked vermicelli and sweet, braised pieces of white flaky catfish. Another winner. There was a special dessert on the board made of simply sticky rice, mango slices and cream of coconut; one of the most perfect combinations ever. Big fan of the Pok Pok.

10. Chez Sardine: I’ve been meaning to get to a Gabriel Stulman restaurant for years now, but simply hadn’t managed to do so. Perla has been on my To Do list since it opened, but always kept being kicked off the list at the last minute. I finally made it to one of his empire, the newly opened Chez Sardine, which is neither French nor includes sardines on the menu, but rather a quirky take on Japanese food, with a menu made up of small sushi bites and larger, creative mostly seafood dishes plus a pork belly dish and a grilled cheese sandwich with foie gras! How’s that for a diet breaker. The sushi bites were actually pretty great, not just rice with a slab of raw fish on top, but with a bit of creativity here and there, a bit of burnt around the rice, a rare oil or sauce on the fish or perhaps a delicate crumble of sorts.

Maybe Jiro from the movie “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” would puke at the sound of all that, but if it tastes great who cares and who says there are rules? I would go Omakase on these guys any day of the weeks with pleasure. The other plates on the other hand didn’t quite work for me. A tempura roll was too big and no different than the ones you would find at your local pan Asian place. Pancake dishes, with tempura flakes and the typical pink sauces and various forms of fish both raw and cooked felt messy and immature. The goodbye dessert, on the house, was actually a very pleasant combination of maple pudding, syrup and puffed rice, a very pleasant bite. I will gladly try Mr. Stulman’s places any day of the week, and specially Perla I’m looking forward to.

11. Motorino: Motorino, Motorino. Everytime you try to find out where to eat the best pizza in New York and add “-Brooklyn” to the search, this is the place that keeps popping up. So for an impromptu, “I’m hungry but I’m not that hungry” evening that crossed with realizing the famous pizza joint was a few blocks away from the hotel, it was a no brainer. Yes, the pizza is great! If you haven’t got a chance to go to Brooklyn to Di Fara, Lucali or Roberta’s, head to Motorino. Specially if you’re in the East side of the village because if you’re in the West, I would go to Keste, still my personal favorite.

Margueritta

Save the trip to Brooklyn and eat me

12. Alder. Chef Wylie Dufresne is one of the most respected of the NYC circuit. His innovative cuisine at wd-50, his flagship Manhattan restaurant, has gained him critical acclaim, a Michelin star, respect among peers and most recently, one of the most coveted wards in the US restaurant industry: a James Beard Award for best chef, New York City. I was very excited when I found out he was behind a recently opened Gastropub in the East Village, Alder, since I have always been looking forward to his food and I haven’t had a chance to dine at wd-50. Even though I enjoyed the food and experience, I was expecting more, especially in terms of creativity, presentation and flavor. Pigs in a blanket, small pieces of Chinese sausage wrapped in a thin crust and surrounded by drops of sweet chili sauce and mustard tasted great, but could have been hotter in temperature.

The new England clam chowder had great flavor and was elevated when you threw the oyster popcorn inside. The quail dish lacked the gamey taste of such bird, and wasn’t helped by the banana and broccoli puree. The fried cauliflower I was looking forward to, expecting a crispy version of the vegetable but was actually charred and not very tasteful. My favorite dish was the pork ribs, cubes of tender, fatty meat that came in a bowl with saffron spaetzle and green apple-celery root hash. My favorite bite and a bowl which I almost finished all by myself, much to the demise of my guests. A rye pasta dish was nothing special and the noodles lacked seasoning, dessert wasn’t great either. I will definitely go to wd-50 at my next chance, and I look forward to it, but Alder I perhaps consider it done.

13. La Vara: We headed over to La Vara with great excitement after reading so many great things from the recently opened Spanish place. Spanish and Mexican seem to be two of the cuisines that have flourished the most in New York City in recent years, and although I’ve been hesitant to dwell into these places since I have feared they have been too twisted by American chefs, it’s always good to try new things. We chose brunch for our meal at La Vara, which I was later regretting since brunch is perhaps not the best way to try a new place, but then I remembered the fantastic brunch I had at Trenchermen in Chicago and realized that if it’s available, it’s meant to be backed up by the kitchen. But in the case of La Vara it seems the chefs take Sunday off and hire a few Denny’s cooks to complete the egg driven menu on Sundays.

Most dishes had eggs on them, but they were not all well cooked. The peppers, croquettes, and patatas bravas I’ve had better at low key tascas in Caracas and elsewhere. The lamb burger’s patty was dense and lacked flavor, and an artichoke/fava bean dish felt like it was assembled from jars. Nothing else was special, not even the squid and morcilla dish, a combination that could have saved the day. Thank God for the churros! They were indeed amazing, and fatter than the usual ones. Great sweet ending to an unfortunately not very good meal.

14. Empellon Cocina: Finally, my biggest question mark from the entire trip. Probably highest on my list with respect to expectations. What could this chef be putting on this Guacamole? On these tacos? To cause such a stir and to make every critic name him the best thing to happen to New York City in 2012 next to Mission Chinese? Well, after a first visit I don’t get it, and am looking forward to a second visit sometime this year to see if I can dig deeper into the menu and find out what I’m missing.

Yes the Guacamole is great, but it’s just avocado, some herbs, and tiny pieces of pickled onions and green peppers. The tacos lacked seasoning, particularly the shrimp one. Should I have added the seasoning with one of the salsas? The waitress never suggested this. The pastrami taco was ok, but nothing to write home about. And finally, a dish I ordered from the regular section was plainly horrible. What seemed like whole-wheat noodles tasted like the ones I buy at wholefoods when I need to loose weight, (I hate them), the slices of zucchini at the bottom were not seasoned at all and drops of cheese were barely present.

After my dinner there I spent some time online trying to figure out what I had missed? And it does seem part of the magic is in those other dishes which I only had the chance to try one off, but to my mind, if a restaurant is a great as everyone says it is, all dishes should be if not magnificent, at least decent. Not the case with my experience at Empellon Cocina.

That’s it! Hope you enjoyed my post and find it useful if you’re ever up in La Gran Manzana.

Until next time, Gj

Atera on Urbanspoon

The NoMad on Urbanspoon

Del Posto on Urbanspoon

Eleven Madison Park on Urbanspoon

Pearl & Ash on Urbanspoon

Hanjan on Urbanspoon

Carbone on Urbanspoon

Pok Pok NY on Urbanspoon

Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria on Urbanspoon

Chez Sardine on Urbanspoon

La Vara on Urbanspoon

Empellon Cocina on Urbanspoon

Motorino on Urbanspoon

TWIF #28: Great New Things I Ate This Week, Miami: Pan con Lechon, RMS, Sawaddee

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This week I had a great staple of cuban cuisine at the largest juice shop in town, ate at the new Michael Schwartz restaurant at the Raleigh Hotel and discovered a magnificent hidden Thai food neighborhood gem.

About two months ago I wrote about cuban sandwiches and their available variations. As I said back then, Miami is as Cuban as Hollywood is Jewish, so you can’t live here and hide from Latin delicacies such as a frita or a cuban sandwich. In my piece back then, I said I wanted to try next the “pan con lechon”, or pulled pork sandwich and so this week I did. It was at none other that at El Palacio de Los Jugos. This local chain (there are 6 of them in Miami) is named after fruit juices since they offer the widest variety and most freshest of offerings. Any fruit you can think of, mango, passion fruit, guava, guanabana and even coconut are available in juice for and are made on the spot. Although juices are what this 40 year old classic is known for, the latin food available is a broad as you can think of, available in displayed trays for you to pick from. Pork, rice n’ beans, fish, plantains, crackling, potatoes in various forms and even paella? Which I would probably never have there but the regulars line up to pick and choose and I’m sure they go through more than a few paella trays a day. El Palacio also has a decent cuban sandwich selection, and this is where I found my prey. The pan con lechon is exactly that: bread with pulled pork. Nothing else, nothing more. Cuban bread is white and soft, crunchy on the outside from a quick visit to the press. The pulled pork is magnificent, perfectly seasoned and pulled to the max, yielding thin threads and no unpleasant rubbery chunks.

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You can’t miss me

A great meal on it’s own, pan con lechon and your preferred fruit in juice form. The one on Flagler Street you can’t miss given the huge yellow sign, so next time you drive by pull over and dive into pulled pork heaven.

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Here we go again. Less than a few weeks ago we were eating and writing about Michael Schwartz’s new restaurant The Cypress Room, and now we find ourselves at yet another new MS place, this one invading the lobby and terrace of the small yet iconic Raleigh hotel in Miami Beach. I’m pretty sure the proximity of these openings is a coincidence, consequence of timing issues that aligned themselves and gave birth to what seems the equivalent of that Smashing Pumpkins or Guns n ‘ Roses double albums (what, there’s two?) for the local restaurant industry. Or maybe MS does want to prove he can open two great restaurants at the same time successfully. If this is the case he’s winning because our first visit to RMS left everyone satisfied and wanting to return soon.

The menu seems like a hybrid between Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink and The Cypress Room, it almost feels like the gateway between those. This actually makes for a slight but clear enough distinction between the restaurants which allows for a more diverse selection of MS cuisine for locals and tourists. Of course being on Miami Beach RMS suffers from the longer drive required to get to, the 25$ valet parking and the inevitable mark-up in prices for being on the beach, but the dishes available make up for any relative flaws Miami Beach haters will whine about.

There are, in typical MS fashion, various “sizes” to segregate menu items. Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large with a few snacks and sides.

I had the crab cake to start, which had large chunks of soft crab meat inside, and comes on top of a puddle of slightly spicy carrot butter sauce; it was a great start. My fellow diners had the octopus, the tomato soup and the crab salad, all of which made everyone happy, specially the crab salad selector.

During starters we shared a grilled pizza. Maybe it’s meant to be that way but the crust was actually tough at parts, perhaps consequence of the grilling. Not sure if grilling pizza is such a good idea, the toppings were not particularly good either.

From the large section two diners were in seafood heaven with their pan roasted swordfish and tuna. Praises flew not just for the proteins but for the pairings on each dish, the yogurt based sauce with lentils for the swordfish and the fregola, fennel and tomato marmalade from the tuna.

I dipped my fork into the mango chutney that comes with the pork loin and I had to be fought off to stop trying to steal more of it. Amazing stuff, and it could not have found a better friend than the Indian spiced pork loin. Superb dish. My large selection, the grilled rib eye cap steak was moist and juicy and tasted great when joined by the brussel sprout leafs and parsley sauce, but I never understood why that dish has four raw tomato squares on top of it. They didn’t add anything to the dish and as a matter of fact they felt like last minute additions that somehow missed their trip to the salon.

On the sweet side , if I had complained on my Cypress Room post about the apparent invisibility from Hedy’s magical touch, here I have to to the exact opposite. The Pie a La Mode wasn’t just presented beautifully on a large round wooden table for all to share, it had the most amazing crust I have ever tasted in Miami. The pie filling makes the crust proud, and a large pint of coffee ice cream comes along for the table’s indulgence. A crunchy milk chocolate & gooey salted caramel bar lasted less than 30 seconds on the plate and demonstrated delicacy and technique. Gorgeous presentation.

Pie a la Mode

Best Sweet On The Beach

Clearly Schwartz, as he has mentioned himself is now more in the delegation and managing side of things when it comes to his restaurants and judging by the first visit, the team assembled there lead by  Danny Ganem is doing a great job and making sure the brand stays strong. It’s great to continue seeing Miami Beach hotels add great restaurants, specially by such a lauded local chef as MS.

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When I first wrote about Blue Collar more than a year ago, I called it a “true neighborhood gem” thinking it would remain a bright spot in the culinary lethargic area of Biscayne Blvd . Little did I know that it was going to become to city wide sensation it now is, featured in everyone local food blogger’s lists of places go eat in Miami and praised by critics both local and foreign.

Why do some places make the transition to “under the radar” local ‘hood gems to city wide sensations? I believe it’s one cup consistency, two cups quality, and a tablespoon of social media, two tablespoons of mainstream media exposure, and you have the prefect recipe.

But there is something quite magical and unique about finding small, almost hidden, semi-unknown food spots in town that day after day make their local residents happy but still haven’t shined outside their neighborhood’s borders. Local food blogger The Chowfather wrote about some of these places with his UTR post back in January, and “hole in a wall” expert  Fatgirlhedonist loves discovering these and writing about them. Perhaps at the risk of locals not being able to eat quitely and comfortably at their hidden gems anymore if and when popularity strikes a homerun, I can’t deny the pleaure of discovering these myself. Actually If I had the time, I would dedicate a weekly task to find such gems, and would post a list of 2-3 per Miami area. Maybe in the future, who knows.

Enter Sawaddee, near North Bay Village. You almost need a GPS to get to it since it is hidden around a corner bend as you drive along Normandy Drive towards the beach. The place is tiny, and we went to it since a friend of a friend has been going on about it ever since met, and mentions it every time we meet.

The place is strictly BYOB since there is no liquor license. Who needs a liquor license when you are putting out such great curries? And let’s face it, BYOB is great. Who said Dom Perignon with green chicken curry? Try that at your high end thai restaurant and prepare for a heart attack once the check arrives.

I’ve always said a Thai place is judged by it’s Pad Thai. The one at Rock Bangkok is too dry, the one at Panya Thai has too much fish sauce, the one at Oishi Thai is just about right. This one was close to perfect, with a great balance between sweet, tangy, nuttyness and heat.

Seafood Pad Thai

Passing all tests with flying colors

The curries are also spot on. Creamy, made as spicy as you wish and with fresh protein. We tried the green, the red, the panang, the mossoman with a combination of chicken, beef and shrimp. Nice small bowls of white rice are added so you can scoop your preferred remaining curry sauce and dredge your rice in it for a fantastic ending.

The menu also has sushi and other japanese items, but since Michio is down the road, there’s no point really. Stick to the Thai and you will be rewarded. I understand the local popularity of Sawaddee is quite strong, so I advice you either call and make a reservation or show up late during the week. Enjoy.

Gj

El Palacio de Los Jugos on Urbanspoon

Sawaddee Thai-Sushi & Coffee Corner on Urbanspoon

TWIF #27: Chicago: Great New Things I Ate This Week: Next, Purple Pig, Longman & Eagle, Trenchermen, Au Cheval, The Publican

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This week I visited and ate the great city of Chicago for the second time.

I think it’s safe to say that Grant Achatz’s Next in Chicago is probably one of the most exciting restaurants in the country, or at least the one with the most exciting agenda. If you aren’t aware of what’s going on there, it can be summarized as follows: offer a mind blowing avant garde tasting menu for four months only focused on a “theme” and then throw the entire thing out the window. Hit the reset button, enter new theme, start again. Yes, as crazy and as operationally challenging as this may sound, this is what Next, led in the kitchen by Dave Beran, are up to. And these guys are out there to actually challenge themselves, the themes aren’t “seafood” or “brunch”. So far, they have taken on “Paris 1906″, “Childhood”, “Thailand”, “El Bulli” , “Sicily” and “Kyoto” (which I went to).

After going to Next Kyoto, it became clear to me that a visit to Chicago every four months is a must, and of course though discovering the “Next” menu is the main target, making the most of the 36 hour layover is the second priority, given then impressive offerings available. Here are my notes on what I got to eat this time around.

Longman & Eagle:

I absolutely love a place that shoots down on the decor and shoots high up on the food. It’s almost like a mind trap, your first impressions when you walk in are precursors for what you think you may expect food wise. Expectations. And when they are low and are blown out of proportions, it makes for some of the best meals in your portfolio. This was my experience at Abri in Paris, for instance, a hole in the wall with no sign and 10$ chairs that gave us an incredible 5 course tasting menu (for 30$ also). It’s the precise opposite of many Miami Beach places, where they offer James Beard award winning decor and design but airline food at best. Longman & Eagle, located somewhat outside the city center is 100% worth the drive, walk, metro ride, whichever your preferred choice of transport. If there is a leading “gastropub” in the country, this is it without a doubt. The place reminded me of pubs in England, heavy on wood, thick air, plenty of locals having a drink. It has an impressive whisky line-up, which covered most of the bar’s back wall; certainly paradise for lovers of it. When I started browsing chef Jared Wentworth’s diner menu, printed on a simple piece of paper, I thought to myself: hold on a minute; Carrot Barigoule?, Celeraic Remoulade? Serrano Gel? This is no regular pub and I’m not here for fish n’ chips or bangers n’ mash. Effectively, what followed was my favorite meal of the 36 hour trip, and one of my favorite meals of the year.

Tete de Cochon, Rhubarb Mostarda, Braised Beet Greens, Pickled Spring Vegetables, Five Spice Mustard

Yes, I’m being served at your local pub

I only regret I couldn’t have the entire menu, because that’s what I felt like after the first bite: fluffy gnuddi sitting on top of a simple sauce with the right touches of cream and a few fava beans, hiding perfectly soft artichokes and beneath delicate greens. I was on my way to the airport and only had 30 minutes, but after that bite I called my waiter and ordered two more dishes. If the plane was going to leave me behind, this was going to be well worth it. My second dish was even better. Perfectly seared mackerel, next to a generous pea puree (there you go fish n’ chips).  Now, grilled filet next to a pea puree even I can make. But here is where L&E impressed. On the other side of the mackerel was a white asparagus chawanmushi which was above serrano gel and beneath crispy enoki mushrooms. Technique shined through, and made for dish components which elevated the otherwise typical pub fish n’ puree dish into fine dining territory.

The tenderness of the tete de cochon that came next almost, ALMOST made me order another one to go. Combined with the diversity of the almost ten different pickled vegetables spread across the plate and the different mustards, this was an immaculate way to say goodbye (for now) to Chicago. Unbeknownst to me, and only after I looked around the place, L&E has actually already caught the attention of the food critics round the world, as the accolades from Michelin, the local press, GQ, Esquire and others hang proudly on the wall. So I guess I’m the last one to this party, but I’m glad I made it.

Longman & Eagle will now be my first, not my last, stop in Chicago on my next visit.

Au Cheval:

Ever since I  saw the Au Cheval burger pictures from Ulterior Epicure and Adam Goldberg, the two best food photographers in my book, I have been dying to go there. I finally did and attested the burger is one of the best in the country. It has a special mayo like sauce with tiny bits of pickles, resembling the flavor, believe it or not, of a Big Mac. Of course with the added value of a proper beef patty, a sweet toasted bun, and a perfectly fried egg. The side of bacon, which I was supposed to also add to the burger was to sweet and delicious that I had in one bite, no time for it go to inside the burger. Undoubtedly one of the best burgers in the country, but what almost knocked me out of my diner stool was the fried bologna sandwich. I don’t recall the last time I kept thinking, bite after bite, I wish this would never end, but this is exactly what eating this beauty felt like, fatty, delicious, creamy bite, after bite, after bite.

Mortadella Sandwich

Please don’t end

And to think that this is a simple diner. A diner! Brendan Sodikoff is the genius behind this one, and as with L&E above, has turned into a must stop for me when in town from now on. Not content with delivering the best burgers and sandwiches, the “assembled in front of you” mille feuille was just shy, just shy! of reaching Arpege standard. Make sure you order it when you are there, you will not regret it.

As a funny fact, the photographer from Au Cheval was busy at work while I was there, so if you go to their tumblr page, you can sort of see me stuffing my fat face with such fried bologna.

Next : “The Hunt”.

The expectation was high of course with this next installment, specially after the amazing meal that was Kyoto back in October. I was expecting mostly game: pheasant, duck, boar? I hadn’t seen other previous visitors pictures on purpose so not to ruin the experience that much, so with only the name as my input, a lot of game meat is what I was expecting. The menu actually stretched the “hunting” concept large and wide, dwelling into foraging, fishing, camping, and wildlife exposure in general.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, Next’s kitchen is spewing out some of the most exciting creations in the country. “The Hunt” was no exception, and from the wild smoky mushrooms in a glass box filled with herbs at the beginning to the drama of creating your own maple lollipop at the end, it was one culinary surprise after the other, with little to no space to criticism or complain, and only leading to amazement and a rich conversation surrounding the dishes, the theme, the ingredients.

The second course, one of the two “fishing” courses, was indeed my favorite. The softest, creamiest rillette ever, made from Walleye, was spread on to toasted pumpernickel and sided by smoked trout. Good thing Next isn’t all you can eat, otherwise I would’ve left all other patrons sans rillette. Subsequently a log is places in front of you with 5 carved holes, each carrying a slice of antelope antler that has been polished to serve as serving dish. On each antler “dish” was a small portion of charcuterie honoring the theme: rabbit pate, elk jerky, boar salami, antelope heart tartare and blood sausage. At this stage one can only but begin to speculate how on earth, with all the work that clearly goes behind such widely different preparations do they manage to offer this entire menu for $95? This I will probably never figure out; maybe they make up on the pairing, maybe Next is not profitable. Who knows. Each bite was delicious, the boar salami particularly soft and fatty, like no other salami I had ever tasted.

Onto more foraging, or another meatless course was a carrot that was cured underground for three months and then roasted for ultimate sweetness and smoked flavor all at once. Just a carrot! That’s Next for you: a carrot will never be just a carrot. Not under Achatz and Beran anyway. After the carrot came another first for me (it seems that if there is a place to eat new things it’s Next): duck tongue. Duck tongue? Yes, duck tongue. Our server told us it was “puffed” and I still don’t know what that meant. It was delicious anyway, probably helped by the white sauce beneath it. Scrambled duck eggs to it’s side also helped balance the dish. The following dish was another favorite for me, a small “loin” of sturgeon surrounded by a buttery sauce mixed with caviar. The fish dishes were indeed my favorites of the night.  After sturgeon came a Woodcock “sausage” which was more like ground woodcock meat stuffed inside breast and wrapped in the shape of a sausage then sliced. Huckleberries and bitter greens paired it off nicely.

Sturgeon and Caviar

Princess of the night

Next, the main course. Ah!, the lead character. None other that the mighty squab, and as is in true Next style, you didn’t just get a few sliced of meaty, bloody breast, oh no. The first step was sucking the squab’s brains from it’s head, grabbing it by the beak. A leg was also presented to you on the dish for nibbling on it’s thigh. Finally, roasted squab bones, with still plenty of crispy skin and some meat attached to them where presented to the table for passing around. All this with a side of oats that had been mixed with offal and blood.

Still reading? Good. But just so you know, and as you probably guessed by now, Next is probably not the place to take someone who’s a meat & potatoes kind of person, if you know what I mean. Next is a place only for the most sophisticated and adventurous of palates, who will eat anything edible placed in front of them and who do not belong to any prohibitive food movement (i.e. vegans for instance).  And that’s one of the reasons I believe it’s so special and unique. It’s like a food connoisseurs’ private club (the room even has that feel by the way).

After squab came two more savory courses that probably belonged before it, but hey, who am I to judge the order of play. A fabulous take on vegetarian charcuterie that included cauliflower, pumpkin seeds, seaweed, mustard and even edible bark, all served on a section of actual tree bark. Following that came a big hot rock placed in the table center for eaters to place paper thin slices of bison meat. A dark dipping sauce came with a soft piece of leek in the middle.

After such dramatic, spectacular menu, you weren’t going to get marshmallows for dessert, although probably appropriate. Instead we got started of with a sweet “marrow Brûlée” which was an actual small marrow bone half which had been filled with a torched sweet compote, made with actual bone marrow as I understand, amongst other things. The gateway dessert if you will.

What else could you make of you where camping? Oatmeal of course, but this time it was barley and it was cooked like risotto; so rich and creamy it would have been great just there. 5 different toppings were offered for you to turn the already sublime dessert into whatever your dreams are made of: toffee, sweet pecans, cherry compote, fresh mint, brown sugar. To end, more drama: a thick coat of maple syrup was poured in front of you on top of crushed ice, and as if my magic, as you turned a small piece of stick around it, it created a maple lollipop. Milky latte ended it all.

I enjoyed Next “The Hunt” more that Kyoto given its greater breadth and diversity. It’s amazing how it was not just a few game birds and dessert, but rather a true take on an entire weekend of hunting. A bow to Achatz and Beran, and as long as they continue doing these, trust me I’ll be there.

Purple Pig:

This is a place I wanted to go badly on my first trip to Chi-town but never made it there. Given it’s location and fame it’s probably one of the most commercial of the places I have been to there, but boy is the food great. It’s “mediterranean fare”, tapas style so you will find tons of antipasti, cured meats, cheeses, things “a la plancha”, smears and fried stuff. I tried the chorizo stuffed green olives, breaded and deep fried, delicious. A cold calamari “pasta salad” with fregula, cucumber and pistacchios had gorgeous crunch and flavor. Fried sardines came in great presentation with capers and finally juicy, tender slices of pork “secreto” made their sweet pepper counterparts happy. Great bites, definitely a place worth going to for an early dinner and with plenty of items to explore on the menu. Packed with locals and tourists alike.

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Purple Entrance to Tapas Heaven

The Publican

If you’re in Miami and are familiar with the name Paul Kahan then you either probably follow the Chicago restaurant scene or you went to his pop-up at Harry’s Pizzeria. In any case, there are few names that signify Chicago restaurants than this one. His mini-empire has already four amazing, well praised restaurants: Blackbird, avec (to which I got to go on my first Chicago trip), Publican Quality Meats, Big Star and the Publican.

No one, I mean, no one, who has plans to go dine at Next in Chicago goes to another place a hour before to eat. Only yours truly, and since it’s a few blocks away, me and my partner in crime decided to visit the Publican for a “drink”. A drink turned out to include an entire tray of 100% american aged hams, which included “serrano”, “la quercia rossa” and “hamery”, all of which were great, specially when placed on top the bread smeared with the goat’s milk butter. Since ham on its own is not enough, and since we didn’t want to go overboard by ordering and entire ribeye, we ordered a
“salad”; which had crispy pig ears of course and which was truly amazing, specially given how cold and crispy the little gem lettuces were.

Aged Hams, Goat Butter, Peasant Bread

The perfect snack before going hunting

No trip to Chicago is complete without a visit to Paul Kahan restaurant. Blackbird is on my hit list at number 1.

Trenchermen

I had never heard of Trenchermen until recently, when it appeared in Bon Appetit as one of the most exciting places to eat in the country. I loved the place since the minute I walked in, but when I saw the menu I thought “BA missed on this one”. OK it was brunch, bit still the items read boring to me: kale salad, grits with egg, doughnuts, french toast, cinnamon roll. Nothing looked innovative and nothing screamed “order me”.

We even considered leaving; we didn’t since we had no plan B. I’m so glad we didn’t. After hesitantly ordering random items from the menu, we ended fighting over every single last bite, amazed at how powerfully flavorful and well executed everything was.

Lemon Glazed Donuts

Order by the dozen

The doughnuts! Not just served warm, but the lemon glaze gave them a tangy punch I only wish they delivered to Miami. The grits, came with popcorn and bits of orange. The fresh parsley and soft poached egg created all together an explosion of richness in your mouth worth getting up every Sunday for. A croque madame was neat and perfectly assembled, and finally, a cinnamon “pretzel” roll, which we only ordered since everything else had been so good simply blew us away. Soft, warm, gorgeous dough with strong cinnamon presence and lightness all at once. Please throw in a dozen of these also if you decide to start delivering nationwide those damn doughnuts! Hey, if Magnolia can so can you!

Of course now I want to try Trenchermen for dinner, since apparently I’m told it’s far better. I can only imagine and I can only start counting the days.

That’s it, until the next one,

Gj

Longman & Eagle on Urbanspoon

Au Cheval on Urbanspoon

Next on Urbanspoon

The Purple Pig on Urbanspoon

The Publican on Urbanspoon

Trenchermen on Urbanspoon

The Classics reviewed with Josh, Dan & ERgagit: Tarks / Le Tub

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The adventures with Chef Joshua Marcus of Josh’s Deli, Chef Daniel Serfer of Blue Collar and ERGagit throughout the classic restaurants of Miami and beyond continued this week with a double date trip up North.

Classics Visited:

Tarks of Dania Beach – 47 years old - 1317 South Federal Hwy 954-925-TARK - Flickr Set

Le Tub  - 39 years old - 1100 N Ocean Dr - 954-921-9425 – Flickr Set

Verdict: Go

Our “classics” adventure began almost six months ago with a candid meal amongst friends at a local 80 year old steakhouse. It has snowballed since and has taken us to Ft lauderdale for what is probably the best italian in the State, to the mother of all Miami classics for crab claws and more and to the ultimate spanish experience. Well OK , it probably hasn’t snowballed yet but what I meant was that it was purely unintentional, and has turned into the most fun of initiatives.

Of the team, I’m probably the one who benefits the most, since I get to experience Miami’s food heritage hands on, and share it with you readers. The gang we have assembled also makes for some memorable meals, with depth of experience and hands on exposure to the food industry, making for even better conversation and memories.

Despite the colorfulness and diversity of our classics reviewed to date, nothing had prepared me for what was the uniqueness of our “double date” from this week: Tarks of Dania Beach and Le Tub in Hollywood.

I was really looking forward to these classics. On every single previous classics night when the topic “where next” came up, these two names clamored excitement and unanimity within the gang, particularly Le Tub.

The double date happened by accident, it was never the intention of the night’s adventure. Fortunately, the members of the gang are hardcore eaters, and, like me, are passionate about extreme eating challenges such as ordering entire menus or having dinner twice, as was the case this evening.

Tarks of Dania Beach has been in business since 1966. It’s located on the US1, just north of Sheridan Street on the right hand side. It specializes, as the logo invites you, in clams, but the menu also includes other seafood items such as buffalo shrimp, oysters, homemade chowders, various fish sandwiches and much more. Chicken also graces the menu in a variety of versions for wings plus there’s the odd steak for you surf n turf lovers. Quiet an extensive menu, considering there are only 2, maybe 3 staff manning the entire joint which includes a bar that seats 10-12 people and 6 outdoor tables where you can squeeze 4 in.

DSC07491

Please don’t remake me

A word of warning: Tarks is the least fancy place I have been to recently, so do not choose it to impress your boss if you want to ask for a raise or don’t pick it for a first date. The place could seriously use an extreme makeover, but at the same time such action would void part of its magic so it should probably never happen. But if you’re not fussy about ambiance and love seafood, this classic is worth the brief drive north from Aventura. The clams, which we tried in three different presentations tasted fresh and the added heat from the steamed ones created a warm welcome sensation. Buffalo shrimp were juicy and hot, as were the chicken wings. Maybe it was the Rye Whisky a member of the gang brought along to wash down the goods that helped everything taste better, but when it comes to the food, one can’t complain. Again, it’s not the best setting ever for a meal, but for a good old alcohol and clam bash amongst friends it’s just about perfect.

When the fattest member of the gang suggested we move along to Le Tub, no one hesitated; probably since what some members lack in belly fat they make up with brain fat , i.e. deep inside we are all fat, hardcore eaters.

Le Tub is out East, on 1A or N Ocean Drive, just north of Oceanwalk shops. Let me tell you, few places are as picturesque as this. It’s an old gas station that was turned in 1974 into this crazy wooden maze and decorated with Flotsam & Jetsam that has showed up on the adjacent beach, including license plates, signs, boat parts, toilet seats and more. Sounds hideous? It’s not; it’s actually extremely cozy and welcoming and despite the night being a quiet one, I can only imagine how festive the place can get on a busy Saturday night. It reminded me of a small Andres Carne de Res (Bogota), probably the best themed restaurant on the planet and a place that every one needs to go before they die.

The accolades wall stretches wide. It seems GQ, Oprah and every journalist in the State of Florida is A Le Tubeliever. And so am I now, after tasting the most succulent hamburger north of Blue Collar in Miami and South of Minetta Tavern in New York City. Another “no sauce required” beauty that needs to be ordered medium rare and which does not garter ordering anything else to its side. Despite this, we ended up ordering of course the chili, the hot dog, the smoked fish dip, and the fries. Good food, nothing to write home about, but that burger: wow. As with previously visited classic Cafe Martorano in Ft Lauderdale, this one merits the extra drive from Miami. You won’t regret it.

Burger

Le Magnifique

On our schedule for upcoming classics, a few Asian places, some Miami fisheries and some Latino flavor. If you have any suggestions, by all means give us a shout

Gj

Tarks Of Dania Beach on Urbanspoon

Le Tub Saloon on Urbanspoon

TWIF #26: Miami: Great New Things I Ate This Week: 2nd MyCeviche, Bulla, The Cypress Room

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This week I checked out the new My Ceviche location in Brickell, discovered a fantastic dish at Bulla and experienced The Cypress Room.

Reminder: all my Flickr Sets can be seen here.
I don’t think there’s a place in all Miami that is a critic proof as My Ceviche. Every food critic, blogger, industry person I know, every hater of the latest hipster trend, loves it. Maybe it’s the underdog story of a tiny shackle of a place in Miami Beach putting out the best ceviche in town element of their story. Maybe it’s the fact that they only use fresh seafood and the fact that they have some of the fastest delivery in town. In any case, few of the new restaurants that have opened over the past few years in Miami deserve a more welcome expansion. And, of all places, Brickell ends up being the lucky ‘hood with the second outpost of the seafood eatery.

It serves Brickell well, given the fact that despite it being probably the richest zip code in town, it’s home to some of the worst restaurants. Daniel Boulud always complains about being in Brickell when he comes into town, signaling he’d rather be on the beach. It seems there is either little appetite for good food or something unappealing about the neighborhood as a food destination. Why? I don’t know, but things are getting better so it’s no time for complaining, specially since now I work in Brickell. Naoe, db Bistro Moderne, Edge and the recently added Momi Ramen are just about the only places where I consider eating in Miami’s financial district. Now I can add My Ceviche to the lot and so should every resident / worker in the area.

The new place is a quantum leap over it’s humble first sibling. Located on S Miami Avenue between 12th and 13th streets, it’s first and foremost  much larger, with plenty of seating space for customers (something Miami Beach lacks). The place is beatifully done, using the color palate of the logo to adorn the fixtures, the ordering bar, the entire place. The menu is the same as the original one (hello Octopus burrito), with a welcome addition in the form of a bowl. You can now order a large open faced plate of your favorite ceviche (choose your sauce, choose your protein), but adding a base to it, which can be either Coconut-Jasmine Rice, Mixed Lettuces or Cilantro Quinoa. I have tried the Quinoa bowl and it’s a welcome healthy addition to the menu. The amazing part of My Ceviche is that even though their cornerstone food consists of raw fish, a lot of pretty decent cooking goes on in the background. Reflected in the octopus for instance, or in the tostones, now in the quinoa for the bowl. This is what also helps separate MyCeviche from the competition in my mind.

Mixed Seafood Ceviche Burrito Bowl

New Bowl on the Block

The new outpost also has delivery in place, so now every finance type that likes to stay glued to his charts during lunchtime has the best excuse ever to stay there. A gorgeous mixed seafood burrito dripping rice all over his keyboard.

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The other neighborhood which has a strange relationship between wealth and quality of restaurants is Coral Gables. Recently I was quiet excited about this being on the verge of changing, and I tweeted excitement around Bread and Butter, Swine, Bulla, opening up at the same time and helping change that. Unfortunately, from personal experience and from first hand comments from visitors, two thirds of those places won’t be adding a dent to the quality of the food scene in the area, at least not in the short term. Bulla however, a new Spanish Gastro-Pub located on the corner of Ponce de Leon and Andalusia, gave me quite a fantastic first impression recently, and even gave me what I consider to be one of the best dishes I have had in Miami.

I was hoping for the worst when I got there. The place was empty (on a Saturday afternoon, when the average wait for a table at Hillstone, a block away, was 90 minutes), and I was with people that hate new restaurants to death. I hadn’t ordered water, and I already knew it was going to be a disaster. We ordered a few of their tapas style dishes to get started. Bite after bite, both me and my skeptic guests were being converted, to a point where when the Gambas al Ajillo arrived we had to fight for them. The Pimientos de Padron, which are meant to be salty and are supposed to be extra hot or not, were exactly that. The grilled squid dish was a particular highlight, giant specimens grilled to perfection with acidity from grapefruit sections adding to the the dish. The Bacalao Buñuelos, or croquettes, were also nicely deep fried and had little make up from potato or flour, as most places to to save on the Bacalao cost. Not greasy either. We never got to the Embutidos and Cheeses section, but are really looking forward to it.

Arroz A Banda

Hola, me llamo Amazing

Driven by the excitement in our palates caused by the tapas dishes, we dove deeper into the bottom section and ordered the Arroz a Banda, a paella style dish that turned out to be one of the most exciting culinary surprises in Miami in recent memory. First, the rice was piping hot and perfectly cooked al dente, stuck to the bottom of the shallow pan and making every guest dive by the spoonful desperately. But most importantly, the seafood that came on top of the layer of rice was ever better, a white flaky cod fillet perfectly seared and seasoned, grilled juicy giant shrimp, steamed clams and mussels and another one of those precious squids on top of it all. To make it even better, they pencil a line of flavorful pesto accross it all. Simply amazing. I highly suggest everyone goes there and orders this dish. We made the mistake of ordering one between 4 people, not only did it dissapear in seconds it gave birth to more fighting over seafood pieces. The strategy is to perhaps order less tapas and order one Arroz a Banda per person, at least that’s how we will play it next, hopefully very soon.

And when you think the place will probably disappoint on the dessert side since there’s no James Beard award winning pastry chef in the kitchen, you get the best churros con chocolate and torrijas you have ever had this side of the ocean. Truly great.

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Finally, this week I had the chance to visit twice Michael Schwartz’s new restaurant, The Cypress Room. Michael is one of Miami’s most important chefs, and responsible for the much praised Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink and Harry’s Pizzeria. The Cypress room is located on NE 2nd Avenue between NE 36th and NE 38th streets, very close to Mr. Schwartz’s other restaurants. There is no valet parking but there is a huge parking lot a spit away underneath the 195 Causeway.

Given Schwartz’s profile and visibility in town, it goes without saying that this is one of the most, if not the most anticipate opening of the year. For me anyway, it sure was. I’m a big fan of Michael and all his restaurants plus everything he does. I can’t understand people in the industry that can’t appreciate that, and I can’t understand why someone can’t appreciate the greatness of MGFD as a place to eat. Maybe it’s jealousy, since it is probably the cash cow every restaurant owner wishes they had. You may not like a dish here, a dish there, but at least in my experience I cannot remember a bad meal at MGFD (I’ve actually carried it at the very top of my ranking since I created it).

One of the aspects of The Cypress Room I was looking forward to the most was its tasting menu , and the idea of Michael dwelling into the arena of fine dining. I laud him for this fact, since it shows he didn’t opt for sitting on top of the MGFD cash cow, which he could’ve, but is keen on continuing to contribute to increasing and making better the Miami restaurant scene.

The room screams good taste. The tables, cloths, large green sofa to the right of the room, reindeer heads hanging on the walls, the server uniforms. Every detail has been looked at twice, maybe three times, to make this eating experience unique.

I tweeted recently that great restaurants are made up of great people. The Cypress Room is no exception, since everyone I have come in contact with during my first two visits has been friendly and helped make the experience better. Simeon, Nicole, Steven, Michael, Roel, Eric; all great people most of with whom you can converse during the meal and who can tell you stories about how the place came about.

With respect to the food, I have been impressed with many of the dishes but also think a few items need to mature somewhat. The tasting menu was flawless. It starts you off with a very fine roast onion broth hiding some soft braised onion at the bottom, with a broiled cheese white bread toast sitting on the rim (the onion soup). A house cured salmon follows, with the added value coming from small pickled vegetables, each individually tasty on its own. The next course was gnocci with perfectly roasted sweet cherry tomatoes, grilled mushrooms and braised antelope meat, finished with shredded parmiggiano. The conglomerated bite I took with pleasure, every ingredient worked. The final savory dish, and the highlight so far for me from TCR was a ribeye dish which, believe it or not, reminded me of the one I had at Per Se in New York. The three slices of meat almost dissolved in my mouth and leave you wanting a bucket of them. To compliment the dish, Schwartz doesn’t go with a potato concoction, like most chefs would, but he offers you the temerarious bone marrow, one of the greatest delicacies known to man and to which I have only recently been introduced to (at Chez L’Ami Jean in Paris). The entire dish is powerful flavor in a small package, but perfect since you’ve already had 3 courses. The dessert and final course I wasn’t impressed with, and believe the tasting menu could use a better ending. Not sure if Hedy is fully on board with Michael as she is with his other projects.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the menu itself. My red meat reproving wife had a beautiful deep fried zucchini blossom instead of the antelope course which was succulent and a great corn dusted Grouper in place of my ribeye dish. It was bedded on some white beans swimming on a lobster nage.

On my second visit we dove further south on the menu, towards the items that are meant to be shared. A big deal is made out of the custom made rottiserie sitting behind the chef, and it does look like the sort of box that can turn any animal into a delicacy. Prior to the large items our party ordered from the starters section, half of which went for the Royal Shrimp dish, which includes cucumber, coconut, lime and puffed rice. This dish gartered the expression “if I could shoot this up my veins I would” phrase which I tweeted last week. That should give you an idea about how good it is. I went for the lamb tartare and was struck by how much lamb you could actually taste, the rest of the ingredients simply lifting its flavor even higher. But, when the items to share arrived, I was somewhat let down. The first was a hen, which was seasoned in some bites and not so seasoned in others. Hen is difficult. The meat is darker than chicken and can be tougher, so the rottiserie actually did a fantastic job with the texture of the bird. But the meat wasn’t tasty at all times. The stuffing, served beside the carved animal, was impressive, a combination of morel mushrooms and other vegetables. The whole roasted red snapper, another item served whole was perfect when you combined it with the beurre blanc that it comes with, but I tried a bite of the fish on its own and it was slightly dry and unseasoned.

Ribeye, Bone Marrow, Creamed Potatoes, Red Wine Jus

Greatness

Of course I will be going back. I have said multiple times that if Michelin ever goes nationwide (which it will), only NAOE would be up for a star from all our local restaurants (forget the imports they don’t count). I now believe The Cypress Room has the potential to join NAOE in this rank, specially if the large items to share are fine tuned. A tremendous addition to Miami’s restaurant scene. Thank you Michael Schwartz for your indissoluble contribution to Miami’s dining scene.

See you all next week,

Gj

TWIF #25: Great New Things I Ate This Week: Catch, Tonkotsu, Sweet Lucali

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This week I got to visit a new “Import” from New York City (Catch), was offered some Tonkotsu and tasted the sweet side of Lucali.

I’m gravely behind on my writing and all thanks to the Sony Open tennis tournament. I’m an avid tennis player and fan, and the  ATP 1000 represents two of the most important weeks of the year for me. I went almost every day and saw more tennis than I could ever imagine. Of course, my writing has taken a toll, but I did manage to eat a new thing or two, which I will write about during this week in two parts. As a side note I can tell you there is absolutely nothing to write about when it comes to food from the Sony Open, since everything I ate (had to) was atrocious. What a shame that such a prestigious event has such low culinary standards. No wonder Roger decided not to come!

One of the new places I managed to get to during these two tennis intensive weeks was Catch, located just outside the James Royal Palm Hotel on Collins Avenue. It’s an “Import” from New York City’s meatpacking district, and the brainchild of Top Chef Hung Huynh. It is focused exclusively  on seafood, and opens only for dinner. I tried a few of their warm appetizers and was pleasantly surprised with everything I tasted, to the point where I don’t understand why the local food bloggers and critics aren’s raving more about this place. The kitchen was humming and is open towards the upstairs room, and there is also a downstairs dining area.

One of the things I tasted, which to me is the best in town until anyone proves me differently, was the lobster roll. The actual roll was buttery and slightly toasted, and the lobster salad was chunky, chilled at the precise temperature. It tasted amazing, all three bites! (it is quite small). The Po Boy yielded a similar reaction, but I would prefer the lobster roll any day. I also tried some scallop dumplings which came bedded on a delicious broth which were quite tasty. Some mahi mahi tacos, although probably tired from replication across town, were also very nice. I will gladly go back to try the other bigger elements of the menu, probably very soon, and can tell you with confidence that Florida Cookery has some serious competition on it’s front porch. Think about giving it a try next time you go there.

Lobster Rolls %0DLobster Salad, Potato Roll, Chive

best in town until proven innocent

When I started this TWIF (This Week In Food) series months ago, I wanted to dedicate it to either new restaurants I get to try, or great new things at places I have already been to. This week I also got the chance to go back to two of my current favorites in town, Momi Ramen and Lucali, of which I have already written about but where I recently had the pleasure to try some great new things.

At Momi Ramen, the tiny Ramen  Soup temple in Brickell, I have managed to try a different flavor of protein ramen every time I have gone back. Brisket, pork belly, hog cheek, all in my repertoire. But recently, I was offered something that quite literally blew my socks off. I was about to finish my bowl recently, when a bandana sporting giant character emerged from the kitchen to ask me what I thought of my meal. After looking at my empty bowl and happy face, he turned around and quickly went back to the kitchen. Minuted later he came back, with a small bowl between his hands. He carefully placed it in front of me, looked at me and simply said the word “Try”. I asked him what it was, and he repeated. “Try”. Of course I did, and a single spoonful turned by conception of what a simple stock can be upside down. It was incredibly rich, probably the richest soup I have ever tried. It had only some scallions scattered on top, and it quite possibly required nothing else.

I had to dwell deeper into the mystery of such a bowl, so I stuck my head into the kitchen to find out. It turns out it is Tonkotsu, a broth made with bone marrow. It’s “hidden” on the menu so I guess can be ordered in the future and potentially with all the other regular components of the traditional ramen soup. Looking forward to that.

Tonkotsu

“Try”

The other current favorite I have been going back to frequently is Lucali. If there is little to add to such an amazing Margherita pizza, a twist I recently tried was adding portobellos to the calzone. It works. The new item I felt compelled about writing about though is the newly introduced Nutella, Ricotta and Mint pizza. You can’t go wrong with that combination, but I do believe it can be screwed up. This is were Lucali excels, the dough and crust are absolutely perfect for this experiment, and the ricotta and mint proportions are measured precisely to make every bite perfect. Powdered sugar around it completes it, and now there is another “sweet” reason to keep going back to the best pizza in town.

Nutella Ricotta Mint Pie

Nutella’s best new home

Soon I will continue playing catch up with my writing; I have Cypress room, the new MyCeviche and Bulla to tell you about.

Gj

Catch on Urbanspoon

TWIF #24: Great New Things I Ate This Week: “Fried Chicken Pastrami” at Josh’s Deli, Porchetta Sandwich at MGFD

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This week I tried Josh’s Deli’s Fried Chicken Pastrami and a gorgeous Porchetta sandwich at Michaels Genuine Food & Drink.

I’ve written before about how much I like Josh’s Deli; but since my weekly post is dedicated to Great New things I eat, this week I get to mention that tiny temple again.

“Put Some South In Your Punim”, reads the specials board over at the Deli, signifying there is something lurking under Joshua’s sleeve that combines Southern cuisine with a jewish twang. And this is what “Fried Chicken Pastrami” is all about. There’s no chicken. Pastrami is a 100% beef product, a labor of love delicacy made by taking a brisket, curing it for a week in salt and them smoking it for a very precise amount of time (around four hours with a pressure smoker). Josh does all this himself at the Deli, which explains the justified following he has quickly developed with local critics, bloggers, and food lovers in general.

A thick slab of his delicious pastrami is soaked overnight in buttermilk. This process is akin to the one for making the best fried chicken possible: first you brine it, then you soak it in buttermilk overnight. The bacteria in the buttermilk breaks down the tissue in the protein, making it extremely tender. In addition to this, it acts as a balancing agent since the curing/brining process renders quite a salty meat, which would become too salty if cooked directly given the loss in moisture. The buttermilk absorbs part of the saltiness and helps balance the savory content once the pastrami is subject to heat. Some dredging ensues of course. A secret combination of flours (I hear there is the elusive rye flour) and egg help make the coating before being dipped in the fryer.

When deciding what to do with such a rich creation, Josh had two options: he could’ve made it into a sandwich, with perhaps a biscuit like dough so it resembles the popular chicken and biscuits, or go with the popular combination of chicken and waffles. He went for the later. But of course, as with everything at Josh’s Deli, it couldn’t just be any waffle or any syrup. The waffle batter includes some Jewish “touches” from, again, rye flour and also from caraway seeds present in rye bread. Maple syrup (not extracted from trees by Josh, at least not yet!) is combined with his proprietary mustard to create a sweet but tangy sticky sauce you need to dribble all over the final product.

Fried Chicken Pastrami & Waffle

I am Southern. I am Jewish. I am hybrid.

When Josh first told me about this dish, he told me it was one of the best things he has tasted in recent memory. I agree, and I for one will make an effort to drive up to Surfside more frequently just get this “South in my Punim”. You should all do the same.

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The restaurant that probably needs less blog posts in Miami is Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in the Design District. But this week I ate something there I had never eaten before and want to suggest you all do too: The porchetta sandwich. Last I checked there were almost 30 blog posts about MGFD, and that’s just those of us who take the effort of sharing them via Urbanspoon.

The place remains as popular a ever. Always packed, with folks without a reservation being turned down a dozen per hour at least. There just aren’t that many places in town where you can eat better. It’s so consistent, so good, that I can’t say I’ve ever had anything there I haven’t liked, and I’ve been to Michael’s a lot. Most of my visits have been either for brunch or lunch though, and I have almost always gone for what I call the “money” section of the lunch menu: the sandwiches.

Pork belly, short rib, turkey, fish of the day, burger, most of them I’ve had and have all been a delight with every bite with those buttery brioche type buns and perfect hand cut fries. The porchetta though, I had never had, and ever since I did this week I have been dreaming of going back for it once more. The slice of porchetta is slightly crispy right on the edge where it needs to be, and tender in the middle. You can taste the rosemary from the slow cooking process and the sandwich comes in slightly burned white bread; some pickled fennel, aioli and rugula pair it of brilliantly.

With a pint of Michael’s own brew and a Hedy Goldsmith dessert to follow, lunch time rarely gets any better.

Porchetta, slow roasted pork, pickled fennel, arugula, lemon aioli

Come and get me

See you next week,

Gj

Michael's Genuine Food & Drink on Urbanspoon

The Classics Reviewed with Josh & Dan: Casa Juancho

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The adventures with Chef Joshua Marcus of Josh’s Deli and Chef Daniel Serfer of Blue Collar throughout the classic restaurants of Miami continued this week with a trip to España;

Name: Casa Juancho – Flickr Set

Age: Almost 30 years old (opened 1984)

Location: 2436 S.W. 8th Street, Miami, FL 33135

Verdict: Go

Guest Reviewer: ERGagit

Despite the avant-garde nature of modern spanish cuisine spearheaded by the likes of Adriá, Roca, Aduriz and Arzak, some culinary traditions are best left unchanged, letting time pass by without altering them. Paella is no doubt one of them, a dish that goes back 200 years and is still today prepared in the same fashion.

So is the case at Casa Juancho on 8th street, a mammoth of a restaurant offering classic Spanish cuisine.

As with some of the previously reviewed classics, it seems time stopped the day this place opened. It seems they are the same waiters, the same tables, the same cutlery. The same decor from its opening back in 1984. This is a classic that is handling like a champion the test of time. The large restaurant even boasts its own private parking, and is able to seat well over 300 people.

Despite its magnificence, it remains under the radar even for a classic. Spanish cuisine has had a little bit of a comeback in Miami in recent years thanks to a large extent to the Pubbelly group and their Barceloneta joints, as well as the growing empire of 100 montaditos. Xixon, a three year old in Coral Gables, is also drawing the odd food expert here and there. Casa Juancho sits on 8th street unaware of all this fanfare, unaware of what has happened in Basque Country or San Sebastian over the last decade, where a few chefs and restaurants have monopolized top restaurant lists and Michelin stars.

The food is straight forward spanish fare, unassuming and risk free. Pimientos rellenos, stuffed with white fish and battered, fried and served on a puddle of tomato sauce were delicious but felt as though they had been sitting around for a few hours. A vegetable soup looked simple and probably tasted so. One of us ventured into fabada astuariana territory, a white bean stew with slices of blood sausage which apparently was not bad. A non-ricer from our table ordered the cod filet with vegetables, a plate decent enough to garter its dissapearance whole.

Jars of red and white sangria were passed around making for a decent level of tipsyness for when the main course arrived: the paella. It’s probably difficult to get something wrong that you have been doing for 30 years, and you can tell the same guys in this kitchen have been making these in the same fashion forever. It was flawless, just the right level of moisture left and just the right level of “al dente” in the grains. Well seasoned, with the right combination of seafood variety, mussels, squid, shrimp and lobster.

Paella

Cargada de sabor

The highlight though was a suckling pig that was being passed around when we arrived, split open and roasted, face down on a tray. We ordered half of it and it was brought to us in chunks. It was crispy and succulent, a true feast.

Cochinillo

Salvé la noche

I can’t recall the last time I was at a restaurant with live music, but it was probably also spanish or maybe lebanese (in this case it also included a dancer). I can’t think of anything tackier, but can also appreciate how at a place like this, it gels. A trio of dressed up gallegos fired away unannounced and gave us a whole serenata of spanish classic tunes, most out of tune, but who cares. It added color to the night and makes for a more entertaining experience if anything. It’s not always about the Michelin stars you know!

Ole

Not Gipsy Kings

Desserts included more classic options like a flan and crema catalana. As with the paella, very straight forward and unfussy.

Another great night of classics review, this time more due to the company, the great conversation and the entertainment rather than the food. If you are craving a paella or are spanish and feeling homesick, visit Casa Juancho on 8th street. You should also consider this place for a group meal if you want to have a really good time. Just don’t take Jose Andres if he happens to be in town and you want to impress him.

Gj

Casa Juancho on Urbanspoon

TWIF#23: Great New Things I Ate This Week: Chicken Coupe at SOBEWFF, Lucali, J&G Grill

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This week I attended an event from the South Beach Food & Wine Festival, had the best pizza I’ve ever had in Miami at Lucali, and also found a new winner for the best braised beef short rib dish title at J&G Grill.

I get mixed feelings when the South Beach Wine and Food Festival approaches. 3 years ago, when I had just arrived to Miami, I was running around like a headless chicken from event to event, chasing TV star chefs and lamenting myself for not being able to attend the sold-out burger bash. Now, I carefully evaluate the full schedule when it is announced, and carefully pick one event to attend, making sure it includes perhaps chefs I’d like to meet, or a type of food I like.

When this year’s schedule came out, I noticed that Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone, chefs and owners of Torrisi Italian Specialties, my favorite restaurant in New York and probably the world, were attending a “fried chicken and champagne” event hosted by Andrew Carmellini (chef of Locanda Verde and The Dutch). I jumped to it via the pre-sale, going through the hassle of having to borrow a Mastercard (it was a pre-requisite). As the event approached, I noticed Rich and Mario disappeared from the schedule. I guess it must be difficult to manage such a complex agenda and such a large number of personalities.

Screen Shot 2013-03-04 at 6.25.09 PM

The Bait

Despite my disappointment, I decided to attend the event instead of opting for trying to re-sell the tickets. I’m glad I did. There was enough champagne to get you as drunk as you would like and  some of the chicken dishes were great; the crispy moist fried chicken from The Dutch was supberb, together with a rich and sweet biscuit. Local chef Giorgio Rapicavoli from Eating House wowed the attendees with a fine twist on chicken and waffle that included some hidden foie. But the highlight for me, both food and personality wise, was Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook from Animal and Son of a Gun in L.A.

I became an instant fan of Jon and Vinny after being exposed to their food at their Harry’s Pizzeria pop-up  last year. Their cookbook, Two Dudes and One Pan, is the cookbook I have used the most over the last year. I suggest everyone who cooks at home gets this book if you haven’t gotten it already. Their fried chicken sandwich with pickles and coleslaw was so good, I had three (3) of them. I also got to chat with Vinny for a while, about Miami, my recent visit to San Francisco, L.A., and food in general. What a great chef and guy. Their restaurants are my first stop if and when I get to Los Angeles.

DSC03742

Night Savers

At the event I also got to meet chef Thomas McNaughton, from my recently visited Central Kitchen in San Francisco. Nice guy.

Another festival is over and Miami should be happy it hosts it. It brings good business to the city, and if anything, gives us locals a chance to get up close and personal with chefs from around the country and, with a bit of luck, also have some great food.

__________

The other great new thing I ate this week was a pizza, and probably the best pizza I’ve eaten in Miami.

Three years ago when I first got here the only decent pizza I could find was Andiamo’s Pizza in MiMo. Since the opening of Harry’s Pizzeria last year that has been my main stop for pies in town, with wonderful toppings such as pork belly and braised beef , but not quite up to the standards of the real napolitan style pizzas I have had in the past at places like Keste in NYC. A recent field trip to Oceano Pizzeria in Lantana, thanks to a tip from local food blogger The Chowfather, gave me light at the end of the pizza tunnel, but as I mentioned in my post about it, it can be a five hour affair for us living in Miami.

Lucali, from Brooklyn,  New York has arrived to Miami Beach and I’m pretty sure will put the local pizza debate to rest once and for all. I was there recently and I can tell you it’s just not the best pizza I’ve had in Miami, it’s also one of the coolest places of the many that have opened over the last couple of years. The setting is cozy, chic, rustic, and a feast to all senses. Candle lights allow you to witness the making of the pies at their open pizza kitchen including the rolling out of the dough with wine bottles and the meticulous management of the wood fire brick oven.

Margheritta

I’m here to end this debate once and for all

Apparently chef/owner Mark Iacono isn’t happy with the dough just yet (something to do with humidity). Let me tell you, if this dough gets any better, this place would soon have people lining down the street. And even if it doesn’t it should and it probably will. Go there, you will absolutely love it; another great “import” to our town.

________________

The last great new thing I ate this week was over dinner a couple of nights ago at J&G Grill, at the St. Regis Resort in Bal Harbour. Being a huge fan of Jean-Georges Vongerichten, when this place opened almost a year ago I was amazed at how quickly Miami’s dining scene was maturing. To have such an acclaimed chef open a place in town was definitely one of the most important signs of progress, together with other high level “imports” openings such as db Bistro Moderne and Bazaar. As with many of the super-star chefs behind these concepts though, the exposure to Vongerichten is close to zero. I haven’t heard of any events at J&G Grill with the chef. Daniel Boulud is probably the exception; he  hosts regular events at his db Bistro. But as long as the food and service deliver, it doesn’t’ matter, and deliver it does at this majestic dining room located at the very end of the impressive ground floor of the St. Regis Resort in Bal Harbour.

The kitchen is led by Richard Gras and Antonio Bachour, and the food they are putting out is doing Jean-Georges proud. I had only been for brunch/lunch a few times and had had gorgeous pizza with black truffles and fontina, a great burger, and some creamy delicious soups and other sandwiches. Of course, the desserts, had all been impressive since Antonio is probably one of the best pastry chefs in the country, no doubt.

Dinner is a whole different ball game. Entrée choices include a wide variety of top quality proteins perfectly paired and beautifully plated. My table that night tried all the fishes, the miso black cod, the nutty crusted red snapper, the lemon crumb coated salmon, and there wasn’t a frown in sight. On the legged animal side, a generous milk fed veal chop looked succulent, but my co-diner devoured it too quickly for me to try it (let alone take a decent picture of it).

What really impressed me though, was the beef braised short rib. I have mentioned multiple times here how much I love this dish, and how (until now) I was such a slave of the one served at Michy’s. The one at J&G was not only softer, with more flavor, it was actually far more generous, actually twice the size as the one Michelle Bernstein offers, making it for me an instant winner. The best beef short rib dish baton has been passed on, and now J&G Grill is the place where I will go to satisfy my craving for such.

Soy Glazed Short Ribs%0DApple-Jalapeño Puree, Rosemary Crumbs

Move over Michy’s

See you all next week,

GJ

 

J&G Grill on Urbanspoon

Lucali on Urbanspoon

TWIF #22: Great New Things I Ate This Week: San Francisco

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San Francisco is celebrated by many as the most exciting food city in America, and this week I had the pleasure to visit it for the first time. I was expecting the food to be good, but I wasn’t prepared for such an impressive array of culinary delights. I was lucky enough to visit some of the top restaurants, as measured by Michelin stars, as well as some of the hottest new places in town, some of them not even a year old.

My guess as to why the food is so outstanding overall has to do with what I call the four P’s of the restaurant industry: Palate, Partners, Precision and Produce. A strong restaurant industry needs not just excellent ingredients and technique, but also demanding customers and deep pockets to finance it. San Francisco has some of the most amazing geographical surroundings and weather, making it a perfect cradle for some of the highest quality produce in the country. A stroll down Ferry Building marketplace or the Bi-Rite market in Mission Dolores are showcase to this. Technically, it is undeniable that just north of San Francisco sits The French Laundry by Thomas Keller, a restaurant that has created the highest level of standards when it comes to turning such great produce into masterpieces, and servicing with the utmost care to detail. Its proximity to Silicon valley makes it a very rich city, and its demographics offer a exquisite, clever palate that continues to fuel an ever expanding and exciting industry.

DSC03413

Bridge to School

Below are my brief comments on all the places I was able to visit. As I did with Paris, I shall offer my list in order of preference, based on my dining experiences. Of course, the city has so much to offer I left with a long list of places I didn’t make it to but that I’m eager to try on my next visit, hopefully soon.

The links from each place’s name take you to the Kodak Moments.

1. Atelier Crenn

 

Chef: Dominique Crenn

Present: Yes

By the time I got to Atelier Crenn, the bar had been set pretty high by Benu, Coi and Saison, the other 2 Michelin star restaurants in San Franciso. The diversity of flavors, creativity and execution of every single one of the 17 courses at Dominique Crenn’s temple was truly the most enjoyable and impressive of them all. My exposure to molecular gastronomy has been very limited. I never made it to El Bulli. Haven’t dined (yet) at Alinea or wd-50. So when I was presented with a “rock” that I was supposed to put in my mouth, and to have it explode upon contact with refreshing rhubarb juice was one of the trip’s highlights for me. Sophisticated, interconnected, diverse, intense in both flavor and texture is how I would characterize Dominique’s “poetica culinaria” (poetry is just one of her many artistic veins). She takes you on a journey through her mind and talent that I had rarely witnessed before. If her goal is to impress, she achieved it. If it is to feed you to insatiability, she achieved it, and if it is to reach the highest level possible of execution and service, she achieved it too. Many meals you tend to forget. The nest made out of corn “silk” with the duck fat “eggs” delicately placed inside, I will never forget. An oyster swimming in wheatgrass juice, I will never forget. Most “crudo” dishes you get are a few slices of raw fish with hopefully some aioli or lime. The recreation of the thai flavors from the best curry you can possibly find, in a crudo presentation, I will never forget. A perfectly recreated beet together with its root and some of the dirt from where it came from, that turned out to be a sweet dessert, I will never forget.

DSC03622

The most perfectly seared squab breast

Dominique gave me a glimpse into her summer menu by sharing a dish she is working on, and without giving out any details, I can tell you she recreated the perfect flavors of an outdoor grilled burger, without a patty or bun in sight. Some of the magic occurs in front of you. Something is grilled, something is boiled, something is poured, adding live drama to the event. All perfectly planned and executed. Her team is fully devoted and committed to your enjoyment from beginning to end, and no detail goes missed. Atelier Crenn is the restaurant I’m looking forward to returning to the most, and it was, to put it simply, flawless. The tasting menu I experimented is already one of my all time favorite meals and will probably end up at the very top, if not at the top, of my 2013 meals of the year.

2. Saison

 

Chef: Joshua Skenes

Present: Yes

Of the 18 restaurants visited during the trip, Saison was the one I was looking forward to the most, specially after reading how it ended up at the top of many culinary enthusiasts’ lists of 2012 top meals, and specially after I was lucky enough to land a reservation right after the move to a new location, which was building a lot of expectation. A glimpse through the Saison webpage makes it ever more intriguing; chef Joshua Skenes and co. look like a young indie rock band, not a group of chefs that had achieved 2 Michelin stars. What you experience over the next three hours is truly impressive. Most of us are used to busy kitchens, with chefs shouting orders left and right, frenetically moving from one pan to the next, sweating. There is none of that at Saison. Skenes isn’t even wearing an apron, or a chef’s coat. He sports a checkered shirt. He moves slowly back and forth, stirs a small pot here, and pours a sauce there. You barely hear him, despite the proximity to the open kitchen from the dining tables. He glances across the room, takes another small pot, whispers into a sous chef’s ear. Is it all on purpose? Probably. Does he want to prove he can accomplish more than others with what seems to be half the effort? Perhaps, although one would have to witness what goes on prior to opening time. When plating time arrives, him and his 3 main chefs gather around the dishes like surgeons about to perform open heart surgery on someone.

Fermented Anchovies, Lettuces, Leafs, Crudites

Foraging at its best

Does the “tyranny” of a fixed tasting menu, as criticized recently by Vanity Fair’s Corby Kummer, help make this lax environment possible? Maybe; but the food that arrived did not have tranquility written anywhere. It was complex, diverse, intriguing and impressive, including changes in speed of service to facilitate blending (or not) of flavors. Highlights included a few of his signature dishes, like the unassuming wooden bowl of crudités and raw leaves. Each individual item had a particular dressing and a carefully hidden smear of fermented anchovy spread makes it the most interesting and least pretentious dish on the 19 course tasting menu. Seafood based one bite courses up front make sure you understand this is not a group of kids playing around. Live scallop and pear, sea robin with kale, a crisp of vichyssoise with roe all elevated technically to their maximum expression, albeit respecting the main sea ingredient in its raw form.

Things get really serious halfway. Joshua pushes the boundaries of what is possible combination-wise and gives you a dish with duck liver, black olives, milk custard, white chocolate and beer foam (no typo there). It works, and leaves you wanting another one. An immaculately poached pigeon breast is wrapped in cabbage and is rained by Perigord black truffle shavings. Another fish course has curry plantains on top and is sitting on a puddle of coconut and lime juice. He flows you into a palate cleanser, a perfect pine nut soufflé, a canele de bordeaux and “tea” (petit fours), which include a soft sweet brioche that makes next day’s black coffee taste like heaven. Joshua doesn’t mind your presence, and despite the open space environment, he is not seeking your praise. He knows how excellent a job he and his team are doing, so he doesn’t mind the fact that the group of candid, warm young chefs on the webpage is opposite to the cold, calculating precise scientists they are in real life. Just sit back and let your palate get bent over backwards. Because it will be.

3. Coi

 

Chef: Daniel Patterson

Present: Had just left

The third out of the four restaurants in San Francisco with 2 Michelin stars was an astonishing example of diversity of flavors and textures within its 13 course tasting menu. The setting is elegant, the most elegant of them all and the food is out there to impress. Coi gave me a few firsts in my repertoire of things I have eaten, like geoduck, which was combined with tofu coagulated with seawater and a dish which tasted just like the ocean. Wheatgrass I had never tasted either, and absolutely loved its fresh taste, in the case of Coi it served as a sauce accompanying an inverted fromage blanc tart. The final protein, the dish that tasting menus aim to perfect as it is meant to be the perfect ending to the main body of the meal, was a rich and tender veal that almost did not require knife.

GRASS-FED VEAL chicories, caper berry, seville orange

Veal dish of the decade

Desserts included another first for me, Oro Blanco, a member of the citrus family, paired with a sweet ginger sorbet. Another dessert, a frozen lime marshmallow covered with coal toasted merengue, was probably the best dessert from the entire trip. Daniel Patterson is a self-taught genius, and Coi reflects this in spades. The service was flawless and overall dinner a faboulous experience. I’m looking forward to dining there again and be taught one more time a few lessons in gastronomy.

4. SPQR

 

Chef: Matt Accarrino

Present: Yes

A chef that is butchering a whole animal at the bar in front of his customers right in the middle of services is one of the coolest things I have seen at a restaurant. This is Matthew Accarrino, the genius behind A16 and SPQR, the latter a place where I ate some of the most amazing pasta dishes I have had in recent memory. The combinations, such as beet pasta filled with short rib, or whole-wheat with suckling pig reminded me how exciting a pasta dish can be. A simple white spaghetti with tons of Parmiggiano Reggianno and shaved Perigord truffles showcased excellence in simplicity, pure heaven on a plate.

sweet carrot and lentil salad, medjool date and vadouvan curry crema

The most interesting salad around

When presented with a carrot salad, the variety of ingredients on the plate was outstanding, including a small tube shaped falafel, lentils with their sprouts, dates and a sweet cream. The carrots, presented both whole and shaved, came in various shapes and types of cooking, making for a very diverse dish worthy of a good amount of time exploring it. Unfortunately I chose SPQR, owner of one Michelin star, as my last stop and on the way to the airport, which limited my time there and how much I could taste, but this is the first place I am going to run to as soon as I get off the plane on my next visit. And order the entire menu I will.

5. Rich Table.

 

Chefs: Evan and Sarah Rich

Present: No, in India

The food at Rich Table carries the depth of flavor one only wishes every restaurant would be able to achieve. Evan and Sarah Rich have made such a dent in the San Francisco food scene with their young eatery, that they are up for a James Beard Award for best new restaurant and were not there that night because a customer from India was so blown away by their food that he flew them to cater his wedding. Sardines neatly chucked into potato slices and fried, made for a first impression that sets the tone. I have said in previous posts how much I enjoy a pasta with a crunch.

Red Trout Almondine, Spinach, Wild greens

Happy trout

The dry aged beef pasta with crumbs hit all the right spots and made Rich Table an immediate favorite. The richness of the trout, together with its accompanying wild greens and sliver of almonds on top reminded me that rarely do ingredients go so well together. The desserts also make a name for themselves, including a rare olive oil sweet cake with kiwi that was both moist and crunchy. Rich Table is another place I’m definitely looking forward to going back on my next visit.

6. Sons & Daughters.

 

Chef: Matt McNamara

Present: Yes

Carrying one Michelin star, this unique little dining room plays tribute to the real farm to table by serving a menu almost fully supplied by ingredients from their own farm located in Los Gatos. Chef Matt McNamara was on hand with a skillful team of young chefs cooking and plating what was a gorgeous tasting menu consisting of 10 courses, the highlight of which was a succulent lamb saddle, pink and moist, with a delicate potato millefeuille and hedgehog mushrooms. The baby beets and carrots dish, beautifully placed on a stone dish, spoke to the uniqueness of their garden, and a crab dish was nicely paired with apple and caviar.

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Pinkness perfection

A wonderful experience worth going back to try again, during another season, just to experience what that wonderful acre has to offer. The small living room setting truly makes you feel at home, and so does the attention of Matt, Tony and the rest of the team.

7. Benu

Chef: Corey Lee

Present: Yes

The last of the 4 restaurants carrying the heavy burden of 2 Michelin stars. I went to Benu on the first night and it was a precursor of what became one of the best weeks of eating of my life. Corey Lee, French Laundry trained, pulls of a tasting menu in Per Se-esque style and order that plays with your mind and demonstrates a very high standard of technique and innovation. Given his Korean origin, this is the tasting menu with the highest level of Asian influence. It almost felt as if French Laundry was sent East for a six month immersion and came back. A kimchi based container is formed like an open flower and hosts pork belly and a tiny oyster. Baby anchovies, their miniscule eyes visible and perhaps deep fried using tweezers, sit atop a fluffy potato salad. Monkfish liver is a silky as it can possibly get, probably the work of a serious amount of whipping. An egg shaped white form turns out to be chicken that has been pureed, formed into an egg, frozen and then poached. The level of sophistication and exquisiteness goes on and on, and one can only but speculate how on earth do these places make money charging a mere 180$ for such a feast. My guess is liquor. A lobster coral dumpling explodes in your mouth with its perfectly encased stock, and is probably the best dumpling you will ever try.

oyeter, pork belly, kimchi

Be prepared to be amazed

The only reason Benu ranked so low on my list is because the final protein course, the beef, was braised in pear juice but was actually not tender, or not tender enough for me. Had it been “fall of the bone” tender, Benu would have probably ended up there closer to Atelier Crenn. A last course, an attempt at replicating the forbidden shark fin soup, came with black truffles and was truly exceptional. Desserts and chocolates to end were also great.

8. Central Kitchen

 

Chef: Thomas McNaughton

Present: No

This rustic, simple restaurant with its humble entrance turned out to give me some of the best bites of the whole week. The difficulty in choosing where to eat in San Francisco is that most places, both the ones above and a few below, offer dinner only, so if you have 5 nights and you want to try 10 of these places, you are in trouble. The priority for me was for the 2 michelin star ones mentioned above, so great options like the ridiculously popular State Bird Provisions and Flour + Water fell to second place and were unfortunately left out (but are first priority for the next trip). During the week however, it came to my attention that Flour + Water’s sister restaurant, Central Kitchen, was named by GQ’s Alan Richman as one of the 12 most exciting restaurants in the US right now. So I shuffled around a few reservations and squeezed in an early dinner here to see what it was all about. I was impressed. I only got to taste a few things, pork trotter rillettes, which was chunky and creamy, some strongly flavored duck croquettes with aioli, and an unexpected homerun: a plate carrying simple raw radishes, stuck to the plate by a small portion of butter, and placed next to a shallow ring of colored salts. The impact of the crunch and flavor of the radishes combined with the creaminess of the butter and the boost from the salt was impressive.

Crispy Duck Croquettes with roasted garloc aioli

These should come in buckets

A few subsequent dishes, one with thick grilled mushrooms, tiny bits of crackling and a cheese based sauce was quite the pleasant surprise, as was the duck confit and roasted carrots that followed it. Chef Thomas McNaughton is onto something here, and everyone visiting San Francisco should try either this or his other place, Flour + Water.

9. Mission Chinese

 

Chef: Danny Bowien

Present: No

Do I really have to say anything about Mission Chinese? New York has taken care of making sure Danny Bowien can almost retire already with just two restaurants under his belt, given the almost cult like following that has ensued his opening in the East Coast. I showed up very early, scared by the stories of 3-4 hour waits for what is meant to be the best Chinese food in the US right now. Fortunately the madness has simmered down in San Francisco, or at least for a lunch appointment mid week. The place did get almost full quite quickly in any case, so I guess choosing Mission Chinese for dinner on a Friday night is perhaps no the best option. Of course the default option would be for me to come out saying I had never had better Chinese in my life. I was expecting to feel numbness in my mouth and face from some of the dishes, as most people account for, and this is supposed to be the highlight of my meal. And yes, I had a great Chinese meal, but why people stand in line four hours for it is beyond me. Maybe I ordered wrong. I had a very spicy cabbage and peanut dish up front which was actually fantastic, but then a smoked eel and pork roll was just OK, the baby bok choy was, well, boiled bok choy.

Beer Brined Sichuan Pickles

Peanuts never tasted this good

A pastrami dish was gorgeous chunks of pastrami but with semi raw peppers, celery bits and more peanuts. And finally, the famous salt cod fried rice, which I have read about in almost every account of Mission Chinese, did not taste like cod at all, just like regular fried rice. Again, either I ordered wrong, or indeed there is something here I’m missing badly.

10. Boulevard.

 

Chef: Nancy Oakes

Present: Apparently downstairs

A classic for more than 20 years, this institution cannot be missed. It has one Michelin star, won 2012’s James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant and opens for lunch, which helps balance the agenda. The menu is franco-american, but I went American all the way and ordered a burger. I think I had read about it. It was superb. The patty was pink and moist on the inside, perfectly grilled and then broiled. Beautiful cowgirl creamery wagon wheel cheese oozed on top. The bun was soft and sweet, buttery, and slightly toasted. One of the best burgers I have ever had. A sole dish with fennel and celery gratin was also great, but not worth writing home about.

American WAGYU BEEF BURGER%0A

Best Burger

11. Cotogna.

 

Chef: Michael Tusk

Present: No

Michael Tusk is one of San Francisco’s most important chefs, thanks in part to his 10 year old Quince, another great restaurant I couldn’t get to since it’s also dinner only (another to-do). I believe local critic Michael Bauer has Quince as his number one restaurant in all of San Francisco, or at least it’s one of his top 3. Next door to Quince is Cotogna, which means Quince in Italian and is Michael’s second venture. It’s Italian fare in a lovely casual setting, and is open 12 hours a day, making it easy to visit. I had lunch there and tried some terrific pasta dishes, “Agnolotti Dal Plin” which were packed with lamb, some fantastically paired gnocci with crab and mussels, a perfectly shaped raviolo that oozed egg yolk upon slicing it, and some delicious spinach fagottini filled with smoked beets.

Raviolo di ricotta with farm egg

A yolk will run

I also tried the suckling pig which was moist and tender. A terrific spot that should not be missed, specially for lunch if you happen to be doing Chinatown that day (it’s close).

12. Swan Oyster Depot

Chef: Tommy Sancimino

Present: Yes

I’m no oyster expert. I couldn’t tell the difference between a Blue point vs. a Miyagi vs. a Kumamoto. Let alone would I be able to tell the difference between a Kumamoto served here and a Kumamoto served somewhere else. The clam chowder was, well, clam chowder. The smoked mackerel was, well, smoked mackerel. The crab salad was indeed a highlight. Chunks of crab meat stacked on a cup, with loads of louie and cocktail sauce to dip them into. Delicious. I get the excitement of eating here. It’s 100 years old, it’s history. For someone like me, who prefers culinary tourism over museum tourism, this was a highlight. But as with Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami, this has to do with the setting, the place, the atmosphere, the experience. A crab claw is a crab claw. An oyster is an oyster. I doubt I would stand in line again for 3 hours to eat here.

Oyster Selection

I want you to believe I am different

13. AQ

 

Chef: Mark Liberman

Present: Yes

A new place in town I was looking forward to given it’s praise with local food critics and bloggers, I chose to do brunch here, again, because it is dinner only (and brunch). Perhaps dinner is special, but brunch was just OK. A tuna sandwich had great kick from spicy avocado and came on a nicely grilled brioche type bread. Suckling pig hash with fried eggs was fine, the baked farm eggs where actually pretty good and benefiting from a chilli sauce. Beautiful rustic place, I’m sure a great setting for a dinner date. Perhaps I will try it on a next visit.

Seared Tuna Sandwich, Spicy Avocado, Capers & Meyer Lemon

I dare you to find a better tuna sandwich

14. Yank Sing

 

Chef: N/A

This is the place you end up in when you “browse” popular sources for where to eat. It offered lunch, so now you know why I ended up there. I love Dim Sum and having heard it was the best in town, in a town with a predominant Asian population. I had to give it a try. It was great! Incredibly busy and fast. You sit down, a flock of ladies with trays approach you and offer all they have. You are forced to choose quickly. Rinse and repeat. Should one desire, it is possible to be in and out of this place in 15 minutes flat. Talk about fast food; there is nothing wrong you can say about the food. It’s great Dim Sum; shrimp, chicken, mushroom, scallop, spinach, all these dumplings were great. Pork Buns fine also. If you are in town and you have a Dim Sum craving, this is it.

Scallop Dumplings

Fast Food

15. The Slanted Door

 

Chef: Charles Phan

Present: When I asked the GM, he pulled a funny face, as in saying, he never comes here.

Probably one of the most popular restaurants in the city, Slanted Door is a Western Vietnamese restaurant by Charles Phan. His original Slanted Door opened in 1995 and his group now has 6 restaurants, all offering variations on Asian fare. Located inside the Ferry Building with a majestic view of the Piers, Oakland Bay Bridge and the San Francisco Bay. Upon entering the Slanted Door, I had the opposite reaction to the recent Asian places I have discovered in Miami that have been filled with Asians: there wasn’t one in sight. So perhaps this set the tone for the food not being as authentic as it probably could be, which indeed was the case. It was fine, but felt rather American. Kind of like China Grill in it’s days, or perhaps Hakkasan. It was great to have been there, but I probably won’t go back.

caramelized wild gulf shrimp, garlic, yellow onion, caramel chili sauce

Vietnamese or American?

16. Park Tavern

 

Chef: Jennifer Puccio

Present: No

This was a spur of the moment meal I had when I arrived, hungry and without a reservation elsewhere. I didn’t just stumble upon it, I actually had read both this place and its sister restaurant Marlowe were quite good, and I had recently read an article by SF critic Michael Bauer praising the roast chicken and the Marlowe Burger. I actually had the burger and was not impressed at all. Other items were nice, crab cake, polenta with poached egg, but nothing special. It felt like a prettier version of Houston’s.

AVOCADO Toast | seeded whole wheat, chile, lemon & sea salt

Great Toast

17. Nopalito

 

Chef: Gonzalo Guzman

Present: Yes

Also had read good things about this Mexican food restaurant and its bigger brother Nopa. Had a fish taco al pastor that wasn’t much better than the fish tacos from local Miami favorite My Ceviche. A duck tamale with mole sauce I didn’t enjoy. This didn’t work for me at all.

18. Tony’s Pizza

 

Chef: N/A

Also a very popular place, offering many types of different pizzas from different ovens, Neapolitan, different tempratures, different doughs, quite an extensive menu. We actually had to wait an hour! For a table. Pizza was just OK.

Naepolitan Margherita

I have a lot of competition

Apart from restaurants, here is a list of other places I also got to visit:

Four Barrel Coffee

The coffee culture in San Francisco is amazing, probably the best in the country. There are a few well established local brands that import, roast and sell their own beans, and they all have local places for you to enjoy. The level of sophistication of the different methods is staggering, from various types of espresso machines to different filtering techniques. Four Barrel was the most impressive place, a gigantic warehouse half of it dedicated to roasting. There is no wi-fi and no electrical outlets, so they want to make it clear this is no starbucks for you to come and borrow as an office. I had a cup of espresso here many times, and could not stop thinking how awful the espresso at Starbucks actually is.

DSC03194

Not Starbucks

Ferry Building Market

An impressive showcase that displays a wide range of the Region’s best produce. This is the place to come to to witness one of the reasons San Francisco has such a strong restaurant industry. The cheese monger, Cowgirl Creamery, displays cheeses and other milk derivatives I had never seen or heard of. There is also a butcher, a charcuterie by Chris Cosantino, a stand dedicated to mushrooms, a bakery, and a Blue Bottle coffee shop (another large coffee group from San Francisco). These are just a few of the many available. A must visit.

DSC03076

As creamy as it gets

Tartine Bakery

If there is better patisserie in America, I would like to know where. Another line generating local institution like Swan Oyster Depot, it requires a visit off-hours to avoid the hassle of waiting in line for half an hour or not finding a place to sit (it is a small place). The level of quality of the bakery is light years ahead anything I had tried before, probably Bouchon Bakery in New York City coming the closest. A cougere was soft and hollow, making for a large presentation and carried the right amount of cheese tanginess. The almond croissant was also probably only beaten by the one at Ble Sucre in Paris. Tarts and cookies where also great. Another must.

Almond Croissant

Best in town

Craftsman and Wolves

Nice new venture between a well know pastry chef, William Werner, and Sight Glass coffee, another one of the big coffee groups in town. William has done his fair share of work for important restaurants in both the East and the West coast and is actually a semifinalist for pastry chef in this year’s James Beard Awards. The display of pastries demonstrates this. I only had a cup of (amazing) espresso and a chocolate / coconut muffin that was really good, but for pastry lovers this another must.

DSC03682

Excellence in pastry

Bi-Rite Creamery

The Bi-Rite shop is another must stop for browsing through impressive local produce. Down the road from it, they have a creamery offering some of the funkiest ice cream flavors I had ever seen, like toasted coconut, orange cardamom, brown butter pecan and more. A great stop to gran a scoop and take it across the road to Mission Dolores park, where you can take a nap along with all the other stress free locals.

DSC03563

Toasted Coconut

The Mill

The Four Barrel coffee group mentioned above opened this new place recently in conjunction with Josey Baker Bread. I had read the lines went around the block and back but fortunately when I went there was no one there (and I went twice). Maybe it was the very loud punk rock music blaring through the speakers that was keeping folks away. Great espresso though.

DSC03406

Cute place

I had done quite a bit of research before going to San Francisco so any places that remain on my to-do list are a consequence of this same effort. Of course, a subsequent trip will hopefully be combined with a must visit to Napa Valley and in particular to Yountville (we all know who’s there right?), and maybe even a jump over to Oakland, where I also hear are some great places to eat.

Thank you San Francisco,

Gj