Day one and drinks in the gloriously art deco salon/bar of our hotel at Washington Square were quickly followed by beer and pizza from John's - a Greenwich village institution. This particularly fine example had sausage, peppers and extra anchovies...
Day two and we headed to Brooklyn, coffee from one of the many cute cafes in Park Slope warmed us as we wandered through Prospect Park and down to Brooklyn Heights, catching Jason Bateman filming scenes for a new movie as we passed through! Had a great steak sandwich and salad at a warehouse bar/restaurant called Superfine, one of the first to move into the area now known as DUMBO. Dinner plans involved trying to score a table at one of those 'word of mouth' places that is apparently a nightmare to get into (no reservations) but a dream once you are in...and sure enough Bianca's in NOHO was full to bursting when we arrived at 7pm. The manager quickly despatched us next door to a hip bar called Von where we waited until he showed up 40 mins later with a table for us. The atmosphere was buzzing and staff were efficient but very friendly. A huge portion of Frito Misto, shrimp, squid, octopus and courgette fried in a light batter was delicious if not the best looking dish...
Meanwhile my lasagna was filled with a rich ragu and LOTS of top quality parmigiana cheese...
Bianca's was not fine dining, it was top quality italian home cooking and it deserves the attention it gets at home and from visitors. Magic. Finished off the night (literally) by meeting an old college friend at her bar on the lower east side, a cool rock bar-come cafe-come gig venue...many vodka, lemon and ginger cocktails were consumed...
Day three and feeling slightly delicate we headed out for a late brunch, not straying too far from the Village. The resulting effort was disappointing, a soul food cafe/bar called the Pink Teacup was underwhelming in every sense - a tiny portion of (not very nice) crab cakes and coleslaw from a budget supermarket tub. Just as well we didnt eat too much as our evening plans involved a table, booked in advance, at the French Culinary Institute, a premier training ground for the next Iron Chef or michelin star wannabe. The food is cooked and also served by the students and at $47 for a four course fine dining experience is possibly New Yorks best kept secret. Matching wines at $30 were expertly chosen. The portions were on the large side, my starter of butternut quash soup with confit quail was enourmous, as was my fish dish of poached halibut with oysters and watercress...
A main of pork loin stuffed with olives and walnuts in a huckleberry jus was delicious but just too much. Full to bursting I managed a few mouthfuls of my banana cream pie only to be suprised by a trio of mini desserts presented to me at the table with a birthday candle (how did they know?)...I had a nibble of each and all were delicious, epecially the little pot of custard with the shortbread spoon, a cute touch.
Day four and off we waddled uptown , a stone heavier, to the Bouchon Bakery for a delicious almond and raspberry croissant and a peak at all those macarons lined up like soldiers, not to mention a sneaky look upstairs at Per Se, one of the top restaurants and top prices too, a squint at the lunch menu revealed a $295 price tag per person, ouch!!! Then for some shopping and something I was looking forward to, lunch at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station only to find it was closed (it was Sunday d'oh!). Deflated, another poor lunch effort was had at one of the stalls in the dining concourse of the station, only made better by a coconut cream cupcake from the Magnolia Bakery stand next door. That night we were uptown to see NYC Ballet's The Nutcracker so we returned to a BBQ place we had been to before, tried and tested and rather spookily they led us to the exact table as our last visit!
Day five and I was depressed at the thought of heading home. A really great lunch was needed. For months I had fantasised about David Changs buns...but didnt think we had a chance of getting into one of his Momofuku establishments, being as they are THE place to eat in New York. But my college friend suggested Monday lunch would be our best chance so we wandered over to the Noodle Bar on 1st Ave and although busy we were quickly accomodated, sitting up at the counter as the kitchen and waiting staff whizzed around in front of us. The Noodle Bar has the most informal vibe of all his restaurants, with options ranging from snacks at the counter to full meals. The pork buns were quickly delivered and all I can say is that they were one of the best things I've eaten in recent years, the pork was meltingly soft with a subtle sweetness that I couldnt put my finger on...a large bowl of Momofuku ramen followed, the broth rich from the pork belly and shoulder with kimchi, spring onions and a wobbly poached egg. Outstanding. Greedy for more we also shared a special from the board, fried oysters and brisket hash on a bed of grilled potato salad with pickled cucumber. This dish looked like a work of art and was more delicate in flavour than the ramen, but again the brisket melted in the mouth leaving its pleasantly fatty, sweet flavour behind.
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| Momofuku Ramen |
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| Pork Buns |
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| Fried Oysters and Brisket |
This was undoubtedly the highlight for me, fine dining is all well and good but this is simply the kind of food and style of eating that we are crying out for here in the UK, in my opinion. Someone should get onto that...
A final foodie highlight, birthday dollars were only ever going to be spent on one thing, oh KitchenAid, oh KitchenAid, how lovely are your pricetags...$299!!! ok, so I need a voltage adaptor and they are ugly but I don't care...
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