So I took a trip into New York City yesterday (Sunday the 11th) and it was quite a day. I went with a friend of mine and another one of our friends was to go but was feeling under the weather. But we made the best of the day.
We spent a great deal of the day in Lower Manhattan, never really going above 42nd Street (which I am more than fine being happy with avoiding the crazy masses of people in Midtown around Times Square, 5th Ave and 30 Rock).
The objective for the day was to not only eat great food but also get some Christmas Shopping done in some of the finest areas in New York City. Areas like Canal Street in Chinatown and Mulberry Street in Little Italy also the vendors in Union Square, and around in Chelsea, etc. Well I got no shopping done what so ever but I did the "eat great food" part so I was pretty happy and I got to see a city I do love alot of. So my Christmas shopping just got moved to two days before Christmas in which all gifts will be wrapped in newspaper (heads up family!).
But moving on to the reason you want to read this blog for the food!
So the 1st food stop was a bakery in Grand Central Terminal, don't ask me the name because I don't remember, it was early and I was hungry. So I went for what I thought was a good choice for food at 10:something in the morning.
Yes, A Black and White Cookie. Was it good, was it bad, in all honesty it was a cookie, I was hungry, I saw it it tasted delicious and I could have used a nice glass of milk to was it down but I had water so I'd just have to get over it. Is it the cookie to end all racial inequality, I think yes. Was the middle the best part, yes and is chocolate bobkah still the highest of the bobkah's, oui it is. (If anyone gets my Seinfeld reference).
Moving on we went to Chinatown and Little Italy......yep just walked around, my friend got shopping done and I didn't.
We did make a stop in Soho/Little Italy (pretty close to either neighborhood) to get some rice pudding. Now rice pudding you may say, why such a thing. We had a jar of the school's vanilla rice pudding with passion fruit curd the other day and we were talking about it. I had bought a jar about a few days earlier and I said I didn't like it because the rice tasted way underdone and it felt like it was just lacking flavor. Now the jar we had recently cracked open, the rice was a perfect al dente (they use arborio rice for the rice pudding so much more starch development and the ability to make a creamy pudding as well). Now but here's the thing, when I think of rice pudding I want it to be smooth and yes though I enjoy my arborio rice being cooked for risotto to be al dente, not my rice pudding. So you may have heard of this place, you may have not but the restaurant was called Rice to Riches.
The restaurant is located on 37 Spring Street and I'd most definitely make the effort to go here. Its just really flipping good and the flavors are good and unique. We had the On the Border of Cookies and Cream. I've been here once before last February when I made a trip and had the Man Made Marscapone with Cherries. You'll also get a kick out of all the witty signs that are posted up all over the place.
So I wish to talk about dinner for that evening. I got to choose where the group got to eat that evening. It was a tough choice but I settled on my decision for the day. We ended up going to a bistro in West Village called Recette on 328 West 12th Street. That neighborhood itself is pretty cool because it meshes together with the Meatpacking District and Chelsea. The Executive Chef Jesse Schenker has a very cool concept going on. He focuses in on flavors and simplicity of dishes to elevate those flavors. Also instead of just large entrees, hes using the concept of smaller plates so he can achieve this execution of focused flavors and simple concepts. So it all goes back to simple, good, fresh food. Also the Pastry Chef at Recette Christina Lee has done a fantastic job with seasonal desserts. So on to the food photos!
The dinning room was very simple, white and olive colors. Dark wood tables with simple silverware. I really enjoyed the interior and the feel it gave. It was a relaxing place to sit and enjoy a meal.
My 1st course: Roasted Bone Marrow with Onion Marmalade, Trout Roe on Brioche Toast and Micro Swiss Chard I believe. Now this was full of flavor in such a tiny bite. Whats even better is after wines class today, I wish I had our 1st wine with this course because it would have been a perfect pairing.
My Friend's 1st Course: Now it was awkward to take a photo of because it was in such a small, deep bowl but it was Marinated Hamachi with Uni (Sea Urchin Roe), Sea Beans and Harissa. This dish was really interesting but was was good about it is how all the flavors matched up across the board and it was a well balanced way to start out a meal.
Now we both received the same 2nd Course - Here's the kicker, we didn't order it. I had asked when we sat if I could take pictures because I was a culinary student so the Chef sent us a course. This was a Pan Roasted Diver Scallop with sauteed Cauliflower, Baby Carrot and Sunchoke with a Cavair Beurre Blanc. This dish was simply divine, balanced, well seasoned and what made me love this dish was the beurre blanc and simply how flipping good it was.
My 3rd Course: Crispy Sweetbreads with Lemon Brown Butter, Escarole, Capers and Lemon. This was a simple, straight foreword dish, crisp and moist sweetbreads with a balance of salt and acid. I thought this was a great pairing of flavors.
My Friend's 3rd Course: Berkshire Pork Belly in a Sherry Carmel Glaze, Baby Turnips, Romesco Sauce, Fried Rock Shrimp and Mirco Cilantro. I loved this dish as much as my friend did. The pork belly just fell apart and Sherry Carmel......effing smart! The whole dish was amazing!
My Dessert: Fall Pumpkin Cake with Sous Vide Apples, Brown Butter Froth, Thyme Ice Cream and Toasted Pepita Granola. Now this dessert made me very happy, it was a good dessert to show a transition from Fall into Winter. I loved the overall flavor profile and the Brown Butter Froth was so good and all the textures made the dessert itself playful while you were eating.
My Friend's Dessert: This was a super cool play on Smores - Graham Cracker Ice Cream, Toasted Marshmallow, "Hot" Chocolate Ganache. The ice cream was interesting and was made this dish pop to me is that the ganache had hints of cheyenne pepper to make it "hot" and made the dish just that more playful to the mouth and the concept.
Would I go back to Recette, yes I would most certainly go back. I would hope I could go back with some more money, but across the board I got three courses for 40 bucks and I was a very happy and pleased diner at this restaurant. So I suggest if you get the chance, go and experience the food. Being in wines at the moment I looked over the wine list they handed us and it was cool to see how they put together the wine list. From the regions I knew, it was cool because there is so much focus on flavor a great majority of the wines are simple and not as complex as to overwhelm a diner so they don't go into super flavor overboard and the palate just gets confused.
Thats it for now. I'll probably be blogging about wines so far on Wednesday when I have my study day and can write again. Bur I'm off to read some more on France for tomorrow. Night All!
-Garrett
