Puddle's Profile
Palm One - Highly Overrated Icon
Thanks for the tip. Sounds delicious. Given my experience I wouldn't choose to go there, but if I was in a position where someone else made the choice (especially if they were paying!), I'll keep in mind the rosemary rib-eye.
Palm One - Highly Overrated Icon
I went here last night; have been meaning to go for years, has always seemed one of those must-go Manhattan places, and then after Sam Sifton's positive review in the Times this past week I was really looking forward to it.
It was actually one of the worst meals I've ever had. Nothing was good about it, and plenty bad. We ordered the $95 lobster special for two, which included a salad and two sides. Having recently steamed fresh live lobster I had a vivid memory of what good lobster can be, every bite full of wonderful flavor. This insipid thing had literally no flavor in all but a couple of bites of claw meat; the tail was tasteless. The meat seemed tough and old, like the poor creature had been sitting in the tank all week.
Then the sides: the massive platter of french fries were soggy with grease, a sorry-looking mass of unappetizingness. I am not exaggerating to say that you could get far better fries at McDonald's, not to mention dozens of less expensive bistros around town. The creamed spinach was also a massive portion, gooey with cream and butter. It was maybe the most carefully prepared item on the table but that's not saying much.
Not even their fabled cocktails measured up. I ordered an extra-dry Beefeater martini up with olives -- what could be more classic than that? It was not particularly cold or refreshing, just a jigger of gin dumped in a glass.
The service was not objectionable, gruff as expected but in a friendly enough sort of way. At least they seemed to take pride in their profession, which was definitely not the case in the kitchen. My first time and last time.
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Palm
837 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Macaron Day marathon
A belated Happy Macaron Day, everyone, and a warm thank-you to Francois Payard for making this possible!
My wife and I have been longtime macaron aficianados, and are happy that more and more Americans are coming to know the difference between macarons and macaroons!
Here's our experience of today:
Started at La Maison du Chocolate at the Empire State Building. It was strangely quiet there, all the tourists passing through to go up to Observation Deck having no idea that there was an opportunity for free macarons! The very gracious and passionate-about-chocolate gentleman told us that all the macarons at LMdC are made in Paris and are flown in on a MWF schedule. The ones we sampled were exquisitely fresh and tender, a classic filling of chocolate and hazelnut, a great beginning to the quest.
From there we headed over to Macaron Café on W. 36th Street. It amazes me that there's a store devoted solely to macarons, and what's it doing in that neighborhood? The display of macarons was fun and colorful. When we spoke the secret password ("hello, we're here for Macaron Day") the mademoiselle (well, she was French, but even if not under the circumstances) produced two pre-packed bags, each with one macaron. We sat on the bench outside the shop and tasted. They were extremely fresh, with a vanilla filling. Slightly too sweet, but still very good. I had been intrigued by one of the offerings inside, a Black Sesame macaron, so encouraged by the quality of the sample I went back inside and actually forked over cash ($1.95) for one. Unfortunately it was not nearly as fresh as the sample, perhaps even two days old. The flavors were very good but I was surprised that the paid-for item would not live up to the free one!
Next we headed down to 23rd Street, to Madeleine Patisserie. When we got there we encountered a sign announcing that the 500 samples for Macaron Day had already been dispensed. There was a long line so we did not stay, but I did see the display case, which also was very colorful and it may be a good option, but I will never know.
Next on our tour was Burdick Chocolate at 20th just east of Fifth Ave. The attached photo shows the ginger macaron we were given, and we sat for coffee and even a couple of chocolates. As with Macaron Café, the macarons were not fresh, and we are of the opinion, as macaron evangelists, that if it's to catch on in America the products should be absolutely fresh.
On up to 59th and Park, where the business known as madmac (www.madmacnyc.com) was set up temporarily in a high-end housewares store. He actually had a sort of a Christmas tree decorated with macarons, and a very generous and diverse array of samples. We sampled an apricot and a white-chocolate-sesame. Amazing! We were back on track, this is what macarons should be! the apricot had a wonderful tartness, not just a banal sweetness that you might expect. Highly recommended.
Of course we had to check out Payard's offerings, so we managed to get around some street construction crews and through the slightly odd setup of going through a jewelry store to get to his cafe on the 4th floor at Madison and 63rd. We have to say he is the master, and overall our preference although the MadMac guy was a very close second. We sampled the passion fruit and the caramel. Again, loved the tartness of the passion fruit, it's very stimulating and refreshing after a few too many sweets.
Finally to round it off we decided to drop in to the La Maison du Chocolate mothership at 77th and Madison. Nothing different from our first experience, the same chocolate and hazelnut, but again the same high quality.
Looking forward to next year!
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La Maison du Macaron
132 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
Macaron Cafe
485 7th Ave, New York, NY 10018
maiz cancha cusco
I bought a bag of maiz cancha cusco at a supermarket in Astoria because it looked interesting, but I have no idea how to cook it. It reminded me of the large kernels I've seen in Peruvian restaurants and in a soup I once had in Colombia, but what little information I can find online suggests that it's really meant to be toasted, resulting in something like popcorn.
Does anyone have any experience? Any suggestions? Thanks.
12th and K/9th and NY area help!
Last month we stayed at Club Quarters at 17th and I (eye). We ended up going to the restaurant in the hotel, Cafe Soleil, for dinner and were very pleasantly surprised with the quality and the value. I had shrimp and grits, my wife had short ribs. Wines by the glass were extremely reasonable. It's not a destination restaurant, but very comfortable, affordable, and (my guess, having only been there once) reliable.
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Cafe Soleil
839 Seventeenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
Passionfruit/Maracuja
Good question, Lisa. I love maracujá too, and never really understood it until I started going to Brazil, where all the fruits taste of a ripeness that's a different order of magnitude from the US. But even in Brazil, it's rare to find a truly ripe passion fruit, they're always a little sour, so you'll need to add sugar to your caipirinha. Only when we were in Recife did we taste truly ripe off the tree maracujá, and it was amazing. So anyway, my guess is that the market here is pretty small because people don't really appreciate what it can be, and besides it's really difficult to get it from farm to table with ripeness.
Boa Sorte!
-- p.
La Cigale Recamier -- price range?
Dodo and dlgc, thank you both. I'm sure my wife will write a review of her experience.
La Cigale Recamier -- price range?
My wife is in Paris and is interested in going to La Cigale Recamier. Can someone advise as to the price range there? Thanks.
Ipanema
Mea culpa . . .
I was wrong on both counts:
-- The quilo near the Hippie Fair is Fronteira, on Visconde de Pirajá. There is a quilo called Fazendola also, and it's not bad, but Fronteira is newer and better.
-- Caremê Bistrô did not move, they're still in Botafogo
That'll teach me to think that I can clarify anything from Toot!
Ipanema
Just a couple clarifications to Toot's great list:
-- The quilo near the Hippie Fair is Fazendola
-- Careme Bistro has moved from Botafogo, I think they're in Leblon now
Aproveite!
Caiparinhas - are they better in Brazil?
There's nothing like a caipirinha de maracujá, or passion fruit caipirinha, made with fresh fruit (not frozen puree).
Looking for restaurants in Rio de Janeiro
Two suggestions:
Artigiano Ristorante, in Leblon (Avenida Epitácio Pessoa, 204)
-- wonderful Brazilian-style Italian, great service
Stravaganze Ipanema (Rua Maria Quiteria, 132)
-- ostensibly pizza, but very high end and chic, a lot of fun.
Getting married this Friday at City Hall need recommendation
Our City Hall wedding was in the morning, and we had brunch (and champagne) at Balthazar. We also like it for dinner although I know it has its detractors. Another option to consider, 2 subway stops away on the No. 6 uptown.
Looking for special dinner out in Rio
Some recommendations:
I loved Antiquarius, but it's not hip, it's very traditional.
Gero is hip but not at the expense of quality.
Carême Bistrô in Botafogo is excellent.
And Stravaganze Ipanema is high-end pizza, quite wonderful.
Brazillian sandwiches? [Moved from South America board]
What about a misto quente? It's basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, on very good bread. Not almoço (midday meal, like the Prato Feito), but pretty satisfying as far as sandwiches go.
Del Posto Help?
I went 2 weeks ago, and had a very pleasant experience. That's not to say that the food was particularly outstanding compared with other restaurants in its price range in NYC, but the room was expansive and the tables had a luxurious amount of space considering the cost of real estate. And I thought the service was very gracious and professional.
My wife and I did one of the tasting menus. We enjoyed the gnocchi with roasted pork, and the slow-roasted salmon, one of their signature dishes, was outstanding. But the crespelle with gorgonzola was too rich, and my wife's turbot was nothing to write home (or Chowhound) about.
And the sommelier did a most peculiar thing. I'm no wine expert, so when I described our menu selections and she asked "Would you prefer dry, medium, or fruity," I said "fruity," and she responded with astonishment: "Really?!," she exclaimed. I felt I'd picked the Wrong Answer. Nevertheless she selected a wine that we enjoyed, humbled though we were.
Cozy French Bistro recs?
$100 is going to be a little tricky, but . . .
La Bonne Soupe is a perennial favorite for bargain-hunting francophiles;
Also, if you're not borough-phobic, you might try the Garden Cafe, near Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn (it's tiny, you'll need a reservation);
Tournesol in Long Island City (Queens) is worth checking out;
Danal on W. 10th Street is very romantic and good and used to be a destination for the budget-conscious, although I think it's a little pricier these days;
Metisse on W. 105th Street is an little-known gem that would probably "fit the bill;"
La Petite Auberge, Lexington and 28th Street;
and on Madison and 93rd there's Pascalou, French-Asian fusion and very good, with an amazing pre-theater prix-fixe deal.
The Jamaican Dutchy
You've got to check out this place. It's more than a street cart, it's a place, it's a destination. Not only does this gleaming stainless-steel Rolls Royce of streetcarts have a plasma screen mounted on the side, it even has a satellite dish on the roof.
Oh, and the food's good too.
It's on 51st Street, just east of Seventh Avenue, north side of the street. Looks to be a couple running it, making very fresh food. I'm no Jamaican food expert, but by the looks of it it seems very authentic.
Today at lunch I went conservative with the curry chicken. Flavorful, but not burning spicy -- my guess is that they save that note for the jerk chicken. It came with a nicely spiced (did I detect cinnamon?) rice and beans and not-overcooked assortment of vegetables. Also some sauteed sweet plaintains. $7 for the small, $10 for the large, but my small was more than enough food.
Also on the menu: oxtail, curry goat, escovitch, many fish dishes.
The only down side is that it was extremely slow. Gotta love them for the tender-loving care they were given the preparation of each customer's plate, but I can't go back too often when a fifteen-person line took more than a half hour to get through. I hope it's just startup pangs, because this one is a find. It's the mother of all street carts (sorry, hard to resist).
Sfoglia dinner.. Disappointed
I'm glad for Frank Bruni that he had such a great experience at Sfoglia. Perhaps he's becoming recognized.
For us unrecognizables, the experience was at best hilarious in its ineptitude, and at worst extremely offensive. And mostly because of the insufferable host.
My wife and I went with some friends shortly after they opened, when they were touting their BYOB status. My summary of the experience:
-- long confused wait to get in, no one seemed to be in charge, very typical of a new restaurant;
-- the inhospitable host led us to our bench. It being a rainy evening, I asked about checking coats and umbrellas. I swear he looked at me as if I had two heads, but OK, he took them;
-- generally acceptable meal although to my memory nothing special. (My wife, on the other hand has consistently spoken highly of the food in spite of the other problems.) The room was cramped and oddly configured, the lighting too bright, the faux-rustic design scheme pretentious and clunky. Pleasant waitress.
-- the kicker came at the end of the meal, at billing time. I objected to the $8 per bottle (we'd done two) corkage fee, and the waitress brought over Mr. Smarmy, the host. He pointed out that the corkage fee was posted in the window, so we should have known about it. But he offered to remove it from the bill, and I accepted the offer. He immediately appeared with the revised bill, and our coats.
Anyway, maybe it's not fair to let the unpleasantness of one person prejudice us against the whole restaurant, but he was the host after all -- a person perhaps more unfit for a job than anyone I've ever seen. Again, I'm glad for Frank Bruni, whose writing and approach to restauranting I admire and enjoy, but as for me, I will not go back there. Too many better places in this neighborhood and city!
Take out Lunch in NY for less than $10
How about the street carts? I love the souvlaki guys, for instance. And near my office, at 51st and Broadway, there's a soup cart, with about a dozen very good homemade soups. $4 for a small, $5 for a generous large, including bread.
Pre-Wicked dinner tomorrow
Coincidentally, I recently put together a list for a group of college students coming into the city to see Wicked:
Ariana Afghan Kebab House
787 Ninth Avenue -- around 52nd/53rd
New York, NY
Cheap and good, very small place.
Baluchi's
240 W. 56th St.
(bet. B'way & 8th Ave.)
Manhattan, NY
212-397-0707
Chain of Indian places around the city, very reliable and inexpensive.
Cara Mia
654 Ninth Ave.
(bet. 45th & 46th Sts.)
Manhattan, NY
212-262-6767
Toot and I like this place a lot, it's very reasonable though slightly cramped, very good Italian food.
Churrascaria Platforma
316 W. 49th Street -- just west of Eighth Ave.
New York, NY
$50 fixed price, so a little pricey perhaps, but very festive Brazilian steakhouse, all you can eat, with a fantastic salad bar. Very good for groups.
Grand Sichuan
745 Ninth Ave.
(bet. 50th & 51st Sts.)
Manhattan, NY
212-582-2288
Went here not too long ago, quite good Chinese.
Kang Suh -- if the group is adventurous (Korean food)?
1250 Broadway, corner of 32nd Street (a bit distant from the Gershwin) New York, NY 10001
Virgil's Real Barbecue
152 W. 44th St.
(bet. B'way & 6th Ave.)
Manhattan, NY
212-921-9494
Vynl
754 Ninth Ave.
(51st St.)
Manhattan, NY 10019
212-974-2003
Thai food, young crowd with loud music, very popular.
Delivery options for 96th st-UES?
Try El Paso Taqueria (97th between Madison and Park). Pintaille's Pizza (Madison/91st.) Itzocan Bistro delivers (103rd/Lex.) Halal Indo Pak not too bad when you're looking for those flavors. Zebu Grill delivers and I think they still do their great burger with yucca fries if you ask even though it's no longer on the menu. Pio Pio on First around 92nd is a very affordable standby. Pesce Pasta for their lasagna bolognese. Wu Liang Ye for their wontons with hot oil. Saigon Grill. All available in the New York Menu Pages.
Just Bought A Bottle Of Cachaca
Like better vodka makes better screwdrivers, or better whiskey makes better whiskey sours. Sure it's better, at least in concept, but can you really taste the difference?
Just Bought A Bottle Of Cachaca
51 is about $19/liter in New York but in Brazil it's the super cheap stuff; I've seen it for the equivalent of $2/bottle. Which means it's perfect for caipirinhas, since it makes no sense to waste the really good stuff by mixing it with lime juice and sugar.
In Brazil it's fun to ask the waiter what types of caipirinhas they're serving -- there are often choices beyond lime. In Recife in November I found it was common to find tangerine caipirinhas. And in many places I've really loved the passion fruit version.
Bumped at the Bar
This reminds me of a recent morning at Balthazar in New York City. My wife and I were at the bar, waiting for a bona fide table, actually, but obliging the attitudinal hostess and the very busy restaurant by buying a drink and being patient even though we had reservations. In the middle of our half-hour wait, some unshaven self-styled rock-star type in sunglasses and smelling of hangover made a bee-line directly for my wife's chair and said "Excuse me, that's my chair." A little confused, we moved, he sat down, and he then ordered breakfast. It became clear from his interaction with the bartender that he had just arrived, that he wasn't returning from the restroom. So my wife asked him how it was that he thought he had the right to ask us to move. He didn't start his reply with "Dude," but he might as well have: "This is where I always sit." We got our seat a few minutes later and managed to have a nice brunch in spite of being sojourners in the land of entitlement.
Recife, Brasil
Toot and I will be going to Brazil next week. Will be in São Paulo, Campinas, and Recife/Olinda. Anyone have any good recommendations for Recife? And for that matter, even though we know Campinas and São Paulo, does anyone have any particular recommendations for those places?
Toot e eu vamos ao Brasil na semana que vem. Vamos viajar pelo São Paulo, Campinas, e Recife/Olinda. Alguem tem alguns favoritos no Recife? E alem disso, apesar nos conhecemos Campinas e São Paulo, alguem tem favoritos para aqueles lugares?
