justtryit's Profile
Early Chicken Inconsistencies at The NoMad
I want to say that my gluttonous subconscious saw the darkness of the whole bird presented to us and immediately got giddy, thinking "bring on the truffle shower!"
Early Chicken Inconsistencies at The NoMad
that is great insight, thanks! I speculated that's why we liked the brioche so much, if it were foie-laden. My companion did find the chicken skin bitter and inedible, and scraped it clean of brioche and left it on the plate alone. I do appreciate that the white meat tasted like chicken, and wasn't absolutely overpowered by truffle/foie...I guess I was just hoping for a little more decadence.
Not sure if i should start a separate thread on this, but can you comment on how EMP's famed lavender duck compares? Duck is one of our favorite proteins and we've enjoyed all the other poultry courses at EMP we've had so I've often thought about supplementing that to our tasting, but if the duck is cooked to a similar fashion as NoMad's chicken, I'm guessing we wouldn't like it.
Early Chicken Inconsistencies at The NoMad
To start, I am definitely not knocking the restaurant. One inconsistent course does not make a bad meal, and I fully recognize the restaurant JUST opened and has to get in the groove before being meaningfully evaluated. On the whole, we had a wonderful time and plan to return frequently, and will do so excitedly.
My question is if anyone had a non-stellar experience with their chicken? I tried it at dinner opening weekend and was sorely disappointed. Before I state why, just want to throw out there that EMP is our favorite celebration restaurant, and believe I'm being objective. The intent of this report is to see if our Chicken order was bad luck and if the dish is worth ordering in the future. I assume and hope it was an anomaly.
In short, our chicken was overcooked and inconsistently seasoned. The breast serving that my companion got had skin burnt beyond edible (see poor smartphone picture). Mine was a shy dark, but edible for me. Regardless, we found the meat itself to be on the under-seasoned side, and we have lower salt thresholds. Our favorite part of the white meat preparation was the brioche under the skin, and neither of us picked up truffle nor foie on the actual chicken meat (though the truffled potatoes were standout!). The meat was also bordering on dry. Overall this tasted like average roasted chicken breast, which is not devoid of flavor and I sometimes enjoy, but is not really $39 pp territory.
The dark meat we found to be over salted, and also curiously tough. I wonder whether the dark meat in this side dish is from the actual bird they present you, or whether this preparation uses today's roasted dark meat for tomorrow's cooked and served preparation. The salinity of the dark meat was so much greater than the white meat, that my conclusion is the kitchen must have considered one to be incorrect. In this case, I'm guessing the dark meat is how they want it since that presentation style can be tested, whereas a chicken breast served whole would be hard to taste test. If that's true, we prefer the white meat's seasoning.
Some may wonder why we didn't send the chicken back. Simply put, we tend not to do that unless the entire dish is inedible, which this was not (we ate most of it). Just because something I order isn't what I hoped for doesn't mean the kitchen owes me anything or I get a mulligan on my order and money. To me, the only point where I could've considered asking the kitchen for a correction was on presentation of the bird, before serving. At that point though, I didn't think of it, and I tend to defer to a kitchen's judgement. More so than the actual taste of the chicken, this is where I am most disappointed: that the kitchen would actually serve that particular chicken, given that the skin was visually black.
Although there are countless raves about the Chicken and I do think it has amazing potential, I would be hesitant to order this dish again anytime soon, given our experience and the price of it.
Shanghai comparison: Mr & Mrs Bund, Franck, and Stiller's
just wanted to report back on Mr & Mrs. Bund. The service and atmosphere were what I expected: good by China standards, but a bit pushy for service and cavernous atmosphere by Western standards. On the whole I was disappointed in the taste of the food.
-Beef tartare dish had too many other flavors that overpowered the taste of the beef. Too much seasoning and herbs.
-The oversized french fry was interesting, but not flavorful enough to outlast the novelty. The mustard sorbet did not work well...too strong for the taste of the potato, and the cold clashes with the hot of the fried potato.
-The rack of lamb had a tasty olive, herb, and garlic crust, but the meat itself did not taste like lamb. It was cooked fairly well though.
-Lemon & lemon tart was the hit of the night, but would have preferred more curd.
A creative meal, but fell short on flavor. Would not go back for dinner.
Shanghai comparison: Mr & Mrs Bund, Franck, and Stiller's
Thanks for the price info on Franck! I think that settles it for me, as it is roughly a push in price with M&M Bund.
Stiller's for dinner just seems too expensive to commit to, so I was planning to stop by the bakery to see what the atmosphere of the place is like and perhaps get swayed into trying them out for a meal. I also think I'd rather try them out at their Sunday lunch price.
Shanghai comparison: Mr & Mrs Bund, Franck, and Stiller's
Very helpful summary! I looked into Goga, but at the end of the day I don't see it as being any different than 80% of the restaurants in SF (where I lived for the last 3 years), so I'm not very interested despite it sounding like a great experience.
I also looked into Table #1, and I might drop in there for a small plate or two, but doesn't seem special enough to me for a surprise date type of occasion.
Franck is really tempting...but I think I am going with Mr & Mrs Bund as their technique sounds a bit more spectacular. Though Franck sounds like the surefire for comforting cuisine, I would rather pay relatively the same price for the added bonus of some culinary showmanship at M&M Bund.
I just spent 2-3 weeks in HK, though I didn't have any Western food...
Shanghai comparison: Mr & Mrs Bund, Franck, and Stiller's
I went to Jean Georges in 2006 and enjoyed it, and I know it certainly has maintained a reputation for being among Shanghai's best...but my reason for not wanting to dine there is a bit petty. I live a road trip away from NYC, so at some point in my life, I plan to go to his flagship in NYC, so I guess I figure I'll just wait for his best effort.
Shanghai comparison: Mr & Mrs Bund, Franck, and Stiller's
I've been looking for a Western restaurant with exemplary food to have a weeknight dinner at in January. Have a craving for Western flavors and techniques, so am straying away from places like JG that seem to use a fair amount of Asian flavors. If I had to specify between comforting (say Thomas Keller) vs. intellectual food (say David Kinch), I'd actually prefer more comforting food this time around. That said, if the kitchen is doing classic dishes, I'm looking for textbook versions or inspiring/whimsical twists on them (a la TK).
Date atmosphere is a plus, but less important than lustful food. Meaning we would like to linger over the food and not feel rushed.
Narrowed it down to these 3 after having read the board and other blogs, but can anyone compare each against each other? Other suggestions welcomed, but I am leaning towards Mr & Mrs Bund based on these impressions (de-bunk if wrong!)
Mr & Mrs Bund:
+ Classic dishes and combinations done with new-age technique and whimsy
+ Late hours should ensure relaxed meal pace
+ Seems to be the most unique of the three and least likely to find something comparable outside of Shanghai
- Menu seems absurdly large, but I can't find one in English to see just how "scattered" it really is. Generally I am scared of places that offer too much variety, for fear that they can't focus on doing anything expertly
- The least intimate atmosphere of the 3...seems a bit cavernous
Franck:
+ Classic French dishes
+ Most intimate atmosphere (but is the noise level "raucous"?)
- Not sure what the price point is here. Can anyone ballpark a total for 2-3 starters, 2 mains, and 2 desserts.
- If this really is aiming to be a classic French bistro, it will conjure many points of comparison...how good is it when removed from Asia, and stacked up against a good French bistro in the US, Montreal, etc. Scared that it's a "good bistro for Asia" rather than just a "good bistro".
Stiller's:
+ Most obvious display of newer culinary techniques
+ Seems to best offer the feeling of stumbling upon an up & coming restaurant and area
- Most expensive
- Flavors seem more "international" than I was initially searching for.
- Overall the cuisine and concept seem very commonplace among the upper level of dining these days. While it seems good, I don't feel compelled to spend my meal here if I can find comparable experiences elsewhere, unless the food really is one-of-a-kind
Best local snacks
Wow thanks for all the amazing sounding suggestions! Thought I would post a link to something I came across, a Montreal food guide created by Tom Sietsema:
http://www.mapageweb.umontreal.ca/furstenf/perso/ffmontrealfoodguide.htm
Most Unique/Local Montreal Foodspots?
I am visiting in late November and am interested in similar restaurant recommendations, so I will loop into your thread. A friend of mine just came back from Montreal and actually preferred L'Express over PDC, saying it was a must visit. I trust his eating tendencies and am originally from DC as well, preferring places like Palena and Komi over Citronelle. Was also recommended Toque, and came across: http://www.leclubchasseetpeche.com/
Can anyone compare PDC to L'Express? Thoughts on Toque and Le Club Chasse et Peche?
Also, anywhere particularly known for seafood and vegetables? Like Manresa in California
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L'Express Restaurant
3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2W2M4, CA
Best local snacks
Am visiting Montreal in late November and am looking for recommendations on places to snack between meals. Love focused businesses that specialize and are obsessed with perfecting a niche of food. Here are some of the categories I'm interested in:
Coffee/espresso - strong, rich styles
Chai
Pastry - interested in all cuisine & ethnic styles, from French favorites (macarons, canneles, croissant), to Asian
Bread - enjoy all kinds from rustic levain to the pillowy sweet Chinese buns
Gelato
Are there any snacks unique to Montreal? Can't misses?
Raleigh/RTP recommendations
Quick recap of where I made it:
http://www.sweetribs.com/ (durham location)
Tried the chopped pork, ribs, dark chicken, collards, brunswick stew, and mac & cheese. In a nutshell I thought the pork and collards were great; ribs and chicken too dry; brunswick stew too sweet.
Saffron - Had a lunch buffet. Seemed a bit smaller in selection than most Indian buffets I am used to. Really liked that naan was brought to the table instead of kept in a steamer tray. Thought the food was fine, but the mango mousse dessert was terrible. Tasted like a weird Cool Whip.
The Pit -
Spare ribs and baby back ribs were my favorite, with a preference for the fattier spare ribs. Preferred chopped pork more than pulled. Chicken here was very good, much better than Backyard's (as was their mac & cheese). Brisket was fine. Creamed corn was a bit too sweet for my corn tastes, but I really enjoyed the candied yams and fried okra. Creamed corn was better smeared on their biscuits with some of the vinegar sauce to contrast. Pumpkin bread dessert with cinnamon ice cream, pecans, and cranberries was great; also enjoyed the banana pudding. Had some excellent NC beers there too. The brewery name escapes me now, but heir current Hefeweizen, Trippel, and Porter.
La Farm:
Pumpkin bread, pumpkin bread pudding, and pumpkin tart were all great. Raspberry/blackberry scone was not good, short on sugar, salt and butter. Almond croissant was average. Creme brulee french toast was disappointing, the driest french toast I've had.
Chapel Hill quick hits: Time-out's chicken & cheddar biscuit and sweet potato pie were two of my favorites the whole weekend. Sugarland bakery's gelato was very good (pear & mascarpone, passionfruit; pumpkin pie was a little flat). Locopops was pretty interesting, the mojito and banana horchata flavors tasted true to their names. Cosmic cantina was way overpriced, but flavors okay.
Best Bakeries - canneles, french macarons, asian sweets
Following up, I never did make it to a western bakery, though i did try JJ Bakery near Din Tai Fung. Tried probably 10+things, and enjoyed almost all of them. Taro bun was the best version I have ever had; packed with filling and I don't understand how they can have a slightly crisp texture on top when still warm from the oven. Also enjoyed a pastry there that had red bean, mochi, egg yolk, and dried pork altogether.
Raleigh/RTP recommendations
From both DC and SF, visiting the Cary/RTP area next weekend and am looking for all around recommendations.
Restaurants: Only plans right now are The Pit for some bbq. Anything authentic to a country/cuisine/region is preferred; generally do not like east-meets-west fusion. Casual, non stuffy atmospheres, pricing under low $20s for entrees. Any opinions on Bonne Soiree? Can't find a web site / menu.
Snacks: Love bakeries and I have tried Weaver St. Market in Chapel Hill, La Farm, and Guglhupf, enjoyed all three. Are these the best places for bread and pastries?
Beer/wine: Only know about the selection at Weaver St. Market as being more vast than normal. Are there any locally owned bars/retail shops that specialize in rare or local beers/wines? Something like City Beer Store or Toronado in SF, Rustico in VA/DC?
Best Bakeries - canneles, french macarons, asian sweets
Visiting from SF and looking for recommendations on bakeries in the area. On the western cuisine side, I am specifically looking for superlative examples of french macarons, canneles, or pie. Bread too, though I am skeptical that anything will match Tartine Bakery here (have tried Bread Bar). Also equally interested in asian bakeries.
Will be staying in West LA, but have access to a car and plan to be in a few different areas including Monterey Park.
best pasta in san francisco?
realspear, is Incanto's tuna heart pasta supposed to be heavy on the garlic? I've only had that dish once, and it was so overloaded with burnt garlic that you couldn't taste anything else except a little bit of heat from the chilis. My friend and I probably should've sent it back, but we didn't know what to think and were surprised since the chef was in the kitchen that night.
Best Indian Buffet
Visited Amber SF last Saturday for lunch. Had the buffet, $20 a person.
The food was good, it definitely hit the spot even though I prefer Turmeric in Sunnyvale. There were about a dozen or so hot offerings, which I think is relatively poor variety for a weekend service for $20. Favorites were the chaat "bar", where a man was making liberally spiced, crispy potatoes; freshly brought to the table naan; lamb cardamom stew; saag paneer; and lamb kebab. Catfish was a miss for me, the taste was a bit too tart and it was kept on a serving dish that overcooked it. Also had a chai for $3.25, though I think I prefer The Sentinel's.
Overall, I enjoyed it but probably would not go back because of price.
Honeymoon is SF from DC suggestions?
Okay if you like bread, I'll reiterate that you really must go to Tartine Bakery for their 5pm bread. The crust is strike-a-match hard and splintery, but the inside is a moist pillow with incredible hole structure. I have faith that a hot Tartine Country loaf with some cheese/pate/salumi/Wine from Bi-Rite and a picnic at the park could be the only food experience another place won't recreate. Though in truth, if you really like bread, you can skip the extras and just dig into the loaf by itself. It's a world apart from The Breadline, Marvelous Market, Baguette Republic, etc. and all the other "bread" in DC. Tartine also makes good pastries.
The same goes for Manresa. I went for the tasting menu on Sunday, 14+ courses
I spent some time in much of Australia's eastern half and would just recommend that you enjoy the seafood. If you can manage to fit it in, Tetsuya in Sydney is probably the most coveted reservation in the country. I went in 2003 so I can't comment on the current quality, but he is regularly considered Australia's finest chef. I imagine the cuisine is still heavily weighted towards seafood (as are Manresa and the SF Ritz).
Best Indian Buffet
went to Turmeric for lunch on Monday and thought it was great. There were 13-15 hot entrees to choose from, plus naan, rice, a salad, sauces, and two desserts, all for $10.95. It was quite rich as most of the curries seemed to have quite a bit of cream. Nevertheless I loved it and was very very full afterwards.
Will have to find time to try Passage and Amber.
Best Indian Buffet
sounds like Amber is a must try. Is there a considerable difference in the quality or variety of food between the SF and MV locations?
Best Indian Buffet
BBulkow, can you compare recent lunch buffet visits at turmeric with P2I? Is one more authentic vs. westernized than the other? What about each place's bread/rice offerings?
It sounds like from other posts that Turmeric has less variety but better quality. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/514988
Best Indian Buffet
Great, is the Clement location better than their other locations on Folsom or Kearny?
http://restaurants.dial.com/US/DetailPage.asp?RefNo=4157510505
Best Indian Buffet
What places have the best Indian buffet? Food is most important factor (e.g. authenticity be it Northern or Southern, fresh naan/breads, variety). Price and service are not important.
I live in the city, but have been reading and am not seeing a consensus on great buffet options, most seem to point either to the East or South so I am not limiting the discussion to the SF city limits. Certainly open to trip-worthy recommendations, just interested in the best food and will go anywhere.
Please specify if buffet is lunch or dinner only.
Honeymoon is SF from DC suggestions?
I ate in NOVA/DC for 10+ years before moving here, so here's some quick thoughts on some of the rec's given so far as compared to DC establishments.
If you like a place like Palena (my favorite western cuisine in the DC area), then I think you will be happy at Canteen where the chef is a "chef's chef".
If you like a place like Komi and want to celebrate in grandeur, I'd recommend Manresa if you're willing to drive south an hour. To me it is the best restaurant I've had at that price level, period. Think of the food as something of Komi + Palena, meaning there's incredible and purposeful flavor combinations mixed with exceptional technique, not for show. It also happens to be uniquely "San Franciscan", as you'll be hard pressed to find another restaurant of that caliber with it's own biodynamic garden full of produce. If you don't want to drive and stay within the city proper, opt for the Ritz. The truly unique thing about the Ritz is that they will prepare you each a different course for their chef's tasting. Nowhere else I've been has done that for every course. But seriously, I would choose the food at Manresa over what I've had in the same price range at the SF Ritz, TFL, Citronelle, Komi, Palena, Restaurant Eve, Galileo, CityZen, or even Tetsuya. Just note that they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so your only shot would be Sunday dinner.
On Italian/Pizza: All of A16's food is very good, and as far as pizza their crust is not quite as sturdy as 2 Amy's, but the flavors are very good. For pizza, I prefer Pizzaiolo, though I can't say that either it or A16 has significantly better pizza than 2 Amy's. Incanto can be very good but it is inconsistent. I really like the place, but my trip a month ago had a horribly overcooked signature tuna-heart pasta dish (read: burnt garlic ruined everything, which was quite inexplicable with chef Cosentino in the kitchen that night).
The one new suggestion I'll make is mandatory if you enjoy bread (or pastries), you must go to Tartine Bakery. They make what I consider the best bread I've ever had (and even J. Steingarten considers it among the best of its style globally), and will put anything in the DC area to shame (Breadline is a joke). The trick is you must go after 5pm when the bread is baked, and you're better off reserving a loaf ahead of time as they sell out quickly. They make an extremely rustic loaf with several variations on their regular "Country" base: Walnut, Sesame, Olive & Herb, Wheat, etc. If you want a unique San Francisco experience, preorder a loaf (or two, even though they're big) then head down 18th St to Bi-Rite grocery and pick out your choice of cheeses, cured/force meats, wine, and other accompaniments before continuing down 18th to Dolores park for a sunset picnic and watch the Missionites (this is all within one block of each other). Then double back for brioche bread pudding from Tartine for dessert.
Last I checked, DC has poor selections for Ramen. I realize that SF proper isn't much better, but Katanaya is a decent bowl. The best I've found is Santa Ramen in San Mateo...which could be a convenient lunch stop on your way to Los Gatos and Manresa.
DAT Dining for someone new in town
I've never participated in DAT either, been hesitant to. I've done Washington DC's Restaurant Week before, and the overall impression for me was that restaurants that were normally really good came up short during the promotion. They would offer either extremely limited menu choices, smaller portions, or cheaper ingredients to cover the lower price point margins. In addition, the service was always poor because not only were the restaurants always slammed with value-seeking diners, but the staff also knew that the check averages and their tips were going to be lower so they just wanted to do as many turns as possible. All in all, it was usually not a good time to visit a place you've been eager to try since it would probably be a misleading impression on the restaurant's regular operations.
Is that the case for DAT?
Sentinel - First look
Went by this morning to check it out. When I walked in Dennis was by himself making a drink order, but openly talking about the business with the customers inside. I ordered a blueberry muffin ($2.50) that was good, though I guess I've had better muffins. Am interested to try their Chai, and am eagerly awaiting savory breakfast fare. When asked, Dennis guessed that in 2+ weeks he'd be able to offer more food once he figures things out.
Waffle Mania Belgian Waffle Truck at Civic Center Farmer's Market - SF
The stand was at the Civic market this morning, and the waffles were gloriously delicious! I had one without sugar, and found it to be the perfect level of subtle sweetness. Need to learn how to make these myself -- has anyone made these successfully at home?
FYI, he said he usually arrives around 7:15, to be set up and serving around 8 am.
Lunch recs for prix fixe?
Anybody know of great restaurants that have good value prix fixe menus or specials for lunch? If it helps, I'm looking for places with food and prices similar to Piperade's Basque classics lunch special.
Anywhere in SF proper, and extended into Bay Area if it's close enough to BART.
Waffle Mania Belgian Waffle Truck at Civic Center Farmer's Market - SF
Went by this morning and there was no sign of the truck...does it still come every Wed? I got there at 8am, then shopped around for about 40 minutes until I lost faith in the truck appearing and got 3 All-Star tamales instead...they were tasty in their own right and a good attempt at sans-waffle-consolation, but I really was looking forward to my first waffle. I left the market at 9:10 with no sign of the truck. Is it usually parked right by the tamale and falafel vendors? I'll try again next week.
Thorough Bread and Pastry?
Is your praise of Thorough's croissants for any and all of their varieties or just limited to plain and h&c?
