i heart nyc

Tartine

Greenwich Village | 253 W 11th St (@W 4th St) | NYC, NY | 212-229-2611

Subway 1 (Christopher Street)

Menu check out menupages.com. It will give you a good idea, but it doesn't list everything.

It's summer Fridays at work  and I left early today to wander around in the city. I also had my mind set on having a meatloaf dinner at Elephant and Castle. After wandering without cause for a few hours I walked past Tartine on West 4th street and there was barely anyone there. I thought I would take advantage of an early seating since it's usually impossible to get a spot without waiting later in the evening.

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I know it's a bit early for dinner but I am hungry anyway so I inquired about a table. Maybe I was a bit too early and was informed that they were serving coffee only and don't start dinner service until 5:30. I decided to walk around and come back. I was almost sidetracked by the Corner Bistro but I still can't imagine why people get so excited about their hamburgers. I don't really like hamburgers for dinner. Sooner or later I will try The Corner Bistro's famous hamburger, but maybe for lunch.

I arrived back at Tartine at 5:30 sharp and got one of the last tables on the sidewalk. It's hot but not humid outside and although I would prefer to sit inside where it's cooler,  I don't want to be mushed into a cramped corner. When Tartine get busy the seating is very cramped.

This is my second visit to Tartine, I hope it's as good as my first. Check out my first visit here.

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I am surprised to see that the specials menu isn't too much different from when I was here a few weeks ago. Today I am ordering my starter from the standard menu and my main course from the specials. Call me crazy but it in the upper 80's outside and I am ordering onion soup gratinee. Why not? Maybe it will heat up my body temperature so I cool down. The soup is served classically in a stoneware bowl and is topped with melted cheese (of unknown origin). The cheese is nicely browned but not too crusty. The onion broth is tasty and has a good amount of onion and french bread but lacks that sweet caramelized and brown sugar depth of flavor, although it did taste sweet. Unfortunately, it didn't help to cool me down.

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I can't remember the exact name but for my main course I ordered a pork cutlet dish. I generally don't order pork in a restaurants because it is often overcooked and dry. Tonight was no exception. I'm not sure if it was pan friend or broiled, but the dish was beautifully presented. That was about it as good as it gets. The pork was pounded flat and cooked with what seemed to be finely chopped scallion and garlic. On the side was a potato galette and an arugula salad. The potato galette was salty and greasy and the arugula salad was "very arugula". I say "thumbs down".

[in my opinion...]

This wasn't as god as my last visit here but it wasn't horrible. I am skipping dessert because last time I was here with friends I thought they were all bland.

Total Bill $23.30 (excluding tips).

I wouldn't let this one dish stop me from returning, but next time I will be more cautious. Truthfully, I really wish I would have went to Elephant and Castle for the meatloaf.

[a sweet finish]

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After I left Tartine I walked around the corner and treated myself to some choclate at Lilac. If you haven't  been to Lilac you should try it. Their chocolate is really homemade and has a very rich flavor without being over-sweet. I think it's one of my favorite chocolates (after See's Chocolates, of course).

Lilac Chocolates | 40 8th Avenue | NYC | (212) 924-2280

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Live! from Montreal, Canada

Blogging live via Blackberry from Montreal
Thursday, July 21 - Sunday, July 24, 2005

Join me!

I Scare Myself

This morning after I woke up I had my usual 2 cups of tea to help me rise. When I was ready for my third I remembered that I had 1 corn muffin left over from Saturday's breakfast that I saved for Sunday. When I went to the kitchen I could not find the muffin. I search all over the counter top but it was no where to be found. Out of curiosity I opened the top of the trash pail and there it was, an empty plastic storage bag filled with nothing but remnant crumbs. Did I eat that before I went to bed?  I don't remember, but occasionally I do eat a ***snack*** before going to bed. Maybe that's when I ate the muffin. Yes.

From that point I never gave it a second thought.

UNTIL...

It's now past midnight and I went upstairs to go to sleep I washed up and headed for the bed....

HORROR!

On the nightstand was an empty package of Almond Joy cookies. I these found in the refrigerator the day before. I bought them before I went to Salt Lake City. I put them in the refrigerator because it was hot and I thought they would taste good cold, but never ate them. On Saturday when organizing the refrig, I found them and remember thinking, "what a nice treat those will be later".

Later was right. Sometime in the middle of the night I woke up like a little zombie, went downstairs, devoured a corn muffin and took the Mounds cookies upstairs and ate them in my sleep.

At least I threw the corn muffin bag in the trash.

I am very disturbed by this.

The Onion Cutter

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No one loves kitchen gadgets more than me. I really don't want to overwhelm my kitchen with a lot of junque but every now and then something really cool comes along. Yes, I still use my George Forman Grill (now and then), the pitter comes out once a year when cherries are in season and occasionally to pit an olive, I use my rabbit wine bottle opener all the time but the mini electric chopper is gathering dust.

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On a recent United Airlines flight I was flipping through the "Skymall" magazine and guess what I found? An Onion Cutter. How could you be a cook and live without that? Its called the Alligator and it's  available through solutionscatalog.com for $24.50. That seems steep but after a few weeks of manually chopping onions for pasts sauce I decided to try it. I always seem to be chopping an onion for this or that so I thought it would be a good investment. My onion chopper arrived on Saturday and I couldn't wait to try it.

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My first chopping exercise would be onions for a tomato chutney. First you cut the onion in half, then sit the onion on the grid, pull down the cover and PRESTO! Perfectly diced onion. This is amazing! You couldn't do that with a knife. The chop is just right for saute, salads, garnish, etc. I can amagine that if you like to make salsa this would be a helpful tool.

I have another idea...

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My tomato chutney also calls for chopped red pepper. Let's see how it works. Cut the pepper into squares, sit the pepper on the grid, pull down the cover and WOW! Diced pepper! That worked great and I am sure there are a few other veggies it could dice.

One of the nice things about the "onion cutter" is that it's diswasher safe and there is a little thing that slips over the grid so the when you pull it out it removes all the vegetable that gets in between. Leave it to the Swedes (made in Sweden) to invent something this smart.

This is the Swedish websight (in english) which also says it can be used for a variety of vegetables.

www.epuab.com/en

You can order the Alligator through solutionscatalog.com. After entering the websight use the search function for "Alligator". Solutions Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee says you must be 100% satisfied with everything you purchase or return the item and they will gladly replace it or issue a full refund.

Stay tuned, I will be posting the recipe I made with my "Alligator", Moroccan Meatloaf with Tomato Chutney.

Em's (part 2)

271 N. Center Street | Salt Lake City, UT | 801 596 0566

Web www.emsrestaurant.com

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I decided to come back to Em's for a second meal tonight after last nights good dinner. There is a different staff here tonight so no one will remember the drunkin' state I was in last night (only kidding).

It's another quiet night here with about 5 parties in the bistro. Em's has about 15 tables so it's a small and personal restaurant. There is also an outdoor patio in case you like dining al fresco. It's 8pm right now and 95 degrees so I think I stay in the air conditioned interior along with the "A" list clientele that seems to dine here.

Tonight, I see a lot of people are having the halibut special which is in a butter sauce with root vegetables. I would have loved to try it but I fear eating fish so far away from an ocean. Although I do keep hearing people say how good it is.

I really wanted to order a nice salad tonight since they have a good variety of which many have apples, pears and blue cheese. Yummy. I like anything with apples and blue cheese. Instead of the salad I ordered the goat cheese stuffed figs wrapped with prosciutto ($8). If you remember, I missed having that last night because they ran out. I am here earlier tonight so it's available. Now I can leave Utah satisfied.

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The starter included 2 figs which were served warm a top a small bed of arugula. It was all dotted with some balsamic vinegar. One slight mistake I made to my description above, the figs were stuffed with blue cheese, not goat cheese. I think the blue cheese was a bit strong and overwhelmed the flavor of the fig. It was good anyway, but a bit small. I think I would have liked to eat about 5 of those figs.

After my starter they brought me a small mixed green salad topped with shaved Parmesan. I asked my server, "what's that for?", he replied, "a palate cleanser". That's odd I didn't get a "palate cleanser" last night.

Tonight for my entree I picked the pork chop which was marinated and grilled with an very unique apricot BBQ type sauce (not tomato based) which was very tangy and flavorful. I would say there was apricot, honey, onion and smokey bacon in the sauce. It's hard to describe the flavor. It wasn't sweet but was smokey and tangy. I think the smoke flavor came from the bacon. It was served with a side of mashed potatoes and roasted carrots which were sliced as thin as a dime. Emily seems to like thinly roasted vegetables because last night my entree came with pencil thin roasted asparagus. ($18)

For dessert I ordered the chocolate pudding cake ($6) which is a warm chocolate cake baked when ordered. It takes about 10 minutes and I hoped it would be worth the wait.

The pudding cake was you basic molten chocolate cake which I will say was good but zzzzzzz. Unoriginal. It was just the little cake topped with 2 fresh cherries. I think it could have used a dollop of whipped cream or a nice scoop of Hagen Daas. I think Em needs a pastry chef...

Tonight bill total was $44.15 and that included a glass of Pinot Noir ($8) and a cuppa cawfee ($1.50). Not bad for a "4 heart" meal.

The food here is somewhat hearty and homey comfort food but made with a unique flair. I have to say this is now one of my favorite restaurants I've been to this year. Who would have thought I'd find this in Salt Lake City?

Could this be a reason to return?

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Em's (Salt Lake City)

271 N. Center Street | Salt Lake City, UT | 801 596 0566

Web www.emsrestaurant.com

 

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Em's is a cute little bistro tucked away in a upscale neighborhood near the capital building. It was a little hard to find since this neighborhood is so residential I didn't expect to find a restaurant here. Em's seems to be in a old store or former market. It was recommended to me from Beau at basicjuice.com.

The interior of Em's is decorated very simply with modern art, schoolhouse lamps and tables dressed with crisp white tablecloths. It's Wednesday night at 8:30 and they aren't too busy at all.

The menu has a wide variety of modern American and French selections with dishes such as halibut, rib eye steaks, cassoulet, interesting pork dishes and rack of lamb.

Starters are in the $7-9 range and entrees are in the $15 range. This seems very reasonable considering the atmosphere and unique offering on the menu. Em's also offers a daily specials menu which has a selection of at least 3 items in each category.

I was a bit let down by the "by the glass" wine list which consisted of a lot of run of the mill wines that could be found in any wine shop. On the positive side, they were all decent selections such a Big House Red, Kris Pinot Grigio and Coppola Claret. The wines by the bottle were all pretty decent also. You have to remember that Utah is a semi-dry state and I believe wine is controlled by the government. What does the government care about a good boutique wine from France?

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My starter was a bit unique. It was a Moroccan dish which was a paste made from walnut, red pepper and cumin topped with a slice of apple on a toasted crostini, delicious. ($9). My first choice for a starter was a fig stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped with prosciutto, but since it was a special, they had already run out.

For my entree I ordered the rib eye steak which was topped with a onion confit and blue cheese and served with roast red baby potatoes and pencil thin asparagus ($19).  Wow! That's a good dish and the steak was huge, tender and cooked perfectly medium rare. I ate my meal with the "Big House Red" which was a decent wine and a deal at $5 a glass!

Zagat gave service here a marginal rating and I expected the worst but I found the service to be attentive. My waiter was very helpful in assisting me with my selections and making sure I was satisfied. Every time he brought a dish he asked, "Is that to your liking? If not I can get you something else". That's good service. 

For dessert I ordered the special which is a rustic black cherry tart with white chocolate ice cream. ($6) How fabulous is that?  Well it wasn't. I found it to be "floury" and bland. It's a shame because I love cherries. I had a lot of nerve and when the waiter asked me what I thought I told him it was "disgusting". Oooops, that's the wine talking (but it wasn't good). He apologized but offered no solution.

One thing that was obvious about Em's is  the people here are a far cry from other people I have seen around Salt Lake. It's a more like I'm in a small neighborhood of San Francisco, than Salt Lake City.

Overall I would give Em's 4 hearts, minus the horrid dessert which I really wish could have been better.  One minor complaint is that the bistro was a bit too dark and could have use some candles at the table or brighter lighting. Why is it that I always feel like I am eating in the dark?

Total bill which included 2 glasses of red wine and a cuppa cawfee was $48.96. I was surprised that after I expressed my disgust with the dessert that it wasn't removed from the bill.

For a nice dining experience, I highly recommend visiting Em's if your travels take you to Salt Lake City. I doubt you'd regret it.

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Salt Lake City

I'm off to Salt Lake City for the rest of the week. This is my second trip to Utah this year and I will say that I won't be starting a blog called "i heart utah" anytime soon. If you want to follow my travels (and who wouldn't) you can visit my transient sight "i heart 2 fly". I usually post live via Blackberry while I am away. While in the Salt Lake area I will also be stopping into Orem and Ogden, Utah. If you have ever been to either of those cities you will know that the best restaurant is Wendy's. Last time I was in Salt Lake City the best meal I had was at Buca di Beppo! Don't get me wrong I actually like Buca. I've had a lot of memorable meals, at some of the California locations, with good friends, a lot of meatballs, tiramisu and cheap chianti!

Actually I did scope out a few restaurants. There is a Sonic near my hotel. They make good shakes and they still deliver your food to you in your car on skates! I was also thinking about driving out to Park City because it seem that there are a lot of nice "upscale" places in town. This place sounded good, so did this one. Beau from Basic Juice also recommended a place called "Em's" in Salt Lake that sounded good. I am also a sucker for a good French Bistro.

My outbound flight is on United Airlines from Newark via Denver. My return is to Newark via Chicago. I dread that. A Chicago connection, in the afternoon, in the summer, on a Friday, is about as high risk as you get. Pray for clear weather otherwise it's a McDonalds dinner at the airport.

If you've ever been to Salt Lake City and know any places, leave a comment.

P.S. I am going to Montreal for a long 4 day weekend next week. If you have any ideas about Montreal eateries, let me know.

A Tale of Five Bakeries

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There is a wealth of new world bakeries that have popped up all around the city and I decided to visit a few to check them out. Some of these bakeries seem to be a spin-offs and knock-offs from the original Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village. I'm not a big fan of the Magnolia Bakery and cannot understand why people wait in line outside and up the street for a darn cupcake with frosting. I guess no one bakes at home anymore. I've had cake and cupcakes from the Magnolia a few times but haven't been impressed. Most of the cakes seems doughy without a lot of "crumb" texture. I am not a scientist but how the "Sugar Association" says a "tender crumb" is formed...

"During the mixing process, sugar acts as a tenderizing agent by absorbing water and slowing gluten development. During mixing of batters and doughs, flour proteins are hydrated forming gluten strands. The gluten forms thousands of small, balloon-like pockets that trap the gases produced during leavening. These gluten strands are highly elastic and allow the batter to stretch under expansion of gases. However, if too much gluten develops, the dough or batter becomes rigid and tough.  Sugar competes with these gluten-forming proteins for water in the batter and prevents full hydration of the proteins during mixing. As a consequence, less gluten is allowed to "develop," preventing the elastic dough or batter from becoming rigid. With the correct proportion of sugar in the recipe, the gluten maintains optimum elasticity which allows for gases to be held within the dough matrix. These gases, from leavening agents and mixing, expand and allow the batter or dough to rise. By preventing the gluten development, sugar helps give the final baked product tender crumb texture and good volume."

How about that!

[the bakeries]

Petit Fourgerous

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Is there anything better than cheese? I think I'm going to start trying some new cheeses on a regular basis. New York City has so many good cheese stores which carry a lot of variety and unique imports. The key to this will be moderation, cheese is the evil anti-Christ. It calls me from the refrigerator and I am not happy until I gobble up every bit.

[shopping for cheese]

 Last night I was in the city and stopped by Citarella in The Village to look for something good. Earlier in the day I bought some sliced raisin/pecan bread at Whole Foods I thought would be perfect with a creamy, strong cheese. My first choice was a St. Andre, which I love. St. Andre is a tangy, creamy, slightly sour cheese that goes great on breads and fruits. I always eat berry jam on it. I decided to pass because I wanted to try something new. As i poked around I looked up and asked the salesman if he could recommend something creamy and strong. He replied, "You got that in your hand, that's good." I had picked up a piece of Camembert earlier. He said it was stronger than brie. The was another small wheel of cheese in the case which was a Petit Fougerous. I asked, "how about that?" He replied, "well that's like a brie but stronger but not as strong as the Camembert. He wasn't very helpful.

After poking around I decided to take the Camembert because I was looking for something strong. As I walked to the cash registers I stopped and looked at the Camembert. What a cop out, I came to get something I never had before and was leaving with the Camembert. I was tossed between buying something different which I may not even like or being safe. I decided not to be safe and went back for the Petit Fougerous. The price for the wheel is $7.99 and its weights about 1/2 lb. I guess that would classify that as an expensive cheese since it would be about $16 a pound. When I bought it I thought it was a good deal. Nevermind...

[what is a petit fougerous?]

When I got home I did an internet search on my selection. I didn't come up with much. One description read,

"A petite Brie cheese, Fougerous is hand molded and wrapped in fern leaves, which give it a woodsy, mushroom-like flavor. The texture is smooth and creamy. Enjoy as an appetizer or serve for a dessert course with pears."

Another description read,

"A Coulommier type cheese distinguished by the fern leaf on the surface. Made with unpasteurized milk."

I believe its cow's milk.

What's coulommier? I first I thought it was a type of cheese, but I think its a way cheese is made. A description I found says,

"Coulommier is a soft cheese from France that is produced in a mold rather than in a draining cloth."

I also found a recipe. It sound good, if you can translate it. It's like a Brie quiche.

[tasting notes]

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The Petit Fourgerous is a attractive little wheel of cheese. It looks like a mini brie but has a fern leaf on the top. I don't think I am suppose to eat the fern. The cheese is coated in a typical white rind which should be eaten with the cheese.  As I mentioned earlier I bought a raisin/pecan bread to eat with my cheese. I think my wanted the bread first then tried to find a cheese to go with it. I cut the bread into triangles and toasted to make it a bit crisp.

My first taste of the cheese "sans-bread" exposed a nutty cheese with an earthy flavor. I would agree that it was stronger than a typical brie. My second taste was on the warm toasted bread which partially melted the cheese. It was gooey with a bit more flavor. My third taste was on the untoasted raisin/pecan bread. I think the untoasted bread was better then having it get too soft. The texture of the cheese is part of the experience. My fourth taste was in the morning while the cheese was cold from the refrigerator. I don't think this was the best. It should be removed from the refrigerator and served cool but not cold. The rind on the Petit Fourgerous is very strong and should be consumed in proportion with the cheese. If you get a mouthful of too much rind, it can be a bit salty and have slight bitter aftertaste.

[lunch too!]

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Here's what I did with the Petit Fourgerous for lunch. It's a Ham, Petit Fourgerous and cranberry chutney sandwich.

[in my opinion...]

I recommend this cheese for anyone who like brie and wants an upgrade.

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc

This is my first entry in "Wine Blogging Wednesday". I am not sure how this even works but here I go ....

It's "off dry"  Wednesday and I was planning to taste a spicy French Vouvray which is made from the Chenin Blanc grape. There are a few of these out on the market and they can be acquired in the $10 range. Chenin Blanc is the perfect "off-dry" wine.

But...

Tonight I made myself a great tilapia marinated in a flavorful "Chermoula. A Chermoula is a Moroccan marinade (I didn't know that until after I ate the dish). It is made with cilantro, garlic, cumin, paprika and lemon juice. My wine selection to match this dish would be a fresh Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. I've been thinking of this all day.

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In my refrigerator I had a bottle of 2004 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand that was suggested to me from a wine shop in California during a recent trip. Actually without even tasting this I bought a second bottle today at my local wine shop, The Shoppers Vineyard in Clifton, NJ. It was on sale for $8.99 so how could I pass that up?

Wine - House of  Nobilo
Varietal - Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage - 2004
Appellation - Marlborough, New Zealand
Price - $8.99 at the Shoppers Vineyard, Clifton, NJ

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On the Nose - Tropical Fruits. I am on a island in the Pacific.

Through the Eyes - Pale Lemon

On the Palate - On the first sip I taste fresh floral notes, I'm in the Garden of Eden. After a few sips it turns grassy, very grassy and fresh with the slight sweetness remaining. The finish has a touch of pepper which is an interesting contrast. Its like someone dipped a peach into my grass as I cut the lawn in New Zealand.

Overall - Such a ripe yummy bottle of wine. It's nothing like a California Sauvignon Blanc. It's fresh, crisp, summery and has no aftertaste. The mild grass and tropical fruit flavors linger in your mouth as you lick the slightly sweet sugar taste off your lips. Perfect for Summer, fresh fish, grilled shrimp and sipping on the porch. I wouldn't call this completely dry, so I guess it can be an "off-dry".

In my opinion, you really can't go wrong with a fresh bottle from New Zealand.