Soooo many restaurants in New York City! There are over 23,000 of them, so it's kinda hard to figure out where to dine. Thankfully there are plenty of resources like Eater, The New York Times, Google, Yelp and many more. Then there are the bloggers …
Soooo many restaurants in New York City! There are over 23,000 of them, so it's kinda hard to figure out where to dine. Thankfully there are plenty of resources like Eater, The New York Times, Google, Yelp and many more. Then there are the bloggers and foodies like me, we go to dinner for you (sort of), and report back about our experiences. I, for one, will only publish the restaurants that I really liked or loved, and omit the ones that leave me wanting for more or better. So if it's on my website, it's good to go! Here are three restaurants that left me happy and with a full tummy, so these I highly recommend.
Metropolis by Marcus Samuelsson
It's no big secret that I am a big fan on Marcus Samuelsson, I have been to all of his restaurants here in the city, and loved them all. Metropolis is fairly new, and it is located in the Performing Arts Center downtown across the street from the Freedom Towers. Take the stairs up, and there you are. This restaurant is absolutely beautiful, and very, very spacious. I had a seat by the window overlooking the the terrace, which will come in very handy this summer. The food? Amazing. I loved everything.
Here is what I tried: first up were the Blanketed Franks. I'm a bit of a Hot Dog snob, so I won't eat just any. I tried these mini Chistorra Hot Dogs with Bravas Sauce and Crispy potato, and they were AMAZING. The two little dipping sauces were top notch, I wanted more. Then I had the Steak Tartare, with Pecorino cheese, which was super fresh and tasty, seasoned perfectly. The main dish was Angelhair Vongole, made with clams and rock shrimp in a salsa verde sauce. This was simply outstanding. I have never had pasta with Salsa Verde, and I'm always so excited when I get to try something new, being that I'm always out to dinner. This one made my day. Two thumbs up.
Sailor
Oh yes, I took the long trip from the Central Bronx to Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Don't underestimate the ride, it takes almost two hours to get there, and another two hours to go back home! So you already know that this restaurant has been calling my name, and I was going to go, no matter what. Sailor is a quaint, rustic restaurant on a buzzing Dekalb Avenue, packed even for lunch. Why packed? Because April Bloomfied is back. Without wanting to into why she left the restaurant scene for a few years, she reappeared, and if you know chefs and good food, then you should have heard of her name. And if you didn't, that's fine too, just know that she's amazing. I grabbed a spot at the bar, and this is what I tried:
I started off with the Smoked Arctic Char Paté with Parsley Oil and Pastrami Spice. This is another dish, where I can say: I've never had anything like this. Do I have to tell you how much I liked it? OK. loved it. Next was the Grilled Cheese with Tomato. Big Grilled Cheese fan here, this was going to be epic. The tomato turned out to be more of a tomato jam, and I was here for it. Just perfect. Even more perfect was the cheese combo: Gouda, Goat Cheese and Parmesan. Holy smokes. So dang good. I then tried the Bass with Sunchokes with a Vermouth Cream Sauce. I hardly ever order fish in a restaurant, but I'm glad I did this time, it was all that. Crispy skin on the fish, perfectly paired vegetables, super delicious sauce. Success on all levels. Worth the dang subway ride.
The Bazaar by José Andres
I don't know about you, but when I hear the name Jose Andres, I'm there. Not too long ago he opened up a restaurant inside the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Nomad NYC, and when I skimmed through the restaurants that were participating in NYC's Restaurant Week, I saw that the bar portion of The Bazaar offered a nice little meal. Of course I was in. This part of the restaurant is very cozy, romantic and dimly lit (ergo: excuse my mediocre pictures).The lineup of small dishes was exquisite, I was a happy camper. You can just never go wrong with anything by Jose Andres.
This was my lineup of the awesome dishes: first up were the Liquid Olives, and if you never had them, you absolutely must try! They are made by a technique of reverse spherification (don't ask me what that means), and the result is outstanding. It's a perfect little slurp of yes, liquid olives. Just awesome. Then we had some Marinated "Ferran Adria" Olives, which are more traditional and nevertheless delicious. Next was the Ikura Royal Cone with Smoked Trout Roe, a Tamanga Emulsion and Ao Nori. Truly a royal bite. Wagyu Beef Air Bread with Mnchego Espuma and onion jam was next and excellent. Then Ora King Salmon Tiradito with avocado, red onion and yuzu ponzu was different and superb. I don't have to tell you that Coquetas de Pollo was absolutely my choice from this menu, they have a special place in my heart without question. Then came Yakitori "Mar & Montaña", which are delicious chicken thighs and skin with black garlic tare and shrimp Al Ajillo. For the dessert we had Carrillo Roll Cake with coffee chiffon, licor 43 Chantilly and coffee toffee, and also his famous Pan con Chocolate with Taste de Santiago, chocolate cremeux and olive oil ice cream. These desserts are masterful. I felt so lucky to have tried this many bites from his amazing culinary repertoire.
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