The adjective “nice” has such milquetoast connotations, that to call a dining experience “nice” almost seems like a backhanded compliment. But I promise that I use the term with the best intentions when referring to my experience at Perilla. From the moment my sister and I were seated until the moment we left, everything was just so… nice.

The atmosphere is sedate and comfortable, very classy without feeling stuffy with clean off-white walls and cushy seating. Adding to the serenity was the staff who were accommodating and extremely pleasant.

But a restaurant doesn't survive on pleasantries alone, certainly not one opened by a reality TV star. Harold Dieterle, head chef (and Top Chef winner) seems to have shied away from any ostentatious and obnoxious flare that might be expected from anyone associated with the term “reality TV” – clearly in the aforementioned decor but in the simple presentation of his solid, confident dishes as well.

We started with the refreshing elderflower/prosecco cocktail that I has just?enjoyed at Mike and Shaun's a few nights before – elderflower must be in the air. Next we shared a duck meatball appetizer and some mackerel sashimi – both were really special, the highlights of the meal, particularly the flavorful meatballs, which I would eat daily if possible.

We both opted for fish entrees, Meghan had the special and I had something I can't find on any of the online menus, as the menu is constantly updated. I think one was arctic char? Mine definitely featured a bed of delicious beets…

My apologies, I was wrapped up in conversation and not exactly in blog mode, but I can say we were both very pleased with our dishes, and our plates were left clean.

The night ended with toasty sugar donuts with dipping sauce, a pleasurable comfort dish we devoured with glee.

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Posted on December 31, 2007

Reading Heat made me crave another Batali dining experience, since my visit to Otto a while back was such a success. I obviously wanted to try Babbo, not quite realizing that it's one of the hardest reservations to get. Years after opening, the buzz is still so strong that I couldn't even get past a busy signal to have someone tell me there were no tables available. I plan to go someday, but that will have to be a day when I have miraculously gained more patience.

My plan B was Casa Mono, the Batali backed Spanish tapas place featuring Chef Andy Nusser, who formerly worked at Babbo and Po. Getting a table was fairly simple, especially if you're open. I told the nice lady that I could eat any day that week as long as it was between 7 and 8. No problem, we were set for an end of the week fancy meal out, and I was excited.

Spanish food usually makes me extremely happy. The flavors and ingredients like sardines, chorizo, cured hams, and olives read like a list of my favorite foods – so, in a way, I can hardly go wrong with any Spanish restaurant, but it was a pleasure to go so right at Casa Mono.

After hearing about the tight quarters, I was bracing myself for not only dreaded stools, but a hectic, uncomfortable environment. Luckily I was wrong. While the space is tiny, tiny and bustling, it is also very friendly and even as you bump elbows with your fellow eaters, you feel less like you're invading their space and more like you are all sharing a special experience. An open, we're all in this together experience heightened by the very visible kitchen, a long counter right in the same room as the dining. Happily here is where the only stools sat – where really handsome chefs cook under the gaze of their diners without breaking a sweat. I can only imagine the stress of working in a kitchen, the added pressure of being on display and unable to utter a single curse word must be a maddening feat.

The chefs were not merely pretty faces, though, dish after dish they delivered something exceptional. Pumpkin and cheese croquettes, hot breaded balls of salty and sweet, began the meal with a bang. In fact, this was Jim's favorite dish all night. Next, the fresh sardines were my pick, being a huge sardine fan. (The photo is from the blog In Praise of Sardines, written by another fan of the fish). The plump crispy critters, simply prepared were delectable, right down to the eyeballs. Razor clams are one of those things that neither one of us can resist if given the option, so we knew we were going to order those as soon as we sat down. They were lemony and garlicky and unlike other places, where you receive a very small amount, came as a heaping pile that allowed us each to devour at least four a piece.

It's worth mentioning that actually every dish was like this. People often complain about the way bills can rack up at small dish restaurants, but I found at least Casa Mono gives you your money's worth. Every dish was unexpectedly large and or filling.

The duck eggs, served over easy a top a pile of spiced potatoes and succulent flavorful ham was no exception. This dish would make the best brunch entree ever, and I hungered for it the next morning. Finally the meal was rounded out by tender pork cheeks with quince, another complex flavor combination that had me rolling my eyes in yumminess.

There was no room for dessert at the end, as five dishes turned out to be more than enough food to fill us to the brim. The drink menu is mostly, in fact almost all wine, but we had Estrella, a crisp Spanish beer which?is reportedly rather hard to find.

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Posted on December 17, 2007

I don't know why we didn't go sooner. Bozu is without a doubt the best sushi restaurant in the Williamsburg/Greenpoint area. And they've got awesome weird stuff too.

We went with L-Word a little while ago and, besides the amazing signature sushi bombs, we also enjoyed veal liver sashimi, a spicy miso with seafood, the pork betty, a ton of Hitachino (sold for an outrageously low per pitcher cost), and a couple of infused shochus (a very popular distilled spirit in Japan, typically about 25% alcohol by volume, not to be confused with sake–they offer about 20 homemade flavors at Bozu).

It's not too pricey, the help is great and the atmosphere is really nice. Ask about the specials and then go for them; if you're a first time visitor the staff will happily offer any guidance you may need when ordering.

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Posted on December 3, 2007

At?one o'clock in the morning our circle of friends received an urgent email. Somewhere in Brooklyn Heights, there was a restaurant that serves BBQ rattlesnake salad!!

Once Shaun sounded the alarm I made reservations at Henry's End which has a Wild Game Festival menu on from now through February.

The restaurant itself, on the cusp of the Heights and Dumbo is an inviting, quaint place filled to the brim even on a Sunday. The intoxicating smells from the kitchen, the hum of happy conversations, and the old brick walls add to the ambiance.

As for the food, well, the rattlesnake was not on the menu (the site did warn that the menu changes due to availability) but we still found a lot to write home about.

We shared two game charcuteri plates, with game terrine and a rabbit and venison sausage. I had the turtle soup, an unexpected tomato based concoction with a soupy chili texture that pleased as well as it surprised me. Others opted for the best Caesar salad anyone at the table had ever had.

I followed my soup with the rabbit sausage pasta, a very spicy dish which is possibly one of the tastiest pasta dishes I have had at a restaurant in ages. Friends partook in the venison stew, a mole-ish rich and dark dish of epic flavors. Jim was the most daring when he ordered the kangaroo steak and was well rewarded for it. The meat tasted a bit like pork, but fuller, more tender, and sweeter.

Even though we were quite full we all managed a few bites of a 21 layer crepe cake (a former brix pick and one I can never resist). Make your reservations now while the wild game festival is still going on, but the regular menu is, I am sure, just as satisfying.

It was a superb dining experience, and there is little wonder that Henry's End has stayed popular in the neighborhood for almost thirty five years.

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Posted on November 19, 2007

Pick for the week of Sept 17th
Here's what I said then:

I've been yearning to go to this restaurant since I moved to New York five years ago. For our fourth anniversary, that dream finally came to true and, to my amazement, it exceeded all my expectations. The atmosphere is stylish but also very laid back and unintimidating. The staff is never pompous and, unlike some other high class restaurants, it never felt stuffy or made me feel like a six year old that shouldn't be there.

It's a refreshing take on gourmet dining. And the food is just as fun. I'm an adventurous eater and you really should be to fully appreciate the tasting menu here.

Our twelve course meal began with squid noodle, sunflower seed, prune, and fresh coriander seed. I have no way of describing the taste except we liked it. It felt as though we were eating on another planet. Next came Jim's favorite dish: pizza pebbles! The perfect example of Dufresne's sense of humor and lack of pretension, you are encouraged to eat these delicate dehydrated spheres of pizza with pepperoni cream and dried shitake, with your fingers. They tasted like a high end Combos. Knot foie gras came next: a long ribbon of silky foie gras beautifully and simply presented with home made rice krispies and kimchee sauce. The sweetbreads with cabbage kaffir and waterchestnuts were breaded in camomile and had the richest, creamiest texture you can imagine. Beef tongue with little blocks of fried mayonnaise and a pungent tomato molasses was next and is one of the dishes the restaurant is most known for. The simple sounding, but exquisitely and ingeniously assembled french onion soup was next (see photo). The onions came in the form of a concentrated paste atop two thin wafers of rye which you let drop into the broth with its globes of cheese which burst when the dish is all mixed together. This was a highlight of the meal. Our second to last savory dish was perhaps my favorite: warm surf clams with watermelon, garlic chive and these extremely potent little fermented black beans that looked like watermelon seeds. Lastly, before desserts began, we had lamb belly, which was prepared like thin bacon with black chickpea and cherried cucumber, an earthy hearty final savory entry…

The reason I remember everything in such detail is that they give you a copy of the menu to follow along. I asked the waiter if it would be possible to get mine signed by Dufresne, and he said “Well, would you like to meet him?” We were taken into the surprisingly calm kitchen where ten or so people were preparing the dishes we had enjoyed. We saw several beef tongues getting their final touches of garnish and learned that interns had the task of carefully crafting the dehydrated pizza pebbles. Wylie was nice and soft spoken and signed our menu with a “Thank you!”. No, Mr Dufresne, thank YOU for the best dining experience ever.

Runners Up:
Minangasli
Calexico
Momofuku Ssam
Sammy's Roumanian Style Restaurant
L'asso

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Posted on November 5, 2007