Located in TriBeCa, The Odeon is a French restaurant. I am not sure I would call it a brasserie, although the decor reminds me of one (besides the low light at dinner time), and the small brasserie menu they offer (I did not see the usual escargots or steak frites though, but they had the confit de canard or duck confit, as well as the soupe à l'oignon or French onion soup that I chose to start with.
Yes, I know: I sat a bit on that post about Menkui-Tei, the ramen shop located on court street, especially as it has been under renovation since October...I try to post right away, but this one slipped my mind. Anyway, reading this might make you want to check the place once they reopen!
Cercle Rouge is a French Bistro that I recently discovered in Tribeca. With an elegant decor (I love the red round (cercle means circle) couch at the entrance, it features classic bistro dishes such as the escargots, mussels or canard a l'orange. On top of that, they offer few selections from their raw bar and...a burger, as well as wings.
I guess the new trend in New York is opening marketplaces with a wide range of food stalls. We had Chelsea Market, the Food Court at The Plaza or the Gotham West Market to name a few; now, we have the Gansevoort Market, freshly opened in October 2014. Located in the heart of the Meat Packing District (MePa if you want to sound trendy), it welcomes a bunch of different cuisines, from American to French to Thai, without forgetting Italian, Lebanese, Mexican, Japanese, and I am sure I missed few...
I was recently invited to Via Vai, an Italian restaurant that opened in June 2014, conveniently located few steps from the Ditmars train station in Astoria. This place use to be a gentlemen's club, not that I was a customer, but it came up in the conversation we enjoyed with owners Cynthia and Antonio Morichini, who is also the Executive Chef, as we were talking about the long path it takes to open a restaurant.
January 20th is National Cheese Lover's Day. Yes, there is indeed a National Cheese Lover's Day and I think that it should be National Cheese Lover's Month as there are so many cheeses to try, each of them with their own taste and texture...and smell...
I asked people I know what they drink with cheese and most of them said red wine, stirring an interesting debate, especially when I mentioned that few sommeliers as well as Maitre Fromager Max McCalman, explained to me that the problem with red wine is that the tannins will change the taste of the cheese, and so white wine was better.
I admit that just seeing the name Zutto, I would I thought it was an Italian joint. But, when I looked for a place in Tribeca on OpenTable, I saw that it was Japanese. Then, going to their website to check out their menu, it said Japanese American Pub. So, I was not sure what to expect. We went on a Friday night.
The Green Table is a farm to table restaurant in Chelsea Market that serves a menu made with fresh ingredients purchased daily in local farms and green markets. This place has definitely some charm with its decor that could make you think you are in a home somewhere in the country side, with, of course, green tables and flowers.
We went there for brunch and dinner: for brunch, if you go early enough, you can find a spot. Dinner is another story: we though we were early, but the place was packed and we had to wait few minutes, waiting patiently for a text on my phone to let us know our table was ready. Both times, they brought us some delicious focaccia that was definitely greasy, but so addictive, with its crunchy cheesy top that was covered with pepper flakes, making it a bit spicy.
I remember that when I was a kid, I used to see TV series or movies where people were making pancakes, wondering what it was, as we did not have that in France. In all cases, I would definitely not say that crepes are like pancakes and it makes me cringe when I hear people comparing the two as they are totally different!
Anyway, here is the way I make pancakes at home.
I was looking for a pizzeria Midtown Manhattan, when I stumbled upon Don Antonio by Starita. This place is the result of the association of Chef Roberto Caporuscio of Kesté Pizza & Vino on Bleecker street, and Antonio Starita, third generation owner of one Naples’ oldest pizzerias, Pizzeria Starita a Materdei. I was not only interested to go there for their Neapolitan pizza, but also because they serve fried pizza or pizza fritte, a dish I never tried before and that made me curious.
