The Fro Fro Blog

New York Postscript

I've been back from my wonderful week in New York for a week now, and realized I neglected to report on my last day there.  Before heading out to JFK, I paid a visit to my old stomping grounds on 92nd and Madison.  A stone's throw from Spence, one of the cornerstones of my education, which is next door to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, a must-see for design devotees and, if I'm not mistaken, the setting of Lily and Bart's Gossip Girl wedding.  Not that I watch that show religiously or anything.

Anyhoo, 92nd and Madison for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Berries at Sarabeth's Kitchen with Cousin Emma.  We did the full debrief on her round-the-world travels and my dating travails.  The pancakes and the catch-up were both such treats.

 

Before heading back to San Francisco I made a couple of quick stops to pick up items so difficult to find there: really good rare roast beef from Milano Gourmet and a bagel from NY Hot Bagels (both on 89th and Third).  I savored every bite on my flight home.  

'til next time, Upper East Siders...xoxo

Park Avenue Autumn (New York)

One of the things I hear most often from fellow East Coast transplants in San Francisco is that they miss is the change of seasons.  While I was home for Thanksgiving, I got a taste of a restaurant that changes with each season.  Not just the menu, mind you -- come on, isn't everyone doing that by now?  -- but everything from the menu to the furnishings and decor, to even the name of the restaurant itself.  It's Park Avenue Autumn now, in December it'll become Park Avenue Winter, and so on.

Our family's party of eight was seated at a large, round wooden table and treated to an a amuse of sweet-tart caramel apple pops topped with seasoned bread crumbs.  I popped one in my mouth and nibbled on gingerbread while poring over the menu.  So many great-looking choices made it very difficult to decide.

   

I ultimately decided on an appetizer of Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli with Cider Lacquered Grapes, and an appetizer-sized portion of Local Diver Scallops with Red Delicious Apples in Lemongrass Broth for my main.  The ravioli were al dente, buttery rich, and topped with toasted pine nuts and parm.  The scallops were also beautifully prepared, swimming in a sea of tapioca pearls.

     

An entree size of the scallops is available, but I wanted to save room for several sides: Haricots Verts;  Miso Glazed Brussels Sprouts; Creamed Corn, Jicama & Thai Basil; and Broccoli & Cheetos.  That's right, Cheetos.  The menu even displays the registered trademark symbol, so you know it's the real thing.  Cousin Jay thought it was "gimmicky," and I thought it was odd amidst a menu and ambiance that are the antithesis of the Cheeto.  But oddly enough, it worked!  Like Indian Summer, I suppose.

   

         

Dad is usually a very good sharer, and I'd wanted to get a taste of his Lamb Shank with Saffron Cauliflower, Mint & Pistachios -- but by the time I snapped out of the trance my own dishes had put me in, all that was left on his stark white plate was a large naked bone.  Mom, on the other hand, saved me some of her Atlantic Cod with Butternut Creme Brulee and Hen of the Woods Mushrooms -- even thought it was her bargaining chip to score a taste of my scallops.  It was worth the trade: the smoky cod with the sweet creme brulee was a real winner.

For dessert, I had trouble convincing my tablemates to order any, but a few forks all around ended up digging into the Chocolate Cube (a hard chocolate shell filled with cinnamon mousse and devil's food cake) and the Caramelized Banana Crepe, Frozen Maple Mousse & Crunchy Bacon Crumbs. 

    

Fall is fleeting...in a few weeks Autumn will be gone.  Looking forward to coming back to Park Avenue to see the change of seasons.

Fro Fro's FYI:  If I have one note of caution, it would be to keep an eye on your wait staff and your bill.  They poured a second bottle of wine without asking permission, and put not one, not two, but three bottles on the bill, one of which they removed at Uncle Billy's request.

Gramercy Tavern (New York)

I was so looking forward to dinner at Gramercy Tavern last night.  For one, one Michelin star.  Zagat claims it's harder to get into than Harvard, and OpenTable's diners are currently voting it #4 in their list of "Best Overall" in the Tri-State Area.  

In preparation, I'd read and heard nothing but great things about Michael Anthony's food, and the superior service -- including a review by the NY Times' Frank Bruni, who asked, "Is there a restaurant in this city more beloved than Gramercy Tavern?" and went on to proclaim: "...like a solid marriage rather than a heady love affair, it has stood the test of time, righting itself when it starts to go wrong, knowing what's at stake are a great many warm memories, some yet to be made."  How appropriate, I thought, since it was my parents' anniversary and we were headed to Gramercy Tavern to celebrate the greatest marriage of all-time.

Turns out -- at least on this particular night -- owner Danny Meyer and chef Michael Anthony have nothing on Joanne and Eddie.  There were things we really enjoyed:  the ample space between tables, the champagne Uncle Robby chose (sorry folks, I didn't get the name), and certain dishes that tasted as beautiful as they looked.  On the other hand, the service I'd heard raves about was unremarkable in my opinion.  It seemed to take forever for each course to arrive, and when it did, it was tepid.  

We started out with an amuse bouche of sweet corn soup and quail egg.  Yum.  Great start.

For my app, I had the Black Tagliatelle with Lobster, Mussels and Chorizo. It had an incredibly flavorful lobster-infused broth that I held in my mouth with my eyes closed.  I love when food makes me do that.  

LeBro James also let me sample his Kampachi with Grapefruit and Coriander.  The fish was perfectly textured, just the right temperature, and the grapefruit complemented it both texture- and flavor-wise.

For my main, I had -- you guessed it -- the pork.  Rack of Pork & Braised Belly, Baby Beets and Fingerling Potatoes, to be exact. It was good, but I'd take Oliveto's Porchetta over it any day of the week. 

 

I did like it best of any of the mains at our table, though, which also included beef, duck and two kinds of fish. (My family has grown accustomed to me sampling and photographing their food, too.)  Pictured left to right, top to bottom are:  Sirloin & Braised Flatiron with Flat Beans and Fairytale Eggplant; Braised Duck Breast & Leg Confit with Braised Fennel and Swiss Chard; Striped Bass with String Beans, Mussels and Lemon-Mustard Sauce; and Halibut with Vegetable Minestrone.

 

  

Next was a strawberry-tomato puree palate cleanser in a sugar-rimmed glass.  Sounds good, in theory.  In practice the two flavors didn't complement each other so well. 

So after that, I needed to cleanse my cleansed palate with some dessert.  Game over when I saw Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding with Cacao Nib Ice Cream on the menu, since bread pudding is among my favorite desserts, period.  But there's a spectrum, you know.  Some bread puddings are more bread-y; you can see the cubes of bread, and ideally taste the toasted edges on your tongue.  That's my kind of bread pudding.  Unfortunately Gramercy Tavern's Nancy Olson makes the other kind, more pudding-y and mushy.  Uncle Robby's Selection of Sorbets sure did look lovely, though.

 

We ended this relationship on a sweet note -- with peanut butter truffles to cap the evening, and raspberry coffee cakes to take with us for breakfast in the morning.  

 

I certainly didn't go to bed mad.   

How I Spent My Summer Vacation 2008

Happy summer, everyone!  I've missed you, darlings, but as you'll see from this post, I've been frolicking about, conjuring up content for you.   There's soooo much to tell, and so many photos.  So what I'll do is give you the brief overview and a few of the photos here -- then you can head over to Webshots and see the full album.  How's that?

Fourth of July Weekend
The official start of the season, and what a treat -- my cousin Dana came for a visit from Chicago for a friend's wedding.  We camped out at the Claremont, shopped in Berkeley and brunched at Bette's Oceanview Diner. (Read the full Bette's post here.)

While Dana went to the wedding, I dined on Tagliatelle with Rabbit Ragu Balsamico, Porchetta (basically pork and more pork) and not one but two desserts at Oliveto.  I've become something of an SF snob lately, so it was great to have such a delish meal over in the East Bay.  The hostess was on to me, though -- she said "I love your dress. You got that in the city, right?"  Right you are.

Martha's Vineyard
The Vineyard is one of my favorite places on Earth.  I had three goals for this trip and I'm pleased to report I achieved them all:
1) Spend quality family time with the 'rents, Uncle Robby, Helen, Ray and little John
2) Get a nice tan
3) Finally finish Calvin Trillin's The Tummy Trilogy    
The first two were easy.  The last one had been a challenge  -- I'd been reading that book for about five months or so, as you may have noticed in my Recent Reads column on this page.  Why?  Trillin chronicles his gastronomic adventures so vividly that I'd read three or four pages and have to put the book down because it made me too hungry.  I'm even seriously contemplating a trip to Kansas City just to sample some of Arthur Bryant's BBQ, especially the burned edges of the brisket.

We dined at Bleu in Mashpee Commons prior to catching the ferry at Woods Hole.  The Vineyard menu included Lobster Rolls at the Edgartown Yacht Club, Ice Cream at Mad Martha's, Murdick's Fudge (Uncle Robby's fave -- we taste-tested it ourselves in the car before anyone else could have at it), a lovely albeit long dinner at L'etoile, and a day that included both breakfast and lunch at Espresso Love.  There was also a delicious dinner at the Schapiros' place in Chilmark featuring super-fresh local fare.  Fish, salad, freshly-baked bread, and fruit pies for dessert. Then there were beautiful morning runs and tennis games to keep my caloric karma balanced.

New York, New York
Hot town, summer in the city.  Made my obligatory (yes, it's such a chore) trip to Nellie M. to make some choice additions to my wardrobe.  Did you know Citizens of Humanity makes petite-size jeans?  Oh, the humanity - no shortening!

Then Mom, Dad and LeBro James and I went to BLT Steak for my NY birthday celebration.  Best. Popovers. Ever.  We ordered so much food that they had to open the leaves of the square table to make it round so it could hold everything.  

The next day, there was a Cupcake Chowdown on the Upper West Side.  Read all about Magnolia vs. Crumbs here.

Birthday Weekend in Wine Country
In my younger years, I developed something of a reputation for throwing memorable birthday bashes.  Yes, why not celebrate me!  However, this year I decided to forgo the big production number in favor of a Napa Valley getaway.  I stayed for three days, and on Saturday Rebecca and Greg came up to spend time with the birthday girl.

The weekend included a breakfast at Bouchon Bakery, brunches at 25º Brix (the Yountville outpost of TWO's David Gingrass) and Redd, and dinners at Go Fish and Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen.

I stayed at Villagio Inn & Spa, which has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation. (Thanks to Vezeo for the tip!)  I had a 90-minute wrap and sports massage, and my hypothesis that it would be wonderful was proven correct.  The resort is right on the main drag of Washington Street in Yountville.  Walking-distance neighbors include a few Thomas Keller establishments (French Laundry, ad hoc and the aforementioned Bouchon), Michael Chiarello's NapaStyle and Bistro Jeanty.

On Monday back in San Francisco, JoJo organized a birthday dinner for me at Sushi Groove South.  What a blessing to have such great friends.  Bring on the Cilantro Rolls! 

The 3-day affair turned out to be the perfect way to celebrate the big 4-1.  That's right, Dara Torres and I are gonna take on the world this year. 41 and fabulous!

Click here to see my "How I Spent My Summer Vacation 2008" photos Webshots.

Cupcake Chowdown: Magnolia vs. Crumbs

Amy, my freshman dorm-mate, made a bold status statement on Facebook yesterday.  "Amy believes Crumbs cupcakes are the best.  Magnolia has nothing on them!" 

I had a couple of hours to kill in NYC today before heading back to SFO.  I was feeling cranky that I was "off-island" (Martha's Vineyard lingo for not being there -- where I'd just spent a terrific few days on family vaca). So there was only one thing to do:  console myself with cupcakes and see if I agree with Amy.

The Retail Experience

Crumbs Bake Shop

Decor: kids' fun house

Cupcakes: They've got the regular kind, but your eyes will gloss right over those to the oversized, "gourmet showstoppers" like devil dog, apple caramel and fudge chocolate chip.  Click here for the Crumbs Bake Shop cupcake menu.

Prices: $2.95 - $3.50

The buying experience: There was a group of three women getting a large supply, so they told me to go ahead.  Problem was, I couldn't decide among all of the amazing-looking offerings.  The leader of the pack was obviously a regular so I asked her which one she recommends.  I didn't ask her friend, who was berating herself for eating an entire cookie while waiting for her friends to order cupcakes.  This is obviously not someone I can trust at all.  The regular gave kudos to both the Oreo and Blackout varieties so I got both (natch).

Magnolia Bakery

Decor: ladies' tea party

Cupcakes:  Only the classics.  Yellow or chocolate cake, vanilla (in a variety of pastel colors) or chocolate icing.  Plus red velvet.  Period.  Click here for the Magnolia Bakery menu. 

Prices: $2.50 - $3.00

The buying experience: DIY.  There's a shelf full of boxes and a box of bakery paper.  Help yourself!  Due to the limited number of options, it took no time at all to box up a chocolate/chocolate and a red velvet.   With the extra time left over I was able to order a small container of their famous banana pudding (luscious layers of banana pudding, banana slices and vanilla wafers). 

The Tasting Experience

Upon returning home, Mom eagerly accepted my invitation to help judge this cupcake chowdown. 

Crumbs Blackout:  Fudgy icing inside, not too thick a layer on top, just the right consistency of icing and richness of cake.  Mom called it "densely delicious." 

Magnolia Chocolate / Chocolate:  Lighter cake, thicker layer of frosting that was a lighter consistency and more like milk chocolate.  Right up Mom's alley, but not for me.  Messy.  Moving on.

Magnolia Red Velvet: Certainly looked the prettiest on the plate.  Again, the frosting was melty and not particularly thick, but the cake itself was excellent.

Crumbs Oreo:  Had a feeling I'd like this one the best, so I saved it for last.  The cake was very good - not as rich as the Blackout - and the icing was Outstanding.  If you're an Oreo fan, this is the real double stuff.

 

Magnolia's Banana Pudding...just FYI...

The Verdict

Well, it looks like we have a tie.  Mom preferred Magnolia, while I'm partial to Crumbs (thanks for the tip, Amy!)  While I'm tempted to give it to Magnolia on account of the banana pudding extra point, that wouldn't be quite fair since this is a cupcake contest.   You'll just have to go and judge for yourselves!

Crumbs Bake Shop has six New York and two L.A. locations.  Details at crumbsbakeshop.com.

Magnolia has two New York locations, one uptown, one downtown.  Details at magnoliacupcakes.com.

Centolire (New York)

Tired of trying so hard to get into tiny Sfoglia that you're thinking flying to Italy might be easier?  Well, there's another trattoria to try called Centolire, and you don't even have to leave the Upper East Side.

For people-watching and close tables -- all the better to overhear you with, my dear -- stay downstairs.  Otherwise, have Valen take you to the spacious and beautifully appointed upstairs dining room and cross your fingers that Titiana is your waitress.  Settle in and enjoy the freshly baked bread and foccacia with cayenne-spiked butter that's the consistency of goat cheese. Molto bene!

On to the appetizers.  I've always loved chicken livers, but I haven't had them in a long time.  Centolire's Cibreo were so good, they inspired me to check Foodiebytes.com so I can have them more often back in San Francisco.  (Sidebar: Foodiebytes is my new fave site du jour.  Tell Foodiebytes what you're craving, and it'll find it for you on menus in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco or Washington, D.C.)  LeBro James had the Insalata Di Cesare, prepared tableside.

For main courses, here's what the Fro Fro family enjoyed:

Dad: the evening special Beef Brisket (not pictured).

Mom: Tagliata di Manzo grilled hanger steak with a side dish of the evening special appetizer, Butternut Squash Ravioli with sage brown butter.  The steak usually comes with butternut squash and brussel sprouts, but since Mom wanted the squash in her ravioli, she asked to switch her side for Dad's spinach and of course he obliged (he's good like that).  However, it didn't come out as ordered -- but Titiana quickly made things right.

LeBro James: the aptly named La Grande, grilled ribeye steak served with shallot mashed potatoes and creamy spinach gratin.

Fro Fro: Spaghetti Alla Rustica.  Al dente pasta with tomato sauce, thinly sliced onions and Parmesan cheese.  A simple, flavorful dish, and the perfect accompaniment to the tastes of everyone else's meat dishes that I was able to score. 

Midway through the meal, Titiana prompted us to order this Mocha Souffle, which was a bit difficult to eat but worth the effort.

The portions at Centolire are quite generous, so we ended up with lots left over take home with us.  That turkey in the fridge had some stiff competition!

Centolire | 1167 Madison Avenue between 85th & 86th Streets | 212-734-7711   

Stand (New York)

While many eat turkey leftovers for days on end after Thanksgiving, by Saturday I had a hankering for one of my favorite meals.  All together now, Fro Fro Blog faithful: Burger, fries and a shake! 

I'd heard good things about Stand, so I enlisted Cousin Dana to see if it could live up to my standards.

The decor is bright and spare -- and I especially loved the plastic Eames-y chairs. 

We both ordered the Cheeseburger, and since we couldn't decide between regular and shoestring fries, we got a small order of each.  All the better to compare, my dear.  We washed everything down with milkshakes made with il Laboratorio del Gelato ice creams:  Dana's was Toasted Marshmallow, and I did the Vanilla with Kahlua. 

The beef was cooked very much to my liking, though the medium rare we both requested came out more rare on mine and more medium on Dana's.  The quality and texture of the meat were very good, but the seasoning could have been better.  The onion marmalade was a nice add, as was the extra cheese sauce on the side for fry-dipping.  As for the fries themselves, the regular beat out the shoestring.   

The shakes were deeeelish.  My Kahlua-spiked Vanilla made me feel like Sergeant Sarah Brown in "Guys and Dolls."  Too bad my Sky Masterson's back in San Francisco.  Dana's Toasted Marshmallow reminded me of summer camp.  I love it when the marshmallows get burned on the outside!

Check, please:

Quite a bit pricier than Mickey D's, but still a very happy meal.

Stand | 24 E. 12th Street | New York, NY | 212-488-5900 | www.standburger.com

Stand's menu on Menupages.com

BLT Fish (New York)

There's an old saying in the marketing biz: "Fish where the fish are."  Simple and intuitive.  If you want to reach your target, go where it's most concentrated.  And if you're targeting gastronomically, then BLT Fish is a must. 

BLT Fish is one of the jewels in the Bistro Laurent Tourondel empire, which includes several restaurants and -- get this -- a magazine, BLT Living.  If that doesn't say chefs have become celebrity purveyors of culture and lifestyle, I don't know what does.  You can read it in the BLT Fish rest room, btw.  But I digress. 

Inside the entrance, the freshest imports from East and West are on display:

From the Fish Shack raw bar downstairs (where there was a Bob Saget sighting the night we were there), we took the elevator up to the dining room.  Once seated, we perused the menu and amused ourselves with the Smoked Tuna on Crostini and BLT Fish's signature Cheddar and Chive Biscuits.  Big, fluffy mounds of heaven with a bit of a cayenne kick.  It is heaven after all, so it should be a little spicy, no?  (Wink, wink.)

On to the appetizers.  My Lobster and Jumbo Lump Crab with Curry Lime Sauce ($24) arrived as a tower, which I toppled over to sop up the creamy curry goodness.

I'd also been eying the Raw Hamachi with Fresh Hearts of Palm and Coriander ($16) on the menu; luckily Cousin Jay ordered it and gave me a taste.  The supple fish was beautifully complemented by the crunchy hearts of palm.

I highly recommend eating there with a large group (we were 10) since not only do you get to try a lot of stuff, but one of the restaurant's specialties is cooking whole fish to be shared.  Aunt Dede, Uncle Billy and Jay shared the Sea Salt Crusted New Zealand Pink Snapper ($35/lb), which was beautifully presented whole before being "carved" and served.  Sorry, folks, no photo.  Yup, the one that got away...

Stacey, Mike and I shared our three mains:

Seven-Pepper Crusted Bluefin Tuna with Citrus BBQ Sauce ($32).  Like everything here, the preparation highlighted the fresh fish and flavors.  Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of olives, so I wasn't loving that flavor, but otherwise it was a nice dish.

Citrus Crusted Maine Sea Scallops with Bergamot Vinaigrette ($27).  The bergamot made this common seafood restaurant dish quite unique.

Chili Marinated Swordfish with Poblano Salsa ($33).  The winner among our three entrees.  The fish was perfectly grilled and accompanied by a deliciously smoky salsa.

Nearby, Big Little Brother James was enjoying the Nova Scotia Hard Shell Lobster ($28/lb.)

We all shared a variety of Vegetable ($9) and Potato ($8) sides, including Sauteed Garlic Spinach, Grilled Asparagus with Gremolata, Haricots Verts with Pancetta (the best of the greens), Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Butternut Squash Risotto, and Herbed Gnocchi with Beurre Blanc (below).  Mike suspected  an Italian wouldn't consider the gnocchi authentic, but the rest of us were too drugged up on butter and oil to care.

If you haven't succumbed to vicarious food coma yet, stick with me for the desserts ($10).  I ordered the Chocolate Amaretto Ice Box Cake with Milk Chocolate Ice Cream...

...but ended up eating most of Molly's Chocolate and Caramel Tart with Caramel Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

There's Green Apple Cotton Candy for a whimsical end to the meal...

...and if you can't eat another bite, they'll wrap it up for you to take home.  Sweet dreams!

BLT Fish | 21 West 17th Street | New York, NY | 212-691-8888 | www.bltfish.com

New York Minutes

Spent last weekend in New York, catching up on my favorite Big Apple activities: enjoying time with family, delicious food and one-of-a-kind shopping.  Here are some of the highlights.

Friday

Lunch at S'mac, where they make a myriad of mac and cheese combinations, each in its own personal skillet.  I went for the Four Cheese.  Best part was the crunchy top layer -- inside was creamy and yummy, but I prefer a lower sauce to pasta ratio.  Tony B., you're still my #1.  (S'mac, 345 E. 12th Street)

Walked uptown to the Manhattan Mall, which is filled with every (how do I put this nicely...) "mid-market" retail chain you can imagine: Aeropostale, Express, Strawberry, Wet Seal, etc.  Why, pray tell, did I make this pilgrimage?  To get Bitten, of course!  Sarah Jessica Parker's clothing line is sold by Steve and Barry's, and I just had to see it for myself.  Could she really pull off affordable fashion, or are the two concepts mutually exclusive?  I entered the store and SJP was plastered on posters and endcaps and TV monitors everywhere espousing her mantra that "Fashion is not a luxury.  It's a right."  And I have to say the clothes do look cute, but as you might expect, the fabric is thinner than SJP herself.  I love you, sweetie, but I have to trust that my top is going to make it through more than one washing.  I bought one for $10.99 and we'll just have to see.  It's gonna look great with my pink Prada flats, though. (Bitten at Steve and Barry's in the Manhattan Mall, 6th Avenue and 33rd Street)

Speaking of shoes, I decided I'd had enough retail slumming and headed further uptown to a new 'hood.  You girls know what I'm talking about.  The shoe department at Saks Fifth Avenue, which is so big it has its own zip code (10022-SHOE). Take the express elevator to shoe heaven, where the shelves are mirrored so you can see each heel without picking up the shoe.  As Carrie said, "Shopping is my cardio," and Saks gave me one helluva workout.   Next to the shoe salon you can recharge in the Charbonnel et Walker chocolate shop, where the pastries whiz by on a conveyor belt.  (Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue)

Saturday

Breakfast with Emma at Cafe Sabarsky, the authentic Viennese restaurant at the Neue Galerie.  They serve their deliciously potent coffee in the Austrian tradition:  accompanied by a glass of water to soften the blow before eating your soft boiled egg in a martini glass and marble cake with whipped cream. (Cafe Sabarsky, 86th Street at Fifth Avenue)

Afternoon visit to famed chocolatier Jacques Torres, a.k.a Mr. Chocolate.  At his Hudson Street store you can sip hot chocolate while you watch them make all kinds of delectable confections.  I stocked up on my favorite: Dark Chocolate-covered Corn Flakes.  Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, sister. (Jacques Torres Chocolates, 350 Hudson Street)

Any trip to NY wouldn't be complete for me without a visit to Marina at my favorite store, Nellie M.  If you've ever complimented me on my wardrobe, chances are Marina picked the outfit -- and she came through again this trip.  (Nellie M. Boutique, Lexington Avenue at 88th Street)    

Dinner with bro Jamie at Gari.  We surrendered to the omakase (Chef's choice) and it was outstanding.  I can only show you half of the 10 pieces since after I shot the first five, the waitress told us they don't allow photography in the restaurant.  This may be the last photo scoop you'll see in The Fro Fro Blog, so enjoy it, people. (Gari, 370 Columbus Avenue at 78th Street)

Sunday

Jets vs. Eagles at the Meadowlands.  Here I am with Dad: he's got his gear and game face on.  Dad and his friend Johnny have been ticketholders since the Jets were the Titans, so our seats are spectacular.  Too bad the team wasn't today; we lost 16-9.  Still had a great time, and the burger at Johnny's tailgate was delish.

Thanks for a great weekend, New York.  You're a helluva town! 

Chowdown: Keller vs. Bourdain

In the blue corner, from the Las Vegas outpost of his restaurant Bouchon...Thooooomaaaass Kellerrrr! And in the red corner, out of New York City's Les Halles, Toooooony Bourdain!

This prizefight first began to take shape a few weeks ago.  I was en route to Las Vegas and watching the Vegas installment of Bourdain's No Reservations TV show.  At one point, Tony was adamant about the fact that he made the best french fries -- hands down -- and that it really pissed him off when anyone suggested otherwise.  Well, apparently someone in Vegas had pissed him off by suggesting that Thomas Keller's fries at Bouchon were, in fact, the best.  Tony gets even more angry when he goes to Bouchon and begrudgingly loves the fries.

So when I ended up spending an extra night in Vegas thanks to the foibles of United Airlines, I decided to try Keller's famous fries for myself, and while I was at it, I ordered the Macaroni & Cheese.  (Mac and cheese has long been one of my favorite foods, and if I were stranded on a desert island and could only have one thing, that'd be my choice.) 

The fries arrived and I quickly discovered what had stirred Tony's ire.   Now, I should say, french fry evaluation can be especially subjective.  Some people prefer thick-cut, while others like shoestring.  Some like their frites crispy, while others want them a bit softer.  In my opinion, the Keller fries were stellar.  Thin-cut (but not too thin), crispy (but not crunchy) on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, and just the right proportions of oil and salt.  The macaroni and cheese, on the other hand, was a big disappointment.  The pasta was unremarkable in every way and reminded me of store-bought elbows.  The cheese, though it had good flavor, was closer in consistency to soup than cheese.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and a few thousand miles East, to Les Halles in NYC.  The perfect opportunity to settle the debate.  Tony, are you ready to rumble?  It's time for a chowdown!  I ordered the same two items -- Pommes Frites and Gratin de Macaroni.  First, the inspiration for the chowdown, the fries.  I must say that while they were very good, I liked the ones at Bouchon more.  The Les Halles frites are medium-cut and the crispy exterior is a bit thicker.  Again, there are those who prefer that style and if you do, Tony's in your corner.  But if you're a thin-cut french fry junkie like me, Tommy K. wins Round 1.

But don't call the bout just yet.  DING DING DING, Round 2, the Macaroni & Cheese!  Les Halles' version uses penne pasta and gruyere.  The penne was perfect and the cheese exactly how love it -- hot, bubbly and browned on top (photos to come - stay tuned).   Ridiculously good.  The stuff dreams are made of.   Round 2 goes to Bourdain.

So we're one apiece on the food, and the tiebreaker will be service and atmosphere.  At Bouchon, the service was good, not great.  We arrived on the later end of service and it showed.  The atmosphere was also a bit cold -- bright white floors, bright white lights.  At Les Halles, on the other hand, the staff there was friendly as well as attentive but not overly so.   The decor was traditional French brasserie style and they were playing great music.  I could have happily spent the entire afternoon there, daydreaming of being stranded on a desert island with Tony making me Gratin de Macaroni.

The winner of this Chowdown: Tony Bourdain's Les Halles.  Anyone care for a rematch?

Bouchon  3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 702-414-6200

Les Halles 411 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 212-679-4111