Butter

The last place I visited during restaurant week was Alex Guarnaschelli's Butter. The menu highlights seasonal American cuisine, prepared using classic French techniques. The restaurant space is likewise very unique, blending elements of nature with a very downtown, lounge-like vibe. Upon entering, you are invited down a long narrow room, outfitted with lounge chairs and cocktail tables on one side, with a small, rectangular window into the kitchen on the other.

 Photo courtesy restuarantsinnyc.com

Although we arrived 5 minutes late for our 8:30 reservation, it was in this little area that Shaun and I had to wait (along with several other parties) for our table. For an additional 15 minutes. Now, keep in mind it was a weeknight (Thursday) and our reservation was already on the later side, so forgive me for saying, but I was less than pleased. I don't think it's too much to ask to be seated at the time I specifically selected ahead of time, is it? I am usually completely tolerant of waiting a few minutes (up to ten I think is tolerable) even though I've gone to the trouble of making a reservation specifically to avoid this problem, but come on. Twenty minutes? At 8:30 on a Thursday?

Rude.

My intolerance was of course exacerbated due to my growing hunger, as my dinner time got later and later. Not to mention my unhappiness with the hostesses (yes, there were two) that no apologies were made for the delay. Finally, at 8:50, we were led to our table.

But rather than head straight into this beautiful dining room...

 Photo courtesy nycgo.com

we followed the hostess down to a lower level known as the "Birch Room"

Photo courtesy bizbash.com

Covered floor to ceiling in a birch motif, the room glowed amber. To accommodate the number of diners this night, the center of the room was filled with a long row of two-top tables, all uncomfortably close to one another. It was at one of these that Shaun and I were seated. Also filling the room was a bar, another small seating area with a gaudy electric fire place, and an empty DJ booth, although based on the noise level, you would have guessed otherwise. It was exceedingly loud. In such a crowded space with underground acoustics, I had to strain to hear our server describe the day's soup over the loud music also filling the room. But at last, we were seated. And famished. 

Thanks to my unhealthy obsession with menus, I had already perused Butter's online and was fairly certain I knew what I wanted to order before we even sat down. Shaun and I hungrily eyed the diners' food around us, which was unavoidable given they were only about 6 inches away. Shaun and I quickly made our decisions and relayed them to our server. We waited expectantly, trying not to drool, as the table next to ours received a basket of bread. The minutes passed and so did our waiter, empty handed. Finally, I see a server walking toward us with full basket of warm, starchy, satisfying bread. 

My hopes rose, until suddenly, he turned and placed it on the table next to ours, replacing their now empty bread basket! After a few half-hearted attempts at getting our servers attention, we finally nabbed him and put in our request for carbs. He quickly obliged and Shaun and I gobbled down hunks of cornbread and slices of a loaf similar to a rye or thinly sliced sourdough. Along with the bread were served two types of butter, one classic, and one herbed. Both were delicious. The cornbread had a nice dense texture, a little on the drier side and not too sweet. And the rye-like loaf was also perfectly satisfying.

Once we were no longer blinded by hunger, we relaxed somewhat, yelled at each other over the noise, and before we knew it, our first courses had arrived. For his appetizer, Shaun selected a Winter Greens salad with goat cheese, pine nuts, and a Sherry Vinaigrette. After hearing my options for soup, and nixing the cream of mushroom, I chose their Butternut Squash. Imagine my surprise when my soup arrived with this accoutrement:

Popcorn! I was shocked but delighted, as was the woman dining to my right, who felt the need to address me directly to express her excitement. Please keep in mind, it was well after 9:00, the bread had not satisfied my hunger, and this woman, sitting entirely too close to me, had already started to annoy me with her loud attempts at flirting with and attempting to impress her dinner date.
"Oh my gosh! Is that popcorn?!"
"...Yes."
(Giggling) "Wow, I've never seen that before!"
(Not amused) "Uh huh. Me neither." *Scowl*

Turning back to my own table, I quickly gobbled a few pieces of perfectly lightly buttered popcorn before dipping my spoon into the bowl of velvety orange soup. The thing about creamy soups like butternut squash is that because they're so thick, they don't really give off any wisps of steam when hot. This is unfortunate since my soup was so hot, I singed my tongue. This was a hugely disappointing oversight on the part of the kitchen. True, nobody likes cold food, but unless you've ordered hot tea or coffee, your food should never be so hot that it might actually burn you.

 photo

Nevertheless, I pressed on, happily munching on my popcorn and taking care to blow on my spoonfuls of soup. Temperature aside, the soup was lovely. It was rich and flavorful, with a refreshing orange note. It was the perfect texture, creamy and not at all grainy. The popcorn was served in its own small bowl on the side, and I chose not to put it directly into my soup; I wanted it to retain its crunch and I didn't think it would really add anything to the overall dish. Contrary to the picture above (which is not an actual picture of my soup), there was no garnish atop the soup. No swirl or dollop of cream or sprinkling of chive. This was fine, although I do think a small aroma of onion would have been a nice little touch. Shaun also enjoyed his salad, which was largely portioned (as was my soup. I ate way more of it than I should have and still left a fair amount in the bowl), and looked appetizing and refreshing.

Before our first courses arrived, I noticed the table to our right had been served their entrees almost immediately once their appetizer plates had been cleared. I was a little worried about this quick pace, so I gobbled up my soup and looked around expectantly. Our plates were cleared and the minutes ticked by. It became apparent my worries were clearly unwarranted as we continued to wait and wait. I should say that I appreciate a nice pause between courses. It always makes me uncomfortable when your entree arrives but you haven't quite finished your salad But twenty to twenty-five minutes between courses is way too long. And I know I keep reiterating this point, but by now, it was about 9:45 and I was just sick of waiting.

Shaun and I both chose Braised Short Ribs as our entree, and when they (finally) arrived at our table, we were very thankful we had. For me, it was an easy choice as the fish of the day was Salmon and one of the other entree choices was a seared pork loin, which isn't something I would order (although the sides sounded yummy. Hello skillet potatoes and roasted garlic, mmm). My other option was a vegetarian flatbread with homemade ricotta, parmesan, and Jerusalem artichokes, which sounded delicious, but not quite like a fulfilling entree. So when a double helping of this arrived at our table

photo

we were stoked. The meat had been braised until it was incredibly tender and full of rich flavor. It sat in an equally delicious broth and was accompanied by wilted dark greens (I think Kale. It wasn't listed on the menu) and hominy. Although the menu described an olive garnish, I found none, which I for one, was very pleased about. Aside from the delectable meat, the braised greens were out of this world. They had just the right kick of vinegar to balance the richness of the meat, and had been cooked to the perfect tender texture. Supposedly the hominy was served "crispy" but mine was bloated and a little gummy. Although not unpleasant, and I appreciated the use of a starch other than potatoes, I found that after my appetizer of popcorn, the hominy was just a little much. Shaun and I also ordered an additional (and completely unnecessary) side of mashed potatoes to share, which were soft, creamy, and excellently seasoned. My only regret is that I didn't have enough room in my stomach to enjoy more of them.

When we had finally eaten every morsel we could handle, our plates were cleared and we waited for dessert. 

We waited. And waited. And waited. 

Is anyone else sensing a pattern here? In my opinion, a solid pause between an appetizer and entree is completely acceptable. But short of ordering an a la minute dessert that must be fully baked when ordered, such as a souffle, it is completely unreasonable to wait more than about twelve minutes for dessert (I know I sound anal with my "twelve minutes" but ten seemed too short and fifteen seemed too long). We were waiting for at least twenty. 

For me, dessert wasn't a tough choice. Although I generally go for chocolate, a Dark Chocolate Torte didn't sound all that appealing to me. Dark chocolate can be a little too bitter for my taste, so I was perfectly happy when Shaun ordered it since it meant I could still try a little bite. That left me with Mango Sorbet garnished with candied hazelnuts and kumquat marmalade or an Apple Crisp with Bourbon Pecan ice cream. I really love apple desserts in the fall (and ice cream all year round), and never order tropical desserts, so the latter was an obvious choice despite my distaste for pecans and love of mango.

When our desserts arrived, Shaun's face fell a little as he saw my ramekin full of apple goodness and realized he had made the wrong choice.

vs.

(although neither look that great thanks to the poor lighting 

and my refusal to actually use a camera to photograph food in public)

Sadly, dessert was the most disappointing course. Shaun's torte was dry with not much chocolate flavor. It was served with a whipped sour cream, which was inventive, but not particularly great. My apple crisp was fine, with a nice crunchy, sweet top and a generous amount of nicely cooked apples. The ice cream was also good (despite the pecans), but sadly the whole thing was smothered in a bourbon caramel sauce that was so overpowering I felt like I needed a chaser after every bite. And since it practically covered the entire dessert, it was hard to avoid. I had to leave most of the ice cream uneaten, and dig under it just for the crisp. And yes, I gladly shared with Shaun. 

So here's my overall assessment of Butter: Great food, beautifully decorated, but noisy, with mediocre service. If someone invited me, I would probably return, but I'm happy I can cross it off my list.

Craftbar

This week, my lunch date and I stopped by Tom Colicchio's Craftbar. The more casual relative of Craft, Crafbar offers the same high-quality, seasonal food in a less formal setting. Located in the Flatiron District, and just down the street from Eleven Madison Park, Chelsea and I met to take advantage of Craftbar's Restaurant Week lunch menu.

The Flatiron Building

The space is open, with a long, dark wood bar down one side, and a balcony that leads to what looks like wine storage. Although there were cozy booths lining one side of the room, we were seated at a small two-top sort of in the middle. I feared this would mean there would be a lot of foot traffic around us, but the restaurant was only moderately crowded, and I felt comfortable where we were. Upon sitting, we were brought rosemary and herb breadsticks in a small silver bucket which while seasoned liberally, were a little hard on my teeth. I had to use a considerable amount of force to break one in half and crunched on it without much grace. The casual and somewhat nostalgic vibe of the restaurant was reinforced when my requested Diet Coke was served in an adorable glass Coke bottle and poured over ice, tableside.

Photo courtesy of eater.com

Unlike DBGB, Craftbar was only offering their Restaurant Week menu rather than their full lunch menu, but their pre fixe menu provided plenty of choices, many more than other restaurants'. Typically on a pre fixe menu, especially those during restaurant week, restaurants offer three courses, with three choices for each; however, Craftbar boasted ten choices for their first course, nine for their second, and four for dessert, including one cheese selection (why does dessert always get the shaft?).

With so many options, it was tough to choose just one for each course. I previewed the menu online ahead of time, so I had already narrowed my options. During restaurant week, I tend to try to take advantage of the deal I'm getting, so I order more food than I normally would. For example, I knew I wanted to try one of their irresistible-sounding paninis as my main course (it was lunch, after all), so typically I would have ordered a salad to start. But frankly, ordering a salad wouldn't have gotten me my money's worth, and although I've had some really delicious salads lately, there's always a risk that they'll be sort of boring or flat, and not really worth the space they take up in my stomach. After some relatively swift deliberation, Chelsea and I both decided on the Pecorino-Stuffed Risotto Balls for our first course.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

 

In no time at all, a generous portion of three golf-ball sized Risotto Balls were set in front of me. Garnished with freshly grated Parmesan and flat-leaf parsley, and settled atop a small pool of marinara sauce, the risotto balls looked and smelled inviting. I took a big bite, learning that a) they were very hot, but b) my slightly singed tongue was not in vain. The risotto was cooked perfectly so it was not too soft, and the outside fried breading was crisp, but thin. The pecorino appeared as a small lump in the middle of the ball, but it was easy enough to get a little bit of cheese in every bite, not to mention that the risotto was creamy enough on it's own. The portion was very large (I didn't finish all 3), and the accompanying sauce was, in my opinion, disproportionate. It added the essential acidic note to cut through the richness of the dish, and by ball #2, I was pretty much out.

 Another beautiful building in the Flatiron District. And the bottom floor's for rent!

For the second course, the menu was stacked with comfort food classics; Braised Chicken and potato puree, Spaghetti and Veal Meatballs, Linguine with Mussels, Braised Pork Belly, just to name a few. Chelsea's mostly vegetarian, and though she toyed with the idea of being adventurous and ordering the skate wing, she ultimately went with the Polenta with Wild Mushroom Ragout. I had a tough choice to make too. I love sandwiches. I think they are the perfect lunch and when I packed lunch for myself, that's what I brought everyday. So Craftbar made it really hard on me by offering three enticing paninis. The first was a vegetarian option: Mozarella, Piquillo Pepper, and Sweet onions. Nice, but I wasn't sold. The second was a Chicken Milanese panini with cheddar, roasted tomato, and arugula. Tempting, but I would have nixed the roasted tomato, and when I'm dining out, I try not to order chicken since that's mostly what I eat at home. And then there was the third option: Corned Beef with Choucroute (similar to sauerkraut), and French Raclette (cheese!). On second thought, maybe it wasn't such a hard decision.

As you can see, I had a hard time resisting a few bites before I could take a picture

This sandwich was...I'm not even sure there is a word. The bread was perfect; crusty on the outside but nice and soft on the inside so as not to tear at the roof of my mouth. The corned beef was so tender that even though there was a generous amount on the sandwich, I had no problem getting my teeth through it. It was flavorful but not overpowering, simply delicious. The choucroute was nice and crunchy, although I could have done with just a tad more, and the cheese, although creamy and relatively mild, was a bit detracting. I did enjoy it, but I would have been just as happy without it. A small pot of Russian Dressing was served on the side, which I generously slathered onto the sandwich as well for just a little bit of tartness. The small salad on the side was composed of pickle slices, radishes, and some peppers. I only sampled the pickles, which I suspect are prepared in-house, but I enjoyed them so much more than I thought I would. They were a little sweet but garlicky, which I loved, and typically I really hate sweet pickles. 

Although I desperately wanted to finish every last bite of this sandwich, my appetizer had been pretty filling, and I knew I still had dessert to conquer. So as much as it pained me, I left a few morsels on the plate, which I'm still regretting now. I also regret not getting a picture of Chelsea's polenta, which she raved about, which would have been unnecessary had you simply seen her spotlessly clean plate when she was finished. I did notice that she finished her dish much faster than I finished mine, so I suspect that her portion might have been a little small. Either that, or I was enjoying my sandwich so much I didn't realize just how much I was taking my time savoring it.

What your view would be from the Flatiron Building. Not fair.

Last, but never least, was dessert. Another classic selection of tried and true favorites: Flourless Chocolate Cake, Butterscotch Pot de Creme, and Brown Sugar Cake. Can you guess which one I chose?

If you thought the chocolate cake, you'd be wrong; that was Chelsea's (another good reason to go out to eat with someone else: they order your second choice so you can have a bite!). I ordered the Brown Sugar Cake, since Flourless Chocolate Cake can sometimes be a bit bitter and dense for my sweet tooth. Let's start with the chocolate cake, since you know I took a bite. First, as you can see, the portion was very generous. With such a densely rich dessert, this would be hard to finish by yourself. Also, the proportion of mousse (not ice cream) to cake is a little small. The cake was garnished with caramelized hazelnuts, cocoa nibs, and a little salt, and was very dense and very dark. One bite was plenty for me.

One the other hand, I couldn't get enough of my brown sugar cake. It was just the right size for me, with a sweet crispy crust on the outside, possibly from a sugared cake mold. The cake was sweet with a nice tight, moist crumb, topped off with a thin layer of melted brown sugar (which I suspect was put into the cake mold before it was filled with cake batter). The Vanilla ice cream was fine, although as someone who doesn't love nuts, I was a little disappointed to learn it was anchored by them instead of more cake crumbs, and the poached pear was too hard and a little flavorless, I suspect because it was neither ripe enough nor poached long enough. Although the cake was certainly delicious enough to stand on its own I do wish these other two elements would have been just a little better so they could have highlighted the dessert instead of detracting from it.

As we were leaving to take a quick salivating tour around ABC Home, I noticed a 'Wichcraft just around the corner. Is it wrong that I immediately wanted to go and order a sandwich? Don't worry, it's on the list! As is ABC Kitchen, hopefully for Brunch. How do I say no to Glazed Doughnuts with housemade jam and Cinnamon-raisin scones with apple butter??

DBGB

To kick off restaurant week, Chelsea and I met for lunch at DBGB, one of Daniel Boulud's collection of restaurants. It's touted as a "lowdown French brasserie meets American tavern," with a casual atmosphere and a beautifully done industrial interior space. I loved perusing the menu as I waited for Chelsea to arrive, and was impressed that they employ their own Chef de Charcuterie. Of course, when a restaurant boasts a list of 14 house-made sausages as well as pate and a head cheese terrine, a Chef de Charcuterie is essential.

(Photo courtesy of New York Times)

I may be naive, but when I see bangers, links, and sausages on a menu, I can't help but associate them with German and Polish food. Along with an offering of Matzoh Ball Soup, I felt the menu was slightly more French-Polish than French-American. Their list of sausages is extensive and diverse, including a Thai sausage with green papaya and chili sauce, an Italian sausage with fennel, tomato, and garlic, the traditional beef wiener served with mustard, ketchup, and relish, as well as Vermont pork and cheddar link served alongside hash browns.

Where I saw the American influences most were in the burger and ice cream sundae selections. I had "The Yankee," your standard burger with the option to add Vermont cheddar and/or bacon, but I had a hard time turning down "The Piggie," a beef patty topped with pulled pork, jalepeno mayonnaise, and mustard-vinegar slaw on a cheddar bun. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Had I been dining at DBGB for dinner, that's probably what I would have ordered, but since it was only lunch and I wanted to save room for a sundae, I held back.

Although we were there to take advantage of the restaurant week deal, and although the Yankee Burger was on the pre fixe menu, the ice cream sundae I wanted, wasn't. So I just ordered my burger and dessert. Chelsea did take advantage of restaurant week and started with a frisee salad with roasted beets, chipolini onions, and mozzarella cheese. It was a little heavy on the citrus, but with roasted and pickled beets, Chelsea was a happy girl.

For her second course, Chelsea ordered green risotto with mussels and clams. Since I'm not a fan of shellfish, I only tried the risotto, but it was flavorful and perfectly cooked and creamy.

Chelsea gives her risotto two thumbs up.

I always order my burgers well-done, which I know is considered a huge faux pas, but eating pink ground beef just grosses me out in both taste and texture. But since that's my chosen "level of doneness," I accept the fact that the burgers I order will probably be a little dry, and my Yankee Burger was no different, although it was still pretty delicious. I added ketchup and a grainy mustard, which gave the burger a really nice kick of spice. I could have used a little more cheese (for paying my extra $2), which I also think would have added a creaminess to combat the lack of moisture, but the sesame bun was nice and soft, and the 6 oz patty was the perfect portion size. And of course, what goes better with a cheeseburger than fries?

They were salty and crispy, but also soft and chewy, the perfect accompaniment, and plenty to share. 

For dessert, Chelsea chose a Chocolate Gateau while I ordered the chocolate-caramel ice cream sundae. Chelsea's gateau was a layered cake with a light milk chocolate mousse, a dark chocolate cake, and a denser dark chocolate mousse layer, garnished with crispy chocolate accents. It was yummy, satisfying, and not too heavy.

Let me just say, my burger was good, but ordering my sundae was the best decision of the day. It was comprised of chocolate ice cream, caramel ice cream, caramel sauce, brownie chunks, homemade marshmallow, candied pecans, whipped cream, and caramel tuiles. Ok, let's start with the ice cream. I actually thought it was a little too cold, so unfortunately the flavors were a little muted. The brownie squares were rich and dense, and the homemade marshmallows were delicious. If you've never had a homemade marshmallow, please go make some! They're not that hard to make, I promise! The caramel sauce and caramel tuiles tasted exactly as they should, as did the light whipped cream. Surprisingly, one of my favorite parts of the sundae were the candied pecans, and pecans are not usually a nut I'll even try. They were small enough that the nut flavor wasn't overpowering, so instead they were just like little sweet crunchy bits.

I couldn't wait. I had to take a bite ASAP

Now, I really like my desserts, and usually, I am not shy about ordering my own portion and finishing off every last bit. But this sundae was just a little too much for me. I managed (somehow) to eat all the brownie bites and marshmallows, but I sadly had to leave quite a bit of ice cream in the dish. Based on the portion, this would be a perfect dessert to share, but be prepared to spoon-fight for those marshmallows. Just warning you.

Overall, this was a delicious meal. It's sadly a bit of a trek for me to get all the way down to NoHo to visit, but for a burger topped with pulled pork barbecue, or for a house-made beef hot dog with all the fixings, or for another sinfully good sundae, I'd say it's more than worth it.