| L'Atelier du Joel Robuchaun | Blogs Restaruants | By laceyb on2/28/2007 | |
|  Foie gras, caviar and some red wines elicit words every time you taste them. That is why, constant readers, I must tell you in explicit detail the flora and fauna of my amazing meal at L’Atelier du Joel Robuchon.
As I entered the foreboding and austere Four Seasons Hotel on 57th, I was drawn around the mezzanine toward the bustling, crowded bar area of the hotel. On the way, I gave the hostess at L’Atelier my name and headed to the bar for a drink. After being accosted by some unwanted conversation with a much older patron, my partner in culinary crime showed up. We slipped off to the dining room, which was much smaller than I could have ever imagined. The stark, cold marble foyer yielded to a warm, intimate dining room in juxtoposition to the ... |  | |
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| Taittinger Nocturne | | BlogsDrink | By laceyb on2/28/2007 | |
| As you all know, I'm an avid Champagne drinker. I was happy to discover a tasty new bottle on my recent trip to Vegas. Behold Taittinger Nocturne! It's a sec Champagne, 40% chardonnay, and 60% pinot noir and pinot meunier. Its slightly sweet, with essences of fruit in syrup on the palate. The light bubbles are delicate and liquid candy with a innocent sensuality.
Belive it or not, this elegant recommedation came from a beautiful blonde "dancer". We all enjoyed several bottles of this palate-friendly sparkler. I think of it as a bit of a beginners bubbly. Its what I wish I could have drank on my 21st birthday.
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| Amazing Barolo | | BlogsDrink | By laceyb on2/27/2007 | |
| If you want to try some truly great Barolo, Check out this label. Aldo Conterno makes killer Barolo, as well as Neibbiolo. I found them to be very full bodied, slightly tannic with tons of earthy barnyard, tobbacco and muscle. My ideal red sipping wine.I'm quite sure the rest is equally great considering the quality of the two I've tried. If you don't trust you're own palate, feel free to send me a bottle as your token guinnea pig ;)
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| Classicly Trained with an Edge: Q&A with Brian Ray | | BlogsQ&A | By laceyb on2/27/2007 | |
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I adore a man with strong opinions. He’s over saffron, loves sea urchin and foie gras, and thinks truffle oil tastes like plastic. Recently, I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Brian Ray-main sous chef to Bobby Flay(and if I have to tell you who he is, you shouldn’t be reading this). But I will let you off the hook just this one time. Bobby Flay is the superstar Iron chef with several restaurants, plenty of cookbooks and a few shows on Food Network.When I arrived I was warmly greeted by the general manager of Mesa Grill, who offered me one of their specialty margaritas. I had to be polite and accept, so I chose the bright purple (and rather potent!) Prickly Pear Margarita. I was shortly joined by Brian.Q. So Brian, you’ve been with Mesa Grill ... | | |
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| Mile High Misfunctions | | Blogs
| By laceyb on2/27/2007 | |
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Why must airline food be so frighteningly bad? As I sit here on my way to Las Vegas, while visions of French delicacies dance in my head, I’m accosted with a horror in a plastic sleeve. Whose brilliant idea was it to serve a Steak and Cheese pizza with ranch dressing? Does that particular abomination even exist on earth? I’ve never seen it in all my New York pizza eating days. What about a simple cheese pizza with marinara sauce? Is it because the strange mile high creations are the only nourishment that can survive at such high altitudes?
Being the “try anything” kinda gal, I bravely took a few bites. Granted, my stomach didn’t heave immediately, it certainly wasn’t anything I’d ever eat again. It tasted like the chemicals and process ... | | |
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| STK:First Impressions | | BlogsRestaruants | By laceyb on2/27/2007 | |
| I had heard all the buzz about STK being one of those silly club restaurants, where the focus is more on attracting trendy clientele and less on the food. And of course it was. However, on my recent trip there, I certainly managed to have a good time. Perhaps it was the many bottles of Caymus 04 Cabernet (I lost track after 4), maybe it was the delightful company I kept, more likely, it was the fact that I went there not expecting much. When your expectations are considerably low, there isn’t much to be disappointed by.
I have to give it more credit though. The foie gras French toast was so tasty, we ordered a second. The tuna tartar wasn’t half bad either. The only oysters in the house were Kumomoto (of course) but they satisfied my crustean cra ... | | |
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| The E.U. | | BlogsRestaruants | By laceyb on2/24/2007 | |
| “Super Euro-fusion gastro pub” is one way to describe The E.U. “A warm, rustic eatery with simply delicious food and a great staff” is another. Recently, Team Shiftdrink dropped in for a little Monday night madness, and got friendly with the staff.
Upon entering the farmhouse styled east village venture, you immediately feel welcome and want to spend time there. I started out by sampling a few of their unique beers. One that really stood out was a tart, clean and crisp apple beer, called Lindemans Pomme. It was granny greensmith which exploded all over my palate, quite refreshing.
When the rest of the crew arrived, we moved on to a few bottles of Beaujolais Blanc. Since Team Shiftdrink consisted of 5, we were able to sample almost the entire menu.
First to hit the table was a delightfully coiled grilled octopus tentacle. It had a tenderness that’s hard to come by and had a wonderfully smoky taste. It was complimented with roasted tomatoes and chickpeas. Another grilled option ... | | |
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