Daniel, NYC

On December 30th we had the pleasure of closing out the year with another trip to Daniel in NYC. My long-standing, all-time favorite restaurant - I was so thrilled to be going back for our 13th visit to the flagship restaurant of Daniel Boulud.

On this occassion we were joined by Nick and Patty with the added excitement of being the eve of Patty's birthday. It's a formal place by design so I took no pictures during dinner. What I will share here is a summary of the dinner and our customized menus.

The amuse bouche was a trio of carrot bites served on the classic Daniel tower. For dinner we asked for an eight course, chef's tasting. Almost every course they brought Patty & I different dishes from Alan & Nick and for some, Patty had something without crustaceans. Here's what we were served...

Course #1

• Mosaic of squab with pickled shitake; confit grapes, muscat gelee, purple watercress, pistachio oil and young vegetables
• Pheasant foie gras and black truffle mosaic with artichoke barigoule, celery-mustard coulis and toasted hazelnut

Course #2

• Orange yuzu marinated nantucket bay scallops with pickled Buddha's hand lemon, shiso oil, sea lettuce and chayote
• Trio of salmon: Coho salmon poached with finger lime and mint; salmon tartare with Meyer lemon and shanso pepper tulie; hot, smoked salmon with celery remoulade
• Maine peekytoe crab salad with granny smith apple, pickled cranberries, celery shavings and walnut oil

Course #3

• Slow baked Jade Tiger Abalone with cauliflower, Red Cedar juniper berries, Northern Lights caviar and vodka burre blanc
• Kataifi crusted sweet Maine lobster with licorie braised Hearts of Palm, pickled clementine and Red Ribbon sorrel
• Fennel ravioli with basil salad, Sicilian green oil, braised artichoke, roasted King Oyster mushroom and pickled red onion

Course #4

• Cedar wood wrapped hamachi with braised celery, caramelized salsify, cipollini onion and mustard seed bourbon sauce

Course #5

• Roasted Elysian field lamb chop with Brussels sprouts, spelt risotto, sauteed black trumpet glazed turnips, manouri cheese and hay-lamb jus
• Duo of beef: braised black angus short ribs with wild mushroom, fricassee with horseradish; seared wagyu tenderloin with rutubaga-mace puree and glazed chestnuts

Course #6

• Scottish hare "a la royale" with glazed winter root vegetables, parsnip puree, King Oyster mushrooms, chestnut and winter black truffle
• Roasted Liberty Farm duck breast with hazelnut-spinach subric, confit turnip, poached quince, garganelli pasta, winter black truffle and sauce civet

Course #7 & Course #8
Assortment of desserts
Duo of fruit & chocolate
Petit Fours and Madelaines

Our wines & champagnes with dinner:

• Andre Clouet Bouzy Grand Cru 2002
• Beaune 1st Cru Remoissenet Domaine "Marconnets" Burgundy 2008
• Chateauneuf-du-Pape Domaine La Barroche "Signature" Rhone 2010

Summary...
It can be hard to describe the emotion associated with a great meal. One in which the service flows like an orchestrated ballet; the ambiance is comfortable while being formal enough to feel that something special is taking place; the lighting, noise, roominess of the table, beautiful simplicity of crystal wine glasses on crisp linen; the intimacy of conversation with your dinner companions all a part of a unique ambiance that many restaurants will never perfect. All of that contributing to but taking a quiet back seat to the star - the food.

At Daniel, each experience has been an embodiment of all of those facets with the food shining through to cement itself as (in my opinion) the best restaurant in New York. I don't say that lightly - Per Se is a mega star in it's own right. But on 13 different occasions across the span of 14 years, Daniel has proved why it has earned countless awards, stars and accolades. They never miss a step. Every single presentation of every dish and every bite...it's really the standard in fine, French dining in the US.

If you ever have the opportunity just close your eyes, open up your wallet and say Yes! You won't be disappointed.

Zagat: 28-28-28
Michelin: 3 stars
World's Best Ranking: 25
Jenn's Rating: 99

2012 Recap

A recap of where we were and what we ate in 2012...

Restaurants: 69* (60 of them unique)
States: 8**
Highest Rating: 99 (Daniel, NYC)
Lowest Rating: 65 (Camillia's, New Orleans)
Most Frequented: Pluckemin Inn, Bedminster (average rating: 84)

Our Top Ten Dining Experiences of 2012:

• Daniel, NYC
• Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pontico Hills NY
• Le Bernardin, NYC
• Eleven Madison Park, NYC
• Restaurant Latour, Hamburg NJ
• Herbsaint, New Orleans LA
• Gotham Bar & Grill, NYC
• SAAM at the Mazaar, Los Angeles
• Boulud Sud, NYC
• GW Fins, New Orleans LA

By Cuisine:

• 35% American / New American
• 17% French
• 14% Italian
• 10% Southern / Cajun

Michelin Restaurants:

• Daniel
• Eleven Madison Park
• Le Bernardin
• Minetta Tavern
• Gramercy Tavern
• Gotham Bar & Grill
• Annisa
• A Voce Columbus

Best Casual Eats:

• Pizzeria Bianco, Pheonix AZ
• The Plucky, Tavern at Pluckemin Inn, Bedminster NJ
• Cochon, New Orleans LA
• Rudy's, Austin TX
• Phil's Grill, Scottsdale AZ

__________________________________________________________________
* does not include take out
** US restaurants only, out of country not captured

Molyvos, NYC

It's pretty embarrassing, but this is only the second time I've ever eaten in a Greek restaurant. It's not usually on my radar since there are a number of key Greek ingredients that I'm not a huge fan of...like yogurt and olives.

In December Alan and I went to a Greek restaurant in NYC to celebrate the holidays with others from his company. Located on 7th Avenue between 55th and 56th, Molyvos is a bustling, casual establishment of fairly impressive size. The restaurant is owned and operated by the Livanos family who also run Oceana and Abbocatto in New York and others in Westchester, Connecticut and New Jersey.

Being a group of eight, appetizers were ordered family style to be shared and then we individually ordered entrees. The appetizers covered a good portion of the menu including hummus, Greek salad, lamb meatballs, grilled octopus, cheese fritters and spinach pites with leeks and feta.

These were all pretty good with the best being the Greek salad, meatballs and the grilled octopus.

For our entrees Alan ordered the clay pot lamb shank with orzo, tomatoes and kefalotyri cheese. Like a stew with a big old lamb shank in it, this dish was great. The lamb was slow cooked, super tender and had excellent flavor with no gaminess. Most likely considered a comfort food, it opened my eyes to the possibilities of Greek homestyle cooking.

Staying with lamb, I ordered the grilled baby lamb chops with potato cake, frisee and roasted eggplant salad.

The lamb was medium rare inside and again, great flavor. The nice thing about baby lamb chops is you never feel like you ate too much - they have a minimal amount of meat on them leaving you satisfied but not stuffed. I enjoyed my dish though I think Alan's was the better of the two since my sides were pretty blah.

Overall, I enjoyed this experience more than I thought I would. I'd even consider trying another Greek restaurant in the New Year since lamb done right is awesome and the Greeks do lamb better than anyone.

Zagat: 23-21-21
Jenn: 80

Le Bernardin, NYC

Last week we went back to the country's best fish / seafood restaurant, Le Bernardin in New York City. Unlike the previous times we've been, we did not opt for the chef's tasting menu but instead all tried the prix fix four course menu. Being five of us it meant we could cover almost the entire menu.

Since the last time we were there with Susan & Rich, the restaurant has gone through a pretty major renovation. It now has a larger bar area with lounge seating for a more casual dining option. The decor is a bit lighter overall than it was with honey colored wood accents and a giant painting of the ocean covering an entire wall.

We were seated at a table that was likely for four people that they managed to get a fifth chair around. It didn't look like it would be comfortable but we fit pretty well and never felt cramped. Except perhaps Alan who got the middle seat on the sofa.

To start off our evening they brought a trio of amuse bouche:

From the left, a salmon "roll"; tuna tartare on Parmesan crisp; lobster bisque. The salmon bite was nice - the tuna was great and the bisque was excellent!

For our first course which we selected off the Almost Raw portion of the menu:

Hamachi “Sashimi”; Sea Beans and Daikon, Black Garlic-Ponzu Sauce. Octavio ordered this; it was extraordinary, fresh fish dressed perfectly in the ponzu sauce. I loved this dish and could have eaten all of it.

Fluke “Sashimi”; Micro Watercress, Baby Carrots Ginger-Citron Vinaigrette. Alan's fluke was also spectacular. Fluke has such a gorgeous flavor raw and the citrus preparation allowed the more pronounced taste of the sea to come out.

Single Variety or Assortment of Oysters (Six Pieces). I went with the oysters after having a tough time picking... but thought, if I'm going raw let me select one of my most favorite raw foods. These were six different types of oysters from mostly the Atlantic. It wasn't as special or different as the rest of the appetizers but I really love oysters - great course.

Layers of Thinly Pounded Yellowfin Tuna, Foie Gras and Toasted Baguette, Chives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This was the selection by Nick's business school friend, Nick who joined us for this dinner. A carpaccio of tuna, basically with crumbled foie gras all over. I don't remember bothering with the toasted baguette when trying this. Look at it - just beautiful and wow, what a taste!!

Thinly Shaved Geoduck Clam and Osetra Caviar,Wasabi-Citrus Mousseline. The final dish of the first course was Nick's giant clam. We've tried giant clam before- it's more of an acquired taste than anything else on the menu. A slight chewiness and a distinctive "fishy" taste, it needs to be sliced very thin and served with something that can stand up to the flavor profile without getting lost. The accompaniment of caviar and wasabi were a great pairing. I don't recall enjoying giant clam nearly this much in the past. Excellent!

On to our second course - this time from the "barely touched" section of the menu.

Surf & Turf Roasted Bone Marrow; Sea Urchin, Fleur de Sel. Both Nick and Octavio ordered this dish served with toast points for smearing the urchin and marrow on. I liked it - very different take on serving sea urchin that traditionally comes to you in the hollowed out urchin shell. Good but it didn't blow me away.

Langoustine with sea foam, bacon(?) and greens. Alan's choice of langoustine was a good one. The pieces were much closer to the consistency of lobster than usual (often they come off as big, plain shrimp). The flavor was mild and delicate with a decidedly French twist.

Peekytoe Crab “Choux Farcis”; Chili-Crab Broth. In case you didn't know this - peekytoe crab is one of my all time favorite things on this planet. I am in love with the peekytoe salad that Daniel Boulud serves at his namesake restaurant. Seeing it on this menu was too hard to pass up. The preparation was unexpected in the broth of chili and crab with the leaves of brussels sprouts covering even more crab. I really liked this dish though it didn't stand out to the rest of the party as a favorite of the evening.

Ultra Rare Seared Tuna; Marinated Fennel, Basil and Capers. Nick's second serving of tuna was a whooper with the seared fish being covered by almost a salsa of fennel, basil and capers. The brine from the capers set off the tuna resulting in a lovely dish that you'd like to have twice as much of.

For our third course off the lightly cooked section of the menu:

Poached Skate and Warm Oysters, Brussels Sprouts-Bacon Mignonette, Dijon Mustard Sherry Emulsion. Skate is a polarizing fish - even when cooked it has a fatty, mushy texture that can throw people off. If you are familiar with it and love sushi anyways, it is unique, delicate and very decadent in the mouth. I thought this was a standout dish with incredible flavor. The sauce added complexity and saltiness to round it out.

Baked Red Snapper in “Citrus-Rosemary Papillote” Preserved Lemon-Mashed Potatoes, Natural Jus. This is a perfect illustration of why Le Bernardin is the only restaurant in New York City to have received a four star rating from the New York Times for more than twenty consecutive years as well as being the only one to have garnered three Michelin stars in 2005 (the debut year for the US) and every year after. This dish Alan chose was heaven - you just can't prepare fish any better than this in the light citrus sauce. And whoever thought to combine lemon with mashed potatoes was a culinary genius. Amazing!

Maine Lobster; Light Potato Gnocchi Braised Pearl Onions. Yeah, I went with the lobster. Sometimes I just can't pass up on the shellfish. This gorgeous course with the tail meat deconstructed into slices and rebuilt was excellent. The secret to lobster is to have it be cooked to just opaque so the flavor is there and it takes on that delicate nature while still tasting like lobster. I loved this dish. Serving gnocchi on the side was just the cream on top!

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs; Winter Vegetables,Wild Mushrooms, Parsnip Purée. Nick was the only one to go off the beaten path and order something not from the sea. The short rib was so good - fork tender, obviously cooked forever to get it to have that much infused flavor. The wine reduction sauce is a classic pairing that will never go out of style. This was a standout dish.

Crispy Black Bass; Roasted Shishitos and Acorn Squash “Ceviche”, Peruvian Chicha Sauce. And the final dish was Nick's crispy black bass...wow! Amazing. The skin was fantastic - you could just eat that all night.

And for dessert...

Madagascan Chocolate Ganache, Candied Peanuts, Popcorn Ice Cream

Hazelnut, Madagascar Vanilla, Chocolate, Vietnamese Cinnamon ice creams

Dark Chocolate Cremeux, Kirsch Bavaroise, Belgian Kriek Beer Sorbet

Assortment of Cheeses "4 pieces" with apricot compote and toast points.

Earl Grey Mousseline, Orange Purée, Blood Orange Sorbet (no picture)

Petit fours

Throughout this dinner was champagne and wine:

• Marie Courtin NV Resonance Extra Brut
• Peter Michael Sauvignon Blanc L'Apres-Midi 2011
• Aby Harris Anthill Pinot Noir 2010

I don't remember having the Anthill before but really liked it and the Marie Courtin was really good for a non-vintage - something you can drink a lot of and not have heart palpatations when you see the price.

Le Bernardin is one of the best restaurants in the country, no doubt about it. If you love eating things that come out of the water, this is your Nirvana. I thought our dinner was one of the best of 2012 but by not having the chef's tasting menu and by going with an early seating when you know they are going to turn your table takes a little off an otherwise exceptional experience. Service was flawless and the ambiance lends to a romantic or special occassion. I hope you get a chance to go!

Zagat: 29-28-29

Michelin: 3 Stars

Jenn's Rating: 96

Cafe Panache, Ramsy NJ

Cafe Panache is a lovely little restaurant in a tiny, northern town of Ramsy, NJ. We've been many times years and years ago when we lived in Westchester and finally had the stars align to get back there this week. It's BYO with a changing, eclectic menu. Beyond that, one of things that make this particular restaurant endearing to us is that we know the family that owns and operates it. Chef Kohler has been running this favorite Bergen county spot for more than 26 years now and there's a reason people keep going back. We were lucky enough to share our evening and table with Chef Kohler's daughter and personal friend, Kristie and her finance, Mike - fun foodies that are always up for night out for eating & drinking.

In the time since we were there last, Panache has gone through major renovations. The restaurant is an elegant venue with floor to ceiling windows in the front overlooking Main Street and soothing tones of blue and beige. Quite a change since the last time we were there it's got an ambiance of comfortable chic.

Kristie was kind enough to take the helm and order our first two courses for all of us to share. To start us off she choose three appetizer dishes - a tartare of tuna with avocado and crostini; a beef carpaccio with shaved Parmesan and mixed greens and an octopus salad.

The tuna was fresh and had that firm texture that Alan and I like so much. Simply prepared with the ginger on top and the ripe avocado allowed the tuna to shine. Very nice! The carpaccio was sliced micro thin and was beautifully plated. The mixed greens gave the contrasting crunch and the cheese offered the saltiness that we come to want with a traditional carpaccio. This dish was good though I would have liked to have a more prominent balsamic flavor add a little more depth. And finally, the octopus. WOW. Gorgeous, large sections grilled or sauteed with a light dusting of pepper and the dressing from the salad set off the mollusk in a most wonderful way. I loved, loved, LOVED this dish!

For our next course Kristie requested that the kitchen prepare all of us a tasting of the menu's two ravioli featured that evening; pumpkin and filet mignon, each served in a brown butter sauce.

If you have ever eaten with me or you've ever read any of these posts you'll know that I'm a big fan of pasta. Panache makes their pasta fresh each day and the ravioli showcased their expertise. Delicate and fresh - really allowing the flavors from within to shine through without being heavy. These two were very different, as you'd expect. The pumpkin was a lovely surprise with a sweetness that complimented so well the butter sauce. I pretty much hate pumpkin...right up until someone as gifted as Chef Kohler creates their magic and sticks it into a pillow of happiness. Yum! But you know what...even being that great, the filet was still the winner of the Ravioli battle on my plate. The beef was an earthy, dark contrast to the sweet butter sauce that just worked perfectly. An excellent culinary bite.

For our entrees we covered off on four house favorites...pasta, duck, beef and chicken.

The pasta with shrimp was done in a spicy marinara sauce over fresh spaghetti. The duck was presented two ways - roasted breast and confit leg with wild rice and au jus. The sirloin with steam vegetables had a blackened crust and cooked to a perfect medium rare. And finally the chicken over polenta done with...cranberries or maybe cherries? I don't quite recall. The pasta was so flavorful and fresh it seemed weightless; the duck was awesome - when done right, there's no better expression of fowl than leg of confit duck. The sirloin had a nice flavor and a good balance between tender and yet hearty and finally the chicken was super moist and avoided any pitfalls of being too "ordinary". I personally think the duck took top honors but all four dishes were very good.

All in all - such a nice evening. A bottle of champagne and a bottle of red went down easily as did the conversation and the food. Highly recommend giving this one a try if you're up in Bergen county!

Zagat's Rating: 27-23-25

Herbsaint, New Orleans

For our final dinner in New Orleans over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend we went to Donald Link's Herbsaint. Located on Saint Charles Street in the warehouse district this little bistro has both indoor seating and outdoor at little tables on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. It was a beautiful evening out so we sat outside.

We started with a bottle of Delamotte blanc de blancs non-vintage. And I learned something I didn't know from my husband; Delmotte is the sister winery of Salon. In years when Salon doesn't produce their top line, vintage champagne, the grapes from there single vineyard will go to Delamotte. This particular bottle was truly lovely. Off to a good start!

Our main server was a jovial young woman who was happy to share her thoughts with us on some of the dishes as we navigated the menu. After making our selections they brought us out warm bread and an amuse bouche that was a little shrimp and mango tartlette. Very good.

Our first course was the gumbo of the day (chicken with andouille sausage) and the Louisiana jumbo lump crab meat with mustard frill and toasted brioche.

Nothing makes me happier than a simply done dish that can let the delicate flavor of crab meat shine through. Louisiana blue crab has a distinct flavor profile in line with the Maryland blue crab; this preparation was excellent. I loved every single bite. Alan's gumbo was hearty and very good though after having eaten gumbo a few times he did comment that he likes it a little better when it's more stew like and less soupy.

Next round we tried was the beef short rib with potato rosti and salsa verde along with a dish of burrata with city ham and herb pistou.

The short ribs were FANTASTIC. Super tender - slow cooked for what must have been a seriously long time to get that much infused flavor and that perfect consistency. So good!! The burrata was also very nice and I loved the city ham. The two aspects of the dish were quite good by themselves though I'm not sure they were better if you paired them together.

For our entrees Alan ordered the Kurobuta pork belly with cajun grain risotto, grilled pok choi and shrimp broth.

This is one of those dishes that just makes you happy that some people are gifted when it comes to cooking. Look at that beautiful pork with the distinguished fat layer and the dark crust. Excellent. The risotto was also out of this world. The entire dish was one of the best of the trip.

I hoped to go two for two on pasta dishes by choosing the house made spaghetti with Guanciale and fried, poached farm egg.

Oh Lord...this was an amazing dish. It might be the best pasta I've ever had in my entire life. Yes, I'm saying that this one might knock Marea's fusilli with crispy octopus and bone marrow off the pedestal. It is that good. Cheese, creole spices, creamy sauce, a runny and fabulous fried, poached egg... perfection. Pure and simple.

Herbsaint was the best of the restaurants we ate at start to finish. Every dish was on the mark and a few of them were blow-you-away fantastic. This should be on everyone's list of places to try. There's no way I'd go back to New Orleans and not eat here again.

Zagat's Rating: 27-23-25
Jenn's Rating: 92

Cochon, New Orleans

Recommended to us by everyone, we went to Cochon for lunch during our New Orleans holiday. The menu is by far one of the most unusual I've encountered; fun things like fried livers, sauteed mullet, hog jowls and stuffed pig foot all making appearances.

To kick off the experience Alan ordered a drink called a Swinekiller consisting of Hendrick's Gin, rhubarb bitters and limeade that was really easy to drink.

To start we ordered the fried alligator with chili, garlic aioli and and plate of the smoked pork ribs with watermelon pickle plus I got a boring but much needed salad of mixed greens, pickled onions and peanut vinaigrette.

I can tell you that it's time I start using a Thesaurus. I have run out of words to describe such wonderful food. (pause - checking www.thesaurus.com). It was downright ambrosial! The alligator was tender with a little kick and had not even a hint of the chewiness that is often the downfall of this meat. I loved the preparation and the garlicky sauce. The ribs were delectable - fall off the bone tender with great flavor. Just wish they were either bigger or there were twice as many. For $12.00 a plate, I should have just gotten two orders.

The salad was also very good - hearts of palm, great blend of bitterness from the greens and sweetness from the onions...really nice, refreshing plate.

For our main course we both ordered sandwiches. I went with the special sandwich of the day (don't laugh); fried bologna with lettuce, tomato, a blend of cheeses and a garlic mayonnaise. Alan got the oyster & bacon sandwich.

Both of these were really good. I don't think I've had bologna once in the past twenty years...perhaps closer to thirty. And this was definitely a step up from Oscar Meyer. The tomato was super ripe and the whole thing gave me the impression of eating a Bayou BLT. Seriously good. Alan's oyster sandwich was a surprise - - not only because he doesn't love oysters so it seemed like an odd order for him, but because this one melded together into a concoction that really worked. Having the oysters be fried so they had a crunch to them and none of the brine associated with raw was nice. The bacon wasn't overpowering but lent the needed salt component.

And I guess I should mention that this restaurant is located on Tchoupitoulus Street in the warehouse district right next door to another highly acclaimed Donald Link establishment, Cochon Butcher. The inside felt like a converted warehouse with low key wooden tables and chairs. There's a no nonsense feeling when you get inside - this is a place to have great food, not hem and haw over service (which was fine for what you'd expect in a high volume lunch place) or the decor. There's a huge wood-fired oven in the open kitchen lending to the ambiance and puffing out all kinds of great smells.

This is one you have to put on your list if you're in the area and looking for authentic Southern Cajun cooking. If I find myself back in New Orleans I will make the time to go back!

Zagat's Rating: 27-23-24
Jenn's Rating: 86