A fantastic sushi restaurant discovery, cocktails above the clouds, a four-star restaurant, great Chinese, and I finally find the pizza place I have been looking for.
I had wonderful weather in NY as I made my way eating up a storm during my semi-annual trip. The first wonder of the trip was Sushi of Gari--an authentic sushi bar up to a point. The sushis are all lovingly created and delicate, but each one is topped with something very interesting like a warm tomato provençale mixture, fried julienne of leeks, bitter greens, pine nuts and fried lotus root, jalapeno, tofu cream, etc. You will never find anything like this in Japan. My friend, Chris and I sat at the sushi bar and ordered the "compulsory" omakase or chef's choice. In a place like this, you want to be sure to get the specialties. So the sushis kept coming and coming until we said "stop"! This was a great discovery and although I always like to try new places, I will definitely come back here.
A few days later, I met my sister-in-law and nephew on the 55th floor of the Peninsula Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Nothing spectacular in the drinks but the setting is not to be missed. We were there on a clear sunny day and the view was breathtaking.
The four-star restaurant I went to this time was Jean-Georges. Vongerichten is the surname of this Alsatian chef and he has opened many a fine restaurant in NY. His visits to Asia have resulted in some of the trendy Asian places in lower Manhattan; however, with this one he is loyal to his French roots. I don't usually like to go to French restaurants when I am travelling (I can get the best French food in France, after all), but for four stars, I would make a concession. And anyway, French food in the states does have an American flare in terms of technique and choice of ingredients.
I met two old friends for a special meal and we shared several dishes. First and foremost was the crispy soft-shell crab served with shiso-yuzu mayonnaise (now that really doesn't sound very French at all), and a crispy sweetbread dish garnished with Alsatian potato salad, radish and jalapeno. There was a warm green asparagus salad, served with hollandaise, as well as a watercress and sugar snap pea salad that came with shiitakes, cristallized mustard and served with a lemon-soy vinaigrette. No, that isn't French at all. The desserts were spectacular and included variations on lemon for one, chocolate for the second, and caramel for the third. The room is bright and airy, the wine list excellent, the service attentive and friendly without being overbearing. The lunch menu is also very reasonably priced.
After reading the new New York Times food critic's review of Chin Chin, my friends Pat and Tim and I decided that we had to try it. What a great place. The restaurant is near the U.N. and is large, attractively decorated and with a very polite and helpful staff. We ordered too much food but everything was terrific: pork dumplings, mu shu vegetables, barbecued ribs, the house specialty of Grand Marnier shrimp (not on the menu), a soft shell crab dish (it was the season in June) and Tung chicken. They even have excellent American desserts and we shared a not-very-Chinese flourless chocolate cake with vanilla gelato. I love plain delicious desserts and this one did not disappoint.
I mentioned in an earlier post that New York magazine had done the "definitive" article on the best 25 new NY pizzerias. At that time, I was unable to go to one of those on their list but this time I make the trek to Williamsburg, Brooklyn (not difficult to get to on the L train) where I had the pleasure to discover MOTORINO. Motorino bought my former favorite Anthony's Una Pizza Napoletana on East 12 street, but their original restaurant is in Brooklyn. It is definitely worth a detour if you love pizza as I do. My friend couldn't join me, and I decided to go alone. Often, dining alone in a pizza place is a bit uncomfortable, but the service was so friendly and the ambiance so casual that I felt right at home. They have designer pizzas but the crust is spectacular so you know the Margherita will be completely authentic. I started with a fennel salad with orange segments and capers and then went on to the best part: the Pizza Pugliese: topped with Burrata (a creamy fresh cheese), broccolini, sausage, chilies and garlic. Delectable! This place, along with Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge is on the top of my favorites list and I am sure to go back there many times over. The crust, chewy and crisp at the same time, is what makes this pizza great.
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