Sunday, November 23, 2014

El Quinto Pino

401 West 24th Street
(between Ninth and Tenth Avenues)


Great wine and dessert place; food not so impressive.

Hopes were high as the décor is very cozy and comfortable. The front is a bar (which I can imagine gets hopping at night) and in the back is a pleasant dining area.



Went for lunch, and ordered the lomo bocadillo, which is a house-cured pork loin sandwich with melted cheese and piquillo pepper.



I was so disappointed as the sandwich tasted too dry.

However, the rest of the meal made up for my sad a sandwich.
 
We started with an order of huevos rellenos (organic deviled eggs with tahini) as an appetizer. It was very good.

 
My friend ordered the camerón de cádiz salad, which was flash-fried cádiz shrimp, poached egg, baby arugula with sherry vinaigrette. She thought it was delicious.

 
For dessert we ordered the pa amb xocolat, which was described as a paté of chocolate, sea salt, and olive oil. I would describe it as a high-end Nutella and it was chocolate decadence. We could smell it as it was being baked, so we promptly ordered it.

It was a stick of chocolate paired with lightly toasted homemade bread.


 
When you’re about halfway finished, olive oil would ooze out of the chocolate bar and onto the plate. Who would think the pairing of olive oil and chocolate would work, but it does! And the sea salt added a nice finishing touch.

 
As I mentioned earlier, besides for the dessert, drinks were the other highlight to this tapas bar.

We started off with cocktails. I ordered their signature cocktail, the horchata (frozen tiger nut (?!?) milk and Brandy de Jerez). It was like drinking an ice cream soda, and I could have continued drinking it throughout my entire meal (which would have been dangerous!).

 
My friend ordered the Pomade (frozen basil gin lemonade from Mallorca). It would be the perfect drink for a hot and humid summer afternoon.

 
For our meal, my friend went with the Enanzo rose. I was surprised at the red coloring. I’m so used to seeing a pink rose, so the ruby red color definitely made an impression.

 
I went with a white Listan Blanco. It was rich and nutty.

 
However, when dessert arrived, I knew that I wanted to pair it with a red wine. Our server (who was super friendly throughout out entire meal) was extremely helpful. He recommended the Carchelo, which was a blend of monastrell, tempranillo, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon. He even offered a sample tasting before I committed to a glass. It was the perfect pairing with the chocolate dessert and it had a smooth, velvety, long finish.



 
What I didn’t realize was that it wasn’t traditionally offered by the glass! So that was definitely a treat!




Pros:
The service.
The drinks.


Cons:
Wish they offered a lunch special.



Final Thoughts
Will return, but only for the drinks and dessert!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Fonda Chelsea


189 Ninth Avenue
(between 21st and 22nd Streets)


Continuing with my annual Halloween tradition of spending Halloween with my sister, we decided to go for upscale Mexican (in honor of both Halloween and Day of the Dead).


 

We decided to share a couple of appetizers as our meal, and they were more than filling.

We started with our favorite dish of the night: a made-to-order, mild Guacamole ($12.95 for two). It came with both a bucket of chips AND four hand-pressed soft tortillas (YUM!!). As we were wondering if we should have gone up to a “medium” spice, our server kindly provided us with some chile pepper on the side for us to spice accordingly to our own taste.


 

My sister ordered the special soup of the day: the Sopa de Frijol Con Chochoyones—a black-bean velvet soup with epazote masa dumplings, queso fresco, and crispy tortilla bits ($8.95).

It came in a large soup bowl and with all the black beans and doughy dumplings, my sister was basically finished eating for the rest of the night.

 
The other appetizers we ordered were disappointing.

We had the Duck Zarape ($13.95), which were soft tortillas filled with braised duck with roasted tomato-habanero cream sauce was rather tasteless. Yes, the sauce did add a spicy zing to the dish, but the meat itself was rather dry. So it just seemed like a cream sauce was added to mask the taste of the dry meat.

 
Our final appetizer was the Taquito de Pollo (three soft corn tortillas filled with pulled crispy Guajillo chicken with onions, cilantro, and salsa verde) for $9.95. While the onions, cilantro, and salsa verde was tasty, the chicken, like the duck, tasted too dry and worse I needed a knife to cut it as it was too hard for me to chew.

 

 
We also ordered a bottle of the L.A. Cette Sauvignon Blanc, which was a perfect accompaniment with our meal. My recommendation would be to take a sip after having some of the guacamole (especially with some additional topping of chile pepper!). It’s refreshing and clean-tasting, with a long finish.




Pros:
The guacamole!
Food is filling.
 
Cons:
Wish they had a restroom on the first floor. Bathrooms are only located on the second level of the restaurant.
 

Final Thoughts
Will definitely return for more guacamole!


BXL Zoute


50 West 22nd Street
(between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)


Happy Halloween!

When it’s Halloween, NYC restaurants get in on the spooky action—and BXL Zoute does not disappoint!

 


What it also doesn’t disappoint in is great French bistro fare for a brisk, autumn afternoon. Especially if you are in the mood for a Croque Madame ($13):

 

 
My friend ordered the Vegetable Sandwich ($14) with grilled onions, squash, zucchini, peppers, endive, and carrots.

 
What I also really appreciated was that both sandwiches came with de rigeur frites (which is a must in any restaurant claiming to be a bistro) and a healthy salad. The salad made me feel a little less guilty about my melted cheese and fried egg sandwich.
 

Pros:
Friendly, attentive service.
Very open to serving young children.
Great coffee with free refills.


Cons:
Wish they had lunch specials for their sandwiches similar to what they offer for their mussels/omelet special.
 

Final Thoughts
Will return when I have another Croque Madame craving!






Villa Jolanda: A Most Adorable Gift!


If you are searching for a super cute sparkling wine that could be given as a celebratory gift for a very good friend or that special someone, Villa Jolanda’s limited edition Valentine’s Day bottle would be a perfect option.

The bottle has cartoon illustrations of a couple being flown up in heart balloons. And the words “I Love You” are written in multiple languages: French, Spanish, Italian, Korean, etc.

The wine is very bubbly and when you pop the cork, it releases delicate gossamer puffs. The taste is very dry, and for an additional festive touch you can add a strawberry slice.



Best of all, it’s a great gift for under $15!


UPDATE: There is even a special holiday edition of the wine!





And make special note of the cork before discarding!!


Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!



Ravagh Persian Grill


11 East 30th Street
(between Fifth and Madison Avenues)


Ravagh Persian Grill (a rather upscale-looking Mediterranean restaurant) is an excellent option for a midtown lunch if you’re shopping at Macy’s or visiting the Empire State Building.

For $20 for two (not including tip) you can share an appetizer (babaganoush) and an entrée (chicken shish kebab) and be so full that you don’t have to eat for the rest of the day.

The secret is the yummy, warm pita bread that the servers bring out before you even order. And with two side-dipping sauces that are yogurt based and dill based.

 

Helpful Hint: I like to mix the two together on my plate), you can completely fill yourself especially as they generously provide free refills on the bread!

The bread is particularly tasty combined with the babaganoush.

 
And the chicken shish kebab (which comes with a grilled onion and tomato and basmati rice) is really moist and juicy. My mouth waters just thinking about it!



 
I have gone twice for lunch and both times I have never been able to finish my meal.

So if you’re hungry, and you’re on a budget, head to Ravagh Persian Grill!