Birthday Dinner

Florian

225 Park Avenue South

(between 18th Street and 19th Street)

If you are in search of a restaurant for a birthday dinner celebration, Florian is an excellent choice.

Although, I have already written a blog post on the restaurant, I had to return for their WHOLE lobster pizza ($29). And what a better time to try such a decadent (and pricey!) dish, but at a birthday dinner?

Beautiful presentation, with large pieces of lobster already de-shelled (which I was a bit worried about!) and ready-to-eat!

If you look closely, under the shell of the lobster head is half a lemon.

 

The service was terrific: both friendly and helpful.

We were looking for an appetizer to share that would be light and would accompany the lobster pizza well. Our server recommended that we go with the daily market vegetables (3 for $14). We selected mushrooms, artichokes, and Brussels sprouts. Excellent as extra toppings for the lobster pizza! I was also concerned about the Brussels sprouts (worried that they might be too hard to chew), but they were small and soft and tasty!

 

For our meal, we chose the Falesco Vitiano rosé from Umbria ($33). It was the only rosé the restaurant had on its menu, but it was a light and refreshing wine. It is also a bright-colored rosé with ruby highlights, which makes for a great celebratory drink!

 

And since it was a birthday celebration, we had to have dessert. We went with their tiramisu and the restaurant knowing that it was a birthday dinner came to the table bearing the dessert with a festive sparkler and singing “Happy Birthday.”

 

Note: Do NOT try to blow out the sparkler—it won’t work! Just let it burn down.

The dessert was creamy and inhaled in about two bites. I liked that it came with a side of chocolate bites with pecan nuts.

And, of course, the servers came around with their signature complimentary warm chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven. A perfect exclamation mark to end the birthday celebration!

Momofuku Nishi

232 Eighth Avenue

(between 21st Street and 22nd Street)

David Chang just opened a new Momofuku. In Chelsea!

I only noticed it due to the long lines of people standing outside the restaurant (as no signage is visible).

To avoid the long lines, I suggest going late in the evening, say after 9:30 p.m., which is what we did.

It was perfect timing, as seating was immediately available at either a regular table or a high-top table. We selected the high-top table seating. Each table had a convenient hook to hang personal belongings and outerwear.

 

According to David Chang Momofuku Nishi tries “to not use Italian ingredients to make Italian food.” To accentuate this point, the menu contains footnotes. Yes, footnotes! Foodies, swoon!

 

The dishes are ideal for sharing (as the pricing is steep—average prices are $20 for appetizer, $30 for noodle dishes).

We started with their scallop (tiger’s milk, shio kombu) appetizer ($21). Beautiful presentation. The scallops looked like scallops swimming in sea-green waters!

For our entrée, we went with their chicken and dumplings (broth, torn noodles, and smoked shiitake). It is super tasty, but warning: this dish is VERY rich and heavy. The menu notes that it comes as a broth, but the dish is more similar to a creamy chowder. Would recommend ordering it on a cold winter’s night.

To accompany the meal, I ordered the White Rascal beer ($8). It’s a Beligian-style white ale.

 

My dining companion ordered their homemade ginger soda ($7). Very good and helpful with digesting the chicken and dumplings.

 

As part of the new trend, NO TIPPING is requested on the menu, as the tip is already included in the menu pricing.

Pros:

Friendly service.

Comfortable atmosphere.

Cons:

Pricey.

Final Thoughts

Will return to try their signature Ceci e Pepe noodle dish.