ABC Kitchen - The Basics with a Jean Georges Touch

ABC Kitchen is Chef Jean Georges’ newest restaurant (making this his 9th in New York). Following California’s organic farm-to-table movement, I had expected ABC Kitchen to be good, but didn’t think it would stand out from many similar restaurants in San Francisco. I’m glad I was wrong.

The food was straightforward and rustic, but still exuded Jean Georges’ talent and mastery of flavors. I was impressed by how incredible the simplest things (like carrots!) tasted. I had been gorging myself with so much food during this New York trip that I wasn’t hungry at dinnertime, but the food was so good here that I couldn’t help but to stuff myself some more…

Peekytoe Crab Toast – this could not have been better! The crab was really fresh with just a bit of dressing to enhance its sweetness, while the dill gave it some bite. The grilled bread also had a nice crunch and smokiness.

Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad with Crunchy Seeds and Citrus – ok, I’m not one to get excited about carrots, but these carrots were AMAZING!! Best.carrots.ever. They had so much depth and flavor, brought out by the light curry rub. All of the components of this salad tasted beautiful together, especially with zing of the sour cream. My favorite dish of the night!
Clam, Mint, and Parsley Pizza – this is the type of dish that I usually associate Jean Georges with…creative, and a fusion of exciting flavors and styles. I really enjoyed this whole wheat pizza – it wasn’t grainy or bland (as whole wheat pizzas can be), yet was still light and a treat for the taste buds…plump, savory clams and a spicy punch from the chili peppers.

Wood Oven Roasted Maine Lobster with Oregano and Lemon Vinaigrette – I had ordered this entrée because I was still jonesing for lobster after tasting N’s lobster at Le Bernardin. Although it was interesting to have a more rustic preparation of lobster and the wood oven gave the lobster a unique smokiness, I probably wouldn’t order this dish again. It tasted good, but lacked the sweetness and succulence that I love so much in lobster.
Salted Caramel-Peanut Ice Cream Sundae with Candied Popcorn, Whipped Crème Fraiche, Chocolate Sauce – now this is my kind of ice cream sundae! Fun and decadent, yet elevated to a new level by the sophisticated combination of flavors and textures. Loooooooved that salted caramel-peanut ice cream! I also adored the handmade porcelain bowl it was served in (they had lots of charming, vintage-inspired dinnerware).
In addition to the delicious food, ABC Kitchen also had great service and a unique vibe. I liked the contrast of its simple white furniture and white brick walls with the exposed wooden beams throughout the restaurant. It was modern and minimalist, yet still incorporated natural elements and felt inviting. Oh, and the restaurant is located inside a furniture store, although it definitely did not feel like it!

BITE METER: ABC Kitchen – 4.3 bites (out of 5)

Rice to Riches – Rice Pudding Heaven

I love rice pudding, but never knew it could come in so many fun flavors…until I entered Rice to Riches! Set up like a futuristic dessert shop, they have 15-20 different kinds of rice pudding…and you can try as many flavors as you like. Some of the more creative ones include: Sex Drugs & Rocky Road, Fluent In French Toast, and Pope Pina Colada II.
My personal favorites were the Man-Made Marscapone with Cherries and the Almond Shmalmond, both heaped into a colorful “flying saucer” bowl (I hope they recycle all this plastic). Thick, creamy, and oh-so-sweet on the lips…just make sure to not wear any tight clothing while indulging on this incredibly rich treat!
BITE METER: Rice to Riches – 4.0 bites (out of 5)

Double Crown - Mmmm...Daikon Fries

There are two words I want to leave you with about Double Crown…daikon fries…daikon fries…daikon fries!! Indeed everything is better fried, and it's epitomized by Double Crown’s daikon fries. Less like slices of the actual daikon root, and more like thick fried cuts of the daikon/radish cake served at Chinese dim sum…warm, starchy center surrounded by a salty crust, and coated with a spicy sriracha mayonnaise…PERFECTION!
Another reason to have brunch at Double Crown is their specials:
$20 – cocktail, entrée, and coffee/tea
$32 – all you can drink Bloody Mary’s, entrée, and coffee/tea (they have a fun DIY Bloody Mary Bar with all the fixings you could possibly think of and more…like Vietnamese fish sauce!)
The restaurant’s cuisine is inspired by the British colonization of Southeast Asia; hence the name Double Crown. The cocktails are also creative and quite tasty (like the Anjou Pear & Darjeeling Fizz).

Spicy beef salad with pickled green mango – exactly what I was hoping this dish would be…tender slices of beef tossed with tart and spicy strands of green mango. Great texture and in-your-face bold flavors.
Crispy pork belly with chili caramel, mint, and fried egg on steamed rice – my mouth was watering when I saw this dish on the menu. It sounded incredible, but they totally missed it on the execution…the pork belly was dry and overcooked (a sad day for pork belly!), and the chili caramel sauce was too faint.
Sambal prawns with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and avocado – the flavors and components came together really well in this dish…sweet, smoky prawns, creamy avocado, savory eggs, and just enough acidity from the tomatoes.
Lively atmosphere, interesting food, reasonable prices…and most importantly, their daikon fries!

BITE METER: Double Crown – 4.0 bites (out of 5)

Le Bernardin – Symphony of Seafood

It’s difficult to not be spellbound by Le Bernardin’s many accolades, Michelin stars, and celebrity status of Chef Eric Ripert. I had been kicking myself for years after having B cancel our reservations during a previous trip to New York (too much planned that weekend, and I didn’t want to rush through the meal), and each time I saw Chef Ripert’s charming personality featured in a magazine or on TV, I felt that pang of regret all over again. So of course, dining at Le Bernardin was a top priority for this trip.

Walking in, the restaurant felt much less formal and chic than I had expected. It was subdued with soft brown woods and leather, while seascape paintings of Brittany added a touch of color on the walls. While the décor had a warm feel, it also felt a bit outdated, especially in contrast to the sleek and modern table settings.

I found the menu to be a bit overwhelming. There were 2 different tasting menus, and a 4 course ala cart menu. We decided to go for the ala carte so we could have more variety and taste each others’ dishes (there were 4 of us). However, with over 10 different seafood options for each course, there was a little too much to choose from. I do applaud their style of focusing on a main ingredient and not overworking the food – the menu was broken into Almost Raw, Barely Touched, and Lightly Cooked, and Dessert sections. And the presentation of the food was clean and graceful.

Amuse Bouche – fluke sashimi with citrus vinaigrette. Light and refreshing. Good way to whet our palates for the procession to come.

Tuna - thinly pounded yellowfin tuna over a fine layer of foie gras and toasted baguette with shaved chives and extra virgin olive oil. Absolutely sublime. The foie gras was light enough that it didn’t overpower the tuna, but added a rich lusciousness that made me want to close my eyes as I ate it…it was like eating toro (fatty tuna) and ankimo (monkfish liver) in one bite. All that decadence was then balanced by the delicate crunch of the wafer-thin toast. This dish was magnificent!

Octopus - charred octopus with fermented black bean-pear sauce vierge, ink-miso vinaigrette, and purple basil. Our waiter had recommended this dish to me, and I’m so glad he did. The octopus was beautifully cooked…so soft and tender with a gentle char, while the fermented black beans delivered a sharp, salty punch of flavor.

Sea Urchin Pasta topped with Organically Grown Farm-Raised Osetra Caviar - I had been dreaming of this special “off-the-menu” dish ever since I saw it featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations: Food Porn episode. I could practically taste the sea urchin coated pasta sliver down my throat and the caviar bursting in my mouth. I’m sorry to say that this dish did not live up to the dream. It was definitely good, but the pasta was didn’t quite encapsulate the amazing flavors of the sea urchin. It lacked complexity, and surprisingly, didn’t taste very different than a standard cream sauce. The pasta also didn’t do the beautiful beads of osetra caviar justice. This was especially disappointing since this dish cost an additional $120 on top of the set menu price.

Pear - cinnamon caramel parfait, liquid pear, smoked sea salt, fromage blanc sorbet. Deliciously sophisticated…I thoroughly enjoyed the many layers of flavors and textures in this dessert, especially the capsules of liquid pear.

Petit Fours - pistachio cherry tart, mini beignet, chocolate caramel, orange gelee. Dainty morsels of sweetness. The creme inside the tiny beignet was a nice surprise.

Because we love to share, I was also able to try a number of other dishes from my dining companions…

Sea Urchin – sea urchin roe on a bed of jalapeno–wasabi jam, seaweed salt, and wakame-orange scented broth. Mmmmm…there are few things better in this world than fresh sea urchin roe. Although jalapeno and wasabi usually have very strong flavors, they were mastered in a way so that just their essence was captured and enhanced the creamy, delicate sea urchin.
Hamachi – Vietnamese style marinated hamachi with nuoc mam vinaigrette. I love the sweet, sour, and pungent flavors of nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce), but its dominance made it difficult to taste the buttery flavor of the hamachi.
Langoustine – seared langoustine, mache, wild mushroom salad, shaved foie gras, and white balsamic vinaigrette. Oh, this was soooo good. The combination of langoustine, foie gras and wild mushrooms was phenomenal. Rich, buttery, earthy, salty…all in one bite!
Sea Urchin – sea urchin risotto with toasted nori and urchin-citrus emulsion. Like my sea urchin pasta, this dish was good but tasted one-dimensional (especially since it didn’t have caviar piled on top).
Hiramasa – seared yellowtail kingfish, chestnut-bacon jam, baby brussels sprouts and rich chardonnay-chestnut veloute. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the taste of this dish. I only vaguely remember thinking the fish seemed a tad overcooked and didn’t have a strong flavor profile.
Surf and Turf – escolar and seared Kobe beef, sea bean salad and eggplant fries, Mr. Kaufman’s pesto and anchovy sauce. Not sure who Mr. Kaufman is, but his sauce wasn’t very distinctive. The Kobe beef was probably the least impressive that I’ve had at any high-end restaurant (good thing that Le Bernardin’s specialty is seafood). What I did like about this dish was the plump, meaty escolar and the light, tasty eggplant fries.
Lobster – baked lobster on bed of foie gras stuffing with brandy-red wine sauce. I had major food envy when I tasted N’s lobster entrée. It was so succulent and flavorful, I wanted more. I highly recommend getting this dish – I know I will be if/when I come back!
Yuzu – yuzu parfait, meringue, green tea biscuit and ice cream. I didn't take any photos of the others’ dessert, but had to mention this yuzu dessert because it was the best dessert of the night. It was bright, slightly sweet, and surprisingly multi-faceted. The green tea ice cream was AMAZING! I’ve had many green tea desserts before, but I’ve never had one as elegant and complex as this.

All in all, I thought Le Bernardin was great but not as extraordinary as I thought it’d be. I REALLY, REALLY wanted to be swept off my feet and fall in love this place...but that didn't happen. Believe me, I had to struggle to keep my admiration of Chef Ripert from biasing my opinion. Speaking of Ripert, I saw him as I was literally walking out of the restaurant. I didn’t know he was there that night, and am so bummed about not getting to meet him!! Argh! Oh well, maybe I’ll get a chance to next time…yes, there will be a next time.

BITE METER: Le Bernardin – 4.2 bites (out of 5)

Train Ride from Boston to New York

B and I headed to New York for the weekend to visit our friends (thanks for being such wonderful hosts, D&N!). Maybe because I’m so used to flying around the country, I’d never thought of taking the train until B suggested it…I’ve been missing out! The train ride from Boston to New York was filled with gorgeous scenery as we passed through Connecticut and Rhode Island. It was so much more pleasant than sitting in a cramped airplane and actually took about same amount of time as flying (if you factor in time to/from airports, checking in, and security lines). The best part was that the Amtrak ticket cost half of what our plane tickets would have cost…sweet, more money to spend on food! :-9
One of the picturesque towns in Connecticut
Hello, Concrete Jungle!