8 Stuyvesant Street off Third Avenue
212/598.3041
about $60 for a lot of food for two, with drinks, without tip
♥ ♥
Kimchi fried rice, ramen bowls, yakitori, cold noodles and duk bo kki…
What more could you ask for after a night of drinking?
Author: cia
Leeks Vinaigrette
Adapted from Everyday Food
Ingredients:
2 stalks of leeks, whites and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and cut 1-inch crosswise, thoroughly washed and layers separated
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
splash of rice vinegar
red pepper flakes
salt, pepper and olive oil
1. Steam leeks over a pot of boiling water until tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Dry on paper towels and pat gently.
2. In a small bowl, whisk oil, mustards and vinegar. Season and with salt and pepper. Drizzle over leeks and sprinkle red pepper flakes on top before serving.
Aurora Ristorante
70 Grand Street at Wythe Avenue, Wiliamsburg, Brooklyn
718/388.5100
about $125 for two, with a bottle of wine, without tip
♥ ♥
Dinner’s always nice when a group of you eat and drink without feeling like you’re at a restaurant. The waiter asks for your orders and serves them unobtrusively. He also knows when to ask if everything is okay and knows when to leave you alone. I wondered whether this is just a Brooklyn thing, and if it is, I might find myself in the area more often.
Aurora was a very cozy place for us to eat dinner one cold, Saturday night. Five of us shared two bottles of wine; one light and sweet and the other, heavier, courtesy of our waiter who gladly suggested them even though they weren’t the most expensive bottles on the list. The octopus was warm with potatoes and capers. The veal tongue was done just right and not overpowering. I loved the bagna cauda, the Piedmont anchovy dip served in half a roasted red bell pepper; it went well with all the vegetables that came with it.
I haven’t had pork belly with skin that was evenly toasted and crispy. The meat was so tasty and not at all salty, which is easy to do with pork belly. The broccoli rabe and caramelized apple were side dishes with it.
The frisée, fennel and pear salad was a nice addition to our table. My truffle ice cream was perfect with the chocolate powder and sauce. It was a nice ending to a very comforting meal.
The E.U.
235 East 4th Street on Avenue B
212/254.2900
about $100 for two, with two drinks, without tip
While the owners of The E.U. wait for their liquor license, they will do the B.Y.O.B. thing rather than delay the opening of their restaurant. On opening night, we were seated at the right time before they started turning people away at the door. The menu is a mix of small plates and sandwiches. They also have a raw bar and offer a few kinds of cheeses. It’s an incredible space with glass panels they open to let the spring air in. Minus the frat boys who brought Bud Light in cans next to us, beautiful people flocked the other tables.
We asked for our orders to be served as soon as each plate is ready. The duck egg with duck prosciutto was prepared like eggs Benedict and was more filling than I expected. The beef cheek was a favorite on our table, slowly stewed and reminded me Babbo‘s ravioli. Small portobellos were baked with goat cheese, an appetizer I can always appreciate even though I can easily make them at home for less money. Small pieces of taleggio, pecorino and manchego cheeses were served with sweet seedless grapes, a honeycomb and a small piece of fig cake.
We also ordered a dozen of oysters and some crab claws and clams but when we asked our waiter to explain what periwinkles were, he told us that they were cured meat. Skeptical, I Googled the definition using my cell phone and found out that they are snails. Of course they’re snails! They were listed under the raw bar section of the menu! To test him and see how he would correct himself, we added them to our order after the first of our plates were already served. He returned and sheepishly admitted that they are indeed snails; apologized and blamed his ignorance at opening night. (He should have known it’s okay not to know something on the menu; just don’t make up shit.)
For dessert, we ordered the lemon crepe and the chocolate tart. Panna cotta was served instead of the chocolate tart and when we alerted another waiter, he took away the plate to correct it. A manager returned with it to our table, apologized and told us it was on the house while they prepare the chocolate tart. When our own waiter returned to ask if we’re set for the night, we told him that we were waiting for our chocolate dessert because he made a mistake by serving us panna cotta. At this point, I think he was just so stressed out that he insisted panna cotta is the same as the tart. An egregious error but we took it easy on him and let it slide. Our bill charged us for the panna cotta but not for the chocolate tart and the plate of $15 charcuterie that never came.
Not such a bad experience on opening night but I hope our waiter realizes that if he thought we were difficult, then he has a long way ahead of him. I’ll give The E.U. a star for now but I expect to add another when I return and finally eat that chocolate tart.
Update:
Apparently, after we left at opening night, the cops came to stop the ruckus. A lower east side resident complained of the noise. The E.U. might not be doing B.Y.O.B. anymore so call before you go. Therefore, the one star stays.
Sol y Sombra
462 Amsterdam Avenue & 82nd Street
212/400.4036
about $100 for two, with two drinks, without tip
It was a slow Thursday night and we decided to step out for tapas. I loved the white anchovies with vinaigrette but why were they served on a bed of Romaine lettuce? The grilled sardines were more fishy than what I’m used to. They would have been better with some roasted julienned red bell peppers on the side. Staples like the Galician octopus, artichoke hearts and Spanish sausages were good but the pork tenderloin was boring and the leeks with a variety of mushrooms shouldn’t have come with, well, the mushrooms.
Beautiful lanterns
The bars along Amsterdam Avenue in the upper west side are scenes from frat movies I’ve never seen. Even though our bill was a bit steep compared to other tapas bars in the city, it was a bit refreshing to sit inside Sol y Sombra and enjoy a glass of Tempranillo without bothering with boisterous young men.