Author: cia

Pasha

70 West 71st Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West
212/579.8751
about $100 for two, with two drinks, without tip

After a half bottle of Moillard, we just couldn’t shake off the idea of lamb for dinner. Fortunately, Pasha was around the corner of the wine bar we were in. Even with the coat-check girl’s attitude, (If they find you a table, it will be uncomfortable because you don’t have a reservation.) we enjoyed their grape leaves stuffed with rice, pine nuts and currants. I’m going to have to copy this appetizer, also known as yaprak sarmai. We also shared the artichoke braised in lemon while we devoured their delicious bread in virgin olive oil. For a main course, I don’t think I’ve ever had a better hunkar begendi, baby lamb with puréed grilled eggplant. The smokiness of the eggplant was a great compliment to the tomatoes that were braised with the lamb. The meat was tender but not overdone.

Minus the coat-check girl–there’s a reason why she’s stuck with the coats–the service was notable. Perhaps it was quick because the maître d’ told us he would need our table after an hour even before we were seated but it didn’t feel like the waiters rushed us. They let us enjoy our meal and we actually did.

Jane

100 West Houston Street, off Thompson
212/254.7000
about $100 for two, with two drinks, without tip

We needed a table for six during peak dinner hour and Jane called us from a taxi cab on Houston. Seated in the back booth next to the kitchen, we were able to make noise that was way above the hushed tones of the entire restaurant. We started with a bowl of mussels and a plate of calamari. The tarragon in the mussels was a good burst of flavor but the Chardonnay broth was hardly slurpable; it needed some ginger to make it more hearty. My rare yellow fin tuna was excellent, served with spinach, shiitake mushrooms and fingerling potatoes in warm barigoule sauce.

The rib eye steak was very tasty with roasted garlic butter which came with a plate of giant onion rings. Never have I ignored good onion rings because of an even better steak.

On a Thursday night, the special was lamb with pasta that was only so-so but their dessert menu included warm chocolate chip cookies and a glass of cold milk with vanilla gelato that surely sealed the deal: we like Jane.

Li Hua

171 Grand Street on Baxter
212/343.0090
about $25 for two, without drinks, without tip
♥ ♥

Perhaps the only Korean restaurant near Chinatown, Li Hua attracts a lunch crowd willing to pay $9 for a lunch box of bulgogi, fried zucchini, salad and rice. For us coming from an office in SoHo, $9 isn’t bad; it’s even better when food under $10 is not Chinese.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but now that we’re situated in Chinatown, we’ve pretty much exhausted our Chinese food options. Li Hua impressed me with their yuk gae jang and chap jae noodles. Their special ramen bowl is also comforting at less than $7. When I’m feeling hungry, their hot stone bibimbap is worth it.

Oxtail Butcher’s-Style

Adapted from Mario Batali’s Coda alla Vaccinara

Ingredients:
2 lbs calf oxtails, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 tbsps tomato paste
3 medium-sized carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 ribs of celery, leaves reserved, stalks finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 large red onion, thinly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 strips of bacon, cut into pieces
1 cup dry white wine
a pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tbsps sherry vinegar
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, olive oil

1. Bring 12 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Add the oxtails and reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the oxtails and save 2 cups of the broth. In the 2 cups of broth, dissolved the tomato paste.
2. In a large Dutch oven, heat some olive oil and cook the bacon. Brown the oxtails on both sides and transfer them to a plate.
3. Add garlic, onions, carrots and half the parsley to the pot and sauté until carrots are tender. Return the oxtails and add the wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the wine is reduced in half.
4. Pour the tomato-broth mixture over the oxtails. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Then add the celery, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the oxtails to a platter.
5. Remove the meat from the bones. (This is a pain in the aSs but the meat should come off easily and a boning knife will help you get into the nooks.) Stir the meat into the sauce to warm it up. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the celery leaves, the remaining parsley, bell pepper, onion, pepper flakes and cinnamon together. Toss with some olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Serve this on top of the oxtail meat.

Cheese Tortellini Kielbasa Soup

I got this recipe from Cameron who got it from epicurious.com. It’s one of our favorite cold-weather soups. I’ve done several versions of this, and actually like it better without the beans. Sometimes, I use orzo or leftover boiled white rice if I don’t have tortellini available. Because I usually make my own chicken stock, I end up cooking this soup as soon as I’ve removed all the impurities that float to the top.

Ingredients:
1 9-ounce package cheese tortellini
1 packaged fully-cooked smoked kielbasa sausage, thinly sliced
1 15-ounce can cannellini, or white kidney beans, rinsed, drained
1 bunch kale, thoroughly washed, roughly chopped
1 medium-sized fresh fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsps fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
10 cups chicken stock
1 cup Asiago cheese or Parmesan cheese, shaved
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic until golden, onions until translucent, fennel until soft and kielbasa is brown, about 12 minutes.
2. Add broth and bring to boil. Stir in thyme, kale and cannellini. Reduce heat to low and simmer until kale is wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add tortellini to soup. Simmer until pasta is just tender but still firm to bite, about 5 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve and let your guests top it with cheese.