Writing With My Mouth Full

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    • Kurumazushi

      7 East 47th Street 2nd floor between Madison and Fifth Avenues
      212/317-2802
      $350 for two, with four beers, with tip

      Dining in Kurumazushi is no joke and that’s apparent as soon as you walk in the tight second floor space in midtown Manhattan. The entire staff greets you loudly and the attention given doesn’t wane until you leave the building. Our waiter watched us eat like a hawk. A drop spilled from the boy’s teacup and he came running to wipe his tray clean. A dangling piece of mackerel escaped my big bite and he immediately replaced my mat. Our sushi chef at the bar was old but he was also the jolliest and the liveliest Japanese man I’ve ever met. His assistant is surprisingly a young Dominican (!) woman (!) who has been training under his tutelage for about ten years (!).

      We opted for the omakase and never regretted a second of it until the $350 bill came at the end of the night. The chef started us off with otoro, then the yellowfin, the clam, the snapper and the mackerel, everything prepared in pairs. When we told him that we were getting full, he asked if we wanted to end our meal with uni. A smile reached my ears; there’s always room for a sea urchin or two. We also asked for miso and nameko mushroom soup to calm our stomachs.

      I’ve followed Ruth Reichl to Kurumazushi but I don’t think I will ever return and eat there again unless someone else foots the bill.

    • Spice Market

      13th Street on Ninth Avenue, New York City
      212/675-2322
      $150 for three, with three drinks, without tip

      You walk into Spice market and you immediately think, This place is massive! The place is beautifully decorated, if not a little too dark, and utilizes a lot of wood instead of glass like 66, another Jean-Georges restaurant. Spice Market is bustling. There are staff members constantly running around. Some of them in backless salmon-colored pantsuits and tunics, some in short mini-skirts. The less attractive ones, I noticed, were wearing black sweaters and jeans. Our table was for 8pm and the place was already hoppin’ by the time we got there. The constant traffic is a little disorienting but I do not expect less from a restaurant in the Meatpacking District. In this neighborhood, you go to party, not to eat.

      The food is typical Jean-Georges. You are encouraged to order several dishes to share with your group family-style. We started with the black-peppered shrimps with pineapple. The sweet and sour mixed with the spicyness was a good introduction but I ate more pineapple than I did shrimps for $14.50. The lime noodles were served with too much lime and I was cringing at every bite. I like my pasta al dente but I prefer my noodles soft and slippery. The mussels and the chicken wings, I felt, did not belong in the menu even though they were smothered with chili sauce and basil leaves. Good thing I had my Singha to match.

      The green papaya was delicious as well as the squid salad. We were finally eating Thai food without the frills. I liked the halibut which was perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. I also loved the shaved tuna sashimi which came with small tapioca pearls in coconut milk. It tasted clean and pure. The mint tea was a great end to the overwhelming flavors that fought for my attention. By 11pm, nothing else mattered.

      I’m satisfied with simplicity. I don’t need the entire production to be impressed.

    • Perry St.

      176 Perry Street on West
      212/352-1900
      about $150 for two, with two drinks, without tip

      Whenever I tried to make a reservation at Perry St., my only option was either 6pm or at 11:30. When I met my dining partner at our table in the back, the restaurant looked very empty at six. Perhaps they were reserving the tables just in case Nicole Kidman or Lenny Kravitz, residents of the Richard Meier building that also houses the restaurant, decide to drop by.

      Perry St. is Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s eighth restaurant in Manhattan and it shows. The modernist interior welcomes the sunset glow along the Hudson River; it screams New York City. Diners look like the more affluent version of Spice Market’s fans but are a little older than the people in 66, two more of Jean-Georges’ establishments. The food is more “new American” but still focuses on the simplest Asian fares like red snapper sashimi, crab dumplings and roasted cod. Our fig dessert was served on a warm biscuit with ice cream, a delightful offering that was similar to one I had in London’s The Farm. They do not have a lot of wine available by the glass but a few good Belgian and German beers can be ordered from the bar.

    • Blue Hill Restaurant

      75 Washington Place between MacDougal and Sixth Avenue
      212/539.1776
      about $150 for two, with two drinks, without tip
      ♥ ♥

      To welcome autumn, Nabi and I had dinner at Blue Hill in the West Village last night. It’s probably the first restaurant in the city that attempts to be an answer to Chez Panisse with all their locally-grown produce offered on the menu. Everything we ate reminded me of that day in Berkeley, but in a more intimate outdoor summer night setting.

      So intimate in fact, that a gargantuan roach decided to drop on my bread plate in the middle of my admiring the Berkshire pork. Our very good-looking waiter happened to be right next to me attending to the other table when it happened and I managed to grab and dig my fingernails on his arm to muffle my scream. I stood up and walked away without knocking our wine glasses. Nabi said she watched the waiter gracefully, and quickly, cover the plate with a napkin and walk away with it.

      The manager ran to our table after hearing about the incident. He was very thankful that I did not make a scene to scare the rest of the restaurant. They comped everything from our main course on: the soufflé, an extra glass of white for Nabi, two glasses of dessert wine and a pot of mint tea. I think they should have comped the entire meal, but maybe the roach wasn’t large enough.

      Sans the Kafka episode, the food was refreshingly divine. We started with the different kinds of tomatoes in watermelon, cucumber and basil jus. We also split the Maine crab salad. Nabi had the wild striped bass which was cooked perfectly. My pork came from a very happy pig indeed, its own juice sweet without help from any kind of sauce.

      After an entire conversation that involved mastication and other big vocabulary words not roach-related, we walked out of the restaurant happy and content. Blue Hill remains as one of my favorite New York City restaurants, but I have to subtract two stars because of the roach. I like organic, but not that organic.

      Related post/s:
      I have replicated the delicious watermelon and tomato salad many times

    • Watermelon and Tomato Salad

      This is one of my favorite summer salads adapted from Dan Barber’s Blue Hill Restaurant in New York City. In the summer, you can go to the market and all kinds of tomatoes are available. Watermelon also come cheap. This salad is already refreshing, but to add mint and basil in it just makes it more special.

      Ingredients:
      1 watermelon, preferably seedless, rind removed, cubed
      1 quart of yellow, red, orange cherry or graped tomatoes, halved
      lemon juice
      red wine vinegar
      1 small Thai chili, chopped
      handful of basil, finely chopped
      handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
      olive oil, salt, pepper

      1. Into a bowl, whisk the vinegar and the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chili and the herbs.
      2. Add the tomatoes and the watermelon. Toss. Chill and serve.

    • Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad

      Adapted from Fergus Henderson of St. John, London

      Ingredients:
      several pieces of marrow bone
      half a bunch of flat-leafed parsley, coarsely chopped
      2 shallots, finely chopped
      lemon juice
      olive oil
      salt and pepper

      1. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt all over bones. Roast in oven, about fifteen minutes each side.
      2. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and serve on top of cooked bones.
      3. Enjoy by scooping out the fatty goodness and spreading it on toast with the parsley salad.

    • Grilled Skirt Steak with Vietnamese Chimichurri

      Adapted from The New York Times

      Ingredients:
      1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
      1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
      1 tsp sugar
      1 small Thai chili, stemmed and seeded
      2 tbsps fresh lime juice
      2 tsps chopped garlic, or to taste
      2 medium shallots, chopped
      1/2 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
      1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
      leaves of Boston lettuce, washed and dried
      salt and pepper

      1. Combine fish sauce, pepper, sugar, chili, lime juice, garlic and shallots in a small glass bowl and mash with a pestle. Add mint and cilantro and mash some more. Taste and adjust seasonings as you like.
      2. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper and grill 4 minutes a side. Cut into strips, arrange over lettuce, and serve with sauce and roll up.

      Note: Recipe calls for grilling. In my New York City kitchen, I simply cooked the steak in a skillet with very hot oil. I also used Romaine lettuce as a substitute.

    • Red Wine Squid Salad

      Adapted from Cold Food’s chargrilled octopus recipe

      Ingredients:
      1 pound squid, cleaned, washed, paper towel-dried
      2 tbsps red wine
      2 tbsps soy sauce
      2 tbsps hoisin sauce
      3 cloves garlic, crushed
      vegetable oil
      salt and pepper

      1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl to make marinade. Add squid, too and marinate for a couple of hours.
      2. When ready to cook, drain and save the marinade.
      3. Heat a deep skillet and grease with a little oil. Fry squid until it’s white on both sides, about 3 minutes per. Brush with some of the marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper while cooking. Try not to overcook so they are not tough. Slice and serve either hot or cold with mixed greens.

    • Poached Eggs with Oyster Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas and Hazelnuts

      Adapted from The Tasting Room, New York City

      Ingredients:
      2 pints of oyster mushrooms
      1 cup sugar snap peas, destringed
      1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
      4 large eggs
      chicken stock
      1 tbsp butter
      1/3 cup crushed hazelnuts
      2 tbsp chives, minced
      salt and pepper

      1. Clean mushrooms, using your fingers to brush away dirt and remove woody parts. Break into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
      2. Place a small pot of salted water over high heat. When water boils, add peas and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water.
      3. Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add mushrooms and stir until their color deepens and aroma intensifies, about two minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, remove from heat and continue stirring. After a minute, mushrooms should release some liquid; if not, add a tablespoon or two of the stock. Return pan to heat, add butter and peas and stir until hot, about 2 minutes. Shut off heat and divide among four plates.
      4. Fill a deep skillet with a few inches of water, add vinegar and salt and place over high heat. Crack eggs into small, separate cups. When water boils, reduce heat to a low simmer and carefully pour in eggs one at a time. Cook until whites are firmly set. Strain eggs with a slotted spoon and transfer each to a plate atop mushrooms. Sprinkle with hazelnuts, chives and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

    • Grilled Lamb Chops with Corn Pudding and Balsamic Mint Jus

      Adapted from Chefs A’Field

      Ingredients:
      For the chops:
      8 lamb rib chops
      2 tbsps fresh rosemary, chopped
      2 tbsps fresh thyme, chopped
      1 clove garlic, minced
      1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

      For the corn pudding:
      vegetable oil, for greasing pan 2 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 2 or 3 ears)

      2 cups heavy cream
      5 large eggs
      1/2 cup finely diced onion
      3 cloves garlic, sautéed slowly in oil until soft but not browned
      3 large egg whites
      salt

      For the jus:
      1 cup balsamic vinegar
      1/2 cup strong veal stock or beef broth
      1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, julienned
      salt and pepper

      1. To marinate chops: In a large bowl or plastic storage bag, combine lamb chops, rosemary, thyme, garlic and olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 24 hours.
      2. To prepare corn pudding: Heat oven to 325°. Lightly oil an 8-inch-square baking pan and set aside. Place 1 1/4 cups corn in a food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add cream and process until corn is puréed. Transfer to a large bowl and add remaining 1 1/4 cups corn, eggs, onion and garlic.
      3. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites to medium peaks. Fold whites into corn mixture, and season with salt to taste. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until set and golden on top, about 1 hour. While pudding is baking, prepare jus and chops.
      4. To prepare jus: Place vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Boil until reduced by half. Remove from heat and add veal stock and mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and keep warm.
      5. To finish and serve: Heat a grill to medium-high. Lightly grill chops to taste. Place a serving of corn pudding on each of four plates. Lean 2 chops against pudding. Drizzle balsamic jus around plate and serve.

    • Buddhai Bodai

      5 Mott Street at Worth, New York City
      212/566-8388
      about $60 for two, without drinks, without tip
      ♥ ♥

      I never thought I’d say this but I love vegetarian food! That is, if it’s from Buddha Bodai. They specialize in both kosher and Buddhist vegetarian meals, so during a busy day, the restaurant is abuzz. Sundays are a scene when the Jews and the Chinese are in one room eating dim-sum. Service is efficient and fast, but don’t expect all of them to warm up to you; it’s nothing personal.

      Most people get turned off with gluten because the fake meat does not sound appealing to them. I’m an omnivore, so I tend to agree, but Buddha Bodai does vegetarian really well. The lettuce song is crispy rice, fried noodles and pine nuts. You put some plum sauce on a piece of lettuce, scoop some of the filling and wrap it and eat it like a roll. I love the texture of this dish and it’s one of their best appetizers. The barbecue is a must-have. It’s actually the dish that changed my mind about vegetarian food. It’s so tasty, I could even be convinced that it’s not gluten but real meat.

      I love the mushroom with black bean sauce. The mushroom flavor is so intense even the thick brown sauce can’t cover it. The crispy duck is really paper-thin tofu skins that taste even better when dipped in duck sauce. At Buddha Bodai, you’ll also have the best broccoli of your life. They’re bright green and perfectly tender flash-fried in garlic sauce. I wish parents would introduce their children to their version of broccoli as I’m sure any one, no matter what age, will love them.

      Don’t skip the ginger pine nut fried rice or the house special congee especially if you go with a big group of people. The servings are more than enough and everything is so much better to share with your friends, dim-sum style.

    • Miso Roasted Duck

      I cook duck more than I cook turkey because I can easily buy it fresh from Chinatown. There’s something about roasting your own duck and waiting for its skin to turn into that right shade of golden brown–mahogany, even.

      Ingredients:
      1 whole fresh duck, excess fat trimmed, giblets removed
      1/4 cup miso
      1 cup honey
      2 cups soy sauce
      1 cup cold black coffee
      1/4 cup ginger, finely chopped
      1/3 cup brown sugar
      1 orange, halved
      1 lemon, halved
      1 lime, halved

      1. Wash duck and dry with paper towels. Using a fork, pierce the duck skin all over to allow the flavor of the marinade to penetrate and the fat to drain.
      2. Prepare the marinade. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl except for the citrus. Stir well until miso and sugar are dissolved. Squeeze the citrus juice into the marinade then stuff the cavity of the duck with the citrus halves. Marinate the duck on a plate, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
      3. When ready to roast the next day, preheat oven to 450º. Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan. Fold the wings back and tie the legs together. Roast the duck for 20 minutes to caramelize the sugar and set a rich, mahogany color. After 20 minutes, drop the temperature to 325º and roast for another hour.

      Related post/s:
      Where to buy duck