Mermaid (Merman! Merman!)

Sorry I couldn't help using an odd Zoolander reference for the title of this post but please excuse me --the post has nothing to do with Zoolander at all or Mermaids/men for that matter.

If you don't like fish, you probably shouldn't go to an establishment with the word "Mermaid" in the name and that's just the case with The Mermaid Inn. The menu is filled with underwater delights and only one entree from above sea level- the pork chop. So note that before you make your reservation.

I had heard such great things about this small restaurant in the East Village so I was pretty stoked to try it out (they also have a location in the upper west side). L Dawg and I went at 730 on a Tuesday night and found the restaurant half full. On a Saturday I know it's packed. Regardless, when I walked in I was surprised to feel like I was on Long Island at the RiverBay (for LIers, you'll know what I'm talking about but its feels very nautical with maps and compasses abound). They sat us in the back and we could see the dimly lit garden from our table which would be perfect for a warm summer night but a little too chilly for early April.

We decided on the mussels and the seared tuna for appetizer. The mussels were skillet roasted rather than steamed which made for a tasty and different texture--when dipped into the drawn butter it almost made me feel like I was going through the motions of eating lobster. The seared tuna was also great. Perfectly seared meaning super rare with the ends barely cooked. The tuna was served with an egg, caper, and lemon mixture which looked kind of weird but tasted pretty good.

For entree, both LDawg and I got the Mahi Mahi, which was grilled with baby vegetables in an orange-chevril emulsion. This was good but I think I was pretty tipsy from the Vinho Verde at this piont. The Mahi Mahi was nothing exceptional but you can tell the fish was fresh and well prepared and I appreciated the leeks (which I love!). The wine we chose (the Vinho Verde) was surprisingly really good and tasted similar to an Alsacen Riesling. I think I was drinking pretty fast (maybe I was thirsty?).

And as usual whenever L Dawg and I get together, we can't stop talking. Our conversation is an endless flow of stories, laughing and venting and I think our server was scared to interrupt. We sat happily with our menus for 30 minutes before our waitress had an opportune time to ask us if we were ready when we weren't going to blow her off. All in all, we had a really fun and good meal and the chocolate puddings in the little espresso cups at the finish is a nice and delicious touch. Just remember if you and you're party are not willing to ALL endeavor under the sea, you might want to hit up another small restaurant on 2nd ave that can reel you to land.

Fresh Fish ala NYC/Greece

So I’m about to fly off to Greece tomorrow and I thought I’d just post one last time to hold you over (although I’ve been pretty bad lately..sorry it’s the summer! My apologies). Anyways, Mediterranean cuisine is probably one of my most favorite types of food so I’m pretty excited to explore the traditional meals and the fresh fish. I’ve already made a reservation at Nobu’s restaurant in Mykonos – Matsuhisa, which apparently they also have in LA.

Last night I actually went out to dinner to celebrate my Mom’s birthday at Aquagrill. We opted there for the convenience to my work and the fresh fish. My mom kept saying she liked the ‘variety.’ To be honest, I didn’t think it was so diverse but I always love fish so I can’t complain. The restaurant was good, but I wouldn’t go stark raving mad over it. I had the Chilean turbot served over cucumber and crab risotto. They give you a lot of fish; two nice size fillets and the sauce was pretty good; complimenting the fish well. For app, I had the warm octopus salad- this also, pretty good..but I was kind of testing my limits because I’m not really a fan of anything with suction cups on legs. They prepped it so that it was the least tentacley and leggy that it could possibly be and it was pretty tasty. My sister had the bonito sashimi and Japanese eggplant for starter and I thought that was tasty and extremely fresh as well.

I’ve heard some pretty good things about aquagrill but I really wasn’t blown away. Maybe I’m just too excited for the literally ‘just caught, fresh off the boat’ fish that I will be experiencing in Greece? In any case, there will definitely be a post or two when I return to the states whether to describe the tastes and smell of the Greek Islands or the over-abundance of alcohol…see you in 10 days!

Mom Hearts Jigmed

Usually when I go out to dinner with my family, my sister and I make a valiant effort to try and go somewhere delicious yet untrendy. My parents aren't exactly trendsetting (not that they're duds either), but, moreover, my dad expects a level of service that is often not found in an extremely busy and hip (yes, Ginger, I'm using the word again) establishment. Often in these type of restaurants, it's way less about food or service than it is about atmosphere and the scene. I guess this excalates on certain days of the week and especially on the weekends but we usually play it safe. My sister and dad's birthdays are pretty close together so we decided to do a joint celebration and my sister picked the restaurant. We opted for something asiany as that's my sister's fave, but once again a little troublesome with my mom who doesn't really eat japanese. After Tao was booked up, she looked into other options...and went with the downtown location of Megu. While the uptown version was close to our apt and probably an older crowd, we thought it best to go to the tribeca Megu even if it may be a bit more trendy. We all arrived at the restaurant and were seated promptly--however 10 minutes later, my dad was complaining about the sommelier and we began to get nervous.

Megu is beautiful though. We were seated in the downstairs dining room which sits below two stairwells that lead the path to a platform. In the center of the room is a buddah ice sculpture, and to the back the sushi bar and kitchen. We were seated directly next to the sculpture which my parents were enamored with and they wondered how it maintained its shape. But when my dad was disgruntled with the wine steward, my sister and I wondered if there was any way we would be able to turn his disappointment around. Luckily, Jigmed, our waiter arrived.

Jigmed was more than friendly, he was accomodating, helpful, and the apple of my Mom's eyes. When he first came over he explained to us how the menu worked: dishes are to share; choose a variety based on the pallete of each person at the table, and order a lot as the dishes are small. And the menu was definitely overwhelming...so as soon as he walked away we began to sort through the sections and my mom mentioned she thought he was cute. When he came back to the table, my dad asked Jigmed for Omikase for the table; he then asked us for the dishes that stood out to us, any allergies we might have and then he went to work preparing a customized dinner for us.

Jigmed started us with the crispy asparagus with 'okaki batter fry'- already he was on the way to my Mom's heart...she finds asparagus exciting and this asparagus had a nice little punch at the end. While the asapargus was still at the table, the yellowtail hamachi carpaccio with spicy kanzuri miso sauce was brought over, which was extremely fresh and delcious with a jalepeno on each slice. Following this came the red snapper salad with nuts and vegetables; which from the menu doesn't sound fantastic, but turned out to be one of the best dishes we had. This salad is prepared table side and basically looks like finely cut carrots and vegetables and some nuts. The server uses chopsticks to make little balls of the vegetables with dressing, and puts the snapper and nuts on top. Then he pours hot sesame oil over the snapper to sear it slightly and serves it. It was delicious to say the least, as was the bluefin tuna slices that came during the salad- super red and fresh. The dishes continued to come out ..and there were so many. Next was the sweet shrimp in kanzuir spicy cream which rivaled Nobu's spicy rock shrimp tempura, and then came some soft shell crab of some sort, which I can't fully eat because I actually might be allergic to it. When ordering Jigmed had asked if there was anything any of us really wanted on the menu, I answered the unagi, but the rest of my family was slightly creeped out by the thought of eel. Jigmed patiently tried to explain the taste and texture of 'uni' and somehow convinced everyone to try it including my mom, which would have been an unheard of thought before. I waited for the rest of my family to try the baked unagi with avocado and mentaikio sauce before i put mine in my mouth. I watched my mom's face, "This tastes like chilean sea bass," she said, which in mom-terms means "very good." I tried mine and while I liked it, I wan't blown away. After all these dishes, we didn't even know if we could handle any more and then the Kobe beef sliced grilled table side on a river stone came out; needless to stay it was awesome. The hot rock continued cooking the meat while on your table and was covered with pieces of garlic. The steak was tender, tasty and delicious-- a definite must have if you go to Megu. By the end of that, we were done. We had finished the white wine and the red wine (a 2005 Markeson Pinot Noir which was ridiculously fantastic and my dad shared with Jigmed who was extremely grateful), and then my dad ordered a dessert wine. The dessert wine was opened, my sister and mom had left for the bathroom, and to our surprise another entree came out--the grilled silver cod sikyo miso with green parsley sauce. We didn't know if we could even do another dish, but, of course, I pulled from deep within and gave it a try. Also really good: sweet and light. Jigmed apparently had sashimi ready to come out for us as well but we called that off and said we'd go with dessert instead.

While we discussed dessert with Jigmed, my father and him had a lengthy conversation about wine. I was watching my mom too, she was enthralled with what Jigmed was saying..."He's adorable," my mom procalimed. Jigmed even recommeded Landmarc down the block for well priced wines by the bottle and he gave his card. He then gave his dessert recommendations--we had a hard time choosing and opted for the fruit and chocolate fondue; the green tea crepes came as an extra and were by far the best.

The dinner that begun as "this could go horribly awry" actually beacame a "fantastic meal." This may be due partially to the delicious food, but I owe a lot of this to Jigmed; for giving my father the attention he insists upon and the wine talk to make him feel cool, and for providing my mom with eye candy and a 'nice personality'. And if you go to Megu and don't get him as a server, it's okay--the food stands for itself in excellence.

Fresh Sushi: The Unfishy fish

Ask 10 people where the best sushi is and you will probably get 10 different answers. If in your inquiries, you get an answer more than twice, it might just be some really good sushi. There are a few places in New York I hear over and over. Some are the trendy places that people like to name drop just to seem like they are 'in the know,' some are places that people just don't know any better not to name, and others I hear over and over...well, because they have the freshest and tastiest fish (some of these places come along with really large price tags- think Masa). One such place that I've begun to hear repeatedly is Sushi Seki, an unassuming little sushi restaurant in the upper east side. From the outside, a passerby would see a sign, a door, and mostly shaded windows, but step inside and there are people waiting for their tables wall to wall with reservations. The atmosphere itself is nothing special; simple tables with white linens and sparse walls, but I guess thats not the draw of the place.

When L-Dawg and I decided to go for a healthy dinner to catch up, the first thing that came to mind was sushi; as fish is one of the healthiest things a person can eat...and then because I know L-Dawg loves food just as much as I do, I thought about Sushi Seki. When we got to SS, there were people hudled around the small countertop referred to as "the bar" as they waited for their tables. I politely asked the hostess for our reservation and she told me "five minutes.." Okay, this didn't seem too bad. But it was so hot inside, L-Dawg and I decided to wait outside. When 15 minutes passed by and we still hadn't been contacted for our table, we decided to check back in. The hostess said, "They are just finishing their last roll..." I thought it was funny to determine the length of time a table would remain seated based on how many pieces of sushi they had left on their plates. In any case, we waited until our table was ready and 30 minutes later when we were brought to our seats we realized just how small th restaurant really was. Our table was one of two lined up along the wall of a narrow hallway that opened up into the "main dining room," which was probably a total of 8 tables. No wonder why there was a wait with reservations!

When we were seated, L-Dawg and I were ready to get down to business. We searched the menu for the Omakase; both of us were feeling adventurous and safe in a place that was rated so well for fresh fish. We queried the server for the difference between the Omakase and the speciality platter; she recommended the speciality platter as it all came out at once rather than piece by piece in the Omakase. We complied with our server's suggestion and started out with a salad each.

The salads were standard and good and the ginger dressing had an original hint of onion. When our speciality platter arrived, L-Dawg and I both had wide eyes. The waitress explained each piece on the menu and we decided to try each piece at the same time...its more fun that way. We started with the Alaskan King Salmon. While I'm not much of a raw salmon type girl, I must say it was great. Not fishy at all, fresh and delic with a bit of soy sauce. L Dawg and I kind of laughed each time we dipped a piece into the soy sauce because while our server said the soy sauce was unnecessary to the flavors of the fish, for some reason everytime we dipped in soy, it added a little somethin somethin.

From the salmon we moved onto the crab piece and onto the toro and so on and so on. Each piece was really good: tuna with tofu sauce, yellow tail with jalepeno, scallop sauteed in butter, spicy tuna, etc. I can't say I hated any of them. We even ordered some additional pieces so we can taste the eel, which seriously was sooo good. I took a bite of LDawgs and was forced by the laws of nature alone to get a piece for myself. It was good eel, the type that melts in your mouth. Like BUTTAH. I have to say, there have been times in my life where I've eaten sushi and felt a sense of well... a gag reflex. You know what I'm talking about! LDawg confirmed this feeling as well. Something just doesn't feel right and my throat is telling me so by closing up. I've felt this way about eel at least 2 out of the 4 times I've eaten it, which doesn't give eel a very good ratio in my mind...but this experience cleaned the slate for eel for me. Way to go eel..your back on my good side.

In any case, L Dawg and I pretty much cleaned house; we felt adventurous in the sushi department, enjoyed all the new pieces we had (even the benito--apparently a standard Japanese fish), and felt satiated after the meal (according to LDawg). Everything tasted fresh; nothing fishy; like a little bearded Japanese fisherman had made some great catches for the day.

To break it down...There is absolutely nothing new or innovative about sushi seki. There is nothing enticing about the atmosphere. Nothing fancy. But if you want really good traditional sushi and sashimi, this is your freshest bet. PS Make a reservation...even if you have to wait an extra half hour, I saw walk-ins turned away!