And the response to Ms.Wild Ginger's letter:
Dear Ms. Ginger,
First and foremost, we would like to apologize for the embarrassing situation that occurred in the restaurant last night. Because of our surrounding area which includes many nightclubs and high profile eateries, we are often the target of "stings" by police enforcement and they have sent many patrons into our restaurant that match your physical description. We have to err on the side of caution as it can lead to the closing of the restaurant. We are a neighborhood restaurant and while we certainly did not mean to insult you, these patrons that are undercover also use state issued ID cards rather than driver's licenses while also looking very young and fresh faced!
I have spoken with the Manager and he assured me that he was not trying to issue any hostility towards you and he did know that you have been in before as it is recorded in our Open Table reservation system. If he offended you in any other way except refusing to serve you, I need to know that so we can further discuss it with him. However a judgment call was made in favor of keeping our business alive so we can continue to serve the neighborhood and loyal customers like yourself. Again, we apologize and would like to see you again soon. If you do decide to return, please have dinner for two on us. If you wish to have your name deleted from our system, please advise. While it is not our wish for you to do so, your decision will be respected and granted. If you would like to speak to me directly, please do not hesitate to call me. I am here everyday until 3:00 save Thursday and Sunday.
I appreciate you taking the time to write to us,
Sincerely,
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What's the point of recording clients in open table if not to better serve them? Did they add a comment- looks underage? I mean Cmon....
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
To Age Gracefully...
As an unfathomable follow-up to the below post, I give you Ginger's grievance letter to the management at Crispo. I know that some of us do look young, but twice in one month is unreal...and this time, even with all the proper documentation, the management refused to serve.
Good Morning,
My name is Wild Ginger I am a 25 year old female who has lived in the Meatpacking District, XXX West 14th Street Apartment X -to be exact, for the last three years. I have frequented your restaurant quite often in both large groups or for dinner with a single companion.
Last night I was involved in one of the most utter embarrassing and blatantly disrespectful incidents I have ever experienced from any restaurant staff. I had met my friend T(also 25 years old) at your restaurant and asked the host for a table for two in your garden. The host sat us without the wine menu, so when the waitress asked for our beverage order we had said we were interested in a bottle of Montepulciano. Since there are three offered at your restaurant, she brought the menu and after we selected one, she kindly asked to see our IDs. Tand I do have young faces so we happily obliged. Five minutes after being carded by the waitress and her leaving the tableside , the older male host (who we later learned was also the manager) came back over and asked to see our IDs again. Noticing other patrons were starting to watch the commotion at our table, I unsmilingly handed over our IDs. He took our State issued New York and New Jersey (T) IDs for five minutes, came back and said 'he did not believe they were real and he could not serve us, but if we liked we could stay for dinner.' T being flabbergasted said she could provide a wallet full of backup but he refused. I, being mortified, already knew that the meal was over before it had begun. We promptly stood up and asked him to speak to a manager to which he replied that he was.
There is no explanation I can possibly think of in this world as to why the man was so incredibly rude and disrespectful to us. We are two attractive, young looking, and stylish girls. Additionally, given how often we have frequented your restaurant, I am surprised at this point that he does not recognize us-which one would think any respectful restaurant appropriately does to its returning clientele.
Since I was also in Crispo on Saturday October 13 at around 8:15pm (yes I used to frequent Crispo that often) I am asking you to look up my receipts. Check your database as well, as reservations with other parties I have brought to your business are also made in my name. I am sure that my frequent patronage although has gone unnoticed by the incompetent Crispo staff is documented somewhere. Please provide me with a contact for the supervisor of the male manager who was on duty last night, as well as any possible (though improbable) explanation for the horrible incident that occurred last night. Also be sure delete me from your database of patrons. Please also be advised that this email will be followed up accordingly.
Best,
Wild Ginger
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And to be followed up accordingly we mean posted publically on 3 course discourse.
Good Morning,
My name is Wild Ginger I am a 25 year old female who has lived in the Meatpacking District, XXX West 14th Street Apartment X -to be exact, for the last three years. I have frequented your restaurant quite often in both large groups or for dinner with a single companion.
Last night I was involved in one of the most utter embarrassing and blatantly disrespectful incidents I have ever experienced from any restaurant staff. I had met my friend T(also 25 years old) at your restaurant and asked the host for a table for two in your garden. The host sat us without the wine menu, so when the waitress asked for our beverage order we had said we were interested in a bottle of Montepulciano. Since there are three offered at your restaurant, she brought the menu and after we selected one, she kindly asked to see our IDs. Tand I do have young faces so we happily obliged. Five minutes after being carded by the waitress and her leaving the tableside , the older male host (who we later learned was also the manager) came back over and asked to see our IDs again. Noticing other patrons were starting to watch the commotion at our table, I unsmilingly handed over our IDs. He took our State issued New York and New Jersey (T) IDs for five minutes, came back and said 'he did not believe they were real and he could not serve us, but if we liked we could stay for dinner.' T being flabbergasted said she could provide a wallet full of backup but he refused. I, being mortified, already knew that the meal was over before it had begun. We promptly stood up and asked him to speak to a manager to which he replied that he was.
There is no explanation I can possibly think of in this world as to why the man was so incredibly rude and disrespectful to us. We are two attractive, young looking, and stylish girls. Additionally, given how often we have frequented your restaurant, I am surprised at this point that he does not recognize us-which one would think any respectful restaurant appropriately does to its returning clientele.
Since I was also in Crispo on Saturday October 13 at around 8:15pm (yes I used to frequent Crispo that often) I am asking you to look up my receipts. Check your database as well, as reservations with other parties I have brought to your business are also made in my name. I am sure that my frequent patronage although has gone unnoticed by the incompetent Crispo staff is documented somewhere. Please provide me with a contact for the supervisor of the male manager who was on duty last night, as well as any possible (though improbable) explanation for the horrible incident that occurred last night. Also be sure delete me from your database of patrons. Please also be advised that this email will be followed up accordingly.
Best,
Wild Ginger
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And to be followed up accordingly we mean posted publically on 3 course discourse.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Awk-ward
With the ridiculously busy schedules everyone has, it's impossible to get Doogs, Ging, ADuh and myself for dinner together. Doogs is busy holding ovaries and studying bacteria in med school, A Duh is slaving a way in the name of beauty for her PR firm, and Ging is running around meat packing with a bunch of Frenchies. (I think I might have just given away the psuedoynyms of these 3 characters..ha). In any case, when we spontaneously planned a dinner for last Saturday night and everyone was able to make it, it was a wonderful surprise...and to make matters better, Ging was going to a party up town and didn't mind going the distance for the restaurant so uptown (above 14th street) was our oyster.
Originally, we tried to get into Rosa Mexicana but their next availability for 4 was 10pm and we said forget it. I did some research and read about this restaurant Fiorini that had just opened at the end of August. It sounded great--traditional Italian fare with a bit of modernism. It was opened by Donatella Arpaia’s (of famed Donatella and Burke, and the short lived Dona) father Lello (whose last restaurant was Bellini). The few reviews I found online said "Get here fast..before it's impossible to get in" so I thought that it would be a great opportunity.
When I arrived the last of the 4 to the restaurant, I could see through the window three young women amongst a sea of old people in proper jackets with a sprinkling of well established gay men in their 40s wearing pasley wall-papered shirts. As Ging put it best, "I wondered if my watch was wrong and it was really 5:30- was this the early bird special?" I soon learned that was the least of the awkwardness.
I sat down to the table and in usual ritual- Doogs handed me the wine list..I deferred to Ging as I'm not that familiar with Italian wine. Scanning through the menu, I found a slew of entrees I desired and narrowed it down to the tuna steak and the roasted swordfish with tomato olive and caper sauce. The table chose 2 appetizers to split - the asparagus with breads crumbs lemon and butter and the grilled calamari with mixed greens. When the server came over, it was like all chaos broke loose. He took Doogs's order and then as Ging ordered the 2nd app he mentioned they didnt have any calamari left. We scrambled to find a 2nd app while Aduh asked for a suggestion which the server was answering with dishes that contained speck and other delicacies Aduh would def not touch. She ended up with classic spaghetti and meatballs. I opted for the swordfish...we tried to order the clams as our 2nd app instead but it seemed unclear if the waiter got that. We thought- "Well at least we ordered our wine.."
The sommelier came out with our wine and the first words to exit his mouth were, "Are you all 21?" ADuh and Ging joked they were 17 & 18 but I guess that wasn't the time to joke. He poured our wine and I tasted..swiching the glass in circular motions on the table before the red contents entered my mouth. Would a 19 yr old really have the know how to properly taste a glass of wine? (well I guess..I think I knew how when I was 19). Anyways as much as that brought attention to our table in the small restaurant, the embarassment wasn't over yet. The sommelier returned to ask for one of our IDs! How inappropriate!! Everyone at the table was 24 and 25 years old and we were at a nice restaurant. I don't ever remember being actually carded at a restaurant that was supposed to have class. If they wondered--they asked and took your word for it. The elderly woman next to us started saying loudly, "Are those girls getting carded?!" Regardless to say, the steward had already poured our wine..what would he have done if we were under age? Take back our glasses? He returned with Doogs ID to say, "You girls are going to age gracefully..blah blah blah." Yes, we know that already- thanks for sharing and making our dinner extremely awkward by shining the fact that were 50 years younger than everyone else in the restaurant.
Then our appetizer came..and yes, I say that singularly. Our waiter did not 'catch' the clams although we said it twice and a plate of asparagus came out for the table.
A server put two pieces of asparagus on each of our plates, while saying "Well..it's not going to be much" with a snicker. The experience was just getting better and better. One thing I do have to say- although I would NEVER go back if you're under 35 or look young for your age for fear of majorly awkward meal, is that the food was really great. Everything was super fresh and tasty with subtle details that made the difference. The asparagus was beefy with the perfect ratio of lemon to butter lightly on the stalk. My swordfish was delicious with probably the best tomatoe olive caper sauce I've ever had- as it was just the right salt factor in a sauce that can be completely over saltified easily. Doogs loved her spinach gnocci as did Ging really enjoy her chicken with sausage in wine sauce. Even ADuh' spaghetti and meatballs was elegantly put together.
In addition to the staff and our fellow diners making us feel uncomfortable, there was the "we can't talk about our usual subject matter" awkwardness- yes, that means no hot lunch talk and other materials from urban dictionary. Usually 1 out of 5 words that comes out of Ging's mouth is about sex or something otherwise inappropriate. Everytime she uttered the words, "Sex, dick, masterbate" she had to whisper, which I must say was pretty hillarious. "He has a girlfriend but he told me he wanted to have (whisper) sex with me." And that's probably the cleanest of the statements.
When the dessert menus came, we couldn't even think of staying another instant in the restaurant. We wanted to run for our lives so we opted for some dessert wine at my place (ala Daddy K). As soon as we left the doors behind us, we felt a sigh of relief--we were so happy to be out of that awkwardness and onto the streets (where obviously anything goes).
As we were walked into my apartment, Ging started telling a story starting with the phrase "If I had a dick..." Ahh, it's good to be a mature 24 year old at home with her friends...
Originally, we tried to get into Rosa Mexicana but their next availability for 4 was 10pm and we said forget it. I did some research and read about this restaurant Fiorini that had just opened at the end of August. It sounded great--traditional Italian fare with a bit of modernism. It was opened by Donatella Arpaia’s (of famed Donatella and Burke, and the short lived Dona) father Lello (whose last restaurant was Bellini). The few reviews I found online said "Get here fast..before it's impossible to get in" so I thought that it would be a great opportunity.
When I arrived the last of the 4 to the restaurant, I could see through the window three young women amongst a sea of old people in proper jackets with a sprinkling of well established gay men in their 40s wearing pasley wall-papered shirts. As Ging put it best, "I wondered if my watch was wrong and it was really 5:30- was this the early bird special?" I soon learned that was the least of the awkwardness.
I sat down to the table and in usual ritual- Doogs handed me the wine list..I deferred to Ging as I'm not that familiar with Italian wine. Scanning through the menu, I found a slew of entrees I desired and narrowed it down to the tuna steak and the roasted swordfish with tomato olive and caper sauce. The table chose 2 appetizers to split - the asparagus with breads crumbs lemon and butter and the grilled calamari with mixed greens. When the server came over, it was like all chaos broke loose. He took Doogs's order and then as Ging ordered the 2nd app he mentioned they didnt have any calamari left. We scrambled to find a 2nd app while Aduh asked for a suggestion which the server was answering with dishes that contained speck and other delicacies Aduh would def not touch. She ended up with classic spaghetti and meatballs. I opted for the swordfish...we tried to order the clams as our 2nd app instead but it seemed unclear if the waiter got that. We thought- "Well at least we ordered our wine.."
The sommelier came out with our wine and the first words to exit his mouth were, "Are you all 21?" ADuh and Ging joked they were 17 & 18 but I guess that wasn't the time to joke. He poured our wine and I tasted..swiching the glass in circular motions on the table before the red contents entered my mouth. Would a 19 yr old really have the know how to properly taste a glass of wine? (well I guess..I think I knew how when I was 19). Anyways as much as that brought attention to our table in the small restaurant, the embarassment wasn't over yet. The sommelier returned to ask for one of our IDs! How inappropriate!! Everyone at the table was 24 and 25 years old and we were at a nice restaurant. I don't ever remember being actually carded at a restaurant that was supposed to have class. If they wondered--they asked and took your word for it. The elderly woman next to us started saying loudly, "Are those girls getting carded?!" Regardless to say, the steward had already poured our wine..what would he have done if we were under age? Take back our glasses? He returned with Doogs ID to say, "You girls are going to age gracefully..blah blah blah." Yes, we know that already- thanks for sharing and making our dinner extremely awkward by shining the fact that were 50 years younger than everyone else in the restaurant.
Then our appetizer came..and yes, I say that singularly. Our waiter did not 'catch' the clams although we said it twice and a plate of asparagus came out for the table.
A server put two pieces of asparagus on each of our plates, while saying "Well..it's not going to be much" with a snicker. The experience was just getting better and better. One thing I do have to say- although I would NEVER go back if you're under 35 or look young for your age for fear of majorly awkward meal, is that the food was really great. Everything was super fresh and tasty with subtle details that made the difference. The asparagus was beefy with the perfect ratio of lemon to butter lightly on the stalk. My swordfish was delicious with probably the best tomatoe olive caper sauce I've ever had- as it was just the right salt factor in a sauce that can be completely over saltified easily. Doogs loved her spinach gnocci as did Ging really enjoy her chicken with sausage in wine sauce. Even ADuh' spaghetti and meatballs was elegantly put together.
In addition to the staff and our fellow diners making us feel uncomfortable, there was the "we can't talk about our usual subject matter" awkwardness- yes, that means no hot lunch talk and other materials from urban dictionary. Usually 1 out of 5 words that comes out of Ging's mouth is about sex or something otherwise inappropriate. Everytime she uttered the words, "Sex, dick, masterbate" she had to whisper, which I must say was pretty hillarious. "He has a girlfriend but he told me he wanted to have (whisper) sex with me." And that's probably the cleanest of the statements.
When the dessert menus came, we couldn't even think of staying another instant in the restaurant. We wanted to run for our lives so we opted for some dessert wine at my place (ala Daddy K). As soon as we left the doors behind us, we felt a sigh of relief--we were so happy to be out of that awkwardness and onto the streets (where obviously anything goes).
As we were walked into my apartment, Ging started telling a story starting with the phrase "If I had a dick..." Ahh, it's good to be a mature 24 year old at home with her friends...
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Roll it up
Although Persian, my friend 'Koover' can cook Asian food like a pro. If there was anyone I would attempt to roll sushi with for the first time, it would absolutely be him. So when he was in town visiting a couple weeks ago and we happened to pass by the Japanese market I'd noticed so many times before (and have always desperately wanted to go inside), we spontaneously made the decision to make sushi for dinner that night.
My sis, Koovs, and I shopped around the small market for all the essentials: Koover, of course, guiding us with what we needed and taking charge of reading the directions on the sushi rice so we got the right vinegar and other essentials. When we left the market we had rice, fresh sushi grade tuna, ebi, seawood, avocado, vinegar and green tea ice cream in hand. We stopped on our way back to my apartment for the bamboo roller, some mango, basil and tomatoes. We were really excited to break the seal and roll sushi for the first time as none of us had done it before.
I left the rice making to Koovs. He's a rice making pro although he usually make Jasmine rice and not the sticky rice required for sushi rolls. Regardless, the rice was perfect and we tried to stay true to the directions by using a small battery operated fan while pouring in the vinegar and stirring. Pretty funny image to see my sister with a light up fan next to this big pot of rice; I'm sure that's not exactly the way they did it back in the day. Anyways...while the rice was cooking, Koovs and I cut up all the ingredients to go in the rolls: Avocado, mango, tomatoes, basil and the tuna and shrimp. We set up a station on my kitchen table with little bowls that contained all the fillings and started to create our sushi masterpieces.
Once you put the seaweed on the bamboo mat, you take the sticky rice and spread it all over; using water on your hands to 'un-stick' the rice. In the center of the mat (topped with your seaweed and rice), you put your ingredients. We started simple with tuna, mango and avocado and ended up using all the ingrediants at once by the end. All of it tasted delish. Then you roll it up. We tried this two different ways--once with the rice on the outside (not so successful,) and then ended up continually using the rice on the inside after my sis of all people gave it a go.
![Rolling Sushi]](http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o101/melis502/CIMG1731.jpg)
Once the sushi was rolled up, we cut the sushi into slices and arranged on the plate.
I think what most people are scared of when rolling their own sushi is the quality of the fish, but the tuna we got from the Japanese market was extremely fresh and tasty. Also it was extremely cheap comparitively to what you recieve in restaurants. A piece of tuna sushi at a restaurant could cost you $4 a piece; but a relatively big piece of tuna used in 3 rolls costs about $4 for the entire piece at the market. I would probably recommend getting the fish at a speciality shop though; super markets just won't cut it.
(roll with ebi, mango, avocado, basil)
(roll with tuna, mango, avocado)
It all proved to be a scrumptious and great experience. It was really fun to roll your own sushi and be proud of your creation. Even my sis (who's not from the cooks) was having fun ; and I mentioned that rolling sushi is similar to rolling a joint; needless to say she was rolling some pretty tight rolls. She got the mvp for the night.
So...I'm definitely considering having a sushi rolling party...and maybe we can roll a few other things too. Whose bringing the fillings?
My sis, Koovs, and I shopped around the small market for all the essentials: Koover, of course, guiding us with what we needed and taking charge of reading the directions on the sushi rice so we got the right vinegar and other essentials. When we left the market we had rice, fresh sushi grade tuna, ebi, seawood, avocado, vinegar and green tea ice cream in hand. We stopped on our way back to my apartment for the bamboo roller, some mango, basil and tomatoes. We were really excited to break the seal and roll sushi for the first time as none of us had done it before.
I left the rice making to Koovs. He's a rice making pro although he usually make Jasmine rice and not the sticky rice required for sushi rolls. Regardless, the rice was perfect and we tried to stay true to the directions by using a small battery operated fan while pouring in the vinegar and stirring. Pretty funny image to see my sister with a light up fan next to this big pot of rice; I'm sure that's not exactly the way they did it back in the day. Anyways...while the rice was cooking, Koovs and I cut up all the ingredients to go in the rolls: Avocado, mango, tomatoes, basil and the tuna and shrimp. We set up a station on my kitchen table with little bowls that contained all the fillings and started to create our sushi masterpieces.
Once you put the seaweed on the bamboo mat, you take the sticky rice and spread it all over; using water on your hands to 'un-stick' the rice. In the center of the mat (topped with your seaweed and rice), you put your ingredients. We started simple with tuna, mango and avocado and ended up using all the ingrediants at once by the end. All of it tasted delish. Then you roll it up. We tried this two different ways--once with the rice on the outside (not so successful,) and then ended up continually using the rice on the inside after my sis of all people gave it a go.
Once the sushi was rolled up, we cut the sushi into slices and arranged on the plate.
I think what most people are scared of when rolling their own sushi is the quality of the fish, but the tuna we got from the Japanese market was extremely fresh and tasty. Also it was extremely cheap comparitively to what you recieve in restaurants. A piece of tuna sushi at a restaurant could cost you $4 a piece; but a relatively big piece of tuna used in 3 rolls costs about $4 for the entire piece at the market. I would probably recommend getting the fish at a speciality shop though; super markets just won't cut it.
(roll with ebi, mango, avocado, basil)
(roll with tuna, mango, avocado)
It all proved to be a scrumptious and great experience. It was really fun to roll your own sushi and be proud of your creation. Even my sis (who's not from the cooks) was having fun ; and I mentioned that rolling sushi is similar to rolling a joint; needless to say she was rolling some pretty tight rolls. She got the mvp for the night.
So...I'm definitely considering having a sushi rolling party...and maybe we can roll a few other things too. Whose bringing the fillings?
Saturday, September 8, 2007
On our way to brunch...we found another brunch
Definitely a new brunch shout out: While attempting to go to Friend of a Farmer, one of my favorite places to go for brunch for their amazing omelettes and country fresh feeling, l-dawg and I ventured to City Crab based on it's close proximity to our original spot (actually the line at Friend of a Farmer was ginormous...I guess everyone had the same idea as us).
I had been to City Crab before and really remember enjoying the brunch there. The thing I had remembered most about the last trip was the ridiculously good bread basket with corn bread and other treats. This time we weren't served the bread basket (maybe they got rid of it?) but I was thankful for it (those brunch bread baskets are dangerous!). In any case, we both ordered the same thing--egg white omelette with rock shrimp, mixed vegetables and cheese (me-cheddar, her-goat). It was really great. I've never thought to put shrimp or seafood for that matter in eggs before. Turns out, I've been missing out. (Although, I have had a lobster omelette before so I guess that counts). Other items on their omelette menu included an omelette with lump crab and others with shrimp. A definite recommend for something a little bit on the different side.
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A quick post script--for seriously the best french toast in nyc, go to Dos Caminos. I know it's really known for it's upper scale Mexican fare, but I'm telling you--order them. You won't be disappointed. My sister got them one brunch and I was basically wishing I could telepathically switch our plates.
I had been to City Crab before and really remember enjoying the brunch there. The thing I had remembered most about the last trip was the ridiculously good bread basket with corn bread and other treats. This time we weren't served the bread basket (maybe they got rid of it?) but I was thankful for it (those brunch bread baskets are dangerous!). In any case, we both ordered the same thing--egg white omelette with rock shrimp, mixed vegetables and cheese (me-cheddar, her-goat). It was really great. I've never thought to put shrimp or seafood for that matter in eggs before. Turns out, I've been missing out. (Although, I have had a lobster omelette before so I guess that counts). Other items on their omelette menu included an omelette with lump crab and others with shrimp. A definite recommend for something a little bit on the different side.
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A quick post script--for seriously the best french toast in nyc, go to Dos Caminos. I know it's really known for it's upper scale Mexican fare, but I'm telling you--order them. You won't be disappointed. My sister got them one brunch and I was basically wishing I could telepathically switch our plates.
re:Greece
While at first I was hesitant to eat Greek food after I got back from my vacation, I slowly made the plunge back into some of my favorite foods. I started by trying to incorporate feta cheese into salads and omelettes but the feta always fell short. Then I began to order my signature greek salad from 2 of my favorite Turkish restaurants in my neighborhood: Taksim and Sip Sak. This proved successful. And while I know that no feta cheese will ever be as creamy and flavorful as what I had in Greece, at least the feta used in these salads are of the better quality for the US.
Yesterday I went with one of my friends to Moustache in the west village for middle eastern/mediteranean fare. I had the chicken kebab over pureed lentils which was simple and great. And I think it gave me the final push to accept that the medeteranean food here will never be quite as good the authentic type, but can still be tasty and delicious. Next on my list that I've been hearing great things about is Pylos. I'll get there sooner rather than later, and at least I know it's a shorter trip to the east village than back to Europe.
Yesterday I went with one of my friends to Moustache in the west village for middle eastern/mediteranean fare. I had the chicken kebab over pureed lentils which was simple and great. And I think it gave me the final push to accept that the medeteranean food here will never be quite as good the authentic type, but can still be tasty and delicious. Next on my list that I've been hearing great things about is Pylos. I'll get there sooner rather than later, and at least I know it's a shorter trip to the east village than back to Europe.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Frolicking in the Mediterranean
Back from Greece. Rested, recouped, sunkissed and happy.
My trip was amazing for many reasons but for 3 Course Discourse purposes, I'll just say that the food was fab. I can best describe Greek food as a glorified diner. You can see the obvious resemblance between traditional tavernas and the diners that heavily populate NY city and the metro area. From burgers and fries to chicken souvlaki and greek salad...all of these items can be found on both menus; the difference lies in that the Greek versions are a million times better, fresher and more authentic. Tzaziki sauce in Greece is not to be fucked with (and doesn't taste like hocked up sour cream), and feta cheese in the States should barely be considered feta.
The first food I got in Mykonos was greek salad, which unlike the American version comes with little or no lettuce/rocket/leafy vegetable: it’s cucumber, tomato, onions and feta served with oil and vinegar. The onions are so sweet you can eat them by themselves; and, I, for one, do not usually eat raw onion so you know they were truly superb. The tomatoes are extremely fresh and the feta to die for. I pretty much had a Greek salad at least once a day while on the trip because I loved it so much, although this comes as no huge surprise being that I already knew how much I enjoyed it already.
There are 2 other things that I absolutely love as well: black olive spread and eggplant. And lucky for me, everywhere you went they had just that--black olive spread and eggplant. I was in all my glory. Instead of butter, restaurants would often offer black olive spread with the bread on the table and you could find something eggplant oriented at every establishment. I had eggplant frittes, the classic moussakka (which used white eggplant!), eggplant and veal, and my favorite dish which was a baked eggplant topped with a tomato, cucumber and feta salad. (see picture below).
White eggplant was something new for me though. Apparently it was white eggplant season so many restaurants offered dishes with this vegetable. It seemed to me starchier than regular eggplant and when I ordered moussaka, I had a hard time differentiating between the potatoes in the clay pot and the white eggplant. The eggplant and veal dish I got at Daphne’s in Athens was my favorite entrée of the trip, and also included the white eggplant. This dish was awesome with the extremely tender veal that slid right off and a sweet tomato sauce that pulled the meat and vegetable together seamlessly. The white eggplant in the dish inspired me to go on a hunt for it in New York; which I have yet to do.
While on holiday, you can’t always hit every meal on the head, but I think for the most part we did a great job. We switched it up between well known places like Selene in Santorini (recommended by Amex for its food and view of the Caldera), as well as places we merely stumbled upon in passing. Selene overlooks the Aegan Sea and is dimly lit (tre romantic). The food was really good too...I had seabass wrapped in a fava bean crepe with caper leaves and tomatoes, but it didn’t blow me away. The baklava was interesting but the piney taste at the end through me off. The best part of the meal was probably the seafood soufflé we got for appetizer which was awesome, but it was so dark, we could hardly see what we were eating. I finally got a taste of the whole ‘dining in the dark’ concept; not as appetizing as I’d thought in my mind. The wine, however, was great, the service attentive, and the table next to us extremely entertaining. My sister and I fell silent for the last half of the meal waiting to hear another cheesy excerpt from our neighbors.
They consisted of 2 older American men in their 40s (probably half Greek and from Astoria), and 2 young Italian girls about my age (24). They had all clearly met while on vacation and paired off. One of the guys brought a very rare bottle of wine to dinner and told them, “I thought what better than to bring this rare bottle for 2 rare girls just like you. You girls are like precious diamonds.” “Awww,” they exclaimed. I almost vomited in my mouth (my sister naturally followed suit). I tried not to stare at that table (which I’m pretty bad at), and saw a balding man and a young girl in a glittery tight gold dress. It totally grossed me out. Thank god I had finished my meal already.
So back to Mykonos...
On our first night there, we went to Nobu’s Matsuhisa. One of my friends had stayed at the Belvedere hotel in Mykonos while on her honeymoon and recommended Matsuhisa, and because my sister and I had always liked Nobu so much, we decided to give it a go. To be honest though, I was disappointed. I don’t know what I was expecting (maybe some Greek-sushi fusion?) but it was exactly like Nobu New York, only kind of saltier. The ambiance was wonderful--all outside tables by the pool with dimly lit lanterns strung together over the tables. The stand out dish was the crispy rock shrimp in spicy sauce (as it is the stand out dish in NY as well) and the nasu miso which is one of my traditionally favorite Japanese appetizers: steamed eggplant and miso sauce. The tuna sashimi salad was smothered in the saltiest ponzu dressing and the crusted sea bass we ordered was also on the saltier side. The redeeming part of the night were our ridiculously amazing espresso martinis--might be one of the best I’ve ever had and they didn’t even have it on their cocktail menu! Our server had to see if they could make it for us. Turns out they should add espresso martinis to their menu asap, it was delicious!
Daphne’s in Athens was another restaurant that was recommended to us (by American Express); but has also been written up in the New York Times, the London Financial Times and CNN. It’s located in the Plaka by the Acropolis and conveniently a 10 minute walk from the hotel we were staying at. We sat outside in the cozy alley way dining area. We ordered the wrong appetizer because my sister and I both hate bleu cheese and the first course was oozing with it; although I’m sure it was great if you like that sort of thing. This is where we had the veal and eggplant entrees that were amazing. The sauce reminded me of a sauce my grandmother used to cook her stuffed cabbages in and everything equally melted in your mouth.
All in all, everything was great. The food was really fantastic all around and Greece is just a great spot to visit; if not for the food, for the weather, atmosphere, beauty, people, and fun (aka partying and donkey riding). Now if only I could get used to the feta here again...
My trip was amazing for many reasons but for 3 Course Discourse purposes, I'll just say that the food was fab. I can best describe Greek food as a glorified diner. You can see the obvious resemblance between traditional tavernas and the diners that heavily populate NY city and the metro area. From burgers and fries to chicken souvlaki and greek salad...all of these items can be found on both menus; the difference lies in that the Greek versions are a million times better, fresher and more authentic. Tzaziki sauce in Greece is not to be fucked with (and doesn't taste like hocked up sour cream), and feta cheese in the States should barely be considered feta.
The first food I got in Mykonos was greek salad, which unlike the American version comes with little or no lettuce/rocket/leafy vegetable: it’s cucumber, tomato, onions and feta served with oil and vinegar. The onions are so sweet you can eat them by themselves; and, I, for one, do not usually eat raw onion so you know they were truly superb. The tomatoes are extremely fresh and the feta to die for. I pretty much had a Greek salad at least once a day while on the trip because I loved it so much, although this comes as no huge surprise being that I already knew how much I enjoyed it already.
There are 2 other things that I absolutely love as well: black olive spread and eggplant. And lucky for me, everywhere you went they had just that--black olive spread and eggplant. I was in all my glory. Instead of butter, restaurants would often offer black olive spread with the bread on the table and you could find something eggplant oriented at every establishment. I had eggplant frittes, the classic moussakka (which used white eggplant!), eggplant and veal, and my favorite dish which was a baked eggplant topped with a tomato, cucumber and feta salad. (see picture below).
White eggplant was something new for me though. Apparently it was white eggplant season so many restaurants offered dishes with this vegetable. It seemed to me starchier than regular eggplant and when I ordered moussaka, I had a hard time differentiating between the potatoes in the clay pot and the white eggplant. The eggplant and veal dish I got at Daphne’s in Athens was my favorite entrée of the trip, and also included the white eggplant. This dish was awesome with the extremely tender veal that slid right off and a sweet tomato sauce that pulled the meat and vegetable together seamlessly. The white eggplant in the dish inspired me to go on a hunt for it in New York; which I have yet to do.
While on holiday, you can’t always hit every meal on the head, but I think for the most part we did a great job. We switched it up between well known places like Selene in Santorini (recommended by Amex for its food and view of the Caldera), as well as places we merely stumbled upon in passing. Selene overlooks the Aegan Sea and is dimly lit (tre romantic). The food was really good too...I had seabass wrapped in a fava bean crepe with caper leaves and tomatoes, but it didn’t blow me away. The baklava was interesting but the piney taste at the end through me off. The best part of the meal was probably the seafood soufflé we got for appetizer which was awesome, but it was so dark, we could hardly see what we were eating. I finally got a taste of the whole ‘dining in the dark’ concept; not as appetizing as I’d thought in my mind. The wine, however, was great, the service attentive, and the table next to us extremely entertaining. My sister and I fell silent for the last half of the meal waiting to hear another cheesy excerpt from our neighbors.
They consisted of 2 older American men in their 40s (probably half Greek and from Astoria), and 2 young Italian girls about my age (24). They had all clearly met while on vacation and paired off. One of the guys brought a very rare bottle of wine to dinner and told them, “I thought what better than to bring this rare bottle for 2 rare girls just like you. You girls are like precious diamonds.” “Awww,” they exclaimed. I almost vomited in my mouth (my sister naturally followed suit). I tried not to stare at that table (which I’m pretty bad at), and saw a balding man and a young girl in a glittery tight gold dress. It totally grossed me out. Thank god I had finished my meal already.
So back to Mykonos...
On our first night there, we went to Nobu’s Matsuhisa. One of my friends had stayed at the Belvedere hotel in Mykonos while on her honeymoon and recommended Matsuhisa, and because my sister and I had always liked Nobu so much, we decided to give it a go. To be honest though, I was disappointed. I don’t know what I was expecting (maybe some Greek-sushi fusion?) but it was exactly like Nobu New York, only kind of saltier. The ambiance was wonderful--all outside tables by the pool with dimly lit lanterns strung together over the tables. The stand out dish was the crispy rock shrimp in spicy sauce (as it is the stand out dish in NY as well) and the nasu miso which is one of my traditionally favorite Japanese appetizers: steamed eggplant and miso sauce. The tuna sashimi salad was smothered in the saltiest ponzu dressing and the crusted sea bass we ordered was also on the saltier side. The redeeming part of the night were our ridiculously amazing espresso martinis--might be one of the best I’ve ever had and they didn’t even have it on their cocktail menu! Our server had to see if they could make it for us. Turns out they should add espresso martinis to their menu asap, it was delicious!
Daphne’s in Athens was another restaurant that was recommended to us (by American Express); but has also been written up in the New York Times, the London Financial Times and CNN. It’s located in the Plaka by the Acropolis and conveniently a 10 minute walk from the hotel we were staying at. We sat outside in the cozy alley way dining area. We ordered the wrong appetizer because my sister and I both hate bleu cheese and the first course was oozing with it; although I’m sure it was great if you like that sort of thing. This is where we had the veal and eggplant entrees that were amazing. The sauce reminded me of a sauce my grandmother used to cook her stuffed cabbages in and everything equally melted in your mouth.
All in all, everything was great. The food was really fantastic all around and Greece is just a great spot to visit; if not for the food, for the weather, atmosphere, beauty, people, and fun (aka partying and donkey riding). Now if only I could get used to the feta here again...
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