Lil Gordon Ramsay

An ad for a british job search website catered to caterers.:)

Check it out--it's pretty cute. http://www.littlegordon.com/

Riesling Week..Danke

"For one week only, experience world-class Rieslings from Germany, Austria and Alsace at the top restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Las Vegas. Restaurants will be featuring European Rieslings by the glass, offering flights of top quality European Rieslings or creating special Riesling pairing menus that showcase the great pairing ability of this varietal." Check it.


One of my favorite white wines..and for this week featured at restaurants like Craft, Bobo, and Blue Water Grill. June 16-22nd only. So put on your clogs or something (Do they even wear clogs in Germany?)

Food from the Holy Land

After a month hiatus of over-working and traveling Israel, I'm finally back. Yes, I know it's hard to believe that when I don't write I'm actually still eating, but that is the case. And during that time, I've come across hidden gems, weird food products, and some busts as usual.

In the holy land, i ate a lot of the same: falafel, shwarma, cucumber tomato salad and of course their fav hummus and pita. I'm a huge fan of food in the Mediterranean variety, but no matter how great the falafel was every time or how hot and fresh the pita was cooked; I got tired of this fast. I even vowed to never eat hummus again. Clearly, a lie. But I believed it when I said it. My travel companions, a bus of 40, could probably vouch the same sentiment. Although last weekend, Ms.Onesie and La Mer (2 of these such travel companions) and I found ourselves craving late night falafel (a pita pocket of salad and fried chick peas and of course covered in hummus). When we caved for the LES version at 3 Monkeys, it just wasn't the same or rather bad actually. I can't tell if it was the alcohol talking or my pallet but the falafel tasted like cinnammon and while cinnamon goes well with things like french toast or even a latte, it does not go well with falafel and hummus.

In Israel, our group (br939) basically ate the same things over and over. Because this was a free trip, the organizers went for the 10 sheckel hotel deal- which lucky for us meant the same buffet at every city in Israel with the same traditional food. In the mornings, it was the breakfast of champions: eggplant tomoato and cucumbers salad, hard boiled eggs, rolls, some scrambled eggs if we were lucky, some more weird salads with cabbage or tuna or pasta (left over from dinner from the night before?), and complimented by bug juice. Most everyone stuck to the rolls and the hard boiled eggs. For dinner, there was usually chicken on the bone, some mystery meat (which oddly enough was good once), a vegeterian "option",some more of those salads (cucumber tomato, beets, what have you), dinner rolls, and of course hummus. From what I hear Israel actually has really good food across the country aside from their street food- like fresh sushi, but, unfortunately, I wouldn't know this because we were like children held on one of those unacceptable kid leashes by an unkempt parent. I really would've been happy if they said "OK- no scheduled dinner tonight. Go fend for yourselves" but we were only allowed to find a place to eat for a few lunches.

When we were allowed to 'take lunch' we found ourselves scurrying for falafel or to the nearest Aroma (which there is an Aroma on Houston..). Aroma has fresh salads and sandwiches and the ice coffee they serve all around Israel. Our guide told us Aroma has the best ice coffees--and it was good but some of the random stands/bodega type places were way better. And when I say iced coffee I really mean the Israeli version of a 2000 calorie frappaccino that we downed everyday. When I went to Aroma in New York, they, of course, had the Iced coffee which they refer to as an "Iced Aroma" and the New York version of it- the "Aroma light." Realizing that means the calories of the regular "Aroma" must be your daily calorie max, I tried this "Aroma light" version and was thoroughly disappointed. It was like ice shavings and the foam at the top of a cappuccino; reminiscent of the real one but not even coming in at a close second.

Throughout the trip, we also snacked on the Israeli version of chips, doodles, and crisps. I mean we had to be authentic to the culture...or something. The two fan favorites were Bisslli and Bambas. Bambas are like cheese doodles without the cheese but with a peanut butter twist. Sounds weird and at first kinda is--but by the third one, you're in for the long haul.


Bissllies come in a variety of flavors including BBQ, pizza, and Falafle (yes, falafel..and I'm surprised there wasn't hummus flavored ones). LawClerk1 and I found the BBQ flavor in the square shapes to be our favorite-- and though we didn't like the pizza flavored one when we got it, we had no prob finishing the bag. And while we weren't careful in Israel about what we were putting in our mouth, as Ms.Onesie put it so poignantly, "Bissllis make you beastly" so buyer beware.


While the food was redundant when I was away and kind of odd at times, it was still an experience at that. It's funny how when you leave those situations that were so annoying at times (being treated like you were 16 or force-fed hummus on pita), you find yourself yearning to go back. I'm hoping to find a good Israeli spot soon and make the BR939 trip go for a "group dinner". I hope I can find a buffet...

Quick Post: NYC Food Film Festival

Foods include Grimaldi's pizza, cheese steaks and an Il Buco Olive oil tasting. And the films are about the foods. Check it

The Experience Mimics the Review

Often when you read a review (be it Zagat, Food and Wine, CitySearch etc) the experience doesn't read close to the print. The reviewer has said the food is excellent and yours came out cold, that wait staff was said to be nasty and obnoxious and your personal encounter was nothing but friendly and warm. I think its safe to say that while reviews have their value; they are not the end all be all. I would have to say though that when the review is spot-on, it's an eerie feeling and I would most definitely say that is the case with Zagat's review of Felix on West Broadway. The commentary reads, "A “playground” for the “beautiful”, “international” set, this “loud, lively”, “very SoHo” French bistro delivers “decent” eats in “airy” digs with “two walls of open doors”; “brunch is a highlight”, but the “rowdy patrons and inevitable dancing” always steal the show."

I've been to Felix on two occasions. The first instance was on a late summer afternoon for what could have been brunch but just ended up being wine and turned into a parade of toasting and drinking with foreign new friends. Yes, I would describe the above as pretty accurate. The second occasion was just on Friday night when my friends and I returned for the same such scene and for the open doors on one of our first warm spring nights. I had heard mixed opinions on the food and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was indeed pretty good. Doogs and I split a beet salad to start. There were yellow and red beets over a bed of endive, sprinkled with walnuts and apples and drizzled with a dressing that added a layer of saltiness to the already sweet ingredients. It was quite tasty and exceeded my expectations. A Duh and Wild Ginge split the warm goat cheese salad which they seemed happily smitten with. For entrees, I got the Chicken Fricassee with ratatouille (a peasant dish by French standards) but good in it's simplicity and fall-off-the-bone chicken. Doogs got the seabass over a bed of mushroom risotto (She's currently on an "I Love Risotto" kick), A Duh and Wild Ginge both got the mussels and french fries (maybe more for the french fries than the mussels?) and Sista Ginge (yes, wild Ginge has a sister! with the same Ginge features) got the steak tartar to which she defended as very good (although again maybe ordered more for the love of fries?) Aside from the food, there were the annoying french guys who tried to get us to sit at their table, the table of 20 celebrating the birthday of a woman in her 30's wearing a skirt an 18 year old probably shouldn't be wearing out of the house, a gaggle of tables who liked to sing with the music, old men at the bar with designer glasses and very young arm candy and an eccentric hostess who was just as fun to watch as her guests.

Yes, the review is pretty true blue. And I can say you will probably mimic that experience for sure at Felix on West Broadway with the airy open doors and scenic view (be it people passing by on the street or patrons swapping tables for chit chat inside).

Opinionated About Dining

I recently got this email from my dad. I think he references this guy "Acker" for wine reviews and Acker recommended this book as well. An interesting alternative to Zagat though. I also like how they'll send you a free copy of the 2008 edition if you review restaurants for 2009. Pretty sweet. I've copied the email below:

"If you are tired of the same old Zagat and Michelin restaurant guides, try something new - and something actually compiled from actual diners like us.

Bon vivant Steve Plotnicki has taken the giant step from amateur to professional and has published his first dining guide, The Opinionated About Fine Dining Survey 2008, The 100 Best Restaurants in North America & Europe.

What makes this guide different is that the survey participants are weighted based on their dining experience, resulting in ratings that are more reliable. The 56 page guide covers restaurants in 9 different countries, and each review includes a numerical rating, a short description of the restaurant, quotes from the survey particpants, and two to three dishes which were mentioned by the survey panel.

There is a special section in back of the guide that rates each restaurant's wine list and describes their BYOB policy. The guide is available at independent book stores all over the U.S., at Amazon.com, or online at http://www.opinionatedabout.com . And if you participate in the 2009 survey, which is currently ongoing, Steve will send you a free copy of the 2008 guide as soon as you begin rating restaurants - simply go to the home page and follow the links to register for the survey. "

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.