Convivio

Today was absolutely awesome!
My day started off with a delicious, wintery breakfast with Ed.
Followed by a nice, sweaty Billy Blanks workout (yes, I am obsessed with cheap, video workouts!)
Then my mom came to pick me up for our long anticipated day in the city!

*NOTE: Please excuse the extremely blurry pictures!! I was SO pissed that I forgot my camera! So I used my IPhone :-P

2PM Matinée showing of Phantom of the Opera

The show was incredible! The costumes, the set design, the songs!! I would have to say that this was one of my favorite classic musicals (how can you forget Cats?!)
Our seats were pretty awesome too! We were in the front row of the mezzanine. The only problem was that we were allllllll the way to the right so sometimes, it felt like we had a weird perspective.

After the show, my mom and I met up with Ed for dinner at Convivio, formerly known as L'impero.

Our meal was delicious and these picture will not do it justice... you must go and see for yourself. All my restaurant reviews have been given 4 or 5 stars (by me) so it may seem like I like all the restaurants that I go to, but it's really that my mom has a good sense of good restaurants so I'm lucky!

First, the Olive bread... similar to the ones that were served at Fiamma in SoHo... big chunks of olives!


We shared everything... here's what we ordered for appetizers:

Braised Veal Tongue with Parsley and a Parsley (maybe?) Purée sauce


Insalata


Sardines with Red Pepper Sauce and Celery

The appetizers were all delicious. The braised veal tongue was soft and flavorful. My only thing was that it looked really gross... it looked like a human tongue the way they just served it like a slab of tongue. It even had the little taste buds! But I tried to ignore this. The sardines were excellent. The fish itself was nice, tangy, and refreshing while the red pepper sauce added a sweet creaminess! The salad was also refreshing with a lemon and olive oil dressing topped with roasted red peppers, banana peppers, some kinda cheese, and some kinda meat (salami?).

For our pastas, we all got different things so that we could taste everything:

Ricotta Gnocchi with San Marazano Tomatoes and Basil


Gnochetti (I forget the real name of the pasta!) with Sea Urchin, Crab Meat and Bread Crumbs


Fusilliwith Pork Ragu and a Cheese Sauce

The pastas were very well done. My gnocchi was cute and tender! The tomato and basil sauce was so classic. My mom's sea urchin pasta was also very tasty with the pasta (cooked al denté) being the highlight. Everyone's favorite though was the pork ragu... When I put it in my mouth, I made that OMFG grunt!! The sauce was deep with so many flavors. OMFG, just trust me and order it!

Entrées... of course we all tasted each others:

Black Sea Bass with a crunchy green topping and green sauce (It was a special of the day)


Lobster in Tomato Soup with Beans, Vegetables, and Toasted Bread


14 oz Grilled Ribeye with Mushrooms and Parmesan Potatoes

Ahhhhh! My lobster was so good, especially the tomato soup. It really reminded me of a very simple bouillabaisse! My mom's black sea bass was delish... but we seemed to finish it off first and kinda forgot about it. And of course Ed's ribeye was divine! The meat was tender and cooked perfectly. The fat of the meat gave it soooooo much flavor! It came with these awesome tree-like mushrooms and fun, round, potato discs!

And finally dessert (we were all only able to take a few bites since we were so full!):

Cheese with Fruit Bread and Fig Compote

And OMG the last two pictures were too awful to post so I'll just describe them.

Our other dessert was a "Rice Tart" with candied fruit, grapefruit sorbet, and grapefruit slices. This was interesting... rice pudding in a crust?

And the "Braised Vanilla Pineapple" with coconut custard and coconut gelato. YUMMMMMMMM!!!!

So, this Prix Fixe dinner (you can order a la carte also, but it made sense for us to do the prix fixe since we did order 4 plates) cost like $60.00! Not bad! The service was great and the food was even better! Minus the loud, obnoxious, middle-aged drunk lady, our experience at Convivio was killer!

And the waitress told me I looked like Lindsay Price from Lipstick Jungle. This was the second time someone told me that, so I was intrigued and had to look her up. Is she like half Asian?

So let's see...


Hmm.... I dunno...


Convivio

45 Tudor City Place
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212-599-5045
Fax: 212-599-5043

Momofuku Milk Bar

After seeing pictures on The Wandering Eater's blog, I knew I had to check this place out A.S.A.P.! And for me to make a trip into the city for a bakery means I really want it! I mean, I have Lulu's down the block... and I really doubt anything will beat Lulu's.

So, the Momofuku Milk Bar opened only like a few weeks ago, and it is actually like attached to the Momofuku Ssam Bar. I've only been to the Momofuku Noodle Bar but I've heard a lot of good things about the other places, and I like the whole inventiveness of the Momofuku chains.

Anyways, back to Saturday, me and Ed headed into the city for the Jim Gaffigan show. JIm Gaffigan is maybe one of my favorite comedians in the world... probably because he talks about food all the time haha! HOOOOOOOOOT POCKETS! So, I thought, why not go early to stop in at the new bakery!?



When I got there around 5:45PM, there was no line really. I was just so indecisive about what to get!! Everything sounded so amazing. I actually went in, expecting to order the Chocolate Chip Cake... but they didn't have it!!! So after like 20 minutes of staring at every piece of cake/cookie in there, I decided on the Banana Cake, Cornflake-Marshmallow-Chocolate Chip cookie, and the Compost Cookie...



The Banana Cake. Wow... Huge, smells delicious, overwhelming with a bajillion layers! It's a Banana Cake with Banana Cream,Hazelnut Crunch, topped with Gianduja Fudge.
h.e.a.v.e.n.= hazelnut crunch. The whole combination was just really great.... however, Momofuku ain't got nothin' on Lulu's cakes in terms texture! This cake was moist but could afford to be a little more moist, but the prominent banana (not just sweet) flavor was awesome!



The Cornflake-Marshmallow-Chocolate Chip cookie. Again... Huge! But I fell in love with this cookie just by looking at it. The edges are super thin and crispy. The middle is thick and chewy. The cornflake gives a nice chew to the cookie and so does the marshmallow. This is a really fun cookie, but the flavor of the dough was not my favorite!


The Compost Cookie. I asked the girl at the counter what was in it. And she replied "Everything! It's the cookie lover's dream!" So I was instantly bought! I forgot what she said was in it but here's what I recall: Chocolate chips, coffee, PB chips/Butterscotch chips, cornflake/graham cracker... I think that was it. The coffee flavor was really good but as I said to Ed, it's definitely a party in itself. There's so much going on! I would much prefer a simple, classic, chocolate chip cookie!

Ed loved his C-M-CC cookie, and I loved my banana cake, so we'll definitely return but I'm going back to try the other cakes!

Oh and P.S.- they have their famed Pork Buns and other savory, meal type items!

Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar
207 2nd Ave (13th St. entrance)
New York, NY 10003

OMG an Iron Chef in PO CHO!?

Yes... Mario Batali's long awaited Tarry Lodge has opened! It is impossible to get a decent reservation! I actually made reservations 2.5 weeks in advance for last night's dinner and the only time they had was 5:30! But the early time was not a problem because my family and I got to have a nice, long, leisurely dinner :-)

The atmosphere was really cool... very casual, but still had the upscale feel. We were seated upstairs where it was much more quiet and calm compared to the downstairs bar area.

And the atmosphere of the restaurant goes perfectly with the food... food is very casual italian, as in pizzas, pastas, salads, but it wasn't sloppy. All our dishes were very well and very beautifully prepared which gave the food that upscale feel.

Onto the good stuff... FOOOOOOOD!
We started off by sharing the Insalata Loggia (basically a Caesar Salad, but the dressing was nice, creamy, and tangy) and the Spinach with Gorgonzola (with apple slices, and the most simple but awesome Olive Oil, Lemon, and Salt dressing!!).


Then we got 2 Pizzas to share as an appetizer.
The first one: Prosciutto, Mozarella, Tomatoes, and Arugula

The creamy mozzarella was perfect with the salty prosciutto!
The second one: Clams

This one was great also. It was simply clams, garlic, oregano, a little bit of red pepper flakes and olive oil! I don't know if there was like a parmesan cheese on this or not! I remember thinking when I took my first bite, "OMG this is too salty." But then with all the other herbs and spices, it agreed with my mouth!

Not to mention a very nice THIN crust!

For entrees, we all got something different and I tasted each and every one of them!
1. Black Fettucine with Lobster and Chiles


I think everyone would agree that this was the best dish of the night! The pasta was delish and cooked perfectly. There were generous amounts of lobster accompanied by sweet corn and tomatoes. It was a combination of very simple flavors and it was perfect!

2. Eggplant Parmigiana

This one wins for the most beautiful presentation! It was a very simple non-breaded/non-fried eggplant slices layered with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. It was a little too salty for my taste.

3. Lamb Chops with Shiitake Mushrooms

My second favorite! The meat was nice and tender and the raisin/pine nut/carrot stuff on the bottom was so good with the herb-y lamb!!

4. Grilled Ribeye (for two)

HUGE! It was cooked perfectly medium-rare. I wasn't too impressed with this steak. I mean, it was cooked perfectly and it had a nice fatty flavor, but I got a veiny piece which turned me off. My mother and brother were quite happy with their selection though.

5. Artichokes with Mint

OMG! This was so good! It was fun to find the crispy parts of the artichoke! And I was surprised that I liked it because I don't usually like "mint" things that aren't gum! But the mint flavor was very subtle and it gave the rich oilyness a nice little lift!


And then to Dessert!!! The table shared the Black Mission Figs (with a cream i don't remember the name of... it reminded me of Mascarpone) and the Panna Cotta with Grapefruit Sorbet.


The figs were of course delicious but really nothing special. But the Panna Cotta?! OMG!!!!! The panna cotta was rich, vanilla-y, and so delicate! And the B-E-S-T part was the bitter grapefruit sorbet. It was such a great... wait no, the best combination of flavors!

I loved my experience here. Not expensive at all, something even me and Ed could do as a special dinner! The food was really solid and our waiter, although he didn't know what a lot of the dishes were, was helpful and attentive!

Tarry Lodge
18 Mill Street
Port Chester, NY 10573
Phone: 914-939-3111
Fax: 914-939-0444

BarCar Eatery

I L-O-V-E eating out with my whole family. Why? Because we can order every item on the menu!
This is basically what happened tonight at our dinner at the new BarCar in Fleetwood (Mount Vernon) N.Y. It is apparently owned by the same people as Pizza Pizza which is right next door. And they even share a kitchen!

Overall, this place was awesome! Really casual but still pretty chic. Overall, really good, unique dishes, and very good service!

(Note: Please excuse my obnoxiously "flash"-y pictures... the place was really dark!)

First of all, I really liked that they served soft, fluffy, cheesy breadsticks in a paper cone:


We literally ordered each one of the appetizers on the menu, plus the house salad:

BarCar House Salad- Green & Red Oak Salad, Baby Beets, Fried Shallots, Mint Leaves & Shallot Emulsion

Short Rib- Tender-Braised Short Rib, Pineapple & Sage Sauce, Smoked Black Beans

Grilled Asparagus & Portobello Mushroom- Wild Mushroom Cream & Fresh Chives

Shrimp & Crabmeat Cannoli- Shrimp and Crabmeat Ceviche, Parmesan Cannoli Shell, & Goat Cheese Chevre

Curried Chicken Quesadilla- Pineapple Pico De Gallo, Cilantro Creme Fraiche

House Cured Salmon Napolean- Marinated Tomatoes, Sliced Avocado, Romano Cracker

Buffalo Chicken Spring Roll- Poached Chicken, Julienne Carrots, Celery, Crispy Fried Noodles & Gorgonzola

PHEW! End of appetizers... We enjoyed everything but if we had to narrow our selection next time, I would HAVE to get the Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls (tangy, super crunchy, nice touch of gorgonzola inside!), Curried Chicken Quesadilla (lots of flavors, the cilantro creme fraiche was the perfect accompaniment), and the Short Rib (super tender, perfect flavor as in NOT TOO SALTY! and the black beans and pineapple were the perfect flavors to go with the meat).

Now, onto entrées!

Grilled Tender Pork Loin- Zucchini Flower Sautée, Whipped Potato, Crisp Salsify & Shallot Jus

Roasted Half Chicken- Stuffed with Fontina Cheese, Whipped Potato, Haricot Verts, Lemon Rosemary Vin Blanc

Pan Seared Day Boat Scallops- Tabbule Salad, Endive & Reduced Herb Balsamic

Open-Faced Black Angus Burger- Poached Egg, Mushroom Sauté, Marinated Red Onions, Garlic & Sage Relish, Herbed House Fries

Pan Fried Sea Bass (Tonight's Special)- Bed of Yuca, Grilled Tomatoes

Garganelli Meat Ragu Trio- Slowly Cooked Lamb, Veal & Beef with Porcini Mushrooms

Risotto of the Day- Sausage and Broccoli Raab

In short, BarCar is definitely, without a doubt, a MEAT restaurant. They do meat really well. Unfortunately, they are weak on the seafood... the scallops were pretty bland, the sea bass was, again, good but bland, and the appetizer of the smoked salmon was boring and uninspired. HOWEVER... the highlight entrées of the night were the Grilled Pork Loin (so, so, so tender.... and the sauce was incredible!) and the Garganelli Meat Ragu Trio (this meat sauce was so flavorful and it had like whole chunks of tomato!)

Now, finally... my favorite part:
DESSERT!

Olive Oil Cake- Fig Ice Cream, Fresh Figs, Greek Yogurt Cream

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Cookie

Sugar Crusted Sponge Cake- Whipped Cream with Peach Chunks, Vanilla Ice Cream (In the shape of a peach, F.Y.I!)

Dessert was good but not OUTSTANDING. My favorite would probably be the Fig Ice Cream and Olive Oil Cake or the Peach Cream (I didn't care for the spongecake... cute presentation though!)

I would definitely go back because I just really liked the atmosphere, the waiters, the food, and the location (FLEETWOOD!? Random but convenient!). It has a general foundation in American food but they definitely throw a lot of twists in their with the use of fruit and spices.

Try it for yourself...
P.S.- They serve lunch and they deliver!

BarCar Eatery
706 Locust Street
Fleetwood, NY 10552
Phone: 914-668-1100