Happy 2014!

New Year's Eve Celebrations 

Can anyone believe it is 2014 already? I always say the year flies by but this past year sure felt that way. Although it was kind of cheating year with me getting to travel all over (Italy, Greece, Mediterranean) and spending half of the year cooking, blogging, yogaing and basically chilling. Then again, the other half of the year was spent working long hours with absolutely no time for cooking, blogging or yogaing. However, New Years is always exciting as your filled with the unknown prospect of what the upcoming year will bring.

Despite the plethora of party options in New York, we opted to stay in this year with a few friends and lots of champagne.

Started the night with a few delicious cocktails at Brass on Lexington.

And headed home to make more drinks for our guests!

  
New Years Day Explorations

Despite it being a holiday, the newly constructed Gotham West Market on 11th ave and 44th street was open for business. We braved the cold and ventured to this foodie market. The indoor space is BEAUTIFUL with wrought iron decorations, bar style seating for each of the restaurants along with communal seating on large wooden picnic tables. Despite the industrialist theme, the area still felt cozy and would be great place to spend an afternoon reading and munching

Tapas at El Comodo

Spicy Lamb Meatballs
Oysters
Grilled Octopus

 Cute little tapas restaurant which only offers bar seating. The spicy lamb meatballs were out of this world although the octopus was only so-so. They also offer $1 oysters during happy hour and these oysters are amazing covered in a light vinegar and garlic mixture

Ivan Ramen and Blue Bottle Coffee

Garlic Ramen from Ivan Ramen
Ginger Molasses cookie from Blue Bottle
Drip coffee from Blue Bottle

Not a shocker that another ramen joint has opened up in NYC with lots of fan fare and is already quickly developing a cult following. Ivan Ramen was started by an American in Tokyo and was so popular there that he decided to export his creation to the states. The portions are bit lacking but the broth is more a sauce, thick and flavorful, which coats each noodle so you get that porky broth goodness with each bite

Michelin Funkyness @ Funky Gourmet

Was browsing through some travel pictures and I realized I had an entire backlog of Greece pictures I never, figured I would start with what was probably my favorite meal of the entire Europe trip. While  the food was delicious, what made the meal so memorable was the creative presentation and innovative production of each dish. We ordered two different tasting menus and thoroughly enjoyed each item they presented to us. There was also a tiny army waiting on us throughout the entire which was quite an experience. The concept of Funky Gourmet is to put some serious twists on traditional Greek dishes and ingredients.

Left: Mastic, Mastic, Mastic (aka Mastic 3 ways)
Right: Salsify in the Soil

From what I can understand, Mastic is a plant resin that comes from the Greek island of Chios, it seems to have quite a few medicinal and cosmetic uses, which is probably why the glob of mastic on the left like soap. It was also the first time I saw a dish presented on a gnarly tree branch. Salsify is another interesting ingredient that refers to the root of a purple plant considered to have oyster undertones. We were served dried salsify roots in a cream mixture meant to represent dirt. How clever.

Left: Squaring the Pea
Right: Spring Vegetable Salad.

The spring pea soup was tasted and light with lots of "green" flavors. But let me rave about the salad. I know it doesn't look like much but it was hands down the most complex, delicious salad I have ever eaten. The mini plum tomatoes were blanched in a sugary liquid and peeled. They were so delicate and light, I didn't even realize I was eating a tomato. If I could create a last meal menu, this dish would be on that list.

Croxetti with Basil Pesto

The Croxetti might have been my favorite dish just because it was so fun. Croxetti is a type of medallion pasta that originates from Northern Italy and traditionally bore a coat of arms; our croxetti were made from a beet base and bore the name of the dining establishment. There was also a mortar for us to make our own pesto and a small pot of hot water to cook our pasta. 

Left: Scallop in the Sea
Right: Yellowtail with Wild Greens

The yellowtail was cooked splendidly and perfectly moist, but the star of the two was definitely the scallops. The scallop was only slightly cooked and retained a sweetness to it that I had never experienced before; what was even crazier was the ginger ale foam it was paired with.

Left: Funky Gourmet Burger
Bottom Right: Greek Salad

The burger was quite tasty but I forget what meat they used. When we saw greek salad on the menu, we didn't think it was going to be a very impressive dish, but we were so wrong. All of the flavors we were used to from ordering copious Greek salads throughout the trip (sweet tomato, sour vinegar, tangy feta, spicy onions) had been packaged into some sort of granita were each bite of ice tasted like we were actually eating a Greek Salad.

Rib Eye on the Stone

Another DIY dish. The stone was steaming hot and the smell of the thyme underneath perforated the entire restaurant. We were instructed to sear each piece of meat on the hot stone for few seconds and eat with the accompaniments. I loveed the idea but apparently Japanese BBQ is very similar so V was not very impressed.

Beef Cheek with Pairings

I loved the wide selection of pairings we were given. Depending on the pairing, it really altered the taste of the beef cheeks. Since we were getting quite full already, the lighter pairings such as the onion jelly, green apple and tomato paste really stood out.

Left: Orange Explosion
Bottom Right: Smoked Ice Cream Sandwich

Who doesn't love liquid nitrogen overflowing all over a table? The orange explosion was a fun mini dessert which consisted of dark chocolate filled with orange liquor liquid that exploded in your mouth. How they got the liquid inside such a thin shelled chocolate ball, I have no idea. I probably could have gobbled up 10 of those things along with another 10 ice cream sandwiches.

Left: Bread, Butter & Honey at -196C
Right: Mignardises

When I saw bread and butter for dessert on the menu, I was slightly disappointed but once again,  I was pleasantly surprised. The dish essentially tasted like creamy chunks of ice cream with delicious goblets of the best honey I have ever eaten and it was all made with liquid nitrogen. Pretty sure we tried making ice cream in chemistry class with liquid nitrogen and it tasted nothing like this. The mignardises consisted of a blueberry chocolate muffin, raspberry macaron, orange jelly candy and a chocolate truffle.

Definitely one of the best and coolest meals I have ever eaten. Don't know when I'll ever be back in Athens but if I am, I might just have to go back to this place.

Sunday Mezze at Kanella

A little late coming, but finally managed to go through all of the pictures and make a post on graduation dinner. The Wharton Ceremony was on Sunday which just happened to coincide with the day Kanella had its 10 course Sunday Mezze meal. Kanella describes itself as a Greek-Cypriot restaurant which I've never had before.  Everything tastes refreshing, surprisingly light and the portions were perfect so that we could actually make it thourgh the whole meal. 

First courses of salads, antipasti & pickled vegetables.

More salad, rice, and fish.

Halumi cheese, sausage, and beef.

Beans, puff pastry, more meat, and spinach pie.

Fig & Almond tart, and some sort of sweet cheese with orange cake.

Compared to what we ate in Greece, this was definitely representative of the country's cuisine. Unlike a lot of tasting menus, this was definitely more homey and felt more like a big family meal (which is what mezze is actually supposed to be so good job Kanella :).

Pumpkin Tasting Menu

Celebrating the end of college, 2 years at Penn together and because we bought Moet for Valentine's Day that we never drank and needed an excuse to drink it now.

There are basically two things left I really want to try out in Philadelphia before I leave, the 5-course tasting menu at Pumpkin (only offered on Sundays) and the 5-course tasting menu at Matyson.  Sunday was Cinco de Mayo and for some strange reason I thought Pumpkin would be closed for the Mexican holiday, fortunately I was wrong haha.

1st Course: Cauliflower Soup with pickled cauliflower, golden raisins
2nd Course: Coddled Egg with asparagus, gribiche, homemade tartar sauce

I've heard mixed reviews about Pumpkin but I have heard mostly great things about the tasting menu which are only offered on Sundays. The restaurant definitely has a distinct style of cooking, which I appreciate even if I don't love all of the dishes that this style inspires.

2nd Course: Burgundy Snails with red wine, hazelnut, foam, garlic
3rd Course: Haloumi with smoked english peas, pickled ramps

Pumpkin prides itself on using local and seasonal produce whenever possible and the freshness/lightness of the ingredients comes across in all of the dishes. I loved how everything tasted refreshing, even the haloumi (cheese) dish and the entrees which were paired with still slightly raw green vegetables. 

4th Course: Duroc Pork Loin with spring ragout
4th Course: Arctic Char with provencal sauce, radish, artichoke

We loved the cauliflower appetizer for its creaminess and the crunchy cauliflowers inside. The snails appetizers were just a little too earthy for my liking, reminded me too much of dirt and rocks. The coddled eggs dish with the tartar sauce was good minus the minced pork-like stuff under the egg. Both entrees were delicious, they were filling but not heavy like the way many meat entress are. The lemon cake was just a tad try but the lemon curd was cooked perfectly. Naturally, I loved the pot de creme since it was made with peanut butter.

Course 5: Lemon Chiffon Cake with berry confit, lemon curd
Course 5: Peanut Butter Pot de Creme with bourbon raisins

Overall, a great meal and highly recommended for a special occasion! For those who like their dishes on the lighter side and made with a variety of different kinds of vegetables, this is a restaurant you should check out.

Dining Out

Crossed off 2 restaurants of my always growing restaurant list. Lately, I've feel like I've just been returning to the same places repeatedly so with only a few more weeks left in Philly, I made a bigger effort to branch out  more. And what's particularly exciting is that there are quite a few new restaurants that have made Philly Mag's Top 50 Restaurants for 2013.

Dinner at Vernick Food & Drink:

Vernick is a new Italian-ish restaurant which has been receiving rave reviews from critiques and social media alike. We went based on the ecstatic recommendations of a friend. She rarely raves about finer dining so I figured this was a big deal. Our meal was enjoyable and the entree was out of this world but not sure if I'm going to go back any time soon, the appetizers were good but nothing spectacular.

[Beef Tartar]: Horseradish, on toast with some kind of cheese. A very hearty appetizer but still fresh tasting without any gameyness from the meat.
[Pork Steak]: Onion marmalade, mustard greens.  It looks like duck and tastes like duck (actually almost better than duck) but its not duck, its pork! We were mind blown. Easily one of the best entrees I have ever eaten.
[Hamachi]: Ruby grapefruit, jalapeno. We ordered this dish since everyone on Yelp was going crazy about it but I wasn't very impressed. Just a nice cut of yellowtail sashimi with acid to balance it out.

Lunch at Matyson:

Matyson, on the other hand, I am now obsessed with. Lunch was delicious, but what they're really known for are their dinner tasting menus that change weekly. If lunch is any indication of the dinners, I am definitely returning to this place sometime in the next 2 weeks. And did I mention they have fresh hibiscus flowers in the bathroom?

[House Pasta of the Day]: Linguine in Harissa sauce w. cauliflower and I think oysters? Not sure how I felt about all of the components of the dish but it was definitely creative.
[Hanger Steak]: I don't think I've ever eaten hanger steak before, or ordered it, but this was cooked so incredibly well. It was cooked perfectly on the inside, still moist and juicy, and who doesn't love a huge side of truffle fries?
[Mascarpone Cheesecake]: The cheesecake reminded me of the panna cotta dessert we had in Venice. It was light yet creamy. I'm normally not a fan of cheesecakes but this one was so good, especially with the almond crust on the bottom.

Vetri

Consistently ranked one of the best restaurants (if not the best restaurant) in Philadelphia and easily hands down, the best Italian restaurant in the entire city, Vetri is actually not a prominently know restaurant among many people.  Although not in the limelight as much as Stephen Starr, the Marc Vetri's portfolio of impressive Italian restaurants have heralded him just as much fame. Vetri, is easily the star in the entire portfolio - once an a la carte restaurant, Vetri now only serves a 7-course tasting menu that changes monthly.

The interior of the restaurant is well-furnished yet homey. Everything from the stone walls to the quaint wooden tables and chairs says rustic Italian.  However, you would never know from just looking at the dining room that this is one of the highest standard restaurants in Philadelphia on par with the likes of Le Bec Fin.

So here goes my attempt at digesting this intimidating restaurant.

apples with parmesan
fish sandwich
foie gras with apricot jam on toast
chilled farm vegetables
balsamic vinaigrette
homemade bread with olives

The meal started with an ensemble of amuse bouche including the most delicious bowl of raw vegetables I have ever eaten. They were served on ice and chilled to a delectable temperature. A perfect bowl of crispy baby carrots, radishes, squash, cucumber, and artichoke hearts. Despite the last time we had foie gras which was a little overwhelming, we were quite happy with the small portion we were given this time around.

axis venison tartare with parmesan grissini
 corn flan with quail egg
 crispy sweetbreads with plum gastrique
 sweet onion crepe with white truffle

First round of appetizers included vension tartare and corn flan. The vension came all the way from Texas (I'm guessing from some sort of grass-fed farm). The dish was seasoned lightly and the meat itself was very lean. The corn flan was creamy and cooked perfectly with an oozy quail egg on the inside - how they managed to do that, I have no idea.

The second round of appetizers consisted of sweetbreads and onion crepe. As soon as I saw on the sweetbread on the menu, I knew I just had to try it. It always amuses me to see super provincial ingredients become a part of "high" cuisine. For those unfamiliar with sweetbread, wikipedia has a mechanical description that's pretty informative. Anyways, the sweetbread was delicious, just a tad less crispy then I was expecting but the inside was creamy and tender. The sweet onion crepe is one of the signature dishes of the restaurant with the onions being cooked for over 10 hours before the dish itself is assembled.
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spinach gnocchi with brown butter
stuffed pasta
almond tortellini with white truffle
chestnut fettuccine with wild boar ragu
squid ink linguini with dungeness crab and uni
48 day dry aged beef ribeye with heirloom bean trifolati

Next came the handmade pastas, after the initial 2 or so - we were pretty much stuffed already. The spinach gnocchi was chewy and tasted of spinach as opposed to the usual starchiness of pasta you taste in vegetable pasta. A great thing if you love spinach - which I do. I love love loved the stuffed pasta which had what I'm guessing was minced pork or beef on the inside. The wild boar ragu and beef trifolati tasted very similar. There were generous portions of meat which were cooked tenderly and heaping portions of parmesan to accompany it.We got most of it packed up and it tasted just as good the next day :) My favorite dish was hands down the squid ink linguini. Ever since my trip to Venice, I get super excited whenever I see squid ink on a menu. This dish was amazing, the squid ink was in the pasta itself and it was served with big chunk of crab and creamy uni. It also tasted a lot lighter (which I prefer) compared to the other pasta dishes.

stuffed guinea hen breast with chanterelles

The main course was stuffed hen with chanterelles mushrooms. There was also a foie gras stuffed quail with summer melon which I forgot to take a picture of! At first the dishes looked so similar, I thought they were the same. The hen had a very thick layer of fat which was rendered down to a nice crispy texture.

peach sorbet
petit fours
apple dessert with cinnamon ice cream

We asked to stay away from the chocolate dessert options given the heaviness of the meal itself and got a beautiful looking apple pastry instead. The bottom was cooked crispy and golden brown and the apples on top were cooked until they were soft but still firm. What we also really loved was the peach sorbet which came before the main dessert dish itself.

Overall, a spectacular and very memorable meal for a lovely celebration. Will be a very long time before I get to come here again but hopefully not that long!