Here's the Thing,

Blue cheese stuffed bone marrow over onion chutney (from Corkbuzz)

Eggs benedict over artcic char (Abigail’s)

From left to right: 1) Prosciutto cotto, kale, garlic, chillies and provolone piccante 2) tomato and buffalo mozzarella 3) ricottax buffalo mozzarella, garlic, oregano and hot peppers

Cercle Rouge (241 West Broadway) - Restaurant Week, Thur 7/14/11

What better to have on Bastille Day (aka Maeve’s birthday) than some French food? The RW menu for Cercle looked really great but, unbeknownst to us, it was also unavailable for Bastille Day so we had to order from the regular menu - tant pis! The place was pretty packed when I met up with Maeve, Dan and Erin for an 8:15 dinner and there was some great live music as well. 

Appetizers - The escargots and endives salad with blue cheese, walnuts and pears were both pretty good, but the tuna tartare was literally one of the best I’ve ever had. The tuna was so fresh and was served with some kind of wasabi-based sauce that paired extremely well with it. 

Entrees - I ordered the Hanger Steak with bone marrow (!) with red wine shallot sauce, potatoes au gratin, and vegetables. Even though it was good, I was hoping for a little more flavor from the steak - it just wasn’t that tasty. Maybe I was spoiled from Primehouse the night before though.

Erin’s Salmon Fume (smoked salmon over fennel, baby arugula and cherry tomatoes, with lemon olive oil dressing) was really tasty and probably the best value of the night at only $12. Maeve’s dish won the longest name award - Risotto Aux Asperges, Coquillest. Jacque et Crevette (main diver scallop and shrimp over asparagus risotto) and the scallops in it were amazing. Cercle does seafood really well apparently. I even liked the asparagus risotto and I’m admittedly not a big risotto fan. 

The winner of the entrees had to be Dan’s Magret De Canard (sautéed duck breast and leg confit in mushroom gratin and cassis sauce). The duck was tender and didn’t taste at all gamey, and the mushroom gratin along with the cassis sauce really put the dish over the top. I’d put that cassis sauce on almost anything.

The portions were sizable enough - we all left satisfied - and the live music really added to the atmosphere and was not at all intrusive like some places with live bands can be. I do feel a little gipped since this wasn’t technically a Restaurant Week dinner, but overall still very happy with the meal and would come back for the Tuna Tartare alone. 8.0/10

Next up: Azul Bistro

Primehouse (381 Park Avenue South) - Restaurant Week, Wed 7/13/11

After reading some great reviews and drooling over their restaurant week menu, I was really looking forward to this meal. Went with a couple of friends from work; Sam, Joe and Steve, and caught a 6:15pm dinner. The place was really clean and sleek but maybe a teeny bit stuffy. It was only about 1/3 full when we sat down but started picking up as we were finishing.

Appetizers - While the Watermelon Gazpacho with green tomato & shrimp salsa was good - better than Blue Smoke’s but not on Perilla’s level - the Crispy Pork Belly with Spicy Apricot Glaze and Cucumber Slaw was amazing and takes the early lead for RW best appetizer. It looked like an extra fat slice of bacon and had a really crispy outside (a strict requirement for my bacon). The actual meat was super smokey and melts right in your mouth.

Entrees - It’s too tough to pick between the 7oz New York Strip (w/ Buttermilk Fried Onion Rings and House Made Steak Sauce) and the Grilled Hanger Steak Surf & Turf Oscar (Lump Crab, Asparagus, Béarnaise), but I’m going with the latter. Both steaks impressed us (and the house sauce for the strip steak was great) but the béarnaise and crab gave the hanger steak such a powerful and unique flavor. Sam thought his actual steak was superior, and he might be right, but I thought his dish as whole just wasn’t as interesting. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either one.

Desserts - The Liquid Chocolate Cake (Gooey Soft Centered Chocolate Cake, Summer Cherry Compote, Coffee Crackle Ice Cream) blew the Key Lime pie out of the water. I’m not even a coffee fan but the ice cream was a perfect with the cake. Just look at the pictures.

Primehouse did not disappoint to say the least, and I will definitely be back for more of that Surf & Turf Oscar. Beyond the stuffy-ish atmosphere, I loved this place. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys some good ol’ red meat - 9/10

Next up: Cercle Rouge (Reviewed, 7/14)

Blue Smoke (116 E 27 St) - Restaurant Week Dinner, 7/12/11

Full restaurant week menu

Night #2 of Restaurant Week featured popular Flatiron BBQ restaurant, Blue Smoke. I went with 3 other friends (Dan, Maeve, and Varun) and caught an 8:45 reservation. The place was busy but not super packed and we were able to sit down with no problems even though we were a few minutes late.

Since there were four of us, and each course had four options, we were able to order everything on the RW prix fixe menu (except the Blueberry Crisp dessert which they ran out of and substituted with Key Lime pie), and I’m extremely happy we did because there were a ton of great plates.:

Highlights:

Appetizers: A tie between Dan’s order of Chipotle Chicken Wings and Maeve’s Smoked Tuna w/ Cucumber Salad. The wings were crispy (the way I like em) and the sauce was surprisingly flavorful - none of us really expected to like them as much as we did, but they were quite savory. The Smoked Tuna was very tasty too, and obviously a lot lighter than the wings, and if I didn’t have my mind so set on BBQ, it could have easily been my favorite app.

Depending on how carnivorous you’re feeling, the Beef Brisket Burnt Ends with Pickled Jalapeños were also really good. Some pieces are really crispy and others are a little more tender but the flavor’s great and the BBQ sauce they provided was a good compliment. The Gazpacho was good, but not quite as flavorful as Perilla’s the night before.

Entrees: The Kansas City Spare Ribs with Pit Beans were my favorite - slathered with their house sauce, the meat was so tender it literally fell off the bone. The Pit Beans were surprisingly tasty as well - the flavor was smokey-sweet. Maeve could hardly stop eating them.

I’m a sucker for a good steak (okay, any steak), and Dan’s skirt steak with charred tomatillo sauce (!) was pretty tasty and served on a bed of Anson Mills blue corn grits, which I thought was an interesting pairing. While it certainly worked, I’m not sure if it worked that well.

The applewood smoked chicken was very tender and the mashed potatoes were very well done - but I wouldn’t rank it above the steak. The Atlantic Salmon was served with corn, peaches and chorizo succotash. I thought the salmon itself was a little dry but the chorizo succotash, combined with the peaches, made for a pretty tasty base.

Desserts: Dan was able to snag the last Almond Strawberry Shortcake of the night, and I’m very thankful for it. While the Hot Fudge Brownie (not pictured), Warm Cherry & Pistachio Ice Cream Parfait, and Key Lime pie were all pretty good - the Shortcake was on another level. One note I should make is that I’m not a big Key Lime pie fan but Dan and Varun both thought it was extremely well made. Personally, I found it too tart but they claimed it was more traditional and that it’s tough to find it served like that in the city. Whatever floats your boat!

The portions were huge - we all walked in starving and stumbled out completely stuffed - the wait staff was attentive, and the food was by and large very good. The atmosphere was also pretty cool; the layout’s very open, but there was plenty of space between tables so we still felt like we had privacy. I feel pretty good about giving it an 8.0/10 - definitely worth checking out with a group of friends, especially if you’re into BBQ.

Next up: Primehouse (Reviewed 7/13)

Perilla (9 Jones St) - Restaurant Week Dinner, 7/11/11

Full restaurant week menu

Kicked off Restaurant Week last night by meeting up with a couple of friends for a late dinner at Harold Dieterle’s “seasonal American” restaurant in Greenwich Village. I should say that even though I went into it with almost no expectations, I was also absolutely starving by the time we sat down at 9:45p. Between the three of us (@TheMiscia and @PageHumphrey), we ordered pretty much everything offered for the 3-course RW prix fixe, and I can honestly say that it was all delicious.

Favorites:

Appetizers: Cucumber & Melon Gazpacho with celery-jalapeno relish  - I’m really not a huge soup person, but Travis’ app was light, refreshing and gave off a substantial kick from the celery-jalapeno relish. The mussels and salad were also good but, compared to the Gazpacho, nothing super special.

Entrees: Sheep’s Milk Ravioli with cauliflower, madeira soaked raisins, capers & garlic chips - Although the Hake and Chicken were both pretty good, Page’s ravioli was my favorite. The actual raviolis were extremely flavorful (the sheep’s milk!) and the sauce was amazing.

Desserts: The Prickly Pear sorbet - by far the most interesting taste of the night, I’ve never had a sorbet with so much tartness, or so much flavor for that matter. It completely overwhelmed the other dessert plates, in a good way.

Honestly I don’t think I could have asked for a better start to 2 weeks of this gastronomic roller coaster that is Restaurant Week. The portions were substantial, the atmosphere was great, and the wait staff was attentive but not overbearing. The highlight of the night was definitely the Prickly Pear sorbet (out of this world) and I’ll happily give the experience an 8.5/10.

Next up: Bluesmoke BBQ (Reviewed 7/12/11)

Tulane Pick Sat@3:30p
Competitor: Army

Iowa State +6½ (-115) Sat@7:00p
Competitor: Utah

Noon games:

Central Michigan +22 Sat@12:00p
Competitor: Virginia Tech

Syracuse +8 Sat@12:00p
Competitor: South Florida

Large plays on these 2-point reverse moves.  

Later plays:

Texas A&M +6 Sat@3:30p
Competitor: Arkansas

Biggest play of the day on Texas A&M against an over-hyped Razorbacks team.  Only 16% of bettors on the Aggies but the line moved back 3.5 points!  

South Carolina +7½ (-115) Sat@3:30p
Competitor:(357) Alabama

Kentucky +7 (-115) Sat@7:30p
Competitor:(387) Auburn

Normal plays on these Larrys.

For all my gamble-holics in Jersey

Rutgers +5 Fri@7:30p
Competitor: Connecticut