Saturday, November 10, 2007

The Raptor Does New York...





ah New York... I just love that City... I love the Energy of that place.
Being from Philly, we used to go there when we were feelin' bored and itchin' for a lil' excitement. New York never failed to disappoint.
In actuality, I had not been back to NYC since 2002, one year after 9/11 happened.
That is a long time... What was I thinking?

Well, my NYC drought ended and I found myself running through the City like a Wild Woman (Yes, Rick Dare, the hands were up in the air... haha..)... Like a Woman starved, I lost all abandon and...
ahem. yeah, and so uh...
Needless to say, I had a fantastic time...

So here's how it went...

I met my old college roommate from from my Freshman year at St. Joe's for dinner at Babbo, Mario Batali's restaurant in Waverly Place. I hadn't seen her in 14 years and it was great to be able to catch up. I had tried to make a reservation a few days prior, but was unable, so the restaurant told me that if there was just the two of us, then we could try for a walk-in. This worked out great because we made it to the upstairs Dining Room. Score.

I was really excited to go here and I really wanted to like this place, but sadly I was a little disappointed. Perhaps my expectations were too high, or maybe it was an off night. Who knows? Once seated, we chatted with the Sommelier and she suggested rather than getting a full bottle, that we should get a Vino al Quartino, which are Wines by the Litre (250 ml). Very nice. We got the Morellino diScansano I Perazzi La Mozza 2005 Toscana for $11. It was great! Score again...

To start us off, we were given a complimentary Bruschetta topped with Garbanzo Beans and Olives, which was just ok. The rest of the Meal went as follows:
Appetizer/Anitpasti - Prosciutto San Daniele "Riserva" with Black Pepper "Fett'unta" - This was great. The Prosciutto was fresh and buttery. You really can't go wrong.
As for our Mains, I'm not gonna get into it in detail, but we had the Mint Love Letters, the Lamb & the Guinea Hen and were disappointed unfortunately. I will have to give the place another try... Sorry Mario...

We wandered down the streets and the next place we went was Sushi Samba on 7th Ave. When I initially walked in, I was a little wary that it would be too cheesy, but after drinks and apps at the bar, my mind changed on that. The Decor was very trendy with glowing orb lights on the ceiling which cast an orangish-red glow in the room with linear partitions, bamboo and glass... I guess you could say it had a similar vibe to one of my fave sushi joints in SF called Tokyo Go Go, but in a much larger scale... The people who work there are gorgeous and accommodating... The people who went there were beautiful and the drinks were tasty.


My New Love...

But it was there that I found a new Love... And found it in the Seared Otoro Kobe Beef with Warm Shiitake Mushroom, Ponzu gelee & a Truffled Tofu Sauce which was DIVINE! It was so good, it made me have one of my 'moment's. You gotta try it to know what I'm talking about! After our huge dinner at Babbo's a few blocks away and watching the Food that went around and were being served to the people around us made me want to try more. What little I had was surprisingly good...
Note to Self: Must come back and get more Seared Otoro Beef...

The next day I met a friend at the Blue Water Grill at Union Square. This is a great sprawling space, traditional in decor with beautiful vaulted ceilings and crown molding and it seemed to be a great place for lunch meetings - from business & power lunches and just to meet with friends...

The Menu is eclectic, but consisted mainly of Seafood and a somewhat New England/Asian fare. They had such things as Lobster Bisque, Maryland Crabcakes to Thai Calamari, Lobster Spring Rolls & Lettuce Wraps and even Sushi.
A little tip: they have a very reasonably priced Prix Fixe Lunch Menu for $24.07 which my friend had. She started out with a refreshingly good Red Snapper Ceviche with Passion Fruit & Malagueta Pepper, and for her Main she had the Wild Striped Bass with Edamame, Pea Shoot Salad & a Sesame Miso Vinaigrette which was delicious. I, on the other hand, opted for something from the Simply Grilled section which featured different Fish & Seafood items that are marinated with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon, Garlic & Capers and then Grilled. Each of these are then served with a Side that you choose and a Sauce, which is cool because it's kinda served A la Carte style like a Steakhouse, but for Seafood. What a good concept! I chose the Organic Salmon with Rapini and Chimichurri Sauce. All Good...

We finished off our Meal by sharing the dessert that came with my friend's prix fixe which was a Chocolate Ganache Tart with Butterscotch Crunch Ice Cream & Caramelized Bananas. YUM! Overall, the Service was great and I had a great lunch experience... Good Times.



Now, I can go on and on about all of my Food & Dining Experiences in NY, but NY and its 5 boroughs are massive as you know. I stayed with my cousin in Brooklyn in Bay Ridge and this was my first time there. Y'know, I was really digging Brooklyn and its great little towns - like Bay Ridge, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Park Slope and D.U.M.B.O.
Brooklyn kind of reminded me of Philly. I liked it.

One thing that I miss in SF is Turkish & Greek Food. I learned to love Turkish Kebabs, when I lived in Europe and there they called them Doner Kebabs. They were great when I was hankerin for a little somethin' somethin' in the middle of the day shopping, walking to school or in the middle of the night after drinkin at the bars. Those were the days... *sigh*.




So I asked my cousin where to get me some good Turkish Kebab. We ordered from Bay Kebab on 3rd Ave. and I loved it! This place does some seriously good Kebab! No joke...
I got me a Lamb Kebab from here and it rocked! I mean I'm still thinkin 'bout it... We also got the Lentil Soup/Ezogolin which is a Savory Soup consisting of Red Lentils in Tomato Sauce and some special Turkish Bread to dip it in. SO good, especially on a rainy day... I might just hafta move my ass to Brooklyn so that I can get it on a daily... Fo Real..



That night, my cousin and her friends took me on a driving tour of Brooklyn & Manhattan. We ended up in a nice little spot in the Meat Packing District called Revel. This was a Cool Space in the same block as Tenjune and Buddha Bar. I really liked the exposed brick walls, tree-lined open back patio and the overall openness of the space.
We had a bunch of drinks there and I found myself really digging the space and overall vibe of the place. And after taking a look at the Menu and other reviews, I will definitely be back to give the Food a try...
Before I knew it, it was 5am and we were stuffing our faces with a Slice from Joe's. Awesome.



Saturday morning I was hungover and hankerin' for more Bay Kebab. But I had to meet my other cousins and goddaughter who came up from Philly in Soho for some shopping and eventually Dinner for my godchild's 16th birthday at a cute place on Prince Street called Zoe Restaurant.



At our table, we started with a Zoe Salad and French Fries with a Side of Truffled Cheese. Fancy Cheese Fries, who knew? I had the Duck Two-ways - Pan-Roasted Duck Breast & Leg Confit paired with Rice, Sauteed Chard & and Fig Jam. Good stuff... My cousins had the Pan-Seared Arctic Char with Marinated Vegetables, Pearl Onions, Fingerling Potatoes, Dijon Vinaigrette & Chive Oil which I thought was really good and also The Lemon-Thyme Marinated Whole Roasted Red Snapper with Spring Vegetables and a citrus-shallot Vinaigrette. That one was just ok for me. The Server was attentive and the Raspberry Cosmos were delicious and they kept coming, which was nice...



For Dessert we had the S'Mores - Toasted Marshmallow on top of a Fudge Brownie & Graham Cracker and Malted Milk Chocolate Ice Cream on the Side. This dessert was awesome! All in all, we had a great meal and friendly drinks and would recommend going again...

Eventually Sunday came too soon and it was time to leave. Between you & me, I actually missed my flight because I wasn't ready to leave just yet. My cousin & I ended up exploring Brooklyn a little more and having Brunch at this great little place called Bar Tabac in Cobble Hill.

I really liked this place. I loved the rustic French country setup and friendly atmosphere from the moment I walked in... I had my Egg's Benedict with Bacon instead of ham and I loved it! (I know, Bacon instead of Ham? It's a Raptor thing, I'm not a fan of Ham, but trust me, it's a great substitution that adds a little crispy texture. You oughtta try it some time...) The Hollandaise was flavorful, the Eggs poached just right and the Bacon perfectly crisp. The Dish definitely passed the Raptor Brunch test...
Great place for Brunch and a Great way to send me back on my way to SF...

All in all, I had a fantastic time in New York and cannot wait to go back for more...

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