…last weekend the 2010 edition of the 100 Mile Challenge came to a halt with a trip to NYC for a three night stand of visiting with friends and eating around town. Our plan was to pick a neighborhood and stay there- a couple of our previous trips involved carting ourselves from mid-town to the lower east side and beyond…we came to the conclusion that we were wasting too much time travelling up and down Manhattan, so we decided upon a place on East 4th street. Until the pipes broke. Our alternative was an apartment up on West 47th St., but with NYC being NYC, we decided to take it and it actually was a better place and they didn’t charge us extra for the upgrade. We left RI at 3 PM and took our chances on the Meritt and the Henry Hudson. 3:45 minutes later we were at our temporary abode and were met by our friends Mickey and Kristi from Chicago with a destination for Resto on East 29th Street. It was the perfect night to stroll the 20 or so blocks down to the restaurant and we were pleasantly surprised to be seated outside. The beer list was impressive (even Ingrid ordered a Framboise Lambic!) and the menu looked good. We started with some deviled eggs on pork toast (!) and frites with 10(!) dipping sauces….we all were able to find a favorite sauce and while the eggs were tasty, they did not blow our socks off. Entrees followed, but were not standout. There were a couple of gaffes; they were out of two things that Mickey had ordered and Kristi’s meal straggled behind, but they more than made up for it by presenting us with a complimentary dessert of chocolates and beignets. Kristi and Mickey retired into the night by hailing a cab, but Ingrid and I still had a little left in us, so we stopped by The Breslin to check it out. This was the other restaurant on our list for dining competition that night, but Resto won out…late night at the Breslin proved to be an unsucessful venture, however because it was packed to the gills and pretty noisy; we were looking to wind down and hang out under quieter circumstances…so we headed down the road to one of our favorites- the Gramercy Tavern front room. Lucky for us there were two spaces available at the bar and lo and behold, one of Ingrid’s favorite desserts was still on the menu- chocolate mousse with carmelized salted brioche croutons! …and to suit my fancy, there was a 1993 Thomas Hardy’s Ale available from the beer cellar. This is as close to perfection as it comes! The beer paired well with the dessert- we both were satiated to the gills and strolled up broadway towards our home away from home to conclude our first night in the City.
Day two started out with us walking down to Cooper Square to meet up with Kristi and Mickey for their inaugural visit to the Doughnut Plant. As you all know, this is hands down, the best doughnut place that we’ve been to. Period. We arrived around 9:30 with a small line to contend to, but it seemed as though they still had their full arsenal of doughnuts to be had. In a flurry of almost madness, we ordered upwards of a half a dozen doughnuts, including the hallowed Creme Brulee. After a sampling of our treats, the PB+J and the Creme Brulee ruled the roost. With those nuggets of goodness resting in our bellies, it was time to strap on the footmobile and hit the pavement to explore some more food destinations. After a swing through SoHo, we headed up to 5th and 15th to see if the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck would be in its advertised location. These guys have a fleet of roving trucks throughout the City that sell homemade ice cream and artisanal coffee. Ingrid and I had missed them last time around and we were interested in trying their ice cream. Sure enough, they were at their announced spot (check their website or Twitter) and we were met with a unique listing of flavors and ingredients. After some thoughtful consideration and tasting, I settled on the NY currant and cream and Ingrid got the Earl Grey (Kristi and Mickey sat this round out). While the ice cream was good and fresh, it wasn’t the home-run that I thought it would be (Ice House in Rye, NH…?) but nonetheless it was pretty darned good and I managed to finish it (go figure)…Ingrid, in a rare display of defeatism, banished hers to a NYC curbside trashcan….but that didn’t put a damper on the parade- we marched on to the Batali/Bastianich emporium Eataly, modeled after the Turin flagship. We had visited the Turin version in Fall of 2008, so we kind of knew what to expect, but we weren’t sure how it would pan out in NYC. All I can say is that you have to go and check it out yourself. It’s on 23rd and 5th- with multiple entrances into the space. There are lots to see and eat here, so multiple visits may be in order. Ingrid and I checked out the space while Kristi and Mickey ordered paninis for their lunch before they took off for Long Island. You can easily spend all day in here, there are multiple places you can get food and wine and there are numerous sit-down areas to dine in and soak in the surroundings. Rumor has it that a rooftop brewpub is on it’s way. After out head turning experience at Eataly, he walked back to Cooper Square which was our point of separation with Kristi and Mickey- we said our good-bys and Ingrid and I continued onto DBGB on the Bowery for a very light lunch before trekking back uptown. These guys specialize in house made sausages and really good beer- we nestled up to the bar, ordered a Polonaise sausage along with an order of frites and sat back for a mid-afternoon respite. The beer list was exceptional as usual, I had an oak-aged double IPA from Great Divide and an authentic Oktoberfest from Germany. We regained our stamina and then hoofed it up to mid-town to rest up for that evening’s adventures.
We did not make any reservations for Friday night with intentions on trying to get into one of David Chang’s restaurants either Noodle Bar or Ssam Bar. Seeing that they are right around the corner from one another, we figured that we’d try Ssam first, then Noodle if we were unsuccessful. We took a cab to Ssam at 2nd and 13th and was greeted with a 45 minute wait- which was not too bad. We were ushered to the back of the building where lo and behold, Milk Bar was located. I ordered a beer and we were hanging out when the overwhelming urge to order the pork buns took us over and prompted Ingrid to place an order. I don’t think that I’ve ever used expletives here, but holy shit were they good! We were ready to drop our reservations and get a dozen of these suckers, but cooler heads prevailed and we withstood the urge to hold off and see what Ssam had to offer. About 25 minutes later, we were presented our table and we ordered a barrage of items off the menu- country ham, blackened bluefish sandwich, fried duck necks and duck two ways- all under the watch of a secret service agent (HUGE UN meeting in NYC that week)…all were fabulous and excellent in their own way. The Ssam menu is a little devoid of desserts, so we hit the Milk Bar for a compost cookie before heading to our show at the Rockwood Music Hall.
On Saturday, we awoke and met Ingrid’s mother at the Port Authority Bus Station and then headed up to Cleveland Circle to Bouchon in the Time Warner Center. I have always been a fan of the Bouchon cookbook and Thomas Keller himself and thought it would be worth the trip up to the cafe to check it out. The space is kind of weird, but yet stunning in its own aspect, it’s in a large foyer on the 3rd floor of the center, right out in the open with stupendous views of the Circle and Central Park in the distance. We weren’t overly hungry so Ingrid and her mom split the jambon and emmantaler sandwich and I got the smoked salmon on brioche. All I can say is stupendous (both sandwiches)…simple, fresh, quality bread and delicious all around. Go if you can. We walked off those morsels pretty quickly by cutting across the Park and up town to the Guggenheim and then back down to home base @ West 47th. After a little rest and hydration, we hopped a cab back to Eataly so Ingrid’s mom could check the place out and soak in all that is Lydia (she’s a huge fan). We got some drinks and perused the space, checking out all the nooks and crannies the space has to offer- including Joe Bastianich himself! As we were ordering drinks, he was behind the bar tending to some other customers and as we were leaving, Ingrid’s mom got a close encounter- he thanked her for coming! If that wasn’t the perfect cap on a perfect day, we still had dinner reservations in the West Village. We transversed Manhattan by foot down West 23rd and then headed South through Chelsea and the Meatpacking District to West 12th Street and our destination- Recette. We wanted to take Ingrid’s mom out to a dinner in NYC for a belated Mother’s Day gift and after some research on Chowhound, I thought that Recette would be the perfect place- and I was right. We each had the five course tasting and it didn’t disappoint- sea urchin ceviche, pork belly, lamb chop and deconstructed smores were the highlight of the meal…the atmosphere was great and we got to explore a portion of NYC that we weren’t super familiar with…
…but of course, before exiting the City there was one last stop at the Doughnut Plant on Sunday AM. One more round of Creme Brulee doughnuts for all!
-Josh
