Perry St- NYC Restuarant Review #13

Perry St……… “Perfection, well just about”

Taking full advantage of Open Table’s Appetite stimulus plan (Restaurant Week), my dining guest and I ventured west, very far west to find this gem. Perry St. is located on the West Side Highway, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the West Village streets. At first glance, you might miss the sleek entrance, but just look for the exclusive condos on Hudson Street to guide you. Perry St is one of the many Jean-Georges restaurants around the city. After loving Nougatine this summer (the restaurant that was the catalyst for this blog), Perry St catapulted itself to the top of my long list of go-to places. There were two choices for each course so my dining partner and I decided to order the entire menu, the best move we could have possibly made. As there are a lot of dishes to write about, I’m going to jump right in….

APPETIZERS

Sweet potato soup with melted parmesan

Sent out as a palate cleanser, I was extremely pleased with the purpose of this dish. It was extremely cold out, so this warm, comfy soup was a perfect intro to the meal that was to come. At first, my taste buds were conflicted, but as I kept sipping (and slurping) I wanted more than what was in the little dish. Scents of the fresh and stinky (in a good way) Paremesean Reggiano cheese filled my airwaves. The strong but not overpowering taste of the cheese paired beautifully with sweet and subtle tastes of the sweet potato and cracked pepper. By mere appearance one would not think to order this dish but it's certainly a must have, which is perhaps why the chef prepared it as an amouse bouche.

Roasted Beets and Fresh Ricotta, wasabi and Shiso

Whenever I hear the word Beets, I immediately think of Dwight Scrute and then chuckle to myself; it’s quite amusing. Not until The Office – Season 2 did I actually try beets for the first time. With that being said I have become a huge fan of beet salads and was extremely happy when I saw this dish offered. The texture of the beets had the softness of a pear, exploding with sweet sensual flavors. The cheese was condensed to a foamy texture; mixed with a creamy wasabi, enhancing the flavors even more so and adding just enough kick. The beets were perfectly placed on the plate in a circle with a hole in the middle; a hole that was filled with walnut bits and cranberries. The entire circle was topped with the aforementioned cheese. Every bite blended together perfectly never overwhelming the palate.

Artic Char Sashimi, lemon, olive oil and crispy skin

I must admit, this was my first time eating artic char, and it certainly won't be my last. Presented beautifully as five to six small slices of sashimi, each piece came sprinkled with small crispy rings of skin to add some crunch to each bite. Although subtle, the crispy skin added just the right amount of crunchiness to each soft bite of sashimi. The texture couldn’t have been more perfect. The sashimi was not fishy or tough. The citrus flavors were light, but consistent throughout every bite. This dish had tremendous balance.

Slowly cooked Cod, Aromatic Black Beans with Sake and Ginger

This dish contained some very interesting flavors and spices that aroused some of my more creative taste buds. For instance, the mixture of black beans, along with avocado went beautifully with the full flavors of the cod by adding a fruity and saucy base to the spice blend. The ginger and anise flavors that lightly crusted the soft flaky fish were a good balance to the fish’s airiness. The spices gave the fish an interesting kick that kept me wanting more. Even if you aren’t a fan of the flavors, you can appreciate the thoughtful blends of spices and textures the chef put into this dish.

Grilled Hanger Steak, smoked paprika, butternut squash, caramelized Brussels sprouts

When it arrived at the table I didn’t want to ruin the perfection before me (considered taking a picture but felt it was a bit inappropriate). I continued staring a bit longer until I was finally ready to dig in. Flavors were bursting from all directions on this one. The steak was cooked to my liking, medium rare, and covered in a dry smoky paprika and anise flavor. The dish was topped with a lightly fried onion ring that did not leave you with feelings of greasiness. The steak was skillfully and beautifully presented with a smoky butternut squash. The brussel sprouts were soft, nicely browned on the outside and endless in flavor. I had a hard time parting with this dish and giving half to my significant other, but since part of our dining plan was to split everything, I was true to my word.

Overall, Perry St was an incredible dining experience. I was probably most impressed with the presentation of each course, which really portrayed the true skill that was coming from the kitchen. Each dish could be on the cover for any culinary book. The ambiance, the service, and the food were the closest thing to perfection that I have found on my food journey through New York City.

	Restaurant Review Rating Scale
			Total Points Available
Food	9.5		10
Service	9.5		10
Ambiance	10		10
Bang for the Buck	9		10
Overall	9.5		10
	47.5		50

176 Perry St.,

New York, NY 10014 nr. West St.

212-352-1900

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/perry-street/menus/dinner.html

TOP CHEF

TOP CHEF SEASON 5 PREMEIER IS TONIGHT AT 10PM ON BRAVO.

WATCH IT!!!!

Cavatoppo -NYC Restuarant Review #12

Cavatappo Wine Bar and Grill…..don’t waste your time or money

To be honest, I had high expectations of this place when I walked in the door. It was relatively packed and had a few people waiting in line for a table; which is always a good sign on a Friday night. As my party of six was seated, we were looking forward to a relaxing wine bar atmosphere with some delightful finger foods. To our dismay, the delicious sounding pizza didn’t even compare to DiGiorno, the finger food portions were not so plentiful, and to add insult to injury, the waiter gave me a weird vibe the entire night. He was not knowledgeable about the menu and didn’t live up to my minimal standards for restaurant service. He was unsure about the answer to every question asked, forgot to bring out plates and pushed for one of the more expensive bottles of wine. As I continue to blog, I feel it is my duty to report the good and the BAD dining experiences I encounter That aside, the wine was decently priced and they had a wide variety to pick from. We ordered the 2006 Montepulciano and the Pinot Grigio. On with the review…..

APPETIZERS:

Shrimp and Garlic Pizza

The pizza’s had good intentions with their ambitious sounding toppings. They just simply were not executed well. The shrimp and garlic pizza was a low point. The crust was thick and hard but not crusty. The sauce was dry and you could tell it came right off the grocery store shelf. Huge chunks of roasted garlic were scattered atop the pizza along with little pieces of shrimp. I did not enjoy anything about this pizza and would highly recommend against ordering it. I don’t even know why I am telling you not to order it, because IF you are actually reading this blog post I am guessing you will never step foot in Cavatappo unless you are going for just the wine.

Assorted Italian meat plate

Again, this dish was not up to my standards. I am not a food snob, but when I go out to dinner on a Friday night in arguably the food capital of the world, I expect a little better quality then packaged lunch meat and frozen pizza. The only thing worse would be the packaged lunch meat on top of the frozen pizza which I am sure was an option on the menu.

Assorted Cheese Plate

Our table, full of cheese enthusiasts, chose three cheeses to share: Taleggio (a brie-like cheese), Pecorino, and a Humbolt Fog goat’s cheese. The cheese plate was decent and although I enjoyed the toasted raisin bread that accompanied the dish as it nicely complimented our cheese selection; the preserves that also shared the plate, were less than memorable. Anyone who knows me well knows I enjoy a good piece of cheese. This was probably the highlight of the night, which is sad, because the cheese from some gourmet shop in the city and put on the plate.

Mussels and Calamari

I am grouping these together because I just can’t wait for this review to be over. The mussels themselves had no flavor and were a plastic-like consistency. Each mussel I put in mouth was a struggle to chew; I had no beef with the mussels but each time I ate one they just wanted to fight me.

Calamari is not a hard dish to execute, especially fried calamari. Cavatappo must have missed the Rachel Ray episode on “Do-it-yourself Calamari”. The breading was falling off and lacked the fried flavor I expect from a calamari appetizer. The sauce was cold, and didn’t enhance the dish at all. Although, they were nice enough to include a lemon so we could add some flavor to this awful dish.

There really isn’t much more to say about this place. It may have seemed that I was miserable all night by the way I described the food, but I was actually able to hold in my feelings for the food and have a great time. It was a nice triple date with friends, who will continue to remain nameless, followed by a night out at the Guggenheim for First Friday’s. For those of you not familiar with First Friday’s, I would highly recommend checking it out.

	Restaurant Review Rating Scale
			Total Points Available
Food	4		10
Service	7		10
Ambiance	7		10
Bang for the Buck	7		10
Overall	6		10
	31		50

Cavatappo Wine Bar ($$$)
Italian, Tapas, Other
1728 2nd Ave, New York 10128
At 90th St
Phone: 212-426-0919

Swich - NYC Restuarant Review #11

October 29^th, 2008

Swich Pressed Sandwiches….. "overpriced but good"

Today was a slow day at work, so when i heard that Swich was advertising a 67cent recession special on their hot pressed panini sandwiches, i couldn't resist. My Coworker and I decided to take a trip into the heart of Chelsea to try one of these famous Panini's. As we waited in the long line, discussions arose on which sandwich we would be devouring for lunch. Thoughts of the Buffalo chicken, Thanksgiving Day and the steak monster sandwiches made our mouths salivate. Unfortunately, they were out of Thanksgiving Day, so we both settled on the Buffalo Hot Pants. Who can blame my co-worker for wanting to emulate the master? However, I was really looking forward to sampling a different sandwich because they happen to have some great combinations to choose from.

For instance:

Trojan Horse ground lamb with beefsteak tomato, tzatziki, and fresh mint on rosemary focaccia.

Hippie Chick roast chicken, hass avocado and watercress with citrus vinaigrette on golden raisin semolina

Steak Monster sliced steak with caramelized onion, beefsteak tomato, romaine, and crumbled blue cheese smothered with steak sauce on ciabatta

I really enjoyed my Buffalo Hot Pants sandwich, which consisted of fried chicken breast smothered in buffalo sauce, topped with crumbled blue cheese and served on a French roll. The chicken was flavorful and not overpowered by the sauce. There was an abundance of crumbled blue cheese which melted nicely from being pressed so firmly.

All in all, Swich is a dependable place to get something to eat, but the $9 they get per sandwich is not worth it. If you are in the area and in a bind, I would go for it, but do not go out of your way.

104 8th Ave - Btwn 15th & 16th St
New York, NY 10011
212 488-4800

	Restaurant Review Rating Scale
			Total Points Available
Food	7.5		10
Service	7		10
Ambiance	7.5		10
Bang for the Buck	6		10
Overall	8		10
	36		50