A Traditional Christmas Dinner

So like any non-celebrating Christmas person, there are numerous traditions we do have. No really, check out that link.

The Grand Sichuan
227 Lexington Avenue (btwn 33rd and 34th)

There are easily 10 different restaurants called The Grand Sichuan in NYC. And they all have different owners and likely no websites, so when we heard one got great reviews recently we were set to check it out. However, there are so many of them, who knows if we were at the right one. We did the common Chinese food thing- order a bunch of dishes, share, and pass.

Dan Dan Noodles

Warm noodles with a spicy chili meat sauce. Mr. Broad was adamant we try this one.
And wow, great choice! Had quite a kick to it (for me at least) but was very good.

And then you mix up the sauce to get full chili coverage...

Beef and String Beans
Ummm.. would you like some beef with these string beans? The meat was puny and shriveled. (Hehehe, middle school laughter...) And cousin was quick to point out that this was $13! Not exactly worth it.

Sesame Chicken
Lacking on the sesame seeds, and high on breading it was at least all white meat they used. Sorry, Brother, I've had better.

Spicy Ribs
Not really spicy but good Chinese ribs all the same where the meat falls off the bone.

Mapo Tofu:
Guess which one Mr. Broad ordered?! Somewhere in the online world he learned it's a popular dish to eat and he's had it before with great success. Cousin and I were surprised that he wanted this one because the main ingredient. Yes, tofu. He assured us that there is meat in it as well.

Result? Eh. Tofu's one of those ingredients that some people either just love or well, you don't. It really takes on the flavors of sauces and anything else it encounters. I do know tofu comes in different "consistencies" and I think some of them I like more than others. This was more of the slippery and err, wet kind. Not too appealing. Mr. Broad and Brother were the main eaters of this dish, even though I'm pretty sure they agreed with me. But to them, it was food.

Review:
So I'd say we all got our MSG/sodium intake for awhile. It is a typical neighborhood Chinese restaurant. As for the service I have to say I was a bit shocked when I needed more water (mouth= fire! Dan Dan noodles!!) I wasn't able to find a server. For a good 15 minutes. Finally I got up and went to the empty table behind me to get the pitcher and poured MY OWN WATER! Not to be a prima donna about this, but at a Chinese restaurant?! Blasphemy!

Some of the dishes were okay/good, some disappointing. If you do go to check this place out, the Don Don Noodles are a must. Eventually Mr. Broad and I will have to check out some of the numerous other "Sichuan Grand" or "Grand Sichuan's" in NYC and compare.

Brother still enjoys it as I'm sure I would if I lived a couple of blocks away. Due to one word. Delivery.
Grade: B- (Let the record show that Brother thought this grade was too low.)

Clearly we finished most everything but lots of Tofu left!

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It's Coming...

Well Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Feliz Navidad and all around a Happy Holidays to you!

Mr. Broad and I have been busy traveling around seeing family in Cleveland. While we had a great time and I have officially peeled about half of Idaho's potatoes (GO LATKES!) we have not had the opportunity to head out for dinner in the city.

But have no FEAR!

We will be going somewhere.
And soon.

That is all.

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Lunch with Thomas Keller. Kinda.

So while Mr. Broad and I were strolling along the street of New York City, desperately trying not to slip, we decided to go to Time Warner Center. It's actually an indoor mall (a MALL! like the suburbs!) with two of the best (well, most expensive) restaurants in all of New York City.

While we really wanted to just SEE where the famed Masa and Per Se were, we got stopped visually. By a different place I have been dying to try.

Bouchon Bakery

Ten Columbus Circle (3rd floor)

Bouchon Bakery is part of the Thomas Keller umbrella of restaurants. It is exponentially easier to get into (you don't even need a reservation!) opposed to French Laundry or Per Se which can easily take a year, even though you can only book 2 months in advance.

So Bouchon Bakery is "lower scale" and has more of the french pastries, salads, and sandwiches but with slightly increased prices for you to realize it's better quality. Because higher prices = better food, right??

There is a to-go pastry counter where you can get more pastries and some other pre-made items. But you KNOW Mr. Broad and I had to sit down.

Bouchon Bakery is in the middle of the mall on the 3rd floor. You get a pretty good view of everything and directly over Columbus Circle, however, Mr. Broad kept commenting how he just can't get over the "you are eating at mall" feel. Which was fine. But keep in mind this wasn't Five Guys prices and was pretty "open".

Mr. Broad right away went for the "special":
Pork 3 ways.

Waitress: And our last special is Pork 3 ways.
Mr. Broad (with an evil grin on): Oooh
Waitress: I take it you like pork?
Mr. Broad: (sarcastically) Slightly. Can you explain the "three ways."

Waitress: Well, there is trotter, crispy skin over mache, and rillettes. And the way I describe the last one, is if you are familiar with tuna fish it has a similar texture to that.
Mr. Broad: Yes, please.

The left was the trotter (pig's feet), the middle was the rillette, then the green salad (mache) with pig's skin tossed in there. And then of course some toast for the rillettes. And of course, best thing on the meal? The tuna fish look-alike, the rilletes were great! Slightly resembling foie gras (only based on texture) it had a smooth pork feel. Mr. Broad was happy.

Me, however, I got a sandwich.

Smoked turkey with apple butter on pecan bread. Now there's a flavor you don't get much of- apple butter. The sandwich was not on their website so I wonder if this is more of a seasonal item, but man does apple butter get underutilized as a condiment. It was a very nice pairing with the smoked turkey. It also came with mixed green salad on the side.

So those familiar with Bouchon Bakery, know the main things they specialize in. I mean when the word Bakery is in the title, you have to try their guest of honor. While they have some pastries that you can get sitting down, this is one place you order with your eyes. Oh and big eyes they were.

I'll have one of those flourless chocolate cakes in the middle there.

Aah yes, and one of those nutter butter cookies on the right. And that large oreo Christmas tree cookie you don't see in the picture.

And because every pastry deserved their picture taken:

We brought the 3 pastries to our friend's house, "The Italianos", for dinner that night where we were all judges. While all visually appeasing some had their favorites. Mrs. Italiano enjoyed the large oreo cookie in a shape of a Christmas Tree. I must concur, if there was a way to mass produce this cookie Bouchon would have a run for Nabisco's money. Being the peanut butter fan I am, the nutter butter cookie was one of my favorites. The chocolate cake, while eaten by all, was a bit dry for my liking- often how I imagine a flourless cake turns out.

Review:
Bouchon Bakery is a very low key place to get a sandwich, a pastry, or coffee. Sit back and relax from all that shopping you've done at and enjoy the view of Columbus Circle while sipping your espresso. Get an over priced salad or sandwich and then enjoy a nice dessert. While this place is good if you are in the area, next time I'm heading straight to the dessert counter for some slightly less pricy pastries. Their pastries change often so we'll see what Valentine's Day bring. Oh but Mr. Keller, mind selling that apple butter? Thanks.

Grade: B

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A Bagel and Cream Cheese (or Butter)

Mr. Broad and I were ALL READY to go out on Friday night because I am in need of new blogging material... But then it snowed. And while it wasn't *that* much snow at 3 inches, the difference between New York City and any other place (generalizing here) is you walk. Everywhere. AND when it is snowing the sidewalks tend to be an issue.

So onto Saturday.

Having a bit of cabin fever, Mr. Broad and I were heading out to well, anywhere. I was getting ready that morning and watching a show on Travel Channel called Breakfast Paradise when on came Murray's Bagels. So guess where we HAD TO GO.

Only Mr. Broad and I will see a TV show and then show up at the store 30 mins later. Talk about an ROI for them. The power of advertising and promotion.

Murray's Bagels
500 Avenue of the Americans (btwn 12th and 13th street)

FYI- This place is not to be confused with Murray's Cheese's- while only a couple blocks away.

Here they have about 16 types of bagels and are all hand made. Lots of cream cheeses, numerous sandwiches and plenty of salad options.

Anyone who's from New York has pride in their bagels. I remember when my parents moved to Virginia they were on the search for the perfect NY bagel. And any bagel purist will tell you that fresh bagels do NOT get toasted. If you are eating a fresh warm bagel why toast it? Feh!

So here we went:

Sesame with scallion cream cheese.

Extremely serious business here. Loaded with cream cheese in true NY style, covering the hole in a serious schmear. My cousin in Boston, a cream cheese fanatic, would have been in heaven on this one.

Everything bagel with eggs

Mr. Broad is one of a handful of Jews who does NOT like cream cheese. (Answer to the lox question- he eats his with butter).

He was ecstatic about the bagel. Covered with all things like garlic, salt, sesame, poppy, and onion that gives it the appropriate stench.

Review:
Not really knowing the words to describe a good bagel. We'll just go with awesome. For a cold winter day, people had no problem getting out and waiting in line for a bagel. There are tables but not many and you often have to wait for something to open up. The menu is huge and the lines go quick so you have to be fast to figure out what you want. But the bagels are worth it. Mr. Broad and I have been talking how we want a real New York bagel. Voila. Murray's Bagels.

Grade: A-

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A Zagat Dispute

Recently Mr. Broad has commented on my grades I've been giving restaurants. Not that he has completely disagreed but he thinks my grades are inflated. Like giving all restaurants an A and then all of a sudden you come to a restaurant like Momofuku Ssam bar or Masa (one could wish) and then how do you diversify?! Okay. So I am TOO nice. In this post... bring on mean grader.

Grrrr.

Necessary tangent story: I was in Atlanta last week for work and got to visit my friends The Sullivans. And that's where I learned about Guitar Hero. Which is ohso cool but your eyes become forever fixated on the TV that you do. not. blink. Seriously, I could have won many a blinking games last week if you put Guitar Hero behind them. But Ouch.

The point of the story is I have been traveling for work a lot these past weeks. So it was time I caught up on my expenses... and work on a weekend. Ya know, something about getting paid back.
Mr. Broad came with because obvi. Lunch! We both wanted something fast and our fave Ippudo had a 30 min wait so we went walkin'.

Ruben's Empanada's

Various locations

We have both heard of this place from other people. Not anything fancy, but a place with maybe 10-15 different empanadas for you to choose from. Mr. Broad saw a deal where you got 3 empanadas and a soda/water for $10. Splitting that for 2 people = not bad for lunch in NYC.

But that's pretty much the highlight.

We picked out our 3 empanadas to share:

Andouille Sausage, Ground Beef, Spicy Chicken

I think this was the Beef one. Not really worth remembering.

And the result? Eh?? Is it wrong of me to say that they all. kinda. tasted the same? I mean there were distinct differences. But no really, they all kinda tasted similar. And it was cold. GAAH!

Apparently Zagat gave it a review of "25". Out of 28 (I think?). And yes that was in 2005. But really?? I have definitely had better homemade empanadas (not by my Jewish mother but other friends along the necessary ethnicity.)

Review:
Mr. Broad used to live in South America and has traveled throughout the area extensively. So one would say he kinda knows his empanadas. But it doesn't take an empanada connessiur to understand the good vs. bad ones.

I guess the price was right but the food definitely was not. Doing some googling while writing this post, apparently Reuben's used to be where's it's at. But many, many recent posts mentioned how this "institution" took a nosedive. Oh phew. And here I was already to defend and make excuses on their behalf. Because I AM TOO NICE! Definitely wouldn't go here again. Too many other good places to go to. Even if you have to wait.

Grade: D (Take that Mr. Broad!)

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Let's Pretend It's Radio

... because I have zero pictures of this restaurant I am about to review.
How could you?!

Well basically Mr. Broad and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire this past Friday Night. We haven't seen a movie in the theatre since maybe "Knocked Up"... and holy COW is it expensive to see a movie in NYC plus with fandango fees?... I'm not reviewing the movie but if I were I would tell you all to go out there and see it asap. After you read my blog obvi.

So Mr. Broad and I were feeling very "Friday night TBS" with our "dinner and a movie" night and he requested burgers. Of which I said- we just had burgers! And Mr. Broad politely reminded me that just because I blogged about it recently didn't mean we ATE it recently. True.

Rare Bar and Grill

303 Lexington Ave @37th Street (also a Bleecker location)

This place gets packed quickly and even though we were assured that they could sit us "right away" after 20 minutes I asked again explaining that we had a movie to catch and the hostess stumbled through how we might be better off eating at the bar.

Arg.

And because we were surrounded by other people and Mr. Broad was EMBARRASED of my picture taking ("Can we go one meal without feeling like we are tourists?!")... I gave in. And actually kinda agreed cause there were a LOT of people around, and we were eating at the bar. And I'm still trying to be cool-trendy-NYer.

This is what we ordered:

Mexican Burger ordered Medium Rare- (spiced black bean spread, guacamole, chipotle puree)

Me: How's your burger Mr. Broad?

Him: Nom, Nom, Nom

Burger with Cheddar Cheese ordered Medium Rare: Now THIS is a BURGER. and a WONDERFUL pink, medium rare burger. My only regret is that you don't have the proof to see this wonderfulness. (My blog so I can make up words).

French Fry Tasting Basket- a mix of cottage, shoestring & sweet potato fries with 3 dipping sauces

These are awesome. The 3 dipping sauces were a sweet sauce, a chipotle sauce, a mexican (spicy) ketchup, and a regular ketchup. Yes I realize that's 4. The basket is huge and Mr. Broad and I barely made a dent in it-- much better when you have a larger group. But definitely satisfies that french fry craving and far superior to Blue Smoke's fries.

Review:

I felt myself comparing this way too often to Blue Smoke. Because this is awesome. The burger was perfect, the fries perfect. And there were MANY, many other items on the menu I couldn't decide between. Mr. Broad and I have been here before and always forget about this place. But we'll be back. And eating a bit more leisurely so I can get you folks pictures.

Grade: A-

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What's a Synonym for Awesome??

Two weeks ago (cause this blog is that far behind) I hadn’t seen Mr. Broad all week so we decided to hit one of the most talked about restaurants that has hit the scene.

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd. Ave

David Chang is the chef and he has entered the NY scene with force. His other restaurants are Noodle Bar, Ko, and recently opened Milk Bar. Mr. Broad and I have tried numerous times to get into Ko for special events with little success. You can only book reservations 7 days in advance online and there 10 seatings each night. Basically it fills up in 15 seconds (no joke) and creates severe frustration and has led us to think that no one actually eats there and it’s all a scam. Google Ko reservations and there's many articles speculating how to get into this restaurant. It's a touchy subject for us.


So enter his next restaurant Momofuku Ssam Bar. They don’t take reservations, so we were ready for the wait. At least we know we’re getting in… eventually!

When I asked Mr. Broad what type of food he specializes in, he said awesomeness. Technically though, ­­­according to Chef Chang, it's New American. Whatever that means. Mr. Broad had been here before with a coworker and my foodie cousin and hasn’t stopped talking about some of their pork buns- comparing it to Ippudo.

The restaurant isn’t known for it’s ambiance. It has a long table that they put parties of 2 at and then handful of other tables for larger groups. What I’m getting at, is that it doesn't matter. When Frank Bruni from the New York Times gives it three stars, you’re in for a nice wait.

Lucky for us, they just opened up Milk Bar that attaches to it and they also serve some food and beer. We will definitely have to check this place out again because I went nuts taking pictures of their displays. Consider that a teaser. With pies labeled “crack pie” or “candy bar pie” it’s worth coming back. Yeah that's right I said crack pie.

So let’s get right down to the food. The menu changes often so lucky for you I kept mine for a souvenier. Right away we ordered the pork buns. It’s game time. Not in the order we got them at but close enough.

Steamed buns (pork belly, hoisin, cucumber, scallions)

They were heaven in my mouth. Slightly different than Ippudo’s buns (these had hoisin sauce). You can clearly order these all night and make a meal out of it. But why pass up all the other amazing concoctions??

Edwards’ Wigwam Country Ham (Surry, VA)

We had had surry ham before at Murray’s cheeses and so we knew what we were getting. This was no different- just awesome.


Diver Sea Scallops
Amazing fresh fish that melted in your mouth. The scallops were in a sauce that Mr. Broad pondered the appropriateness of drinking out of the bowl like cereal.


Satur Farm’s Fried Brussels Sprouts- mint, scallions, fish sauce vinaigrette.

By now you have heard about my affinity for brussel sprouts through examples one, and two. This my friends is no different. I know what you are thinking. Golly gee, Mrs. Broad. How did you ever manage to eat these fried vegetables!? Yes exactly. And not only were these little crispy leafy cabbages of yum, they had puffed rice within it! As in rice krispy treats within the brussel sprouts! Genius.


Cat Ear Pasta- Hahn Farms’ turkey, cranberries, sage


I was a bit interested in just getting this dish by the title alone. Be assured that no cat was harmed in the making of this dish.


Banh Mi- ham & chicken liver terrine sandwich.


Holy best dish EVER. Seriously, screw the pork buns (well, not really) but this was quite possibly the most amazing thing I have eaten. In a long time. At first I figured I’d have a bite and at least try it out not thinking I’m a fan of chicken liver terrine. But then each bite of deliciousness outweighed the one prior. And the rest of the night I could NOT stop talking about the banh mi sandwich! To anyone who would listen. One of the waiters shared with us another restaurant that also has great banh mi sandwiches… hmm...


Crispy Pig’s Head Torchon- adzuki beans, market greens


Cause who doesn't appreciate a good pig's head. No? Yeah, exactly. I was far stuffed at this point and Mr. Broad wanted "one last dish." I had a bite cause you JUST HAVE TO. And I could tell it was good but all I thought about was the banh mi sandwich. There were some great beans mixed with dried cherries that provided an interesting complement. But like I said.
Baaanh miiiii. Yumm.

Review:
Grading this restaurant far surpasses some of our prior “A” category meals we’ve had. While the others were great, this is in a class of its own. I fail to come up with some of the words to explain our meal and find myself saying "awesome" and "amazing" over and over. Service was nice, and the ambiance isn’t really there but honestly who cares. It is some of the best food we have ever had. And did I mention the banh mi sandwiches are incredible?? Oh we’re going back. Likely with our other foodie friends (you know who you are)…
Grade: A+

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Aah the Cupcake Craze

I have a mammoth of a post coming up next. Like get excited. It's a biggie.

But before that. Let's take a little break for some dessert.

After going to Crumbs with Talking with Hands when they were in town, I convinced Mr. Broad that this is legit. The real thing. The thing about cupcakes is that they are a bit overkill at this point. Like they are so trendy they are passe. And Mr. Broad would usually prefer to eat anything that was once alive before he hits up sweets. So I was pretty excited he agreed.

In case you have been hiding under a rock cupcakes have been taking over every bakery that then adds a cute name to their shop. And if you ARE hiding underneath that rock then newsflash- Obama won.

So move over black and white cookies there's a new mainstay in the bakery- cupcakes.

And yes, I have tried a couple of them so far. Because you have to.

They are mini cakes! You can eat one and not feel guilty cause it's small! They are pretty! It's pink, it's pink!! But the proceeds go to Susan G. Komen fund! Ooh, this one was in Sex and the City! Sprinkles!!!

Here's my review of the ones I have tried.

Magnolia Bakery- here's a place that is suffering from the "OMG Carrie and Samantha went there in Sex and the City so they must be amazing" phenomenon. Newsflash. They aren't.
They just have standard chocolate, vanilla, and if you get lucky maybe a red velvet. If I'm being honest I think I could make me a batch with good ol' Duncan Heinz and get a famous friend (Bob Saget?!) to eat them and I'd be in business. Carrie and Samantha- really??
Note: I have heard there other desserts (banana pudding?) are far superior to their cupcakes. Whatever.
Grade C

Buttercup Bake Shop- their cupcakes are slightly cheaper than the others at $1.95 and there are definitely more flavors. But honestly, I was still a bit underwhelmed. The icing tasted super duper sweet. Still better than Magnolia Bakery. And actually if I recall, the "devil dog" cupcake was pretty good. Marshmallow icing. Yummmm.
Grade B

Crumbs- Hello. Mother of all cupcakes. My blogging "friends" (re: people who's blogs I stalk and they have no idea who I am) have pointed me to this shop. It is a bit pricey for a cupcake ($3.95) but it is huge. One cupcake can easily be shared by 2+ people. And their cupcake menu is extensive. Twinkie cupcakes? Boston Cream cupcakes? Cookie Dough cupcakes? Seriously, trying to figure out which cupcake you want can take some time.

We settled for the Snow Cap Cupcake. The cake was moist and filled with chocolate filling. The top was vanilla icing and covered in snow caps. Everyone now, "Yum".
Grade: A

The beautiful display of cupcakes at Crumbs

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Cause Sometimes You Want a Burger...

A Recap it's like one of those tv shows that continue over 2 weeks!!...
(in announcer's voice) Last Week on a Broad on Broadway:

Mr. Broad and Mrs. Broad and friends JJ, TA and I went to this Tapas restaurant that was just 'aight so we decided to peace out and head to a tried and true place...

Blue Smoke

116 E. 27th Street (b/w Park and Lex)

Mr. Broad and I have been here several times and it's one of our top BBQ places we have been to in the city. This is a Danny Meyer restaurant- the guy who is behind other mainstays like Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Shake Shack, The Modern, and others I'm sure I'm forgetting. Oh and he's doing all the food at the new Met's Stadium. Yeah. He's kinda a big deal.

For Mr. Broad and I there is only one way to go here- a burger.

We hear their ribs are good and well, you can't go wrong with most anything on the menu. But we are 100% locked into the burgers. Like as we were eating cod filled pasta at the Tapas place I was thinking about this burger. I told you our minds were elsewhere.

We did start off with some other food items. Cause you just have to. I also recommend the Macaroni and Cheese and Potato Chips with blue cheese. We decided to go a little "healthier."

(Half Eaten) Brussel Sprouts-

I'm recently on a brussel sprout kick. And I am confident in saying that brussel sprouts need a new PR person. I mean these are GOOD. They truly are like the geeky kid on the playground that has no friends and then blossoms to be that rich hot guy. Nobody ever told you that guy was going to get hot and rich. That's brussel sprouts. Very underated as a kid with bad PR. Seriously, their PR guy NEEDS to get fired. Unlike the nerdy kid who turks into the rich hot guy- it's not too late to be friends with brussel sprouts.

Mr. Broad and JJ digged in before I could adequately take a picture of it all.

Hush Puppies with Jalapeño Marmalade


Burger with Cheddar (medium rare)

I ordered it medium-rare, however, this was much more on the medium side than the rare side. Ugh. Don't worry it was still good!

Burger with Bacon (medium rare)




New York Strip with Herb Butter, Creamed Spinach and Cottage Fries
JJ ordered this one and loved it.


Hickory Smoked Vegetable Burger with Crispy Onions, Mushrooms,
and Salt & Vinegar Chips





Disclaimer: This was clearly ordered by TA. TA's not a vegetarian and even though we were at a BBQ place... I guess err, sometimes you feel like a veggie burger? Picture isn't the greatest but let's be honest. It's a veggie burger. Sorry TA.

Her verdict is that it was good but I know Mr. Broad and I are going to take her word for it. Big kudos to the starch that was paired with the burger- instead of fries they had chips that were maybe homemade?

Review:
If you want consistency you go to a Danny Meyer restaurant. People swear to me that they have jazz performers here but I have yet to hear any Coltrane or Brubeck (that's me showing off).

The meal was good and definitely filled us up for a better value than the Tapas. It can get slightly expensive as you start to order and realize you want EVERY APPETIZER on the menu. (Chipotle Chicken Wings?? Bacon and Blue Cheese Dip??) Quality. My one beef is the french fries with the burger. They are "okay" as far as fries go and are more of the crinkle cut frozen variety you might have had as a kid. But now that I know they have the homemade chips... looks like I know what I'm getting with my burger next time! Cause it's always a burger. And please make it a little pinker??
Grade: B+

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Gettin' your head in the game

As you are reflecting back on all of these posts I know what you are thinking- Thanksgiving? She is still blogging about that? Isn't it practically Christmas which means that Valentine's Day is right around the corner, not to mention Easter and OH, PLEASE write about Cadbury Eggs! I LOVE those!

No? Okay.

Well confession- I have been a bit distracted. Having just finished Breaking Dawn I have with the most pristine speed completed the Twilight saga. Totaling four books each averaging 700 pages I finished in under 2 weeks. All the while writing a paper, studying for an exam here and there. Aah life does get in the way now doesn't it?

Lucky for you I did surface to eat and remembered my camera.

So let's go!

Txikito
240 Ninth Avenue (b/n 25th and 24th street)
"All I ask is that you name the restaurant something that's a little easier to pronounce and spell"
-Serious Eats Review

Sunday night after Thanksgiving we had close friends of ours visiting- JJ and TA. We decided that after all the big meals to eat a little "light". And after reading all the great things about this basque tapas restaurant that just opened up Mr. Broad and I were eager to try it.

One thing we underestimated. Going to tapas when you are hungry? A potentially expensive problem...

So, we went there for what we'll call appetizers :)

The restaurant was your typical small place... and we started with a pitcher of sangria cause why not. Stuff was okay. You could tell the bartender was new because TA and I got our drinks with straight up ice and Mr. Broad and JJ had a nice iceless strong sangria glass. They topped us off and not the biggest deal but since this is my blog I thought I'd share.

Would you like some sangria with that ice??

The perfect (potentially lukewarm) pour

Okay onto the food.

Txikito specializes in Basque tapas. Having been to San Sebastian, Spain with Talking with Hands the tapas in the Basque region is a bit different, although I can't explain why but there is a menu posted on the New York Magazine.

Morcilla (crispy blood sausage filled bundles)

Foie Micuit (homemade foie gras terrine)

Ajoarriero (pasta filled with salt cod stew)

Tutera (gratin of artichoke, Rancal, jamon)

They were all somewhat tasty although JJ was quick to point out that the Tutera had more artichoke and less of the meat substance. I wasn't a fan of the foie gras- a little too "slippery" in texture for me. The blood sausages were good but I was slightly underwhelmed and had a chinese egg roll feel to it. The cod filled pasta was probably the best dish but by then we were already mentally finished.

Review

You know when you are just not into a restaurant the moment you walk in? Not necessarily the fault of the restaurant but like you decide you wanted Mexican a week ago and when it really rolls around you wanted Chinese? That was us. But more on a tapas to anything else feel... The place was good maybe slightly expensive... regardless all of our heads just weren't in the game. So. We decided to forfeit and call it a warm up (appetizers) and head over to a new location for a more "hearty" meal. It's gotten great reviews so I guess Mr. Broad and I would eventually come back here again for a "rematch"... when we are in the tapas mood.

Grade B-

PS- Stay tuned for part 2 (teaser, I know)...

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'Tis the Night After Thanksgiving

My family was in town and while not ready to hit the leftovers (and to relieve my Aunt of some dishes) we hit the city...

Eating out with my parents can sometimes be a challenge since there are more palettes to please.

Other things we had to consider before we went with a restaurant:
-Table for 8 so we must have reservations
-A Jewish mother who doesn't understand that price doesn't always reflect size of portion
-A brother in his 20's that eats based off of quantity and not quality
-Kosher relatives that will need vegetarian/fish options
Sounds easy eh?
After calling numerous restaurants we got into Cookshop.

Cookshop
156 Tenth Avenue (at 20th Street)

My foodie cousin had been here before and highly recommended it. And our handy dandy Zagat guide said that it's a foodie haven. Check!

Side note- taking my parents on the subway was quite a scene as they struggled with the metrocard (what, no token?!) and reflected how the E train had quite the same skeeviness as it had when they used to take it 30 years ago (likely).

The place was bustlin' and was loud but not too loud that you couldn't hear your neighbor. There were 8 of us which makes this a post with LOTS OF PICTURES!

Unfortunately for this blog, the restaurant changes their menu everyday so when trying to describe everything on it and after consulting the menu online, there are several new items and others that no one had seen before. SO. We're going layman's terms right now.

Enough with the small talk, on to the food already... Everyone either started with either an appetizer or a salad.

Some highlights:

Something with arugula, crispy shallots and pecans and other stuff that made it less of a healthy salad and more of a sweet concoction.

Dandelions, with fried capers- a pretty poor picture but in case you were interested what dandelion looks like. Outside from those weeds you had on your lawn. (My father obviously made that joke). Looks like lettuce, eh?

Buffalo Wings- these were great and had a bit of kick

Fried Rabbit liver (shared by who else but Mr. Broad and my father). Their critique: was okay- a bit dry.

Now for the entrees. I wasn't annoying here or anything and made everyone take a picture of their meal. Pass the camera around!

Swordfish

Sturgeon (it is possible that the picture below is actually the swordfish and the sturgeon is above, but they are both fish and my aunt and uncle proclaimed they were both tasty! So I think that's the point).

Herb roasted chicken- ordered by my mother. She was surprised at how juicy it was and how crisp and tender. Actually I think she commented that it was the best chicken she's ever eaten. (Really? Over the costco rotisserie??)

Rabbit- ordered by Mr. Broad. I think after the previous week's showing at Irving Mill where he ordered chicken he felt the need to go a bit "different." His verdict was that it was good but really he had more food envy over what I ordered. I think he was a bit underwhelmed with his entree.

Breast of veal- now this one I tried (ordered by my cousin, brother, and father)... It was awesome. Very juicy, rich, and smooth.

Tasting of Lamb- AAAH THERE IS NO PICTURE?! I swear I took a picture of this one. Somewhere along the way my camera decided to delete on it's own because I would NEVER DELETE A PICTURE of this caliber. It consisted of 4 (?) different types of lamb including a lamb sausage, something that tasted a bit like smoked lamb and other flavors I couldn't identify. I'm a bit disappointed in myself that I do not have a picture of this because I feel like it was the real winner of the night. That or the veal. You know what I'm talking about- when you order the best dish out of everyone and you won? Anyway. I won the order.

Dessert was impressive and after seeing the menu no one was going to pass...
At our table people either got:
Cookshop Candy Bar- Devil's food crunch, gianduja crunch, praline ganache, frozen peanut nougat and chocolate shell.

Get all of that? Check out the layers! These were great!

Root Beer Sundae- root beer sorbet, vanilla ice cream, salted crumble, caramel syrup, sarspilla cream.
Mr. Broad (and my brother) barely looked up as they were eating this. Actually I think the only time Mr. Broad did look up was to have a bite of my candy bar dessert. This was very innovative dessert as it didn't involve any root beer soda and had a nice sweet/salty combination
Housemade of Chocolate Chip Cookies- what's not to love? (sorry, picture did not come out)

Selection of 3 Ice Creams

Review
Aah, dinner in the city with the fam. We had a great time actually. The restaurant was nice, there were numerous things on the menu making it hard to decide what to choose! And the food was awesome. Everything on the menu has a very organic/local/seasonal feel but not in the- in your face- "it's winter so we serve turnips!" way.

Everyone's meal was great and with 8 dishes sharing ensues. I loved my dish so much that I am giving myself the award of the "best orderer" of the night (cause you know how sometimes you feel like you have to congratulate yourself for that?)

The menu changes constantly so guess I'll have to go back!
Grade: A (Mr. Broad thought it was a B but that's because he didn't order correctly)

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