Sunday, May 6, 2012 Nonna

Nonna

520 Columbus Avenue

My foodie friend Steve Kaufman recommended Nonna, and since we were having dinner with Helen and Alfred, an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood was perfect..  Nonna met the two main dining requirements for Helen --- reasonably priced and and a menu containing eggplant parmigiana. The bar at Nonna is nicely anointed with soft touches of lighting and liquor bottles that were displayed in a way that allowed the colored contents to glimmer. The restaurant area unfortunately is not a continuation of the bar and is drab and dreary.

Nonna tries hard in the service area, but there is a mismatch at what Noona thinks it can deliver and what it winds up serving. Nonna’s attempt at innovative cuisine turns out to be fussy and does not work.  Ed’s branzino had oranges on top which robbed the poor fish of its natural taste and turned it into a fruity mess.

Alfred orderd the  “Sunday Feast for $19 “ which turned out to be mostly misses. Alfred generously shared this “feast,” and we all wound up having tastes.  The starting course of arancini, a mozzarella-stuffed fried rice ball was heavy and lacked texture.  Unfortunately, this turned out to be no match for the fried dessert of zeppole which was difficult to chew. The courses in between were not much better.  A Caesar salad with  six large croutons was ordinary in its presentation. The best thing one could say about the pasta dish with sausage, beef tips and meatballs was its size, but this odd meat combination was dry and the tomato sauce was non-inspirational.  And, alas the raison d’etre for eating at Nonna in the first place---Helen’s eggplant parmigiana.   Nonna’s rendition lacked the traditional layering of eggplant and gooey cheese and did not make it on to Helen’s top “10” list.

Friday, May 4, 2012 Malecon

Malecon

764 Amsterdam Avenue

We went with Heidi and Bernie to Malecon, a Caribbean restaurant on the UWS that bills itself as “El Rey del Pollo” or “King of the Roast Chicken.”  How right they are!  In the window, there was a rotisserie with chicken in varying degrees of preparation. Inside, on the left, a long line of people were waiting for take-out orders. On the right, wooden tables were filled with families and couples with their dishes overflowing with food and colorful drinks with umbrellas. This Caribbean enclave looked like fun!  The oversized menu offered daily specials and listed over 100 items

Malecon knows its audience and knows that fancy is not their style.  Malecon’s goal is to serve tasty, well-prepared Caribbean food and have its patrons feel comfortable. Where else could a beautiful salad be served with packets of dressing on the side!  Heidi and I each ordered the half chicken which was scrumptious.  All the seasoning exploded together on the bird and each bite was wonderful.  Yet, it was served on a plate that was a size too small so that the chicken required the hands of a surgeon to ensure that it did not fall off the plate.  A side of steamed vegetables accompanied the meal.   Ed ordered the grilled branzino and a side of crispy fried plantains which more than satisfied his palate.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 Mermaid Inn

Mermaid Inn

568 Amsterdam Avenue

A glass of wine after a one hour dental appointment is always a good idea…..especially if it is at night.  Ed and I planned to meet after my dental appointment at The Mark Hotel on 77^th Street and Madison and head to the bar, but by the time we arrived, there were no empty seats and an obnoxious maître d’. It was 7:30, ,and  we were hungry so we decided to try The Mermaid Inn, a popular restaurant that is a block from our home and located  on Amsterdam and 87^th Street.   We had previously dismissed the idea of dining here because our experience at the bar was less than memorable.  Tonight, we were seated immediately in the back room which to that point we did not know existed.  The room had a country inn feel,  and although the seating was rather close,  the noise level was fine. 

It still is not clear why a restaurant chooses to serve wine in a glass that is more appropriate for a dinner at a bar mitzvah.  For those that are knowledgeable about wine, it does not give them the opportunity to swish and for those who just enjoy a glass of wine with their meal, part of the allure is a good pour that is served in an attractive glass.  The Mermaid Inn serves flatbread crackers with butter instead of bread which would be OK if the crackers were fresher and two guests were not allotted four crackers. The service and the timing of the meal was fine.  Mermaid caters to fish lovers, and except for the lone pork chops, the raw bar, appetizers and entrees are from the sea. There are several interesting choices, and Ed chose the grilled whole fish of the day which was a branzino which was well prepared with a crispy outside and tender fish. The entrée does not include a side which brings the price with an added vegetable to a steep $34.   At this price point, it is reasonable to expect well prepared food in a better than average venue.  My meal consisted of two appetizers of mussels and a chopped salad.  Perhaps it was my own lack of adventure that should be blamed for this less than exciting meal.  Yet, the mussels  in a boring red curry broth with smoked bacon and escarole with battling flavors made  this diner feel like the loser.  The main attribute of the salad was that it was big.

I am told that the Sunday lobster special for $24 is worth trying.  Perhaps…………………………

Saturday, March 24, 2012 Wallse

Wallse
344 West 11^th Street

We were having dinner with Jim and Laurie, and it was their turn to venture in to Manhattan from Westchester.  First impressions are lasting, and we were optimistic that this was the case at Wallse, a pricey Austrian nouveau cuisine restaurant in the West Village. When we first walked in to the enchanting dining room with modern posters on white brick walls and lighting that was carefully selected to exemplify coziness,  we were more than hopeful that the old adage would be accurate.  Each bite of our appetizers of gently seared scallops in tomato-clam ragout was sublime, and we waited in anticipation for our entrées.  And waited.   And we finally did the unthinkable in a restaurant at this level---- we asked our server who assured us that our meals would be served in two minutes.  The two minutes came and went, and when we asked our server again, he finally arranged for their arrival.  One can expect a high correlation between the appropriate timing and pacing of the meal and the price-point. This was not the situation at Wallse.  We decided to move on and enjoy our entrée.  We also expected the server to know who had ordered which dish.  Alas, we could have been at any upscale diner in Westchester.

 Laurie ordered the signature dish of Wiener Schnitzel with potato cucumber salad and lingonberries which was a fried blob of veal that unceremoniously filled the plate.  Laurie thought it was tasty, but the presentation was so poor that it left us wondering in which restaurant the pictures of the food on the website were taken.  Both Jim and Ed ordered the pan seared brook trout.  What was presented was an oversized piece of luke-warm salty fish that was plopped on the plate without garnishes or even vegetables.  The vegetables were listed as an a la carte order.  My $42 entrée of smoked squab with foie gras and truffled endive turned out to be so miniscule that a quick calculation clocked it in at about $7 a bite.  That might have been acceptable had the chef been more careful with the salt.

The dessert chef must have been on the same page as the chef.  Not only did the desserts lack the artistic creativity that one would expect here, they screamed out for taste. 

Wallse has a way to go before it reaches the levels of similarly charging brethren.  The best part of the meal was being seated next to Sacha Baron Cohen and his wife Isla Fisher which provided us with endless mealtime conversation and glances.  It should be noted that the timing of their meal was perfect.

Friday March 16, 2012 The Modern

The Modern

9 West 53^rd Street 

A benefit of the Modern restaurant is that one can check your coat and then head off to the MOMA before returning later to dine.  That turned out to be a particularly advantageous perk since Friday nights are free at the museum, and it was crowded.  We met Jeff and Anita in the lobby and headed to the photography exhibit of Cindy Sherman on the sixth floor.  Its grotesque, bizarre photos of women instantly made a connection to Sherman’s feminist world.   Yet, her images left us with anger, confusion and frustration, and the question of how we were going to make the transition from this highly energized moment to a peaceful dinner lingered.   Once we were inside the restaurant, it became clear.   The serenity of the restaurant and the tranquil nature of the staff provided the answer.

The seating configuration in the glass enclosed dining room provides all seats with a view of the sculpture garden.  And this artistry memorably continues on with the sumptuous food, personalized service and pleasing table settings.  The Modern offers several prix fixe alternatives and each can have a wine pairing.  Our selection included two appetizers, entrée and dessert.  The presentation was exquisite, and in most cases was matched by the quality of the food and the service.  And then the Modern adds its own unique touches!   Both cows’ milk and goats’ milk butter were served with delicious rolls that were placed on the table in a bread vase made of glass.  Our server lovingly described in detail each dish as it was served.    With the desserts and coffee, we were more than satisfied.   Yet, we were then presented with an interesting, but unnecessary, mini  ice cream cone.    And then the multi-tiered cart containing the fantasy of all chocolate lovers with every kind of chocolate imaginable was rolled to our table.   In this Willy Wonka world, we were instructed to choose our favorites, but we were so overwhelmed with the selection that we deferred to our server’s expertise.   Less is always more in a high end establishment and the restaurant’s objective to dazzle us with unnecessary extras made it feel more like the endless dessert courses at a bar mitzvah. 

Yet, the evening was so wonderful and the unparalleled dinner at the Modern was so stellar that these minor missteps were overlooked.  We were not all that surprised to find out that this lovely dinner lasted three hours.  

Friday, March 9, 2012 Rowdy Hall

Rowdy Hall

10 Main Street     East Hampton, New York 

The Citarella branch in East Hampton closes at 7:00pm, and we had missed this deadline for buying dinner by 15 minutes.  Always wanted to try this restaurant tucked away in the alley near the movie house, and now we had our chance. It was surprisingly crowded for this Friday night in early March, but we managed to get seated immediately. The crowd was local and lacked the summer East Hampton vibe. Rowdy Hall is a restaurant trying to be a pub. The lighting is a shade too bright, and although this would never be a romantic getaway, Rowdy Hall could dabble in the 'cozy' world by just lowering the dimmer.

To start, Ed had a 'black and blue' beer which is a layered concoction of a dark Guinness on the top and a light Belgian lemon-flavored beer below it. I always encourage Ed to order fish & chips when it is on the menu since I can try the fries and not have to order an entire portion that I could not resist.  This scrumptious super size entree was presented in a newspaper that was shaped like a boat and designed to sop up the extra oil from the fish and chips. My interesting and tasty vegetarian entree of grilled acorn squash and spinach was covered with crumbly feta cheese and toasted pine nuts. Rowdy Hall's big surprise was near perfect warm rolls. Rowdy Hall is a casual, well priced option that is worth a another look. However, Rowdy Hall might consider adding more entree salads and increasing the selection of burgers which seems to be the go-to favorite here.

Sunday, February 26, 2012 Dovetail

Dovetail

103 West 77^th Street

We almost passed it by.  Dovetail is so unobtrusive and tucked away off Columbus Avenue that we had to look for the address to find it.  Once inside, we were home.  The soft peach, grey and dark green furnishings and the candles that surround the dining room provide an environment that is so cozy that one felt immediately comfortable.   First impressions went a long way in setting the tone for the evening at this gem of a restaurant.

On Sundays, Dovetail serves a three-course “Sunday Suppa” that is a bargain.  The chef’s sampler included a delectable mini-cornbread.  Dovetail does not serve traditional rolls or bread, and the cornbread serves as a replacement. Perhaps Dovetail is taking the culinary position that bread is an unnecessary filler that gets in the way of enjoying the quality of the meal. My appetizer of tuna ceviche was well-prepared and came with its own personalized description from the waiter.  Ed’s appetizer of mackerel in a lovely mustard sauce was wonderful.  It is always interesting to note a restaurant’s interpretation on the bouillabaisse entree.  There seems to be no correct way or formula.  More often than not, it is prepared like a fish stew.  Dovetail’s interesting take on this dish was unique.  Shellfish and grilled fish were served in a rouille,  a peppery garlic sauce that had a saffron hue.   Dovetail has replaced the regular selection of desserts on Sunday with a “create-your-own Sundae” course.    One has the choice of several flavors of ice cream or sorbet with all the accoutrements.  Understandably, the pastry chef needs a Sunday break but an ice cream only dessert was limiting and sundaes lent a tacky feel to a meal that deserves better.