Thursday, February 25, 2010

Vino Italiano!

Here are two delicious Italian red wines that I've been drinking at home this winter and can heartily recommend:

Savuto Odoardi 2005
This is a full bodied, dry red wine from the Calabria region. It is delightfully complex, but also smooth and easy-drinking. Not overly fruity, there is a lovely and restrained plum flavor to this wine. Beautiful dark color as well. Savuto is a varietal and Odoardi is one of the most well-known and historic estates in Southern Italy. Tremendous value, around $15 retail, and you might be lucky to find it in selected Italian restaurants.

Ramitello Di Majo Norante 2005
From a large producer of some of Italy's greatest wine values, most notably the Di Majo Norante Sangiovese ($10). An unsual blend of 80% Prugnolo and 20% Aglianico, Ramitello is another well balanced, medium-bodied wine. Dry, spicy, and somewhat earthy, it's much better as it opens up and aerates. Around $15. From the tiny Molise region on the Adriatic coast.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Sunday Brunch at THE BLUE PIG TAVERN in Cape May, New Jersey

Located in the famous Congress Hotel in Cape May, New Jersey, The Blue Pig Tavern serves one of the best versions of Eggs Benedict I've ever had. I'd had it several times in the past few years, and was delighted to see it on the Sunday brunch menu yesterday. The Congress Hall Signature Benedict ($11) is two perfectly poached eggs, served over crispy imported pancetta atop a cheddar and scallion biscuit. Topped with a white truffle hollandaise sauce. Absolutely delicious! It is served with homestyle potatoes, which are nice when they are served hot, but somehow that is a feat the kitchen has not yet mastered. There are other temptations at the Blue Pig Tavern, but trust me on this, the CH Signature Benedict is a five star dish.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Tap Room at COLICCHIO & SONS

Craftsteak, once part of the 10th Avenue restaurant row with Del Posto and the short-lived John Dory, is now Colicchio & Sons. I had always liked the space in the front room - high ceilings, huge windows, long bar - and with a few changes, that front lounge has become the Tap Room. Now there's a pizza oven where the raw bar once was, 12 new taps of artisanal beer, and the televisions are gone. It retains that American big box feel, and from the bar you can see the busy West Side Highway and the Hudson River in the distance.

The Tap Room menu is superb: very well-priced, starters, main courses, and two pizza specials(both vegetarian, oddly). I ordered a specialty drink from the cocktail menu, The Pitmaster's Punch, which was an interesting concoction of Old Overholt Rye whiskey, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, and iced tea. It was light and frothy and delicious.

The selection of beer is impressive. About 25 varieties on tap, and another dozen in bottles. No big names, mostly small artisanal selections. Funny thing, though, nobody seemed to be drinking beer when I was there. The bar was busy making cocktails and serving wine, so I wonder if the Tap Room will actually draw the serious microbrew audience.

My main course, and only course that night, was the Skirt Steak with Chimichurri, Leeks, and Potatoes (pictured here). Served medium-rare to rare, it was stunning. $23. The restaurant has definitely moved away from Craftsteak's high-end steak concept with offferings of quail, baked rigatoni, roasted clams, bone marrow, and herb roasted poussin on the menu.

One other comment about the Tap Room. The music was playing in the restaurant was amazing. An eclectic mix of blues, New Orleans R&B, Americana - everything to BB King to Levon Helm to Professor Longhair to John Hiatt. The bartender told me the music was controlled by Tom Colicchio himself, straight off his personal iPod. He's got soul.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Taking a Dive: THE RACCOON LODGE

Paid a visit to one of New York's true dive bars last night, The Raccoon Lodge, on Warren Street and West Broadway in the Financial District. Only four or five blocks from Ground Zero, it fits the description of a classic dive. Lots of animal heads on the walls, and the overall feel is kind of cross between a hunting lodge and junkyard garage. If taxidermy is your thing, this is the place.

One of the great mystery bookstores in the world, The Mysterious Bookshop, is across the street and I was there for a reading by two up and coming mystery writers from Boston. After the reading we walked in to the bar hoping to catch the last of CNN's coverage of the Saints' Super Bowl Parade in New Orleans. The staff obliged, and as we watched Drew Brees tossing out Mardi Gras beads to thousands of Saints fans on Bourbon Street, all seemed right with the world.

I ordered Bushmills ($5), and the bartender smiled widely and exclaimed "That's MY drink!" From what I observed the staff attire for ladies was skimpy tanktops with ample tattoos, frosted hair, and heavy make-up. Classic. Drinks are cheap, especially beer - cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon are $2 - and the bartender even asked if we wanted tortilla chips from the Mexican restaurant next door.

The crowd was an interesting mix of working class heroes and suits, young and old, and the mood was upbeat and friendly. No loners crying in their beer in this joint. I noticed a few bookish types from reading also wandered over and were deep in to conversation and Budweiser. My companion was sporting a black Who Dat t-shirt with gold scarf, and it brought smiles and comments from just about everyone. The Big Easy spreading a little love in The Big Apple.

The pool table cracked, video games played, and a loud jukebox pumped out rock hits from the 7os. When Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" came on, the woman next to me at the bar shouted "I fucking love this song!" She sure did. She could have added: "I fucking love this bar."

Friday, February 5, 2010

THE BRESLIN BAR & DINING ROOM

The Breslin is probably one of the most talked-about restaurants in Manhattan at the moment, and it's easy to see why. Located in the Ace Hotel on 29th Street, it opened last December with the celebrated chef April Bloomfield (The Spotted Pig, John Dory) in the kitchen. The Breslin has been getting a lot of attention as a hip gastropub specializing in pork parts, and attracting hordes of Eurotourists, Brits, hipsters, and beautiful people. No reservations, first come first serve, and be well prepared for a long wait in a packed, standing-room only bar.

We had a bit of luck. After waiting for all members of the party to arrive, we were seated downstairs at a table for four against a bankette. Plenty of space, thankfully, which is not the case in most areas of the restaurant.

After a superb martini (Plymouth gin, straight up, olive) at the going-rate of $13, we began with the small terrine board ($25): rustic pork, rabbit & prune, duck, head cheese, liverwurst. The pork was especially good; the liverwurst and head cheese mostly forgettable. We also sampled the boiled peanuts fried in pork fat ($6): a mushy disappointment.

My entree was the Chargrilled Lamb Burger with cumin mayo and thrice cooked chips (pictured here). My expectations were sky-high, and it did not disappoint. The fries came out piping hot, perfectly crisp, and deliciously salty. The lamb burger was cooked medium-rare, and while the meat was less gamey than I expected, it was juicy and flavorful. Served on a well-toasted sourdough bun. Absolutely first-rate.

My dining companions enjoyed the Smoked pork belly with truffled mash potatoes; Beef & Stilton pie; and Herbed Caesar salad. There are many other interesting dishes on the menu for future visits: halibut a la planche; braised shin of beef; pork scratchings; scotch egg; and the stuffed pig's foot for two.

For wine I chose a Crozes-Hermitage, Domaine Du Martinelles, 2007. Served slightly chilled, this Northern Rhone Syrah opened up beautifully. $49. In addition to the wine list, there's an intersting gin-centric cocktail list, a wide selection of draught beer, and two cask-conditioned ales made locally.

For all the internet babble about poor service at The Breslin, I'll say that everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful, and efficient. Our cocktail waitress sported a red mohawk hairdo and was covered in tatoos, and could not have been nicer. Our service at dinner was excellent; food arrived promptly, water glasses topped off frequently, and the waitress was always around and accessible.

An excellent experience all around and return visits are definitely in order. The brunch menu looks particularly good. I do, however, strongly recommend off-primetime hours when the crowds are more manageable.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Back to BABBO

After a long hiatus of about three years, I returned to Babbo, Mario Batali's flagship Italian restaurant on Waverly Street in Greenwich Village. Busy and buzzing as always. Had a short wait at the bar, and got a table upstairs in the main dining room.

The menu is essentially the same since I first started going, with many of the signature dishes that made Babbo's reputation still being served. There are nightly specials, but I have always loved the pasta dishes, particularly the famous beef cheek ravioli.

Last night, I ordered two courses: Mint Love Letters (covered in a lamb ragu) and the Barbecued Skirt Steak with Eggplant and Salsa Verda. The Love Letters dish is essentially ravioli stuffed with fresh mint and covered with sauce. A good portion, and though the pasta was tasty and refreshing, the ragu was pretty unremarkable.The steak was beautiful, perfect medium rare, and complemented with a delicious salsa verda. No complaints. $28. My dining companion was not so fortunate. Her Warm Lamb's Tongue Vinaigrette was topped with a three-minute egg that should have been hot, or warm. It was neither, and it went back to the kitchen and off the bill. Her main course was Spaghettini with Lobster; a generous serving of lobster chunks over pasta with a light red sauce. Seemed pretty tasty to me, but companion was unimpressed.

A nice surprise on the wine list: Savuto Odoardi 2005 for $35. Delicious Italian blend (mostly Aglianico) from Calabria that I discovered at another Batali outpost, Lupa, and have been drinking at home lately. $15 retail at most NYC wine stores.

Finally, the service was a genuine disaster. No sommelier came to the table. A waiter arrived about ten minutes after we had been seated and the busboy had given us the menus. We had to wave at the floor manager to take our order, after sitting with our menus closed for far too long. Generally, what I observed was a very amateurish operation. Seemed like every table was waiting for something, and at a table nearby we witnessed a waiter spilled sauce on a woman's dress as he picked up her plate. She was not pleased. So we skipped dessert, and left for a nightcap at the bar downstairs.

Two more things about this place. First, getting a dinner reservation in a reasonable time slot is virtually impossible. You need to call thirty days in advance to the day, and then hope for something other than 5:30pm or 10:30pm. Is it worth the hassle, this silly game Babbo has played for ten years? I think not. Second, it occurred to me that Babbo's moment has passed. The crowd was older, the music more timid, and the staff uninterested. I think our lady bartender was medicated, or stoned, because she was clearly out of it. Coincindentally, the general manager of Babbo, Colum, is an acquaintance, and he joined us at the bar while we sipped our after-dinner drinks (Jameson and a Chianti). We talked of other things; not our dinner or the service, or anything related to the restaurant. Probably should have said something, lest he wonder why we never came back.