All about the Wine – Sirio

Last night in Vegas and we’re going out in style, with a bang bang bang…

Angel & Devil… or Devil & Angel?!  Who is who?!

I love this girl <3

We headed over to Aria to meet with my college friend Min – and while he gambled we settled at a nearby bar for some drinks.

Drinks  at Julian Serrano Tapas – place smelled good though, got hungryyy fast!!!

Kelly got a nice pretty fruity pear drink

And I got one with ginger bear, cucumber and Absinthe. HORRID. I wanted to die and barely downed a few sips. DISGUSTING. Just say NO to absinthe and bad drinks.

Min met up with us.. also tried my horrible drink and then off to SIRIO to wine and dine!!!!.. Min is a sommelier at Benu in San Fran and knows the sommelier at Sirio so I knew we’d be in for a good wine treat ;D

Another Italian treat..!!!  They also own Circo and Le Cirque … sooooo….. lots to look forward to. But super competition since we had an AMAZING Italian meal already earlier at Scarpetta…

Beautiful space!!! And we got to sit next to the windows to watch them make salads and prepare the meats/cheeses, etc…

It took us FOREVER to go thru the menu, it was overwhelmingly HUGE! There was way too many item and sections and made our heads hurt. In addition there was a specials menu AND they offered a Truffle Tasting Menu. ARGH.  Good thing we were greeted with complimentary glasses of a delicious champagne.  Bubbles helped the headache of the large menu.

I was more distracted at looking in the windows.. especially at the guy who just stood there the whole night mixing caesar salads. hahaha..

Bread and EVOO/Balsamic Dip

6 Oysters. 2 of each kind. [4 West Cost, 2 East]

They were super super tiny and the worst shucked EVER.  There was shell and they weren’t even released, we had to do it ourselves. Blah. Not worth it. Severely disappointed.

Yellowtail Tartare…

It was fresh but lacking.  Needed some acid and salt.  It’s amazing what a little salt and pepper can do.  Good little breadsticks tho, I’m a fan.  I found myself wanting to season it myself… and I rarely do that – I like light foods and tend to frown at OVERseasoned things – I think it needed a bit more texture too… frisee worked but there was just like a bite of it to split between us.

Two different Salames, Bresaola, Mortadella and some Parmigiano Reggiano
Salames for the win!!! I loved them.. there was a small one and a big one.  The mortadella was a bit mealy but good, I’m used to “slimier” feeling ones – for lack of better words – which are more bologna like, OK, better explanation, this was a drier mortadella.  It came with walnut raisin bread, grapes, honey.. balsamic?!, breadsticks and flatbread crisps with melted parm.  The parmigiano was delicious.. munch munch munch nibble.

Just the beginning… champagne… red… white :]

And then came our pastas… MMMM carbs… so far so OKAY… nothing amazing.  So we were totally counting on the pastas – it IS an Italian place so it all depends on the pasta!

Min looking good… and ready to get his eat on… 

—

Can you believe it? One of our last pics together was our sophomore year.. yikes!!! We’re all getting old.. but getting better looking with age ;]  When he was angrier and I was wayyyy nicer… hahaha

“We’re assholes, that’s why we get along so well”

“I don’t remember you being an asshole, you were nice, you were really really nice…”

The last time Min saw me was in AC for my 20th Bday… way back when… and I looked like this… and was blooonndeeeeee – freaking 8 years ago!!!

 And what do you know.. at another Caesars hahahah

–

Ok back to the delicious food..

We got two pasta specials

Left: Pappardelle with a Prosciutto Sauce and Peas…
Right: Risotto – you could also chose tagliatelle - with Black Truffle

Pappardelle was perfectly cooked and so good. The sauce wasn’t very prosciutto-y but it was really really good. Loved it.  The risotto was AMAZING, creamy, but a bit underdone.  But FUCK YEAH truffles galore… INHALED BOTH! We cleaned the two plates CLEANNNNN

Partway thru I dropped my napkin…

And the waiters walked over it, avoided it and didn’t give me a new one.  I even went to the bathroom only to come back to it STILL on the floor

Excuse me do I have something on my lip?

Min finally gave up and asked for a new napkin for the lady. HAHA “the lady” I’m so not a lady.

Grilled Lamb Chops

These were cooked really well, THERE WAS SOOOO MUCH, the portion looks small here but it was actually HUGE…. not gamey at all… barely a lamb taste – I’ve noticed I like lamb when it’s rarer than when cooked – really really good.

Ossobuco on Risotto

Fell off the bone and had delicious marrow.  The risotto was cheesy and the veggies were nice, crisp and fresh!  It wasn’t amazing or mind-blowing but quite tasty.  We were SO full by now that we could barely eat any more.. which probably affects the taste.

But we got dessert anyway :]

Min: I’m gonna make them do all that Birthday stuff…
Me: YAY
Min: HAHA you LIKE that shit!!!
Me: YEPPPP!!!!

Chocolate Souffle

Amazeballs. I LOOOOVED it – I love a good souffle.

The sommelier and our tray of dessert wines/liquors, YES all of that for the three of us.

4 each.. omg there was some bourbon one that almost killed me.  The housemade limoncello was FREAKING amazing tho. SOOOO fresh and tasty… nice and tart and not too sweet :] *swoon

UMMMM… Fuck it…

I die ;D

While the food wasn’t particularly spectacular.. the company and the booze was FUCKING amazing!  Such a great fun night!!!!!

ROAST: Detroit just got SO much better, thanks to Iron Chef Michael Symon

Finally found a great place in Detroit aside from Slow’s and W’s cooking haha… and W’s cooking doesn’t count since it’s not really THE restaurant but HIS food hahahaha anyways… we’re also both lazy creatures of habit so we like to eat at the same places over and over again… as you can tell by my Detroit posts we eat a lot IN the hotel restaurants, the food court in the hotel, room service, Slow’s BBQ and the diner at Motor City.

We headed to the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit Hotel which is the home of Roast, something I didn’t know about until W mentioned it to me just a few days before….  I’m a fan of Iron Chef Michael Symon and have wanted to go to Lola in Ohio for AGES…. anyways, I had reservations at 9 and we were promptly sat at a nice big booth tucked away near the bar and by the wine case…

We were greeted by the nicest, most well informed waiter, who actually used to be working at Lola…  we ordered – the booze list actually came on an ipad haha… and we were quickly served

Bread + Soft Creamy Butter

Pork Crackling 

sea salt, lime, chili powder

SO good we got some to go.  Squeeze of lime, slight bit of grease, tons of crunch and a nice heat to it.  Delicious spices and amazing.  These were like CRACK.

Soon we were out :[ Sad

I was so sad I looked at it upside down and the paper and crumbs fell all over me.  I may or may not have yelped like a puppy. OOPS.

A beautiful Chilean red wine we ordered.  It was on the Somm's list AND it wasn't pricey at ALL - the others were $$ and this was not only on the low end of the price spectrum, it was Chilean, I looove Spanish&Chilean wines!

Miguel Torres, Santa Digna, Cabernet  Sauvignon, Central Valley, Chile 2009

A darkly pigmented wine with an intense, full and very fruity aroma. The palate is majestically structured - velvety, meaty and with elegant body. Its smooth, fine tannins, outlined by new oak, ensure a long evolution in the bottle.

Produced exclusively from Cabernet Sauvignon, that king of red varieties, which achieves its fullest varietal expression in the privileged climate of the Chilean Central Valley. This is a great example of the heights to which Cabernet Sauvignons produced on the Pacific coast can rise.

It had a bit of a bite to it but got creamier as the wine opened up, like most Cab Sauv's...

Our first three courses...

Today's Charcuterie Plate

A lot of everything.. headcheeses.. lomo, prosciutto and such.. everything was delicious and fatty and perfectly delicious.  There's nothing like a bad charcuterie plate, but this was a really good one!  This was the plate for ONE too... since we got so much other food.. I could've had more :] FO’ SHO’

BBQ Pork Belly

apple, watercress, almonds

The Pork Belly completely melted in your mouth and not just the fatty areas… okay it says apple on the menu but W said it was peach, but whatever.. the slight tang, the slight sweetness.. a bit of crunch with all the veggies and a TON of creaminess…

Beef Tartare

cold poached egg, avocado, lime & crostini

W mixed it all together and it was surprisingly good.  I was iffy about the cold poached egg but it was quick yummy.  Usually, as you hear me say in the video, I only have raw yolk in my tartare… but this was delicious.. esp with some added greens and avocado – which we didn’t mix in just added it with the crostini in each bite.  We DID end up putting some grainy mustard in from the charcuterie plate to add a bit of tang/spice to the tartare. YUM.

Grilled Octopus Salad

basil jalapeno pesto, cucumber, mint, kalamata olive

Super tender and delicious. Tons of tentacles which I loved and a nice char to them.  There was a slight heat and a slight tang to the dish.

Bone Marrow

sea salt, oregano, capers & chilies

The chilies was put on as a form of salsa verde. Delicious.  The charred herbs and the fatty marrow… SOOO GOOD and there was SO much of it!  I didn’t actually taste capers so not sure if they changed it on me from the menu but it was really good and perfectly seasoned.. super creamy and just divine, as ALL bone marrow should be and is.

Southern Fried Sweetbreads

slaw, spicy buttermilk and garlic sauce

It was on a creamy bed of homemade ranch with a beautiful veggie slaw that was tangy and sweet.  The sweetbreads were SO super creamy and dissolved on our tongues into an orgasm.  This may have been the best sweetbreads dish I have EVER had. I love love love sweetbreads and while I’ve had MEH ones I’ve thankfully never had a bad one.  These were ones that I’ll dream of. PLUS….. RANCH?! I’m not even a fan of ranch, but this was SO GOOD.

Bacon Creamed Corn

Super creamy and super sweet corn.  This was SOOO GOOD and DUH you add bacon and everything becomes better!

Roast Beast of the Day: Suckling Pig

Deeeeeelicious… soft, tender with nice crisp skin and some pickled onions and parsley.. and methinks a nice light salsa verde.  I mainly had it as leftovers the next day but this was SO good.  Needs to be a MUST on the menu.

Beef Cheek Pierogie

horseradish & mushrooms

“Pierogi (Polish pronunciation: [pjɛˈrɔɡʲi]; also spelledperogi, pierogy, perogy, pierógi, pyrohy, pirogi, orpyrogy; juvenile diminutive form: Pierożki Polish pronunciation: [pjɛˈrɔʂki] also in use) are dumplings ofunleavened dough – first boiled, then they are baked or fried usually in butter with onions – traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit.

[...]

While dumplings as such are found throughout Eurasia, the specific name pierogi, with its Proto-Slavic root “pir” (festivity) and its various cognates in the West and East Slavic languages, shows the name’s common Slavic origins, predating the modern nation states and theirstandardized languages, although in most of these languages the word means pie. In English, the word pierogiand its variants: perogi, pyrogy, perogie, perogy, pirohi,piroghi, pirogi, pirogen, pierogy, pirohy, and pyrohy, are pronounced with a stress on the letter “o”. The Turkish word börek for a kind of pie or stuffed pastry may be a borrowing.

Pierogi are small enough to be served several or many at a time, so the plural form of the word is usually used when referring to this dish. In Polish pierogi is actually the plural, pieróg being singular. In Czech and Slovak pirohy is also the plural, piroh is singular. In Germany, this type of dumpling is called Pirogge in the singular and Piroggen in the plural, although sometimes the Polish name Pierogi is simply used.”

Ah yes.  Peroigies always reminded me of when I dated a Polish guy, I mean what other kinds of peoples loves white bland food and potatoes so much?! Hahaha, I kid.  But I do remember the one and only time I ever really ate ANY Polish food or learned about it was with him HAHA. This is SO not what I remember. Sooooooooo tender.  The skin was super doughy and almost potato-y like….. they were like gnocchi dough as skin hahaha…. and a bit undercooked.. at least the ones I ate were… but sooooo good..

The beef cheeks were super tender, like they should be, super flavorful.. and while the sauce they were in were a bit on the sweet and rich side.. the bland super doughy skin totally counteracted it. MMMM stuffed gnocchi.. that’s totally my next experiment. W beware.

Me in a obligatory bathroom camwhore shot!

The next day for lunch, while I worked, I feasted on leftover cracklings, creamed corn and suckling pig.

DEEEEEEE-LISH!

The best part?…. W cooked for me the following night… and while we both LOVED the dinner at Roast together, I freaking fell in love with his food all over again when he cooked for me the next night…. sorry suckling pig.. even if you weren’t leftover, you still can’t beat my baby’s cooking ;D

WooBar [W Hotel Taipei]

SOOOO I’ve been in need of a change of scenery from the usual from the past few days… and perhaps a glass of champagne or two :]  It’s rainy and cold now.. what happened to this super sunny 81 degree weather I came to?!… I bundled up like crazy and headed out, Starbucks in hand, to W Hotel.

10th Floor – WooBar

We got a cozy cute table near the windows looking out into rainy [boo] roof with a pool.. still a good view tho.. even might have seen a cute guy there.. but then again I was delirious and hungry.

Taipei Champagne

Lychee Liquer with Fresh Orange and Lemon, topped with Champagne

MMMM….. finally got a little bubbly in me…

Side note: As much as I love Taiwan, it’s like family overload since it’s just 24/7 and it can get a bit stressful… also all these asians and overcrowdedness like Manhattan x100 is just…  *anxiety* I love the city but after awhile this germaphobe/claustrophobic chicklet freaks out a bit.  For example today on the train, Friday night after work/after school I nearly had a nervous breakdown – asian ppl are just SO much ruder and I was just pushed all over the place, I may be tall but I weigh a lot less than most people…. :[ But I ain't no rag doll k!??!?! BOO!

So we ordered the special Tea Time set to share.... THIS IS SOOO MUCH DELICIOUS FOOD.

Colorful Winter Afternoon Tea Set

Condiments for the scones and then some....

Whipped Cream w/ Chocolate Balls

Strawberry Jam & Aussie Honey

Grissini with Parma Ham & Lobster Egg Creams

Lobster Egg CreamThis was delicious. Would've been even better with a little shaved truffle :] But I’m not complaining.. it was a bit too buttery/oily?! But it was sooo goood… tender pieces of lobster and delicate egg custard on the inside… reminded me of chawan mushi :] NOM! This was the first thing I went straight for since you need to eat it hot and plus seafood and egg.. need it piping hot :] I ADORED the way they presented/plated it – things are delicious eyes first. Then smell, then taste :]

Arancini with Marinated Vegetables & Crab Stick Toast w/ Caviar
It’s funny because I’m watching Iron Chef America Mozz and Chef Symon just made some arancini.  I’m very picky about my arancini – it’s either really good or BLAH. These were good.. loved the little bits of veggies on the stick :] Fun! Of course these are always better piping hot and fresh…

Crab Stick Toast w/ CaviarThey looked cute but it wasn’t that special.  I liked the crunchy toast tho – just cuz I love toast and I love crunchy :] And the pop pop pop of the caviar on top. Salty. But aside from that, the fake crab was just… fake crab. Or at least I think it as fake, either way – meh.

Truffled Potato/Chicken Tea Sandwiches & Caviar Crisps with Cream Cheese
Okay I added the chicken because I tasted chicken and celery and no potato, def no truffle but they said truffle and potato *confused* but then whatever, they were tasty. Slightly toasty white bread – MMM sometimes you just need your wonder bread!!!

Creme Fraiche <3 South Park <3 LOVES

Caviar Crisp with Cream Cheese

I thought it would be creme fraiche but it was CREAM CHEESE!!! Still good tho.. just cream cheese is a bit more overpowering in taste and texture for me.  Need more caviar.. LOVE caviar [you guys obviously know that already tho] <3

NY Cheesecake & Orange/Cranberry Scones

OMG this is my favorite cheesecake I’ve had in Taiwan. Usually the cheese taste is a bit off for me here, but this was SO delicious. Light, airy, fluffy… NOM!  The scones on the other hand were a bit dry and flavorless for me.  I like a scone that tastes SUPER scone-y but still super moist. I also love my scones with devonshire cream & jam <3

Vanilla Creme Brulee, Lemon Meringues & Gummy BearsThe meringues were teeny and super yummy! Great lemon flavor and just enough extra meringue to make a girl like me giggle. If it was a bit toastier it would’ve been even better but I’m not complaining.

Makes Tiffies happy!

Vanilla Creme BruleeVanilla bean seeds and all – great brulee crust and amaaaaaaazing custard on the inside. HAPPY!

Gummy Bears
Obviously…..

OH this made me oh oh oh oh oh SO HAPPY!!!

Bag of Macarons, Chestnut Raspberry Tarts w/ White Chocolate & Chocolate Lips

Bag of Macarons

Raspberry, Pistachio and….. Passionfruit?!.. These were mini and delicious! LOVE LOVE LOVE! I could eat macarons for forever!  A little on the sweet side but delicious none-the-less ;D

Chestnut Raspberry Tart w/ White Chocolate “W”

I wasn’t too ino the flavor combo but I ate the chocolate “W” :]

Chocolate Lip

Creamy chocolate-y center and so good.. there was a ice metallic sheer to it to :] YAY yummies

*MWA* XOXO to YOU ;*

My love affair with Goat

Goat isn’t something I get to eat all the time.  While it’s such a common protein and getting more popular by the second, it’s still hard to come by in the States.  For some people goat is much stronger and gamier than lamb, but for me, while not being a huge fan of lamb, I ADORE goat :]

And my obsession is all cuz of this girl, THE Girl & the Goat :] [but this was eaten BEFORE she had the restaurant hehe] Top chef winner Stephanie Izard

Slow Roasted Goat and Market Vegetable Slaw from the Green City Market Chef’s BBQ ’09

It was tender, flavorful and just made me oh so happy. I may not like their milk but their meat is DERRICIOUS <3

Next up?! One of the best goat dishes I’ve had made by The ORIGINAL Top Chef, Harold Dieterle

Massaman: Braised Goat from Kin Shop

Fried Shallots, Purple Yams, Mustard Greens & Toasted Coconut

It was goaty and delicious and literally melted in your mouth as soon as you put it in your mouth! Goat and curry is a sure thing!  Always fantastic.

 Another super memorable Goat dish was this amazing sausage Joe and I got at Toro last year on Thanksgiving Eve [hehe]

Goat/Pork sausage on a bed of couscous from Toro

As soon as we heard the specials… [there was also a goat stew that sounded promising] J jumped right at this. SOOO glad we got it, it was SOOO freaking good – SO juicy and HUGE and full of flavor. Nice and meaty and perfectly spiced. MMMMMMM… delicious pork also played a huge part offering a nice fatty flavor to an otherwise lean goat.

And then a little something different and while I thought it was a bit gamey it was freaking prosciutto. GOAT prosciutto.

James Beard Foundation Benefit Dinner was at the famous Paul Kahan’s Publican in Chicago

slow roasted goat & crispy goat prosciutto – mike sheerin
crab apples, dates & hazelnut oil

 And then one of the best goat dishes I’ve ever had…. [funny how so many of these are from Chicago hehe]

Slow Cooked Goat from Anteprima

Italian Flat Beans, Tomato & Eggplant

SOOOO flavorful and melted in my mouth. This was SUUUUCHHH an amazing dish and even after 20 soemthing dishes or other this was DEVOURED and enjoyed and dreamt about for a long time :]

 I’m sorry I ate your mommy… she was derricious… you’re cute but old goats are fuggly and scare me anyways haha – I’m lucky to have tried such a wide variety of different kinds of goat dishes.  I’ve also had great Jamaican goat :] – which I can’t seem to find the photos for, and a few more but these were the ones that really stood out!

Enjoy.

Vino Volo: DC Dullas Airport Wine Bar

On my way to Dayton I stopped by the DC airport for a 3 hr layover… so I immediately went to Vino Volo.  The past few times I’ve been there I’m there for a few hours before heading to Japan and Taiwan.. so I know the Terminal C & D pretty well.. Vino Volo it is!

It was a bit far from our gate but I needed to walk around and we had over 2 overs of layover – which ended up being 3 since there was a delay.

I was having a dilemma on tastings to choose from – I was in the mood for variety – I was gonna go for a spanish one but the Washington one was recommended so I thought, WHY NOT!!! It was DELICIOUS

These were all rich, bold, juicy and delicious!!!

Artisan Cured Meats

A selection of artisan meats: Coppa, Prosciutto and Salami with whole-grain mustard and country bread

These were yummy.. as expected.. loved the salami the most. For some strange reason I love salami I get outside of what I buy. Everytime I buy it I’m like MEH but when I get it on the meats plate I LOVE IT. SIGH*

Smoked Salmon Rolls

“Their” Signature dish… Smoked Salmon served with succulent crabmeat and crispy crostini

Thees were delicious.  I love smoked salmon.  The meaty crab mayo-based “salad” below the salmon added so much creaminess and even more richness to the crunch of the crostini.. PLUS they gave you HUUUUUUUUGE caperberries NOM! My fav.. salty salty pop in your mouth <3

Broccoli Mushroom PastryStuffed pastry parcels with Broccoli, Wild Mushrooms, Ricotta and Parmesan Cheese

These were flakey, hot and amazing.  As “healthy” as they seem, they’re delectably “bad” for you :] MMMMM…  Light fluffy but oh so satisfying

I also got a cheese plate which had blue cheese, manchego and another stinkier cheese.. creamy..

All recommended :]

Vegas Birthday Dinner @ Circo

After an already FANTASIMICALLY AWESOME time in less than 24 hours… it was Birthday Dinner time with my girls…. SO the plan was to go to Scarpetta – me and my huge crush on Scott Conant, yes yes, but we shopped and drank for awhile at Caesars after a long day at the pool and we were tired and lazy… halfway thru my large fruity  drink I decided we should just eat in the Bellagio – since there’s a million delicious places to eat there anyways – So Circo it was… we got beautiful with my newly bought dress and went downstairs to dinner with my sexy shoes Katy bought me :D

As soon as we walked in, I asked for my table.. they got my NAME wrong and wrote me down as “Jing” and asked me if I had a table at Le Cirque instead…. I’ve already had the ORIGINAL Le Cirque in NYC why would I come here for it?!  Plus I was in the mood for some nice simple Tuscan/Italian food :] MMMM.. and MONKEYS…!!!

Monkeys monkeys monkeys EVERYWHERE!! designed by Adam Tihany…

Where are we?! Circus Circus?  There were cute monkeys EVERYWHERE in the restaurant OMG.. we got a nice table with a good view of both outside and the kitchen :D

Yep a 18,255$+ bottle of wine… they had a crazy awesome wine selection, apparently over 900 different sorts of bottles.. I talked to the sommelier and found a delicious light fruity Italian wine [red obviously] that would go well with all of our dishes!!!… Katy ended up not liking it too much which meant – MORE FOR MEEEEE hahahha..

My lovies!!!

Delicious bread and EVOO

Antipasto del Circo

Assortment of Traditional Tuscan Appetizers

SOOOO YUM!  A delicious selection of cheeses…. some bruschetta on the most delicious toasty garlic bread.. sOOO super garlicky and the tomatoes were SO fresh and sweet… MMMM, we had super garlic breath :] My favorite was the salami and then, obviously, the prosciutto.. YUM YUM!! OH and then there was the artichokes on the side.. NOM NOM NOM!

Kelly’s Ravioli Di Mama Egi

Mama Egi’s Recipe of Sheep’s Milk Ricotta, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Butter Sage Sauce

She seemed to love them.. wait did I try a bite? They looked so pretty and saucey :D  And smelled absolutely amazing. I LOOOOVE sage and I tend to get vegetarian raviolis more than I get meaty ones… :] Save those for agnolottis… teehee

Katy’s Frantoiana

Tuscan Vegetable & Bean Soup with Fettunta 

This was a huge bowl, and so are Katy’s beautiful boobs,… wait, too crude? I’m a 16 y/o horny teenager [male] seriously, okay back to the food – KATY LOVED IT!!!.. it came with Fettunta.. which is just super indulgent garlic bread :D NOM!!!…. It was FILLED with fresh cooked down super tender veggies and beans!!!!

And then, of course, my Il Coniglio

Roasted Napa Valley Rabbit Loin wrapped in San Daniele Prosciutto, Polenta ‘sfogliatina’, Roasted Beets, Green Pea Veloute, Rabbit Jus

As soon as I said I was gonna order this, poor Katy got wide-eyed… and talked about “Harry” the bunny from her backyard. Kelly tried some and liked it but Katy wouldn’t nibble on Harry teeheee… I actually found that I don’t like cooked prosciutto… the closest I like cooked prosciutto is either really really dried out and crunchy, broken and sprinkled on salads or something.. OR…. placed on freshly baked pizzzaaaaaa… [prosciutto and fresh sweet figs on white pizza, OMG... orgasmic] ANYWAYS.. I felt like it tasted really gamey cooked and affected the taste of the rabbit, plus it was a bit too salty. I ended up just eating the bunny part. I LOVED the way the polenta was cooked. I’m ALL about crunch and texture… and while the taste itself was almost bland, the texture was FABULOUS!… and the beets, OH the beets… I LOVE BEETS <3

We were stuffed from eating and drinking all day so that little food actually filled us up a lot… so we got one dessert…  a delicious Molten Lava Chocolate Cake.. it had a classier name but whatever… hahaha

HAPPPPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEE

My signature blowing out candle pic :D TEEHEE

Afterwards, we rushed back to our room for our second outfit change – teeeheeeee.. yes I wore two outfits that night and I also ended up curling my hair… finish up the rest of the trip on this entry.

Osteria Morini, Best Way To Complete a Day of FUN

Monday night, a friend was in town for work from Cali, so we all decided to hit up another Michael White baby.. Osteria Morini… Yep, just the night before we were at Marea and a few days before that, we were at Ai Fiori :]  After a long day of shopping, eating at DD, Dim Sum Go Go and Xi’An Famous Foods [omg Cumin Lamb Noodles are TO DIE FOR! - YOOO Hand Pulled NOODLES!!!]

  
  

Click here to see my Video of making Hand-Pulled Noodles @ Xi’An

Tons of shopping bags, a full belly, too much walking and a bottle of champagne in us later…. we got ready for another Chef White dinner – woot woot! 3 Michael White restos in a week?! AWESOME!

Me and Rhino.

Famous Celebrity Penis and Boob wall next to Osteria Morini – teehee…

Their sign actually reminds me of Yakitori Totto‘s :]

After sitting down at a table in the back near the kitchen we ordered a bottle of wine [and then another since it was so yummy] and picked out a slew of delicious yummies…

We were first greeted with a complimentary dish from the Chef.

Carciofo Fritelle
Artichoke, Chickpeas, Red Pepper, Nepitella Crema

Basically a chickpea veggie fritter or croquette minus the potatoes — Delicious, light, fluffy – full of creamy chickpea flavor and hints of artichoke and peppers.. delish!  Fried to perfection and over a drizzle of Nepitella cream on the bottom…. Nepitella is a wild herb of the Mint family grown in Italy

Battilardo Di Affetatti
Cured Sliced Meats with Grilled Bread & Tigelle Modenese
Fegatini – Duck Liver Mousse, Passito Wine
Coppa - Cured Pork Neck
& Lardo – Prosciutto Bianco
The liver was TO die for and definitely the hit of the night for the charcuterie.  Creamy, full of flavor and paired SO well with the nice crunchy grilled bread.  The white round disks were flat fluffy bread.. I preferred the grilled crostinis though.  The coppa was salty, porky and full of flavor.  A nice balance of meat and fat… delicious.. and of course, the lardo, the fat, sliced super thin I could’ve eaten it all straight, but instead daintily placed it on my crostini and nibbled like a lady :]

Spiedini Per La Tavola: Assorted Skewers Alla Piastra
Maiale – Sausage, Sweetbread, Zucchini, Cauliflower, Tomato
Lumache – Grilled Snails Wrapped in Rosemary Lardo

The sausage was delicious… which was a blend of lamb and pork…. the sweetbread was a tiny piece but perfectly cooked… the zucchini and cauliflower and tomatoes were also grilled to perfection. Delicious.. which I had my own skewer though…

The snails were SOOOOO tender and delicious.  It was great with a nice squirt of lemon and was great with the crostini but I enjoyed it better without – I like tasting things for their very own flavor. A GREAT run with snails lately…. First Plein Sud, then Marea and now here. YUM.  New trend :]

Carpaccio
Thinly Sliced Beef, Arugula, Lemon, Parmigiano

This was actually very similar to a Bresaola.. a cured/salted and dried beef.  I was kind of disappointed since I was expecting melt in your mouth paper thin beef.. these came in hugeeeee salty pieces that were pretty thick for a carpaccio, covered in a delicious olive oil [White is good with his oil] and the flavors packed a mean punch.  A little bit too much oil for me but was much better balanced with the parm and the bitter arugula. Mwahahah I still ended up eating like half the dish anyways :] NOM!

Ventresca
Olive Oil Poached Tuna Belly, Fava Beans, Fagioli

This was SUCH a good pick!  Definitely my favorite non-pasta dish of the night.  The tuna belly, while I usually don’t like fully cooked tuna was poached SO beautifully.. instead of the fat becoming overpowering, it just turned into butter and made the flesh soooo tender and succulent – super juicy.  The nice balance of some pickled red onion and perfectly cooked fava and fagiolis really added a nice freshness to the dish.  Felt like spring.  YES, spring is here.

Rigatoni
Ground Seppia, Shrimp, Fava Beans, Stracchino Cheese

The rigatoni was cooked to perfection, per usual, the fava beans [yessss!!!! I LOOOOVE spring!!!]  The creamy cheesiness of the stracchino and the flavorful seppia really added SO much to the dish. LOVE LOVE LOVE.  Not to mention how the green favas added a beautiful punch of green to the dish.

Gnocchi
Ricotta Dumplings, Pomodoro, Speck & Basil

Now, it’s been awhile since I’ve had amazing gnocchi – the best probably being Le Cirque or Mizuna….I mean the last time I had gnocchi was horrible.  Horrible gnocchi which ended in a horrible night. [Long story] Horrible gnocchi sucks… heavy, dense… NOT fluffy… but these WERE not.  Super light tomato sauce, which I ADORED…a hint of speck and basil…. but omg the gnocchi… SO fluffy and pillowy.. they tasted more like pasta dough pillows and not the fluffy potato-y kinds but it was a good kind of chew and yum!

Garganelli
Pasta Quills, Cream, Truffle Butter, Prosciutto

Like long skinny pennes.. model pennes?  While regular pennes are regular people? I duno, bad analogy.  Creamy, simple, the prosciutto was SO delicious and while there wasn’t a lot, it added SO much flavor to the dish.  Very light truffle but definitely did a lot for the pasta.  Once again PERFECTLY cooked pasta.

Before we get to the final pasta dish of the night, AND my favorite — I just have to say while I loved Marea, I was disappointed in their pastas being slightly undercooked…  especially when I had White’s other restaurant the next day.  I know that Marea is “prized” above Osteria Morini to some foodies but for me, DELICIOUS.

Ok, sorry for the break, continue.

Stracci
Pasta Rags, Braised Wild Mushrooms, Rosemary Oil

My favorite of the night.. here it is in all it’s glory.  Thick juicy flavorful mushrooms admist the large “rags” of thin delicate pasta. SO FREAKING GOOD.. and addicting.  It was like eating delicious thin thin egg wonton wraps – WHICH I’m SO thinking of doing tomorrow night :] Hahaha…  We ended up adding more cheese and some hot pepper flakes to all the pastas.. well, I added the hot pepper flakes, everything else just had TONS of cheese :D

We were super happy and had warm bellies.. but since we were still on our second bottle of wine and I needed some chocolate and sweetness to push down all the savory we ordered one dessert to share amongst the three of us.

Gianduja Budino
Chocolate-Hazelnut Custard, Gelato Alla Caffe

SO FREAKING DELICIOUS.  The thin crunchy, flakey puff  topping on top was TO DIEEEEE FOR.  Delicious gelato and the MOOOOOST CREAMMMMMY hazelnutty and chocolatey,BUTTTTTERY custard. OH EM GEE.  It also came with whole roasted hazelnuts in a delicious light sauce drizzled around it.  Sort of burnt caramely if i remember correctly.  BUT, anyways. continue. SOOOO GOOOD.. I don’t even ever usually order hazelut/choc desserts since they all taste like nutella!  I LOVE nutella.. but since I buy it and religiously eat them out of the jar like crazy it’s not too big of a deal usually when desserts taste just like them. THIS is NOT the case. GET THIS.  DEVOUR IT. SAVOUR IT. LOVE IT. LIVE IT. Ok. Done.

Delicious.  After a great meal we walked over to Madame Geneva.. but since it was Memorial Day and it was closed, we ended up heading over to the rooftop, Plunge bar/lounge, at the Gansevoort Hotel.

Plein Sud with Top Chef Ed Cotton

So the night before my trip back to NYC… I planned out the next three nights of dinners… there was Ai Fiori… then LTO.. and Thursday night was going to be Plein Sud [OBVIOUSLY, #topchefwhore].  To my surprise, as soon as I get into the City I get a tweet from the awesome Chef Ed Cotton to stop by his place. Thinking one step ahead chef, already booked!!! This just made me MORE excited for Thursday night to come :]

Now, to be honest, while I knew Chef was super talented, it wasn’t til I re-watched the whole season 7 again the other week that I knew, FO SHO that I had to eat at his place. Pretty EFFING talented dude yo. Not to mention, Boston pride yo! He went to HS in the same time I lived in. Prettttyyy badass.

I mean he STARTED working in HS… with freaking Todd English.. his resume is pretty impressive including working with chefs [aside from the forementioned English] like Barbara Lynch and Danial Boulud.

As soon as we were seated, in this suppppper cosy cute little round corner booth, might I add, we had glasses of prosecco planted in front of us. Bubbly and ice cold – delicious.

Before we even got to read everytime off the menu, we were presented, once again surprised, with some complimentary munchies….

The most delicious Flatbread…

Creamy, smokey, crispy…. amazing!!!! This was sooo delicious… and totally helped with choosing another app ;D NOM NOM NOM

We ordered a whole bottle of the prosecco and continued on with our meal.. MMM delicious.

Large Charcuterie Board with Housemade Pickles

They consisted of yummies such as Coppa, this Cured Duck, a Wild Boar and something very similar to Prosciutto but a lot less salty. I completey devoured the housemade pickles.. sweet, slightly tart, mixture of onions, celery, carrots and, of course CUCUMBERS!!!!… MMM.. pickles.

Boudin Blanc
White Sausage, Pomme Purée, Prunes

Mandatory dirty picture of me with phallic food – yep i said it…

This was SO freaking delicous.  Chef Ed even came up while cooking it and said he didn’t want to overcook it. Seriously, most awesome chef ever :D Anyways. To be honest, Boudin Blanc kinda freaks me out.  Large white sausages… I mean.. OK, it’s ridic but I freak out a little bit. BUT THIS IS SOOOOO FREAKING GOOD.  Juicy, tender, a slight POP while you cut into it and chew it… literally melted like buttaaaa… not butter, but BUTTAAAA, in my mouth.  The prunes.. sweet, chewy, buttery, slightly tart – perfect compliment

Steak Tartare
Dijon-Worcestershire Vinaigrette and Grilled Country Bread

Nicely cut, heavy on the mustard but I love mustard so it’s okay :] And thankfully not overly salty.  Very nice and light, yes light, tartare… MMM, very nice and fresh and beefy tasting.. the bread was SO good.. nice, charred on the grilled and super crunchy and delicious. PERFECT with the soft tartare..

And then, to my surprise, another complimentary dish. Oh Chef Ed you spoil me so :] Make me so fat and happy!!!… The most delicious…

Escargot Persillade
Parisan Ham, Almond. Mushroom
I didn’t guess it’d be Parisan ham but this tasted nice, smokey and fatty.  So maybe Parisan ham is? Hold on, let me google it…

… yeah I don’t know…

The herbs in it were amazing and the most delicious fatty crunchy melt-in-your-mouth croutons.  DELICIOUS.  The escargots [yes snails] were cooked SOOOO perfectly tender – like honestly, the BEST escargot I’ve EVER had!!! And I’ve had good AND bad…]  It was rich and buttery but not overly so like a lot of the other times I’ve had escargot so I couldn’t stop eating it.. no seriously, I really couldn’t…. DELICIOUS. I’ve been daydreaming and fantasizing about it ever since. Anyone wanna go and have a garlicky escargot party with me? :D

Let Plat Du Jour:
Pied De Cochon

Yep! Stuffed Piggie’s Feet… A must when you’re here at Plein Sud… methinks anyways ;D  It’s TOTALLY not what I expected, to be honest with you…  Instead of a whole trotter…. it didn’t have the fatty skin collagen-y foot that I usually eat – but all the meat, a lot of meat in big pillows, big fluffy deep fried pillows… very unexpected but very delicious.

Duck Confit

It was atop a delicious sauce and mushrooms… nom nom nom…. the skin was ever so crispy and melt-n-your-mouth.. the meat melted like BUTTTTTAAA [yep again] in my mouth.. so tender.. Crisp Crisp Crisp MMMM, nothing like tasting something so fatty yet so good… good for your soul… and yet still so light. WAIT… light?  My toes are tingling…

Tribeca
Peanut Butter Ganache, Rich Chocolate Cake, Banana Cream

How could I say no?  It’s Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Bananas, NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM!… You can’t really see in this pic, but there’s a huuuuuge sexy smear of a delicious creamy rich peanut butter behind the cake… with a few slices of caramelized banana slices… MMMM…. a delicious chocolate gelato atop crushed peanuts [nonsalty.. wait, I think] and of course the chocolate cake itself.  Creamy, rich, decadent but not overly so in a gross way.  I could eat this for ages… get fat, but love it. Ok, and I also like how it’s called Tribeca, hahaha…

Lemon Tarte with Toasted Fluffy Meringue

This was so yummy, tart and super creamy.  The meringue was a lot more creamy than solid than I’m used to when it comes to a meringue, but very very tasty.. MMM I love burnt foods, it’s a sick sick thing.. and I’ll probably get some sort of weird disease from it — does your mom tell you that you’re gonna get cancer from eating too much burnt food too? — but oh well, YUMMY IN MY TUMMY!!!

The awesome Chef Ed Cotton and I :] EEEE Beantown represent yo!!!!  Thanks for some of the best French food I’ve had in a long time… :] YAYY happy happy pic!!!

Chef’s Table at SD26

Nothing like starting off the night in a beautiful restaurant sitting at the bar eating delicious olives and drinking a nice cold glass of champagne.  My taxi driver decided that instead of bringing me to 26th Street to take me to 19th Street…. *stress* but thankfully I arrived just in time to take in the lounge scene before getting situated in the kitchen for my Chef’s Table dinner.

SD26… SD26.. where do we even begin…. I’ve had my fair share of Italian food.. and while, I’m biased and think that very little can compare to Michael White’s… I’ve been having amazing non-White Italian food too ;D To be honest, it’s mainly the pasta that I’m picky about.. cooked to perfect, perfectly sauced… delicious, balanced… okay, until we get to that course.. let me continue on by a brief 411 on SD26…

Where to even begin.. or what to say that hasn’t already been said.  A gorgeous modern Italian restaurant from restauranteur Tony May and Marisa May [formerly co-owners of Rainbow Room] I’m not as good with bios so you should read about them  and their amazing accomplishments on their website.

As soon as we were seated our waiter greeted us and soon after we got to talk to the Exec Chef.. yep, that’ll be Matteo Bergamini…!!!  We told him that we ate everything [and that I preferred not to have goat cheese or lamb] and that we LOOOOVE UNI :D Which was great because he gave us some in our tasting – WOOT!

Toast, Baguette and Wheat Breads

Foccaccia and this Italian Hollow Bread

The hollow bread was SO good.. I just wish it was warm.. the foccaccia was FULL of flavor and just melted into your tongue. Garlicky and buttery, with a slight hint of rosemary.. so delicious.

Breadsticks, EVOO, Salt Bowl

EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar

Menaica Anchovy Filets, Roasted Country Bread with Herb Cured Lardo

Thin slice of lardo on top of a crunchy, slightly burnt country bread.. so delicious and just enough bread.. perhaps not enough lardo since I had some extra bread left over hehehe…

Salty and delicious. Super fishy, which is the only way to eat anchovies.  This paired with the lardo and toast was little heavenly bites.  Made me fantasize about Imperial No. 9′s Lardo & Uni…  I ended up eating both elements together and seperately.  I love anchovies and the bread defiinitely cut the saltiness.. but the lardo was much better on it’s own.

Sea Urchin Raviolini with Olive Oil, Garlic, Peperoncino & Piennolo Tomato Ragu & Fried Parsley

Yes!  The highly anticipated pasta dish, which I think is one of the most important courses when it comes to Italian meals…. with protein I find that in Italian food, the simpler the better, s&p and good EVOO makes it perfect.. but with pasta, there’s so many more elements to a perfect pasta dish.  These were little baby raviolis.. the pasta itself seemed slightly overcooked, but overall delicious.  The uni was sooo creamy and just rolled around in your mouth and melted down your through.  Fried parsley added a much needed extra crunch and flavor to the dish.  There was a slight heat from the dish, a little bit of spice which was really nice… :] The sauce was slightly on the salty side but had great flavor… The smooth garlic puree was creamy and amazing with every bite.

Scallop Saltimbocca, Crushed Potatoes, Seared Endive, Crunchy Prosciutto & Fried Sage

These scallops were HUGE… totally made me think back to Imperial No. 9‘s scallops that we totally missed out on.  While I like cooked endive, I find it to be a bit too swuishy and I love the flavors of raw endive more… the prosciutto was crisp and delicious and the fried sage also added just the right amount of crunch to the tender succulent scallops.  The scallops were juicy and fresh – SO good.  I’m obsessed with fried sage, it just melts in your mouth… currently dreaming of the fried sage with Met Bar’s fries….

Roasted Cod with Veggies

Tender succulent cod.  This wasn’t on their regular menu  so I’m guessing the chef decided to whip this up specially [or maybe it was a special of the day?]  This was light and perfect.  I think it’s a light brown butter sauce, not heavy at all.  The fish was cooked just right and the veggies were very tender.

Beef Cheeks Braised in Barolo Wine with Semolina Gnocchi & Onion Marmalade

These cheeks literally just fell apart and melted away.  I had no idea that was a giant gnocchi? I was guessing it was a fine grit cake or something.. maybe it was and they just changed it up.. the sauce that the cheeks were braised in was so SO good… tons of soft texture that paired beautifully with the beef. *in love*

Sauteed Veal Fillet, Wild Mushrooms, Salsify & Caramelized Cipollini Onion

Super tender and cooked pretty well considering we didn’t say anything about how rare we usually like our meat.  Everything worked so well together… the salsify to the amazingly sweet and caramelized cipollini onion [I wish there were two]  The veal was super tender.. but still not as much when compared to the beef cheeks… I couldn’t help but keep going back to the cheeks…

Panna Cotta, Balsamic Vinegar Reduction, Strawberries

The creamiest delicious panna cotta I have EVER had…. and while not “wobbly like a woman’s breast” har har, it was SOOOOOO creamy I can’t get over it.  You could see the vanilla bean seeds scattered throughout the creamy yumminess… the strawberries were SO fresh adn sweet.. and the balsamic vinegar reduction was light and paired perfectly.

Chocolate Hazelnut Dome, Candied Zest, Orange Sorbet

This tasted slightly off to me.. like a sheep’s milk, although upon asking and inspection our server said that “no sheep’s milk in NYC” which is kinda a lie… but the chocolate was bitter and delicious.. dark and yummy.. the sweet zest and citrusy sorbet paired really well with the chocolate.

Biscotti, Cookies and BrowniesThese were all SO tasty.  The jammie thumbprint cookies and the brownies were my favorite… I even ate the brownies with the panna cotta smeared over it. YUM!

Oh, I forgot to mention that we got glasses of wine [and then some] to go with our dishes, a great wine pairing and I thoroughly enjoyed the wines that they gave us.  From the Prosecco to the Chardonnay to the amazing Pinot Noir.

I really want to come back to SD26 to try the many other yummies on the menu.  Everything looks so good, PLUS they have GOAT and etc… :D Who wants to join me? :D

GROTTO: Good Shoes, Bad Pasta…

All dressed up and somewhere to go…. this is me showing off my new shoes.. I bought awhile ago, that I totally forgot about. Tonight was the perfect night — I hadn’t seen Z in like 2 days and I needed to look fabulouso.  I was at a Bridal Shower, Dressing Fitting and running errands all day so Z made all the details and reservations for the night. Tonight? Grotto.

GUCCI Leopard Gradient :D

Grotto is on the bottom of a HUUUUUUUUGE HUGE hill… we parked at the top, but Z was such a gentleman and carried me down.  Some weirdo yelled “I see her thong”.. except I wasn’t wearing a thong… yay granny panties [haha kidding] STILL.. awkward.. hahaha.. maybe Z should’ve carried me a different way.. hahaha..

Dense bread and EVOO and Olives…

Grilled calamari, White beans, Peppers, Greens, Lemon

Underneath all the delicious fresh arugula was 3, ONLY 3 pieces, but some of the most tender, perfectly grilled calamaris EVER. SO GOOD!!! The sauce, the freshness of the peppery green – AMAZING!!!

Arugula, Proscuitto, Reggiano, Lemon vinaigrette

Delicious Balsamic Vinegar… also came with EVOO and Lemon Vinaigrette 

BUT THEY FORGOT THE CHEESE!!!! FOUR ingredients and they forgot one HUGE major one… like, WTF.  But when we asked for some they gave us a mini bowl of parm :] YUM YUM YUM. I love cheese!

Salad overload much? It’s okay we still had fondue and mussels on the way… but that’s when the meal started going downhill.. at least my shoes are hot [haha]

Fontina cheese fondue, Beef tenderloin, Aged balsamic, Truffle oil, Portobello mushrooms

It smelled truffly but the cheese was soooo thin and runny.. very watery.  I wish it came with crudites.. bread cubes, something.. other than a few sinewy pieces of beef and some flabby cuts of mushroom. SO disappointing. I freaking ADORE fondue… and I miss good quality fondue.  Need to stuff ourselves silly at Artisanal ASAP [where's your fav place for fondue in the City?]

And then the night just got worse from there [at least food wise, we were having great convos].  They forgot to put the order of mussels in, but then they came out with the pastas beforehand — so we just cancelled the mussels. WRONG MOVE… still hungry :[

Potato gnocchi, Short ribs, Mushrooms, Gorgonzola

Just LOOK at them. HOW THE CRAP IS THAT GNOCCHI?!?!.. they're ginormous and so rough looking.. it tasted like raw dough balls... not pillowy, not fluffy not okay. NO BUENO.  I had half a gnocchi and a bite of the short ribs.. the SHORT RIBS were SOOOOO tender, melt away.. but the sauce was so bland... and .. waaaa BAD GNOCCHI...

Spaghetti, Meatballs & Grotto's insanely fabulous tomato sauce
As soon as we walked into Grotto we saw the spaghetti and meatballs, EVERYWHERE. And we were craving. CRAVING.  Earlier that day my BFF [bride-to-be] ordered off the bridal shower menu and got a spaghetti and meatball, so I was def craving.

THIS was the WORST spaghetti and meatballs I’ve EVER had. The tomato sauce was so off… smokey and too many jumbled herbs.  The pasta was OKAY.  But the worst was the MEATBALLS – which is so sad because ya’ll should know by now I’m ALL about the meatballs.  They were SOOOO salty, mushy and just… rosemary or thyme or something just OVER herbed.. *sigh* SO frustrating…

Crab ravioli, Asparagus, Almonds, Saffron

This was the only edible one IMO.  The vegetables were SO fresh tasting… it was delicious.. the only gripe is the pasta.. and the fillings could use more crab in it. But all in all, minus the tough, pasta [not even like under cooked more like pre-cooked and sat out]  So SO happy with the asparagus and the tomatoes.  I sprinkled extra cheese and hot pepper flakes on it for added oomph.. I ended up just not eating most of the pasta part… Z was a sweetheart and let me eat the whole plate [minus one hehe]

So all the pastas were pretty… not good.  Which partially might also because we always have a good time when we go out for italian [ok that last link was MY pasta I made hahahha].  We’re obsessed with good pasta and these just felt like they were sitting out way too long.

Lemon panna cotta, Raspberry sauce, Crispy pizzelle cookie

The flavors were great, but the texture was off. OK so it tasted, texturally, like cheesecake.. a thick creamy cheesecake… NOT panna cotta like  Jay Rayner said “A good panna cotta, if it’s set right, is meant to wobble like a woman’s breasts.” Mwahahahahaha… and it was only half a pizzelle :[ I adore pizzelles.. hahaha wish they had a dessert option of a plate of fresh pizzelles.

Banana bread pudding, Caramel sauce, Caramel ice cream, Spice nuts
Also dense, not bread pudding like... just like a banana spiced bread... banana nut bread minus the nuts... but the burnt caramel ice cream was FREAKING AMAZING!!!!... i gobbled it up with the nuts :]

Ok. No bueno. But the wine was pretty good.. and it was a fun atmosphere.  Definitely not a go to spot for Italian…