Friday 5ive

I haven’t done one of these in awhile… and I was gonna put it on my personal/fashion… but then the first one was food related… hahahah

1. What’s your favorite sandwich?
I love Turkey & Apple Sammies with MUSTARD, Bahn Mi [the classic with headcheese, cold cuts and all that good stuff], Philly Cheesesteak & a classic PB & J…. but my FAVORITE SANDWICH EVER… is from Resto.

Tete de Cochon
I’ve had it two ways. Both both are amazing! Bobby Helen is a FUCKING genius!

1. Very Bahn Mi type…. my “Last Supper Sandwich”

Sriracha, Cilantro, Pickled Red Onion, Pickled Carrot, Charred Bread

2 The other Last Supper sandwich… at brunch

Pastrami Rub, Slaw, Jalapeno Sour Cream, Brioche

Oh his grilled cheese is BOMB too! And yes, filled with thick tasty bacon!

Vermont Cheddar, Gruyere, Bacon, Pork Belly, Greens

2. You have unlimited funds and unlimited space to make your dream abode. What and where is it, and what does it look like? Do you share it with anyone/anything?Travel all over the world with boyfriend :] Like, ALL over, first up is Greece… and then South Africa :] BUT EVERYWHERE!!! Eat, drink, travel <3 BEST LIFE!

3. If you made a movie, what would it be about and who would be in it?
Me, my adventures, growing up, eating, life :] My sucky past choices in relationships HAHAHA… I duno who’d play me tho.. that’s a toughie!!!

4. If you were to start a charity, what would it be for?
Abuse of children.

5. What’s your favorite music video? (Bonus points if you embed/link it.)
UMMMMMMM…DAMN toughie.

Cartman singing Lady GaGa <3

Out of the Brunch Funk thanks to Resto

If restaurants were people I’d be having a steamy love affair with Resto. It’s the ONLY restaurant in NYC that I’ve been back to over and over and over and over and over and over and over again [yeah I'm losing count] and has NEVER let me down – EVER!!!! How many guys in the world can you find like that? Slim to none.

I think Chef Bobby is :] I’d just like to forever live in a box in his kitchen – he could throw me the leftover scraps and I’d probably be in fatty heaven for the rest of my life. Hey, a girl can dream right?

So I haven’t been here in awhile… since I left the city back in November. I’d been gushing about it to Z for ages and so finally we came here for a good brunch. We’ve been having a lot of brunch fails, if you haven’t noticed… over and over and over and over….. well it’s depressing TO count. But I knew that Resto was gonna be a sure thing, a sure bet.  Plus, I hadn’t seen Chef Bobby in so long, I feel like I’ve been cheating on him with bad food.

And it was like I had never left. We were instantly greeted at the front door, seated and got two glasses of Cava poured for us :] Compliments of the Chef <3

Special of the Day:

To start we had: One Mimosa, One Salty Dog

I had to get Z to try everything, so we ordered… even a thing off the Brunch menu :] More on that when it comes….

We were surprised with some complimentary chocolate beignets. Now Resto’s beignets are FREAKING AMAZING. But CHOCOLATE ones?!…. NOTHING could wipe this smile off my face after these..

Chocolate Beignets and Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Thick Bacon

YOu have not had THICK bacon until you’ve had Resto’s bacon. Z didn’t even expect such thick bacon [this is why I get depressed at brunch when my bacon comes back thin and flimsy aka Masa bacon] THICK, succulent and juicy. Now THIS is real bacon.

Boudin Noir

Toast, Butter

After a depressing blood pudding at Telepan I needed some good blood sausage, so why not here?! They never fail me…. and boy was it good :D

Look at that beautiful chunky spread

Dutch Baby

Powered Sugar, Lemon

So fluffy.. like a fluffy crepe… thinner than a pancake, thicker than a crepe. So happy. Just a little simplicity goes a long way…. so light I don’t even feel guilty considering how much carbs and fat I’d be ingesting this entire meal hahahaha…. IN FACT, this is probably the lightest thing we ordered.. lol

Then came our off-menu brunch item. I HAD to let Z taste it and I HAD to have it again. *swoon*

Tete de Cochon

Pastrami Rub, Slaw, Jalapeno Sour Cream, Brioche

Isn’t it pure gorgeousness? It tasted even better than it looks too… it might not be the same Last Supper Sandwich [which was more "Bahn Mi" type] I had last time [Chef Bobby has changed it since, keeping me on my toes hahaha] but it is still SOOOOOOOO freaking DELICIOUS!!! Buttery bread, everything just melds together and melts in your mouth… feels soooooo happy going down your throat into your tummy. The ULTIMATE meal – can you believe this is considered an app?! Can I just down two of these and call it a day?! *sigh* So happy.. I daydream about this sandwich ALL. THE. TIME.

And then another one of my favorites:

Pig’s Ear Salad

Spinach, Sliced Egg, Oyster Mushrooms, Charred Scallion Vinaigrette

The perfect balance of crisp fried piggie ears, refreshing salad of spinach and mushrooms and the neutral egg. I could, literally, eat a bag of these pig ears like pork rinds from the gas station. Yes please. Who needs popcorn at the movies when you have fried pig ears? Ahhh LOVES. It’s SO awesome to see a different take on pig’s ears instead of the usual thinly sliced cold dishes from chinese restaurants [which I love, but come on, I love it when non-Asian food uses "sketch" parts :D]

Then came the most amazing grilled cheese EVER.

Grilled Cheese

Vermont Cheddar, Gruyere, Bacon, Pork Belly, Greens

Now, I’m a purest, usually I won’t acknowledge a grilled cheese as BEING a grilled cheese with anything in it BUT cheese.. but this, changes EVERYTHING.  Even at the Guy Fieri Beach Afterparty, I still preferred the OG JUST CHEESE grilled cheese over the one with fatty pork…. but this, OH this… is a gift from above.

Look at that delicious cheesy gooeiness…

Gooey, cheesy, salty, creamy, the crunch of the bread and the butteriness of it, and then you have the chewy bacon and fatty pork inside. OH MY LORDY. Full beyond belief but I still gobbled my half down asap.

Boudin Noir Frittata

Boudin Noir, Spring Onion, Arugula

This was fresh, fluffy and delicious. The boudin noir was plentiful and chock full of delicious fresh spring onions [scallions] which played beautifully with the bitter crunch of the arugula. Unfortunately this was like the only thing we didn’t finish cuz we were SOOOO fulllllllll *stuffed* I mean did you see everything we just ate? We ate all the boudin and like half of the eggs…. I was picking at the arugula, I love my greens :D

Toast to go with my Frittata

Crispity crunchity toast with some butter and salt :D Z had some, I had a nibble hehehe….

SO since we ended up drinking a few glasses of the Framboise Mimosa [altho thanks to recommendations by our awesome waiter] which was AMAZING so we got to talking about it with our AWESOME waiter. He suggested this beer, and they gave us a bottle, on the house, awesome – it was sour but really tasty.

Liege Waffles

Salted Caramel Sauce, Salted Caramel Ice Cream

We were just gonna get the normal liege waffles, but thanks to our most EXCELLENT waiter, he suggested the one with SALTED caramel NOT on the menu ;D winkity wink wink. THIS. WAS. AMAZING. Fresh warm waffles nestling delicious salty caramel sauce and a soft ice cream….. death by salted caramel. I am SUCH a waffles girl, you have no idea. Screw pancakes and french toast. WAFFLES FTW!!!

Warm Gingerbread Cake

Caramel Apple Compote, Vanilla Gelato, Whipped Cream

Warm, gingerbread-y…. so delicious. The apple compote was a nice touch :D NOM! It wasn’t sweet at all – I hate overly sweet gingerbread, this was amazing [per usual to anything you get from Resto]

Ok. SO, I may be a bit biased since I adore this place and the chef so much. It’s so homey feeling and the people are absolutely GREAT. Whether or not I’ve met them before, seen them before, talked with them before or it’s the first time, they always are the sweetest friendliest people here. ALSO, Chef Bobby actually took the time out to come out and explain some of the dishes to us – AMAZING. TOTAL respect for all the chefs who actually WORK IN the restaurant most of the time. PROPS.

Resto has not failed me once and I doubt it ever will :D

Afterwards, food coma’d to the point of no return, what did we do?!… go to Eataly to drink more and buy more food…. including this find:

YEP. Banana Stracciatella Gelato <3 We also got this chocolate cookie one and of course, our fav, hazelnut :D NOM NOM NOM!

I’m enjoying these third time charms.. this time at Craigie on Main

The first time I was here, I got a tasting, the second time was for a Mother’s Day prix fixe brunch… this time I was SO much MORE excited to come….PLUS we made our own tasting…. [and besides now we could get Pig Tails on the regular menu and not just the bar menu!!!! *psyched*] Z was back in town [woohoo] got in around 9 and so we had a 1030 seating :] AND WE ATE TIL past 1am! We so badass…. of course we started off with some champagne… cuz come on, that’s how I do ;D

Water with a lemon slice and a lime slice is now known as Z water, got it?

The bread… lots of variety.. and tasty, but unfortunately cold…
Z ate some anyways ;D Hahaha.. I patiently waited for my piggie tails…

Six Oysters on the Half Shell

Candied Lemon Mignonette

So fresh and so clean clean….the original oysters were supposed to be Pemaquid but they changed it… so drunkie me doesn’t remember the name of the oysters… They were good, really good.. usually I only like my oysters with tons of horseradish and tabasco…. but these were tasty.. not sweet at all, bathing in their own salty juices… YUM!…. straight down the pipe…

Assiette of House-Made Terrines:
Pate of Quatre Foies, Pate de Campagne, Foie Gras au Torchon

Traditional Accompaniments

These were really good.. while I was most focused on the Pate de Campagne [the most left one] the most intriguing was the Pate of Quatre Foies [on the right end] .. Z and I were debating on what was in it.. definitely foie gas and definitely chicken liver… there was also squab and…. crap I forgot.. but all yumminess :] I usually can’t take TOO much chicken liver on it’s own.. but this pate, I was SUCH a fan of…

Accompaniments included… pickled chantarelles [wayyy too overpowering IMO], a red wine mustard, gherkins, red onion, a grainy mustard.. and ….. yea the rest escapes my mind… I mean, I personally love a good creamy pate on some nice toasted crunchy delicious bread… so I’m not TOO big on adding more to it.

Ragout of Local Forest Mushrooms and Braised Oxtail Pastrami

Farro Risotto, Farm-Fresh Poached Egg, Chantenay Carrot Puree, Herbs

Z being classy popping the yolk…

This was delicious.. Z describes it as a breakfast sandwich in a bite :] It was SOOOO delicious.. and I’m such a sucker for poached eggs [PERFECTLY poached eggs - mind you] and mushrooms <3 Oh I was in heaven….

And then, the reason why we came to Craigie in the first place…

Crispy-Fried Pig’s Tails

Pickled Peanuts, Nuoc Cham, Cilantro

OMFG… HOLY FUCKING A… I can’t.. even NOT say a dirty word to describe this… SO absolutely freaking delicious. [I tried] They’re like… pork belly around a bone… these were so Asian-y tasting too.. but in the most fab NON-fusion kind of way….  Z and I were tearing these apart.. like freaking hyenas from Lion King :] NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM!… and of course some delicious onion strings on top – but who can focus on that… PIGGIE TAILS PIGGIE TAILS PIGGIE TAILS… next time we come back, PIGGIE TAILS x4 :]

The first wine our waitress suggested… was HORRIBLE. Disgusting.. in the words of Z “it feels like I’m in a playground” So we decided to stick to what we love.. Spanish wine…

Then came the piggie head…

And the rest of our dinner…

Confit and Roasted Milk-Fed Pig’s Head

Peking Pancakes, Spicy Pumpkin Sambal, Boudin Noir-Hoisin Sauce

I don’t even know how to begin how amazing this was… the first time I had a pig’s head, in whole, was at Resto and it was amazing, but this time I could go at it without judgement hahahaha…. the skin was perfection…. juicy, crisp… underneath the most delicious fat.. and underneath that the MOST moist meat… we ate it ALL, ALL… Z even got me to split the eyeball with him. YES, Miss Tiffie ate a pig’s eyeball!!! We were halfway thru before we forgot that we had pancakes and sauce to go with it.. so we tried a taco or two.. but just kept on going at it sans all that other extra stuff…

Sidenote: Boudin Noir HOISIN sauce? Probably the only hoisin sauce I’ve never disliked… or been sick of… OMG… BOUDIN NOIR <3 Joy….

Piggie Head Taco

Yea we’re dorks, but Z fed me piggie ear so it’s okay he failed :] We literally ate the whole head clean.. sucked it dry.. I mean COME ON, we ate the EYEBALL and pulled out it’s teeth.. I said I was gona make some badass necklaces for us :]

Bone Marrow is always off the menu here.. so you gotta ask for it.. delicious.. I was sucking and licking them clean :D

What can I say? Perfection… sprinkled with a bit of sea salt on some great crunchy toast? Orgasm much?

Vermont Organic Veal Two Ways: Braised Short-Rib, Roasted Sweetbread

Kasha, Pioppini Mushrooms, Chestnuts, Quince Puree

Out of all the dishes that was the only one that didn’t get our panties in a twist… It was good, but it wasn’t mind-boggling… either way we ated it :] I guess it’s hard to compete with my super awesome 5 Course Veal Dinner…

We also got Duck Fat Fried Brussel Sprouts.. but they were meh… I had a picture but it’s lost somewhere in limbo ;D

And we ended the night with my favorite dessert from them….

Sheep’s Milk Yogurt Cheesecake

Matzo Meal-Pine Nut Crust, Plum Jam

Can’t describe it more than the perfectly sweet [but not too sweet] creamy, cheesecakey/yogurty happiness on a plate.. the pinenuts help too :]

And we also got some complimentary delicious chocolate covered almonds :]

Craigie is totally one of my favorite restaurants here in Boston…. you can’t come visit here without coming here as well.. Tony Maws is an absolute genius!!!! So come and eat… or else I’ll make you… bring you, wine and dine you – honestly I don’t mind ;D

Craigie On Main
853 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617 497-5511

Three Times a Charm…. especially at Toro

Thanksgiving Eve.. apparently it’s the biggest party night of the year [it is cuz everyone returns home?] J and I decided to go eat, drink and be merry…. first thought? Well… I didn’t just suggest I basically screamed out TORO!!!! He hadn’t been, and I had been craving tapas, bone marrow & their orgasmic corn… Conclusion on choice? Perfection.

We headed out around 630ish and got there a little before 7… [hahaha stupid Boston roads.. it's "great" to be back... so used to the City's grid and easy taxi/train access...] We put our names down [they seriously should do reservations!!] and moooooosied over to the bar [like a foot away from where we put our names down]

First round of drinks:
I got a Cabana Boy - Sailor Jerry spiced rum, Canton Ginger, Pineapple and J got a drink that sounded like man-something that had Maker’s Mark in it… and a cinnamon apple slice…

Second Round of drinks:
I got a Pink Poodle.. that had egg whites in it [haha] and J got another one of his man-drinks :D YES I had to pick the two girliest named drinks on the menu.. if not J was going to anyways….

Mandatory shot of the bread bowl…

Since J was making fun of me taking pictures of bread just a few hours earlier.. his punishment is to be in a picture WITH the bread…. bread has feelings too.. they just want to be loved, acknowledged for their carbiness… and eaten… hmmm.. hopefully he doesn’t kill me for posting this… anyways… we ended up switching tables… the high tables are fun and all but we wanted a nice roomy big table for just the two of us. We ended up getting a nice corner table that didn’t have us bumping elbows with neighbors. SCORE!

Pimientos del Padron

Hot green peppers with sea salt

The staple of any tapas dinner, well for me.. I ALWAYS order these.. I think I mentioned that before the last time I was at Boqueria as well…

Cabeza

Pork head terrine with spiced plums

I love head.

TEEHEE

Yeah, I’m REALLLLLL mature ;D

And while my favorite form of pig head still comes in a sandwich [love you Bobby.. love you Resto] this was really really good.. super tender [as expected] full of delicious porky flavor… and oh so satisfying…

Panza de Cerdo

Crispy pork belly with spaghetti squash, escargots, salsify, apples and smoked maple crumb

AMAZING. Totally forgot there were escargots in the dish… so I’m eating it thinking.. why am I eating escargot?!?!?!.. this was soooo good.. but didn’t really need all the access… I’m chinese, I’m used to eating the pork belly as is ;D

The skin of the pig was so chewy/crisp that I bent my fork….

And as you can see.. new drinks… I got the
Cava Cocktail
Grapefruit bitters, sugar, yellow Chartruese

& J got the: crap, I totally forgot… was it something with tequila? It was definitely red tho…. and either way, they both weren’t too great :T

Lardo

Cured lardo with honey and grapefruit

It’s funny because we only ordered one plate but we ended up getting served two plates :] YAY… one for each of us. YUM! Some people like it on nice crunchy toasted bread…. we ate ours as is ;D mmmmm piggie fat <3

Foie Gras con Champinones

Foie gras with pickled chanterelles and Idiazabel cheese

Had no idea this was gonna be all bruschetta-ish but it was tasty.. the crouton/bread wasn’t too thick and there was TONS of foie… the chanterelles were slightly pickled but thankfully not overpowering…

Ventresca

Tuna belly, tomato tapenade and celery leaves

I don’t like cooked tuna usually… unless it’s just plain out of the can [the water ones, NOT in oil, ew] but this was soooo tender… first time having tuna belly cooked…. perfect balance of sweet and acidity from the tomato… there was just ONE celery leaf tho… hahahah dont think it really made any different.. not even sure if I got it in my bite or J did…

Special of the Night

A Goat/Pork sausage on a bed of couscous

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.. like I’ve said before.. people think it’s weird that I adore goat but don’t really eat lamb. To me lamb is FAR gamier.. but apparently it’s the other way around? Either way, this was FANTASTIC. Huge, juicy and full of meaty flavor. AMAZING spices… need more… if I could I’d make it my go-to BBQ sausage ;D

Uni Bocadillo

Pressed uni sandwich with miso butter and pickled mustard seeds

One of my favorite things to get here… uni sammy. SOOO creamy.. just the right amount of greasy bread.. [must be the miso butter] delicious GRAINY mustard seeds….  AHH the perfect balance of flavors and perfection. UNI UNI UNI <3 LOVES. Second favorite sandwich ever. [And yes, twice in one post, best is Bobby's]

Atun Pincho Crudo

Tuna tartare with charred green onion and pine nuts

MEHHH… it was OKAY… I think the turn off was that I found scales in my few bites :[ TOTALLY lameass... I tried, but couldn't finish it.... which is sad cuz i love tuna tartare...

Pato con Membrillo

Smoked duck drumettes with quince glaze

Duck. Legs. Smoked. What else could be better?!?!?! Amazingly delicious [as always!!!!] me and J devoured asap

Ostras en Escabeche

Marinated Island Creek oysters with grains of paradise, lovage and citrus

J and I guessed that there was definitely yuzu… lots of yuzu in it. But I love RAW oysters…. cooked are okay… but marinated and pickled?!?!?!.. not so much… too tart/sour for my taste… they were fresh but just not TOO much to my liking… sorry Toro… oyster fail

Morcilla Bocadillo

Blood sausage, piquillo peppers and alioli

Can you name ANYTHING wrong with amazing blood sausage [the asian in me], amazing bread [<3] and amazzzzzing condiments <333 FUCKING amazing. Yes, profanity is a must. I never met a blood sausage I wasn’t i LOVE with….

Atun Crudo

Yellowfin tuna with fermented black beans and ginger

To be honest… this was awkward… for ME & J… it was too chinese… black bean sauce?… tuna??…awkward…. ok honestly it was good, but in a way that I didn’t want to finish cuz it was so beyond awkward tasting…

Pate de Conejo

Cider marinated Rabbit pate with pistachios and heirloom pears

J & I were MAD disappointed… we had HIGH expectations for the rabbit pate [you know me and how much I love bunny] but it was just okay.. good I guess, not amazing.. not memorable at ALL…. J finished it with bread, I gave up on it after 2 bites…

Mollejas

Crispy veal sweetbreads with blood orange and cinnamon

Veal Sweetbreads = Orgasm.

Perfectly cooked, milky and tender…

That is all…

Navajas a la Plancha

Grilled Razor clams with lemon caper vinaigrette

After the most HORRIBLE razor clam experience.. I’m glad Toro can still have me loving it… I always loved their razor clams…  PERFECTLY cooked… and delicious.. Toro, you never fail me…

Hamachi Crudo

Kombu cured hamachi with yuzu, Gravenstein apple and fresh horseradish

This was amazing. SO fresh, SO delicious… didn’t taste the horseradish but the apples were great….

Pulpo con Sidra

Baby octopus with Basque Cider, chorizo, nasturtium and Piquillo peppers

Slightly overly salty, but the octopus was perfectly cooked.. LOVE chorizo, so it was great… but since WAYYY too salty, lost points.. doubtful I’ll get ot again [even tho I'm obsessed with octopussy]

Asado de Huesos

Roasted bone marrow with radish citrus salad and oxtail marmalade

The #1 reason why I went to TORO…. bone marrow is so LAST MEAL….. it’s like an orgasm and falling in love at the same time….. sigh* I miss falling in love….. its been a long long LONG time…

Erizos en Suquet

Catalan stew  of sea urchin, lobster and crab meat

HOLY MOLY…never thought a soup/stoup/stew would be better than a cioppino full of delicious chunky seafood :] it’s fugging great to be back in new england…

Jamon Serrano Redondo Iglesias

Premium cured Spanish ham

I adore serrano ham… but comeon Toro…. you need some iberico <3 plz plz pretty plz <333333

Costilla de Bourguignon

Red wine braised beef short rib with bacon, mushrooms and pearl onions

J and I were super excited about these melt in your mouth beefy goodnesses. I’ve had great short ribs and bad tough blah short ribs.. these were great… as were the yummy pearl onions :D I think it was atop mashed taters?!….  I also ended up eating allt he carrots too… wait, was there bacon? I don’t remember bacon….

Coles de Bruselas a la Plancha

Brussels sprouts with olive oil and sea salt

Yes. I’m obsessed with brussels sprouts, especially when they’re all nice and burnt like above. To be honest usually I just steam them or do a quick garlicky light stirfry of them at home… but when I go out I like them nice, oily and roasted… :] Thankfully J loves brussels sprouts too… well thankfully and unthankfully… I had to split them, but I’m glad I didn’t go eat with someone who was picky about food or his greens :D

On a side note: Isn’t that the worst? I could NEVER date or be in a relationship with a picky eater…. or wasn’t adventurous…. blah. Thank goodness my friends are awesome.. and big foodies as well :]

Maiz Asado con Alioli y Queso Cotija

La Especialidad de la Casa.  Grilled corn with alioli, lime, espelette pepper and aged cheese.

For you non Spanish speaking people out there… and even still it’s pretty easy to guess, that says “the special of the house” aka HOUSE SPECIAL.. and oh boy is it.. you’d think this would be one of the first things to come out but this came out DEAD LAST… J and I were full… but after one bite we couldn’t stop eating. Yes, this tends to happen a lot…

And yes, we opted out of dessert… it’s becoming the new trend for me lately…

We ended up eating enough for 13 people… and then headed out stuffed beyond belief… in search of a bar.  We ended up at “The Point” near Fanuiel Hall… super white bar.. HILARIOUS… stayed for some medicore vodka drinks and shots…. and left… frustrated that we weren’t trashed and just too disappointed to keep on going…. But still.. our stomachs were happy. Ken Oringer how do you do it? First time was great, second time even better.. and now this? Three times is definitely a charm….

J and I decided our Thanksgiving Eve tradition from now on is to go eat somewhere fabulous and then go to ghetto hick white Irish bars afterwards. Can’t wait til next year :D

A Night of Tartare, Fondue and Oysters [& etc] at Artisanal

A while ago I was in the mood for some steak tartare [it's all Jacala's Mr. Borderon's fault.. I still haven't found better steak tartare... sigh....] and fondue… so where else to go but Artisanal [I was between Artisanal and Ca Va which I went to a few days later....]

I almost always start off dinner with a glass of champagne, especially when I know I’ll be having food from the raw bar…

Petit Fruits de Mer

Oysters, Shrimp, Ceviche, Clams & Dayboat selections [Crab, Uni & Mussels]

Sauces I don’t use….

I asked for some horseradish and they brought out a HUUUUUUGE saucer full… wait, are these called saucers?

Freshly grated Horseradish

What’s up with the Snooki hair? I also look 3 feet tall lol

Mussels Provencal

Garlic, Tomato & Basil

Delicious. I don’t really like cold mussels, so I ate these warm ones instead :D

Housemade Charcuterie

Rabbit Sausage, Duck-Foie Gras Rillettes & Tete de Cochon

Another reason why I chose Artisanal was for their Bunny Boudin… hahaha aka Rabbit Sausage

Rabbit Sausage

It didn’t disappoint but I didn’t end up eating much of it… I prefer my bunny warm not cold :[ I excepted a warm sausage... cooked with a nice pop in the skin

Duck-Foie Gras Rillettes

OOOOO but I ate the crap out of the rillettes.. so creamy and divine. Absolutely naughty tasting and just amazing. I don't prefer my foie cold but this worked beautifully... especially on the yummy charred bread...

Tete de Cochon

I actually wanted to get the Lomo, but they were out. How could I ever say no to headcheese? This melted in my mouth... heavenly.

Cheese Plate

I asked for some simple cheeses... not too pungent.. these were what I got, I forgot what they were.. but the creamy one was amazing.

Grilled Octopus

Fingerling Potatoes & Smoked Paprika

Good, simple but nothing special. I think I've been overdoing it on the octopus lately - everything is cooked great but it all tastes the same lately....

Foie Gras Torchon

Fig Chutney & Grilled Bread

Great Foie, like always I don't eat too much cold foie [simply seared is the bestest] so the dinner date ate most all of it.

Carpaccio of Yellofin TunaShaved Fennel & Ratatouille Vinaigrette

Definitely a lot more wet than I expected but the flavors were amazing – I LOVE fennel… so I try to eat as much of it as possible when in season.

Steak TartareArtisanal Blend Beef

Check out that sexy caper berry on top, HUGE, no? This was a bit too mushy for me….

Anyways the waitress wouldn’t let us order fondue at first, she said we already had too much food – lies. Got the fondue anyways….. and it was glorious… ended up licking the bowl clean – most likely.

Petit Gouda & Stout Fondue

Les Baigneuses

Apples, Crudites, Kielbasa & Chicken Tenders

It’s all about the apples :D I love the contrast of crunchy, sweet, creamy, cheesy, salty….

Isn’t this cute? Didi ended up sleeping on my glasses the whole night – she is way too adorable. :D

Craftbar, food done right – Colicchio, you’re awesome.

Tom Colicchio, how do you do it? After all this Top Chef stuff I always forget that you are an amazing food God.

So, how have I not been to a Craft restaurant in the city yet?! I’ve been to CraftSteak at MGM Foxwoods and I’ve been to Colicchio & Sons, twice – but none of the Craft “chains” here. Well… tonight’s the night.

I got there on time for my reservation but was told to wait at the bar. Boo…. good thing they have freaking Saison du Buff [Saison brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. ] Tonight it didn’t taste of rosemary to me but high in thyme, YUM<3 Swoon! So the next 15 minutes of waiting was bearable.

Started off with some fresh EAST COAST oysters [of course]Fisher Island Oyster [NY] and Barcat Oyster [Virginia]

They were delicious. I also asked for some tabasco and fresh grated horseradish on the side. SO freaking good.

Hamachi, Quince, Crispy Prosciutto
Light with a nice salty crunch from the prosciutto and some sweetness from the quince… Quince needs to be showcased more as something other than garnish…. like at Quince tart at Colicchio + Sons Tap Room for Brunch.

Fluke, Lime Vinaigrette, RadishThis fluke was amazing. So delicate and just melted in my mouth. The garnishes didn’t overpower the fish at all.

Berkshire Pork Rillette, Morello Cherry

This was heavenly…. delicious richness of pork in a jar.  The cherries worked perfectly with the rich rillette and added an acidic and sweet element to it.  Plus nice chewy texture. I’m all about texture.

Beef Tongue, Horseradish Aïoli

Huge slices of beef tongue – very ham like. Couldn’t really taste the horseradish but no worries, it was delish…. definitely never had beef tongue in this fashion before… kinda reminds me of when I had it at Toro where it was more smokey and tender  - falling/melting apart, instead of the yummy grilled kBBQ type

Stuffed Rabbit Saddle, Pistachio, Golden Raisin Chutney

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been having a love affair with rabbit lately, and I guess it’s rabbit season?!.. it’s EVERYWHERE. So so happy. I even made it [second time ever] the other day. Braised shredded rabbit with squash ravioli. Creamy, truffley and delicious. :] I think I forgot to take a picture of the final product tho. NEVERTHELESS. NONETHELESS?!?!?!… whatever. I am a bunny, and I’m a cannibal.

Remember this infamous picture from this post?