Food, Travels, and Everything in Between: Per Se

Food, Travels, and Everything in Between: Per Se: "' When you acknowledge, as you must, that there is no such thing as perfect food, only the idea of it, then the real purpose of striving tow..."

Food, Travels, and Everything in Between: Food Trucks Mania

Food, Travels, and Everything in Between: Food Trucks Mania: "We are all very much aware & grateful for the massive turnout of delicious, well prepared, (gourmet even) foods & desserts that comes out of..."

Food, Travels, and Everything in Between: Morocco: A Magical Experience!

Food, Travels, and Everything in Between: Morocco: A Magical Experience!: "Many can/or will only associate Morroco with the famous 'Rick's Cafe'. But did you know that the restaurant never existed? and that it was o..."

Food, Travels, and Everything in Between: Pizza: Trial and Error

Food, Travels, and Everything in Between: Pizza: Trial and Error: " A slice of good NYC pizza can make your day, no matter how bad of a day it was. One of the blogs I follow is Serious Eats (because food..."

Pizza: Trial and Error



A slice of good NYC pizza can make your day, no matter how bad of a day it was. One of the blogs I follow is Serious Eats  (because food to me is really serious!) has a piece on Forcella, a traditional Neapolitan pizza eatery in Williamsburg, BK. I cannot wait to head over to my old haunts - yes I am a Brooklynite :o) and have the so deliciously described deep fried crust  known as the Montagnara. Now I've had some good  and bad pizzas in the tri-estate area as well as on the motherland (Italia). But until I can make my way to Forcella, and decide for myself if its worth a 2nd trip; here are a few of my all time favorite locations:

Margherita with Pepperoni @ Grimaldi's in Brooklyn is worth the long lines.. even in winter!
www.grimaldis.com



Thin crust, dried tomatoes, mushrooms, & pine nuts from Star Tavern in East Orange NJ.
Even my non-pizza eater of a husband can't deny is out of this world!
 www.startavern.net/

The Capricciosa: Red sauce, fresh mozz di bufala, thinly sliced sardines, & topped with prosciutto
would make me take a flight straight to Il Peperoncino Dispettoso (Roma, IT) in a heart beat!
www.ilpeperoncinodispettoso.it 

Pizza by the Kilo is considered street food in Italy. I cannot remember the name of the place we got the above, however is right across from the Vatican museum. Its the 1st one you see on your right once you enter the street. We got a bit of our top favorites: the porcinni & cream, eggplant & pecorino, fresh mozz & tomatoes. & it only cost under $10U.S

Per Se

"When you acknowledge, as you must, that there is no such thing as perfect food, only the idea of it, then the real purpose of striving toward perfection becomes clear: to make people happy, that is what cooking is all about."  T.K.

In my opinion, my hubby is t he best chef in the world... To him however that chef would be Thomas Keller. About 1 1/2 years ago, we did an inpromtu trip to San Francisco and tried our luck at obtaining reservations at the fabled French Laundry; key word: Tried.  We settled for walking (without permission) the property & taking a few pictures.

Fast forward 1 1/2 years and it is my hubby's big 3-5. I decided that the bes present ever would be to create a series of surprises, starting with flying lessons, and ending with a cocktail reception. What did I also get in between both of the above gifts? Prime time reservations at Per Se! Below, its a brief recap of the most fabulous affair with food either of us had ever had.

Entering the Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle for the thousand time had a new meaning. It was July 8th, 6:30pm and we were 10 minutes away from our dinner reservation at Per Se. We were both excited as to what was awaiting us on the 4th level of the building. Immediately after arriving and taking the obvious picture of the namesake, we were warmly greeted and taken to our table. With its floor to ceiling windows, the restaurant is divided into two levels and has no more than 18 tables all facing the beauty of NYC and Central Park. Once seated we decided to experience the Chef's Tasting Menu; and began our 3 hours culinary journey.
 

View from our table


The night started with a traditional amuse bouche of "Goujeres" or a typical french finger food of puff pastries filled with warm delicious goat cheese; as well as the mini ice cream cone with salmon tartare. From there, the menu continued to a selection of 13 course made of absolute dreams, starting with Thomas Keller's signature "Oysters & pearls" dish; which was Sabanyon of Pearl Tapioca served with Island Creek Oysters and sterling white sturgeon caviar , which I have renamed "my When harry Met Sallie" moment and ending with a "Raspberry Pavlova" which left me wanting more.

 

Oysters and Pearls



During one of our conversations, my hubby expressed how he would love to be able to "peak" at the kitchen. Of course 2 hours later me and my big mouth asked our amazing waitress if it was at all possible to see the kitchen, to which she complied very excitedly I may add. I must say that the kitchen is what chef's dream of. One would never guess that a full swing 13 course dinner menu was been created time and time again for the patrons seating outside. It was the utmost quiet, coordinated kitchen I have yet to see.

After dinner, coffee and homemade mini doughnuts were given. And as leaving, we were sent off with nice parting gift bags of homemade French butter cookies (sandwich) filled with a dark ganache.

My one complaint is that there was not many pictures taken during the dinner. I was able to snap a few ones here and there, but otherwise that was it. And to be honest; I am not sure I had the time to concentrate in the task of picture taking as  I was too busy trying to figure out how the next dish would or could top the last one.

So would I come back to Per Se? Yes I would... But first I am setting my sights in getting into the French Laundry next spring for our 5th wedding anniversary, It would be a dream to visit the "mother ship" after having tried the "offspring"

If you are a foodie, I obviously recommend that you dine at Per Se at least once. I will not deny that this meal will cost a pretty penny just for the food alone. However both, the amazing food creation and the outstanding service will transport you to a world you have never imagine existed, and make every single penny you spend here soo worth it!




Birthday Boy







Restaurant Week Summer 2011

Restaurant week is here!!!

This is a great opportunity to eat your way in the city for under $40.00 for two entire weeks!

It all started as a onetime program (back in '92) to welcome the National Democratic Convention into our city, and it has evolved to a twice a year Fall/Winter and Summer event in which all new yorkers take advantage of the dining options available.
More than 300 restaurants will be participating in order to commemorate the start of the 20th year anniversary. I have noticed that new comers have also join in to celebrate the 20th yr celebration such as The 21Club, Le Cirque, & Barbetta; whom were all participants on the first Restaurant Week promo back in 1992.

Visit and indulge in those restaurants you have been dying to try, but are insanely expensive on a average day or night. Make plans for a romantic date, or just grab a few of your girlfriends to have a girls night out in town!
below, see a few of my utmost favorites & tried out restaurants:

• Aquavit: serving lunch, dinner & Sunday dinner
• A Voce @ Lincoln Center: serving lunch & Sunday dinner
• Bar Boloud: serving lunch only
• Centrico: serving lunch, & Sunday dinner
• Cipriani Wall St: serving lunch & dinner
• Dos Caminos (all locations): serving lunch & dinner

You can find all other participating restaurants by following this link: http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek
Or if you have http://www.opentable.com/ account, log in to make a reservation on a participating restaurant while accumulating points all in one.


Please remember to make reservations, you would not like to walk in and be told there will be wait of 30-45 minutes or no table is available the entire evening.

Hope to see you at dinner!!

Morocco: A Magical Experience!

Many can/or will only associate Morroco with the famous "Rick's Cafe". But did you know that the restaurant never existed? and that it was only a created set for the all time iconic movie "Casablanca"?

Morocco is in fact a cultural blend of African, European and Muslim. Although, Morocco is a very religious country, culturally speaking, it´s considered to be the least Arabic amongst other Arab countries. The nationals as they are known are very fashion forward, and although they respect their cultural and religious background, they do not not take a step back to the modern amenities in life. The most amazing thing after the hospitality of its people, has to be the food. The spices, the tagines, and the amazing cous cous are some of the well known staples of the Moroccan cuisine. But I suggest that you venture out (carefully of course) a bit and try some local restaurants outside of your hotel. Now that said, please abstain your self from any mixed greens, or non-bottled water!! I can honestly say that it was indeed a magical experience, and one that I will no doubt relive soon. Over the 1000 pictures I took (yes I know) below you will find a small recap from our magical 12 days in Morocco:

After checking in the Hotel, we hit the Casablanca streets in search of their national drink: "Mint Tea"

 

Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. The largest one in the entire country

One of the many "Oasis" we found in our way thru the desert to Fes


 

Front entrance and inside view of the Medina in Fes







You would find many public water fountains with beautiful detailed mosaic work.
And as I said before, step out of your comfort zone and try the local fare!

 

On our way to a traditional tea ceremony.. One thing I learned is that Moroccans do love sugar!





A must do: stay the night in a hotel at the edge of the Sahara.
take a camel caravan and enjoy the sunset from one of the many dunes.



The famous Marrakech Square. Food vendors, snake charmers, and Moroccan music
invade this square every night starting at 6pm

 I hope you enjoyed this one, and when you decide to venture out to Morocco don't forget to become part of it, enjoy its culture, history, and food!!

And remember: Don't knock it until you try it!

Food Trucks Mania

We are all very much aware & grateful for the massive turnout of delicious, well prepared, (gourmet even) foods & desserts that comes out of trucks in various location in NYC. This was a done ina attempt to "redefine" street food; and whoever thought of this idea is BRILLIANT. They offer quick, delicious, innovative, & best of all inexpensive food as an alternative to many of the long lined delis, or over-priced restaurants. The Rickshaw Dumpling Truck (rickshawdumplings.com), Wafels & Dinges (rickshawdumplings.com), & El Olomega (www.elolomega.com) with its amazing Salvadorian treats; are some of my top favorites. Don't get me wrong, I have yet to try all the food trucks that are inhabiting our city, however rest assure that I will! The key to finding these trucks is simple, follow them on twitter, or simply google them. Trust me when I say, they are all so worth it.
Now, we know that food truck mania started in the streets of LA, and we are considered the little sister/brother of the movement. However, we can concede that NYC is ahead of the game when it comes to serving alcohol along with your meal. It was not an easy task, but Pera's the city Turkish Taco truck is the 1st truck with a liquor license in the city. As a mater of fact, a few days ago i spotted a Caipirinha Truck, parked on 41st Street, Between 6th & 5th Ave; & I'm sure there are others following suit soon.

Will this new craze die down? or will it continue to grow? We shall wait & see; in the mean time; below are a  few of my top Food Trucks to try:

• Go Burger (twitter.com/goburger)
  The namesake burgers are good. Their special Kobe hot dog, served on a buttery bun and topped with chili and cheese or apple slaw and jalapeño is to die for.

• NYC Cravings Truck (twitter.com/nyccravings)Pair their meaty Taiwanese fried pork or fried chicken over rice with a side of anchovies with peanuts and chili peppers, and you will be transported to the streets of Taiwan in just one bite. Rickshaw Dumpling Truck (twitter.com/rickshawbar)
  Their chicken-and-Thai-basil are said to be the best of these snack-size savory creations; but their Edamame with a lemon-sancho dip has the capabilities to convert any meat lover into a vegetarian!








• Wafels & Dinges (twitter.com/waffletruck) - Most weekends it can be found on the corner of 59th St & 5th Ave, by the entrance of CPThe Brussels wafel is light enough for the hot summer days,while their denser Liège variety fits perfectly for colder weather. No matter which way you go, make sure to mother either in fudge or Nutella.








• Red Hook Trucks (Red Hook Ball Fields, Court St. at Bay St., Red Hook)Ok, this may be a alien area for most  jaded new yorker, who never leave the island, however, these trucks, which have been in this area for as long as I can remember (10 yrs or so), will transport you to a Central & South American word of deliciousness without the need to getting your passports. These latin trucks are the reason that New York’s love affair with street food was reignited. Make sure you try the tacos, pupusas, Grilled corn smothered with Cotija cheese and huaraches.

So, be brave, and head out into the word of Food Trucks, trust me when I say, you will be thankful!

Until next time!!