NYC Restaurant Review - Aureole

Welcome foodies! On Friday I ate at Charlie Palmer's restaurant, Aureole, for Restaurant Week. Everything was incredible from start to finish.


Aureole                 135 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036

(Lunch - Restaurant Week 2011)

Aureole was incredible. The food was out-of-this-world. To start, the bread selection was delicious. The choices were a cheese biscuit, a baguette, a brioche role, and a focaccia. All the breads were amazing and didn't need anything like butter or oil to accompany it. It was incredible. Out of both Restaurant Week Appetizer choices I liked the Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho. It had basil croutons, avocado, and extra virgin olive oil. The combination of all these flavors was perfect. I also enjoyed the Pan Roasted Shrimp. The kimchi under the shrimp was delicious. The only entree I ate was the Grilled Skirt Steak. It came with green asparagus, fingerling potatoes cooked in bacon, and a peppercorn sauce. The potatoes can not be described with words because it was just so damn good. The steak was great and the peppercorn sauce elevated the dish even higher. Out of the two Restaurant Week Dessert choices I thought the fig tart was better (but trust me, both desserts were scrumptious). It came with toasted almond ice cream and a balsamic caramel. It was amazing. The other dessert, which was also delicious, was the Chocolate Mousse Cake. It was really yummy and decadent with a peanut butter ice cream and triple chocolate sauce. Off the Restaurant Week dessert menu, the Vanilla Creme Brulee caught my eye. This dish is on the regular bar room dessert menu. Can I just say this was by far the best dessert and maybe one of the best creme brulee's I have ever laid my taste buds upon. This creme brulee was unique. On the bottom was the creme brulee and on top of that were a few raspberries followed by a layer of a candied sugar wafer. Then to top it off, two little scoops of mixed berry sorbet and basil sorbet sat on top of the layer of the candied sugar. This dish is heavenly. It was an amazing meal and I feel Aureole completely utilized Restaurant Week to its advantage because everything I ate was so delicious I feel compelled to go back to Aureole very soon as I already begin dreaming of another flawless and scrumptious meal (with lot's of creme brulee). 

• All the food was delicious
• Service was friendly 
• On the Grilled Skirt Steak Dish (Restaurant Week Menu), the fingerling potatoes cooked in bacon were drop-dead delicious
• The Vanilla Creme Brulee (regular Bar Room Dessert Menu) was so unique and crazy good

 

 (Above) Vanilla Creme Brulee

 (Above) Fig Tart

 (Above) Chocolate Mousse Cake

Aureole was incredible and I highly recommend this restaurant. There will be a lot more Restaurant Week restaurant reviews coming up this week so check back soon. Bon Appetit!

-Mike

NYC Restaurant Review - Neely's Barbecue Parlor

Welcome back foodies! On Wednesday I went to the Neely's Barbecue Parlor which was the restaurant's first day opened to the public. The food was very good but I was shocked and slightly disappointed that Pat and Gina Neely were not at their restaurant for opening day.

Neely's Barbecue Parlor         1125 First Ave. New York, NY 10065

(Dinner)

Overall, Neely's Barbecue Parlor is a very good restaurant. The food was very good. My favorite appetizer was the Fried Green Tomatoes. They came with an onion relish and all the flavors and textures worked so well together. I also liked the Candied Thick Cut Slab Bacon. This bacon had so much flavor and had an amazing spice blend. My favorite entree was the Pork Sampler Platter. On that platter my favorite was the Spare Ribs. The flavors were incredible and very smokey which I loved. Also on the platter was the Pulled Pork and the Baby Back Ribs. I liked the Pulled Pork better but both had a very one note flavor profile. Another delicious entree was the Texas Style "12 hr" Smoked Beef Brisket. The brisket was so smokey and flavorful. I also liked the KC Style "Sweet & Sticky Ribs. These ribs were fun and messy in a good way. I liked this dish a lot. My favorite side dish was the Spicy Pinto Beans With Burnt Ends. It wasn't very spicy at all but I still liked the taste. I also tremendously enjoyed the Molasses Baked Beans. It tasted delicious and had a mild sweetness to it. One more good dish was the Cole Slaw. It was very refreshing and tasted good but it wasn't the best Cole Slaw ever. For dessert the best dish was the Red Velvet Cake. This was probably the BEST Red Velvet Cake I have ever had. The cake was so moist and the cream cheese frosting was delicious. One person that was with me hates all cheese which includes cream cheese. The cake was so good, she ate all around the cream cheese even though the cake was touching the cream cheese. The portion was also pretty nice. The funny part was that I was never going to order the Red Velvet Cake but then one of the managers came over with the heavenly cake and asked if we wanted it since he had an extra. Of course we said yes cause it's free! And that is how I stumbled across the best Red Velvet Cake ever. Another good dessert was the Pecan Pie a la Mode. It was nothing special but tasted good. One more dessert that I tried was the Mississippi Mud Pie. It was too rich for me so it was probably my least favorite dessert. I truly liked the Neely's Barbecue Parlor and I definitely plan on returning to the restaurant.

• Food was delicious
• Great Spare Ribs
• Best Red Velvet Cake ever!
• Service was friendly but a little slow (Then again it was their first night and everything ran fairly smooth besides the fact that the drinks took forever to come)

 

That is my review of the Neely's Barbecue Parlor. I can't wait to go back. Check back very soon for more restaurant reviews ( I just went to Aureole yesterday, for Restaurant Week, and it was DELICIOUS). Bon Appetit!

-Mike 

Update #1 for August - October 2011 Event Calendar (plus two July events)

Hi foodies! I have some more foodie events to add to the calendar. I hope you find this useful.

Long Island, NY   East Hampton    (Guild Hall – 158 Main St.)

Meet the host of Avec Eric and owner/chef of Le Bernardin, Eric Ripert

Lecture/Book Signing - Stirring the Pot: Conversations with Culinary Celebrities

Date & Time:

7/ 24/ 2011
Starts at – 11:00 A.M

Ticket Price:

Members - $13

General Public - $15

Contact: 631-324-4050

To Sign Up Click Here

For more information:

http://guildhall.org/calendar.ihtml?id=1446

Long Island, NY   East Hampton    (Guild Hall – 158 Main St.)

 Meet Food Network Star and owner/chef of Mesa Grill and Bar Americain, Bobby Flay

Lecture/Book Signing - Stirring the Pot: Conversations with Culinary Celebrities

Date & Time:

7/ 31/ 2011
Starts at – 11:00 A.M

Ticket Price:

Members - $13

General Public - $15

Contact: 631-324-4050

To Sign Up Click Here

For more information:

http://guildhall.org/calendar.ihtml?id=1498

New York, NY      (The Beard House –167 West 12th Street)

Enjoy a fabulous meal prepared by Top Chef: All Stars runner-up, Mike Isabella

Dinner Event

Date & Time:

8/ 23/ 2011
Starts at – 7:00 P.M

Dinner Price For:

James Beard Foundation Members - $130

General Public - $170

Contact: 212-627-2308

For more information and to see the menu visit:

http://www.jamesbeard.org/?q=node/2905

  

New York, NY – Flatiron           (Eataly – 200 5^th Ave.)

Watch and meet Owner/Chef of Felidia’s, Becco, Del Posto and Esca, Lidia Bastianich

Lidia will prepare:

1. Poached Eggplant with Vinegar, Garlic and Mint
2. Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Salad
3. Paccheri with Seafood
4. Skillet Gratinate of Zucchini and Chicken 

Date & Time:

8/ 29/ 2011
Starts at – 2:30 – 4:00 P.M

Demo Price: $275

Contact: (212) 229-2560

 To sign up visit:

http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=981106

New York, NY – Flatiron           (Eataly – 200 5^th Ave.)

Watch and meet Owner/Chef of Felidia’s, Becco, Del Posto and Esca, Lidia Bastianich

Lidia will prepare:

1. Poached Eggplant with Vinegar, Garlic and Mint
2. Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Salad
3. Paccheri with Seafood
4. Skillet Gratinate of Zucchini and Chicken

Date & Time:

8/ 29/ 2011
Starts at – 6:00 – 7:30 P.M 

Demo Price: $275

Contact: (212) 229-2560

 To sign up visit:

 http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=981113

And those are all the events I have for today! As always these have been added to the event calendar. Bon Appetit!

-Mike

NYC Restaurant Review - Kin Shop

Hi foodies! A few days ago I had a spectacular meal at Kin Shop. The executive chef at Kin Shop is
Harold Dieterle, Top Chef Season 1 winner and also the owner/chef of Perilla in New York. I cannot wait to go back to the Kin Shop.

Kin Shop           469 6th Avenue New York, NY 10011

(Lunch)

Chef Harold Deiterle really knows how to make amazing Thai food. At Kin Shop the food is full of bold flavors and some dishes has heat that can truly pack a punch. My favorite appetizer was the Spicy Duck Laab Salad. On the menu it shows how hot the dishes are and this dish was the spiciest. To me, the spice in this dish was not overwhelming at all. The initial bite had a lot of heat but rather than the heat lingering, the heat almost completely disappeared in less than a minute. To me this is the perfect amount of heat to a dish. My next favorite appetizer  was the Garam Masala & Tomato Soup. This soup was a very close second to the Spicy Duck Laab Salad. The taste was very bold and unique. Another dish that was delicious was the Fried Pork & Crispy Oyster Salad. It had peanuts, celery and a mint and chili-lime vinaigrette. I liked all the flavors as well as the texture the oyster and pork gave to the dish. For the entrees my favorite dish was the Stir Fried Wide Wonton Noodles. There was also chicken sausage inside which was delicious. All the flavors worked really well together. Another dish that I liked a lot was the Fresh Egg Noodle & Maitake Mushroom Broth. I loved the poached duck egg on top with the noodles and mushrooms. I also tremendously enjoyed the Crispy Roti (Roti - South Asian unleavened bread). It came with three different condiments which were a Chili Jam, Coriander Nam Prik, and Plum Chutney. Moving on to desserts, the menu was very small but very delicious. Kin Shop only serves ice cream, sorbet, and a root beer float. The root beer float was incredible. It had Galangal Ice Cream, which is similar to ginger. On the side there are ginger snap cookies. These ginger snap cookies were unbelievably amazing. Besides the root beer float I also tried Thai Coffee-Chocolate Ice Cream, Calamansi Sorbet, and Lychee sorbet. They were all good and my favorite out of the three would be the Calamansi Sorbet which is a citrus fruit that taste like a cross between a lime and an orange. Overall Kin Shop was very good and is definitely a place I plan on returning to.  

• Service was good
• Atmosphere was great
• Food was outstanding

 

 That is my review of the Kin Shop. It was really spectacular. Anyway, Restaurant Week starts tomorrow which means a lot of restaurant reviews coming. Also check back for more food event and festival updates. Bon Apetit!

-Mike

New 2011 August - October Event Calandar

Welcome foodies! Today I am starting the new August - October foodie event calendar. I have a few book signings and cooking classes but there will definitely be more since there are a lot of new cookbooks coming out this fall. Here are just a few upcoming cookbook releases:

Bobby Flay - Bobby Flay's Bar Americain Cookbook: Celebrate America's Great Flavors
Paula Deen - Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible: The New Classic Guide to Delicious Dishes with more than 300 recipes
Lidia Bastianich - Lidia's Italy in America
Aaron Sanchez - Simple Food, Big Flavor: Unforgettable Mexican-Inspired Recipes From My Kitchen To Yours
Marcella Valladolid - Mexican Made Easy: Everyday Ingredients, Extraordinary Flavor
Pat and Gina Neely - The Neelys' Celebration Cookbook: Down Home Meals for Every Occasion 
Anne Burrell - Cook Like a Rock Star: 125 Recipes, Lessons, and Culinary Secrets
Alton Brown - Good Eats 3: The Later Years
Jean-Georges Vongerichten - Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes
Marja Vongerichten - The Kimchi Chronicles: Korean Cooking for an American Kitchen
Mario Batali - Molto Batali: Simple Family Meals from My Home to Yours 
Anita Lo - Cooking Without Borders
Daniel Boulud - The Best of Daniels Dish: Favorite recipes from Elle Decor

Below are all the food events I have so far:

New York, NY   Union Square         (Barnes & Nobles - 33 East 17th Street)
Meet the host of Good Eats on Food Network, Alton Brown
Book Signing
Good Eats 3: The Later Years

Date & Time:

9/ 30/ 2011
Starts at –7:00 P.M

 Contact:

212-253-0810

For more information visit:

http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/72919

New York, NY   Union Square         (Barnes & Nobles - 33 East 17th Street)

Meet the host of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef on Food Network, Anne Burrell

Book Signing
Cook Like a Rock Star: 125 Recipes, Lessons, and Culinary Secrets

Date & Time:

10/ 4/ 2011
Starts at –7:00 P.M

 Contact:

212-253-0810

For more information visit:

http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/71606

Long Island, NY       Manhasset        (Sur La Table - 1468 Northern Boulevard)

Meet the author of What’s New, Cupcake?, Karen Tack

Cooking Class

Date & Time:

10/ 15/ 2011
Starts at –12:00 P.M

Restrictions: Must be 16 years or older

Price: $80.00

Contact:

800-243-0852

For more information visit:

http://www.surlatable.com/sku/831941/What%27s-New%2C-Cupcake%3F---Halloween-Edition;jsessionid=F44D72D1CDA5D2A21BA42B4C238E7056

Long Island, NY       Manhasset        (Sur La Table - 1468 Northern Boulevard)

Meet the author of What’s New, Cupcake?, Karen Tack

Cooking Class

Date & Time:

10/ 16/ 2011
Starts at –12:00 P.M

Restrictions: Must be 16 years or older

Price: $80.00

Contact:

800-243-0852

For more information visit:

http://www.surlatable.com/sku/831958/What%27s-New%2C-Cupcake%3F---Halloween-Edition

These events have been added to the calendar. Hope you enjoy! Check back soon for more restaurant reviews and food events in New York City and Manhattan. Bon Apetit!

-Mike

2011 New York City Summer Restaurant Week is HERE!

Hello foodies! Finally, Restaurant Week is back in NYC for two weeks of foodie fun. During Restaurant Week, Saturday's are not included in the pre fixe and Sunday's are optional depending on the restaurant. Lunch price is $24.07 and Dinner price is $35.00. Restaurant Week starts July 11th and ends July 24. The participants are listed on the NYC Restaurant Week page. Click here to see the participating restaurants.

Remember to make your reservations soon! Bon Apetit!

-Mike

De Gustibus Cooking Class with Alex Guarnaschelli: Amazing!

Welcome foodies! About a week ago I went to a cooking class with Alex Guarnaschelli at De Gustibus Cooking School. Alex appears on the Food Netwrok on Alex's Day Off, The Cooking Loft, and Chopped. She also is the executive chef at Butter and The Darby, both located in Manhattan Alex is incredible and her personality is great. She is hilarious and also knows how to make delicious food. Here is what she made:

1. Leeks Vinaigrette
2. Braised Cabbage
3. Basmati Rice Pilaf
4. Chicken with Barbeque Sauce
5. Chocolate Crostata

The first dish that Alex made was the Leeks Vinaigrette which was delicious the leeks were great alone. With some bread crumbs and a few hard-boiled eggs on top this dish was out of this world. One tip Alex told the class was to get the most out of the brine from a jar of capers (which was in the vinaigrette), she puts all the brine in a separate jar and refills the jar of capers with water and vinegar to get more brine. Another tip Alex said was to buy bread crumbs from the supermarket and fry them in a pan with olive oil and tarragon to jazz them up.

The next dish was the Braised Cabbage. The Braised Cabbage was outstanding. Alex used Savoy Cabbage but said that you can use Brussels Sprouts but not Red Cabbage.

The third dish that Alex made was the Basmati Rice Pilaf. This dish was more of a side dish but still very delicious. Alex said this is a "go to" dish for her. She told us how she loved rice. Alex said that when making she rice pilaf you should season the dish with salt in layers.

The fourth dish that Alex made was one of her mother's recipes. It was Chicken with Barbeque Sauce. This barbeque sauce is so incredible and went great with the chicken. The sauce was made with ketchup, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, dry mustard (preferably Coleman's brand), Dijon mustard, chili powder (preferably Spice Island, NOT McCormick because it tastes too much like chicken broth), fresh ginger, garlic, lemons, and the carcase and neck of the chicken was stewed in the sauce as well.

The final dish was a Chocolate Crostata. This dish was really scrumptious.  The dough was buttery and was crispy. The ganache was very chocolatey and decadent. Alex said that she always puts vanilla in her chocolate because a long time ago vanilla was only made to flavor chocolate but now it has become a flavoring that stands on its own in many dishes.

During the class Alex was a lot of fun and had a great personality. She said that she is coming out with her first cookbook early in 2012. Also she told everyone her favorite places to eat. They were Hearth, August, La Grenouille, Momofuku (Alex said that she loves David Chang), Soto, and Annisa. Alex also told amazing and hilarious stories. She said that she used to want to be a Rockette when she was a kid. She also wouldn't let anyone take pictures while she was cooking because she would lose focus. It was really funny because every once in a while someone would take a picture and she wold give them the stare.

Alex Guarnaschelli's cooking class was a lot of fun and I don't think I have ever laughed so much before at a cooking class. NYC Restaurant Week is coming up, July 11 - July 24. Check back soon for the list of participants as well as restaurant reviews and food events happening in New York City and Long Island. Bon Apetit!

-Mike