Dreaming of Sushi...

Don't you love it when dreams become reality? I just recently began discovering the luxury of sushi counters and piece-by-piece omakase courses. So expensive but so good...

Sushi Azabu

Sushi Azabu was my first sushi counter dining experience. We all ordered the middle-tier omakase menu (~$150 per person), which included a few cold and hot appetizers, an uni tasting flight, sashimi and nigiri. I've always found it harder to justify spending this much money on sushi, as I am much more accustomed to cheap(er) sushi on Seamless or medium-priced chirashi bowls in Seattle, and I usually save most of my "splurge" meals for the typical French or American-style establishments such as Eleven Madison Park or Barclay Prime (in Philly). That being said, I think the quality of the food and service definitely merits its two Michelin stars - thanks again to Jerry for getting us a reservation!

A few of our favorite courses were during the beginning of our meal... the uni flight of course, but also the oyster and the horse mackerel sashimi

We were served the freshest oyster to start the meal... can't remember the sauce it was paired with, but malt vinegar/horseradish just doesn't compare. Next, we had a lightly seared trio of mackerel (I think) and a ridiculous amount Hokkaido and Santa Barbara uni :D Then, the sashimi courses - I had requested "no squid/octopus" during the order process when our waitress asked about preferences so was served abalone instead. I think I actually would have preferred the squid as I didn't enjoy the crunchiness of the texture as much... lesson learned haha. 

The reason we came... omakase nigiri courses - everything was perfect! Too many favorites to even list or consider favorites... I liked them all! Unfortunately forgot to keep track of the type of fish each one was

Just a few other photos from the night: my friend's grilled/hot appetizer dish, amazing miso soup our toro scallion hand roll at the end, and of course, dessert - sweet potato ice cream, which was very light /refreshing and the perfect way to end the meal

Sushi Dojo

Omakase Experience #2: I took my brother to this East Village sushi counter the night after Thanksgiving - we both love sushi and Jiro's documentary, so it was a great bonding and culinary experience. We opted for the 15-piece sushi omakase for $80 each, as well as a $20 add-on for an uni tasting flight. We actually ended up getting 19 pieces of sushi including a toro scallion handroll at the end, so compared to other places that charge ~$120-150 for a 20 piece omakase menu, this was a great value. The quality/freshness of the fish was also of very high quality for the price point, although the uni was noticeably less sweet compared to a similar flight at Sushi Azabu.

Catching up: Random Eats

Say Cheese!

I have a new favorite in town, one that satisfies my love for both cheese and wine. The Cellar, underneath Beecher's Handmade Cheese, was an amazing discovery that led to quite a few more adventures out to wine and cheese shops around Manhattan. Another solid choice we found was Casellula in Midtown West - though we preferred the pairings at Beecher's, it was a nice touch having our cheeses chosen to complement the wines we were drinking.

The best tomato soup ever and lots of cheese (and curds)!

Flatbread and Mac and Cheese - way too much food for two people

Our cheese and charcuterie spread at Casellula

Brunch in All Forms

Just a few more snapshots of what weekend brunch the past few weeks has looked like for me:

Kale salad and corned beef hash at Northern Spy Food Co, ramen at Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop, traditional Japanese breakfast at Okonomi

Heaven in a fluffy, rich and savory chicken sandwich, complete with truffle and brioche

Last but not least...

Had a lovely date night at Marc Forgione the other week thanks to the awesome boyfriend :) All I can say is that if you ever get a chance to go... Chili Lobster. That is all.

11 Madison

It's been four months now since I settled into the city and two months since I started real work and wrote my last post. Tried some new places and re-visited some old favorites, but nothing so far has compared to my experience at Eleven Madison Park.

To set the scene, it was my friend's last weekend in New York before he left to start his new life in San Francisco (RIP Senior Eating Club). Our group had originally planned to celebrate at Daniel, but in the end, decided to just "go big". What resulted was four hours of amazing food, entertainment and friendship. The cost for an unforgettable night? Priceless. Not really, it was ridiculously pricey but you get what I mean.

CHEDDAR black and white cookies; TOMATO salad with strawberries and basil; CORN custard with tuna and caviar

BEEF pastrami with peppers, rye, mustard and cherry; TOMATO tea with lemon thyme; CUCUMBER marinated with lemon and melon

EMP used to be famous for their grid-like menu, where guests would be given a 4 x 4 menu board of different ingredients and asked to choose four of the flavors they'd like to see in their meal. Just recently, genius Daniel Humm decided to do away with this structure and instead implement a longer 14-course meal with each plate playfully showcasing one key flavor/ingredient dependent on seasonal produce. The environment was also more playful than most other Michelin-starred restaurants, highlighting many culturally "New York" styles in either the preparation or the presentation of our dishes. Our visit fell towards the end of summer, so we experienced items such as strawberry salad, lobster and seafood boil, braised sunflower, grilled apricots and even a mini picnic at the table, complete with freshly made cheese and EMP-branded beer.

Here and There

Just a few snapshots of some new foodie adventures since moving to Manhattan - really taking advantage of the time I have before starting work next week!

Basta Pasta

Linguini with fresh sea urchin in pink sauce; Tuna tataki; Breaded veal cutlet; Tiramisu with fruit

This place is always busy, even on a weeknight, but we managed to secure a last minute reservation and enjoyed a balanced meal filled with all my favorites: sea urchin pasta, seared tuna, breaded veal, and dessert (I have a lot of favorites). 

Basta Pasta

37 W 17th St (17th St between 5th and 6th Ave), New York, NY 10011

Sakagura

Soft boiled egg with sea urchin and roe; Deep-fried pork; Grilled eggplant three-ways

Washu ribeye grilled on a hot stone; Onigiri rice balls with salmon and roe; Mango panna cotta

Such an interesting place - partially hidden and located on the basement level of a corporate-looking building. The sake menu was massive and the marbling on the grilled ribeye was perfect. Definitely a place to experience!

Sakagura

211 E 43rd Street (43rd St between 2nd and 3rd Ave), New York, NY 10017

Danji

Spicy yellowtail sashimi; Poached sablefish with spicy daikon; Kimchi bacon paella; Grilled BBQ Wagyu shortribs; bulgogi beef and spicy pork belly sliders

Probably the most chill Michelin-starred place I've ever been to (they have one). Unfortunately, they don't take reservations, and we ended up waiting almost an hour for a table, but definitely worth it. It helps that it is less than a block away from both Ippudo Westside and Totto Ramen, which helps to draw away the masses :P No complaints there... hopefully this place stays a secret a little longer.

Culinary Exploration

This post is a bit late since I've been busy settling into my new life in NYC and have also been pretty lazy during my free time (... guilty). However, I wanted to share about one of my most amazing culinary experiences, which happened to take place while we were in Athens a few weeks back. I had booked a table for two at Funky Gourmet, a two Michelin-starred restaurant about a month in advance, and had been looking forward to it every single day. Not only was the location and ambiance of the place extremely tranquil and romantic, we had the most perfect view of the sunset as we progressed through each course. 

The restaurant offers three tasting menu options, with the third one being a more affordable, prix-fixe type menu. We decided to go for the second menu, which offered thirteen courses - only three fewer courses than the first menu, but almost 30 Euro less in price. Though each course was relatively small, they portioned it perfectly so that we were extremely satisfied by the time we entered the dessert courses. It was also such a fun experience - we dipped sashimi into broth shabu shabu style, ate a lamb chop with our hands, and had sorbet that tasted like every single flavor in a greek salad. It was worth every Euro... hope to have the opportunity to visit again one day!

Our menu and an amuse bouche - tasted a lot like a mojita granita

Top: Bottarga with white chocolate, which was like a salty slice of dried roe with hazelnut spread underneath
Bottom: Salsify (type of root, deep-fried) in a fish roe "soil"; Pastitsio, tiny Greek lasagna

Top: "Bread and butter" - Coulouri bagels with Cretan buttermilk spread
Bottom: Fish soup shabu shabu with fresh local sashimi

Visiting Greece: A look into Athens, Santorini, and Milos

Having never been to Greece before, I decided to visit for a week as my quintessential graduation (Euro) trip. Aside from the famed sunsets and whitewashed houses of the Cyclades (namely Santorini), I was most excited about trying authentic Greek cuisine. We spent a few days in the city of Athens as well as the Greek islands of Santorini and Milos, and experienced a wide variety of grilled meats, fresh salads, seafood, and Greek wine. Despite the not-so-great weather for a few days on our trip (unfortunately during the exact time we were in Santorini), we dined "al fresco" almost everywhere we went, while also enjoying a few morning breakfasts on either a rooftop or personal balcony looking out onto breathtaking views. Overall, an amazing trip that I will never forget!

Athens

I loved our time in Athens, though most of it was spent at large tourist attractions or restaurants (no complaints there). Despite being the capital and the largest city in Greece, it holds quite a leisurely pace compared to NYC or Philly and I enjoyed our afternoon coffee breaks out in the sun, surrounded by both fellow tourists and locals. 

View from our hotel's rooftop restaurant, where we dined our first night in Athens and Greece

All tomato-based dishes the first night, the rooster with orzo (bottom right) was slightly sweet with lots of flavor

Exploring the culture-rich capital of Athens!

Visited this rustic restaurant for dinner on our first full day in Athens - much cheaper than the more tourist-geared hotel restaurant from the night before. The meatballs (top right) had a strong herb flavor and the mushrooms (bottom left) were simmered in the most amazing sauce.

Santorini

Santorini was beautiful, as expected, though it was extremely windy and a bit rainy the entire duration of our stay =\ We visited both Fira, the capital, and Oia, the infamous sunset location, on our trip, but unfortunately could not see the sunset on either day, due to the weather. However, the food was great and the views, if not perfect, were still pretty awe-inspiring. 

Catching Up

So. I graduated! It's been a whirlwind of a month, but I finally found some time to sit down and write an update on my many food adventures.

Disclaimer: I wrote an entire, very comprehensive post, but lost it when it didn't save somehow, so sorry this new version will be a bit more sparse.

Philadelphia: Farm & Fisherman BYOB

On a day where almost every restaurant in the greater Philadelphia area is packed with the families and friends of recent college graduates, I opted to celebrate with my family at a smaller, more intimate venue. The Farm and Fisherman is a quaint byo opened by the former chef de cuisine of Blue Hill, the critically acclaimed farm-to-table style restaurant in New York. Everything on the menu was great, but the table favorites were definitely the bloody beet steak and the asparagus. 

Photo credit to the talented Jeremy Tang for these shots from F&F.

Clockwise from top left:
Seafood bouillabaisse
Spring asparagus
Duck confit tagliatelle
Bloody beet steak

Clockwise from top left:
Roasted Chicken
Smoked cod
Seared hanger steak
Halibut

Powdered doughnuts with chocolate and berry preserves
Chocolate hazelnut mousse

NYC: Aldea

Had a spontaneous dinner with friends at Aldea, a one Michelin-starred Portuguese restaurant in the Flatiron district. I've only had one experience with Portuguese cuisine, which was fused with Chinese influences at a restaurant in Macau, so I'm not exactly sure how authentic the flavors and dishes on the menu were. The food itself was a bit salty, but the appetizers were very unique and presented beautifully.

Clockwise from the top left:
Sunburst Farms Rainbow Trout, lightly smoked, horseradish, dashi, spring greens, fingerling potato, honeycrisp apple
Sea Urchin Toast, cauliflower puree, mustard seed, shiso, lime
Chocolate pear cake + Gianduja mousse
Creekstone Farms Hanger Steak, charred ramps, rutabaga roasted "en cocotte", spinach, porcini jus

Las Vegas: Joel Robuchon

I had the most amazing opportunity to dine at the three Michelin-rated restaurant Joel Robuchon on a recent trip to Las Vegas for a good friend's birthday. The restaurant itself is located right through "The Mansion" in MGMGrand and situated next to the entrance of Cirque Du Soleil's Ka. Each course from the menu was innovative, decadent, and worthy of all three of its stars.

With A Little Help From My Friends

As I recount my time at Penn, it is moments like these that make me remember how lucky I am to have such amazing friends. Love you guys, to many more great memories together <3

Celebrating in Extravagance

Barclay Prime is as close as it gets to the meaning of opulence in Philadelphia. $100 cheesesteaks, Wagyu strips, a wine list the size of a textbook... no regrets.

Wagyu beef sliders + cheese popover + West Coast oysters and king crab

Lobster bisque + kale salad + roasted bone marrow

10 oz. Satsuma Wagyu NY Strip from Kyushu Island, Japan
Sides of tator tots and brussels sprouts + dessert of fresh fruit and creme fraiche

If you've never tried wagyu steak before, trust me when I say that it's about as good as it gets (in Philly and most other places). The meat is so marbled and full of flavor that each piece basically melts in your mouth with every bite. To top off that experience even further, we were each offered a choice of a steak knife - all designer knives that you would see hanging in the cases of William Sonoma. The Shun steak knife we all chose (not diverse at all, I know) cut through everything as if it were softened butter. Is it weird that the knife made the whole experience that much more fun?

Revel-ing in Atlantic City

Took a casual road trip to AC with a few friends to take advantage of our last days as seniors; from forgotten wallets to in-suite champagne, it was definitely a memory of a lifetime. Photos from our dinner at The Continental:

Tea Time!

Just finished my last final exam of my college career! Time to celebrate by writing a post about one of my favorite things ever: Afternoon Tea :D These places are all in NYC since I haven't found a nice tea place in Philly yet, but will be visiting The Dandelion Pub sometime this week, so will update with that soon!

SoHo

Harney & Sons (SoHo): Darjeeling tea, vanilla and cheddar & chive scones

Harney & Sons has supposedly been around for three generations now, which is evident by their massive tea collection in their shop in SoHo. Their walls are literally covered in all different types of tea, but the best part of this place is that they have a nice little lounge in the back of their shop where you can sit and enjoy one of their many tea selections. We decided to go as a light brunch one weekend and shared a pot of Darjeeling between the two of us. We also ordered the vanilla and cheddar & chive scones, which were the perfect combination of buttery and crumbly. The vanilla came with the traditional clotted cream and jam, while the savory scones came with a tangy dijon honey mustard spread. Not super filling, but definitely a nice place to stop by if you're ever shopping in the area!

St. Marks

ChikaLicious Dessert Bar: Tea with a chocolate tarte

This is more of a dessert place than for tea, but we had tea here so it counts! Desperate for dessert after dinner one night in the St. Marks area, we stopped by ChikaLicious Dessert Club, but, after finding a line out the door, we walked across the street to its Dessert Bar instead. While the Dessert Club is a small shop with very little seating (much like the Momofuku Milk shops), the Dessert Bar is like a little restaurant. We saw that most people there went for the three-course dessert menu, but seeing as we just finished a very filling dinner, we decided to just order a pot of tea with one of their dessert selections. It was a little disappointing. The tea was fine but the dessert was not only tiny for the price, it also wasn't anything special. I'll probably just stick to buying their other treats to-go from the Dessert Club on the other side of the road. 

Lunching in Philly

Having spent the majority of my time in Philly these past few weeks, I've accumulated quite a collection of photos from various lunch spots around the area. Enjoy!

Zavino in University City

Top: Short rib ravioli (daily special), Tonarelli with ricotta veal meatballs
Bottom: Side of brussels sprouts with sherry vinaigrette

My avocado salad! The sad life of trying to be healthy... this made that life a little easier

Diavolo pizza - sopressata, mozzarella, crushed tomato, chili flakes, oregano, parmesan

The newly opened Zavino in University City (closer to Drexel than Penn, lucky people) was a game-time decision made during lunch one weekend when we wanted something close but were sick of our own on-campus options. What a great find! It's affordable, filling, and the pizzas are amazing. The place was pretty empty when we went, but I'm assuming it was because everyone usually ends up choosing brunch places instead during the weekend. I can see the place getting pretty crowded during dinner time and late night drinks (much like Tap House Grill), but definitely worth a visit!

Starr-struck

It's been awhile... I had the great opportunity over the past few weeks to try not one, but two Steven Starr establishments in Philly. Both definitely exceeded my expectations and reminded me of the greatness that is Steven Starr. They're slightly less well-known than some of his other restaurants (Alma de Cuba, Buddakan, Morimoto, Pod... the list goes on), but that didn't hinder the experience at all.

Il Pittore

I love pasta. I think it's one of those dishes that can undergo so many creative/innovative adaptations and yet still remain such a comfort food. I was super excited to finally visit Il Pittore because their pasta menu looked so amazing and unique - how many places offer braised goat on the menu? And even better, paired with mint??

Bread basket to start - fennel breadsticks, rolls, and amazing olive foccaccia
Left: Corzetti, pasta coins with braised goat, mint, and chili oil
Right: Fusilli, corkscrew pasta with blue crab and uni crema 

Slow-Cooked Suckling Pig, pear mostardo, roasted baby carrots, cavalo nero

Roasted Venison Loin, spaghetti squash with chestnut sugar, green peppercorn sauce

Wine menu, french press coffee
Orange-Ricotta Cheesecake, orange caramel sauce

If I could go back to this place everyday and just eat their pasta, I would. It was that good. The corzetti was perfectly al dente and the goat was braised to the point that it basically melted in our mouths, while the chili oil spiced the whole dish up a bit. The fusilli was slightly less chewy, but the uni sauce was so creamy and cheesy, it was like eating the world's greatest mac and cheese.

Serpico

Next was a very entertaining and slightly embarrassing night over shared plates and good laughs. To dinner with friends at Serpico!

Tasting Matyson

Finally had the opportunity to try Matyson's tasting menu! It's actually a really great deal - five courses (including dessert) for $45, and it's a BYOB so you can save a bit on wine expenses. The unfortunate part of this is that it is only available Mondays-Thursdays, which never ends up working out for me, because who has time to go to Center City during the week for a long, five-course meal? The GOOD PART of this is that I found three friends that were willing to do just that this past Thursday! Another great thing about Matyson is that their tasting menu changes every week and the items offered are usually not on the a la carte menu, so it keeps things new. The week we went, their menu theme was: Smoke.

Disclaimer: Sorry for the crappy quality - the restaurant always has extremely dim lighting, even during lunch hours

Course 1: Vichyssoise, diver scallop, salmon roe, olive salt, spring onion
Course 2: Seared Baby Gem, braised shallot, boquerones, brioche, quail egg
Course 3: Long Island Duck Breast, wild mushroom, duck confit, pinto bean

Course 4: Short Rib, polenta, goat cheese, guajillo, smoked tomato

Dessert: Blood orange hazelnut crepe (substituted dessert from the original smoked bacon ice cream for a $2 supplement)

Hoping to go back soon! New week, new menu :D

Photo Dump: B&B + Bibou Pt. 2

Forgot to upload photos from the bed and breakfast we stayed at over spring break! Super lovely place called Nest, and the breakfast our hosts cooked for us each morning as well as the dinner they served one of our nights there was amazing. Also, two words: steam showers. 

So I'll just leave these here...

Kitchen (not that we needed to use it), living room area

Snapshot of our breakfast each morning! Always started with fresh fruit and greek yogurt, followed by a plate of hot goodness - bacon and french toast on day one, omelet + bagel + sausage + risotto cake on day two

Home-cooked dinner! Shrimp cocktail, salad from garden vegetables, steak with caramelized onions

Ate until we food coma'd right at the dinner table

NYC: Battery Park to Columbus Circle

Quite an eventful (and somewhat stressful) weekend in NYC - experiencing apartment hunting at its finest... or worst. Fingers crossed it all goes well! Made up for it with an abundance of good eats :)

Sushi, North End, and the Mandarin

After a long morning of apartment-viewing (seven different buildings to be exact), my cousin and I were craving light Japanese fare. Unfortunately, our first choice, Ootoya, was about to close for its lunch/dinner transition break, so we began walking towards the Gramercy area looking for a place to eat. Almost by pure luck, we happened upon Momoya, and after glancing at the menu posted on the outside window, we decided to try it out.

As we are both big sushi and sashimi fans, we both ordered the chirashi bowl, which is offered at lunch for only $16 (compared to $20+ anywhere else). It was actually amazing to see at such a nice restaurant ($$$ level on Yelp as a reference) and the cuts of fish were not only super fresh, but very meaty. The rice was also seasoned in a type of soy sauce and shallot mixture. So good!!!

Complimentary miso soup with our meal

Chirashi bowl - SO many fresh pieces of sashimi, such a great deal!!

Had a lovely dinner later that evening at North End Grill with the boyfriend - the view of the sunset next to Battery Park made it the perfect way to relax after a very long day :)

My lamb, his fish, our funnel cake :P

Lunch the next day at the lobby lounge of Mandarin Oriental:

The menu is asian fusion-focused, so we had wagyu beef sliders, the korean short rib sandwich, and a blood orange-lychee-pineapple juice. Pretty pricey though, and spotty service - not sure we'd consider going back.

Birthday Festivities

Feeling 22... thanks to my dear friend Lily who has gotten that song stuck in my head after singing it non-stop this past weekend. I had such an amazing birthday weekend with amazing friends and, of course, amazing food. Thanks again to Jon and Josh for planning such a fun night!

Celebrating with Friends

Was pleasantly surprised (more like ecstatically shocked) to be taken to Talula's Garden with some of my favorite people for dinner. The restaurant itself is beautiful and pulling up to a building lit up at night by fairy lights is a whole new experience altogether. The interior was much larger than I expected with very high ceilings and multiple rooms, including a small bar area where we spent a majority of our wait time before being seated. The food was incredible - definitely ranks near the top of my best dining experiences ever. 

Shared appetizers/sides (from top left clockwise):
Winter Cauliflower Ravioli, sauteed tuscan kale, savory anchovy, toasted pine nuts, brown butter sauce
Applewood Smoked Salmon Salad, "everything" dressing, lettuce, pickled pearl onion, rye crisps, fingerlings
Little vegetable dishes, raw radish and cucumber salad (front), roasted baby carrots (back)
Long Island Fluke Crudo with Winter Citrus, ginger-scented avocado crema, endive, cashew, tarragon-chili oil

Muscovy Duck Breast and Crisp Confit, tender cabbage and duck fat fried spaetzle choucroute, turnips, pear, cashews, duck jus
Seared Day Boat Scallops, leeks & butterball potatoes, kohlrabi puree, roasted carrots, carrot butter, lemon-caper mojo
More vegetable sides, "creamed cauliflower" fontina mornay (front), whipped yukon gold potatoes (back)