Sbraga

Finally got around to trying Sbraga and it did not disappoint! The $49 4-course menu is an amazing deal for the quality of food, and (provided that you make the right choices :P) most of the portions are enough to leave you full and satisfied. 

A nice view of the open kitchen! Look at all those copper pans...

Courses 1 and 2: Foie Gras Soup, rose petal relish; Octopus, harissa, escabeche
+ a nice, warm popover with salted butter to start off the meal!

Course 3: NY Strip Steak, kale, egg, piri piri - this was a friend's entree and the overall dish was extremely flavorful, but the portion was tiny and it did not seem to completely justify the $15 supplement

Discovering Yakiniku

Exam week and diminishing funds have kept me cooking dinner at home lately, so figured I'd go back to my bountiful archive of food photos and pick out a few favorites. I love Japanese BBQ (most often referred to as yakiniku), especially because it allows you to be very hands on throughout the meal, it lets you eat at your own pace, and if the meat is over/under-cooked, you have only yourself to blame :P Just a couple of my frequented yakiniku spots (all in NYC):

Gyu-Kaku

This is a pretty large chain and they have locations all over the United States as well as across the globe. Though the bill can add up pretty quickly during regular dinner time, mainly because there are few carb-heavy dishes to really fill you up, their happy hour is not only extensive, but also extremely reasonable. Everyday from 11-6 (if I remember correctly), they have a huge happy hour menu where meat dishes go for as little as $3.50 a plate and all alcoholic drinks are 50% off.

Top (from left to right): Tuna Volcano Crunch, crispy rice balls with tuna tartare on top; Sukiyaki Bibimbap, they come to your table and mix everything in a large bowl and allow it to continue cooking inside the hot bowl
Bottom: Just a few meat dishes from happy hour, I believe it was the skirt steak, beef tongue, and new york strip steak

Yakiniku West

A somewhat hidden gem on the outskirts of St. Marks - most people usually go to Gyu-Kaku when they're craving Japanese BBQ, but the quality of meat here is definitely better. They also have daily specials (I always go on Sundays for the half price Kobe short ribs) which make the prices relatively reasonable. The only thing I stay away from are their special sets, as I have found that most of them are not worth the value. The first time we went, we had a $25 ribeye set, which came with maybe 5 pieces of meat and your typical sides of miso soup, salad, rice, and a couple veggies to grill. Pitchers of Kirin are also pretty cheap (~$9) during their happy hour, which fill about four glasses each. The service is usually not very attentive (they don't change your grill every 10 minutes like they do at Gyu-Kaku or check up on you throughout your meal), but I don't mind since it's pretty easy to flag them down if needed. Dessert here is worth skipping, mainly because the amazing tea/dessert house Cha-An is literally right around the corner!

Beef tongue with scallion - I usually love this dish, but the last time we came, it was unbelievably tough and not very good at all

Five orders of the Kobe short rib - it comes out to be less than $40! This, along with the beef tongue, one other meat dish, and maybe an appetizer or rice bowl is usually enough to fill up two people

Left: Pork jaw - I loved this dish but my dining companion was not a huge fan. It's very fatty and chewy, and the flavor is similar to that of pork belly, which I enjoyed

Another shot of the Kobe short ribs, about a two or three-order serving during our first visit here; definitely try this if you have the chance, the cooked meat literally melts in your mouth

A Hallmark Weekend

Visited some old favorites and tried some new places, all in celebration of Valentine's Day weekend.

Gal-entine's Day

Revisited Upstate with my cousin for an early dinner, and grabbed drinks and dessert for the latter half of happy hour at Prima nearby. I know I had just gone a few weeks ago, but cannot get over the great prices at Upstate! Three dishes and two glasses of cava later (as well as the complimentary slices of whiskey cake), our bill came out to be less than $80, though we were both full beyond belief.

Also, daily happy hour at Prima from 5-7! Their cocktails definitely fall under my short list of favorites (while the rest of that list mostly consists of speakeasies/lounges) and they are 50% off during happy hour, which comes out to be $5-5.50 a drink. Amazing, right?

Salmon tartare from Upstate - We also ordered the fettuccine with clams and the skate, both of which can be seen in my last post here
Vanilla panna cotta, raspberries, passion fruit sauce, almond crisp
Drinks: The Last Cocktail, gin, pear puree, rosemary, lemon, clove dust;
Prima Mimosa, lillet blanc, raspberry puree, yuzu juice, rose water, prosecco

Post V-Day Celebrations

Opted for a relaxed, boozy brunch the next afternoon where the boyfriend and I decided to check out El Camion, a lively Mexican restaurant down in the Lower East Side. Brunch entrees come with a coffee and a choice of cocktail, something almost unheard of in the city of Manhattan. In fact, for our entire meal, the bill came out of be around $25, tax and tip included. Definitely one of the best brunch deals I have tried by far.

We both decided to go with their margaritas, which came frozen and delicious, though also pretty potent. The food was also very good, and not because of the alcohol consumed - I definitely hope to go back sometime for their happy hour and tacos.

My blood orange margarita, his mango margarita - I really enjoyed the citrus-y blend of mine, but it did taste more like a regular margarita, as opposed to the mango one which was very sweet and tasted similar to a smoothie
Top: Chicken chilaquiles, shredded chicken, cheese, tortilla chips, scrambled eggs, salsa verde, pico de gallo, crema
Bottom: Huevos diablos, poached eggs atop habanero corn muffins with carnitas, chipotle hollandaise, homefries

Was also able to make up Valentine's Day dinner with the ever-so-gracious boyfriend and we chose L'Apicio for the occasion. I was extremely excited for this meal, as I am a huge fan of its sister restaurants, L'Artusi and DellA'nima. The location was much bigger and the decor was beautiful with exposed brick walls and floor to ceiling french doors. However, the food fell short of expectations and at the end of the meal, we both agreed that we wouldn't be back anytime soon.

Meals with Friends

Finally had the chance to try Vernick Food & Drink after booking a reservation almost three weeks in advance. Our group of four was seated at a well-lit table right next to the open kitchen, arguably the best seats in the house. The meal that followed was honestly an amazing culinary experience - having four people in our group meant that we were able to order a large portion of the menu and, being Asians, we were no strangers to sharing food.

View of the open kitchen from our table!

First time trying orange wine (only had a taste) - a white wine variety where the grapes have spent considerable maceration time in contact with the grape skins. Interesting experience, it had the subtle richness of a smooth red, but dry like a white wine

Top: Our amuse bouches, a potato leek soup and fresh tuna
Bottom: Raw arctic char, crispy skin, dill

Philly RW Part Deux

Sadly, last week capped off my very last Restaurant Week in Philly. My motto, of course, was "go big or go home" so I knocked off three places from the list in the span of three days. Blew through quite a bit of cash in one week, so will be recovering from this extravagance for awhile.

Barbuzzo

Barbuzzo is hands-down one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia - I don't have a #1 choice, but it definitely falls within the top 5. The menu is very carb-heavy (at least the good dishes are), but also gives you a pretty good portion for the price. I was only able to finish 1/3 of my main entree pizza, so if you count the fact that I technically got two meals out of this dinner (I had the rest for lunch the next day), $35 for the pre-fixe menu is not a bad deal at all.

The place has a very rustic feel and the tables are rather close together - I have found that it is a more ideal lunch spot than a dinner date

Top: Sheep's milk ricotta; Pear, pecorino & walnuts salad
Bottom: Roasted beet salad, roasted bone marrow (ordered a la carte)

Paccheri al Forno, wide pappardelle -type pasta with braised lamb and greens
Capricciosa Pizza, mozzarella, olives, basil, meats

The famous Salted Caramel Budino, one of the most decadent and amazing desserts every created

Just a few highlights: the sheep's milk ricotta is a must-order item. It is lightly whipped and slightly sweet (almost like mascarpone) and also goes perfectly with the bread they provide as well as the leftover crusts of their pizzas. I always love getting one of their pizzas because of the sheer size as well as the crispiness of the crust - I usually prefer thin crust over the normal density, though won't say no to deep dish now and then (Chicago represent!). Finally, their salted caramel budino alone is a great reason to visit Barbuzzo. I believe they offer them for take out as well, which is extremely tempting.