Pete's Tavern, NYC

Pete's Tavern is a New York institution that has evolved from bar to speak easy and back. It's slogan,"the bar O'Henry made famous," as the story goes, he wrote the Gift of the Magi in one of the front booths. In the 15 or so years that I've been going to Pete's, nothing has changed and that's the way I like it. Their menu is fairly simple, Italian and American and very reasonably priced. I have never had a bad meal there, but often times, their delivery is sub-par (they have found themselves on my do not order delivery list--lucky from me, I'm only a few blocks away.)

This was a two time Pete's week for me so I've consolidated both experiences.

As you may know, Gramercy Guy and I recently adopted a rescue dog, Studley McGoo (if you see him being walked near the park, be nice to him, he's still getting used to his new life). So when my mother, the queen yenta came from Yenta-ville to spend the day with me, I thought Pete's would be a good brunch choice as they are dog friendly in their outside seating, you can see Studley is enjoying the shade and was given a bowl of water. 

Pete's is across the street from Friend of the Farmer, which always has a long line for brunch. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy Friend, who doesn't like their eggs served in a skillet, but I don't need to wait in line for them. Pete's is just as good, even if my eggs come on a regular plate.

For brunch, I had the eggs Benedict Florentine (hold the hollandaise). It was excellent. The yolks were perfectly runny when I sliced into the egg. 

 Gramercy Guy had one of his favorites, the mushroom and artichoke frittata

And the queen yenta had the cobb salad with chicken (she says the salad didn't need the chicken because it was chock full of other stuff like bacon and eggs and blue cheese).

This was a great outing, and Studley was well behaved. This may have been his first time at Pete's but it certainly won't be his last. 

A few days later, the Girls of Burger Club (TV Doc and Georgia Peach and me) had girls night planned. No boys allowed. They came over to meet Studley and then off to Pete's Tavern we went. Once again, the food was as good as the company. We started off with a mesclun salad (need some greens). 

For dinner, there was spaghetti with veal meatballs all around. Pete's meatballs are big but not heavy and very flavorful. A nice touch that not too many places do, it's served in a meat sauce. I'm not sure which is older, the place or the recipe, either way, I hope they both never change. And the portion is so large, that I barely touch my pasta.

 

Have you been to Pete's and what your favorite dish there? Who's going to say burger and a Pete's Ale?

MNPC: Nicoletta

There are lots of restaurants in New York that open to much fan fair that I am often left wondering why. Being a huge fan of Chef Michael White, I got nervous with all the hoopla around his opening of a pizza place. Early reports were nothing short of amazing, so it was with excitement and a little trepidation that I went to Nicoletta with MNPC tonight.

Having just opened last week, I wondered, have all the kinks been worked out? I've also read a lot about the dough still being perfected. That being said, it's Michael White after all, what could be bad?

The menu of pizzas is short (10) but you can also get a classic and add your own toppings. The hardest part was deciding only four. Taking the advise of our waitress, we narrowed down our choices and ordered. 

I have to say that for being open less than a full week, all the kinks seem to have been worked out from my perspective. Our waitress was knowledgeable and friendly. She helped steer us toward some great choices and our pizzas were timed perfectly. (We ask for them to be staggered so they don't get cold as we eat.) I also liked that we weren't rushed when it looked like we might have been finished. For 'just a pizza joint' the service is on par with his high end restos like Marea or Ai Fiori. 

For pizza, we got the Tartufata

mozzarella, crema di tartufo prosciutto cotto, roasted wild mushrooms

Calabrese 

thick-cut pepperoni, homemade fennel sausage red onions, pomodoro, mozzarella

Brocolo

broccoli rabe pesto, smoked scamorza cheese cherry peppers, spicy bread crumbs

Classica

 pomodoro, mozzarella, basil

In the words of LGFEO, the first bite was "god damn delicious," as was every subsequent bite. No law of diminishing returns here. The dough is a little dense so definitely order less than you think you need (or not and take home the leftovers), but it's really tasty, chewy and crispy and not too sweet, the perfect vehicle for toppings. 

Everything seems to be taken into account here too. We all noticed sliver press able dots on either end of the table. What are they we asked our waitress. They are the spots where the pizza trays go in to. No metal tray holders taking up valuable table space here.

If you're looking for classic New York or Neapolitan style pizza, this isn't your place. If you're looking for really good pizza that's different, make this a must.

HIghlands, NYC

It seems like there's been a recent boom of British gastropubs in New York lately. I've been lucky enough to try most of them with Georgia Peach and Copy Gal. Tonight, we went to Highlands. We got there early, even for a Tuesday, so it was pretty quiet, I think the place would feel really cozy as it fills up. 

The menu is small but so inviting, even Copy Gal had plenty of choices (she's picky). Outside of the haggis, I would eat everything on the menu. 

We started with a scotch egg, good spot on that on GP, I would have missed it. This egg in the rank of the 3 I've had is 2. The sausage had a nice spiciness to it and I liked the seasoning in breadcrumbs. It was served with a side of a tangy barbeque sauce, but really, who needs it with the creamy yolk goodness. I think the scotch egg might have to be on the table at my last supper. 

For entrees, I had the Atlantic cod with bubbles and squeak (veggies in potatoes) and a rocket (arugula) salad. Everything was light and easy, perfect for a hot summer night. 

Copy Gal had the Wild Mushroom Shepard's Pie. 

Georgia Peach had the Fresh Blue Crab on Toast and seared scallops. She has a new thing for cauliflower puree.

Which British gastropubs in the city have you been to, and which is your favorite?

Happy Father's Day

This was the prefect weekend, the weather was amazing in New York and I got to spend some time with friends on Saturday and family Sunday. Gramercy Guy and I hosted a BBQ for the fathers in honor of Father's Day.

We started with grilled pizza for appetizers. The dough is the same I've made before, you can get the recipe here. For toppings, we went with caramelized onions and mushrooms with goat cheese.

The other had ricotta cheese, arugula, lemon zest, prosciutto and shaved Parmesan cheese.

The pizzas were great (my favorite dish of the day), they had a delicious char from the grill and the crust was really chewy. If you have a grill and have tried making your own pizza, I highly recommend cooking it on the grill.

For entrees, we used the June issue of Food & Wine for inspiration and cooked the balsamic marinated flank steak.

Shrimp (hold the scallops) with lemon soy.

For sides, we grilled some eggplant, zucchini, broccoli, and jalapenos.

And Napa cabbage salad.

Dessert was easy but was gone before I could get a pic, assorted flavors of Ralph's Italian Ices and my first watermelon of the season. Everything came out really great. I can't waiting until I can make these again. I just hope the fathers (and mothers and siblings) enjoyed it as much as Gramercy Guy and I did.

Risotteria, NYC

To my loyal readers, I am sorry for the long delay in posts. In the past month, I have been in DC, Paris, Boston and Atlanta. I do have to say that the mini Beta Phi reunion was a great time. I'm now back in NYC and up to my old tricks. I will fill you in about my trips (there are some great highlights) as my schedule gets back to normal, but for now I will tell you about my dinner with the Georgia Peach.

As you know, I see the Georgia Peach on a regular basis, but haven't seen her in ages due to my schedule. We were supposed to go to Little Owl, but it seems they are closed for renovations until later this week, thanks for the alert via twitter, so we went to plan B, Risotteria. This place is exactly what you'd imagine it would be, a restaurant that specializes in risotto. I had been there a long time ago, when they first opened, but I think after 10+ years, I can consider this my first time. For those with food issues, everything here is rice based so it's gluten free, and the menu is coded for dairy and vegetarian options as well. They don't take reservations and seating for only about 20, but if there is a wait, there is no shortage of places to grab a drink while you wait, it's on Bleecker Street.

We started with a romaine lettuce salad with beets, shiitake mushrooms, onions, and truffle oil with a Chianti dressing.  The salad was clean tasting and very refreshing. A perfect start knowing that next up was risotto.

For dinner, the Georgia Peach got the parsley and truffle oil risotto. Which was creamy goodness with truffle oil and the freshness of the parsley. When I tasted hers, I was a little jealous.

I had the asparagus and safron. This was creamy and satisfying without being too heavy. It's a great alternative to a bowl of pasta. 

I enjoy a good risotto and order it out because I know risotto can be time consuming to cook, now that I've been back to Risotteria, I know how easy it is to head to the West Village and order up any type I want. And of course, spending an evening with the Georgia Peach is worth the trip to any part of the city (and maybe NJ).

Bonjour from Paris!

I am in Paris for work, and between work I am managing to see some sights. I will share some photos when I can, but have hit a snag with wireless internet only in the hotel lobby, making it difficult to upload photos. I did manage to get some from tonight’s dinner. My coworker who is like our office’s cruise director got in a day before everyone else and did some restaurant recon for us. He picked a really good one. We went to Ratatouille on rue Montmarte. This is this type of place that can be called a hidden gem. The prices were so reasonable and the food was really good. I went with the 29€, 3 course prix fix, and it was topped off with a nice bottle of Pouilly Fume. 

For stater, I had a tomato and goat cheese tart. A puff pastry with warm cheese, a tart tomato, with a balsamic drizzle.

I got the dorade for my entree which was simply prepared with some oil and nicely cooked veggies

And I'm in France, so I had to go with the cheese plate for dessert. Thank goodness my coworkers helped me finish it cause if I might have eaten the whole thing. 

Stay tuned for some other great meals and some sights. Until then, bonsoir

Date Night

This date night was a fancy one. We went to The National for a drink and a quick bite before we went to the Chamber Magic Show.

The National is the newest NYC offering from Chef Geoffry Zakarian, and the place looks really cool and retro. We sat at the light gray metal bar which had a lot of activity. The bartenders are a flurry of activity. The National has an interesting cocktail menu, and a small herb garden at the far end of the bar that I noticed the bartenders used for the drinks. Can't get fresher than that. I went with a boring glass of wine and Gramercy Guy had this refreshing drink, which I have to admit, I forget the name, but it had gin, herbs and lime.

For dinner, Gramercy Guy had the ugly burger. He said it was great with lots of nice elements. The only ugly thing about this burger was the mess it made. Word of advice: don't cut it, and when you pick it up, don't put it down until there is nothing left. That's one of the reasons, I wasn't able to get a taste. The fries had a great spice to them, smoked paprika, I think.

 
I had the rock shrimp pasta. It was good with a very light cream sauce. The best part, it didn't feel a heavy lump in my stomach all night like some heavy pasta dishes might.

Then we were off to Chamber Magic, an intimate magic show in the Waldorf Towers. The tickets say cocktail attire, and, Steve Cohen, the Millionaire Magician says he tries to evoke the salons of yesteryear, when people dressed to go to their friend's homes where there was often entertainment, like a magician. Definitely take the time to get dressed, it makes the night feel special. Also, the few people not dressed stood out.

I think when I told Gramercy Guy that we were going to a magic show, he was skeptical, but not after we left. This was a truly "how'd he do that" show. You'd might think that 1 1/2 hours of magic would be too much, but he switches up his tricks and has a great banter with the audience. You can sort of surmise how he does some of the card tricks, but there are others like Think a Drink that you leave you thinking about how he did it for days.

There is little advertising for Chamber Magic, and he travels across the world doing this, so get your tickets now, you won't be sorry. They would also make a great gift alternative to a Broadway show.

Have you been to Chamber Magic? What was your favorite part?