Guys American Kitchen and Bar

Went to Guy's American Kitchen and Bar...read all about it at my new and improved blog. 


http://thegramercygirl.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/guys-americian-kitchen-bar/

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I've moved

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Find my latest post about my birthday dinner at Osteria Morini there.

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The Big Island of Hawai'i

I know, I know it's been a LONG time since my last post, and for that I'm truly sorry. Every time I go to write a new post I get sidetracked. Well, having just returned from 10 glorious days of vacation, I'm refreshed and ready to share a post with you and in the cold dark days of December in NYC, what topic could be better than Hawaii?

10 days is a lot of stuff to talk about in 1 post so I'm going to break it down to the highlights and low lights (yes, things could go wrong in paradise)

Highlights first, in no particular order:

Mauna Kea
There is a reason that so many countries have spent millions of dollars to put observatories on the top of this summit. The view from the top is breathtaking for two reasons, being 14,000 ft above sea level and the views are amazing. We went with a tour rather than driving the steep rocky slope ourselves. Mauna Kea Summit Adventures was fantastic. Our tour guide,Chris, was super knowledgeable about the creation of Hawaii, the animal life, conservation, and of course astronomy. After watching sunset at the peak, we went down the mountain to wait for total darkness where you get a star show. Different constellations are pointed out, explained, and then you get to take a look with their high powered telescopes. It's an all day trip (from about 1:45pm-10pm) but totally worth it. Heavy parkas and gloves are also provided. When we went it was about 80 degrees on the ground and 30 at the top.

Mauna Kea at sunset

Volcanoes National Park
On the day we went to the park, it was chilly and rainy but that's ok, after all it is a rain forest. There is much to do and see at Volcanoes National Park. Price of admission is good for 10 days, which is a good indication of how long it would take to do all the hikes and see all the sites. We drove a good deal of it because we only had 1 day. We went to the steam vents, drove Crater Rim Drive to the Sea Arch, hiked the Puu Huluhulu trail and went the Jagger Museum to wait for sunset when you can really see the glow from Kilauea volcano (during the day you can only see plumes of smoke). It's amazing how beautiful and majestic the glow of hot magma can be. It also brings your 4th grade science class to life. My niece happened to have a test on volcanoes the day we were there. To see the lava fields, you can can do it on foot, but again, due to time constraints we took a helicopter tour. We used Blue Hawaiian out of Hilo.

Glow of Kilauea after sunset

Fresh Hot Lava

Sea Arch

Kenichi Pacific

crab cake

We ate many good things on this trip, but Kenichi was the best complete meal we had on the island. The food was excellent, the service was on par and the prices were very reasonable. We found Kenichi 1/2 by accident and 1/2 by recommendation. Our waiter, Michael, was personable, helped guide us through the menu and pointed out some dishes to try. He also didn't push us to over order or pad the bill by suggesting a super expensive bottle of sake, in fact it was the opposite, he showed us one of the cheaper options. The whole meal was really delicious. If Kenichi NYC opened, I'd be the first in line for a reservation. The must order is the crab cake.

pork bun

yellow tail sashimi with ponzu and truffle oil

 Rancho Aloha

Ripe coffee cherry on the vine

Going to a famous coffee region, we thought it would be great to get a tour of a coffee farm, sort of like a reconnaissance mission for our daily morning beverage. Lucky for us, we had a friend of a friend who's parents own a coffee farm, Rancho Aloha. We met Bruce Corker, who told us about his life long dream to grow coffee, showed us around his farm, and taught us the basics and economics of growing coffee. No tour would be complete without sampling the goods, and this coffee was so delicious that I didn't even need milk. The highlight of the tour was when Bruce instructed Gramercy Guy on the hows of roasting your own coffee, who knew all you need is a good skillet and a spoon. We took home the fruits of his labor and have enjoyed a few cups. If I close my eyes, I can imagine the warm breeze and the sun on my skin.  I am worried that the coffee we ordered won't come before we finish our stash of beans.

roasting coffee, careful of the smoke

Green Sand Beach & Black Sand Beach
There is no shortage of beaches on the Big Island. There are many white sand and gold sand beaches, but those you can find everywhere. Papakolea, or, Green Sand Beach is a two of a kind (the other is in the Galapagos). The sand is green from the mineral olivine which was in the cinder cone of the volcano that created it. You can hike to it, which is about 2 miles out or you can get a ride with the industriousness group of locals offering rides on their 4x4 trucks. We opted for the hike, where you walk and walk with the wind whipping in your face. On one side, you have amazing ocean views, on the other there are cattle grazing on the hill. As you walk you keep thinking, is this right? look back and forward and keep going, then you come upon it, about 100 feet below (give or take) you see this cool green sand beach (an olive green) carved out of the middle of a cinder cone. After we followed some locals, we climbed down (there is a ladder and then sort of rock stairs) finally, you can feel the green sand between your toes. For those who have never felt it, green sand feels just like white sand.

Hawaii has many black sand beaches thanks to its formation from volcanoes. Punaluu or Black Sand Beach on the Big Island is lined with palm trees in the back and has wide black sand getting hit by beautiful blue water with white breaks. The first thing we saw when we approached was a lot of sea turtles. You can only get so close because they are endangered. We didn't stay long, but just long enough for Gramercy Guy to take a dip (the water was too cold for me) where he was swimming a long and felt someone bang into him. When he came up from the water, it was a turtle. Not to many people get to swim with the turtles.
  

Low lights
I have to say our two biggest disappointments on the whole trip were food related, so really that's not so bad.

Sam Choy's Kai Lanai
The news that Sam Choy is a James Beard award winner and that he had a restaurant 2 miles from our hotel was a bonus. That's what we thought, until we ate there. I can not image that Chef Choy has eaten at this place in a long time. Not only was the food barely mediocre, the prices were on the high side, and the service was terrible. After our food arrived, no one came to ask us how it was. I suspect they are worried about what they might hear.  I can only image that Sam Choy's Kai Lanai's business model is to prey on unsuspecting, eager tourists, who think they are getting an awarding winning meal. Take my advice, save your time and your money. In hind sight, I should have gone to Bubba Gump, at least there they are not pretending to be anything they aren't.

Fish Hopper
I can't tell you how the food is, because we didn't stay. Our waitress was completely incompetent, and after her 2nd trip to 'ask the kitchen' what fish was in the fish tacos, we got up an left. 

I don't want to leave you on a low note, so I will also say that a highlight was our daily sunsets. You can not believe how vibrant the colors become and how the whole world stops moving for a few minutes when you take in the amazing display of the sun going down.

Aloha!

American Cut, Atlantic City

Gramercy Guy's birthday is in the summer and I know a few things will happen on his birthday. We will go to Brigantine, NJ that weekend, we will have a couples massage (I'm not complaining at all) and we'll go to a steakhouse for dinner. If you're not familiar, Brigantine, is a barrier island off the cost of NJ, just north of Atlantic City. The beaches are really wide and quiet compared to many others in NJ. 

This year, the plan was to check out the new Revel hotel. After seeing it being built for years, it was nice to be able to go inside. This is not your typical casino without windows so you don't know if it's day or night, it's bright and airy with lots of outdoor nooks, pools and bars and views of the Atlantic. The gaming area, downstairs is typical casino, except it lacks proper signage so the employees spend a lot of time escorting lost guest...I know because we were some of those guests.


Massages were at Bask Spa which is really a special spa. They have 30 or so treatment rooms, a helpful and talented staff and some coed space so Gramercy Guy and I were able to relax and unwind together even more after our massages.There was a salt grotto which is exactly what it sounds like, a room of salt bricks that are supposed to be curative; they help detox, open nasal passages and provide a calming effect, or so they say. I'm not sure we stayed in the room long enough to be healed, but I found the yellows and oranges in the room to be very relaxing. The hot tub was nice until too many other guest joined and it got over crowded. The mineral pool felt great, but could have been been a few degrees warmer for me, I'm sure it's that cool for a reason. 


After a steam and a shower, it was off to win some money at black jack and win we did. The pit bosses were friendly and talkative and the dealers were also very personable. We took the money and ran to dinner. 

American Cut is a modern steakhouse by Marc Forgione. The bar area has great views of the beach. The rest of the dining room is very steakhouse with the big tables and leather chairs. The Senator was in town and was able to join use too. He started his meal with a bloody Mary which was great, with lots of mustard seed. Gramercy Guy and I shared a bottle of Curvature (which is a partnership with one of our favs, Pride Mountain).


Dinner was really good. Our waiter helped us navigate the fairly large appetizer menu and the specials. We shared apps for the table and went with the Wood Fired Octopus

 

And the Hiramasa Tartare (yellow tail). What's cool about this is it's designed for your first bite to be a sechuan button which creates a tingling in your mouth, followed by some fish in this order, you're pallet is supposed to be more sensitive and the fish will take on a pop-rock-like effect. Not sure I had the fish flavored pop-rocks but it was certainly tasty. 

The Senator is a vegetarian so he had the Sea Scallops

And Gramercy Guy and I split the Porterhouse for 2, which could have easily been for 3 or 4. I think we had 2 sandwiches with the left overs

For sides, we all shared the Rosemary Garlic Cottage Fries and White Asparagus that was a special that night. 

 

And no birthday dinner would be complete without dessert. We got the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and salted caramel ice cream. They were warm and gooey and delicious. 

The service was great and the food was really good. We even wanted to bring our bone home for Studley, but porterhouse bones splinter so our waiter got us a bone from a rib eye. I would certainly go back to American Cut, but will try some of the other restaurants first. I've heard great things about Amada.

Back Forty, NYC

Going to college in Maryland was a great experience for me; I learned a lot, met amazing people, and developed a deep love for Maryland crabs. Anyone who has been with me while eating crabs, they know I can sit at a table and pick through shells and claws getting every last ounce of meat for hours. So when the Senator alerted me to the Back Forty crab boil I didn't hesitate. 

It turns out that every Tuesday in the summer the entire place becomes a giant crab feast. Reservations are made online and prepaid the Wednesday prior. The prime outdoor seating doesn't open until Friday. I was having some trouble with the system and Donnie called me back to alert me that he was opening the outdoor seating and I should try then, it worked like a charm and I snagged seats for Gramercy Guy, the Senator, and me.

How the crab boil works...

You have your seat at a communal table for up to 2 hours. 

 
First up was a hearty piece of corn bread that came with some pickled veg on the side and a nice jalapeno butter. The bread was good, but the plate only came with one knife so it was odd sharing the same utensils with total strangers. 

Then comes buckets of hot seasoned crabs thrown on the middle of the table

along with some potatoes and corn.  

While the crabs are not all you can eat per se, they sort of are. Seasoned in Back Forty's take on old bay (it wasn't as spicy as old bay and had a hint of cumin), the crabs were large, meaty, and delicious. I ate until my neck hurt from looking down for so long and the cuts on my finger from the claws were in need of attention, which by the way has always been my signal that I've had enough crab. 


I can't really talk about the corn or the potatoes, (2nds, and 3rds are also available for these, you just have to ask) other than they looked nice because I don't like to fill up on other things when there are tasty crabs to be had. 


For dessert, the newspaper is rolled up and all remnants of shells and mallets are gone. You're given a hot towel to clean up and brought a piece of cobbler. 

I loved the wait staff who got our sarcasm, I just hope none of them went home to look for crab carcass jewelry on etsy.com. My only issue (and it's minor but I believe in full disclosure) our reservation was at 6:30 and we weren't seated until about 6:45 and still asked to wrap it up by 8:30. In hind sight, I didn't need the extra time for crabs, but did feel like we couldn't bask in the sweetness of the cobbler and stretch our aching necks and I might have. Is is a deal breaker for next time, absolutely not.

I must admit, I was skeptical, how would a cool NY joint do an authentic crab boil, but having been, I can tell you they can do it well. It's worth it ($59.99 including tip and tax). And I can't wait to do it again.

A gorgeous night, a cold beer, crabs, and great friends, besides a manicure, what else can a girl ask for?

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.