Bouley

Bouley's front door, currently hidden behind construction scaffolds

Walking into Bouley it doesn't take long to see just how much the dining scene of NYC has changed.  In a time when restaurant decors are designed and geared towards sleek minimalism, Bouley sits as a reminder, amongst very few others, of the opulent chambers one diner can be tucked away into.

Fresh apples line the wall, perfuming the entrance

From the front door you enter a vestibule of shelves upon shelves of fresh apples.  Perfuming the air transporting you to a fresh countryside orchard.  To the left a waiting room with the hostess stand up front.  A waiting room comprised of plush couches and chairs, floor to ceiling windows and artwork, exquisite chandeliers, and hardwood floors.  Before even entering the dining room you realize Bouley is a labor of obsessive love and care for guests.  This is not the waiting area comprised of a thin banquette set against the wall at your local Applebees.  

The large, romantic, dining room evokes the feeling of the French countryside.  Large Monet paintings, wrapped in velvet no-less, of orchards and wineries hang on the walls.  Fresh flowers sit atop every table that are dressed with rich, thick tablecloths.  Deep banquettes line the walls with plush pillows to cushion your back and to keep you from falling backwards.  A vaulted ceiling is brushed with gold leaf.  A fireplace and a library are tucked away in a darker, more seclusive secondary dining room towards the back of the room.  

The Nomad

 "The competition would be too great."

When I first heard news last year that Danny Meyer was selling his four-star restaurant, 11 Madison Park, I was a bit shocked.  Restaurateurs and chefs alike strive for that rating given to them by the NY Times.  It takes some restaurants decades to finally mature to that level, honing their skills year after year, until perfection is finally reached.  Once its reached, they strive for an even higher level.

Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, the Chef and General Manager of 11 Madison Park, with a group of investors started the company MadeNice.  Once hearing these two professionals, two people who are truly at the top of their game in their respected fields, were planning on opening a restaurant just a few blocks away from 11 Madison, Danny had no choice but to sell.  The diamond of Danny Meyer's empire was now sold to Daniel and Will, and just a year later, they opened The Nomad Restaurant located inside The Nomad hotel.  Finally having a chance to eat here tonight, I realized Danny Meyer made a very smart decision.

The Nomad has taken casual hotel dining, elevated it with Mr. Meyer's signature hospitality warmth, and mixed it with cuisine cooked with incredibly high standards by a military-style French brigade in the basement kitchen.  Abram Bissell, the former Executive Sous Chef at 11 Madison, has been given the prestigious task of running The Nomad, which includes the now three-star restaurant, rooftop dining, and 24-hour room service.

The Nomad Hotel

The Nomad, which means "North of Madison Square Park", is located on the corner of 28th and Broadway, in a building very similarly designed to the iconic Flatiron Building located just five blocks downtown.  "The Atrium", or main dining room, is situated just off the hotel lobby, and is equipped with a skylight the same size as the dining room.  The skylight allows natural light to shine down on the dark wood furnishings, upholstered chairs, stone floor, and other forms of classic old-world architecture.

Located just off the Atrium is the bar, equipped with a dark mahogany countertop and designed to give the feeling of an old-world library.  Off in the other direction, is an actual two-story library, an area which serves small pastries and coffee.  The last section is The Parlour Room, and is a bit more intimate with red accents on the wall and a marble hearth imported straight from France.  Here, you can meet one of the sous chefs as he overlooks the cooking of small snacks and the now very well-known foie gras and truffle-stuffed chicken-for-2.

Cotogna & Quince

The culinary power couple.

Before I had made my way to San Francisco there was but one recommendation I could not get out of my head.  Chef Floyd Cardoz told me I need to visit Cotogna.  From what I have realized from our own similar tastes in the past, when he recommends a restaurant, I must listen.

Cotogna is a small, rustic Italian restaurant owned and operated by Michael and Lindsay Tusk.  The two chefs first opened their fine-dining flagship Quince in 2003.  A hit right from the start, their passion lead them to move Quince into a more luxurious and grander space taking over Myth in San Francisco's Jackson Square in 2009.  The space included a small corner cafe, and after about a year and a half, and Lindsay Tusk doing much of the design work herself, transformed that cafe into Cotogna, which actually means "quince" in Italian.

Cotogna is centered around the pastas that Michael Tusk became famous for at Quince, having removed all of them from the now four-star establishment, making them more readily available in a more casual atmosphere.  There is not much to the decor of this 50-seat restaurant, with windows looking out to Jackson Square and wooden panels flowing throughout.  But what makes this space stand out is the small open kitchen showcasing a wood-fire pizza oven and a stand-alone grill with rotating spits.  Two cooks man these stations in the front while three more work behind the scenes.  The rest of the kitchen can be seen on a visit to the restrooms.

Getting a reservation here is hard.  Very hard actually.  I was trying for up to one month to see if I could make a reservation here before actually being in the Bay Area.  On a Tuesday night I decided to press my luck and visit the restaurant, and thankfully I got lucky.  I walked in and starting talking to the hostesses about my chances of dining that night.  They told me they accept walk-ins at the dining counters which were full at the moment.  They then took down my number and offered to call me if a space opened up.  Jumping at the chance I was put on the waitlist, and 20 minutes later received a call saying I could dine.  I thanked them profusely for the kindness.

Jardiniere

View of Jardiniere from across the street

Whenever I travel I make it a point to eat out a lot.  There is so much you can learn from a city by eating your way around it.  The dining trends, where people like to hang out, and visit all the different neighborhoods by visiting different restaurants.  With a visit to each city I always splurge on one big-named restaurant.  A restaurant that I don't mind paying upwards of over $150 for myself, as I know it will be worth it and remain a memory worth having.

In the case of San Francisco this restaurant was Jardiniere.  Owned and operated by Chef Traci Des Jardins, Jardiniere has remained one of the top restaurants in the Bay Area for the last 15 years.  Recently just finishing a solid run on Top Chef Masters, Traci has won numerous awards through her career including "Rising Star Chef", "Best New Chef", "Best Chef Pacific Region", and "Best New Restaurant" after Jardiniere opened.  With so many accolades under her apron it was no surprise I made it a point to dine here.

The spectacular ceiling of twinkling lights

Located just across San Francisco's City Hall, the corner building with exposed brick walls is where Chef Des Jardins makes her home.  Walking through the glass door entrance you are transported to a room designed after an inverted cocktail glass filled with champagne.  On the ceiling is a spectacular glass dome with twinkling lights evoking the feeling of effervescent bubbles.  The decor continues downward to a champagne-colored staircase connecting the ground floor.   The ground level has marble floors sweeping throughout, laying home to a large, circular mahogany bar and the entrance to the main kitchen.  Exposed brick walls on the inside of the restaurant give a more rustic feel and counteract the elegance of the tablecloth covered dining room.

L'Express

Imagine this.  You go out for a night on the town.  You're partying, you're drinking, you're having a good time.  Then between 2am and 4am, it's all over.  You're buzzed, you're drunk, you're hungry.  Visit to the open halal cart with the usual chicken over rice and gyros?  Visit the diner with the usual burgers, eggs, and sandwiches?  What could be better at that exact moment than knowing there's a 24 hour Lyonnaise bistro open right around the corner? 

This is what draws me into L'Express.  Not only is the restaurant 24 hours, but the food here is very, very good. 

The decor is minimalistic.  During the overnight hours the restaurant is actually very dimly lit.  White tabletops covering dark wood tables, with matching dark wooden chairs.  Wall-sized windows looking straight out to Park Avenue, and a bar which never stops serving through the night (ok, maybe from 4am-12pm).  It's not the decor which should invite you in here, though, it's the food. 

Even at 2am their menu is full of options, including breakfast if that's what you're in the mood for.  I've been here a few times, and there hasn't been anything I haven't enjoyed.  Granted, I have yet to visit this 24-hour bistro while completely sober, so my opinion here really doesn't matter.  (Side note, I apologize for this fact due to the pics in this post being very blurry and dark.)  On this visit I started with the House-made pate, and finished with the Moroccan-spiced lamb burger. 

ABC Kitchen

First and foremost, I want to congratulate ABC Kitchen for winning the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant on Monday night.  For anyone that has eaten here (and there are many) you already know this award is more than well-deserved. 

ABC is the brainchild of Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Phil Suarez, the same team which brought you the four-star Jean-Georges, Spice Market, Jojo, Mercer Kitchen, and about twenty other restaurants across the world.  To lead the kitchen here, they tapped on the talent of Executive Chef Dan Kluger, formerly of Tabla and The Core Club, and who also was just recently honored as Chef of the Year by Time Out New York.  With years of experience under his belt, Dan uses a very simplistic approach to his food, by masterfully combining flavor profiles of the freshest ingredients possible. 

Tonight was my second time dining at ABC Kitchen, and like so many other diners, can’t stop raving about the experiences.  The restaurant is beautiful.  It has one of the sleekest looking bars in Manhattan, and a dining room which is blanketed in white.  Everything looks so modern, so elegant, so clean.  From the black & white artwork on the walls, recycled white tables and chairs, wooden beams which run through the dining room, and the handmade porcelain dinnerware.  The FOH staff, all dressed in plaid shirts and jeans, are on point, welcoming everyone with warm smiles and attentive service.  Even with a packed dining room your water glass will never remain empty for more than 30 seconds. 

The restaurant commits itself to buying local, seasonal, organic, sustainable products, and every ounce of this passion comes through in the menu.  I love to admit this to anyone, ABC Kitchen has made me fall in love with vegetables again.  Now if I, a self-professed lover of pork and offal can say that, then it’s not hard to see why people love this restaurant so much.  Not to say that the meat and fish dishes are not up to par, but I will happily go vegetarian for this restaurant any day of the week. 

Lyon: Bouchon Moderne

It’s not very often that I disagree with a NY Times review, but so is the case when it comes to dining at Lyon. 

Lyon is located in the heart of the West Village, seen easily anywhere on the street by the bright yellow and white light-up sign hanging over the sidewalk.  Walking into Lyon you’re immediately transported into a classic French bistro.  The room is bright, especially during the day as the large windows allow natural sunlight to shine on the dark woodwork running through the room, offset slightly by a hue of red.   The color scheme then carries over to the red-and-white picnic blanket style napkins, also displayed proudly by the service staff uniforms. 

My only complaint about the décor is that the tables for two are packed so tightly together.   So tight that the entire table has to be removed for the patron that is seated against the wall to get in or out.  Make sure they make a bathroom trip before the meal starts, because it’s damn near impossible for them to be removed once the table is full of food and drink.  In fact, everyone should make a trip to the restrooms, which are located in the basement.  Every wall displays colorful classic French cartoons.  Your friend taking too long?  No problem, amuse yourself with the “Adventures of Asterix”.  Your friend is most likely doing the same inside the stall. 

The Executive Chef here is Chris Leahy, who opened Lyon with business partners Francoise Latapie and Penny Bradley.  Of Irish background, Chris has a very impressive cooking background training under some of the best chefs across the country, and his heart lies in classical French cooking. 

Au Pied de Cochon

It just made sense to me to make my first real post about my favorite restaurant.  It’s called Au Pied de Cochon (or PDC for short), and it is located in Montreal, Quebec.  If you have not heard of it, the Chef’s name is Martin Picard, and he specializes in everything related to foie gras, pork, duck, and fat.  How could this not be MY favorite restaurant in the world?  This is truly a gastronomic destination. 

The restaurant is very easy to miss the first time you walk by it.  The only visible signs are located on a high window.  I don’t think it is much concern to Chef Picard, though, because the restaurant is packed every night.  I have eaten there a total of five times, and was able to get a reservation only once.  I have realized as a single diner, your best bet is to walk in once they open, and grab a seat in front of the open kitchen. 

The entrance way is very tiny.  I was greeted by two hostesses and sat in the "special seat" at the bar.  When Au Pied De Cochon opened in 2003 Martin Picard asked for donations because he couldn't afford to buy all the seats he needed at the bar.  The result was three hunters donated three chairs that looked VERY out of place, but are very cool in their own sense.  I felt lucky to sit in the last one standing, which was wrapped in gold antlers. 

When you walk in you immediately pass by their seafood tank, and then a huge array of market produce before making your way to your seat.  So many fresh tomatoes, turnips, apples, and so forth just on display.  The tank hides the pizza oven area, where two cooks prepare the large items like the guinea hen for 2, pork loin for 2, and the lamb shank.  PDC bakes their bread fresh daily, and also had eight of their fresh sourdoughs attached to what looks like a giant spear on a counter table.  Unlike most restaurants, the FOH team is very involved with the daily routines of the kitchen.  I witnessed my kitchen runner slicing fresh sourdough to order, as well as others peeling and shelling fresh cranberry beans.