Swine

"Not another one!"

When news broke out on Eater.com that Swine, a new pork-centric restaurant located in the West Village, was about to debut, it wasn't exactly welcomed with praise by commentors.  "Another pork restaurant?  How innovative.."  "Yawn."  "I guess they could have just called it 'No Jews.'"

Even though on the downwards part of the slope now, pork is still very much in demand in NYC.  So many restaurants have popped up that offer pork-centric menus, housemade charcuterie, nose-to-tail feasts, and great beers.  Back in 2007, Resto was at the forefront of this movement.  Fast forward five years, and it seems NYC is starting to get tired of the trend.

One thing I love to do is ignore what the mass population says and try out a restaurant for myself before forming an opinion.  In the case of Swine, I am more than happy that I did, because even though its not a new concept, even though its not innovative in any way whatsoever, it delivers a meal that is executed perfectly.  Sometimes, that's really all that matters. The flavors speak for themselves and nothing is effed with.  If you're a fan of offal, charcuterie, and cheeses, definitely make your way in.  Chef Phil Conlon delivers, and this restaurant is not a gimmick.

Located on Hudson Street, right next door to Red Farm and a block away from Takashi, Swine is easily found because of its large blue awning stretching out onto the sidewalk.  A very small hostess stands awaits you on the other side of the entrance, on a small floor in between the bar (top floor) and main dining room (located in the basement).  Although the decor is indescript and pretty much what you expect from a restaurant like this located in the West Village, the food and drinks are really why you're here.

Riverpark

I feel a visit to Craft restaurant may be in order soon.  The flagship of Tom Colicchio's empire has always intrigued me, surprised me, and satisfied me.  The simplicity of flavors, the large portions, the striking decor, and the warm service combined leaves every diner yearning for more.  The sub-par meal and horrible experience I had at Craftbar during brunch late last year, along with the overpriced sandwiches offered at 'Wichcraft, popped my Craft balloon.  I was deflated.  I thought here we go again, another chef who is over-expanding and his restaurants are starting to suffer.  When I went to Riverpark for restaurant week, I was hoping for a saving grace.  Sadly, I didn't exactly find it here.  Was it a good meal?  In some aspects yes.  Chef Sisha Ortuzar is offering the entire menu at a discounted price, with no change in portion sizes.  Was it memorable?  Not at all, as I have to look at the pictures I took just to remember what I ate.

When some people mention restaurants can be located "off the beaten path", no restaurant is more deserving of this title than Riverpark.  Riverpark is located on the first floor of The Alexandria Center, a medical building living on the far side of a gated, security guard watched, community in-between Bellevue Medical Center and NYU Medical.  Walking up 29th Street and eventually to 1st Avenue you can't help but seem reluctant to walk through the large iron gates to find your destination.  Confused and bewildered, the security guard looks at you and says "Don't worry, you're in the right place.  Just keep walking".  I guess he has become accustomed to not even asking where people are going.

So up the brick-lined, small-inclined, street you go.  After a few feet your eyes catch the surrounding areas and eventually to the silver sign outside of the Alexandria Center.  You've found it.  A part of you wants to control your enthusiasm.  Another part of you wants to jump up and down and scream to everyone walking behind you "There it is!  Follow me!".

Aldea

I kicked off summer restaurant week this year with my first visit to Aldea, the small, elegant, Portugese-inspired restaurant of Chef George Mendes.  George, who was recently a contestant on Top Chef Masters Season 3, opened Aldea in 2009.  Only two years later he was awarded the coveted "Best New Chef" title from Food & Wine magazine.

Chef Mendes knew from a very early age that he wanted to become a chef.  He now sources fresh ingredients that are in season and builds a daily-changing menu at Aldea to showcase them.  Over the past three years Aldea has been named one of the most cutting edge restaurants in New York City today.  It this reputation which caused me to come in this afternoon.

While walking down 17th street the blue and white "Aldea" sign gives you a soothing welcome.  Once upon entering through the clear door the hostess greeted me and asked me where I'd prefer to sit.  To my surprise Aldea has an open kitchen, and now knowing that information, had no hesitation in saying I would love to sit at the dining counter overlooking it.  As she lead me to my seat I walked past Chef Mendes himself leaning over the bar making some phone calls.  It's always a good sign when you have the presence of the chef in the restaurant.

At first glance the restaurant evokes a feeling of warmth.  The blue and white color scheme stretches into the restaurant from front to back, and is said to be designed after the Iberian coastline.  Images of air, water, land, clouds, and wind bring you on the same journey Chef Mendes embarked on as a young man through that very coastline.  On this visit I also noticed that not many people were embarking on that journey.

Animal

The front of restaurant Animal (via Eater.com)

For weeks leading up to my first trip to Los Angeles I couldn't help but constantly think about Restaurant Animal.  It was first opened in 2008 by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.  You may recognize these punk rockers from Food Network's "Two Dudes Catering".  Soon after opening Animal and losing the catering business, they grew to national culinary fame with their small meat and offal-centric, 45-seat nondescript restaurant, even being awarded some of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs title of 2009.

I first met Jon and Vinny at Meattopia 2011.  By now I knew of their reputation, after watching them on Food Network and skimming through their cookbook from time to time.  Although they don't match any type of contemporary look for chefs, one thing is for sure, these guys know how to cook, and they can cook pretty damn well.  

Lamb Head Skull, the only decor on the walls

Animal was inspired by trips to Martin Picard's Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal, and Fergus Henderson's St. John in London.  Their chicken hearts with burnt eggplant puree that I tasted at Meattopia was just a teaser for things to come.    For now I am finally here in Los Angeles.  Looking at the no-name restaurant with black beams, full wall-size windows, and the numbers 435 across the top from across the street, I became a giddy schoolboy.  Come on Chef Floyd Cardoz, it's time to eat.  

The decor of Animal is very minimal, with nothing more on the walls than a lamb head skull.  A small bar in the back of the room provides the only color contrast to a small restaurant with wooden tables and beige walls.  Forget about it, though, you're not here for tablecloth wine service.  Take one look at Animal's menu and be prepared for the rich, fatty, spicy, fresh, well-balanced meal to come.

Osteria Morini

Michael White is regarded as one of the best Italian chefs in New York City today.  His flagship restaurant Marea, is arguably the best Italian restaurant in NYC, gaining national attention and two Michelin stars.  On the other side of the Michelin spectrum is his casual downtown hotspot, Osteria Morini, offering affordable, authentic Italian fare at the crossroads of Little Italy and Soho.

Osteria Morini is named after Michael White's mentor in Italy, Gianluigi Morini, chef and owner of Restaurant San Domenico in Italy, where Michael White spent much of his early career in.  Osteria means "host" in Italian.  Here, at Osteria Morini, Micheal White hosts guests with food and techniques he learned while traveling through Italy.  The result is a great Italian meal that will not break your wallet, only surpass your taste buds.

Osteria Morini is designed after a 1700's Italian farmhouse, although you probably would not have known it unless someone told you.  The ceilings are high-beamed and wooden, but the walls are very minimalistic and bare.  The restaurant is tiny, and the tables are pushed so close together you are almost within elbow's reach of the table sitting next to you.  They offer the full menu at the bar, which surprisingly is a bit more spacious, so if given the option, decide against a table.

My friend and I arrived on time for our reservation, but were seating at the bar while our table was still being set.  After ordering a round of drinks we were asked if we would like to move to the table or stay at the bar.  Being our first time here we opted for the table.  We now know better for the future as I felt I was pushed too far into the table to allow ample room for servers to get behind me comfortably.  My chair was kicked a few times as well, a very big pet peeve of mine.

The service is very cold, as I couldn't tell if our server was just having a bad day or really didn't care if we were there or not.  Seeing how packed this restaurant is, and how many tables they turn, makes me believe the latter.  I didn't even get her name through the course of the night, even though we only saw her twice.