Quatorze Bis

Quatorze Bis is a French Bistro/Brasserie on the upper east side. We had passed it frequently, and been attracted by its bright red entrance, but never stopped in. We finally got there this week after a recommendation from our neighbor, Jane Parver.

It's a small, simple room, with very attentive service. The menu is heavy on French "comfort food" - Cassoulet, Roast Chicken, Liver, fish stew. We started with traditional favorites, escargot and warm leek salad. Chris liked her starter quite a bit, but I thought the 'Escargot' were dried out and the garlic sauce was almost tasteless.

The roast chicken was OK but the Pommes Frites were extraordinary. Almost as good as our all time favorite - Jubilee.. Chris loved her 'fish stew'. It consisted of a tomato base chock full of shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams and a generous piece of monk fish. There was plenty of fresh crusty bread to dip in the left over sauce. A real hit for me!

Overall, Quatorze Bis is OK for a quick local bite if you're prepared to pay the premium prices.

We had a fun celebrity sighting--Tim Robbins and his wife Susan Sarandan with a group of friends. We seem to see them around town a lot--guess we like the same kind of food.

323 E. 79th St.
(bet. 1st & 2nd Aves.)
Manhattan, NY 10021
212-535-1414

Supreme Conflict by J. C. Greenburg

Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court (Hardcover)
by Jan Crawford Greenburg

The story of the Court's recent decades and of the often-thwarted attempts by three conservative presidents to remake the Court in their image. A really fascinating book by the very interesting NPR/ABC correspondent. Makes the story a fascinating suspense tale.

William Boyd Restless

Restless: A Novel (Hardcover)
by William Boyd

William Boyd is a veryh interesting British author of historical spy novels. This is an absorbing thriller, loosely based on the history of a covert branch of British intelligence created to coax America into the Second World War.

A very interesting read. I'm working my way through his other books as well.

Lunch at Cafe Gray

We had Lunch at Cafe Gray for Valentines Day. It was the first time we had been here. It's a large, glass and steel room overlooking Central Park. There is an open kitchen, strangely placed between us and the Park. The bar also faces the Park and there several very cosy tables where you can enjoy a more limited menu. They call it a brasserie but the menu is distinctly bistro with no, or very few, Alsation dishes typical of brasseries. It is named after 'Gray Kunz', former chef at 'Lespinasse'.

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Since Chris was buying, we started with a Coupe de Champagne (actually a Blanc de Blancs). Chris started with the 'Risotto with Mushrooms' which was perfectly prepared. The rice chewy and the mushrooms "mushroomy". I had the 'Quail, Foie Gras and Beets' which had a lovely pate and four small quail legs. It as a perfect starter to the 'Seared duckling with Spaetzle and red cabbage'. Chris had the 'Lobster Ragout with Noodles and Green Curry' which was a very nice change of pace. We both had glasses of wine from their substantial list.

Overall, we liked the restaurant and will probably return. While not inexpensive, it is probably the cheapest marquis restaurant in the Time Warner Center.

Cafe Gray

Time Warner Ctr.
10 Columbus Circle, 3rd fl.
(60th St. at B'way)
Manhattan, NY 10019
212-823-6338

Overall

We visit the Lower East Side - The Orchard restaurant

Growing up, we would visit the Lower East Side once or twice a year to buy linens and luggage at small discount shops. We would see the remaining vestiges of the many Jewish immigrants shops; (e.g. Katz's, Russ and Daughters, Jona Schimmel and Gus, the Pickle Man). Even then, the neighborhood was changing, mostly becoming Hispanic. It is now, along with the East Village, the new vanguard of small, interesting restaurants opening in the City. It's clearly an area in transition, with many interesting restaurants and shops popping up among the clubs and slums.

One of the larger of these restaurants is "The Orchard" on Orchard Street. The room is very 'clean' in design with lots of wood, chrome and mirrors. The false ceiling panels and huge florals and branches give it a warm and inviting feeling. The menu leans towards Italian (especially pastas) but with a strong New American influence.

We shared both our starters -

• Flat bread with Robiola Cheese, Spinach, Cranberries and bacon--it was wonderful. We don't usually go for flat bread or pizza, except at a bar but these sounded so interesting. We'll try another one when we return (maybe the braised short ribs and cherry tomatoes with horseradish cream!)
  
• Tuna Tartare - Crispy tostones (plantains), guacamole and creme fraiche . Chris is the one who usually likes plantains and guacamole. but this was exceptional. We scraped every crumb off the plates. It's really nice to be surprised with something new.
  
• Butternut Squash Ravioli with Hen of the Woods Mushrooms. The ravioli was a little limp, but the mushrooms were outstanding.
  
• Halibut which Chris thought the was a little overcooked but loved the accompanying greens..
  
• We departed from our tradition and shared a dessert, Tartufo, that was just OK. We've renewed our no-dessert pledge.
  
• We both had wines by the glass from a reasonable list.
  

Overall, we really enjoyed our meal and will return. Perhaps a drink and flat bread at the bar. The only quibble was that it was a bit expensive for a place in that area.

The Orchard

162 Orchard St.
(bet. Rivington & Stanton Sts.)
Manhattan, NY 10002
212-353-3570

What's your favorite restaurant?

One of the questions we frequently get asked, in fact, one of the questions we frequently ask ourselves, is "what is your favorite restaurant?

It's an especially difficult question for us because we share a preference for trying new places, rather than returning to ones we already know. The risk of having a bad meal seems small compared to the opportunity to discover something new. Missing a meal is not the worst thing that could happen to us! Our preferences extend beyond just the place, to the dishes we order. We (especially me) will frequently order something that seems completely new or different. Chris will also try new things, but first she wants to know what they are - that can be problematic. I didn't eat 'Sweetbreads' for years because I knew what they were; and still can't quite manage 'Tripe'. Sometimes, its just better to not know until after!

There are no generally accepted criteria for judging restaurants. Michelin has clearly established criteria, but they are widely disputed; and "Favorite" is different than "Best". The following reflect our criteria on Feb. 10, 2007 at 12:15.

• Cuisine - we really have no strong preference. Any food well prepared can be wonderful; in fact, after avoiding Greek and Mexican food for years, new restaurants have proved me wrong.
• Food - over the years we have increasingly leaned towards high quality, fresh ingredients, simply prepared. No, or very few, heavy sauces or breaded and fried foods. This is a substantial evolution for both of us. We probably started down this road to avoid "empty" calories, but now strongly prefer these preparations. On the other hand, I do make exceptions for important cultural icons like cheeseburgers, chicken wings, pizza, bacon and ice cream. This probably explains why we both are not fashionistas.
• Ambiance - we both favor small, cosy restaurants with a nice buzz. Service should be good, but not stifling. I'd rather sit 2 feet away from somebody in a small restaurant than have plenty of room in a cavernous hall.
• Location - obviously, we prefer restaurants we can walk to, but we also love the Village (East, West and Center). Partially because Scott and Jory are there; but also because the ambiance is great. Tribeca is OK, but the meat packing district is too far (both in distance and style). Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island are out. New Jersey is almost out but gets a marital exemption once a year.
• Price - this is one of the hardest to judge. Clearly, it depends on all the factors above. But everyone has their own sense of what something is worth, and what they can afford, even if it's "worth" it. We have a pretty wide range of what is acceptable, but still balk at the prices at some restaurants. I cannot imagine spending over $600 for sushi (or anything else).
• Other biases - we are not "foodies" and we are not "trendy" (this will not come as a surprise). We usually avoid restaurants frequented by both.

Given last year's "Restaurant Challenge" (whereby we couldn't go to any restaurant more than once in a year) the following list reflects current favorites, but not necessarily restaurants we've been to recently, They have been drawn from a list of over 100 restaurants that we choose from. I hope you find some places on the list you haven't tried before. All of these restaurants are current favorites. The blue listings have a web link to the restaurant. The list is alphabetic:

• AOC Bedford (14 Bedford St. 212-414-4764) One of our all-time favorites. A small (34 seats), romantic French/Spanish restaurant. We like table #1 by the window. A favourite of Scott and Jory too!
• L'Absinthe Brasserie (227 E. 67th St. 212-794-4950) An absolutely authentic-looking and tasting (almost) Parisian Brasserie.
• specializing in gourmet "comfort food" (e.g suckling pig, rack of lamb, paella).
• Blue Hill (75 Washington Pl. 212-539-1776) A brand new favorite after only one visit! Meets all our criteria in spades!
• Campagnola (1382 First Ave. 212-861-1102) A favorite of Paul's. A little pricey, but worth it for traditional Italian favorites. Bring your big hair and chains.
• Canaletto (208 E. 60th St. 212-317-9192) Our local favorite. Solid food. Warm welcome. Always busy. Chris's favourite for Veal Milanese.
• I Trulli (122 E. 27th St. 212-481-7372) One of our long-time favorites serving regional specialties from Apulia in a cosy room - with a fireplace in winter and a garden in summer. Wonderful grilled baby octopus!
• Jubilee (347 E. 54th St. 212-888-3569) A local favorite for Moules and "frite" to die for. Always busy with neighborhood people. Some of the best french fries in NYC.
• Oceana (55 E. 54th St. 212-759- 5941) My favorite high end seafood restaurant in the city. Tops in every criteria. Chris is a little less enthusiastic. She likes the Greek seafood restaurant 'Milos' better.
• Pampano (209 E. 49th St. 212-751-4545) This Mexican restaurant has quickly become one of our favorites for elegant preparations of traditional Mexican dishes

Blue Hill Restaurant

As a general rule, Chris and I stay away from anything too trendy. We don't want to embarrass them with our sophistication and taste! But Blue Hill in the Village was a must. Chef/Owner Dan Barber and Chef Juan Ceuvas have made a name for themselves serving farm fresh food (some from the Stone Hill farm in Westchester). The NY restaurant is in the basement of a townhouse on Washington Square. The room is simple but very comfortable with tables nicely spaced and a VERY knowledgeable and attentive staff who will give you the history of every ingredient of every dish. Because of their friendly and unassuming style it does not come off as precious or pedantic. It was recently given 3 stars by the Times and we agree.

Both restaurants rely heavily on meat and game from Stone Hill farm supplemented, when necessary by green-markets. The ingredients are clearly excellent and the preparations reasonably straightforward to take advantage of them. You can see the seasonal menu at their web-site (see link below).

Chris started with 'Squash Soup', the only item we found mildly disappointing. My own starter with the unusual sounding 'This Morning's Farm Fresh Egg with Foraged Mushrooms', was incredible. I love mushrooms and these retained their earthy flavor, while the poached egg provided a rich sauce.

I followed with the 'Berkshire Pork with Spaetzle and Stone Barns Arugula'. In recent years I have been increasingly enjoying pork in lieu of beef. I find it has more variety and interesting preparations. This is especially true when heritage Berkshire Pork (with all its wonderful fat!) is available. This particular dish included a nice piece of the loin and a piece of bacon - one of my favorite splurge items. I had to fight with Chris because she loves Spaetzle. Her selection of the 'Hudson Valley Venison' with the same foraged mushrooms was exceptionally tender and flavorful (I think it was prepared with the "Sous Vide" vacuum process Dan Barber is known for). We also had locally grown brussel sprouts (not Chris' from Otis). Our wine selection was a wonderfully ripe and smooth Amarone della Valpolicella (2001).

Unusually, we had cheese and dessert - Chestnuts with crepe and hot chocolate sauce that was lovely with only a hint of sweetness.

Blue Hill Restaurant

75 Washington Place

New York, New York 10011

212-539-1776

March goes Nish!

In the latest reflection of the egomania of the "chef as celebrity" world we live in, 'March' has been reopened as 'Nish' in tribute to Chef Wayne Nish. It is still in the lovely townhouse on 58th Street and still features Asian-inspired New American specialties. The menu has been revamped somewhat and now features a la carte selections as well as a Prix Fixe menu offering any four courses from the menu (including cheese and dessert) for $59,

We went last night after seeing a notice in Zagats. It was completely empty when we arrived and only two other tables had been seated by the time we left at 9:30 pm.

We were pleasantly surprised by a very creative menu (the complete menu can be seen at Menupages.com) featuring many non-traditional items. We had the Tasting Menu which was supposed to have the portion sizes adjusted. They did not seem to be and were very generous. That may change when they have a crowd.

• We started with a glass of Guy Larmandier champagne which was a winner in Chris's eyes. (Cotes de Blancs" Vertus NV Premier Cru Brut). Apparently available here in NYC.

• Warm salad of baby bock choy and mushrooms with a light sauce of some kind
• Littleneck Clam Ravioli with preserved lop chueng sausage and salted black beans
• Calf's Sweetbreads with raater bastuma and wild mushrooms
• Ballotine of Marraganselt Turkey with sweet fennel sausage and broccoli rabe
• Braised and Grilled Squab and Quail with cumin and apricot pilaf
• A Selection of Handmade Raw Milk Cheeses
• A lemon Raspberry dessert
• A California Zinfandel a delightful surprise

The menu thoughtfully provides a lengthy glossary of all the unusual ingredients.

Overall, we were delighted by our meal. Everything was prepared beautifully prepared and contained many new tastes. We especially liked the Ravioli, the Sweetbreads (the best I've had outside France!) and the Squab. We found ourselves fighting over who's selections were better.

To my mind this represents what I love about the NY restaurant scene - small, initimate, places serving innovative and unusual dishes in lovely surroundings. I avoid the Meatmarket behemoths and the ultra-trendy Asian and Greenmarket places. Maybe I'm just getting old!. I suppose I would have tried them when I was at Pfizer and entertaing a lot.

Nish

405 E. 58th St.
New York, NY 10022

212-754-6272