Brooklyn Fish Camp, on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, is the sister restaurant to Mary's Fish Camp in the Village. For years I believed the primary reason to go to either venue was for the lobster roll, but with their recent uptick in price (now $29.99 -- for a sandwich!) I opted to branch out and try something different.
I got the lobster knuckles as an appetizer (to make me feel better about not having the lobster roll) and my companion (let's call him Herman) got the fennel and coriander mussels. I'm not a big fan of mussels in general, but I did finish Herman's dish when he couldn't. The lobster knuckles were expertly prepared. Stone Park has in the past had fried lobster knuckles, which I thought were unbeatable. I must admit, though, that good seafood is just better fresh and lightly prepared, so BFC's version wins hands down. Their lobster knuckles did indeed made me forget all about doing without the lobster roll.
That is, of course, until Herman's entree came. Yes, Herman could afford to spend $29.99 on a sandwich. I decided to get the clam steamers and keep it light. Unfortunately for me, because the lobster knuckles were in the shell and required a lot of work and time to get them out, the steamers were a little dry by the time I got to them. Thankfully they were steamers, though, and as such I was able to revitalize them in the hot water bath. Herman was ecstatic about the lobster roll (and let's face it, for that money he should be) but the fries that came with the lobster roll were even more impressive to me.
We passed on dessert, but did accompany our meals with the rose and the cava, respectively. I won't be able to indulge in the lobster rolls at BFC for quite a while yet, but in the meantime, it's nice to have affordable and tasty options.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Bouley
Before we begin, let's respect, appreciate and then get over the David Bouley empire. I always try really hard not to go into these meals starry-eyed because then you really can't help but be disappointed. Unless maybe it's Jean Georges.
But I digress! We'll get to the food in a second, but I've gotta spend a few moments on the location and decor. The new Bouley is rather unassumingly situated on the corner of Duane and Hudson...even if you're looking for it, you won't necessarily find it. Thank goodness a doorman saw our perplexity and pointed us in the right direction. I rather like that it's not ostentatious, though. This locale is only mildly more noticeable than the old Jezebel in the Theatre District.
The foyer is shelved floor to ceiling and upon our visit, these shelves were filled with apples! Not real apples, but apples for decoration, which was an interesting twist. Even the door from the vestibule into the restaurant had some kitsch value as it is a kind of curved, french door.
Enter the restaurant. The hostess stand is almost immediately inside the door. To the right is a seating area, like a way more lush airport lounge. Our table was ready so we didn't need to sit, but suspect this is a more intimate version of a bar. Interesting! Would be curious to see the execution of that bar on another visit.
The furnishings inside are very french countryside. There are even private rooms downstairs which make me think this space, with the right menu, would be a wonderful place to hold an event.
Skipping ahead to the meal. They had a mildly robust gin selection, including Hendrick's and Plymouth. I went with Plymouth since it's the more obscure of the two, though both are fairly popular at this point. All of the appetizers looked mouth-watering. I wasn't at all interested in the shrimp and scallop one, but beyond that needed help from the server to decide. With her recommendation, I got the organic egg, which was wonderfully prepared. It's served in a coconut foam that isn't at all over-powering. The menu mentioned a steamed polenta that I didn't readily taste in mine. My friend got the porcini flan, which was more broth-like in nature, but she enjoyed it very much. For my entree, I got the skate. I'm on something of a skate kick now. I should have asked the server for her recommendation, but was so excited about the skate I didn't think about it. The English peas and asparagus served with the skate ended up better than the protein itself in the end, but I give Bouley points for the different preparation. Most people fry and he went out on a limb with this version. Didn't like it, but appreciated the effort. My dining-mate had the sea bass and cleaned her plate!
Dessert might have been the best part of the meal. I got the Pink & Plum, which was a duo of sorbets served with fruit inside a sugar cylinder. Very nicely done. My companion got the Chocolate Frivolous, which looked every bit as good as that sounds! And of course they sent us off with the requisite morning bread for breakfast the next day. Which was, indeed, good for breakfast the next day.
The surprise of the evening was the bread! They bring out bread in a sequence: First is an apple raisin roll, then a rosemary baguette, then a wheat and olive thing and the last we were served was a slice of raisin loaf. Amazingly, the rosemary baguette was standout. On future visits, I won't even bother with those other rolls and will probably ask for it specifically.
While I wasn't blown away, I do feel a future visit is in order. My bad call on the entree does not a lost restaurant make. Looking forward to the next visit.
But I digress! We'll get to the food in a second, but I've gotta spend a few moments on the location and decor. The new Bouley is rather unassumingly situated on the corner of Duane and Hudson...even if you're looking for it, you won't necessarily find it. Thank goodness a doorman saw our perplexity and pointed us in the right direction. I rather like that it's not ostentatious, though. This locale is only mildly more noticeable than the old Jezebel in the Theatre District.
The foyer is shelved floor to ceiling and upon our visit, these shelves were filled with apples! Not real apples, but apples for decoration, which was an interesting twist. Even the door from the vestibule into the restaurant had some kitsch value as it is a kind of curved, french door.
Enter the restaurant. The hostess stand is almost immediately inside the door. To the right is a seating area, like a way more lush airport lounge. Our table was ready so we didn't need to sit, but suspect this is a more intimate version of a bar. Interesting! Would be curious to see the execution of that bar on another visit.
The furnishings inside are very french countryside. There are even private rooms downstairs which make me think this space, with the right menu, would be a wonderful place to hold an event.
Skipping ahead to the meal. They had a mildly robust gin selection, including Hendrick's and Plymouth. I went with Plymouth since it's the more obscure of the two, though both are fairly popular at this point. All of the appetizers looked mouth-watering. I wasn't at all interested in the shrimp and scallop one, but beyond that needed help from the server to decide. With her recommendation, I got the organic egg, which was wonderfully prepared. It's served in a coconut foam that isn't at all over-powering. The menu mentioned a steamed polenta that I didn't readily taste in mine. My friend got the porcini flan, which was more broth-like in nature, but she enjoyed it very much. For my entree, I got the skate. I'm on something of a skate kick now. I should have asked the server for her recommendation, but was so excited about the skate I didn't think about it. The English peas and asparagus served with the skate ended up better than the protein itself in the end, but I give Bouley points for the different preparation. Most people fry and he went out on a limb with this version. Didn't like it, but appreciated the effort. My dining-mate had the sea bass and cleaned her plate!
Dessert might have been the best part of the meal. I got the Pink & Plum, which was a duo of sorbets served with fruit inside a sugar cylinder. Very nicely done. My companion got the Chocolate Frivolous, which looked every bit as good as that sounds! And of course they sent us off with the requisite morning bread for breakfast the next day. Which was, indeed, good for breakfast the next day.
The surprise of the evening was the bread! They bring out bread in a sequence: First is an apple raisin roll, then a rosemary baguette, then a wheat and olive thing and the last we were served was a slice of raisin loaf. Amazingly, the rosemary baguette was standout. On future visits, I won't even bother with those other rolls and will probably ask for it specifically.
While I wasn't blown away, I do feel a future visit is in order. My bad call on the entree does not a lost restaurant make. Looking forward to the next visit.
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Oak Room at The Plaza
Ok, so hotel dining rarely has a good reputation. Got it. But with the Plaza's renovation to include luxury residences, perhaps the game has changed a touch?
The Oak Room has gotten mixed reviews, at best. However, we went for dinner on fine Sunday evening. Don't know whether it was the economy, the location or its reputation, but the restaurant was largely empty even though we were there from 6:30 to 9:30. Certainly well within in the typical dining hours for a Sunday.
My friend, a Marylander (let's call her "Mary") and as such, a crab aficionada, started with the Dungeness crab appetizer. She thought it was heavenly, and no doubt liked the fact that it came with "green goddess", whatever that might be. I started with the mixed green salad, which had beautiful tomatoes, although perhaps too much fennel. We each had the short ribs with gnocchi as our main course.
In fairness, anyone who knows me knows that I would order "short ribs with gnocchi" off of any menu on which it appeared. The short ribs were well-prepared, although the gnocchi left a bit to be desired. It's not an Italian restaurant, though, so I'm not too upset about that.
For dessert we shared a mixed berry plate that was the perfect ending to the meal. Blood orange juice drizzled around it made it almost a soup, and it was good.
And I must admit, short rib fiend that I am, I'll be back.
The Oak Room has gotten mixed reviews, at best. However, we went for dinner on fine Sunday evening. Don't know whether it was the economy, the location or its reputation, but the restaurant was largely empty even though we were there from 6:30 to 9:30. Certainly well within in the typical dining hours for a Sunday.
My friend, a Marylander (let's call her "Mary") and as such, a crab aficionada, started with the Dungeness crab appetizer. She thought it was heavenly, and no doubt liked the fact that it came with "green goddess", whatever that might be. I started with the mixed green salad, which had beautiful tomatoes, although perhaps too much fennel. We each had the short ribs with gnocchi as our main course.
In fairness, anyone who knows me knows that I would order "short ribs with gnocchi" off of any menu on which it appeared. The short ribs were well-prepared, although the gnocchi left a bit to be desired. It's not an Italian restaurant, though, so I'm not too upset about that.
For dessert we shared a mixed berry plate that was the perfect ending to the meal. Blood orange juice drizzled around it made it almost a soup, and it was good.
And I must admit, short rib fiend that I am, I'll be back.
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