Tao Lunch Prix-Fixe

$27.50 Gets You a Fancy 3-Course Lunch

I read recently that Tao is offering a Dim Sum lunch on Sundays. I brought it up to Melissa and she suggested that we check out the $27.50 3-Course Lunch instead. It is from Monday - Saturday till 5pm.

After we spoke to the server, I knew what I had to order as my appetizer. I got the Crispy Vegetable Rolls with Duck Mustard Sauce. I figured it would be a small serving but it was actually three large rolls! I was impressed.

Crispy Vegetable Rolls with Duck Mustard Sauce

Melissa felt like venturing into the soup option. It looked delicious and had ample (4!) dumplings!

Spicy Thai Seafood Dumpling Soup

I haven't had good Kung Pao Chicken in awhile so when I saw it on the menu, I knew what I wanted. It was a large serving and I took a lot home for later!

Kung Pao Chicken

Melissa got the Hanger Steak with Miso and Asian Spiced Fries. She ordered it rare and really enjoyed it. I tried one of her fries and it was much better than I expected from an Asian joint.

Hanger Steak with Miso and Asian Spiced Fries

For my dessert, the most interesting option was the Chocolate Zen Parfait. It had layers of milk and white chocolate with nuts mixed in between. The scoop on the top was whipped cream and disappointingly not ice cream. Looks can be deceiving!

Chocolate Zen Parfait

Melissa got the Mango Sorbet, Seasonal Fruit and Coconut Milk. It looked like a fruit chowder with an island in the middle.

Mango Sorbet, Seasonal Fruit and Coconut Milk

I loved checking out the Koi fish under the "floating" Buddha. Adorable!

Koi Fish Pond

This lunch special is a great deal if you want to eat at this otherwise expensive Asian hotspot.

Cheers,

Liz

 

The River(park) Runs Deep

Depth of Flavors Delight the Senses

Ah! Restaurant Week, you are amazing! Not only do you deliver delicious food to my mouth at a huge discount, you last for WEEKS! Melissa and I hit up one of her favorite spots, Riverpark (http://www.riverparknyc.com/), for dinner. As an aside, Melissa already came here 3 times (!!!) for Restaurant Week. I knew this was going to be a delicious meal!

A unique feature of this Tom Colicchio is that the entire menu is featured for Restaurant Week. Naturally, some of the menu items have an upcharge due to the ingredients featured. I forgot to snap a picture, but we started our meal with a delicious piece of fresh baked bread. The bread is made on site and so yummy!! We were offered another piece but I said no because I already stuffed a slice of pizza in my mouth at Beer Blast (the Happy Hour at Stern). See, I have self-control! ha

We both ordered the same pasta as an appetizer. It featured cocoa spaccatelli, pork ragu, Honeycrisp apples and sage.

Beautiful Pasta!

The pasta was tasty! The cocoa was likely added for color as I couldn't taste it directly. Though, the overall profile of the dish was very complex, so I'm sure it added to the taste.

After looking at the menu, we found two entrees we both wanted to try. So, we ordered one of each! We got the Whole Roasted Dorade with baby artichokes, capers, fennel and olives and the Cocoa Spiced Pekin Duck with blood orange, fennel, pearl onions, red cabbages and chiles.

Whole Roasted Dorade

Cocoa Spiced Pekin Duck

It is hard to pick which of this dishes was my favorite! The fish was moist, light and flaky. You can't really tell from the photo, but once you lift it from the middle, the fish was completely deboned and ready to NOM! It is nice to not have to pick out the bones. The assortment of vegetables and spices was lovely and not overwhelming to the fish. The duck was tender and tasted great with the blood orange.

For dessert, we ordered "Cereal & Milk" - the restaurant's signature dessert. Melissa assured me that it was worth the $3 upcharge! The dessert is composed of a chocolate ganache cake, caramelized rice puffs, and vanilla malt (hidden within the chocolate shell). We also got the Beignets that were served vanilla custard and spiced chocolate sauce.

Cereal & Milk

Beignets

We totally messed up and should have ordered TWO Cereal & Milk desserts!!! The beignets were ok but could not stand a chance compared to this delicious dessert. You break the chocolate shell and the vanilla malt inside covers the entire dessert. I should have taken a photo of it after we broke the shell but we were too busy eating it!

This is an incredible restaurant with phenomenal food! It is a much better value to come here during Restaurant Week but worth a visit regardless JUST FOR THE DESSERT!

Cheers,

Liz

 

A Return to the Hill (and Bay)

Divine Short Ribs

I first visited Hill and Bay a couple of weeks ago for drinks and planned to return for a meal. The opportunity struck when I wanted to grab dinner with a date before a movie at Kips Bay Theater. Side Note: We saw Dallas Buyer's Club and it was great.

I looked at the wine list and decided to order a glass of red wine. I can't recall which varietal I ordered - all glasses are price between $9 to $12. I knew I wanted to order the Braised Short Ribs, served with creamy polenta and crispy shallots ($23). Based on Yelp! reviews, this seemed like a safe bet and I do love cooking this dish at home!

Braised Short Ribs

The meat was absolutely tender. The wine I ordered really complemented the sauce. I was so happy with what I ordered!

When I looked at the dessert menu, I knew exactly what I was going to order! I love bread pudding, so naturally I ordered the Brown Butter Chocolate Bread Pudding, made with dark chocolate and served with ice cream ($8).

Brown Butter Chocolate Bread Pudding

This is my favorite type of dessert: the juxtaposition of the hot (bread pudding) and the cold (ice cream) rocks my world. So yummy!

I'm glad I came back to this spot. Solid entrees and desserts!

Cheers,

Liz

 

Let Me See Your Peacock!

Oh My, Is That a Spotted Dick?

After our drinks at Hill and Bay, we headed over to The Peacock (http://www.thepeacocknyc.com/), a new British restaurant and cocktail parlor that recently opened in The William Hotel. It opened earlier in January 2014 and has a sister pub downstairs, The Shakespeare. How British! I just cannot help myself.

The Commitment to Branding is Noticeable! 

We arrived a little bit before our reservations, so we enjoyed a cocktail in The Library Bar. The setting is very much like a library with alcohol, so whoever named it should be promoted. I was automatically a fan. After reviewing the cocktail menu, I decided on the Bramble, made with Tanqueray, Lemon and Blackberries. It is served in a Julep Cup - love the detail!

Bramble

Courtney ordered the Arbor Blush, made with Rose, Kapp a Pisco, Green Grapes and Chandon Rose.

Arbor Blush

When Courtney tried my cocktail, she did have buyer's remorse. This is why you order more than one! We brought our cocktails into the main dining room for dinner. It is set at the back of the hotel lobby and separated by French Doors; it is a nice touch. It makes you feel like you're at a super secret location, especially since the dining room is fairly small. Nice touch! Additionally, the tableware was personalized.

It would be hard to pass this plate off as your own...

Even the BREAD PLATES had a Peacock - I was so impressed!

Hopefully that adorable peacock won't melt the butter!

While we reviewed the menu, we both ordered a Bulleit Rye Manhattan. It was delicious and STRONG. I sipped that puppy.

Bulleit Rye Manhattan

After I reviewed the menu, I decided on the Lancashire Hot Pot. It included Braised lamb shoulder, roasted vegetables, rosemary and Yukon potatoes. It was PHENOMENAL! I loved it! Since this is British food, it was a bit hearty/heavy. The portion was the perfect size since it was so filling.

Lancashire Hot Pot

Courtney ordered the Braised Chicken and Red Wine Risotto - she loved it! I didn't snap a picture though - my b! I was too focused on my meal, so you know it was yummy!

We had to get dessert. A group next to us had ordered four desserts and we asked their favorites. They said the Sticky Toffee Date Pudding and they ranked the Spotted Dick last. I was going to make a comment, but I contained myself. Naturally, I would hope most would not prefer to order such a thing! I kid, I kid.

The Sticky Toffee Pudding was served with a toffee rum sauce and sticky toffee ice cream. It was yummy!!!!! LOVED IT.

Sticky Toffee Date Pudding

Overall, I look forward to returning. The service was VERY slow. I will give this spot the benefit of the doubt since it is a new operation and a new staff. Hopefully that will turn around quickly or people will not want to return. I'm sending good wishes to The Peacock! Go get um!

Cheers,

Liz

 

The Smith...

Where the People are Terrible and the Food is Great

After getting some drinks at Pierre Loti, we walked down the street to The Smith (http://www.thesmithnyc.com/) for our dinner reservation. I chose this place because I had heard good things about it from multiple people. Given the location, however, I was a bit worried that the place may be chockfull of the crowd that the area (Midtown) tends to attract (read: terrible people). Anyway, I was deadset on going here, so I was just going to have to block out the awful conversations held by the people sitting next to us. Topics ranged from unreturned Snapchats to Juice Cleanses.

As I mentioned in my prior post, dinner with a romantic interest is a rare event for me. This whole "online dating" situation I've found myself in doesn't tend to led itself to second dates or breaking bread with people. To say I was excited would be an understatement.

After looking at the menu, I decided to order a unique cocktail I had not seen before, the Dirty Jane. It was a reinterpretation of a dirty martini but instead of olives, it was made with pickled tomato. I tend to prefer a dirty martini made with pickle juice over olive juice, so I was looking forward to trying this - I'm glad I ordered it. It was practically an alcoholic salad.

For my main course, I got the salmon. It was served with mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, leeks, parsnips and bordelaise (a red wine sauce). It was quite yummy. The salmon was served as two smaller pieces instead of a larger piece. Which I think made it a little dry, even though I ordered it medium.

Of course we ordered dessert. Their menu is pretty tempting and when I read "S'mores Bread Pudding" I was done. It was made with a chocolate brioche bread pudding, graham cracker crumb bottom and homemade marshmallow topping with a honey anglaise. It was one of the best desserts I've had out in a restaurant. I would be happy to go here and just get drinks and dessert in the future. Cut out the crap with ordering entrees. Who really needs actual food? Desserts for life.

Check out those PICTURE skills!

Anyway, this is a nice place, especially for cocktails and dessert . Be forewarned, it attracts a certain type of Midtown / Murray Hill-ish crowd.

Cheers,

Liz