French? Oui, Oui!

A Lovely Restaurant Amid the HORROR of Times Square

I haven't seen my friend Ann in YEARS and we planned a dinner to catch-up. I wanted to pick a place that would be tasty, not too loud, and near the Port Authority (Ann commutes in from NJ). I did my best to avoid the hellhole of Times Square and found a great French restaurant, Marseille (http://www.marseillenyc.com/). I always appreciate the opinion of fellow Yelpers! to help me find somewhere to eat!

The restaurant has outdoor seating (I chose to avoid it because it can be distracting with all the people walking and cars). The interior reminds me of a French bistro - loved it!

Restaurant Interior

I got to the restaurant a little early and a cocktail caught my attention - Le Pamplemousse. This is a classy reinterpretation of a Greyhound. Made with Absolut Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka, Campari, Elderflower, Fresh Citrus & Salted Rim. It was DIVINE. The perfect combination of salty and sweet!

Le Pamplemousse

Ann went with the Pomegranate Cocktail, made with Bacardi Silver, Amaretto, and Pomegranate & Pineapple Juice. I tried a sip - tasty but not as good as mine!

Pomegranate Cocktail

After reading reviews, I was pretty sure I would order the Lamb Shank (the signature dish of the restaurant). I changed my mind when the diners next to me said to get the Plat de Juor: Rack of Lamb. I asked our server and he recommended it as well - I was sold! I got it served medium rare - perfection! It was cooked to the exact temp and just lovely. I'm so glad I got it!

Rack of Lamb

Ann ordered the Beef Short Rib "Bourguignon" - she loved it too!

Beef Short Rib "Bourguignon"

We decided to split at dessert and since we both LOVE chocolate, we got the Warm Chocolate Cake. So good!

Warm Chocolate Cake

I really enjoyed this restaurant - especially the cocktails! I look forward to coming back soon!

Cheers,

Liz

 

Instead of Brunch, How About a Cuppa Tea?

Bosie Tea Parlor for Brunch

Instead of enjoying to an unlimited brunch, Courtney and I decided to class it up with Afternoon Tea at Bosie Tea Parlor (http://bosienyc.com/).

Bosie Tea Parlor

I wanted to order the Dorian Gray Tea, which of course they were out of! The waitress suggested Earl Grey Crème Tea. It was OK. I sort of felt like a novice because I lacked the ability to detect the tasting notes listed in the tea menu. It felt like when you have wine and cannot pick up the tobacco smoke essence. What gives?

Earl Grey Crème Tea

We ordered the Bosie Tea Service for Two ($55). You get a two-cup pot of tea (per person) from $5.95 / $6.95 teas (not the premium-priced teas, that is a supplement). I misread this as two-pots of tea. HUGE mistake. I drank the tea too quickly - before my food even came! Other tea services I have been to have unlimited tea which is much more realistic. The service also included two mini scones with clotted cream and jam (DELICIOUS), choice of two macaroons (I chose passion fruit and milk chocolate and salted caramel - YUM), and three portions of tea sandwiches. We picked the egg salad, cucumber and curried chicken breast. The chicken was the best, followed by the egg salad and the cucumber.

Bosie Tea Service

Everything was brought out at once. This took A LONG TIME! It would have been better if items were brought as ready so you could pace yourself. We got so hungry by the time the tower arrive that we stuffed our faces. It was embarrassing. The spot seemed a bit understaffed at such a busy time so water refills (since I chugged my tea) were few and far behind. I'd recommend going during a slower time and not weekend brunch.

Beautiful Presentation!

The check is presented in a classic NYC book! What a nice touch. Check this spot out!

Cheers,

Liz

 

Bao Chicka Wow Wow

Baoburg in Williamsburg is a Little Gem!

Last week, I caught up with Christine at a lovely little (this is an understatement!) restaurant in Williamsburg. The spot is called Baoburg (http://baoburgnyc.com/) and it describes itself as "artisanal cuisine" - the dishes certainly lived up to this hype. The restaurant has about 20 seats and many of the seats are counter style. We ended up sitting on two counter seats facing a mirror. This choice made it easy for me to check that I had nothing in my teeth, an unintended benefit.

To start our meal, we ordered a bottle of Ramon Bilbao Albarino, a nice Spanish white that was reasonably priced at $25. Our server presented the wine a bit awkwardly. It wasn't chilled already, so he brought it over in an ice bucket but did not open it. We were sort of confused since the bottle cap was a screw off - do we open our own bottles now? Is that what "artisanal" means? I attempted to take it off and it didn't work, so I asked the server. Naturally, I loosened it for him so it was soooo easy for him to open. Once it was open, it was a nice wine. We were desperate for a drink, so warm was going to have to do for the first pour!

We ordered several plates to share and were very pleased with our choices! We started with the Cheesy Truffle Fries with BACON ($7). The fries were a lovely start while we waited for our entrees to come.

French Fries TOTALLY count as vegetables!

Our first entrée that arrived was the Sparkling Ribs ($12), grilled baby back ribs tossed in a Cola cider sauce with truffle fries potatoes and a pickled garnish. This was absolutely fantastic! I was concerned I'd have to eat the ribs with my hands and this would result in sticky fingers. To my delight, the ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender. The cola marinade was so yummy.

Sparkling Ribs

Our next arrival was the Lamb Stew. I didn't take a snap of the menu and the entrée must be new as it is not yet on the Baoburg site. The dish was fantastic and influenced by Asian flavors. It was served with a poached egg on top, it really added to the creaminess of the sauce and overall nom-factor.

Lamb Stew

The final entrée was the Seared Duck Breast Noodle ($16). This dish was my favorite! Seared duck breast is served on top of fresh, thick ramen noodles, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and poached daikon in a duck consommé. Since this is a broth based dish and awkward to share, I asked our server to have the chef split the entrée into two portions.  Instead of splitting it PRIOR to bringing to us, he brought two extra bowls for us to split it. This was a bit awkward but I managed because the dish was THAT delicious.

DUCK DUCK YUM

Overall, this is a solid new spot. I highly recommend checking it out!

Cheers,

Liz

 

What's the Omelette De Jour?

The Omelette of the Day. Ok, I'll Have That!

Before going our separate ways for Winter break, I met up with Eileen for brunch. She was bound for Spain but not until we met for brunch at Lafayette (http://lafayetteny.com/). This is a lovely place for any meal. They make all of their breads at the restaurant; there is a bakery that displays all of the extravagant pastries. The croissants, French macaroons and sticky buns, among other items,  looked DELICIOUS. I will need to stop by again for coffee and sweets when I'm on campus sometime .

It was a picturesque day to meet Eileen - a perfect winter afternoon, complete with snow! I had a great time working with her over the summer at Diageo - I look forward to working with her again after I graduate. I ordered the omelette special. It featured bacon, cheese and sliced potatoes with a side salad. I ordered a coffee that was really great - I hoped it would be since it was nearly $4! Those crazy French people! haha

Omelette Special

Lafayette is on my list to return to in the next semester. It is very close to campus and a great place to take a break in.

Cheers,

Liz

 

Indowhat? Indochine!

Colonial French Vietnamese, or something like that

Last night, I had a wonderful night catching up with one of my favorite MBA1s: Scott! We had a night (sort of) planned out. We knew we were going to go to Lexington Bar & Books, but weren't sure where to have dinner. Luckily, Scott had an idea! He recommended a spot near school: Indochine (http://www.indochinenyc.com/index_F.html).  I haven't had much Vietnamese food and I have never had Colonial French Vietnamese food - so what is not to love? Naturally, we started the meal with a cocktail. But which one? According to Yelp! reviews, I went with a clear winner: the Indochine Martini, made with citrus vodka infused with pineapple and ginger and fresh lime juice.

Indochine Martini

It was quite good - far too easy to drink. I only ordered one since we were going uptown for cocktails and cigars after. For dinner, we split three items. The Spicy Shrimp sautéed with long beans, fresh tomato and basil, the Glazed Duck Breast, with long stem bok choi and a baked Vidalia onion broth and Sautéed Rice with shrimp, green peas and egg.

Spicy Shrimp

The shrimp were so tasty! The spice level was just right - it added flavor without being overbearing. Ugh, I hate that!

Glazed Duck Breast

The duck was also lovely. The broth really complemented the side of rice.

Sautéed Rice

I loved that the shrimp were normal size in the rice. Sometimes fried rice can have "baby" shrimp which just taste super fishy to me. Barf. This was not like that, yummy!

If you want a special dinner near campus, check out this spot. Also, on our way out, we saw the actor Wallace Shawn (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001728/?ref_=tt_cl_t5). He is best known as the voice of Rex in the Toy Story franchise, Cyrus Rose in Gossip Girl, and Vizzini in Princess Bride. I didn't take a photo because I'm not a super weirdo.

Cheers,

Liz

 

Nice Fedora!

Fantastic Food and Drinks!

A shrewd businesswoman I know, Allison, raved about this spot (http://fedoranyc.com/) and I wanted to check it out for dinner with Amber. While we waited for a table to open up, we ordered a drink at the bar. I ordered the Songbird. It is made with sparkling wine, elderflower liqueur, creme de violette, fresh grapefruit, and topped with house-made lavender bitters. 

The drink was really fresh and a nice change from liquor-based cocktails. I am never one to turn down bubbly! We stuck around for dinner and the food was PHENOMENAL! This spot is small (read: cozy) but I would recommend it if you want a delicious dinner with French flair. 

Au Revoir, 

Liz

 

Do you know Jacques?

The Drinks Are Downstairs!

My second trip to Jacques 1534 (http://www.jacques1534.com/) was fantastic. The drinks were on point. I love that this spot is cozy and takes reservations. This feature is not to be overlooked - if you're going to pay over $10 for a cocktail, sometimes you want to know you will have a seat! I love Cachaca, so I the Love Lost caught my eye. It features Cachaca, Rooibos Tea, lime juice, orgeat, honey syrup, cardamom and bitters. YUM!

Love Lost

I loved the presentation! The tiki glass was awesome. My grandmother always said that the glass changes how the drink tastes and I certainly agree! The orchid was a great detail too. 

Next, I continued with another Cachaca drink. Although it wasn't on the menu, the bartender was able to craft an excellent Caipirinha. The guy has skills.

Caipirinha

I would highly recommend this spot! Most of my reviews have been very positive, but I promise I give honest feedback! I haven't gone to any bad places recently - #winning. 

xoxo,

Liz