The Big Mac is to McDonald’s as the Black Label Burger is to Minetta Tavern.  It’s the crown jewel of the menu, the draw of the crowd, the classic dish.  The Black Label Burger at Minetta is no doubt outstanding, but what we’ve discovered time after time is that the rest of the menu also holds its own and is definitely worth the trip. 

The drinks, like the decor, are old-fashioned and sophisticated.  Above is the Rhubarb Sophie with tito’s vodka, cucumber, agave nectar, rhubarb bitters and fresh lime.  Sweet, tart, cool and refreshing.  I heart cucumber drinks in summer! 

We ordered the special appetizer for the night: white asparagus salad with mache, hazelnuts, asparagus flan and pickled namiko.  Fresh and bright.  The flan was especially delicious and indulgent, and was countered perfectly by the citrusy and pickled notes of the dish, as well as by the slightly bitter greens.

We also shared an order of the roast baby beets with leeks, french walnuts and vermont chevre.  Very standard dish with quality ingredients.  Tasty.

Bonus: complimentary cheesy poof bread bites!  Hot, fluffy, and cheeeesy.

To accompany our mains, we chose a side of the champignons poêlés.  You might think it’s completely ridiculous to order a side of mushrooms for $14, but you would be mistaken.  These mushrooms were fantastic: meaty, earthy and succulent.   

Oh man, I’m dying just looking at this picture.  Above is the lamb saddle.  Wow.  Seriously, an amazing specimen of dry-aged lamb.  Had just the right amount of that peety, mossy tang peeking through each bite, and a hot, seared, crisp top, sealing in all the wonderful juices in the medium rare center.  The polenta blocks with tomato jam had me hooked…. I told ATO I would only take half and then gobbled down an entire one when he wasn’t paying attention.  He he.

And of course, the highly acclaimed and renowned Black Label Burger, made of a selection of prime dry-aged beef cuts (all the meat is from the devoutly worshipped Pat LaFrieda) and topped with caramelized onions.  Pommes frites served on the side.  You won’t find another burger in the city that exudes such confidence or funk.  It is unmistakably dry-aged meat, and it is excellent.  The only condiments allowed: sweet, caramelized onions.  Adding cheese is sacrilege in this burger temple.  The waiters honestly don’t even let you do it; if you ask, they shake their heads at you, disapprovingly, and sternly reply “no”.  I love cheese more than the next guy (it makes everything better!) and even I forgo my favorite topping on this burger.  It really doesn’t need it.  Lettuce and tomato is served on the side, to be used (or not - if you look around at the cleared plates, you’ll notice most people don’t use them) as you please.  This $26 burger is worth every penny.

Here’s my burger, all built-up and ready to be eaten!  CHOMP.

Advice: this place, even after a few years, can still be a wreck at dinner.  We love going for brunch, when reservations are easy to come by and the vibe is more relaxed.  The burger is still available, as well as some very fun brunch items!  The slow-baked ham in hay is great.  The many varieties of Bloody Marys are also worth trying.  Just be prepared to lie around useless in a happy food coma for the rest of the day! 

Website: http://minettatavernny.com/

El Centro is our go-to Mexican place in our hood, in nice weather.  When the sun is out and the temperature is up, they open all the windows that line the fun, quirky joint, and they place small metal tables out on the sidewalk.  Ah, outdoor dining is one of my favorite things to do in NYC.  It’s just awesome.    

Also, they serve ginormous frozen drinks: here’s the frozen margarita mixed with frozen sangria.  Not saccharine sweet, just cold, refreshing and relaxing.  Like being on vacation. 

Mandatory all-you-can eat chips and salsa.  Very addictive. 

And the food is good too!  My favorite dish: the shrimp fajitas.  I crave them constantly.  You get 3 warm tortillas, rice and black beans and your own little station of sour cream, guacamole and jalapeno peppers.  And of course a searing hot and irresistibly fragrant plate of shrimp, corn, onions and an assortment of peppers. 

A close-up of the gorgeous fat, succulent shrimp.  Perfectly browned.  This dish always hits the spot.  I love how the ingredients start melding into the plate as they continue to sizzle and caramelize throughout your meal.  You literally have to pluck and pull off the last crisp remains at the end. 

Other dishes here do not disappoint!  We especially love their brunch menu.  Try the machacados tacos with scrambled eggs and beef short ribs!  Drool.

Website: http://www.elcentro-nyc.com/

Here’s an idea: a pimped-out, adult version of Dixie Cup ice cream.  Why isn’t this a thing?  Well, it is.  On the outskirts of Manhattan, in the far reaches of Hell’s Kitchen, je & jo pumps out cute little personal sized containers of organic ice cream mixed with cookie dough.  Genius!     

All sorts of crazy flavors are available, from earl grey ice cream with shortbread cookie dough, to fresh mint ice cream with chocolate chip cookie dough, to sweet local corn ice cream with honey cayenne shortbread cookie dough.  Rose sweet cinnamon ice cream with cardamom short bread cookie dough?  Check.  Or how about some Pimm’s with mint and cucumber ice cream with citrus sugar cookie dough?  Got that too.  And much more!     

Here’s a look inside the cup: this is the banana ice cream with peanut butter cookie dough.  Mmmm.

Above is the super tasty cardamom ice cream with snickerdoodle cookie dough.  Fantastic.  (My personal favorite was the mint ice cream… paired with anything!  It’s so fresh and herbaceous.  I had it with lemon lavender shortbread.)

PS - can be purchased in bulk, in party packs of 6, 12 or 24!  If you keep your party pack box and bring it back to the store to refill, you get a discount on the next order (how green!).  We have an empty box sitting in our kitchen now!   

Website: http://jeandjo.com/

The famous Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, a souped-up and highly inventive version of Mr. Softee, now (and by now I mean since the beginning of the year) has two brick and mortar stores too.  Yippeee!!  That means the lines are shorter and you don’t need to go chasing a truck around town.  And the stores are completely covered with pretty colorful unicorns!  LOVE IT.   

This sign makes me so very happy.  It also totally makes me want to eat a sh*t ton of ice cream.  Cos I’m gorgeous.  And I deserve a treat.  And ice cream makes the world a better place.  Those advertising geniuses! 

Truthfully, I’d binge on ice cream even without that sign.  One look at their crazy decadent, over-the-top gourmet treats and I’m sold. 

Above is the American Globs: vanilla ice cream covered in pretzels, sea salt and chocolate dip.  Nom, nom, nom.

How about an adult-style ice cream sandwich?  Here’s the Rue McClanahan, made with praline pecan cookies, filled with bourbon ice cream.  Mmmmm.

Or go for a classic approach: the Monday Sundae.  Twist ice cream, stuffed in a nutella lined cone (brilliant!), topped with dulce de leche, sea salt and a whole lotta fresh whipped cream.  HEAVEN.

I gotta say, I’m one of those annoying people who has always claimed “seriously, I just like frozen yogurt better than ice cream - and it’s not a calorie thing - I actually just like it better.”  Well, next time I say that, just tell me to shut the f*ck up.  Cos I’m a big fat liar.  Ice cream is totally better than frozen yogurt and you’d have to be insane to think otherwise!  It may come with more guilt and it may result in some adverse lactose consequences, but who am I kidding?  It’s just SO MUCH TASTIER.  Thank you, BGIC, for reminding me of that!

Next time, must try one of those awesome other toppings: olive oil and sea salt, wasabi pea dust, pumpkin butter, ginger syrup, elderflower syrup, sriracha…. I’ve got my eye on you.  Will have to make many trips this summer.  After all, life is short, so let’s all eat a ton of ice cream and make it even shorter ;-)!

Website: http://biggayicecream.com/

As you look around the small, lively West Village room that is Hakata Tonton, you’ll notice lots of cute pictures of pigs.  Then you’ll realize that the logo of the restaurant itself, printed on the front window and the menus, is in fact a cartoon snout of a pig.  Apparently Tonton refers to a popular pig character in Naruto, a Japanese anime series.  Unsurprisingly, the menu is full of pig. 

And not just pig.  This place is a shrine to pig’s feet (tonsoku).  Almost the entire menu is comprised of Japanese comfort dishes that explore and showcase all the many and delicious culinary uses of pig’s feet.  You might be turned off.  It sounds pretty gross.  I am the first person to vehemently eschew weird animal parts; I seriously go weak at the knees just acknowledging that my food comes from actual once-living animals.  And despite this intense aversion, even I enjoyed a meal here!  Because this place is so NOT in your face about it.  To be honest, I wasn’t even aware of the prevalence of pig’s feet in my dinner until now, as I’m researching the menu and writing this post.  The food is seemingly pig-foot free.  Places like Yakitori Totto or Takashi, two of my favorite Japanese places in the city, make it much more obvious that you’re eating an animal (and all parts of it!).  For the most part, the dishes at Hakata Tonton are much more palatable to timid eaters, and much less noticeably weird!

Ooooohweee!  A sizzling hot pan of fresh-made gyoza!  I loved the thin, burnt crisp skin.  Apparently these are stuffed with Berkshire pork foot, but I didn’t notice any crunchy cartilage or nuggets of collagen.  Tasted like normal juicy pork dumplings to me.     

The only non pig-foot dish we ordered for the night: the fresh crunchy welk sashimi, served with a special spicy dipping sauce of chili oil and sansho pepper.  The texture here actually freaked me out more than any other I encountered at this meal.  ATO found it addictive. 

The fan favorite was the snow crab croquettes with pig’s feet and a Japanese sweet potato paste.  Deep fried without being greasy, and dense and smooth and creamy on the inside.  Also a pleasant subtle sweetness to balance out the savory.  While they’re super tasty, they’re also the size of baseballs, so be careful to save some room for the main course!

Ta-dah!  The Hakata Tonton hot pot.  The main action.  A boiling, fragrant stew of Berkshire pork belly, tonsoku (more pig’s feet!), soft tofu, tender pork-filled dumplings, cabbage, scallions and collagen broth.  Above is Phase 1:  where you’re like “um, how the h*ll is all of this going to fit in the pot”?  As you can see, you get your day’s worth of veggies in this dish.

So you’re busy popping down dumplings and gossiping about your friends, and suddenly you look up and Phase 2: somehow a delicious pot of stew materializes out of that giant heap of lawn-mower shreds.  This sure is one hearty stew.  It’s so porky and salty and meaty, yet the tender veggies counter with some necessary freshness.  The heat, both from spice and from steam and temperature, will have you sweating like a…. well, pig… before your meal is over.  But you’re not done yet….. 

Phase 3: once most of the substantial portions of meat and filling have been greedily inhaled, your friendly and diabolical waittress will ask if you’d like to consume the remains of your pot, consisting mostly of your rich, now even porkier broth, with ramen noodles.  Of course you acquiesce.  She takes your pot away, and it comes back full of noodles and more veggies.  Your eyes are glazed, your stomach might explode and your rings are cutting off the circulation to your fat salt-bloated fingers, but you keep eating.  Because it’s f*cking good.   

One good thing: the bowls here are small.  So you have multiple portions of everything, and you totally lose track of how much you’ve eaten.

Oh, and as you leave: have a Pez to-go!  Wha??  Yes, that’s right, your waittress will accompany you out, stand by the door and bid you ado with a Pez.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Japanese people are just so dang quirky!

PS - I didn’t find this gem on my own.  Shout-out to SS and JM for the invite - this place was amazing!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HAKATATONTON

I’ve already blogged about Lincoln before (http://photo-hungry.com/post/40743689139/lincoln-ristorante), but I have to post again, because the brunch deal here is A STEAL!  First of all, let me just repeat: Lincoln is an insanely gorgeous restaurant (see above).  One of the best-looking restaurants in the city.  I can’t decide if I like it better at night, with the lights of Lincoln Center twinkling in the background, or during the day, with the beautiful natural rays of sunlight peering in.  Either way, you’re in for a treat.  Second of all, the brunch deal - 2 courses for $35 - is an amazing deal given the wide selection and the option of so many of the same dishes served at lunch and dinner, with a few bonus “brunchy” items.  Third, the food, especially the pasta, is awesome.  An additional benefit: this place is roomy and is good for groups!  ATO and I brought my parents, my sister and my brother-in-law here, and we all had plenty of space to lean back and relax.  This is my new fancy brunch spot.  Love it.   

Complimentary breads: the pizza bread could be a lunch unto itself.  So good.

The dips: a chickpea, eggplant and garlic dip and some very fine and flavorful olive oil. 

Our little starter bites: fried chickpea cubes!  Dense but interesting little suckers. 

Ahhhh, the glory: the pastas.  Above is the tagliatelle with green asparagus, morels and stracciatella.  It’s morel season, and these morels definitely stole the show.  Intensely flavorful and earthy.  The asparagus were bright and crisp.  Fantastic.

The pappardelle with black pepper, served with duck confit, mustard greens and grated foie gras.  Can we say rich?  Dang.  Very good, but a bit one note.  I would have appreciated more mustard greens, which really cut the decadence of the duck confit and foie gras. 

The ravioli filled with salt cod, topped with a fresh tomato marinara, chives, lemon and thyme.  Our least favorite pasta of the day.  The tomato sauce, while nice, completely masked the flavors of the salt cod. 

The gigli verde with ramps, pork sausage, marinara and sheep’s milk ricotta.  Wow.  Spectacular.  Spicy pork sausage, tangy marinara, creamy ricotta…. it’s hard to think up a more delicious concoction for a pasta dish.   

Oh wait, perhaps we just did.  The ricotta gnudi with English peas, favas, carrots, radishes and meyer lemon.  I mean, just look at those huge soft gushy balls!  Eesh, that didn’t come out right (and I can’t resist: that’s what she said!).  Anyway, this dish was so vibrant, as if plucked right from a veggie garden on a bright spring day.  Yum.

We move on to the entrees.  I veered away from the brunch items, explaining, “I can make eggs at home; it’s like the only thing I can make.”  Well, I was wrong.  I knew that as soon as I set my eyes on the frittata with spinach, English peas, mascarpone, marinara and young lettuces that my sister ordered.  I definitely cannot make that at home.  This frittata was excellent.  Ridiculously light and fluffy, so flavorful and so much cheese!  Oh the cheese… it still sends goose bumps up my arms just thinking about it!  Be warned, this entree is not for the weary; even my sister, a strong eater, could not conquer this gigantic heavy slice.

The fish, beautifully prepared: halibut with green asparagus, morels and a brown butter zabaglione.  A light touch, once again with those devastatingly good morels and fresh green asparagus.  Beware the mayo-ish brown butter zabaglione though: it isn’t necessary, and honestly, it’s pretty gross. 

The striped bass, served Mediterranean style with roasted red pappers, green beans and an olive sauce.  Very pleasant; again, the fish itself was cooked just right, with that yummy crusty char. 

The braised beef brisket with a salad of beets, barley, horseradish and salsa verde looked beautiful, but was not what PB expected.  He looked very thrown off as he took each bite.  We gotta say, it didn’t look like braised brisket to us either!

Mmmmm my chicken.  Prepared with garbanzo beans, tangy marinated pickled eggplant and spring garlic.  A real lesson on just how tender and juicy chicken can be.  Such a clean, wonderful dish.  The only thing missing was a crispier, saltier skin.     

Despite how sickly full we all proclaimed ourselves to be, we still ordered dessert.  This family can eat.  We all ordered a scoop of gelato.  Above was my favorite: the toasted riso (rice) gelato.  Super creamy, but pleasantly surprising with the chewy little grains of rice.  The crunchy crumble beneath added another awesome layer of texture and the slightly burnt and vanilla flavors were intoxicating. 

And again, the candy bowl!  They are so generous with the amount of candy offered, and I totally take advantage of their generosity every time.  He he ;-).  I mean, c’mon, the candy comes wrapped!  Into the purse you go.  Thank you!

Website: http://www.lincolnristorante.com/

Donguri, a warm and cozy 24-seater tucked away in the quiet streets of the Upper East Side, is a no frills, very homey type of Japanese place.  It’s a nice, laid-back weekday dinner spot - it won’t blow your socks off, but it is appealing in its simplicity and authenticity.  Watch the prices though, this place can catch you off guard!  For the high bill that we were stuck with, we definitely would have rather indulged in tastier cooked Japanese food havens like Yakitori Totto or Tori Shin!   

We’re both such suckers for homemade tofu.  Above is the fresh little scoop that arrived at our table.  Upon first bite, it was clear that, while good, this was nothing compared to the version served at Yakitori Totto.

The homemade pickled vegetables were absolutely stunning in appearance, but could have used a bit more pickling for our tastes.  These just tasted raw, with a slight, too subtle, hint of fermentation.    

The housemade smoked duck with baby greens salad, however, did not disappoint.  An incredibly smoky taste resonated with every bite; the fresh, bitter salad paired perfectly.  Strangely, this dish really brought us back to the classic corned duck, rye crisp, purple mustard and horseradish cream appetizer served at WD-50 for years.

We feared we didn’t order enough food, so halfway through the meal we added an order of veggie tempura.  This is not what we expected!  Thin slivers of veggies, fried up into this crazy ball.  Good, especially with the delicious sweet and savory dipping sauce, but I would have better enjoyed a classic rendition, with veggies still fully intact.

Super simple, very traditional Inaniwa udon noodles with shrimp tempura.  ATO appreciated the restraint of this dish more than I did, and he gulped down all my leftovers.  I prefer a kitchen sink when it comes to udon, complete with various veggies (best with mushrooms!) and the mandatory soft-boiled egg.  And (not a knock on this place, but in general) I’ve never understood why tempera is served in the soup - it’s all soft and mushy, the fried crackling shell sagging off the actual shrimp - by the time it arrives!    

ATO went big, with the broiled fish cheeks, which are limited in supply each day and way too expensive ($42!).  While tender and tasty, the rich, buttery flavor expected from a good fish cheek was missing.   

For dessert, we wrapped it up with rice balls served in a red bean sauce, sprinkled in green tea powder.  YUM. 

Website: http://www.itoen.com/donguri

Boulud Sud is Daniel Boulud’s take on Mediterranean cuisine.  And it might be my least favorite Daniel Boulud restaurant in the city (granted, I do tend to really enjoy his restaurants).  First, I found the menu, broken into 3 parts (“From the Garden,” “From the Sea” and “From the Farm”) to be unruly: I’m all about having choices, but this menu is just too big and completely overwhelming!  Second, the scene is old school - I’m talking pearl necklaces and men’s jackets everywhere - stuffy and too civilized for my blood.  While acceptable at Daniel, where you’re treated to a spectacular and classic dining experience, anything short of that…. just let me unwind and engage in my otherwise uncouth ways.  Third, the food, while pleasant, didn’t dazzle, and (for these prices) just isn’t what we’ve grown to expect from a polished chef like Mr. Boulud.   

The menu is further broken down, within the sub-categories of farm, garden and sea, into shared starters, apps, entrees and sides.  We started with the Mediterranean mezze: a beautiful selection of herb falafel, spring pea hummus, babaganoush and lavash was placed before us.  If only the flavors matched its appearance.  I could have picked this up at Hummus Place in Hell’s Kitchen.  In fact, I prefer the mezze platters at Kefi and Uncle Nick’s (both significantly cheaper) to this.  The hard and dry falafel was so unappealing that it was left behind, tossed back to the kitchen when the plates were cleared.  The oysters we ordered on the side were, at least, fresh and straight-forward.      

JR’s salade tropezienne was bright and tasty: a satisfying green puff of artichoke, fennel and celery.

SS’s octopus a la plancha, garnished with marcona almonds, arugula and jerez vinegar, was citrusy and enjoyable.  Presentation was weak: it looked like it was served in Tupperware! 

My fat little ruby red shrimp, swimming in garlic, Spanish chilies and oil and served with a big fluffy piece of focaccia (great for soaking up said oil mixture) was super yummy…. but something I probably could have picked up at Tia Pol, Boqueria, or any decent tapas restaurant in the city.

JR did, however, rave about her grilled loup de mer, served on a bed of rice pilaf, fava beans and sauce vierge.  She commended the simplicity of her perfectly grilled piece of fish, nostalgic for her summer days in Martha’s Vineyard where she’d feast on fresh fish like this for a week at a time.

SS and I both indulged in the Maine diver scallops, served with fregola sarda, asparagus, artichoke and olives.  Definitely light and vibrant in flavors - the Mediterranean touch was unmistakable and unique - the dish as a whole was good but again, nothing remarkable. 

The desserts were fun.  If you’re a chocolate lover, go for the uber chocolately panna cotta with hazelnut powder and sumac cream.  The mille et une nuits with tropezienne cream, calamondin confit and medjool gelato is great if you’re super into high quality cream.  Flakey pastry crumbled into the rich airy cream with each bite.

But the very best dessert (and the best dish of the night) was definitely the grapefruit givre.  It arrived in a giant bowl of crushed ice, an entire grapefruit chilled and stuffed with grapefruit sorbet and rose loukoum, topped with sesame halva, the texture of cotton candy.  It was fun, it was whimsical, and above all, it was delicious.  A must-have.

Website: http://www.bouludsud.com/

Despite the cheesy decor, the unfriendly and hurried service, the long and repetitive menu where the same dishes appear over and over in various forms of English translations, the A.D.D. nature of the menu (offerings jumped from Shanghai to Hong Kong to Chengdu to Vietnam to… you get the point), the odd presence of a karaoke stage and the rather weak drink selection (Tsingtao!), Legend is freakin’ LEGIT and definitely worth the visit.  This is unadulterated, fiery, authentic Sichuan food.  It’ll light a fire in your mouth that trails down deep into your belly, but boy does it feel good.  Equip yourself with water and beer and go all out!

Shrimp wontons in a hot red sesame oil.  The wonton skins were dense, almost rubbery, which threw us off at first.  The shrimp were ground up and scarce.  But somehow this grew on us.  The sweet heat of the sesame oil on these chewy little wontons was strangely addictive. 

Little juicy pork buns, aka xiǎo lóng bāo, aka my favorite type of dumpling by far.  These were not good.  But I take full responsibility for that.  I had a craving and tested fate and ordered Shanghai cuisine at a Sichuan restaurant, and this is what I got.  Thick, unpleasant skin, little to no soup.  Bleh.

ATO loves a good plain and simple chicken with broccoli.  We ordered “Chef Wang’s signature” version.  And I have to say, it was pretty dang good for chicken with broccoli.  No trace of MSG, not drowned in unidentifiable brownish gravy sauce and clumps - it actually reminded me of my mom’s home cooking - and there really is nothing better than that. 

Cheng Du style stir-fried eggplant.  Best dish of the night.  So much better than your typical Chinese-style eggplant, either sauteed or braised in a hot casserole dish.  Ridiculously hot and crisp, bursting with flavor, but soft and stewed inside….. this eggplant is out of this world.  The peanuts bring a nice crunch and nuttiness against the overall burn and mouth-numbing qualities of the other ingredients.  It’s like Pringles: once you pop, you just can’t stop.          

Finally, another winner.  The “house stir-fried hand rolling noodle”.  The name was not a good description of the dish.  Cellophane noodles are covered by a light but flavorful ground pork, fresh chive and plump chopped shrimp mixture.  Sriracha sauce decorates the edges of the plate, and a bowl of sweet ginger sauce is offered on the side and poured over the noodles to taste.  Served room temperature/on the cold side.  The mixture of ingredients and flavors is totally bizzare, and I know it looks off-putting.  But it was marvelous.  You’ll just have to try it for yourselves. 

Mmmmm, probably the best Sichuan cuisine I’ve had in this city (although I know we didn’t entirely order Sichuan food).  Definitely added to my list of go-to Chinese places from now on!

Website: http://www.legendbarrestaurant.com/ and http://www.legendrestaurant88.com/

There’s not much Austrian (or German) food in this city.  This didn’t bother me until a recent meal at Seäsonal, in Midtown West.  I generally classified this genre of cuisine as heavy and coarse bar food, only palatable when washed down with a sh*t ton of beer.  Now I just want more!  Despite its coveted Michelin Star and rave reviews, Seäsonal flies under the radar.  Even Wallsé, its Austrian downtown counterpart (which in my opinion is like 10% as good) gets more play.  I can’t explain it.  But I can highly recommend that you all go to experience it for yourselves!     

Even the starter spreads were unique and yummy, although after some research it turns out they are quite common starters in an Austrian meal.  Left: pumpkin seed spread.  Right: a paprika based spread.   

For just $53 per person, sample the “Taste of Austria”: a traditional 3-course meal (with several choices for each appetizer, entree and dessert) complete with amuse and petite fours.  The amuse, above: a frothy and delightful shot of pumpkin puree soup.

It’s a good thing this blog is written, not oral.  Because I definitely butchered the names of each dish I ordered.  Above was ATO’s first course: fruhlings zwiebel suppe.  You get the point?  A light, and a bit bland, spring onion soup garnished with chives, a thin terrine-style guinea hen (that lacked a meaty goodness) and lemon.  Our least favorite dish of the night.      

The pochierte ei, otherwise known as the soft poached egg with lobster, hen of the woods and pumpernickel was super tasty and texturally satisfying.  And very generous on the soft sweet lobster.  Yum. 

The tafelspitz: flat iron steak stewing in oxtail consommé, this meat defied the bounds of tenderness.  Like butter.  Wow.  A subtle dish, but sizeable and delicious. 

Fish the beef out of the consomme and set it on your plate.  Then dress it to your heart’s desire: you’ve got a mild sweet apple sauce, a nice and creamy horseradish sauce and the most pureed creamed spinach you’ll ever meet to work with.  The spinach was ridiculous.  Like baby food on steroids.  I mean that in a most flattering way.

Fried, crisp potato rösti to perfectly round out the entree.  So good. 

But after just one bite I knew I should have ordered the classic wiener schnitzel.  F*ck.  It was pounded thin and fried in that airy, “greaseless” way.  The potato salad, which wasn’t weighed down with mayo, was fantastic.  The lingonberry sauce served on the side was tangy and vibrant.  But the best part…

The very fresh and verdant cucumber salad, rolled in a tight little ball, added just the right amount of crispness to each bite and took this dish over the edge.   

The desserts, while good, generally lacked excitement.  Above left: the apple strudel with raisins and cinnamon.  Above right: the chocolate pudding with cherries, more chocolate and cream.  I did appreciate the tartness of the cherries against the richness of the chocolate.   

The only dessert really worth the calories: the kaiserschmarrn.  Whaa??  Just think of it as exploded bread pudding (aka the stars aligning).  Crumbled caramelized pancakes, burnt and sticky and chewy on the outside, hot and gushy on the inside, served with apple compote.  Heavenly. 

So what are you waiting for??  GO!!! 

And in the words of Heidi Klum, auf wiedersehen!

Website: http://www.seasonalnyc.com/