AWESOME Colombian Style Hot Dogs at Los Perros Locos!

Bought a groupon for Colombian style hot dogs at Los Perros Locos in LES – these are by far the best hot dogs I’ve had and one of the best groupon purchases I made.

Mas Perfecto: five different salsas, melted mozzarella, deep fried bacon cubes, apple chipotle slaw, crushed chips, and quail eggs

Amerro-Perro: Beer + cocoa infused beef chili, shredded Vermont cheddar, chipotle kraut, crushed Fritos, chipzana sauce (chipotle + apple)

Chimi-Churi-Chori: Chorizo, grilled provoleta, homemade chimichurri, aji panca aioli, crushed potato chips

Salchipapas Locas: waffle fries, hot dog, salsa rosada, salsa verde, with tricolor marble potatoes, chorizo, fried bacon, chipzana sauce

Los Perros Locos
201 Allen St
(between 1st Ave & Stanton St)
New York, NY 10002
www.losperroslocos.com/

Vegetarian Meal at Westville!

I've heard a lot of hype regarding Westville and stopped by for dinner since I was in the area.  Westville is supposed to have an amazing selection of market fresh vegetables so I was really looking forward to trying their Brussels sprouts.   For $15, you get to choose four of their vegetables:

Brussels sprouts w/ honey dijon, cauliflower dijonaise, grilled oyster mushrooms w/ chimichurri, and roasted fennel w/ parmesan - for $15 this is a huge amount of food.  The oyster mushrooms were the best thing on the plate - well seasoned, tasted delicious. The cauliflower was great as well, and the fennel was good for what it was. The sprouts, sadly, were incredibly under-cooked (it took a lot of effort to cut through with a knife) and under-seasoned (not a hint of honey dijon at all). I'm not sure if it was just an off night for them since all the other veg were good, but I was really disappointed (though the mushrooms made up for it).

I've heard too many recommendations for this place to not try the sprouts again, so hopefully the next time they'll be great.

Westville

246 W 18th St

New York, NY 10011

http://www.westvillenyc.com/

AMAZING Birthday Meal at Xixa!

Had an AMAZING birthday meal at Xixa, the new restaurant from the chef/owners of Traif (located a couple doors down).  I was really looking forward to Xixa since Traif is my favorite restaurant, and I’m really into small plates right since it gives you a chance to try more of the menu.  The food at Xixa is very much in line with Traif’s theme of global comfort food though it’s a bit more Mexican-inspired.

Amuse Bouche: String beans stuffed with cheese and chilies

Guacamole “Nam Prik Num” – Avocado, Roasted Tomato, Poblano, Puffed Rice, Jicama, Carrot, etc: I love guacamole and I thought this was really great, though I do wish there was a bit of heat to it

Fried Brussels Sprouts, Pork Belly Chicarones, Currants, Sunflower Seeds, Sweet-Spicy Vin:  Brussels sprouts are my favorite vegetable so I’ve always ordered it whenever I see it on the menu – the Sprouts were cooked perfectly and all the components complemented each other

Duck Lettuce Wraps, Mushrooms, Spiced Picadillo, Raisins, Peanuts, Roasted Banana: amazing dish – the duck and roasted banana is soooo good

Scallop Ceviche, Apple-Mint “Aguachile”, Pistachios, Cucumber, Avocado, Soy: not the best scallop ceviche I’ve had at Traif but still good in its own right, especially when you get a perfect bite of all the different components on the plate

Grilled Carrots “Elote,” Honey Butter, Lime Crema, Coriander, Feta, Dill: online reviews rave about this and our server also recommended it as a must order dish – this was really really good

“Steak Tacos:” Chilmole Tortillas, Roasted Bone Marrow, Steak Tartare, Pepper Marmalade: amazing – I love bone marrow and steak tartare, it’s brilliant serving it together with the pepper marmalade to cut through the richness

Charred Spring Onions, Yukon Potatoes, Ancho Romesco, White Anchovies, Almonds: I ordered this because romesco is one of my favorite sauces – great dish

Carnitas: Crispy Pork Belly & Cheeks, Brussels, Chorizo, Rhubarb, Pulque-Pasilla-Prune, Carrot Puree: another solid plate, good flavor combinations

“Tix N Xic:” Achiote-Grilled Hamachi Collar, Plantain Tortillas, Brussels, Pickled Onions: interesting take on fish tacos with a slaw of raw Brussels sprouts

Mel I Mato: Whipped Goat Ricotta, Mango, Kiwi, Grapes, Honey, Pistachios: decent cheese plate – the ricotta had some spice to it (maybe togarashi?)

Tres Leches en “Cappuccino”: Chocolates, Almond, Kahlua, Dulce: cool idea to add Kahlua and foam to tres leches cake – there’s also bits of chocolate and almonds mixed in – really delicious dessert

Bunuelo Sundae: Banana & Cajeta Ice Creams, Chocolate, Bunuelo Crumble, Black Sesame Mousse: this is one of the best desserts I’ve had in a long time – the black sesame mousse is so so good – I can’t wait to head back so I can order this just for myself

Petit Fours: Chocolate with Corn and Curry

I'm as impressed with this meal as I've ever been at Traif - definitely one of my favorite restaurants in  NYC.

Xixa
241 South 4 Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Dinosaur BBQ (Finally!)

Finally got a chance to Dinosaur BBQ - I've been wanting to try this place out for a long time to see how it compares to other NYC BBQ places like Fette Sau since I heard Dinosaur is supposed to be the best.

Beer Flight: Ape Hanger Ale, Dogfish 90 Minute IPA, Greenpoint Winter Lager, Wildcard - it's great that Dinosaur had flights available, and they even have their own beer (ape hanger).  Unfortunately, ape hanger was the worst of the ones I chose (I won't be getting it again).
 

Tres Hombres - ribs, bbq pork, and beef brisket, mac n cheese, and baked beans – all three proteins were awesome.  The sides were really good too, though I think the baked beans at Fette Sau are better.

Sampler Nuevo - chicken, ribs, beef brisket, cole slaw, and syracuse style salt potatoes – as good as the ribs, pork, and beef were, I was actually most impressed with the chicken – the apple brine made it really tender and juicy.

Chocolate Ice Box Pie – way too sweet – you really need ice cream to balance out the chocolate

Some misses with the beer and the dessert is not recommended - however, their BBQ is TOP NOTCH - I can't wait to go back.

Dinosaur BBQ
700 W 125th St
New York, NY 10027
http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com

Dinner at Ngam, Modern Thai Comfort Food!

I saw the head chef of Ngam competing on Iron Chef and her food seemed pretty good - I also saw that they have $1 oysters during happy hour so I had to give this place a try.

Thai Oyster Shot – Conn. Blue Point oyster, pomelo, Thai mignonette, kaffir lime, tobiko caviar – the dressing is very similar to nuoc cham (which I LOVE) but with the addition of Thai chilies to give it more heat.  The flavors balance out really nicely with the tobiko, though I do wish the pomelo was a little more prominent.  These oysters were delicious, we ended up getting 3 dozen (they were $.99 during happy hour)

"Peek Gai Tod” Brother Chai’s Chicken Wings – Ngam’s house marinade, tamarind chili sauce, freshly picked apple – pretty good wings, the tamarind sauce was very tasty

“Sai Oor Farang” Thai Burger – 7oz hormone free beef patty, homemade “sai oor” curry paste, cilantro lime mayo, green papaya kraut, Chiang Mai Fries – this is one of the best burgers I’ve had in a while – the flavors were really interesting and the patty itself was really juicy.  The Chiang Mai Fries were also really good - kabocha and sweet potato, served with homemade red curry mayo, and sweet and sour peanut relish.

Here’s a link to a burger piece that also has the recipe for Ngam’s burger:

http://bites.today.com/_news/2012/05/10/11639387-give-your-burger-international-flair-for-national-burger-month

Brussel Sprouts “Prik King” with Bacon – all the flavors were fine, but we both thought that the sprouts themselves weren’t cooked properly (texture seemed like it was overcooked, I’m not sure if they steamed/boiled a bunch before service and just added the other ingredients/sauce to order)

Overall, an excellent meal – I’ll definitely be back.

Ngam
99 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10003
http://www.ngamnyc.com/

Ceviche and Oyster Dinner at Desnuda, a Winebar & Cevicheria!

I’ve been meaning to check out Desnuda for a while because I love ceviche, and more recently I’ve developed a taste for oysters and saw that they had $1 oysters on Sunday and Monday.  I also know they do a tea smoked oyster dish and I was curious to see how that would be.  It was my friend’s birthday and she is obsessed with oysters, so I thought this place would be perfect for her birthday meal.

Complimentary popcorn with truffle oil and truffle salt – good start to the meal.

Two Dozen Oysters (from New Brunswick Canada) served with Three Sauces – chipotle mignonette, sweet and sour ginger shallot mignonette, and a chuka fu gelee.  All three sauces were amazing with the oysters, but my favorite was the chuka fu gelee.  Originally when I asked our server what it was, I thought he said tuzazu, which the head chef mentioned was a Japanese dressing.  I figured I would research the recipe later since I’ve never heard of a tuzazu dressing in Japanese cuisine.  The name is actually chuka fu, which is the Japanese name for a Chinese dressing made of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil, which they made into a gelee.  These were the best sauces that I’ve had with oysters, and we were both so impressed that we ended up ordering two dozen more.

Sichuan Tea Smoked Oysters: they also smoke it tableside for you – it’s definitely cool to try, but fairly pricey at 4 oysters for $18

Not my video, but you get a better idea of it here:

Tiradito of Hamachi with Sechuan Peppercorn Infused Ponzu and Sechuan Peppercorn Dust and Thai Chili Oil: this was one of the specials for the day – really good, but verging on being over salty – the balance between the ponzu and chili oil was a bit off and the scallions didn’t have enough punch to cut through the salt.  For me this dish was fine since I really like salt, but my friend thought otherwise.

Seared Foie Gras with Seared Tuna with Warm Pear Chutney and Balsamic Reduction: this was another special of the day.  Really fantastic dish – everything on the plate complimented the perfectly seared foie gras.  However, it’s really expensive for what’s basically an appetizer version of foie gras.

Overall, really good but too expensive – I feel like at the price point we were at, there’s a lot of other places we could’ve gone to have a better meal (though I will definitely be back for the oysters).

Desnuda
122 E 7th St
New York, NY 10009
http://www.desnudany.com

Japanese Italian Cuisine at Dieci!

Had a really spectacular meal at Dieci - Japanese Italian place in East Village.  Dieci is not quite fusion cuisine, but rather a Japanese interpretation of Italian cuisine.  It's a very interesting category for me so I was really looking forward to this meal:

Kumamoto Oysters with three different sauces - chives and wasabi cream, scallions and ponzu, and ceviche style with onions and bell peppers: really good but a bit overpriced

Buffalo Mozzarella with Uni Sashimi and Yuzu Foam: I'm a sucker for uni, so I really loved this dish.  All three ingredients worked really well together

Parmesan Brussels Sprouts with Miso and Walnuts: pretty good, though I wish the sprouts were roasted rather than sauteed.  This is a pretty easy dish to remake at home, except I'll be oven roasting mine when I try to replicate this

Homemade Black Tagliolini with Tomato Sauce and Calamari: squid ink pasta is another obsession - the pasta was cooked nicely and the tomato sauce was really good

Homemade Fettucini with Uni, Calamari, and Creamy Uni Sauce: this was SO SO good - they give you a big mound of uni so that you get some with every forkful.  It's been a while since I had the spaghetti with sea urchin at Marea so I couldn't do a proper comparison between the two dishes.  Regardless, Dieci's fettucini is amazing - I'll always order this whenever I'm back here

Strawberry Compote with Mascarpone Mousse and Truffled Balsamic Glaze: the mousse was more of a pudding consistency but tasted good regardless - my friend wasn't a big fan of the truffle flavor and said it overpowered the dish.  I agree somewhat, though I didn't mind that the truffle flavor was pronounced

They had an uni risotto with clams and a poached egg as one of their dinner specials but they ran out by the time we got there :(  I also had a Japanese beer called Beniaka, which is roasted with red-skinned Kintoki sweet potatoes.  Really interesting beer, very enjoyable.  Overall, a really great meal, albeit a bit pricey

Dieci
228 E 10th St
New York, NY 10003
http://www.dieciny.com/

Lunch at Bouley!

As a Christmas present for myself, I went to Bouley for their prix fixe lunch.  The last time I was here it was 2005 and I was just starting to really appreciate good food.  At the time, I thought Bouley was the best meal I had, so I was curious to see how my meal would be now that I’ve eaten at a lot more places.

Amuse Bouche #1- Provencale Tomato Coulis, Ricotta, Black Truffles, and Aged Balsamic Vinegar: really really good – minus the truffles, this seems fairly easy to make, I’ll definitely try to recreate the flavor profiles on my own at some point

Amuse Bouche #2 - Kudzu Chip with Black Truffle Aligot: the aligot had a very smooth consistency – a nice bite of food

Assortment of fresh baked breads: they have a bread cart that makes its way around the room where they slice the bread tableside - I got apricot, garlic, raisin, olive, walnut, and a couple others – the only minor complaint I had was that the butter was very cold so it was a bit difficult to spread

First Course - Carpaccio of Kampachi, Big Eye Tuna and Striped Amber Jack, prepared in a Mediterranean Manner: I’m not sure what was in the two different sauces (the only thing that was definitely identifiable was a hint of truffle), but both complemented the fish nicely

Second Course - Porcini Flan, Alaska Live Dungeness Crab, Black Truffle Dashi: really amazing.  Unfortunately, there was a bit of shell still stuck to some of the crab – regardless, this was still my favorite dish of the entire meal

Third (Complementary) Course - Egg, Polenta, Mimolete, and Compte Cheese Soufflé with a Puree of Swiss Chard inside: the presentation’s a bit messy – I don’t think this was intended since the soufflé  seems to have been set up with a ring mold, but the different components worked well together and it was free, so no real complaints

Fourth Course - Organic Long Island Duck Roasted Whole with Winter Spice Mix - Hudson Valley Organic Hand Milled Polenta, Washington State Huckleberry, Baby Bok Choy Puree, served with Pommes Puree on the side:  this was the only course I wasn’t that impressed with - while everything was cooked nicely, all the flavors were really familiar and nothing on the plate really wowed me like the previous courses

Fifth (Complementary) Course - White Chocolate Cloud with Green Tea Powder:  so I think that as a result of the shell pieces from the flan, I received this course (it’s occasionally served during their dinner prix fixe).  This is white chocolate and milk with lecite, an emulsifier that’s ideal for making airs.  They froth up the white chocolate and milk, scoop out the foam into a mold, and place it in the freezer to set.  The result is an extremely delicate texture and flavor.  This actually reminded me a lot of Taiwanese Snowy Ice

Sixth Course - Chilled Fall Rhubarb Soup, Santa Barbara Organic Strawberries, Buckwheat Gelato: excellent palate cleanser

Seventh Course - Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé, White Coffee Cloud, White Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Mousse:  if I had to nitpick, the combination of soufflé and mousse was a bit too sweet, but otherwise, a very solid dessert

Petit Fours: (from left to right) White Chocolate Coconut Truffle, Milk Chocolate Truffle, White Chocolate Sugar Cookie, Dark Chocolate Cookie, Sesame Seed Sandwich, and Poppy Seed and Caramel Crisp: a bit much for one person, especially after the soufflé and mousse, but I ate everything anyways

Besides the shell pieces in the flan (which wasn’t that big a deal), I was quite happy with everything I had - this was definitely one of the best prix fixe meals that I’ve tried and well worth the price.

Bouley

163 Duane St

New York, NY 10013

http://www.davidbouley.com/