New York, New York - September 2010

NYC at the end of Summer and start of Autumn is a wondrous thing. The city is still peaking with activity and sweltering with heat and humidity. It is a chasm of activity, condensed and contained. As always, it presented me with millions of opportunities for new dining opportunities!

Here is my best attempt at a short summary of some of those:

Amber - This mixed Asian restaurant was my first stop in NYC. I had just stepped off the plane at La Guardia and was warmly greeted by Eva and Ben who recommended this place that was within walking distance from them on the Upper West Side. Amber had a lovely warm and modern interior. It could masquerade as a labyrinthe. You can wind from the small front room, through a few twists and bends before a much larger room out the back emerges, complete with a large free-standing Buddha of course. We only had a small supper here and some drinks. The cocktails were strong and full of fruity flavour, although not mixed particularly well. I ordered off the Signature Sushi list and had a sushi with eel, avocado and tuna, sandwich style where the rice is flattened and cut into rectangles rather than rolled with seaweed. The rice was well seasoned but overwhelmed the other 3 delicate ingredients due to sheer quantity. I'd still recommend it for a quick and local bite to eat if you're in the area.

Bar Boulud - Another place in the area is Bar Boulud, one of celebrity chef, Daniel Boulud's eateries in NYC. We had spent a day at the US Open (yes we got to see Federer and Sharapova, just in case you were wondering!). We'd spied on Venus Williams on the practice court, snacked on crackerjacks (they are addictive!) and gotten sunburnt. I never realised that hanging out with a pregnant lady made you eat more - every time she snacked, I would too! So the appetite was there. I ordered the smoky grilled trout with a sweet corn salsa. The trout in the US is a different variety than what we get in Aus. The flesh was white and soft but slightly sweet. The smokiness added in the cooking was delicious with the creamy sauce and fresh corn salsa. There was a long and apparently awesome wine list too but I decided to refrain so that I could attempt a decent sleep. Across the road, outside the Lincoln Centre, there was a large screen where they had broadcast the opera, which was Turandot that night. This added to the festive atmosphere and distracted us from the ridiculous, over the top gusts of wind that threatened to wreak havoc with my hair! Highly recommended restaurant.

Breslin - We knew that we needed some serious fuel for the famous Barneys sale so we went to a place that takes breakfast seriously. Very seriously. The Breslin in the Ace Hotel fit the criteria. It was popular, slightly pretentious, served coffee that they roasted themselves and breakfast worth queuing for. I found out why. I ordered the poached eggs with curried lentils, chilli and coriander. It sounded slightly weird but it was nothing short of jaw-droppingly, saliva-inducing AWESOME! The eggs were poached delicately so that they were only just done and with a runny yolk, perfect for eating with the wood-fired bread that had olive oil drizzled on it. The curried lentils were puy ones that had no actual curry sauce on them but rather were cooked with the spices in curry so that they were a mess of ground coriander, ginger, cumin and cinnamon. The deep-fried red chilli and fresh coriander sprigs, set the whole dish off. I was set to fight those bitches at the Barneys sale like Popeye on organic spinach!

Eva was not disappointed either. Her dish of ricotta pancakes (yes, they must be a global phenomenon!) was served with the lightest, fluffiest lemon ricotta ever, toasted almonds and a sweet blueberry sauce. Since she couldn't finish it, I offered to help her out, being the good friend that I am. There are food perks when hanging out with a pregnant lady too! haha!

The Standard Grill - for Eva's birthday dinner, we went to the restaurant in The Standard NYC. As you will recall, I stayed at The Standard in downtown LA and loved the hotel. The one in NYC had the same aesthetic. It was retro, quirky and oozed designer chic in a young and trendy way. Check out the lounging area just inside the doors and beside the lobby:

The menu is pretty standard (pun intended) and contains all the usual classics that you might expect from a Grill restaurant. There was a mixture of meat and fish dishes both grilled and cooked in other ways. I ordered the Cajun swordfish grill with spiced cous cous and the most delicious salsa sauce. I got so excited that I couldn't hold the camera still enough to capture it because that meant I'd have to put down my fork and stop eating!

Eva ordered the most expensive dish on the menu (well it was her birthday after all!). It was the veal steak with mushrooms. As you can tell from the photo below, it was not a delicate small steak. It was humungous! It was meaty and it was flavoursome. Unfortunately, she didn't feel like a giant piece of meat and was not a fan but she did approve of the mushrooms as well as the side of crispy potatoes with smoked paprika aioli that we ordered. All was not lost! Highly recommended restaurant if you're prepared to wait, even if you've booked but fun and friendly atmosphere and service if you're in the mood for that.

Bathazar - This place is an institution in NYC. It has remained popular despite newer and shinier places nearby. They specialise in classic and basic French dishes cooked well and presented in an authentic-looking restaurant with yellowing stained mirrors just like in Paris. I ordered the tuna nicoise salad and it was the best one I've ever had. Everything about it was perfect. None of that awful canned tuna here. Large chunks of freshly-seared tuna were scattered amongst crispy mixed lettuce leaves, unpitted Kalamata olives, cucumber, blanched beans and 2 halves of a hard-boiled egg. All of this loveliness was dressed with a balanced lemon juice and olive oil dressing. Sublime!

Van Leuuven ice cream truck - This is my first review of food purchased from a truck. You may laugh, but this is big business in NYC. I'm told that these trucks even have websites where you can track the movements of the truck. Only in America as they say! This truck served ice cream with unique flavours such as Earl Grey, green tea and cinnamon. Eva bought some which I tried and I can vouch for the rich, creaminess with depth of flavour. No wonder people queue up at a truck. I would too if I ever saw it again. Recommended.

In summary, I had some amazing food here. I don't think that there was anything that I did not enjoy. My thanks to Eva and Ben for recommending such fabulous places. I was never short of a bad meal or a good laugh! I bid farewell to my friends and NYC and flew back west to the city of angels, LA.