Avenues: The Best Seat in Town

Avenues is a restaurant that I've had my eye on for awhile now. The restaurant where Graham Elliot first made a name for himself is currently helmed by Chef de Cuisine, Curtis Duffy. Just like Elliot, Duffy boasts a stellar resume himself, having spent time in the kitchens at Charlie Trotter's, Trio and Alinea. Needless to say, I was more than intrigued, and booked a reservation with a request for seating at the Chef's Counter. All of six stools, these coveted seats give diners an intimate perspective of the kitchen, which greatly appealed to the both of us.

RIA: When Life Gives You Lemons...

So there we were, huddled in an alley with two bags of booze, attempting to escape the howling wind on a random street in Wicker Park. We were supposed to be eating at Schwa, said by many as one of Chicago's best restaurants, only to find its doors locked with a scribbled handwritten note apologizing for the closure. Sure, I had read all of the cancellation stories (let me guess, burst pipe?), but never did I think it would actually happen to us! But sure enough, there I was, simultaneously trying to hail a cab while scrambling on my phone to make alternative dinner plans. Fortunately, with some quick thinking on my part and a little bit lot of luck, we scored a last minute reservation at RIA and managed to enjoy an amazing meal.

Corton: A Pleasant Surprise

Let me preface this post by stating that neither MW nor I had the opportunity to visit Drew Nieporent's former restaurant, Montrachet, or sample the cooking of Chef Paul Liebrandt during his time at both Gilt and Atlas. Having said that, Corton has been at the very top of my "must-try" list for quite some time. Many, including myself, imagined Nieporent-Liebrandt collaboration as a modern day odd couple,  but the critics thought otherwise. First, Frank Bruni (who had quite the checkered past with Liebrandt) gave Corton a glowing three star review in the New York Times. Michelin followed suit, awarding the restaurant two stars in 2010, and again in 2011.

Known early in his career for his complex and at times controversial cuisine (pairing eel with chocolate), Liebrandt was said to have been holding back in order to appease the masses. But old habits die hard, and slowly but surely, whispers that Liebrandt was back to his old ways grew progressively louder and louder until we could no longer resist visiting. Having no idea whether the meal was going to be a disaster or delicious, whatever the outcome, at least we knew the experience would certainly be memorable.

Kajitsu: Hope Springs Eternal

Despite some recent traction, vegetarian cuisine, let alone vegan, has always been a tough sell to the vast majority of Americans. However, a few select restaurants thrive by embracing this cuisine, capturing a loyal following along the way.

One such restaurant is Kajitsu. Specializing in shojin cuisine, a traditional style of cooking originally eaten by Japanese Buddhist monks, they're producing some of the freshest most delicious food in all of New York. This honor is due large in part to the restaurant's talented Executive Chef, Masato Nishihara. With an extensive background in both kaiseki and soba, Chef Nishihara trained at several prominent restaurants in Japan before finding himself in Manhattan's East Village. Constantly innovating, Chef Nishihara creates an original kaiseki-inspired menu each month, never repeating a single dish. This creativity is but one detail that has helped earn Kajitsu two Michelin stars in 2011 and brought shojin cuisine out of relative obscurity and onto the culinary map.

The Kitchen at Brooklyn Un-Fare

This past June, it was reported that The Kitchen at Brooklyn Fare would soon expand its dining room and increase seating for these highly coveted dinner reservations. Ever since its inception, this  partnership between chef César Ramirez and the Brooklyn Fare grocery store has thrived, often, being fully booked several months ahead. A glowing review by food critic, Alan Richman, and loyal followers of chef Ramirez's cooking has only contributed to comparisons from previous diners proclaiming The Kitchen Brooklyn Fare as "the Per Se of Brooklyn," quite a stretch in my opinion. Sadly, you can count me officially off the César Ramirez bandwagon (note I said chef Ramirez and not The Kitchen at Brooklyn Fare) as my meal there last January was anything but fair. Before writing this, I struggled long and hard about how to approach this post. In the name of objectivity, I felt it prudent to table any writing about the experience, hoping to avoid any knee jerk reactions that I would later regret. But after half a year, nothing has changed the fact that this was unequivocally, the worst meal I have ever experienced.

Manresa: Where Art Imitates Life

Tucked away in the sleepy suburbs of Los Gatos lies arguably the best restaurant in the entire Bay area, Manresa. Located 40 miles outside downtown San Francisco is this restaurant led by 2010 James Beard Award winning chef, David Kinch. The award is just the latest in a long line of accolades earned by chef Kinch, as Manresa has become a destination restaurant for foodies around the world. Celebrated for his uncompromising demand for only the freshest and absolute best ingredients, chef Kinch was motivated to form a relationship with bio-organic Love Apple Farm, an arrangement whereby the farm supplies Manresa with literally, the "fruits" of their labor. Having been awarded two Michelin Stars, featured on Avec Eric and championed by countless food bloggers, MW and I were especially excited that our reservation came right on the heels of chef Kinch's James Beard award victory.

Cyrus: Second to None

For our last meal before departing for San Francisco, I felt it necessary to visit Sonoma Valley's best restaurant, Cyrus. Under the helm of chef Douglas Keane and partner Nick Peyton, formerly at Gary Danko, Cyrus has become the preeminent California restaurant outside of the Napa Valley. Lauded by critics and locals alike, this two-starred Michelin restaurant sits adjacent to the luxurious Les Mars Hotel and contains all the trappings of any elite dining establishment. Yet, in spite of all the pomp and circumstance, Cyrus remains relatively overshadowed by the behemoth known as The French Laundry. Often relegated to contingency plans for those unable to secure a reservation at Keller's restaurant, Chef Keane has taken this distinction in stride, focusing his efforts on perfecting his food rather than dwelling on this unfair comparison. While parallels certainly exist between the two restaurants, after enjoying a fabulous dinner at both restaurants I could not help but walk away feeling that Cyrus is every bit as good as that place in Napa where the French did their Laundry.

A Meeting of the Masters at Marea

Has any chef had more success during the tumultuous last two years than Michael White? During this time all he's managed to accomplish is winning a James Beard award for Best New Restaurant, collect his fourth Michelin Star and oh yeah, recently announced an upcoming project with partner Chris Cannon at the Setai Midtown. In the pantheon of New York's best seafood chefs Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin and Dave Pasternack of Esca are situated at the summit. But with the success of Marea, Michael White fully deserves to be mentioned in that same sentence.

Following in the success of the Northern-Italian themed Alto and the Southern-Italian themed Convivio came Marea, White's take on coastal Italian cuisine. Frankly, it takes some chutzpah to open such a grandiose restaurant on Central Park South like Marea during such a precarious time for restaurants. Fortunately, for both chef White and the rest of us, his gamble paid off with a wonderful new addition to the Manhattan dining scene.

So of virtually all the restaurants I could have chosen for my recent birthday meal, Marea was my first choice. In addition to being given three stars by the New York Times and a star by the Michelin guide in 2010, Marea offered two of the most talked about dishes of the past year: their Ricci, crostini topped with Santa Barbra Sea Urchin, Lardo and Sea Salt; and their Fusilli with Red Wine Braised Octopus and Bone Marrow. Needless to say I was pretty excited when MW told me she got a dinner reservation at Marea.