L2O: Life After Gras

It seemed too good to be true. One superstar chef (Laurent Gras) paired with Chicago's most prominent restaurateur (Rich Melman of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises) and voilà... Three Michelin Stars later and L2O was the talk of all Chicago. Of course, it was too good to be true. Gras abruptly departed the restaurant.

If Alinea is considered Chicago's preeminent restaurant, then its runner up was once again in question. Shrouded in mystery, relatively few reports surfaced on the status of L2O post Gras, making planning our vacation all the more difficult. Considering how fiercely competitive the industry is, losing a marquee chef such as Gras can be a defining moment for a restaurant; often forcing it into a sink-or-swim situation.

JBF LTD: Laurent Gras

With food trucks becoming a fixture into the New York dining scene, it seems as though yet another L.A. food trend has found its way to the Big Apple. They're called pop-ups, and much like food trucks, it appears the concept just might stick around. Roughly defined, a pop-up is a temporary restaurant installation, with "temporary" being the operative term. Chef Ludo Lefebvre popularized the form when his LudoBites restaurant literally "popped-up" six times in five different locations, quickly selling out on each occasion. Naturally it was only a matter of time before pop-ups started appearing in New York. And, after the success of John Fraser's What Happens When, it was all but assured that more would soon follow.

Le Bernardin: Second Time's a Charm

Even to this day, I still remember feeling dismayed as MW and I departed from Le Bernardin from a celebratory birthday dinner in 2009. As one of only seven restaurants currently boasting four stars from the New York Times, an impressive three Michelin Stars, as well as a near perfect score by Zagat, it's all but assured that Le Bernardin is widely considered the best seafood restaurant in New York City-- if not in all of America. Add into the equation the fact that the restaurant's kitchen is led by celebrity Chef, Eric "The Ripper" Ripert, and our disappointment was compounded. Surely there must have been something wrong with us, how else could a restaurant such with so many accolades and critical praise be so mediocre!?

The Chef's Table at Good Luck

Just last month I posted about a dinner my family and I enjoyed at Good Luck. Rapidly becoming my favorite restaurant in the Rochester area, Good Luck's combination of great cocktails and inspired food more than convinced me that a return was in order. So after seeing that the restaurant recently started to offer a Chef's Table, I immediately began planning my return. In my previous post, I concluded by saying that with Chef Dan Martello's talents, Good Luck would soon establish itself as a heavyweight in the Rochester dining scene, eventually requiring a bit of "luck" just to secure a future reservation. If only I had known how true my own words were at that moment...and as fate would have it, I would end up needing that luck (via a last minute cancellation) to reserve the Chef's Table.

Journey to Esca

My mom wanted good seafood. Naturally, I pushed for Marea. However, The DA wrote it up earlier in the year, and I had gone later in the Summer. To my mom, that meant it was off limits, as she wants me to have new content for the blog. Thus, I don't get to eat at Marea again, but everyone still wins. Esca was the next obvious choice (and somewhere we'd wanted to try for a while).

Before getting to the heart of the post, let me first apologize for the crappy cell phone camera pictures. But you get what you pay for (until someone is willing to buy me a camera and I decide that I'm comfortable taking photos in restaurants). However, to combat the lack of pretty pictures, I present the tenuously relevant video for "Separate Ways" by Journey, which was playing over the speakers when we first sat down (with Eighties greatest hits the rest of the night as well).



I sincerely hope that it's now stuck in your head (along with the mental image of Steve Perry "breakin' the chains" over and over again). Regardless, the food from Chef Dave Pasternack (see this New Yorker profile, which is a fantastic read) and owners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich was much better than the music.

72-Hour Lobsterfest in Portland, ME

J's Oyster

In an attempt to escape the infernal heat plaguing New York, as well as providing a convenient excuse to gorge on fresh lobster, I joined MW and her family for a trip to Port Elizabeth, Maine. Arriving late Saturday with a hungry party of eight and having no reservations, we naively asked and were promptly rejected by the hostess at Street and Co. Regrouping, MW and I were able to get a table at the nearby J's Oyster. Little more than a locals bar on the water's edge that just so happens to serve food, J's seemed anything but pretentious. Featured on No Reservations, showing Anthony Bourdain happily scarfing down steamers with beer, J's was filled with locals sharing the latest gossip and food over ice cold beers.

West Coast Brunch Bets: Mama's on Washington Square

Throughout San Francisco a great brunch debate rages on. The source of this friction can be attributed to two restaurants: Mama's on Washington Square and Dottie's True Blue Cafe. Both restaurants serve up delicious brunch staples such as fluffy pancakes, french toast and countless varieties of eggs, and each morning legions of fans line up outside to get their fill. Since Dottie's menu doesn't change, coupled with the fact that we were staying until midweek, MW and I decided to try Mama's first and sample their brunch specials. Located on Stockton Street, Mama's is renown for their long lines, homemade jams and fresh seafood specials.

Left Coast Vacation 2010: Day 4 - Trefethen Winery and Swan Oyster Depot

It should come as no surprise to readers of my posts (that is, if there are any) that MW and I enjoy Rieslings, so for our final morning in Napa we decided to visit arguably, the best in the valley. In spite of the phrase, "cab is king," the dry rieslings from Trefethen Winery have gained some impressive endorsements, along with being featured in this New York Times article. The Trefethen estate is massive in size, dwarfing all of the other wineries we visited. After being led on a short, but informative tour we got to down to business and began the tastings. While neither of us fell in love with any particular wines, even the oft-written about dry riesling, I'd recommend a visit if you are looking for something different than sampling cab after cab.

A Summer Snapshot of NYC: Cheeky Sandwiches

White peeling paint everywhere. Caricatures of random people covering the back walls. Black guy behind the counter in a dress shirt and tie, still steampunk cool and taking lunch orders despite the oppressive heat. I quickly place my order for a 1/2 and 1/2 po' boy, fried oysters and shrimp. Two heavily tatted men working the fryers start preparing my shrimp and oysters for the hot oil.

I grab a Big-Shot Cola and sit on a tiny, unbalanced stool at a creaky, white bench which serves as a makeshift table. My t-shirt sticks to me as sweat drips down my back. There's an air conditioning unit at the back of the shop, which is about the size of a tiny studio apartment, but any circulating air does not register even a mere five feet away. I look up at the corrugated metal roof, which adds to the mood but seems to radiate more heat. It's so hot that my glasses steam up, barely balancing on my nose. I grab a bunch of napkins to stay dry. Sticky everywhere.

A tourist family from the Midwest is asking for restaurant recommendations. They want to go to Lombardi's, but as usual, more knowledgeable folks steer them in other directions.

Through the small window on the street, I could be anywhere: New Orleans, Brooklyn, Orchard Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It's like a time/space warp. Everything seems to move a little slower, but my sandwich comes out quickly.

The po boy tastes like the sea-- sand and the ocean floor. Briny. I was going to ask for hot sauce, but I took a bite and realized that the perfect amount had already been added. The batter has a slight peppery kick and plenty salt, with a splash of lemon and mayo bringing everything together. I momentarily forget the heat and focused completely on this incredible sandwich before me.

from http://cheekysandwiches.com/

I debate a second sandwich, but the girl sitting next to me steals my thunder when, after wolfing down a po' boy, she orders a chicken biscuit, sparking the counterman's interest as they start to chat. I figure I shouldn't cramp his style and head outside, leaving New Orleans and returning to the Lower East Side sun. City still too hot, I need a cold beer.

Cheeky Sandwiches
35 Orchard Street (btwn Hester and Canal)
Lower East Side, NY

http://cheekysandwiches.com/

Left Coast Vacation 2010: Day 1 - Oxbow Public Market and Hog Island Oyster Company

This is part 1 of a series of posts about my vacation to San Francisco and the Napa Valley.

The first day of our vacation was ironically our most hectic. Our six hour flight from JFK to San Francisco was seamless and had me wishing my experience with the rental car counter was half as smooth. After finally getting our rental car we headed to Napa with empty stomachs, resisting the temptation to settle for airport food. Needing sustenance, MW and I decided to grab a light lunch before checking into our bed and breakfast and chose to visit Hog Island Oyster Company's Napa location in the Oxbow Public Market.

The Oxbow Public Market was pretty sleepy on a Tuesday afternoon and although MW and I wanted to peruse the rest of the market in greater detail we were on a tight schedule and headed straight to Hog Island. Started in 1983, Hog Island Oyster is a celebrated company practicing sustainable oyster farming in Tomales Bay, located 40 miles north of San Francisco and works closely with with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Known for their impeccably fresh farm-raised oysters, Hog Island has been featured on Avec Eric.

Sticking with the Original at Pearl Oyster Bar

Question: when is paying $24 for a sandwich considered reasonable?

Answer: when that sandwich is stuffed with fresh LOBSTER!

For a bunch of non-New Englanders, New Yorkers sure love lobster rolls. Each year as the temperature outside rises so too does demand for this New England classic. Fortunately, New York offers a vast array of options for lobster addicts to get their "fix;" ranging from full-fledged restaurants to even an underground operation ran out of a Brooklyn apartment. So with all of these options who makes the best lobster roll? As with any Chowhound thread entitled "the best..." there is never a consensus and I usually avoid such nonsense. Like mayonnaise on your lobster roll? Go to Mary's Fish Camp (Manhattan or Brooklyn location). Prefer yours au naturel? Head to Luke's Lobster. From gourmet (BLT Fish) to spartan (Red Hook Lobster Pound) the possibilities are limitless. But when I'm jonesing for a lobster roll I head to Pearl Oyster Bar, and it seems I'm not alone as the place is packed each night. Come too late and you run the risk that Pearl will sell out of their signature item.