Asellina in the Gansevoort Park Hotel

My latest piece on The Strong Buzz is about a dinner I recently had at Asellina, the restaurant in the semi-new Gansevoort Park Hotel. I'm still dreaming about the stuffed olives... Check it out:

"Asellina"

The Meatpacking District has its draws: The Highline, Jeffrey, DVF, and the Standard Grill come to mind -the neighborhood does tend to exude a certain aura of pretension. It's definitely not where you want to go out if you're looking to save some cash. Stop in at the Gansevoort, located near the corner of 9th Avenue and Little West 12th Street and you may find it hard to justify elbowing your way through the snooty model-types just to pay $20 for a cocktail.

So when the Gansevoort Hotel Group opened a second NYC location in Gramercy, the last thing I was expecting was an approachable neighborhood restaurant with cocktails under $15 a pop. But that's precisely what they did with Asellina, a 10,000-square foot Italian restaurant located in the new Gansevoort Park Hotel.

The restaurant, which I visited on a cold rainy night, was designed by iCrave, the design firm behind such hotspots as STK, Tenjune and Crobar. It's lit by a fireplace, and despite its football field size, it somehow feels warm and cozy; it's a place you'll want to stay a while. A beautiful bar made of dark wood runs the entire length of the front room and is surrounded by several matching tables. Off to the side of the bar is an intimate lounge that is the perfect spot to relax over cocktails ($14, a $6 savings over the MePa).

The atmosphere at Asellina is truly delightful, loud enough to feel the room's bustling energy, but quiet enough to carry on a conversation without shouting. Our waiter was a charmer with a thick Italian accent who never let our water glasses go empty and kept up a perfect pace for the entire meal. When a friend showed up to join us for dinner, he kindly moved us to a great low table in the corner of the restaurant that was surrounded by comfortable couches. This allowed us to sit back, relax and enjoy our evening as the food was promptly delivered to the table.

The kitchen is under the care of chef Marco Porceddu, who hails from Sardinia. He most recently worked in Las Vegas at Bella Luna, a place he opened after a stint with Steve Wynn. He's clearly one who wants to please every appetite. His dinner menu begins with Antipasti and Flatbreads, moves on to Pastas (Primi) and Entrées (Secondi); it offers enough variety for a meal of a little bite with a glass of wine or a multi-course feast. We went for the feast options, starting off with the Burrata cheese and stuffed cerignola olives, followed up with the sausage and goat cheese flatbread, and the pasta with pistachios and lobster, and the sea bass special.

The Burrata was as luscious as you'd imagine: a kind of love child of cheese, butter and sour cream. It's served with both red and yellow tomatoes, and drizzled with a beautifully nutty olive oil. We finished every last bite. The olives were olives in name only. Just small enough to eat whole, they arrived stuffed with roasted veal and Parmesan, then very lightly fried to a crispy finish. Salty and rich, but not at all greasy, they vanished quite rapidly.

The sausage flatbread was quite good, an easy dish to share with a beer at the bar, but the dish that stole the show was the pasta with pistachio nuts and fresh lobster meat. The nuttiness of the pistachios somehow made the lobster meat even sweeter. It was something I'd never tasted before, and a dish I hope to have again and again.

The sea bass arrived was perfectly cooked, and flaked apart under my fork and melted in my mouth just as the Burrata had a few courses back. But perhaps we could have skipped a course or two, because we were officially full.

I enjoyed a strong Espresso for dessert and sat enjoying conversation with my dining companions for hours. Our waiter never rushed us, never made us feel us feel unwelcome and urged us to stay as long as we wanted. As stepped back out into the rain, I didn't even mind the nasty weather because of the wonderful experience I had just had at Asellina. I got all the perks of dining at a Gansevoort-quality restaurant, but none of the pompous attitude.

Asellina is located at 420 Park Ave S E 29th St, (212) 317-2908.

Let's Eat!

-The Fabulous Foodie

Girls Night at The Hurricane Club

As far as NYC restaurants go, bigger isn’t necessarily always better. Some of my favorite spots are tiny, like Tre in the Lower East Side and Frank in the East Village. But sometimes, a gigantic restaurant captures my heart (and my stomach) like Buddakan in the Meatpacking District. Last week, I had dinner plans with 3 of my girlfriends and we all really wanted to eat at The Hurricane Club on 26th & Park in Gramercy. I had only ever been for drinks and was dying to try the food, so after a few drinks at Wilfe & Nell to celebrate a friend’s new job, Sam, Colby, Caitlin & I were in a cab to The Hurricane Club. It’s worth mentioning that we had the worst cab driver in the history of cab drivers, but I digress.

When you walk into the Hurricane Club, you instantly note how huge it is. High ceilings only add to it and the dim lighting gives the room a sexy, mysterious vibe. It feels like you’ve just walked into a jungle with lush greenery and a beautiful bar in the center of the room.We sat down in a massive booth made to hold 6 people and opened the drink menus.Colby & Caitlin both ordered the #58; dark rum, caramelized banana, lime & mint, Sam opted for the #28; Sapphire, ginger, grapefruit and a ginger-salt rim, and I (of course) got the #21; Ketel One (fave), cucumber (other fave), Lillet & lime. When the drinks came out, I was excited to see mine was a brilliant cucumber-y green.The drink had a wonderful cucumber flavor and was very refreshing.

Now it was on to the important stuff – the food! We decided to split 3 appetizers and each order our own entrée. We shared the PB & Guava Jam Sandwiches with Prosciutto & Thai Basil, the BBQ Chicken Cones and the Tuna Tartar Special. Everyone was excited about the PB & Jam Sandwiches, and while I was a little disappointed that they were so tiny, they were incredible.Never have I thought to put Prosciutto and Peanut Butter together, but I will certainly do it from now on. The blend of both savory ingredients with the sweet jam made for a rich, delicious dish that we all enjoyed. The Tuna Tartar was bright red but nothing too special. The crackers that it came with were also good, but again, meh. It was pretty standard, and at those prices, I expect the food to knock my socks off. My socks definitely stayed put.Finally, the BBQ Chicken Cones were also good, but not amazing. The waiter had recommended them, and if you’re going to go out of your way to recommend something, it should be great. The presentation was beautiful but the flavors fell a little short.So, we were one for three on our appetizers and were all hoping our entrees would make up for it. Caitlin and I both ordered the Filet Mignon with Shitake Mushrooms & Roasted Sesame Hollandaise (mine rare, hers medium), Sam ordered the Red Curry Scallops and Colby ordered the Spice-Crusted Shrimp with Coconut Cream. I was planning to order the Ginger Scallion Dover Sole Amadine but our waiter regretfully informed us that they had just run out. Bummer. We also ordered the Hawaiian Fried Rice in Hot Stone Bowl to share.

A waitress quickly brought over our rice, and the presentation was awesome. All the ingredients sat together in the bowl; the rice, an egg, some pineapple, avocado and more, and she mixed it for us at the table.We were told to let the rice sit for a few minutes so it could cook in the bowl, but the smell got the best of us and we couldn’t wait very long.We scooped ourselves heaping portions as our meals were delivered to the table. The portions were rather generous and everything smelled delicious. My steak was wonderful, tender and juicy with just the right amount of spices. I scraped off some of the Hollandaise because I’m not a huge fan of the sauce in general and I forgot to ask them to leave it off. I was thoroughly happy with my order.I cut into the steak and was thrilled at the perfectly rare center I had requested.Unfortunately Caitlin wasn’t as lucky. She had told the waiter she didn’t want “any blood” but what she got was brown meat with a tiny pink strip. Not charred, but definitely not perfectly medium. The waiter took her steak back to fire her another portion, as he should have at $34 a pop. Her steak came back out cooked much more rare the second time, but I think this steak made her a believer in the benefits of rare meat. She loved the steak and even said she’d order it medium rare next time. Horray for another rare meat convert! (You’re next, Jill.)

Sam’s scallops were great too, accompanied by a semi-sweet coconut curry sauce that complimented the scallops perfectly. I’m pretty sure they were Japanese Scallops, not sea scallops, as they were flatter than I’m used to. Regardless, they were yummy. Colby’s shrimp came out with the entire shell intact, which I’m not crazy about, but once I tasted the dish it didn’t matter. The shrimp were also very good, a curious blend of spices made for a unique flavor that I truly enjoyed, and it seemed that she enjoyed it as well.

We didn’t leave any room for dessert, so we asked for the check. The waiter was kind enough to remove Caitlin’s steak from the tab, so when all was said and done it worked out to be about $60 a person for the entire meal. I have no problem paying for a great meal, but I’m not sure I would call this meal “great.” It was unique and it was good, but I wasn’t completely impressed. I definitely want to go back and try a few of the other items on the menu. I try not to give a restaurant a negative rating until I’ve gone there more than once, so let’s just say that The Hurricane Club needs to work a little harder next time to get a rave review out of me.

Do you usually send food back if it’s not cooked to your liking? I have to say that overdone red meat is about the only thing I ever send back. I like my red meat bloody! If you want proof, just look at my pictures from my dinner at Peter Luger.

Let’s Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

Winter Restaurant Week: A Recap

As I've mentioned before, I love NYC Restaurant Week the way a 5 year old loves a trip to Disney World. As soon as the restaurants are announced on nycgo, I go into a frenzy of menu-reading, Open Table reservation-making & emailing friends to invite them to join. I changed a few of the reservations I had initially made for Restaurant Week (had to cancel Primehouse & Nobu), and here is where I eventually landed:

1. BONDST to celebrate my birthday with Lauren & Jill
2. Riverpark with Patrick & 2 other couples
3. Mercer Kitchen with some more of the girls

BONDST is a constant favorite of mine during Restaurant Week and, to be honest, every other week of the year. The vibe is sexy, the food is incredible & the drinks are delicious. For my meal, I chose the Tofu Miso Soup, the Salmon Avocado & Spicy Tuna Rolls, and the New York Strip Steak with Caramelized Shallot Teriyaki & 12-year-old Balsamic. Every dish also comes with Spicy Crispy Shrimp, Age Dashi Tofu and a Steamed Chicken Dumpling. For dessert, I had the Ricotta Cup.The flavor of the Miso Soup was rich, the rolls were the perfect ratio of rice to fish and were incredibly fresh and the steak was a medium-rare masterpiece. Tender, juicy and packed with flavor, I savored every bite of the meat. The 3 accompanying sides were also delicious, each bite was a bold new flavor. And yes, I even enjoyed my dessert, the savory (not sweet at all) Ricotta Cup.

Riverpark has been on my "must try" list as soon as I first heard about its opening last September. Tom Colicchio is my favorite chef, and since I can't quite afford to dine at Tom Tuesday Dinner (yet!), I've been dying to go. I made a 6-person reservation and drooled over the menu for the weeks leading up to it. When Patrick and I got in a cab and told them "take us as far east across 29th street as possible," we knew this place wouldn't be easy to find. And boy were we right! After wandering around lost for about 10 minutes along the FDR, we ran into 2 of our friends who were just getting out of their cab and were as lost as we were. Together, we investigated the building and finally found a security guard to ask where to go. But, let me tell you this: don't let the location turn you off. This restaurant has both a beautiful decor and delicious food. I ordered the Cavatelli, Lamb & Mint dish for an Appetizer, the Roasted Chicken with Sunchokes as my Entree and the Cinnamon Pana Cotta with Pumpkin Cake for Dessert.The pasta dish was outstanding, the combination of lamb & mint reminded me of a great rack of lamb with mint jelly and the pasta was perfectly al dente. My roasted chicken was juicy and tender and had a delicious crispy skin. While the Panna Cotta was just okay, I think I just don't like Panna Cotta. I'd never had it before, and I just didn't enjoy the texture or the flavor of the dish. Lesson learned.

Finally, Mercer Kitchen. Deep in the heart of Soho, the atmosphere here is similar to BONDST. A hip lounge with food from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, any restaurant in NYC that's been around since 1998 must be doing something right. The 6 of us arrived early for our 8:30 reservation, and we weren't shown to our table until close to 9:30. The staff offered absolutely no apology, but we did get a nice corner table in the busy restaurant. For this meal, I decided not to order from the Restaurant Week menu because I'd had my share of desserts for the week. I ordered the Pizza Bianco (4 cheese & garlic, hold the red onions) as my Appetizer & the Breast and Confit of Duck with rhubarb, preserved lemon and wild rice as my Entree.I love a good white pizza, and this one was fantastic! The crust was both chewy & crunchy and the cheeses oozed with olive oil & garlic. I didn't want the dish to end! And then when I thought I couldn't be happier with my selection, my Duck came out and I was first surprised at how much food was on the plate. When I bit into the Confit, it was incredibly tender and full of hearty flavor. The Breast of Duck was medium rare, just how I like most of my meat cooked, and the juice from the duck spread out over the plate when I cut into it. It was moist, well- seasoned and practically fell apart in my mouth. I wanted to lick my plate clean, and I wasn't even a little bit jealous when some of the other girls ordered dessert. The service was lacking at Mercer Kitchen, but the food was not.

Now that Winter Restaurant Week has been extended until the end of the month, I may try to visit a few more spots, but overall, I'm very happy with the restaurants I visited this time around. Until Summer Restaurant Week!

What restaurants did you try, in NYC or any other city you may live in? Any suggestions of places I just HAVE to try? I'd highly recommend all 3 places I went, but beware of the bad service at Mercer Kitchen.

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

Brunch Spots: The Bluebell Cafe

When I wake up on the weekends, the only thing I can think of is a big plate of eggs, potatoes & bacon. I like The Bluebell Cafe because it feels like home, and the food tastes like home.

The staff is friendly, the decor is very comfortable & inviting and the food is really good. When Patrick and I went a few weekends ago, I ordered the Bluebell Breakfast for $13.00.

It comes with two eggs any way (I got them sunny-side up), bacon, Cumberland sausage, buttermilk biscuit and potatoes. I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for biscuits, and the one at Bluebell doesn't disappoint. My eggs were perfectly runny, the bacon was crispy and the french fry-like potatoes were delicious. The breakfast also comes with a few pieces of fresh fruit, which makes quite a lot of food for $13. The breakfast also comes with a fresh-squeezed OJ.

Strangely enough, while we were sitting eating our food, a man ran into the restaurant, went into the kitchen, and ran out a few seconds later with the fire extinguisher. It turns out that awning over the store next door had caught on fire, and this man was just walking by when he noticed the fire. Acting quickly, he ran into our restaurant to get the fire extinguisher, and then went and put the fire out before the fire department arrived. That day I had my eggs with a side of excitement!

Has anything exciting or unusual ever happened while you've been out at a restaurant?

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie