Financier Patisserie - pure heaven!

I tried the Financier Patisserie this past week. My diet would be happier if I had not. The coffee is rich, and the rich cocoa powder available to add must come directly from Belgium as it is so amazing.

After passing the incredible pastries show cased as you wait in line many times without considering ordering one ( you know, 'cause Mom says they never taste as good as they look, and frankly usually she is right), one day I was having a craving. And they had chocolate eclairs. So I ordered one. Wow - the pastry was fresh and light, the filling was a rich thick chocolaty pudding rivaling my chocolate cream pie filling, and the icing was glossy and sweet. Normally I'm expecting bavarian cream in an eclair, and normally the chocolate filling would have been a huge disappointment. This was not a normal pastry from a normal bakery. This was a freshly made eclair - same day I swear - with a balance of flavors and textures that were exquisite.

Now I have to seriously force myself to walk on by that case. But, if I am going to purchase a treat, it will be at Financier Patisserie!

Scrappy Gen and Ben's Deli

My good friend Jennifer prepared this fabulous post for your reading pleasure - Enjoy!

Two visits two New York City in less than two months is a record for me. We had lunch with Suzee on October 23 and last Saturday I was back again, but I didn’t have time to see my old (as in long time, not age) friend.

Promises, Promises, playing at the Broadway Theatre, was the destination for my parents, my aunt, my sister and me. My Aunt is a big fan of Burt Bacharach, the music composer, and this was her last chance to see the musical, which closes on January 2. Sean Hayes was hysterical in the leading role and Kristin Chenoweth has a beautiful voice. The original movie, The Apartment, was a fairly serious one, but this show is fun and highly enjoyable.



We took the train to Grand Central Station from New Haven and arrived with a couple of hours during which to eat lunch. My Aunt’s friend had recommended that we try Ben’s Kosher Deli on 38th Street, a short ten or fifteen minute walk from the train station.

We were there early for lunch at 11:45 and quickly got a table. Before we had our coats off, we had been served big bowls of coleslaw and pickles, both dill and half sour. All three were crunchy and delicious.

The menu has a very large selection, but a couple of items appealed to our whole group; the famous Ben’s stuffed cabbage, the matzah ball soup, the hot pastrami on rye and the potato pancakes.

We all declared the stuffed cabbage a winner. The sauce tasted slightly sweet. The appetizer serving of one cabbage is enough for a lunch meal. Of course, we didn’t stop there and also had a half a pastrami on rye. The pastrami was tasty, but could have been better with a little less fat. My Dad had the matzah ball soup. I tasted the matzah ball and it was light and well peppered. The only item none of us loved was the potato pancake. Maybe it was New York style. We were hoping for a lighter, crisper pancake.

The service was good and quick, particularly considering it was the height of the shopping season. Would we make a return trip to Ben’s? Yes. In fact, I don’t have a choice as my husband, MJ, is not very happy that he missed out on the meal and has vowed that we will return. Perhaps to attend Boychick’s Bar Mitzvah.

Before we left New York to return to New Haven, my Mom and Aunt wanted to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. Doing this on a Saturday evening in late December is not something that I recommend, unless you are really good with crowds. It was absolutely crazy, but we did glimpse the tree.

My favorite part of our trip though was seeing these talented fellows:

The Salvation Army employees were singing and dancing their hearts out with microphones and karaoke. They gathered big crowds as they worked their magic and people dusted off their hearts and dug deep into their pockets to show their appreciation. It was a neat thing to see.

All in all, we had a great trip to New York and loved Ben’s Kosher Deli. The only thing missing from the trip was seeing Suzee.

Suzee,

How about Ben’s and shopping in January?

Love,

Scrappy Gen

Murray Hill Haunt - The Wharf

I think I have found another good pub in Murray Hill! Yay! I stopped at The Wharf after doing power Christmas shopping. The best time to find a cool pub - when your feet hurt from walking all over town, and your packages are getting heavy. Trudge in the door, plop all your bags on the seat next to you at the bar, and gratefully sit down. If you are lucky, they will have Blue Point Toasted Lager on tap!

I saw on the specials board that the soup of the day was potato cheddar with bacon. Oh my. It warms the soul and dances on your tongue. It really should be on the regular menu, it's so fabulous!

I admit, in addition to the food, the other thing a cool pub requires are chairs with backs. Now these are the tables in the bar area - note there are not any backs to these chairs. The bar chairs have backs though :) I think it's important to have full disclosure.














After a cup of that incredible soup, I enjoyed the lobster macaroni and cheese. I told the bar tender - I'm a lobster snob. Is it really good? And she assured me she'd just had some last week, and she was pleasantly surprised how good it was. So was I! Yum!!!

The dish was appropriately cheesey with a decidedly cheddar slant. The pasta was cooked well - nothing mushy about it. Since the lobster consisted of claws and knuckles, I'd assume this was frozen fare, but in combination with the cheddar flavor, it really tasted fresh! There was a smattering of crunchy breadcrumbs on top - if you are into that you will be pleased. I'm not, but I still liked them.







If you find yourself in the Murray Hill area, ignore all the other pubs on Frat Row (aka 3rd Avenue in this area), and head straight to The Wharf. Good stuff there!

Jen and MJ visit NYC!

Jen and MJ planned a whirl wind trip to NYC for their 22nd wedding anniversary, and their 2 youngest luckily got to join as well. The only unfortunate part (well besides MJ being drenched in 3 belini's) was that it was a short visit. I met the clan outside Macy's and well all walked a few blocks to Legend's outside the Empire State Building.

We chatted and ate, and ate and chatted. Noah and MJ enjoyed 3 TVs worth of sports, with the occasional joke to share with the table. Jen, Molly and I talked fashion, college and girl talk, along with possible tentative plans to make another trip for Molly's 16th birthday in a little over a year.

Jen reminded me I hadn't seen her in over 6 years :( I sure hope the next visit doesn't take that long because this was a fun one :)

Lunch in Grand Central

I met Rick for lunch at Grand Central this week. I haven't been here since working at the Palace, and it was funny how I saw it with fresh eyes. The windows are so beautiful, allowing a lot of natural light into the main hall. The architecture is amazing - I don't know of any other place like it.

We ate at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse - at the bar, and enjoyed some burgers and fries. We ordered our meat medium rare, and it definitely arrived medium well unfortunately. The draw here of course is being in the great hall, watching the world go by.

Suzee's Birthday Evening!

After work on Thursday, we had reservations for a recommended restaurant on Open Table at 7:30 - just enough time to stop sweating, freshen up on put on some special duds! We strolled down the street to Marcony. Now I've passed this unassuming entrance many times, but my goodness, I had no idea what magic happens beyond those front doors!

We were offered our option of tables, and we selected the back balcony for our meal. We were able to look at the entire dining room, and enjoy the gorgeous handmade chandelier. And amuse busche was brought out immediately - homemade cheese ravioli which had been toasted and dressed with a light marinara. Oh my - nice bites :)

We ordered cocktails to start, and I have to tell you, these are truely works of art. I selected the TRE VOLTE – It was described in the menu as a lovely blend of Ketel Citroen, falanghina bianco, limoncello and muddled basil. It was very lovely, and and such a wonderful melange of flavors. Rick selected the Elana Cocktail – a combination of Grey Goose Poire, a touch of elderflower and a topping of prosecco. It was lovely as well - I thought it might be overly pear like, but no, subtle hints of flavors - nothing hitting you over your head. The person who created these cocktails is a true mixologist in my opinion.

 
For appetizers, I selected the grilled shrimp and avocado special. The shrimp was fresh and perfectly cooked, and the avocado was a beautiful pale green, nary a blemish, and smooth and savory.

Rick selected the beet salad - it was very fresh, and he enjoyed the golden and red beets.

Now, there were a number of specials this evening - a list so long that I could not remember them. If I were to give any feedback at all to this lovely restaurant, it would be to leave a hard copy of the specials after they are verbally delivered.

At any rate I asked the server for help deciding between the branzino special and the chilean sea bass which is on the regular menu. The branzino it was, and the fish was perfectly cooked, and fabulously fresh. You all know how hard I look for fresh seafood, and how I'm not easily pleased in the city that doesn't sleep. I was very pleased this evening! The branzino was fresh fresh fresh and perfectly cooked :)

Rick ordered the black angus sirloin steak, medium rare. The steak was very flavorful, but definitely more on the medium side, which is great for Rick. It's just always good to know how the chef views medium rare vs medium or rare. The dish came with a light mushroom gravy that he did not care for at all. I thought it was tasty, but I do like my mushrooms.

With our meals, a trio of complementary tastes were brought - roasted new potatoes which were very hot, and then cool sauteed zucchini and a cool eggplant dip. Very tasty!

I wore this ring and bracelet set with my birthday dress - I bought these when we were at York Beach, Maine at the Daisy Trading Company. I've gotten so many complements, and the bracelet is a nice size so it's nice and loose :)

After Marcony, we decided to go out and party a little more - it was a celebration after all :) We ordered some wine at the Banc Cafe and chit chatted about love and life. When the wine was gone we were ready for dessert, and ordered this apple torte. It was not as good as mom makes, but it was nice to have a little something sweet to share.

And, on the way home, we saw the Empire State Building was lit up for a celebration. Looks like many people were having a good time in the city.

Rick Made It to the Brooklyn Bridge!

Rick has been meaning to make it to the Brooklyn Bridge. It's one of those modern marvels that continues to be classic and beautiful.

After the bridge we stopped down at Pier 17, sniffing around for a late lunch and something cold to drink. We stopped at Sequoia. Now, the seaport in Manhattan is not known for culinary delights, so my expectations were low. Unfortunately they were not low enough.

After some soup, we moved over to the Water Taxi Beach. I've written about the beach before, but they have actually added more sand, and this really was a huge improvement. We took off our sandals and stretched out with our toes in the sand. It was very quiet - just a couple of families with small children there. And no cover. We had a couple of 6 Points made by the Brooklyn Brewery - and I have to say, I think this is my favorite one from the Brooklyn Brewery! After enjoying the breeze on the water, and good conversation, we made our way back home.

Pomaire, romantic and delicious!

I went with Marlene to Pomaire before a show. I'd found it on line, and the reviews were good (an oddity in the online world in NYC - people really say exactly what they think!) The actual restaurant lived up to all the hype, which is all the better!

Pomaire serves traditional Chilean food in a cozy relaxing atmosphere. Be sure to get a reservation via Open Table, otherwise you will be sitting at the bar or at a communal table. Not a bad place to be, but I think good to know ahead of time.

I actually ordered based on the mentiones in the reviews of the empanadas, the Pastel de Choclo, the Pisco Sour and the Sangria.

Marlene arrived early to the city - she heard there was a 45 minute back up at the Lincoln Tunnel so she left early, but in actuality there was no delay at all. No problem - I met her here at Pomaire earlier than our reservation. When I arrived, she had a gorgeous glass of Pinot Noir going. I knew what I wanted to try - the Pisco Sour. Pisco is a brandy made from muscat grapes and a liquor that is favored in Chile. The cocktail is made with lemon juice and confectioners sugar, and garnishe with a slice of lemon and a grape. Served in a champagne flute, it is a nice little start to the evening. Not too sour from the juice, and surprisingly a gorgeous balance between the brandy and the juice/sugar combination. If you've never had one, this is the signature cocktail here at Pomaire. It was nice to be at the bar before the rush, because we were able to chat up the bartender (who is the owner until the actually bartender arrives), and hear about the cocktails and how they are made. When the real bartender arrived, she told us about the Robinson Caruso Cocktail which is like a mojito but made with Pisco brandy.
We moved to the dining room, and Marlene decided she needed to try the Robinson Caruso, and I was interested in trying the red Sangria (which also has Pisco in it). I tasted Marlene's drink, but took a sip from the glass rather than the straw. I guess all the sugar is at the bottom so it tastes sweet as you drink it. She loved it. My Sangria was gorgeous and complex and light - everything I could ask for!
Marlene agreed we should try the dishes from the reviews, and as indicated in the reviews, don't fill up on the delicious bread. They serve savory pastry squares and rolls that are warm and wonderful. We ordered the Empanada and the owner suggested the seafood version so we went with it. We told him we were going to share it, so he said he would have it cut in half in the kitchen and serve it with some winter greens. It was delicious and seriously - one emanada could have been dinner so I'm glad we shared. It was even more amazing with the salsa condiment on the table. Now this is not mexican spicy salsa - more of a fresh fully flavored salsa. You don't miss the kick because the other spices are so interesting.
For dinner we had the Pastel de Choclo, a meat, chicken and corn pie. The ground meat and shredded chicken were nicely flavored with spices and a good amount of minced sauteed onion. There were also raisins and olives in there (I love dishes with the flavor of olives, but I really don't like whole olives so I picked those out easily). The topping of the pie was a cross between polenta and cornbread - very delicious adding great corn flavor. This dish is served in a clay pot, and is incredibly hot when it arrives, but stays nicely warm as you eat your dinner slowly.
At this stage of the game we are totally stuffed. We decided to save dessert for our next visit. We knew we'd be coming back sometime because it was a wonderful locale with gorgeous food and service.

El Rio Grande

Rick and I went out for a late brunch today - around 4:00 we made our way over El Rio Grande which is on the second floor over Duke's on 38th and 3rd. You access the restaurant and spacious outdoor patio from 38th Street. You will pay a premium for eating on this spacious deck, but it's all good when the weather is amazing like it was today.

We sat and ordered a pitcher of red sangria after the waitress raved about it. It was rather kool-aid like - I'm not sure we would order it again, but it was a nice drink in the sun, so maybe we would... Just don't expect a complex rich sangria that you might get at a good cuban place or better yet, Dos Caminos.

We got a basket of crunchy corn tortilla chips - the thick and heavy ones, and a few bowls of delicious salsa - the salsa is smoky and spicy but not overly so...

Rick was so good - he ordered the Fajita Salad with steak - they cooked it to order - medium rare - but it arrived cold unfortunately. I ordered the chicken enchiladas with refried beans, and it also came with rice. There was just enough cheese so there was some, but my 2 enchiladas were filled only with chicken, nicely cooked, so I didn't feel too badly about the calories which must have been fewer than ususal for chicken enchiladas which are swimming in cheese.

El Rio Grande is close enough to the apartment that it will probably be a summer staple. I won't forget about my beloved Baby Bo's though :)

DBDG and The Lower East Side

We spent some time today walking around the lower east side before our reservations for DBDG. This is the New Museum which opened not too long ago - one of the first museums to open in years. Maybe next time we'll take a stroll through.

We took the 6 train to Bleeker street and it was within a couple blocks of the restaurant. We'd left a little early to walk around and to be able to make our reservation in the even there was a train issue.

We stopped at the Bowery Wine Company around the corner from DBDG, and had a glass of pinot grigio. The wind outside was stirring up lots of winter dirt sand, so it was good to step inside rather than walk around on this particular day :)
When we got to DBDG we were sat immediately in the back dining room - it was a nice room with some alcoved banquettes for larger parties. What was nice was that all the families with gobs of rugrats were in those alcoves, so the dining room was still like a dining room and not like Chucky Cheese. Bonus!

The cocktail menu includes 6 (that is S-I-X) pages of beer alone. I hadn't heard of a single solidary one, and all were over 5% alcohol. I decided I may as well have the White Cosmo from the Daniel Baloud empire :) FYI - they are quite nicer at Daniel, but ok here.

We started with the asparagus and fried egg appetizer - the egg was wrapped in a crispy coating and the liquid yolk was so delicious with the asparagus and bits of ham on the plate. I would go back for this dish alone.

Rick had the steak frites - a rib eye with wonderfully crisp french fries - and lots of 'em!

I ordered the house made cavatappi with (get this) bird song shrimps, sauteed spinach and sauce americaine (which is an alfredo with lobster essence and REALLY delicious). You can see the little rolls of pasta have these edges for capturing the lovely sauce, but as Rick pointed out, they kinda look like a bowl of Gagh. For you non Trekkies, that is the squiggly wormy things that the Klingons enjoy eating so much. I said no way - these don't move. Anyway, don't let that visual stop you from trying this dish - it really was lovely.

After we decided to stop at Slainte after for a lite beer as there were none at DBDG. It was a nice light bubble water for the ride home :) But you can see here the offer lots of full flavored options :)