L'Ecole

As promised...this is one of my favorite finds in NYC. I first stumbled on this place with Dani while she was visiting. 

I mentioned this dinner in a previous post when I was having a soup memory. 

After a long day of shopping on Canal, Dani and I were hungry and had a few hours before seeing a show uptown. 

Tired and hungry we looked up and saw the French Culinary Institute banner hanging on Broadway. Delighted that they have a restaurant and it looked as if it was begging for us to enter. 

Nice decor. It was early dinner so the lighting was more natural light. A few older guests were sitting in pairs scattered throughout the dining room. 

We sat next to a front window. Always fun when you get a prime spot. The window seating seems to be reserved for inviting guests. When people walk by they see attractive people in the window appearing to have a great time. laughing. eating. looking fabulous. This is what i like to think when I'm seated in one of those prime spots. 

Like the hot slot machine in the front of the casino...lots of bells and whistles. Fun fabulous people attract fun fabulous people. 

It's always a prix fix menu. Changes constantly since it is a school.  The students work to serve. 

Makes you think of Boces...the vocational school in your neighborhood where you can get a $10 hair cut or $5 manicure. 

Always scary, I never have gotten my hair done by a Boces graduate. 

I'm thinking FCI is in a bit of a different category. 

I mean...Bobby Flay went here. 

Dani and I had an amazing meal...butternut squash soup I can still taste and the best shrimps I have ever eaten. We had to rush to see our show. I may admit later who we saw. or maybe not. 

This week it was David's birthday. David is planning on going to FCI in a few weeks so this was a great way to celebrate and kick start his inspiration. 

I ordered Hamachi, then scallops for my fish dish, tenderloin for my meat and the chocolate porcini cake with cardamon caeme and chocolate olive oil sorbet.

The first brought out a muse Busch...or how ever you spell it. Shrimp in a corn chowder. I love corn chowder. So delicious we all took bread to wipe up the soup stuck in the smallest little cups ever. 

Hamachi on a bed of granny smith apple. very refreshing. David had the goat cheese walnut salad. I had appetizer envy. 

the goat cheese was piled upon a cup of walnut sauce and melted perfectly still keeping a consistency that was appealing to the eye and mouth. 

Scallops...delicious. A little big for my taste. Compliments of the chef, the sea bass. That was the winner. 

David had the Salmon, which was cooked perfectly. 

next course. meat. I had the tenderloin in a Burgoyne reduction. So good. they serve it with small bits of Brussels sprouts and tater tots. The best tater tots I've ever had. 

David's choice, the pork chop with a broccoli cream. Broccoli was yummy. Pork was very very under cooked. 

Chef's choice again, they give us the pheasant. The chef is making amazing choices. I now am a huge fan of the Pheasant. 

cleansing break. 

a lovely plate of ricotta cheese sorbet, drops of balsamic to dip the cheese and a few other cute things on the plate that I can't remember. 

desert course. My chocolate porcini cake with cardamon caeme and chocolate olive oil sorbet was interesting. Plating was nice. A little obvious. A fork shaped chocolate imprint, cute...but not really creative. The gingerbread cake was perfection. Light, lovely and a perfect end to a most enjoyable evening. 

Siobhan was our server and a delight. She made suggestions and was right on. 

Mind you we called in for reservations a few hours earlier under the name Samson Simpson. When we arrived the hostess laughed harder than us. Yet we still were seated at a lovely table. 

The entire staff, we assume students and working as homework. Were all quite nice. Very welcoming and seemed to love life. 

Siobhan asked if we had any dietary restrictions. She also remembered even though she made a face when one of us discussed his dislike to cheese. I must agree with Siobhan...how can anyone not like cheese. But she was accepting of this and when the cleansing plate came it was minus goat cheese sorbet. A nice consideration from L'Ecole. 

This is a must.  It's NY at its finest. It could be one of those fine restaurants anywhere. But it's not. It's in a tough city with some of the best restaurants in the world. The instruction at FCI is prided on it's excellence and integrity. 

I'm so excited for David...this could be the start of our next great chef.  At least a nice boy that cooks well. 

I JUST LOVE THIS CITY

The closeness of New Yorkers always amaze me. I was walking  down Bleecker from Christopher Street on my way to the bar. 

Behind me is a couple that appeared from a nearby apt. building. I'm thinking first date. He doesn't plan ahead...not a good sign. He has no idea where to go. She suggests Cafe Habana. I perk up since this is one of my favorite places of all in NYC. Small cafe with very few tables and a small counter. The food is cuban home cooking. Pork is amazing....ah but the corn. the corn. I am pasting the menu for your convenience...but be sure to get the corn. 

Soup of the Day ... 4.50 

Grilled Corn Mexican Style ~  Served with chili powder, lime & cotija cheese ... 3.95 

Sopesitos ~  A sampler of corn cakes topped with black beans, cotija cheese and 3 different salsas ... 6.95 

Taquitos Caseros ~  2 home style tacos your choice of 1 of the following: grilled steak, chicken or roast pork ... 7.50 

Sincronizada ~  Small black bean & sun dried tomato tortillas and Mozarella cheese and avocado ... 6.95 

Sincronizada Toluca ~ Small black bean & sun dried tomato tortillas with Mozarella cheese & chorizo 

served w/ green tomatillo salsa ...7.50 

Ensalada de la Casa ~  House salad served with mixed greens & house vinaigrette ... 6.25 

Ensalada de Mango ~  Fresh diced mango and jicama over mixed greens w/ raspberry vinaigrette ... 8.25 

Grilled Chicken and Corn salad ~  Served over mixed greens with house dressing ... 8.95 

Grilled Steak & Corn Salad ~  Served over mixed greens w/ mustard dressing ... 11.50 

Pozole... 9.75 

Hominy Corn stew served with your choice of chicken or shredded pork garnished with radish & oregano 

Pechuga de Pollo al Pipian... 12.95  

Chicken breast served in a traditional toasted pumpkin seed & tomatillo mole with your choice of rice & beans  

Tlacoyo deTres Marias... 10.95 

Hand formed corn masa”boat” stuffed with goat cheese, black beans & sun dried tomatoes served with rice & beans 

Grilled Steak ... 12.50 

Grilled skirt steak served with your choice of rice & beans 

Roast Pork ... 10.75 

Caribbean style shredded pork served w/ your choice of rice & beans 

Enchiladas de Mole Poblano ... 11.95 

Chicken enchiladas in our homemade chocolate-less mole poblano served w/ rice & beans 

Enchiladas estilo Norteno ... 11.95 

Grilled Steak enchiladas w/ spicy red ranchero sauce w/ rice & beans 

Enchiladas Suizas ... 11.95 

Grilled chicken enchiladas served in a creamy tomatillo sauce w/ rice & beans 

Pollo Mirador ... 12.95 

Sautéed chicken served in a roasted garlic sauce, served w/ spicy sautéed spinach & white rice 

Chuleta de Puerco a la Pimienta ... 12.95 

Grilled pork chop & goat cheese toast w/ our famous wild mushroom & chipotle “au poivre” sauce 

Mejillones con Coco ... 11.95 

Steamed farmed mussels served in a spicy coconut sauce 

Camarones al Ajillo ... 14.50 

Shrimp in spicy garlic sauce served with rice & beans 

Fish of the Day... P/A 

Please ask your about todays’s selection 

Cuban Sandwich ... 9.25 

Roast Pork, ham, Swiss cheese & pickles on pressed cuban bread w/ French fries 

Hamburger/Cheeseburger/Bacon Cheeseburger ... 7.95/8.95/9.95 

Served w/ lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles & French fries 

If you would like to substitute a salad, please add ... 1.50 

Black or Red Beans ... 2.95   White or Yellow Rice ... 2.95  

French Fries ... 2.95 Green or Red Salsa ... 1.25 

   Sweet Plantains ... 2.95 Tostones ... 2.95   

Corn Tortillas(3) ... 1.75   Spicy Sauté Spinach ... 4.95  

   

The original Café Habana still exists in downtown Mexico City, a busy luncheonette where 

in the 1940’s all the famous Cuban Musicians would hang out and share their meals BenyMore, Perez Prado, 

Toña la Negra. Memories of Cuba and Mexico  the sweet smell of home cooking and strong coffee.....enjoy!!

OK...so back to the story. This first couple bore me and I'm in a hurry for a cocktail. So i leave them to decide if they go with her suggestions or he just stands there hemming and hawing. In my head I'm screaming....go have the corn and sister you better dump this tool. 

Moving on...older couple. just passing RARE...she stops and says. hey...that's that burger place. He says. Yes. Lets go. 

Mind you this couple has lived a life. Perhaps in their 50's maybe 60's. He's carrying a case for a bass. she's fabulous with streaks of gray in her hair and wearing uggs. I picture them to be Harry and Mimi...or something cute and catchy. He calls her Mim's . She calls him you big ass, but he loves it and they have been holding hands for 40 years. 

Rare Bar and Grill

http://www.rarebarandgrill.com/

Rare at Bleecker Street...the one I go to. 

address: 228 Bleecker Street

@ 6th Ave & Carmine

phone: (212) 691-RARE (7273)

fax: (212) 691-7272

Our Murray's Cheese this week is 

Aged Cheddar

Special cheddar made in Vermont, made from jersey cow milk, aged for one year

They have these mini burgers that are almost too cute to eat. Almost as cute as Harry and Mimi. But you must savor each one. They change up the choices of the burgers...but I have yet to find a burger that i don't like. 

It's the meat...really really good meat. And yes, You can order it medium rare. I suggest you do since even then it's pretty darn rare.

Onion Rings are a must and a decent warm artichoke spinach dip. 

The best thing is the cheese..they use Murrays's Cheese.the Bleecker Rare is located down the street from the happiest place on earth. 

Murray's Cheese. 

Murray's is located on Bleecker at Corneilia. check the website below for the exact address. 

The story of how I fell in love with Murray. 

I have no idea who Murray is or if there is in fact a Murray. When I had my first job as a checker in Bohack's my manager called me Murray and if I had a dog I think I might name him Murray.  

Jen i and discovered Murray's before Finer Things. 

In fact it was cheese that became the start of Finer Things. 

Since our Tuesday nights are filed with ...classic rock and one or two customers on a slow night. We bring in things to entertain. And we eat. 

Jen started bringing cheese from Brooklyn. I would bring Bread from the upper east side. We would make a lovely spread of bread and cheese and grapes. Perhaps a lovely glass of house wine and it became the finer things. 

As we do like cheese...and not to take away from Brooklyn. It wasn't all that exciting. 

Jen says ...hey ya know there is that famous cheese place down the street. I say...well let's go. Just like Harry and Mim's

The next week we meet early and walk into a world of cheese. We take our ticket...love that they have tickets. I wish the world was on a ticket policy. 

Customer's wait more patiently when they know they have a number. It doesn't matter what number. They could pull 87 and the sign says now serving 9. They'll wait. 

We did...and then we had them give us a taste of the best cheese I have ever eaten. 

Ossau-Iraty Vieille A raw, sheep's milk cheese with a thick, buff rind and  dense, ivory paste loaded with butterfat. This is also known at Murray's Cheese as Ossau Vielle Cave, Affinage We get it every time we're there. Now the Cheese story gets better.One friday night I'm working at the bar. There's a table of 3 people in my section. I've seen them before. Very fun, good drinkers and better tippers.  One guy has a T-shirt that on the back says . The Big Cheese. The front has a  Murray's logo. I ask...do you work at Murray's. My heart skips a beat. He says we all work at Murray's. I tell ya....it was love at first sight.  After me gushing about cheese for 10 minutes I buy them a round.  Now cheese people...at least the one's I know. Are obsessed with cheese. I think there is such as thing as cheese master's. Cheese heads, cheese mongers, cheese whiz. the possibilities are endless.  These folks know their cheese and it's serious cheese biz.  Nate...the Big Cheese. turns out to be the manager. He tells me to look for him when I go in to Murrays and he'll take care of me.  Never a good statement. When we have customers at the bar say that...it's always the kiss of death. It's the people that think they're big tippers but they get out a calculator and read every line of the check. Just split the damn thing and tip 20%.  Well Nate is a big tipper. Not a check reader. And a nice guy. Although the next few visits to Murray's he was no where to be found. Sadly we bought our cheese and full price...yet worth every penny.  Then one friday night I'm running late to the bar. I call Eileen and tell her I'm a little late. She says...your friends from Murray's is here with about 20 people. They asked for you.  Enough said. I jump in a cab...the excitement was overwhelming. I text Jen to tell her Murrays is here Murrays is here.  I run in and see Nate and all the folks from Murray's, It's a going away party for Zoe...who was one of my orginal Murray customer's. She loves our bar. bless her heart.  Nate is now made aware of my many visits and not seeing him. He picks up his phone and says ok what do you want. I stumble..and think real hard. Don't say pony. Then Nate cuts in and says oh i know you like that French sheep cheese. He tells the guy on the phone wrap up some bla bla bla...and a lb of bla and throw in some bla bla.  I have no idea what he did but I heart Nate. He then tells me he needs to go, but asks that I take care of Zoe and a nice young man will walk in the door shortly with a bag of my cheese.  We hug it out and Nate flys out the door like a super hero. The Cheese Man.  Jen and I keep waiting for a guy with a bag. Finally he appears. Our doorman asks for $5 cover. I leap over and say...its' ok. he's with me. I know this man is scared to death...but then asks if I work here and if I'm Faith, I say yes. he hands over the bag...I buy him a Brooklyn Lager and it was the best night ever. http://www.murrayscheese.com/ http://www.murrayscheese.com/cheese_blog.asp

Soup to Nuts

I love this time of year...clear bright skies. A lovely noreastern and a week of soups. 

The day of The Snow Storm in 2010 I made it home in the afternoon and decided on a cauliflower soup. 

I searched on epicurious and found Cauliflower Soup with Percorino Romano and Truffle Oil. 

adding bacon on top and 3 kind of sauteed mushrooms. 

I magic bulleted the cooked cauliflower and leeks. 

Which created an odd...yet interesting green. Leeks are a new item I have recently added into my cooking life. I like it. It's lovely and strong and pretty. It makes me think of Ireland, St. Patricks Day and sweet blue eyed boys with Irish accents. 

Adding salt, pepper to the mix I cooked all the veggies together. Adding chicken stock and half and half. 

I am so sorry but I did come from the culinary institute of I don't really measure because I don't like math and Grandma never did. 

So it's a guess...and taste...and instinct. Usually it is spot on. A lovely Top Chef term that all the kids are using now. 

OH..garlic. I use garlic in everything. 

The soup itself turned out lovely. 

Then topped with the bacon and mushrooms made it a meal. 

2nd soup...broccoli. same thing but with broccoli. minus the bacon and mushrooms. Although I think you can have bacon in anything and everything. It truly is the perfect food. 

#3 - Mushroom. The 3 mushrooms I used earlier (any 3...pick a mushroom, I like them all) .grill in butter and garlic. Then magic bullet..tap tap tap. Add in all the same...half and half. chicken stock. salt pepper and taadaaa....a warm tan colored smooth bit of heaven. 

TODAY's SPECIAL - Cauliflower soup with 3 cheeses. Gureye, jarlsberg and parmesano reggiano. With grilled shallots. half and half, chicken stock. salt and pepper...and a lot of love. 

RESTUARANT TOUR...note. The tour is taking a bit of a detour. 

Next month is my birthday. I am going to Vail to spend it with my sister...Jen is meeting us. 

I will be reviewing on the road. Meanwhile...Vail does not come cheap. So eating out will be a little more controlled this next few weeks.  

Which is why this is a perfect month for cooking at home. 

Brushetta - sliced on an angle french bread. 

In the micro I melt a bit of butter. grate one small garlic clove and add olive oil. Mix and brush on the sliced bread. Broil for a few minutes until slightly brown.

Then chop red onion and tomatos..add a bit of balsamic dressing. save to top last.

Pesto Sauce- magic bullet a bunch of fresh basil. add olive oil, salt and pepper cheese and pine nuts. 

Brush on the pesto to the grilled garlic toasts. add grated parm. then top with the tomato and onion mixture. 

Serve this with a yummy soup and it's a perfect winter meal. 

Sorry...I didn't really mention nuts. 

Except that I work with alot of them. Nuts that is. 

Craftbar - a highlight of restaurant week

900 Broadway
New York, NY 10079

(212) 461-4300

www.craftrestaurant.com/craftbar..

Love it ! Rating dating scale. This is ...oh my gosh this could be my next really long term relationship. Or we have entered into the friend zone.  

Craftbar is Craft's informal sister-restaurant, where Chef Tom Colicchio applies the same philosophy of simple food derived from the finest ingredients, to casual dining. 

Tom was not there when Jen and I went for lunch. 

First I love that you can easily find this place. Huge banner hanging outside on Broadway. 

It's ajacent to ABC Carpet and Home Store...the place you go to drool and wish you could afford to redecorate or win the lottery. 

Also across is Fishs Eddy's the best place to get plates and kitchen stuff that you actually can afford and can't pass up buying. I love my huge Brooklyn platter. 

Greeting is done by 2 lovely very thin girls. Friendly, sweet and warm. The bar is lovely.Above it is a wall of wine the kind that you climb up a ladder type staircase. Beautiful.

A nice simple warm decor. clean and refreshing. 

Service was comfortable. The prices are moderate and worth every penny. 

We did the winter restaurant menu..started with Pecorino Risotto Balls, Spicy Tomato, yum yum yum.

My main dish was the Veal meatballs. Jen had the pork belly.

I wish I had the Pork belly. Our server said both are her favorites. I always get pork belly. As much as Jen and I go do Finer Things. We try to order different dishes so we can try each other's. 

Diners get dish envy. I try new things, but wish I had ordered what my instincts tell me. 

Remember when Lucy went to dinner with Ricky, Fred and Ethel. They would ask her what she wanted first. She would choose the chicken. Then Ethel would get the pork chops and Lucy would change her's to pork chops. Fred would get the pasta then Lucy would change her order to pasta. Ricky would order Steak. Lucy would switch to steak. 

Then end up with the chicken. 

The veal was good...but it sure wasn't pork belly. 

Jen's pork belly sat on a bed or mashed potatoes. So creamy it looked like pudding. 

We both had the brownie topped with walnut ice cream. The ice cream was fine, but the brownie was dry and tasteless. 

Really Tom ? This is what always screws up the Top Chefs. That damn dessert challenge. 

All in all...I love this place. The food, the atmosphere. 

I had been to Craft restaurant, around the corner from craftbar. 

One of the best experiences I've had in NYC. 

It was about 2 or 3 years ago. A friend who seems to come in and out of my life happened to pop back in. 

My birthday just passed so we made a date. He was taking me to Craft. I wasn't all that interested in him. But he was pleasant and well...as my friend Bashy says "at least you can get a nice meal out of it". 

Sad when we start dating for food. 

I was to meet him at 9 at the bar. I came from work. Sat at the bar. Ordered a wine. no date. Ordered another glass of wine. still no date. 

The bartender was lovely. Service at Craft is also welcoming. A little snotty...the crowd is filled with foodie types and wannabees. Young professionals named Tad and Mindy from Long Island. The kind that go to wine tastings and think now they know everything there is to know. Not that there's anything wrong with it. I know the type. You know the type. 

Just drink the damn wine...after 6 glasses you can't tell what you're drinking. 

As I realized i was being stood up. I decided to stay and order my meal at the bar. 

This was before Finer Things was discovered and who know's when I would get a lovely meal. 

Damn it, I'm an independant fabulous woman of the city. I can take myself out for a lovely meal. 

I had the quaile. It was recommended by the bartender. 

Taste like chicken. 

Still a nice meal and I was feeling quite proud that I conquered one of my fears of eating alone at a nice restaurant without a book. 

Behind me were 3 men talking about their place they were opening. Obviously they were in the restaurant biz and scoping out Craft for ideas. 

As I got up they asked if my seat would be free. I said yes and as I gathered my coat I asked where they were opening their place. 

Shock appeared and they said, oh you over heard us ? I said...well i was sitting right here and you weren't whispering. 

They asked about my quaile. I said it tasted like chicken. The head chef guy said it was cooked to perfection. The solmier guy asked me to join them for a drink. 

Then I accepted and a few hours later found out I had a tasting meal with with the new owners of Proof. A lovely new restaurant in DC. 

I now have some new friends in DC. Someday I will go an do a Proof review.

I hear it's doing well and they're opening another place soon, also in DC. 

This was the day I discovered Chipollini onions. Tom Colicchio does them the best. I try to get them wherever I see them. 

Oh he adds them in the pork belly. another reason to always order the pork belly. 

I also have a secret crush on Tom. Sorry Bobby Flay...maybe its the bald head. 

Salt...not just a condiment

Salt is a lovely place at 58 Macdougal Street. NY NY. 212-674-4896. a small intimate Soho restaurant just below Houston. 

It was a Thursday night. This was the 21 Club week. Winter restaurant week in NYC. I needed to wash my memory of the not so good...actually horrible. worse than my mother's worse dish kinda meal. My mother, rest in peace, wasn't a bad cook. In fact while growing up we thought she was an amazing cook. This was a time when Mom's stayed at home. They were housewives. Homemakers. Betty Crocker. This was the Julia Child era of Food network. My mom prider herself on her casseroles. 

Every woman on the block had an amazing collection of Casserole dishes and jello molds. 

How many things can you put in a casserole...and if they were all stay at home Mom's why did they always make so casseroles and freeze them ? Were those PTA meetings really that long ? How many days can you play Marjhon.

It was tuna casserole...meat casserole. I think one time she was experimenting and made a fish casserole. It wasn't even a real fish. I think it came from a can...wait..that might have been the tuna. Or salmon in a can. Not until i met my jewish soon to be mother-in-law did I realize salmon didn't come from a can. Nor was Spam not a specialty food. But that's a different story.

I grew up on Long Island...melting pot of the suburbs. 

We were on the corner of a block that had jews on one side (not strick jews, since they never corrected our canned salmon) and German immigrants on the other. 

The next block were African American's...and Italian's the block after. 2 block's over were the polish immigrants...we always smelt cabbage.  The religious jew's, or the one's that went to temple and would speak yiddish lived in the nice part of town...On Birch. I was on Holly Ave. 

All the mother's would make casserole and jello molds. 

Jello with fruit...pineapple...pears. mandarian oranges...my mother stuck carrots in her's. 

Why ?? I don't know. But it looked pretty. It would be a green jello with orange shredded carrots. It looked like Italy. 

Nevertheless...21 Club could have served us carrot lime jello in a mold shaped like a salmon. It would have been better than the chocolate cake that stuck to the plate. 

So Thursday Jen and I ventured to Salt. We passed it a few times and had it on our list of cute little neighborhood places we should go when we have a sucky week of bad food. 

It was the coldest day this winter...i think it was 2 degree's. 

I had the cream of cauliflower soup...THIS WAS AMAZING !!!! The kind of soup you dream about. 

The kind of soup I would request for a last meal.

It was warm and creamy and salty and had these lovely mushroom's on top. everything about it was perfection in a bowl.

My entree was the Pork Belly. Lovely on a bed of greens ( I think Kale) and Mashed potatoes. I also had grilled brussell sprouts. 

I love grilled brussell sprouts. Brussell is such a nice name. If i were to have another child I think i might name him Brussell...Bruiser for short...or Russ...but no. That sounds like a guy with fluffy hair and polo shirts and cardigan sweaters. Not that any of that is bad. But it doesn't sound good either. Bru...I would call him Bru. Like a beer. that could be cool. He would be fun, everyone's friend. But also tough and edgy at the same time. Look tough on the outside but like a bulldog...just sweet with droopy eyes. 

Pork Belly was yummy. Huge portion...had to take half of it home. Potatoes...ultimately creamy. melt in your mouth, buttery and seasoned perfectly. 

greens were nice. 

The Grilled Bru sprouts were quite yummy. Even better the next day. 

All in all Salt is one of my favorite cute places to go. I do recommend it. Price point...nice. moderately priced. 

Service was lovely. Comfortable neighborhoody type place. 

The bathroom has the smallest sink in all of NYC. 

I will gladly go here again and again and again. I called on Saturday to see if they would deliver the soup...they do not. They do make food to go and have a Salt Shop...not sure what is in the Salt Shop but you can check the website. PS...there isn't any salt on the tables. 

http://www.saltnyc.com/

Rating: Great date, would see him again. Perhaps, he's the one kind of place.