Restaurant Review: Scarpetta

Last week, I mentioned how lucky I was to snag a table at Scarpetta to help them celebrate their 1-year anniversary with a special prix fixe menu--$50 for 4 courses with wine pairings. The celebration (for me) was last night, and I thought I'd fill you in on my thoughts.

Let's start by saying this: Scarpetta has been given an endless stream of praise from the food press. With three stars in the New York Times, Michelin nods, James Beard noms, and much much more, it's one of those restaurants that may as well have paid off (or Mafia-style threatened) every critic into showering them with compliment after compliment. With not a stitch of bad press, you have to wonder--can any dining experience live up to this kind of press? The answer: yes. Yes, yes and yes.


I won't fill you in on every detail--this would be far too long. But I'll share my favorite moments. Among them, the bread basket, which came piled high in a nest-like black metal bowl, served with three different dipping options: whipped butter mixed with ricotta, a sweet red pepper tapenade, and the sweetest olive oil I've ever tasted. The herbed roll went great with the first two, while a sliced loaf with proscuitto and cheese paired wonderfully with the sweet oil. By my first bites, I was sold.

The style of Scarpetta, for those who stay away from food press, is haute Italian, with all the pastas made fresh in house. It's no surprise that the risotto that came under my braised short rib appetizer was actually pastina-like bits of pasta mixed with finely chopped vegetables--even still, the misnomer had me expecting something thicker and more decadent. The creaminess craving was easily fulfilled by what was one of my two favorite dishes--a perfect version of truffled polenta topped with mushrooms. I've never tasted anything quite so smooth and rich and indulgent. I can only wonder what they could have done with true risotto.


Scott Conant, the chef, jokes that his customers often gripe about the price of his signature dish, spaghetti with tomato and basil ($26, if I noted correctly), but with one bite it's apparent how much love and hard work goes into making these simple ingredients shine. It's mindblowing, really--there's no real sense of a sauce, rather, everything is coated in aromas and perfectly manipulated textures. From the thick, hearty bite of the noodles to the tender acidity of the tomato and the heady nose of the basil, this dish is a melange of common flavors brought to their best selves. I left wishing for more, and wondering what on earth I could do to replicate it at home. Just tomato and basil, right? Duh.

The capretto, another signature dish, was forgettable--a bit on the dry side, and lacking in any memorable flavors. A sirloin steak, not usually on the menu, was tender and buttery, with a light sauce borrowing flavors from this season's favorite vegetable: the ramp. Desserts were solid, with a chocolate-based parfait and a banana budino served with pecan gelatto. My recommendation? Just go for an appetizer (polenta, preferably) and a bowl of pasta--no matter how good the rest is, it's what you'll come away remembering and savoring regardless of what else you decide to eat with it.

Scarpetta is located at 355 W 14 St., near 9th Ave. Click here for more info.

Budget Finds: Scarpetta Special

It takes a special occasion for me to break the Budget Finds $25 budget, but today that occasion takes the shape of Scarpetta's 1 Year Anniversary. For those of you who don't spend your whole day reading food news, Scarpetta is one of NYC's biggest, most recognized, most sought-after restaurants of 2008--and even a year later, its tables are often fully booked a month in advance. However, it seems a few lucky diners may be able to score a table next week, from May 4-8, when Scarpetta will be celebrating its first birthday with a special $50 4-course menu with wine pairings. If Restaurant Week is supposed to be a budget find, think about it this way: for $15 extra, you get an extra full course and four glasses of wine. I'm thinking that in itself is good cause for celebration.

Make your reservation (with an open mind for late dinners, of course) by calling 212-691-0555. (Ask nicely and make sweet conversation as I did to shoot for better seatings!)

Treehouse Restaurant -- Restaurant Design Gone Wild!

If I were to pick one niche category that I'm obsessed with, it's definitely the intersection between food and design. We're talking restaurant design, table settings, food plating and styling, and the different sensory experiences that can be effected through these intersections. No wonder I was totally blown away by this amazing restaurant in New Zealand called The Yellow Treehouse Restaurant. It's just what it sounds like--a restaurant that's actually a treehouse 10 metres high in a forest of redwood trees.


The pop up restaurant opened officially over the weekend, and will be seating guests for lunch and dinner for one month, until Feb. 9th. Curious to see how the menu would interact with the setting, I downloaded the PDF version to find that, as I suspected, you can't cook a whole lot of stuff in a treehouse. But I'm happy to report there are no birds on the menu--how awkward would that be? Worse than boiling a calf in her mother's milk might just be eating a bird in its own nest. Anyhow, the fare seems local, largely vegetarian, and mostly out of convenience for the lack of appliances one can safely use in a redwood forest.


Overall, a very cool design concept, but the food? I've yet to be convinced. If you happen to be travelling to NZ anytime soon, though... let me know!

Kefi: An early review

Last week, famed restaurateur Donatella Arpaia (of Donatella and David Burke) and James Beard Rising Chef of the Year Michael Psilakis opened the second iteration of their UWS taverna, Kefi. What seems like years ago, I'd sent a writer to review the original space--her review was filled with raves that made me regret passing on the free meal. So when the opportunity came to try out the new spot, and in its opening week, I jumped at it.

I'll put this out there: this isn't the most positive review. So why I am bothering to make you read it? Because inevitably, you'll hear something, you'll read something, you'll see some pictures, and your curiosity will perk. So do yourself a favor and get the full disclosure.

Kefi is one of the first Modern Greek restaurants in NYC to receive the kind of praise that it did, and accordingly, Executive Chef Psilakis has garnered a bit of attention for bringing awareness to a less explored cuisine. Combined with Donatella's front-of-house and managerial experience, it's been a much-hyped recipe for success. That's why I was shocked to have to wait 15 minutes for a waiter to even say hello, much less bring me some water.


Alas, appetizers (or meze) came and went, and most of them without much to remark about. Meatballs, our neighboring diners told us, were not to be missed, but they proved uninspired, albiet with a lovely, soft texture. A warm feta cheese sounded delightful, but the quality was poor--far too salty and overwhelming for a Greek restaurant that claims such prowess. But not all of them fell flat. My dining companions raved about the octopus (which was tasty, but generally not my thing) while I found the mussels, tossed in white wine, olives, and feta, to be a refreshing variation on an otherwise standard dish (even if they were a bit small).

A middle course of sheep's milk ravioli with brown butter and sage seemed difficult to mess up, as anything with brown butter and sage is bound to be pretty delicious. As expected, they were perfectly fine, but again, nothing to write home about. They were missing POW! and KAZAAM! and all the wonderful things you're meant to find in the cuisine of a James Beard award winner.

Main courses proved to be a bit more successful. A dish of baked shrimp with orzo and feta was flavorful and came nicely presented; lamb (after being sent back for being far overcooked) came out tender and nicely seasoned. Neither was incredibly memorable, but both were good dishes especially considering the low cost--nothing on the menu is more than $16. Though I didn't taste it, my companion's chicken souvlaki seemed to be the best dish of the night, oozing with juices and topped with grilled veggies and spices. I might have to return to try it.

At one point, the service became a comical disaster. 5--no, 6!--waiters brought the wrong dishes to our tables, having goofed on table numbers and poorly communicated with the kitchen. We placed bets on how many more would make the same gaff, but then caught Donatella to give her a fair chance to make right. She did, and our hopes for Kefi's future brightened.

The folks at Kefi have a beautiful space, humbly decorated with Grecian blue window shutters and traditional blue-and-white dishes on the walls (too pretty to be thrown around and broken like in an authentic taverna). This is modern Greek, and the decor sure says it, but the food has a long way to come.

I visited Kefi on day 3 of service and fully accept that they will need time to grow into their new skin. But please, do yourselves a favor, and wait at least a few weeks before following the trend here--if I find myself in the neighborhood in a few months time, I'll definitely give it another shot in hopes of finding that the kitchen has picked up with more daring, and, dare I say it, a completely new waitstaff to boot.

photo via eater.com

Take a Bao and Ethnic Fast Food in NYC

Fast food is taking all sorts of new shapes and forms, especially after the great success that has been Chipotle. With Qdoba following short thereafter, it was evident that ethnic fast food would be a trend in the making.

Then there was New York Hot Dog and Coffee, a Korean-styled hot dog joint that opened up in the West Village to unanimously rave reviews, opening the doors to fast Asian food! And while I haven't yet mustered up the courage to try their bulgogi dog, a hot dog with traditional Korean beef as a topping, I'm really excited about the next iteration of NYC's ethnic fast food trend: Take a Bao.


Let's face it. Steamed buns (or bao) are a gift from the gods. I've written about them before, but I only ever eat them in roast pork varieties. Take a Bao will change that for me, whenever it finally makes its splash on the NYC dining scene. With fillings like pomegranate steak and spicy sesame citrus chicken, these aren't your average buns. And at $4.50 a bun, it's not terribly pricy either. At least I'll selectively ignore that Fay Da sells the best roast pork buns in the city for $0.95 a pop.

Regardless, this is one chain that I'm keeping my eye on.

Take a Bao, currently in LA at 10250 Santa Monica Blvd.

Seriously Chic or Seriously Geek?

Last week, I was served a drink in an Erlenmeyer Flask. I was taken back to high-school chemistry, and couldn't help wondering where the Bunsen Burner would turn up. But the kooky presentation worked with the bright orange colors of the drink, made with prossecco, vodka, and mango puree. And with two straws coming out at different heights and angles, it almost reminded me of some magical love potion straight out of a twisted fairy tale. Shrek, perhaps?

Having googled suppliers of chemistry supplies, I discovered that Erlenmeyer flasks sell for as little as $3.50 a piece, or $3.10 when bought in sets of 12 or more! At that rate, they're totally affordable accent pieces for an otherwise classic set of serveware.

What do you think? Seriously chic or seriously geek?

The Appetite Stimulus Plan

A rose by any other name is still a rose, right?

Well, that would mean that Restaurant Week by any other name (and in the middle of November) would still be Restaurant Week, you'd think. Nope, this oddly timed version of the cheap dining celebration is taking on a whole new recession-themed spin, and they're calling it...



...the Appetite Stimulus Plan.

I think it's pretty cute, actually, but my personal sentiment is that the deal should be differentiated from the not-so-distant cousin Restaurant Week. The two feature $24 lunches and $35 prix-fixe dinners at various posh restaurants around the city--for three courses it's not bad, but I'm never terribly excited about the deal either. With drinks, tax and tip a seemingly affordable meal can easily have a non-affordable check.

For some restaurants, though, it's worth it. My picks for the Appetite Stimulus Plan? Cafe Boulud, Grayz, and perhaps Matsugen.

But those who aren't in the city can have some fun too--since the Appetite Stimulus Plan is sponsored by OpenTable, restaurants across the country are participating too. Check here for more details.

Sip Sak -- Turkish Done the Right Way

Earlier this month, I checked out a much-hyped restaurant called Sip Sak near my new home here on the Upper East Side. I'd heard raves about the moderately-priced, beautifully-spiced Turkish food for weeks from a good friend (who'd heard them from many of her own friends) and the two of us went in tow to check it out for ourselves.


The decor is Middle Eastern chic, with lucky eyes, arch-framed mirrors, and mosaic work transforming a small, long space into an inviting and intimate one. The food speaks for itself. We started with a hummus and falafel appetizer which we shared. Having spent 2 summers living in Israel myself, I have a fairly discriminate palette when it comes to such dishes. But I was more than pleased with the freshness and vibrancy of the hummus; the falafel was perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft inside. A wonderful start to the meal, indeed! But what came next--the lamb special--was the true highlight.



The menu claimed that our grilled lamb would come with a special sauce and fresh pita--but where was the pita? Ahh, the secret--the pita had been cut into cubes and mixed into the sauce, creating a whole new dimension of flavor that I'd never seen before. Soggy with the sauce, each piece of pita was a cloud of deliciousness that just evaporated upon consumption. And the sauce, which I can only guess had a light tomato base mixed with tzatziki, had a divinely smooth texture--I could have had some with basil as soup!

With just one appetizer and one entree, my friend and I were happily full. Could we have kept eating? Sure. Were we more than happy to stop where we did? Definitely. And did the check reflect our ordering style? You betcha.

Sip Sak
928 Second Ave., New York, NY 10022
nr. 49th St.

The King of the Sea

I normally don't like to mix work and blogging, much like religious Jews won't mix milk and meat. It's really just a question of "should" -- isn't it a bit ethically questionable if I start promoting my work clients in a personal domain? It might be, but today I experienced a meal that I can't resist sharing. Ironically, as I walked to the restaurant, I passed a building where I've been formerly employed--numerous times--and that I hope to return to one day. The irony is that for the first time, I felt like I was in a better place. No, my job isn't more of a dream job than the positions offered there--not even close. But with the magazine industry in the state that it's in now, and with said company having just declared a hiring freeze (officially freezing the entire industry, as they were the last ones standing), I'm so thankful to have a job that gets me the kinds of perks I experienced tonight.

So onto that meal...


Chef Suzuki is a real pioneer when it comes to Japanese food in the States. He opened his restaurant in 1984, back when the thought of eating raw fish was downright disgusting. He invented the inside-out roll as a way of disguising seaweed and making sushi more palatable to Americans; he created "State" rolls such as the California Roll, the Philadelphia Roll, and others; and he came up with the idea of sprinkling sesame seeds on the outside of those rolls after eating enough burgers and staring at their buns (true story!).

Now that Americans have warmed up to true Japanese food, he's gone back to the real thing, and the omakase (or, in English, the tasting menu) that I had tonight is proof of what a genius he is. Oh, and did I mention that he trained Masaharu Morimoto?

What I found most interesting about the restaurant is the deep philosophy behind it. After tasting more kinds of fish prepared in more diverse ways than I've likely ever had before, I realized the truth behind something that Chef Suzuki told me: like human beings, each fish has its own character, and it must be prepared accordingly. Even two blue fin tunas that I was served tonight (and both in the form of sushi/sashimi) were totally different, in part because the little touches that Chef Suzuki makes are done with a thorough understanding of each fish's character. Different rice vinegars, styles of ginger, varietals of soy sauce, slicing techniques, or amounts of wasabi should be used on each kind of fish depending on its inherent chemical properties and individual makeup, and I've never seen someone take such an intellectual approach to sushi before.



Low and behold, the food was spectacular. Word to the wise--this isn't your restaurant if you don't like fish, nor is it for you if you're looking for a surf and turf after your sushi course. But nonetheless, Chef Suzuki is onto something huge, and I'm so excited to have him as a client. Feel free to check out his website here.

PS. For some strange reason, my keyboard seems to be working now! Finally (I hope), my keyboard woes are behind us all.

PPS. Apologies for the crappy images, but never would I have dreamed that I'd be writing about this man... hence my lack of a camera at tonight's dinner. Please, just use your imaginations :)

Big Discounts for Tiny Budgets

It's been a very foodie week here at eatmywords. But that's not stopping me from sharing the latest secret that I've discovered.

A good friend of mine has always sworn by restaurant.com, a website where you can buy gift certificates to different restaurants around the country at a discount price. For $10, you get a $25 gift certificate; for $20, you get $50, and so on. On 08/08/08, they did a crazy promotion where everything was 80% off, so a $25 certificate suddenly cost $2. I would have shared this then, but the servers were so lagged that it took me more than three hours to process my order.

However, restaurant.com is offering 60% off for all of their certificates until Labor Day, and though my trusty source did not provide me with the discount code, I cleverly guessed it myself! At checkout, type in "labor" to receive the discount. Now, this is how you eat on a budget! Bon appetit!

Dragons and Lions and Soup, Oh My!

I've officially turned down the first full-time offer I've received. Funny how things work out, huh? But when you stack a F/T job that pays minimum wage next to a P/T job that pays more than triple the amount, the numbers speak for themselves. No, it's not all about money--it can't be about money in this industry--but you have to pay the rent at the end of the day. And you have to eat.

Speaking of eating (how about that transition?), my Chinese roommate took me to an incredible restaurant in Chinatown for dinner last night.


Please forgive the unoriginal photography--I left my camera at home last night and kicked myself for it at least ten times throughout the evening.

Anyway, Joe's Shanghai specializes in soup dumplings. You might expect soup dumplings to be dumplings served in soup, but they are quite the opposite (and are far tastier than wontons). Instead, these tasty little packages are filled with soup and meat, so you eat them out of a soup spoon rather than with chopsticks alone.


Making soup dumplings seems impossibly difficult, but eating them is an art of its own. I wish I'd had this illustrated tutorial by Robert Zimmerman before I started, because it took a little while to perfect the technique.


Since the text is small, here's the rundown. To avoid an explosion of steam in your mouth, you put the dumpling on a spoon, take a small bite to release the soup and steam, let it all cool down, and then eat.

Luckily, figured much of this out on my own (and of course, with the roommate's help). Aside from the dumplings (which I learned are also improperly translated, as they're really called "little dragon buns" in Chinese), we shared a wonderful side of water spinach and an entree of stewed pork meatballs called "Lion's Head," named for its large, fluffy shape. The meatballs were particularly impressive--the cooking temperature must remain perfectly even so that they stay soft enough to melt in your mouth but firm enough to eat with chopsticks. Like the soup dumplings, they're very difficult to make and it's rare to find good ones.

Joe's Shanghai has become popular with Americans because its menu features traditional dishes such as these alongside americanized staples like General Tso's and Sesame Chicken. The people we shared our table with ordered fried rice and lo mein, and we looked over in disapproval. Promise me, faithful readers, that ye will never commit such a sin if I give you the address to this wonderful Chinatown gem.

Joe's Shanghai, 9 Pell St., off of Mott St.

Indulging My Sweet Tooth, Street Cart Style

This weekend, I had the pleasure of hosting a friend of mine who I hardly ever get to see. Since her time in the city was limited, we crammed in a lot of inexpensive fun to maximize our productivity. With that mindset, I took her to one of my favorite spots: Dessert Truck.


Generally, I like foods that come out of trucks. They're made with heart, and they have to be fresh because there's nowhere to store uneaten goods in a truck. Street carts usually serve things like tacos or Halal food, but Dessert Truck was one of the first carts to one-up standard street food by spinning it gourmet-style.

Jerome Chang, the chef behind Dessert Truck--and a former pastry chef at Le Cirque--really knows what he's doing, and he'll serve you quality desserts for $5 a piece out of his cute little truck. The chocolate bread pudding is a sure-fire winner, but I decided to be daring this weekend and try the goat cheese cheesecake that's been received mixed attention from DT fans.


To be honest, I found it far too goat-y and not sufficiently cake-y, but I appreciated the attempt regardless. Savory desserts are tough to pull off, so I was glad that we also ordered the Molten Chocolate Cake. A much more successful pairing of savory and sweet, this dessert is topped with a sprinkle of sea salt and pistachios to contrast the richness of the oozing chocolate.


In case you're wondering why I'm posting about Dessert Truck and not any of the other great things that caught my eye this weekend, I bear some interesting news. Starting today, Dessert Truck is operating during daytime hours in Midtown East, parking at Park Ave somewhere between 51st and 53rd streets. For all you Midtown-ers, this is huge news! Now you can get award-winning sweets whenever the office stress warrants sugar therapy (and don't deny that it happens all the time!). Enjoy!

Homage to the Olympics, and my favorite Asian friend :)

Before I begin looking forward to the interesting things on my calendar next week, I've got to pay homage to one of the world's most exciting traditions: the Olympics.

But here's the thing: as much as I love watching the sports, my commentary on them would be worth diddly-squat. So instead, I bring you my favorite Chinese food in honor of the Beijing summer games...


steamed pork buns!

These delicacies are really quite common in Chinese kitchens, but that doesn't mean they're easy to make. A recipe in Bon Appetit a few months ago sprawled over two pages, to give you a general idea. These cloud-like buns are filled with a sweet-meets-savory BBQ pork filling that's equal parts chunky and saucy. And as much of a BBQ fan as I am, it's really the dough that makes these so special. It's not too fluffy, not too dense, melts in your mouth, and offsets the BBQ sweetness just perfectly.

But don't go just anywhere for your pork buns. If you're going to do it, do it right. If you want to sit down, Golden Unicorn is my most reliable dim sum spot and has the most fantastic pork buns--in both the steamed and glazed varieties. But it's not quite easy to find.


The English sign is hard to see, but Golden Unicorn is located at 18 E. Broadway in the eastern side of Chinatown.

If you're looking for a quick fix though, Fay Da Bakery on Canal St. has a reliable variety of buns--pork and otherwise--for a shockingly inexpensive 95-cents apiece. Check them out at 327 Canal for a real treat.

Until Monday, go Team USA!

It's not eating the amazing meal that's the problem...

...it's paying for it. But good thing I didn't have to tonight.

See, I have this sweet job. It's one of the part-time ones that started in college, and the only one to keep going and going and going. It's also the only thing helping me pay my rent right now, but we don't have to go there. Basically, I grade and edit students' practice SAT essays so that they can rock the supposed-biggest-test-of-their-lives. But once in a while, my boss comes in to the city and takes out her favorite editors.

Usually, she takes my word for restaurant suggestions.

Sometimes, I book the tables myself.

Now, you must realize that a foodie living in the West Village with no salary is the worst kind of temptation that there is. Murray's Cheese is right below me--as is Risotteria, Rocco's bakery, and a slew of exquisite food shoppes--and I'm still shopping at freaking Gristedes. I won't lie, their 99-cent bin is my new best friend, but I'd rather buy lamb from Ottomanelli's.

That's why it was so exciting that tonight, my boss (and the company's expense account) came to visit. Finally, the restaurant that tempts me every time I walk to the stupid Gristedes was mine to savor--Perilla. It's not the it-restaurant of the moment; it's not the new big thing. It is, however, Harold Dieterle's restaurant, and Harold Dieterle is the first winner of Top Chef. We love Harold Dieterle (we're not yet on a first-name basis).

And so our meal began with the nightly special--a beautiful foie gras terrine with a gooseberry compote. Alongside it, we had duck meatballs with a tiny little quail egg cracked delicately over them. What a rich, wonderful start to a meal... anything with runny egg yolk makes my heart melt. Mmmm, runny egg yolk.

My entree, a grilled hanger steak with a sunchoke creamed spinach and shallot puree, totally lived up to Bruni's review so long ago. And the desserts, which had been touted as either hit or miss, were hits tonight. Lemon verbena-scented donuts with vanilla sauce and chocolate ganache, a chocolate tasting platter, and a red velvet cake did not survive long on our table... and that's an understatement.

Ah, but the night was young. And that's when our waitress suggested we go back to the kitchen. Yes, we could meet Harold Dieterle. Yes, we could take pictures together. And better yet, we could call him Harold.

Now if only we could afford the meal on our own...