Dinner at The Vanderbilt

We took my Mom to The Vanderbilt (570 Vanderbilt Ave., at the corner of Bergen St., 718-623-0570) for Mother's Day. Having only been there for their opening party, I was interested to see how they had settled into themselves. I'm happy to report that everything was pretty much excellent, save for some slow-to-get-to-our-table food. Made up of mostly small plates, the menu veers from meats, to seafood to veggie-heavy dishes. I started out with one of the cocktails from their menu, the Tupelo Julep made with rye whiskey, cognac and apricot mint syrup. It came like a slushie with tons of shaved iced which melted over time into the drink. It was interesting, but my favorite is still the Glyda Rose (named after the proprietor's mom).



I started out with some Serano Ham Croquettes, five little fried balls of yumminess. Akin to a Rice Ball, these little guys were flavorful, full of small pieces of ham and topped with a dollop of remoulade.



I also ordered the Brandade du Morue, served with Piquillo peppers, olives & parsley. It's similar to Bacala, salted & cured cod, mashed up with the peppers & spices. It's a do-it-yourself dish where you make your own costini with the toasted pieces of bread. It's perfect for sharing, as it's actually a lot of the one taste to finish by yourself.



I also got an order of the Pork Belly from the Specials menu, served with Spring peas. Fatty, meaty, salty & wonderful. The peas lent a fresh, green flavor that brightened it up.



My boyfriend ordered the Hangar Steak which came with a spring vegetable fricasse. This sometimes comes out too tough and chewy, but this was tender, cooked perfectly to order and very flavorful.



We also got a couple of desserts that we shared. They're known for their freshly-made Warm Spiced Doughnuts that come with pistachio ice cream, brandied cherries & apricot orange blossom coulis. Served hot and covered with cinnamon & sugar. Yum!



We also got an order of the Chocolate Semifreddo that's served with dried cherries & crisp phyllo. This was OK. The chocolate semifreddo was good, but the crisp phyllo was almost like an afterthought, it didn't make much sense paired with the frozen chocolate.



I really like The Vanderbilt. It's a nice place with comfortable, aesthetically-pleasing decor and delicious foods.

Dinner at Roebling Tea Room

My BF & I took some of his family to the Roebling Tea Room (143 Roebling St., between Metropolitan & Hope, 718-963-0760) for dinner the other night, and we had such a lovely time. The space is so great; big and open with nice lighting and great wall paper with illustrations of horseback riders. It's such a special spot, and the food is terrific as well.

We started out with some appetizers, one of which was the Roasted Brie, which comes with two great big hunks of a dark, pumpernickel bread and was just incredible.



We also got the Beet Salad with mixed greens, apple slices, walnuts and the creamiest, most delicious Gorgonzola ever. Lightly coated with a tasty vinaigrette, it was so fresh and flavorful.



We also got the Meat and Cheese Plate. There were two kinds of hard salami and three cheeses. I'm not sure what the cheeses were, but one was like a white sheep's milk cheese, one was like Comte, so creamy & nutty and one was like a Gouda. Two big, fat radishes rested atop the dish next to a heaping spoonful of a delicious fig jam and capers were scattered about. This is a perfect dish to share with a few people.



We ordered the Journeyman's Steak with a Juniper Sauce as well. The sauce was incredible, tangy and savory, it livened up the meat in a nice way. The steak was a bit tough though, and therefore a bit chewy, but the sauce was great and made this dish.



It didn't come with any sides, so we ended up ordering an extra plate of the steamed kale which was also amazing. It had a lemony flavor to it, and went nicely with the meat and sauce. It did come with the Half Chicken that we got, but we wanted a little extra.



The chicken was great too. Free range, juicy and nicely roasted, it was meaty and substantial and nicely seasoned. As i said, the Roebling Tea Room is a really sweet place with great food, efficient servers and a rotating menu of seasonal specials and interesting combinations of ingredients.

Dinner at Watty & Meg

I sort of can't believe Caffe Carciofo finally bit the dust - it felt like that place was around forever and I was sorry to see it go. So, it was with great expectations and hope that I ambled into Watty & Meg (248 Court St., at the corner of Kane St., 718-643-0007) on a recent evening to see what all the fuss is about. It's amazing how everyone gets into such a tizzy when a new restaurant opens up. I also love how there are conflicting stories about how the place got it's name. After a song, after a young couple in love. I'm beginning to think the folks behind W&M spread all these theories to encourage talk & buzz. I hate to say it, but my first meal there was a disappointment. I'll definitely give them another chance and sample some other things on the menu, but with all the other great options out there...

We started out with the Seared Diver Scallops appetizer, with green apple, leeks, English peas, marcona almonds in a veal semi-glaze. It was tasty, but c'mon, TWO scallops??? Too pricey for what you get.



We got the Crispy Skin Organic Salmon with quinoa, steamed kale and juniper berry sauce. Bo-Ring! First of all, I was asked what temperature I wanted it and then was served something waaaay overcooked (I asked for Medium Rare). Don't ask me and then ignore my request, right!?? The fish was very bland, the sauce was non-existent and the kale was lame. The quinoa was interesting, but I could have made this dish at home with one hand tied behind my back and it would have tasted better and would have been way cheaper.



I will go back - I hear the burger is fantastic (check out L Magazine's recent review), and I'll check 'em out for brunch. Hopefully they'll iron out all the kinks, things will settle down, and they'll become the next favorite local spot.

Dinner at Rye

I went with a friend to check out Rye the other night (247 S. 1st, between Roebling & Havemeyer, 718-218-8047), the newest venue from Dressler & Dumont chef Cal Elliot to open in the 'Burg. It's a beautiful space; the long wooden bar is framed by gigantic columns and the mirror behind all the bottles makes the space feel all the more spacious. The dining area feels a bit like you've been transported to the 40's (btw, I'm really digging this speakeasy renaissance thing, with all the new places being crisp and clean, with lots of white and wood and tiled floors and delicious, meticulously prepared foods). The bartender was friendly and based on his recommendation, I ordered the Hemingway Daiquiri, made with white rum, maraschino liquer, fresh grapefruit juice and lime. It was delicious - tart and tangy with a touch of sweet to balance everything out. Not cloyingly sweet with sugars and syrups though.

The menu is a bit unusual, with lots of small plates like pork belly sliders and salads, a whole "grilled" section and entrees, which average in the $25 range. I wanted to try a couple of things, so stuck with lighter & smaller fare and was happy with my choices. My friend and I each started out with the Beet Salad, a gorgeous tower of slices of beet and boucheron, topped with greens (sprouts of some kind?) and drizzled with a creamy, tangy sauce. It was heavenly.



My friend also ordered a side of Fries which were perfectly crunchy sticks of potato, salted and flecked with parsley and quite addictive. I'm lucky she shared them with me.



I also ordered the Short Rib Terrine which came with frisee, onion marmalade, horseradish & potato. This. Was. Fabulous. Tender, fall-apart-at-the-touch-of-your-fork meat topped with all the yummy little nuggets of sweet onion and potato. All the flavors married well into one, big, incredible taste experience. This might sound hyperbolic, but I'm telling you, it was one of the best dishes I've had in long time. Do I say that a lot? That pile of greens makes it look like it's a wimpy dish, but the portion of rib was quite substantial underneath it all. There was plenty!



We also got the Steamed Lemon Pudding Cake to share. The "cake" part was warm and somehow both densely creamy and fluffy at the same time. The citrus flavor was subtle and combined well with the berries underneath. The dollop of whipped cream added a nice touch of sweet to it all.



I'd go back just for this, but there are lots of reasons why I'll be back!