Favorite New Places to Eat, Part 1

My body keeps telling me: “Don’t go out” You know how easily your stomach gets irritated and you get all puffed up and hate the way you look . So why don’t just cook yourself a nice 20-minute healthy meal ? Maybe a whole fish from Pisacane with an herb puree, some pilaf-style quinoa, roasted cauliflower, for instance.”I listen and don’t go out much for dinner but lately because of my birthday I’ve gotten wined and dined and have discovered some new places (Red Rooster, Riverpark,  and Anjappar) new dishes, exciting flavors, and styles.  I still go to my old favorites like Teodora (mostly everything) , Le Colonial (for the monkfish appetizer,)Les Halles (steak au poivre), ChinChin (for orange beef)and Gazala for houmus and fabulous Middle-Eastern breads.) Last night I revisited a special favorite,  Peasant where Frankie still cooks on the line 20 some odd years later. Try the razor clams. If I’m in a hurry,  I like to drive by and pick up some porchetta sandwiches from Porchetta on E. 7th), lamb with cumin at Xian that is also on 7th Street, and some chicken with wide noodles from Pok Pok on Rivington street or chicken tikka from Curry in a Hurry when I need a flavor blast after I am through shopping at Kalustyan’s (my absolutely favorite store in the world) around the corner.

Telling my friend about the snap, crackle and pop experience of eating at Red Rooster the other night, I wondered for a moment whether I was on some flavor-enhancing drug or the food really was as good as I remember it and spoke to my dinner companion. He also loved it. What struck me was the way the flavors danced in my mouth until I swallowed.  So many times bold seasoning like this overwhelms the palate. Not here.  I can still taste the fried chicken appetizer: dark rich chicken thigh, slathered with chicken liver pate, dipped in a thick batter and fried until crisp. It comes with a waffle and bourbon maple syrup. The fried green tomatoes served on a mound of thinly sliced iceberg lettuce with buttermilk dressing were sensational too. The rooster noodles did  not thrill me but Mark enjoyed them. We switched plates and I had the blackened catfish that was too spicy for him though not for me. I had taken my omeprazole! The staff is marvelous, the service attentive and unobtrusive, a misunderstanding was cleared up with efficiency and grace, a reflection on the manner of chef-owner, Marcus Samuelson. Thank you Marcus for an unforgettable meal.

Fried Green tomatoes

Blackened Catfish

My co-author and dear friend Anne Mendelson took me to lunch at a most exciting Indian restaurant yesterday. It’s called Anjappar and it specializes in the food of Chetinaad in India. What flavors and then they have a spectacular “lengthy.” dosa that they brought with potatoes in green chile, poti (A special seasoning blend mixed with olive oil)and other delicacies.We yanked paces off of  the dosa and used it as a spoon for some of the dishes on our 11.95 or so vegetarian lunch.

http://www.anjapparusa.com/

.The house cured salmon at Riverpark  was just as salty as the pasta it replaced but here at least it made sense.

Despite the poor service on our initial visit, I had an excellent meal of a wonderfully textured, multi-flavored green reginetti pasta cooked just right and a fabulous Dover sole with crunchy fried artichokes at Riverpark on October 15th and decided to take my daughter-in-law there for lunch yesterday to celebrate our birthdays.  Victoria ordered right: duck liver pate and sea bream and had a wonderful meal.  I thought I was ordering the memorable pasta I had had for dinner the week before but got an overly salted dish that I could not eat and a tasteless lamb burger. They could not have been nicer about it but still it made me think back on all the negative comments I’ve heard.  I still would give them another chance. The space is lovely but  especially because they have a wonderful by-the-glass wine list. I had the Domaine Desvignes 2011French chablis and have called every liquor store in own and no one has it available for the general public.

This is not a favorite but I have to write about it. I swear to you that, even though I am not a fan of modern Mexican food if you can call it that, I went to Empellon with an open mind predisposed to liking it because a friend whose opinion I value likes it a lot. Just as important is the fact that I met one of his employees at the Pig Island festival and he  admires and is so proud of working with  Alex Shupac.  It seems everyone likes Alex but his food is challenging to say the least. The salsa presentation is beautiful but we only enjoyed the chile de arbol and a smoky  one. It was sad that nothing , well maybe the beans, had much flavor  or was sabroso, and some of the combinations were plain wacko the  Corned beef tacos with sauerkraut I think.) The one thing I did like was the mango ribbons with crab and a foam that for once added something. but we could not figure out the lobster fundido  only that it seems to be a bechamel with some cheese,  very little cheese,  in other words, a blah mornay sauce. It was a painful meal because I so wanted to like it.  The staff is great but it comes down to the food.

I will be adding to his list so bookmark it if you will.