A Few New York Gems

We recently spent a week in NYC and, rather than do a post on all restaurants we went to, I've decided to write only about the 3 that really stood out to me.

The first is Cookshop. After a stroll along the High Line in very cool temperatures (I can only imagine how beautiful this must be in the summertime though), this lunch stop was a massive treat. The menu had me torn between garlic sausage with baked beans and pickle relish, crispy fish tacos with jalapeno-cabbage slaw, or the cookshop mezze salad. I must admit, at this point I hadn't had much in the way of vegetables for quite a few days, so I opted for a parsnip soup with rye croutons and walnut butter to start (and warm me up), and the salad. But this was not your boring old salad. A massive plate arrived filled with garlicky escarole, marinated beets, spiced carrots, farro salad and sauteed kale, braised green cabbage and apples. Oh, and toasted to perfection whole grain naan. I got my veggies for the rest of the week! Service impeccable, portions much bigger than you would imagine, and oh-so-yummy. They're lunch cocktail list is pretty impressive too.





The second on my list is Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill. Let's just say, we ate, and ate, and ate. Wakame – seaweeed salad with sesame dressing, Ebi Shumai – amazing homemade shrimp dumplings, vegetable tempura (the onions were to-die-for), Sake Kawa maki – salmon skin rolls, Karai Kaibashira maki – spicy scallop and smelt roe rolls, spicy tuna and tempura flakes rolls and spicy crab roll. Everything super fresh and delicious. Service was also fantastic.





And last but certainly not least, Gramercy Tavern. I'm still in awe about my meal. I began eating before taking a photo. This is one I took trying to piece it back together after devouring my first few bites. I started off with mussels, red beans and chorizo in a delectable cilantro broth. Then came my main, bass (it's normally flounder but they were out of flounder) over yummy spaghetti squash and topped with a sinful walnut and sherry sauce. This heavenly dish still pops into my head now and then. I just want to have it all over again! My wine pairing was also perfect – Txakoli, Txomin Etxaniz, 2009, Pais Vasco, Spain. I even got to share some desserts at the end – pumpkin butterscotch pudding with cinnamon whipped cream and the warm chocolate bread pudding with cacao nib ice cream – wow. With desserts like these, there's always room for dessert. Once again, outstanding service.

Lucky Strike – NYC

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If you need a pick-me-up for a night on the town when you just don't think you can eat or drink and be merry any more, then this is THE place to go. Not only will the awesome tunes booming from the speakers get you going, their list of delicious drinks have enough to get the most hungover customer on track again. Need I mention it was New Year's day when we went? The atmosphere is fun and almost fancy for the bar style food that is served. But don't get me wrong, the food is great, and exactly what you need when you've just spent the last few days surfing menus of unconventional dishes. I started off with a wonderful Ginger Honey cocktail made with 42 Below Honey, ginger, lemon, honey and orange juice. My next drink was also very delicious, a Vanilla Shanti martini made with Stoli Vanilla, Cointreau, fresh lemon and lime juice, pineapple juice and sugar. Now, onto the food. My appetizer was a delicious French Onion Soup and my main, a heartwarming Spinach Ricotta Ravioli with butter, sage and garlic. All of the above opened the door to a wonderful last night in New York City.

www.luckystrikeny.com

$12 In – Bun NYC

Well, here it is, my second tip jar submission. I really hate to put this restaurant in this category because the food was so delicious. But the service, oh the service, it just plain sucked. And it probably seemed worse because we were so famished and because the time of day was really unusual (3pm). Before I go any further, I will start with the positive points of this restaurant, it's a really great Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of Soho that has the most unique Vietnamese dishes i've ever seen and a really nice atmosphere. The food itself would have gotten 4 stars had it not been for the service. I started off with the Shrimp Roll – shrimp, Berkshire pork belly, bun, lettuce, mint and supposed to be served with peanut sauce but came with fish sauce. 

Then I tried the Mini Cakes my husband ordered, also delicious, made with diced pork, mushroom and green bean. Then for my main I had the Bun Nem Lamb which was an extremely flavourful dish of lamb balls, spring roll, pickled shaved papaya and herbs. All very impressive. Now for the not so good points. Our food took a long time. My husband's appetizer arrived once my friend and I had completed ours, long after. Then they forgot to make my friend's main course. She finally got it after we finished ours. I also overheard another table asking about a dish of theirs that they forgot to make. We ordered some Vietnamese coffee at the beginning as well, but those were forgotten and eventually came after we reminded our server. I could understand if it was swamped in there and they were short on staff, but our server spent a lot of time casually chatting with other patrons and people who worked there. We did not receive one apology for the poor service or late arrival of food. The temperature in the restaurant was also very cold. Now, all that being said, I would recommend this restaurant. It has a lot of great reviews and the food is definitely worth it. I think we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

www.bunsohonyc.com

Casimir – NYC

$$$

We went here for dinner on New Year's Eve and I think it was the perfect choice. It's a wonderful French bistro in the East Village that is very reasonably priced. Everyone at our table raved about their meal and having the honor of trying many of the dishes, i'd have to agree that they were delicious indeed. As per usual I had trouble deciding what to order but finally settled on the Seared Sea Scallops with herb salad, leeks and lemon vinaigrette to start. 

My main was a marvelous Dried Cherry Glazed Duck Breast with the most enjoyable mashed potatoes i've ever had and green beans. One of the other dishes I stole a bite from was the Braised Lamb Shank with porcini mushrooms, risotto and broccoli rabe. This was also my second choice to the duck and was very nice. We also had a wonderful deep, French red wine with our meal, Château du Galoupet from les Côtes de Provence area. The service was exceptional considering how busy they were and contrary to some reviews i've seen of the restaurant. Maybe we were just having a lucky night but I don't think so. Apps range from $12 to $15 and mains from $18 to $28. 

www.casimirrestaurant.com

August – NYC

$$$

This is one of those restaurants where I was torn between giving them 2 or 3 stars. Had they been an Ottawa restaurant they would have definitely gotten 3 stars, but I guess because this one is in New York City I expected a little more wow out of the food. The service on the other hand almost made me cave and give them 3 but in the end, I went with 2, which is still good! It's a quaint little restaurant in Greenwich Village with a charming and cozy indoor garden patio at the back with cobblestone floors. Looking over the menu I was torn on what to order. Upon our server's recommendation I started off with the Charcuterie Plate of cured European meats and house terrines. The liver pâté was especially scrumptious. For my main I had the Beef Shortrib Sauerbraten – quark spaetzle, pickled apples, celery and horseradish, also a wonderful choice. A great bottle of wine, Tenuta Friggiali 2004 Rosso Di Montalcino, my closest friends and the excitement of finally getting to NYC after a long drive contributed to a wonderful evening. One of the areas I docked points on the food was the selection. Although I do enjoy a small menu, my friend who does not eat meat felt that a vegetarian and/or poultry dish could have been added to the selection. The Oven Roasted Whole Orata dish she ordered however, was extremely tasty. Apps range between $9 and $15, mains between $24 and $26.

www.augustny.com

The Hungry Trout – Wilmington

$$$

My friend and I had dinner here after a day of mountain biking and shopping in Lake Placid. We were tired and hungry and very excited to eat. The ambiance the minute you walk in is very warm and comforting. The restaurant is part of the Hungry Trout Resort, which reminds me a lot of the Château Montebello. They have pretty white lights up the posts in the restaurant that let off a really nice feel. Half of the dining room is made up of large windows overlooking the waterfalls of the Ausable River. When we first arrived there was a large table next to ours that had many noisy children at it. Luckily they had just finished their meal and left about 15 minutes later. 

I started off with the Roasted Duck Ravioli in port wine and lingonberry glaze. It was delicious, and not too filling, which I was a bit worried it might be. For my main I had the special, Crab stuffed Trout with risotto and asparagus. The trout pretty much took up the entire plate, it was massive and cooked to perfection. We finished our bottle of red wine and before I knew it I was ordering the apple crisp. I was so full and so tired that I was actually relieved when our server came back and said they were all out of the apple crisp. So I finished off with a glass of port instead. 

The service was wonderful and i'm pretty certain i'll be going back the next time i'm in the area. I really want to try their Smoked Rainbow Trout. 

www.hungrytrout.com

The Cottage – Lake Placid

$

I was attracted to this restaurant because of the great patio they have overlooking Mirror Lake. Although it had been raining off and on that day we still took a chance and sat on the patio. It didn't last long. By the time my first course had arrived we had to make our way inside. The rain wins again.

I started off with a glass of Chardonnay and the Shrimp à la Cottage. They were jumbo steamed shrimp topped with artichoke hearts, bacon and melted cheddar soaking in garlic oil. It was ok, but way too much butter. I wouldn't order it again. Then I had the Cottage Blue Salad. That on the other hand, I would order again. It had fresh mixed greens with red grapes, pecans and blue cheese crumbles and a mango vinaigrette. I ate every last bit that was on my plate – YUMM.

I finished off my lunch with a glass of port. But this was not your normal port. It was a chocolate port, which I've never heard of. She let me try it first. It tasted a lot like a regular tawny port but once you swallowed it you could taste the chocolate. It was really good. The service was also impeccable.

www.mirrorlakeinn.com/dining-cottage.cfm

Lake Placid Pub & Brewery – Lake Placid

$

I was in Lake Placid this past weekend and ended up at the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery the night we arrived. If you're ever in the area you definitely have to make a stop here. I started off with their popular Ubu Ale. It's a strong English ale that's named after a legendary chocolate lab. It also won a gold medal at the World Beer Championships. I enjoyed it so much I brought a case of it home with me. They also have a sampler tray which gives you an opportunity to try all their beers.

The Ubu Ale was the perfect accompaniment to the Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich I ordered. This slow cooked roasted pork sandwich is topped with their own homemade BBQ sauce that is absolutely delicious. I didn't find they had enough BBQ sauce on the sandwich tho so I got some extra on the side. The sandwich came with apple sauce and baked beans. Comforting and filling.

The service was absolutely amazing. They were very accommodating and friendly. Unfortunately a couple of days later when I came to buy the beer to bring home they weren't as friendly, but still a really great place that I will go to again when I visit Lake Placid.

www.ubuale.com