TABLE FOR ONE: DBGB

Last week I went to DBGB, Daniel Boulud's new downtown joint, specializing in sausages. I have not yet been to Daniel or Cafe Boulud, and was excited to get a taste of the Boulud empire for a cheaper price. 

The place is large, with a separate room for the bar in front, with many seats, and a large dining room in back, with the kitchen surrounding it. I would call the feel of the restaurant "Bowery Chic".

I sat in the bar area, and although there were plenty of house-made sausages to choose from, I have been on a burger-kick lately, and ordered the Piggie ($19), one of three burgers on the menu.

The Piggie is a 6 oz beef patty topped with daisy mays bbq pulled pork, jalapeno mayonnaise & boston lettuce on a cheddar-cornbread bun with mustard-vinegar slaw, and fries. The burger was extremely juicy, which I like, but with all those toppings, it was just a mash of flavors that were indistinguishable. Unfortunately, the fries were limp and soggy, and truly unacceptable, especially coming from a Daniel Boulud kitchen. I was actually in shock that they would send out fries this bad. It was a let down.

I would definitely go back to DBGB to try some of their sausages, but if you crave a burger, there are better places to go. I should mention though, that DBGB has the most extensive beer list I have ever seen (including 22 on tap!), and although I didn't get any beer, seems like a great place to explore the world of beer. 

DBGB Kitchen and Bar
299 Bowery (bet. Houston and 1st st.)
New York, NY 10003
212-933-5300

www.dbgb.com

TABLE FOR ONE: THE REDHEAD

Last week I grabbed a quick dinner at The Redhead, an East Village bar known for it's Southern accented menu. I have been wanting to check this place out for a while and finally made the move.

I ordered the two dishes I had read the most about; the bacon peanut brittle and the buttermilk fried chicken.

The bacon peanut brittle ($5) is a great bar snack. I definitely agree with the saying "everything tastes better with bacon", and this little snack was extremely addictive. Made with maple syrup, cayenne, and thyme, it has a great balance of spiciness and sweetness. It has become so popular that they sell it by the jar so diners can take it home. It definitely is up there for bar snack of the year!

The buttermilk fried chicken, ($17) with cornbread, and a spinach and strawberry salad with almonds, was really nice. The fried chicken didn't blow my mind, but it was still really good. I loved the salad for it was extremely fresh, and I thought the combination of spinach and strawberry was perfect for the Summer.

The Redhead is basically a bar with really good food. It reminded me of the Spotted Pig, but much more laid back and without the "scene". So, I don't care if you are into blondes or brunettes, this Redhead is definitely worth checking out!

The Redhead
349 E. 13th St. (bet. 1st and 2nd)
New York, NY 10003
212-533-6212

www.theredheadnyc.com

TABLE FOR ONE: FATTY CRAB (UPPER WEST SIDE)

One of my favorite NYC restaurants is Zak Pelaccio's West Village Malaysian restaurant, Fatty Crab. I love it for its powerful, flavorful, and tasty dishes. So when I found myself on Saturday early evening on the Upper West Side near the latest outpost of Fatty Crab, I decided to check it out.

This Fatty Crab is much, much larger than the original. It still has that Malaysian feel, with its brick and wooden decor. 

I started with the oyster and pig trotter banh mi sandwich ($12). The Banh Mi sandwich is one of the latest NYC restaurant crazes, and Fatty Crab's take on it was unbelievable and mind-blowing! I loved the flavors and textures of this sandwich. 

For my entree I got the short rib rendang ($25) with kaffir lime, coconut, and chili. I enjoyed this dish a lot too. There was a great balance of sweetness and spiciness, and I could not put my fork down to take a break of consuming this dish!

Fatty Crab on the Upper West side is just as good as its downtown brother. I am happy for all the Upper West Siders who do not have to travel that far now for amazing, flavorful, and powerful Malaysian cuisine. 

Fatty Crab
2170 Broadway (bet. 76th and 77th)
New York, NY 10024
212-496-2722
www.fattycrab.com

TABLE FOR ONE: L'ARTUSI

Friday night I grabbed a bite at the West Village hot spot L'Artusi. L'Artusi comes to us from the team behind dell'Anima (Chef Gabe Thompson and partner Joe Campanale). I had a nice meal at dell'Anima and have been wanting to check out their new spot. 

I walked in at 10pm to a packed house. If there is a recession, there was no sign of it here. I was able to grab a seat at the bar overlooking an open kitchen where two chefs were making the crudo. I love dining at open kitchens because it's like dinner and a show!

I started with a dish from the "Crudo" section of the menu of Turbot with peas and yuzu ($14). The dish was light, simple, refreshing, and I loved it! It was basically "Spring in a bowl". There were some fried peas thrown in, which added a great little crunch too.

I also had a pasta dish of cavatelli with sausage, onion, radicchio, and pecorino. I thought the dish was very bland at first, so I asked for some Parmesan cheese. After adding the fresh Parmesan, the dish got better in flavor, but I still felt it was a boring, underseasoned dish.

I would still recommend L'Artusi as a good place to go in the West Village for a glass of wine, a bite, and to forget about the economy for a while. I definitely plan on going back to try some of their other dishes.

L'Artusi
228 W. 10th St. (bet. Hudson and Bleeker)
New York, NY 10014
212-255-5757

www.lartusinyc.com

TABLE FOR ONE: HARBOUR

Last night I went to the opening night party of a new seafood restaurant in Soho called Harbour, brought to us by Richard Schaeffer and Michelin starred chef Joe Isidori. I had no expectations and only intended to grab drinks. Well, I was lucky enough to end up having a full meal, and I feel compelled to tell you that I was blown away.

First off, the restaurant looks great. It reminds me of my other favorite Soho seafood restaurant, Lure Fishbar, in that it looks like you are in a yacht. Seriously though, it is basically a yacht on land. I really like the layout of the restaurant because the bar area is totally separated from the dining room.

I sat at the bar and had a few cocktails created by cocktail consultant Deborah Harris. They were nice drinks, and after three, I was definitely ‘loopy’, shall we say.

I started with the House Chowder ($8), which came with herbs and vegetables. After one spoonful I was in total shock. It was amazing. My mind had been blown. I’m not a huge eater of chowders, besides the typical New England Clam, but this chowder is special. There was an amazing smokiness to it, for it is cooked with Chinese bacon, and there is also a really nice kick to the dish. It was probably the best chowder I’ve ever had!

For my entrée I was served the Arctic Char ($23), which came with miso, grapefruit, and yuzu. It was a pretty dish, and again, after one bite, my mind was blown. It, too, was absolutely amazing. The fish was so perfectly cooked, it practically melted in my mouth -- it was like buttuh! The grapefruit, yuzu, and vegetables, perfectly complemented each other. What took this dish to another level, though, was the addition of salmon roe, which gave the dish a little saltiness to cut away from the citrus, and in my opinion is truly ingenious. It was an outstanding dish, and I’m going to be honest and say it was actually one of the best fish dishes I have ever had!

For dessert I had Harbour’s version of a Black Forest Cake ($8), which was fine, but not as mind-blowing as my previous courses.

I love how life works and how it’s all meant to be. I love how when attending opening night parties for cocktails, you end up with unexpected amazing dining experiences. Harbour is not only a great addition to its west Soho neighborhood; it is a great addition to all of NYC. Do yourself a favor and hop on this yacht soon and sail away into culinary bliss.

Harbour
290 Hudson St. (bet. Spring and Dominick)
New York, NY 10013
212-989-6410

www.harbournyc.com

TABLE FOR ONE: HAVEN (Closed)

Last night I went to grab a drink at the restaurant/lounge Haven in Midtown. It is an extremely sexy two floored spot, with colors of red all around, including elegant red chandeliers. The word 'bordello' is the first word that comes to mind.

Not only does Haven have a great cocktail list, but they have an international menu of small plates as well. So of course, in NYC FOODIE fashion, I just had to try the food!

I actually really liked the menu because each dish came from a different part of the world or part of the US; it was a culinary trip around the world. I went with the Duck and Fois Gras Meatballs ($17) and the Lobster Risotto ($23).

The Duck and Fois Gras Meatballs came with winter vegetables and a duck reduction. They were very delicate and delicious. I absolutely loved the duck reduction, which was both soothing and seductive!

The Lobster Risotto came with chanterelles, white truffle oil, and parmesan reggiano. This was also a great dish. The risotto was perfectly cooked and the chunks of lobster were perfect, which made for an addictive dish. It also had a nice little kick to it that was nice.

I love eating great food all over NYC. I love getting drinks all over NYC too. When you can match great drinks and great food in one spot, then I am in NYC FOODIE heaven! Haven is that heaven; an extremely sexy heaven!

Haven
244 E. 51st St. (bet. 2nd and 3rd)
New York, NY 10022
212-906-9066
www.havennewyork.com

TABLE FOR ONE: TERROIR

Wednesday night I went to the wine bar Terroir in the East Village. Terroir comes to us from chef Marco Canora and sommelier Paul Grieco (Hearth, Insieme). 

The place is small, with just one long communal table and the bar. It has a very laid back and comfortable feel, typical of most places in the East Village.

I luckily walked in with Mr. Grieco, (who I recognized outside, because I have the ability to recognize most personalities in the NYC restaurant industry) and I had him recommend what I should order.

I took his recommendations and went with the Hearts of Bibb Lettuce salad ($7) and the fried Sage Leaves with lamb sausage ($7). He paired these dishes with a unique Hungarian wine, which was wonderful.

The Hearts of Bibb Lettuce came with creamy garlic vinaigrette and bread crumbs. It was tasty, refreshing, and crunchy. I'm not a huge salad eater, but it was a nice start.

The fried Sage Leaves with lamb sausages were great! The lamb was juicy and succulent, and the wrapped fried sage leaves around them gave it the perfect crisp.

After these two little bites I decided to grab another bite and went with the fried Beet Risotto Balls with gorgonzola cheese ($7). (Too be honest, I initially thought it said "Beef" instead of "Beet" so my first thought was "Wow this beef tastes like beets!") The gorgonzola was the perfect complement for the beets, and both flavors were equally strong.

Terroir is the perfect wine bar. It has an amazing selection of unique and great wine, as well as a great menu of small bites to pair with the wine. The prices are not expensive too. It is definitely one of my favorite wine bars in all of NYC!

Terroir
413 E. 12th St. (at 1st Ave)
New York, NY 10009
646-602-1300

www.wineisterroir.com

TABLE FOR ONE: dell'anima

Monday night I went to dell'anima, a small Italian spot in the West Village. I've had various foodie friends rave about the place so I wanted to see what they were talking about.

The place is on the medium to small size, with only 45 seats, a few seats at the bar, and six seats in the back at the chefs counter, overlooking the open kitchen. I was immediately drawn to those seats, which I love for solo dining, but unfortunately they were all taken, so I took a seat at the bar.

I started with an order of three bruschette ($10). They give you a basket of the bruschette and you choose what you want to put on it. I went with the soft-scrambled egg with bottarga, the tonnato with fennel and lemon, and the ricotta with sea salt. I really enjoyed this starter. It all tasted great and I think it is a really fun way to start a meal!

For my entree I went with the Pizzoccheri ($17), one of their pastas made in-house. It came with speck, savoy cabbage, potatoes, and smoked ricotta. The pasta was really well cooked and I enjoyed the saltiness the speck and smoked ricotta lent to the dish. I never had savoy cabbage in a pasta dish, and I actually was not a fan of it in the dish, for it was soggy, and could have done without it. Everything else worked well and it was a soothing dish.

 think dell'anima is a great place for good wine and good Italian fare. The prices are pretty good too. I will say that the place is extremely loud, so if you are looking for intimate conversation I would not go here. But for fun Italian eats in the West Village, it is a great spot!

dell'anima
38 8th Avenue (at Jane st.)
New York, NY 10014
212-366-6633

www.dellanima.com