NYC Dining 2015 – Jean Georges, Marea, Gato, Batard…. Image 1
Love, Restaurants

NYC Dining 2015 – Jean Georges, Marea, Gato, Batard….

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I love New York City, I would go any day of the week.  I love the people, theatre and most of all the restaurants.  My husband and I have some standard classics that we visit every time we go and we try and add some new ones with each visit.

This year, we went for my birthday, even though the temperatures in February were less than desirable.  We looked at it as an opportunity to wear our down coats and wool clothing that we never put on in California and dine at some of the best restaurants.

 

 

 

I had read about Batard in the NY Times as being one of their top favorites.  Batard is a French style haute cuisine restaurant resembling some of the finer dining of Burgundy however, we didn’t find the food or service great.

 

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I don’t think the entire meal we knew who our waiter was because the Sommelier took our order and different waiters delivered our dishes.  That being said, one of the best dishes of the night was the Chicken and Noodles. Hand made pasta delicately rolled and filled with a puree of chicken.  The filling was nice, but it was pretty sparse.  The presentation was beautiful.

NYC - Batard 007 (480x360)The entrees were much more satisfying — Seared Duck Breast with Mushroom Crepe and Liver Mousse and the Veal surrounded in a Crust and served in a Dark Au Jus.  Both had delicious flavor and outstanding presentation.  Something you might see in Burgundy.

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The next day, we stopped in at a Upper Westside Bakery called Levain.  I was told by some close aquaintences that this was a must and they were right.  The Bombolocini was a nicely flavored roll stuffed with raspberry jam and dusted in powdered sugar.  Yum!

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They are super famous for their cookies and the Chocolate Chip shouldn’t be missed as well as the other delicious looking items.

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For lunch, we dined at our favorite spot in town, Jean Georges.  I can’t say enough about how much I love this place.  For lunch -$48.00 will buy you the best two+ courses of your life.  My favorite dish by far was the Sauteed Gulf Shrimp, Orange-Yogurt Sauce and Silken Kabocha.  It was delicate and decadent all at once.  I went home to duplicate it, recipe to come!

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My husband had my second favorite dish of the day, the Crispy Confit of Suckling Pig, Rutabaga Pudding and Smoked Bacon Marmalade.  What more do I need to say……except heaven.

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For dessert, we had the “Chocolate” which was Yuzu Ice Cream with shaved White Chocolate, Molten Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Nib Ice Cream and Chocolate Mousse.

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Oh, and they brought us two mini Chocolate Fondant Cakes for our birthdays! No pic.

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The next day we walked 50 blocks to a bakery I had read about called “Dough.”  If figured after so many blocks of walking, I had earned at least half a doughnut.  Dough, originally from Brooklyn, specializes in doughnuts made from scratch. The dough was delicious – light, airy and not greasy.  The Passion Fruit doughnut is a must try.

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For dinner that evening we had planned on going to “Dirty French” for dinner, but changed our minds at the last minute and went to “Marea” instead.  Marea, is another one of my favorite chefs restaurants, Michael White, and this place did not disappoint.  The Monk Fish was the best of my life.  Yes, you can quote me!  The creamy mushroom puree that nestled the fish was divine.

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The following day was my birthday and boy was it cold.  So we bundled up like most Southern Californians and headed out for a day of shopping and more dining.  One of our favorite spots is still Becco owned by Lidia Bastianich.  This homestyle Italian food, was some of the best.  My Chicken Paillard with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Arugula was warm and comforting.

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And my husband loves the all-you-can eat Fresh Pasta with a choice of three daily.  Today was Marinara & Penne, Veal Ragu and Kale with Ricotta Ravioli.

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As for wine, Becco has a list of bottles for $29 bucks that are all great for the price.  Love this place!

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After a trip to the David Letterman show, we changed our clothes and headed to Gato, Bobby Flay’s newest restaurant.  We waited in the bar for our table and had a Manhattan. The bartenders were great to discuss wines with us while we waited 40 minutes.

To start, the Bar Food or Pinchos, as I like to call them, were outstanding.  Our favorites were the Chorizo Crepinette with Apricot Mostarda and Brandade Croquetta with Fennel Relish.

NYC - Gato 009 (360x480) The Scrambled Eggs with Almond Romesco and Boucheron Cheese were dreamy.  The Tomato Confit Toasts were a nice crunchy touch to scoop them up with.

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The Porterhouse Pork Chop with Tomato Pan juices was a little overcooked, but the Romesco Polenta had charm.

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Patatas Bravas — crispy potatoes with a Poached Egg on top. The timing on the entree and potatoes took 40 minutes between courses and you could taste our potatoes were sitting under a heat lamp because the egg was hard and dry.

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The staff at Gato was very professional and kind.  The waiter knew the timing was way off in the kitchen and comp’d our bar snacks.

NYC was such fun, even in the snowy weather.  We also enjoyed several plays including: Constellations and The Audience.  I wish we could get to New York more often because this city has some of the best dining in the world.

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