Ciao ragazzi! I have just returned to the District after an extended holiday weekend in New York City. Here's a list of some of my favorite tables:
Serafina
www.serafinarestaurant.com
(1022 Madison Avenue)
This sunny spot is right next to the Metropolitan Museum of Art - a perfect stop pre- or post-visit. The restaurant has a rustic and distinctly Italian feel to it - with stucco walls, painted yellow, you may as well be dining al fresco in bella Italia! The 1st floor (which is one flight up from street level) offers views of Madison Avenue shoppers, and the 2nd floor, a converted greenhouse, offers a high glass ceiling, and lots of bright sunlight. They have a reputation for being family-friendly--which could put a little damper on a date--but when there aren't loads of bambini running around, this is a pretty chic spot to kick back and enjoy some antipasti.
Their featured menu item is their pizzas, though I've never had one, consistently opting for lighter fare. This time I tried a spinach and goat cheese salad ($12). It was just lovely - offering a honey-balsamic dressing with pine nuts and as promised, warm goat cheese topping three thin slices of baguette. Their presentation is elegantly simple - they do not garnish their plates, rather, they let the food showcase itself.
Other plates to try:
Prosciutto e buffaline ($15): Imported prosciutto sliced to perfection, served with little fior de latte. It may seem a little pricey, but don't forget that imported prosciutto sells for about $25/lb in any given grocery store. The mozzarell' is not to be looked over either - it's so fresh it could fall apart on the plate.
Carciofi e parmiggiano ($15): I love this idea. This is such a fresh salad (it's chopped artichoke hearts, hearts of romaine, endive, and parmesan) and served with three endive "shells" (I stuffed the salad inside the endive shells to eat this instead of using a fork). They used fresh lemon juice and olive oil for dressing - complimented with curls of parmesan and freshly ground black pepper, this is delighfully fresh combination. The artichoke hearts were less apparent than the menu would have it seem, but still a wonderful salad.
Searafina's cocktails (I've had both a bloody mary, and a bellini) leave something to be desired. At $10 a drink, your best bet is probably a glass of sparkling water with a twist of lemon.
Sarabeth's
www.sarabethscps.com
(40 Central Park South, Between 5th and 6th)
A posh brunch spot right next to the Plaza apartments - Sarabeth's was certainly the place to be on Saturday morning in NYC. It looks deceptively tiny from the front, but a hallway leads to the back where there are groups of tables for as far as the eye can see. The service was excellent, and the coffee was rich. A truly decadent experience.
Spinach & Goat Cheese Omelet (sense a theme yet?): Eggs were unbelievably fluffy, the flavors of spinach and goat cheese were delicious in this omelet. The end! Encore!
Farmer's Omelet (with leeks, ham, chunks of potato and gruyere): The fluffy eggs were delightful but the rest of the ingredients left something to be desired. The gruyere and ham must have been smoked, which didn't suit this taster much. I'm not sure that I'd order this again.
I ordered the omelet with an english muffin: Sarabeth's makes their own. I was less impressed with their muffin (which was more like a corn muffin than an english muffin), but it was nice to know that it was fresh and homemade.
Sarabeth's Pickled Bloody Mary: Not so much. This was the alcoholic equivalent of a poodle, with some kind of colorful vegetable confetti sticking out the top - which made this a very difficult cocktail to drink (pieces of it ended up decorating not only my drink, but my face). It wasn't spicy, the flavor was more bitter than anything. It was underwhelming, at best.
With the exception of the bloody mary, this was a really pleasant experience. If you want to brunch to impress--Sarabeth's is your spot!
The Best Halal
(53rd And 6th)
Alright. This has to be one of my favorites. This street vendor goes by the name "Best Halal" for good reason. I don't know how they do it! There are imposters on every corner boasting their Halal, but they can't compare to this place. The Halal I tried was with chicken - I have no idea what they used to season their chicken or their rice, but it was wonderful.
For $5, they give you an aluminum container chock full of fluffy seasoned rice, and perfectly grilled, seasoned, chopped chicken. They serve it with a white sauce (sort of tahini-esque), and a spicy sauce (which I tried because everyone else was eating it) - absolutely wonderful. This has to be one of the best "street meat" experiences around.
The first time I tried this, it was mid-afternoon, and there were only a few people ahead of me in line. I liked it so much, I went back about 12 hours later -- at 2 AM -- and there was an epic line that would've probably taken about 40 minutes to get served there. In my haste at that hour, I went to an adjacent stand where there was no line. The imposter halal vendor definitely appreciated the business, but it was no comparison to the Best Halal. (This rice was dry and underseasoned, where the Best Halal rice was moist and fluffy and salty and spicy and...) Run, don't walk to this corner to check it out!
Maria Pia
www.mariapianyc.com
(319 West 51st Street)
Hail Mary! Maria Pia is pure romance. This might have been the restaurant where "Lady and the Tramp" dined when they fell in love. Outside dining on one of the last nights of summer with just a hint of fall in the air. Exposed brick walls inside. Low lighting. Wonderful music. The folks at Maria Pia have mastered the candlelit dinner.
2001 Chianti Classico (Tuscany) ($40): Delicious! This 2001 bottle took almost no coaxing to find the sweet, dark, and rich notes that were such a delight that evening. As a point of interest, most wine from Tuscany from 2001 are wonderful, and often they are more affordable than the rest of the list, which can be daunting. Don't miss them on your next menu! Perfecto!
Caprese salad ($11): Pure mozzarella and ripe vine tomatoes drizzled with extra virgin olive oil = absolutely heavenly. This is a classic dish that insists on good ingredients, and Maria Pia didn't skimp on the quality.
Ravioli alla Vodka ($14): My favorite combination (spinach and goat cheese) makes an appearance again in my weekend -- this time, in homemade ravioli with a creamy red sauce. These yummy pasta pockets were made to impress. Fresh ingredients in the sauce and the pasta made the difference again with this one.
Tortellini Alla Nonna ($14): This is a variation on a southern Italian classic - spaghetti al carbonara. This combination uses parmesan, peas, and prosciutto in a sauce that won't disappoint. Again, Maria Pia uses homemade stuffed pasta in a fresh cream sauce. I enjoyed this tasty dish immensely - complimented perfectly by the wine - but ultimately preferred the spinach/goat cheese ravioli in the vodka sauce.
Satsko
(202 East 7th Street, Between Avenues B & C)
This hip, bohemian place has had me daydreaming about it since the first time I tried it. Its dim lighting and intimate atmosphere don't draw the typical monied NYC crowd, instead it's a tuly bohemian grove. I'm not kidding when I say that it's intimate seating -- the whole place might seat 16 people.
They've decorated the place with random Asian curios, and wallpapered with polaroid pictures (presumably, of their loyal customers). I've never seen such a place that is so...cool. To me, it felt like kind of an organic NYC experience -- organic in the literal sense, that my experience was derived from the surroundings (nobody was putting on a show).
But the real reason to go to Satsko? The dumplings. Are. To die for.
Gyoza ($9): Homemade dumplings stuffed with pork, pan seared and served with some wonderful soy/chive/teriyaki dipping sauce.
Vegetable dumplings ($9): Made and prepared just like their gyoza, but no meat. These are served with a slightly spicy tomato-based sauce.
If you're looking for a cool spot to hang out with a few friends over some dinner and drinks, Satsko's got you covered. They make their own flavored sake, if you like that sort of thing. Their lychee flavor was nice, but a the sweetness of it was overpowering--I'll stick to straight-up sake and gyoza at this spot.
Morning Star Cafe
(949 2nd Avenue)
Classic diner.
Eggs benedict ($6): Top 5 I've tried, less the sliced, packaged ham they included. They didn't skimp on the rich hollandaise here! The eggs were perfectly poached, the english muffin was chewy and nicely toasted. Hearty and no-frills, just good diner food.
Italian Omelet ($8): Sausage, pepper, mushrooms, and mozzarella. Yum. Vegetables and sausages were mixed wtih the eggs, not stuffed inside. Really nice, satisfying breakfast for not too many greenbacks.
Skip: Morningstar's breakfast potatoes, which were largely unseasoned (gross) and mushy (also, gross); the grapefruit juice, which tasted like bitter Kool-Aid.
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