Public Restaurant

Sometimes you're disappointed with a meal and other times you're pleasantly surprised.

This weekend was one of the disappointing times.

Our Friday night out with friends visiting from Toronto was supposed to be a nice meal at Public Restaurant (210 Elizabeth Street) in the NoLita district of Manhattan. We had read great reviews on Chowhound about Public Restaurant and the fine critics from Michelin recently awarded the restaurant with a Michelin star, so the outlook was definitely promising.

Our table in the loud restaurant was tucked in a corner, between a cement post and surrounded by bottles of wine. For one diner, it meant being crammed up next to a cement pillar for the evening.

We started our meal with grilled scallops with sweet chili sauce, crème fraiche and green plantain crisps. My first choice of the Fried Barron Point oysters with shiso, sansho pepper, and wasabi-yuzu dipping sauce were sadly sold out for the evening. The scallops were nice, but nothing special. Our dining companions had a nice side of sliced watermelon, feta and basil salad with toasted pumpkin seeds and shichimi which was refreshing and had a nice bite between the spice of the shichimi and the softness of the feta. Entrees included roasted lamb sirloin, crispy tofu and Australian barramundi with vanilla celeriac puree. The lamb was moderately tough and lacked real flavor, while the barramundi had a nice crispy skin, but no outstanding taste. The vanilla celeriac puree was the best part of the fish dish.

Dessert was only moderately better - a sticky toffee pudding with Armagnac ice cream and hot caramel sauce which was fine, but again, nothing special and a British and Irish cheese plate. The cheese plate had strong cheese smells, but as none were made in house, I can't say whether these were the best options to offer diners.

Overall, we were disappointed with our meal at Public Restaurant and aren't sure whether we'll return. After all the great reviews and award wins, you would hope for a better experience. Hopefully you have a better experience than we did.

www.public-nyc.com
tel: (212) 343-7011

Julia Child and Jacques Pepin

I remember seeing Julia Child cooking classic French food on TV when I was a little kid. I didn't really understand what she was doing, nor did I understand half of what was going into the dishes, but I knew that she was entertaining. In her distinctive voice and pearl necklace, Julia Child definitely had a presence in front of the camera. Quite likely, it was simply her stature, but there was something fun about watching her cook her way around the kitchen. In later years, it was hard not to notice that she often drank alcohol during each show. One particular show that I remember distinctly, was a Julia Child and Jacques Pepin episode where Julia had a large beer stein full of booze which, by the end of the episode, was empty and Julia was tipsy. Amazing! To watch a grown adult, drink on TV while cooking French food and be drunk by the end.

Many years later, I saw an episode of Julia and Jacques' Cooking at home where they made a wonderful looking fish stew served in large artisanal bread. That one show inspired me to buy my first cookbook, "Cooking at Home" by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. I've only tried a handful of recipes from the book (including the puff pastries), but it sits faithfully on the shelf as constant inspiration to keep cooking. Unlike Julie Powell (from Julie and Julia), I don't know whether I'll get through all the recipes, but I'll certainly keep working on it.

Thanks Julia, you've inspired many generations of food lovers.

Julia and Jacques cookbook can be found on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Julia-Jacques-Cooking-at-Home/dp/0375404317

Nathan's Famous Hot dogs at Coney Island

Nathan's Famous Hot dogs are an institution at Coney Island. One of the first places you see on the boardwalk as you exit the subway station, Nathan's Famous offers everything from burger, fries and chicken tenders to fried seafood and raw clams.

Every year on July 4, Independence Day, the world famous hot dog eating competition takes place on Coney Island and contestants are required to scarf down as many Nathan hot dogs as they can in 10 minutes. This year's winner - Joey Chestnut, managed to get 68 hot dogs down in 10 minutes!

We went for the light two standard franks and cheese fries (pictured right). The Nathan's Famous beef franks were thick and juicy (hmmmm) and bursting with hot doggy goodness. The cheese fries, weighing in at a whopping 440.00 calories, packed a warm cheesy punch with oozing cheese sauce on thick, ridged, super-cut french fries. Our hearts and stomachs were a little worse for wear after the meal, but nothing that a large soda couldn't temper. Our next adventure in NYC hot dogs will have to be the "dirty water" franks that Anthony Bourdain so lovingly describes on his show "No Reservations."

Here's to more healthy eating in New York!

nathansfamous.com
Click here for a list of Nathan's Famous locations in New York

Sweet Sugar Sunshine Cupcakes on the LES

We know that food is subjective, so these are just my thoughts and feelings on what I think is the best cupcake in the city.

This is my second post on Sweet Sugar Sunshine because it's a spot that we just keep wandering by and are never disappointed. Located on Rivington street between Essex and Norfolk, Sweet Sugar Sunshine continues to deliver on value-packed cupcakes ($1.50/each) for the cupcake fanatic. On this visit, we continued our journey down cupcake alley with a Pistachio, Lemon yummy and Red Velvet dessert.

The Lemon Yummy and Pistachio offer a light cakey base topped with medium thick frosting. Subtle nutty flavors come through in the pistachio while a soft lemon tang can be tasted from the lemon yummy.

By definition, the Red Velvet is going to be a bit heavier as the cake dough contains cocoa powder. Again, topped with a vanilla icing that was not too sweet provided a nice contrast in flavors and textures to a more dense chocolaty cake.

We will continue to eat up the cupcakes at this lovely bakery. Yummy eating in NYC.

126 Rivington St
Tel: (212) 995-1960
sweetsugarsunshine.com

Shake Shack - Burgers and Fries

"Burgers and Fries in moderate portions"

The original Shake Shack is in Madison Square Park in Midtown Manhattan where people will line up around the park for hours just to get their hands on these tasty little burgers. These shots were from the UWS location at 366 Columbus (@ 77th street). Simply delicious and freshly prepared, these moderately sized, hand-packed burgers are slightly bigger than a traditional slider, but not as large as a giant pub burger. The Shake Shack 'shroom burger is two portobello mushrooms wrapped around muenster and cheddar cheese, breaded and deep fried, then tucked between a bun with shack sauce, lettuce and tomato.

I'm dreaming about it right now and wish I had ordered one last night as we walked home along Columbus from Times Square.

Shake Shack's traditional cheese burger is everything it claims to be, good 'ol beef, cooked medium and topped with cheese. Ask for everything if you like pickles, tomato and lettuce. For the Canadians reading this, the fries are like the ones that that "Jay" ate in the McCain Superfries commercial from the late 90's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR9X_LcC7yQ). Crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Enjoy burger lovers - see you in paradise. Keep on eating in New York city.

shakeshack.com

Katz's Deli

Katz's Deli - 205 East Houston Street (btw Orchard and Ludlow) - needs no introduction.

Equally famous for its wall of celebrity photographs, site of Meg Ryan's fake orgasm in "When Harry met Sally", and it's pastrami/corned beef/brisket, Katz's Deli never fails to deliver on it's $15 sandwich.

Definitely not a cheap meal, the $15 is well worth it for a pastrami sandwich that can easily feed two. For an extra $6, order Katz's fantastically delicious, thick steak French fries and a Dr. Brown's cherry cola. All sandwiches and meat platters come with a side of pickles that are a nice complement to any meal here.

While I can't vouch for the desserts at Katz's Deli, I'm sure the cheesecake here is tasty - I promise to try a slice next time. For now, we'll keep eating in New York.

Vanessa's Dumpling House

Vanessa's Dumpling House at 118 Eldridge St (btw Canal and Hester) is a little gem on the LES that serves a simple menu of dumplings, sesame pancake sandwiches and soups (including noodle soups). For under $10, you can get a great meal here with a variety of flavours, textures and delicious fillings both for vegetarians and carnivores alike.

We ordered three dishes to split between two people: a Peking Duck sandwich, Fried Pork Dumplings and Steamed wontons with spicy sauce. For those of you who like duck, there's nothing nicer than some thinly sliced and shredded duck, batoned cucumber and hoisin sauce, tucked between a large fluffy sesame pancake that has been fried in a huge skillet and let to rise. One of the cooks is solely responsible for all of the sandwiches on order and these come nice and hot as each huge pancake is finished cooking and transferred to her station. She then slices the pancake into pizza-like wedges cuts each wedge in half (like a bagel) and fills it with the required filling. There are other fillings like roasted pork, roasted beef, veggies and tuna, but why eat anything other than duck?!

The fried pork dumplings were a bit dry, but the chive and pork filling was delicious. Dipped in a bit of soy/chili sauce, these dumplings come to life. The steamed wontons with spicy sauce were absolutely delicious. I wish I had a picture to share with you, but imagine 6 dumplings that are perfectly steamed and served on a fancy white Styrofoam plate. Then these are drizzled in chilli oil, sesame oil, burned garlic and chives. The shrimp and pork flavours blend wonderfully and are moist delicous. We've been back once already for the pancake sandwiches and hope to come back again for the dumplings. You go Vanessa!

(On a side note, I'm pretty sure none of the Chinese staff working at Vanessa's Dumpling House are named Vanessa, but who cares? With prices this low and food this tasty, it doesn't really matter). Deliciously eating in New York city.