Dear diary,
last month was our anniversary! The first of a new decade!
As always Vasilis made a reservation, and gave me clues while in the subway...
I knew we'd go for tasting, but can you tell from that given that there are more than 3,500 restaurants in New York? You can't...
While on the F line, I asked where we get off, and he replied West 4th.
And suddenly it came to me! I asked if it's a restaurant with a large name. He smiled at me (meaning that I'm almost there)... "which one you mean"?
I replied "One if by land, two if by sea"!!!
That was it! I was so enthusiastic, I had that restaurant in mind since our best friends, Theo and Lina, visited us 2 years ago. One if by land, two if by sea was our alternative to restaurant Bouley. We ended up in Bouley after all and all 4 of us had a great time! But since then I wanted to visit One if by land, two if by sea.
Maybe because of the weird name, or the fact that the restaurant's medieval style as I could see from the outside... I really wanted to go and I was so excited to find out this were we had our reservations!
The ambience was very romantic, white table linens, white roses and candlelight on every table...
The restaurant also had a pianist, a fireplace, great portraits hanging on the walls and large windows in the back where one could see the lighted backyard.
I also loved the huge staircase leading to the upper floor seating... I think it's a great place for romantic dates, but also for taking the parents out for a nice family dinner.
The poem that inspired the restaurant's name was written on the menu, and has some american history behind it...
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
And the 7-course Chef's Tasting Menu begins with...
Egg Custard
dashi, uni alverta president caviar
I was not so enthusiastic of this dish in the beginning because of its intense "fishy" flavors.
But then I grabbed a spoon and got a little bit of everything in one bite... And it was good...
Foie Gras Terrine
rhubarb, green strawberry, ramps
Truly awesome combination of the foie gras with the strawberries and rhubarb. Smooth, fruity and buttery....
Only I felt that I could have that for breakfast, spread on the warm bread slices and enjoy with a glass of orange or mimosa!
Warm Peekytoe Crab
picholine olive, beurre de montpellier
This was a warm dish, where the montpellier butter complemented great the sweet and tender crab. The olives relish gave this extra acidity to the dish.
Roasted Branzini
lemon cauliflower puree, shallot marmelade
Although a very small portion of the fish, it was very tasteful.
The cauliflower puree was very good too.
But what I really loved was the shallots topping.... Sweet and crunchy, such a nice texture and flavor!
Veal Tasting
black trumpet, cauliflower, nasturtium
I don't have much to say about this dish, it was very good overall but I was too full to really appreciate it.
Mango sorbet and rhubard
A nice sorbet for a smooth transition to the desserts that followed...
Rhubarb was very sour for me, but the crumbs and sorbet were great!
Honey study
thristle, rata, sunflower, lavender, cherry, chestnut
At this point I have to say that for me the most interestingly unexpected dish was Honey Study.
It was like honey tasting, and although I did not like all tastes equally, I think it was a great idea to give 7 different honey flavors and accompany them with a little something: a mini cake, ice cream, a ricotta soft scoop, cherry marmelade...
The second mini tasting we had, after the veal dish, within the greater tasting dinner.
Awesome idea!
Upside down mango cake
bamboo rice pudding, yogurt, ginger, anise
This was a huge dessert! Rice pudding in the bottom of the plate, on top of that the mango cake, a scoop of ginger ice cream on the side, and strips of mango.
All flavors mixed nicely into this exotic dessert.... Very good and refreshing!
The guys in the restaurant knew about our anniversary (!), so in the end they brought us 4 great chocolates to celebrate even more!
I really look forward going back to this place and taste other famous dishes, like its Beef Wellington!
Yours,
Jennoula
No comments:
Post a Comment