GUANTANAMERA makes great Cuban on NYC's west side (11-25-22)

It has been a long time since our last visit to Guantanamera on NYC's west side at 8th Avenue and 56th St. Decades ago we always dined near Lincoln Center at Federico's (which ultimately closed and became a Victoria's Secret and is now an Apple Store). We met the manager Mario Zarate there and we followed him to Old John's Diner for our pre-opera meals which closed ages ago as well. Mario subsequently opened Guantanamera (after trying a short run as an Italian place in the same spot--too much competition) at the beginning of this millennia and we have been going ever since. We joined our friend, Lauren Flanigan and enjoyed a couple of pitchers of their wonderful Red Sangria as we perused the menu, that has also remained unchanged for years.

The three of us all settled on the Ensalada Palma Real of Mixed greens, artichokes, avocado, parmesan cheese, lemon dressing which is a super salad and always a favorite of anyone who tries it. Lauren and I had the Vaca Frita of Pan-seared shredded skirt steak, fresh mojo, onions, parsley, lime and of course, all the dishes come with Rice and Beans!! Will's Ropa Vieja of Shredded skirt steak stew, onions, peppers, tomato sauce was also just as good. The food here is very reasonably priced and it is a 10 minute walk to Lincoln Center or most Broadway theaters, so always a good choice especially when between a matinee and evening show like we were. We can't wait to return to Guantanamera and Mario and his super staff who all have the biggest smiles that make us happy too. The music might be a tad loud and be careful as they do have live entertainment at 8pm or 9pm or so on some nights!!

NYC's THE MODERN makes for a marvelous meal with TWO Michelin stars and a major money drain (11-23-22)

 On Thanksgiving weekend, we often have a free night in NYC and have always headed to Ai Fiori for what was a fabulous Italian meal. Last year we had major disappointments there and have moved up to midtown where THE MODERN has been ensconced next to the Museum of Modern Art for some time now and now has earned two Michelin stars.

The setting is magnificent overlooking reflecting pools and sculptures in the courtyard along with lots of plants and trees. The dining room is elegant and cozy with tables well-spaced so that you have lots of room (although a loud couple--Russian man & Greek woman--were extremely noisy two tables away, especially when he was on his cellphone!).

The dining room is separated from the a la carte Bar Room Restaurant and its bar which has more of a hum with tables more crowded, but we wanted the full tasting menu experience, which is the only option here. The tasting menu runs $250 per person (without tax and tap) and you can add on another $180 per person or such for wine pairings. We asked the sommelier, Jonathan how large the pours were, and he was honest saying that for this price you get about 3 total glasses of wine with 5 or 6 selections. We chose to order a bottle of white (most of the courses are fish) and followed that with some reds by the glass to try and get a better deal. Well, our meal came to $389 each in the end, so we did much better, but after tax and tip the damage was $1002!! It was worth it for sure, but I have to say I will think twice before taking a $250 tasting menu again in NYC as that tax and then a tip add up heavily and quickly.

We chose a Vieux Telegraph 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc which was as earthy as a white can get and really demanded food to be paired with it. We liked this as we had to sip at first and hold off with drinking the wine til the food arrived. Zallo crystal is used here, and it has a very "modern" look of course, while there are crisp white linens on the tables and a very attentive staff as well that work as a team, although Riccardo seemed to be the one who served us most.

The first amuse was a Shiso leaf lightly battered and fried with tuna tartare, Burgundy black truffle and lovage mayo. We were in love. The next dish is a signature of the chef and is presented in a large ceramic Ostrich egg-like container with a grand reveal. Poached egg sits in fried egg sauce with dill oil and Shrinking caviar (yes, that's what it's called) and served with toasted brioche with pickled shallots. Will hit the nail right on the head when he said it look like Egg & Soldiers, that oh so English treat where you dip the rectangular bread in a soft egg! I was reminded of Jean-Louis Palladin's famous egg custard with caviar-a real blast from the past. Don't forget all the fotos on FB!!

Citrus-cured Hiramasa was perfection with Pistachio Puree, shredded Badger flame beets, shaved horseradish & lemon zest. The next dish was probably my favorite as it had two of my fave foods: Herb roasted Lobster tail with Foie Gras (Will chose the substitute celeriac), Pineapple juice puree, truffle butter glazed cabbage and purple basil. It was an extremely delicate preparation bursting with flavors and the light pineapple was simply amazing with the foie gras.

Crispy skin Sea Bass indeed had the best skin ever with a wild herb sauce, chanterelles, turbido(what was that?), pearl onion and vignon(??) sabayon sauce. I asked the server to repeat this several times, but it just never came across right!! there were actually two delicious sauces, but it was the fish skin that shined. At this point we had finished our white and the sea bass needed more white. Jonathan asked if he could bring us a taste of a wine not on the menu. The 2018 Wieniger Reid Rosengartl had super fruit flavors with a lot of smoke on the palate that we both loved. and I also liked the La Antigua Clasico Roja Blanco 2018 made from Tempranillo Blanco and Viura. 

The "main' course was Dry aged Long Island Pheasant Farm Duck breast with Baby Artichokes in a Coriander-Citrus Duck jus that was cooked just past rare and a perfect size so that we were not overwhelmed. There were lemon-preserved dates in the dish that burst with flavor, and I yearned to know if I could make these at home. Indeed, the portion size was perfection for this entire feast. Of course, a red wine was needed, so Jonathan appeared with some options, and we first tasted the Brezeme 2109 Syrah from the Rhone that I felt was a tad wimpy, but we both loved the Gevrey Chambertin 2018 Vielles Vignes Tortochot as it was an amazing Pinot Noir to pair with the duck's richness.

A refreshing Grape-Kombucha Granita with frozen yogurt was the palate cleanser and had great acidity as well. Then we got the first of two desserts:

White & Dark Chocolate Tarte with Rum Sorbet was nice and different, but not my ideal dessert as I tend to yearn for fruit or such, but it was enjoyable.

An adorable presentation of mignardises arrived with Black Sesame & Yuzu Tartelettes and a Chartreuse Hot Chocolate Bonbon. The tartelette was easily the winner of all the dessert options and sent us home happy and full ready for a Thanksgiving feast the next day!

back at BLACKSALT (in the neighborhood) it's always one of the best (11-20-22)

We are so lucky to have BLACKSALT, one of DC's finest seafood establishments, just blocks away in the Palisades here in DC. We returned again last night and each and every dish is always near perfection. Our friends (from Malta) were impressed, and every detail was simply superb.

Our wine was a Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano d'Avellino 2019 which was ideal with the seafood. Will & I had an array of oysters, each better than the next: Pickering Pass & Dabob Bay (Washington State), Glacier Bay(New Brunswick), Battle Creek(Virginia), Patriot (Mass) and Damariscotta (Maine). 

Other starters were Day Boat Scallops with Roasted CauliflowerPuree, Wild Mushrooms, Romanesco, Crispy Baby Kale, Verjus Butter & Butter Poached Lobster with Spaghetti Squash "Carbonara", House Made Pancetta, Potato Gnocchi, Sherry Lobster Butter. All were amazing.

We moved on to a superb full bodied Rioja 2016 from Contino Reserva in Spain that had an amazing nose and paired excellently with the main (although Will finished the white with his BlackSalt Crab Cakes with Tasso Ham, Apple & Sweet Potato Hash, Roasted Butternut Squash Puree, Tarragon & Mustard Remoulade. Very few crabcakes can compare around town to these excellent ones.

There was a Wood Grilled Branzino with Garlic Braised Broccoli Rabe, Grilled Artichokes, Pine Nut Cous Cous, Lemon Butter with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Black Olives, Capers and Basil that could easily stand up to a red, the Wood Grilled Prime Creekstone Farms Ribeye with Wild Mushrooms, Potato Gratin, Asparagus, Pinot Noir & Foie Gras Sauce, but even my Spanish Zarzuela Style Seafood Stew consisting of Prawn, Scallop, Catch of the Day,(Pollock) Clams, Mussels, Squid, Tomato Saffron Broth, Almond Picada Sauce, Croutons with Saffron Aioli was an amazing pairing and the dish was simply beautifully presented and tasted even better(check the FB fotos). 
Everyone seems to go for the Key Lime Pie here with Blueberry Compote, Passion Fruit Caramel, Whipped Cream, Pistachio Milano Cookie, but there was no way I could eat more than a bite. We headed home full after a superb meal in the 'hood.

North Bethesda's JULII jiggles your taste buds (11-13-22)

 We had been to JULII before when a friend of ours was chef there and it was delish, and it still is. We were at Strathmore for an opera an needed a place nearby, so Julii fir the bill at less than 7 minutes up the Pike!  The menu is still Mediterranean like before and offers lots of nice options and the food is filling, tasty and good-sized, so no complaints at all. The service was excellent to boot, save for one Sprite seeming to take a while to arrive.

We started with a Reverdy Ducroux Sancerre and then moved on to a Chateau Pesquie Les Terrasses from the Rhone. The wine prices are a tad high for the burbs, but the quality was good.

Someone does need to check the menu as our young guest (age 11) noticed that the menu was divided to "PETITE PLATS" & "GRAND PLATS" both of which are grammatically incorrect! It should be "Petits Plats" & "Grands Plats" as they are masculine and plural!!

Starters were a yummy BEETS & BURRATA salad with za'atar seasoning as well as two excellent crudo options: SCALLOP with lemon puree, aleppo herb oil, crispy garlic and shallots as well as BLUEFIN TUNA with roasted garlic, tomato confit, crispy sunchoke and aleppo oil. We loved the little crunch on both crudos and the fish quality was superb!

Scallops reappeared in the SCALLOPS RISOTTO with mushrooms and the huge portion of CRISPY TROUT was gorgeous with urfa coriander spice, meuniere sauce, pequillo peppers, sunchokes, celery, potato and almonds. The RIGATONI BOLOGNESE was okay even though it has beef, veal and Benton's pork belly in the sauce. My STEAK FRITES was superb and used a rare to medium rare 10 oz. Creekstone Farms bavette(flank steak or London broil) that was as tender as could be with super frites, Madeira truffle demi sauce and a "Parisienne" salad which was two or three lettuce leaves with way too much vinaigrette!

The Creme Brulee was nice with a pistachio brittle and the Chocolate Tahini Pot de Creme was as rich and chocolatey as it comes.

We were dear friends after the opera and indeed had a wonderful time as we always do with this very special family. 

DC's ANJU is all awesome and MORE!! (10-19-21)

 Six of us headed to ANJU near Dupont Circle last month for a dinner we won at March of Dimes and Chefs Danny Lee & Angel Barreto along with the fabulous manager Eric Chodkowski and our fab server Abby made this tasting menu and entire evening a truly awesome feast.

Gimmonet Gonet Tradition Accord Brut Champagne got us started as the food began to flow from the kitchen. The entire team presented the first course made up of so many platters and tiered caddies that it was almost impossible to note everything. There are FB fotos from that night and the course was divided into four main parts:

GIMBAP -nori and rice roll, pickles, veggies and salmon roe with egg, burdock and daikon

YAKHOE -beef tartare of prime filet, frozen pear, caviar, gochujang, mustard, lotus and cured egg yolk (this wins the prix for most insanely irresistibly amazing tartare!!)

HWE - hamachi with hallabong(ctirus) vinaigrette and pomegranate

PAN CHAN are set up looking like high tea caddies and loaded with all kinds of condiments, snacks and more. Multiple kimchis of Napa cabbage, brussels sprouts and apple and white noodles; watermelon, radishes, chayotte, fish cakes, tofu, soy poached lotus root(wow!). 

We were overwhelmed and begged for a lot of time between courses, which we received so we could truly enjoy this feast--a meal in itself.

The second course was 

MANDU-dumplings of pan fried pork and kimchi

CHICKIN-the now world-famous double fried chicken Chef Danny Lee created with gochujang glaze and white bbq drizzle

These were paired twith a drink called SOY HUMO, a play on "soy" which is "I am smoky" in Spanish, made from Chacho Jalapeno Aguardiente, Bahnez Mezcal, Soy/Agave syrup & lime. So yummy, I had to have seconds....I think we all did.

Third course was 

JJAMPONG which i have to admit is a version of noddle soup that is easily now my favorite. The spicy seafood broth had thick wheat noodles, wok roasted shellfish and tons of lobster pieces as well as mustard greens. There was lot leftover, and we were thrilled to be able to enjoy it at home for several more meals!!

PALACE DDUKBOKGI(if you can say it) are Korean chewy rice cakes with carrots, veggies, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, basil and sweet soy

We had similar ones in Koreatown with Sam just two weeks before, but these were divine!

The wine was an Adegas Gran Vinum Essencia Divina Roas Baixas Albarino 2021 from Galicia in Spain which is a great wine that cuts anything with spice for sure.

The entire team returned again to serve the main course which was another masterpiece of Korean cuisine:

SSAM PLATTER here with marinated and grilled prime ribeye and a ton of different types of leaves to wrap the meat in with condiments to boot.

GYERAN JJIM was a dish that arrived covered and was revealed as a souffle-like side of steamed egg and caviar on top that was totally amazing, tasty and novel in that I cannot recall anything like it ever anywhere.

Yann Chave Classique Crozes-Hermitage Syrah 2019 from the Rhone Valley was a delicious pairing as the meat yearned for a nice hearty red.

We thought we could not possibly think of dessert, but this was a chef's meal from a charity event and it had to be!

JUJUBE FLAN DE QUESO is a creation of Chef Angel that has honey granola figs(from Turkey), black pepper whipped cream and lemon and was a revelation, while the

GINGER FUNNEL CAKE was a fun treat that turned the ever so regular fair/boardwalk treat into a delicacy with caramel, apple and pear compote, soybean powder and sesame cream. I have never been a fan of the funnel cake, but if it's like this-I AM A HUGE FAN!

Dessert was paired with a with House Infused Casis, Brown Sugar and Honey Makgeolli-similar to a Korean sochi rice wine but sparkling. The drink was very refreshing and a perfect end to the meal.

The entire evening was truly a fabulous feast and as a supporter of March of Dimes, we are so grateful for Chef Danny's support over the years as well as so many other chefs here in the DC area.